A Deal with A Cherry on Top

[Bannhammer]

“Tell me again.”

“Again? How many times do I have to tell you?”

“As many as it takes for me to believe it.” The Rockefilly shifted anxiously in his seat, the booth keeping him uncomfortably close to his potential partners. A meeting in a bar was normal, but the kind of bar chatter that they shared held much more weight than simple gossip.

“Fine, Max… This deal is LEGAL. Honestly, we’ve spelled it out for you a few times already.” A grey stallion leaned over the table, his cheap cologne choking up the air around the table. Two other grey ponies flanked him, awkwardly squeezed on the single seat to allow Max his own side of the table.

“…” A silent reflection gave the rich stallion a few moments to collect his thoughts. He silently adjusted his tux, pulling on the sleeves and straightening the collar.

“C’mon, Maxxy boy.” With a slight tap of the shoulder the pony leaned in further, his demeanor shifting from frustrated to a fake friendliness that appealed to nopony.

“Max. Call me Max.”

“Max was your father. Who would never hold out on us like this, might I add. Just sign the damn papers and finish this.”

“I don’t know…” Without a word, Max observed the papers strewn out on the table, closely looking for anything that would keep him from going through with this.

"This deal has been in the works for a long time... You know that we've done business with the Rockefillies in the past, I knew your father, he was a go-" A light tap on the table cut him off, a rather rude gesture from the unicorn.

"I'm not my father."

"That's goes without saying."

A tense silence. Throwing his hooves in the air, the grey stallion continued, seemingly annoyed.

“The whole thing is legal, like you asked! What is so hard to understand about this? You sign that paper, you get what you want, and we get what we want. Everypony wins!” He pressed further. A more forceful tap on the shoulder sent a clear message.

“Not everypony…” Max pushed most of the papers aside, leaving one in the center of the table. A white hoof gently slid that paper towards the other side of the table. Snorting dismissively, the grey stallion pushed the paper back.

“C’mon Max, it doesn’t hurt you.” With a smug chuckle the other pony emphasized his point. “You know by now that somepony has to come out on top, why not make sure it’s us? Nopony will care about what happens to them, and there isn’t anything they can do about it anyway!”

“But… it isn’t fair to them…” Self-consciously, Max looked around the bar, and over towards the counter, trying to see if anypony could overhear them. His attention returned to the trio of ponies when the one in the middle spoke again.

“Fair? Since when did you care about fair? Max, you know as well as I do that there’s no place for fair in our line of work.”

“…” Max opened his mouth to argue, but he found that he couldn’t contest the point. For years he had acted on the simple principle that he got what he wanted because he wanted it, damn the consequences for others. It had always been his attitude, but now, for some strange reason, it sounded wrong.

“Listen, if you don’t feel like going through with this, I understand completely.” The other pony lied through his teeth.

Without a word Max scooted down the long seat, and out of the booth. “I… I think I need a moment to think this over.” The counter seemed very appealing at this moment, and all the Rockefilly could do was head in its direction.

“Of course, take your time…” Seething, the potential partner called after the rich unicorn, an ugly smirk on his muzzle.

With a slight hobble, Maximilian made his way over to the counter, hoping to clear his mind with a liquid remedy.

Dark wood covered the walls and the floor creaked as he walked. The Filly's Folly gained a reputation as one of the oldest bars in town, and it remained a go to establishment for any well to do Manehattanite. Max was more interested in the liquor than the history, and he wasted no time admiring the decor as he set his sights on the counter.

An older stallion stood behind the bar, wiping a glass with an old rag. He gave the rich stallion a glance, his dusty, old eyes seemingly devoid of emotion.

Normally Max would just get a martini, something low in alcohol but high in taste, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Manehattan, neat. With a fire hazard on the side." The order was acknowledged with a grunt, and for the next few moments Max stood left alone with his thoughts.

The deal was legal, there was no arguing that, it wouldn't break a single law. If that was so, why was he hesitating? Sure, ponies would be hurt by this, they could lose everything, but that never stopped him before...

"Why can't I do this?" He muttered aloud. "What is holding me back?"

The bartender took his time fixing the drinks and Max simply continued to think out loud.

"Of course, father could do it..." He once again muttered to nopony in particular. "He'd do it in an instant."

The bar rose up to meet his muzzle, and Max's face seemed buried in the counter as he struggled with his doubts. For a few moments he stayed there, silently raging against himself and his weakness. This wasn't about right or wrong, this was about will, this was about wanting to be the best, like father wanted.

A Rockefilly doesn't hesitate, a Rockefilly doesn't think twice, A Rockefilly doesn't apologize... I'm nothing like father, he'd be ashamed.

His internal rant of self-loathing would have continued, but the bartender returned, carrying a very temporary form of relief.

The drinks arrived unceremoniously with a clatter, a few drops of precious happiness were wasted on the table, and Max quickly snatched the glasses, lest anymore disappear from his grasp. With a forced chuckle he raised the shot glass filled with ever clear and vodka, he looked around and spat at the ponies around before downing the fire hazard. "To tradition!"

Without another word he tilted his head back and allowed the strong mixture to sting his lips and burn the back of his throat. A new sense of failure enveloped him, and before he even touched the Manehattan he signaled for the barkeeper.

"Another one! And get me a salt lick, the best one you have."

Sweet and strong, the concoction of sweet vermouth, bitters, and whiskey was the next to go. The martini glass was grabbed and tossed aside without a second thought.

With his sleeve, the Manehattan socialite sloppily wiped his muzzle. His mind continued to race while his heart stayed frozen in place. A new feeling started to creep in, a buried self-loathing rose up alongside the crippling self-doubt.

The Rockefilly looked around the bar again, waiting for his drinks and looking for something other than himself to hate.

[CherryRie]

Outside, beyond the smoky walls of the dimly lit bar, a fine mist of spring rain settled upon the sleepy city. Then again, it was always raining in Manehatten of a week night.

Sickly iridescence from guttering street lamps painted the nighttime streets in a tableau of deep shadows and grayscale walkways. An hour normally reserved for a specially adapted street life was chiming on a distant clock tower, whose face looked down upon a city of sin and virtue.

Through this noir oil canvas trudged a mulberry Pegasus with the determined look of the terminally sober. Striking sanguine eyes locked on the flickering neon sign that marked her destination with an otherworldly blue hue. Even through the trailing damp mist that clung to her coat and mane, it was clear to see the Filly carried some air of well bred distinction, regardless of whatever weight was upon her slim shoulders.

Pausing for a moment to run a fetlock through her damp mane and replace the lily in her hair, the filly pushed aside the door to her favored watering hole and disappeared into the sudden burst of warm light. As with any charming inner city bar nopony bothered to turn and see who had entered, little being more important than inebriants or gossip. If they had, perhaps they would have commented on how young she looked to be in such a place, or how stoically ‘happy’ her mood clearly was. A small smile graced otherwise strained features, broadcasting to one and all that here was a filly who did not want to talk about anything, unless it involved the bottom of a glass.

With the door swinging shut behind her, the filly set her eyes on the long bar and made her way across the fine carpeted floor. Taking up station a seat away from a formal looking unicorn, she patiently fixed her gaze on the bartender, whom turned a jovial smile to the newcomer.

“Ahh madam!” Joked the weighter, setting aside the drink he had been preparing “You’re looking ‘ravishing’ as always”

“Not tonight Dusk, please.” The filly begged, relaxing into the polished oak with her hooves outstretched “Right now, I really need a long Rhubarb Screwdriver.”

Sucking a theatrical breath through his gold studded teeth, the landlord glance briefly at a row of bottles along the top shelf of the bar. Seemingly satisfied, a soft yellow hue surrounded one and plucked it from the mantelpiece along with a long tumbler. “Sure you wouldn’t like to start off on something smoother tonight?”

Shaking her head in response, the mulberry pony watched in rapt apathy as the drink was prepared alongside the last order and set before her sunken features.

Gratefully she took the straw in her mouth and drew a third of the foul concoction from its tumbler, wincing at the bitter sweet taste of liquid relief.

“Not even watered down. Thanks Dusk. Needed that.” She muttered, more of a comment then a genuine compliment.

The bartender nodded solemnly, turning to a rack of condiments and retrieving a salt lick for the other customer.

“Who’s tab tonight then?”

The Pegasus sighed almost silently. Dusk fully knew the answer to that question, but it was his little way of measuring exactly how bad she was feeling. She only ever paid the bills herself when things were bearable.

“Tonight’s on him.” Replied the filly, contriving to indicate a none existent figure behind the bar, “Feel free to chuck something on there for yourself, hun.”

[Bannhammer]

Cool to the touch, the solid oak felt strange against Max's face, his left cheek resting lazily on the counter as he waited for more relief. The break in the inebriation process left Maximilian with an idle mind and plenty of time.

Max could care less if he ditched a deal, he'd done it many times before, and it wasn't the simple prospect of a failed agreement that tormented Max. Many times in the past, a loophole, or some flaw jn the paperwork, led the Rockefilly to cancel any sort of business. The idea that he could pass up a perfect arrangement over some kind of ethics issue really troubled him; it flew in the face of everything he had been taught to do.

Parenting was not of a prime concern to Mr and Mrs. Rockefilly, who ascribed to the theory that the only pony who should raise a foal is the foal itself, because it builds character. Young Max did everything for himself, and all the while his father ingrained the ideas and strategies into his mind that would help him stay at the top. There were only a few universal guidelines, and the only one of any real importance was the first one.

Everypony is out for themselves, I should be too.

Of course; canceling a project over an ethics issue didn't constitute 'looking out for one's self', a fact that was easy to see.

Failing to follow through with this deal meant failing himself, and worse, it meant failing father, the pony he aspired to be ever since he could remember, and probably even before that. A gargantuan figure, the late Maximilian Rockefilly Sr took the family fortune, and expanded it, creating a massive estate that rivaled any other in Equestria. How badly Max wanted to live up to that, how badly he knew that his life was meant for no other purpose than to emulate his father and follow in hooves!

Back in his home, an image of the senior Rockefilly sits behind the desk, a larger than life testament to the only course available to Max; a constant reminder of what he had to live up to. How could he do it if he couldn't go through with a deal simply because he felt like it was wrong? That never would have stopped his father.

The internal monologue could only go so far. Without lifting his head, Maximilian addressed the barkeeper; who was now occupied with some young pony who had just arrived.

"Hey!" He spoke loudly, his words filled with disappointment and annoyance. "I said I wanted another round and a salt lick! I'm enough of a disappointment as it is, I don't need everypony around me being a letdown as well!"

Pulling his face off of the counter, the Rockefilly continued. "So forget the kid for a second and do your damn job. At least that'll make one of us!" Finally, the grizzled bar pony delivered, taking a break from friendly conversation to give the rich pony the precious alcohol and salt he needed. Exasperated, the white Unicorn nodded in approval and immediately grabbed the drinks.

He popped a chunk of salt into his mouth, forgoing the standard procedure of slowly enjoying it. Desperately hoping for some kind of clarity, he sighed and put his face back to its original position, on the slab of oak. A blank stare was etched on his face as he once again dove into the pits of self-loathing.

The glare of the other ponies could be felt, even from across the bar. He turned his head to look at the booth, the three ponies were still sharing a seat and they were hunched together, conversing about Max no doubt. Well, those ponies would just have to keep waiting, because Max wasn't nearly drunk enough to keep talking with them. The rich unicorn sighed loudly and looked around for something to take his mind off of things.

His eyes rested on the younger pony down the bar, whose intrusion had so rudely delayed the delivery of his alcohol. His mind slowly came to a halt as he processed what he was seeing. The light in the bar was dim, and the atmosphere didn't lend itself well to picking out details from afar. Max could, even with his head sideways, tell that she was a filly, and her expression upon sampling the beverage she had received only gave him questions instead of answers.

"Hey!" He called out, the young pony didn't seem to notice. "Hey!" He tried once more, with similar results. Finally Max relented and picked his face off of the bar. Levitating his drink and salt in front of him, the Rockefilly slowly made his way towards the filly. He stopped next to her, and he tilted his head as he asked a question laced with anger and frustration.

"Aren't you a bit young to be here?"

[CherryRie]

Taking another long drag from the bitter sweet concoction, Cherry turned to regard the well dressed unicorn with a searching gaze. Unlike the other patrons of the bar, her features seemed to be a contained oxymoron, a week but genuine smile gracing a face that seemed both young and old at the same time. Yet her eyes were stranger still, sparkling with a reassurance and strength of character that couldn’t be dampened by any weight the world could place upon them. No one could worry about a pony with eyes like that, they just seemed so disarming and sober. Right now those sanguine orbs were searching Max’s own, as though taking his heart and weighing it against a feather.

“Posibly,” Responded the Pegasus, her smile stretching just a little further “But I doubt that would normally worry you. Besides, I have the bits and the reason, surly thats all that anypony else needs in a place like this?”

[Bannhammer]

Max paused, taking a few moments to try and see what he could find out about the filly just from her looks. At first glance, she seemed to be a young filly, and nothing more; upon further inspection, he could sense something else. 

She carried a sense of maturity, a look in her eyes that told Max she was not a foal. Her impressive carriage was also saddening, he knew that she had seen things ponies twice her age had not. Was it a loss of innocence, or an apathy that had come all too soon for the young pony? Max wanted to know, anything to get his mind off of his own problems.

"Listen, why would a young pony like you have a reason for being here?And why are you here all alone?"

[CherryRie]

“Oh hun,” Chuckled the filly, the smell of old spirits and merriment clinging to her breath “there’s always a reason, good bad or otherwise.”

Despite her playful avoidance of Max’s questioning, it seemed that the Pegasus was becoming more relaxed in the light conversation. Gradually the tension was fading from her face, her mood evaporating like the dew slowly drying on her coat.

“Like you, for instance, if you don’t mind my saying. I suspect-” she cleared her throat, striking a dramatic pose reminiscent of some fairground soothsayer, “-That you have reached a dichotomy in life, a difficult situation or choice that you would rather not face, not just yet.”

Pausing briefly, she winked at the business pony's mixxed expression and dropped her stance giggling “But then again, that describes every lone drinker in this place. SO! How about we break from the annals of the lonely and instead drink ‘together’?”

[Bannhammer]

A smile crept onto the Rockefilly’s face. Her sudden shift in attitude relieved him, he was glad to see that such a young pony could at least momentarily lighten up. Her previous attitude was unnerving, and the sight of a relaxed pony, albeit a drinking one, helped to calm Max down as well. The filly struck a pose, and Maximilian watched, fascinated, as her words struck close to home. He opened his mouth to speak, but the younger pony continued; clarifying her point and proposing that the two of them share the evening in a platonic fashion.

“A fine offer, one I couldn’t bear to refuse…” Max took up a spot next to the other pony, and he set his drinks down on the counter. After a tentative sip at his Manehattan, the wealthy business pony turned to face his conversational partner.

“So, you spoke of some ‘dichotomy in life’, was that merely a fortunate guess, or have I met a pony truly capable of mind reading?”

He sipped his drink again. “And… you never did answer my question. What possible reason does a young filly like yourself have for coming to a place like this, alone, none the less?”

[CherryRie]

“Hmm. No offence, but I come here specifically ‘not’ to talk about things. You know how it is.”

Though her pleasantly disarming smile did not seem to fade, something about the filly’s tone seemed almost disappointed. As briefly as it had surfaced, the flotsam of open emotions drifted back under the sanguine sea of Cherry’s heavy eyes.

“As for the quotations... well, mindreading is for unicorns and stage magicians. Really it’s a case of knowing ponies. No matter how complicated life may seem sometimes, everypony has the same problems deep down.”

A feeling was stealing over max as he listened. Speaking to the youth felt odd, like talking to yourself while somepony else was listening, a conversation with a reflection. All the while were those sanguine eyes, tranquil unjudging mirrors. Something must have show on the business pony’s face, as the filly quickly looked back to her enticing drink.

Taking a long sip and gesturing to the barkeep for a topup, the pegasus razed an eye brow as though something had just slipped her attention “Oh, and it’s Cherry by the way. So, whats yours?”

[Bannhammer]

The pleasantries continued, and Maximilian took a brief pause to once again sip his drink. As quickly as the filly's attitude has changed, it returned to the enigmatic manner in which it had been.

The Rockefilly watched with half lidded eyes as the other pony sipped her drink, and he used the quick silence to look over his shoulder and catch a glimpse of one very specific booth. It wasn't until he heard her question that he finally returned his attention to Cherry. Old habits kicked in, and the rich Unicorn racked his brain in an attempt to identify her through either past experiences. Drawing a blank, Max smiled and traced the rim of his glass with a hoof.

"Call me Max."

He tapped on the counter, trying to contain his anxiety through some kind of twitch, rather than keeping it on his face. With a calm expression the Manehattanite followed up with another statement,

"You say that we all have the same problems, how did you come to that conclusion?"

Without knowing it, Max lost the grin, a small scowl taking its place. Maximilian finished his thought absentmindedly,

"I can assure you that most problems are absolutely asinine when compared to the ones I face, and they're simply trivial when compared to those of my father."

He shot a glance at the large mirror behind the bar, using it to keep a watch on the ponies he had ditched earlier. Max's composure hovered in-between rock solid and completely gone. Max gave a confident chuckle before continuing.

"If I had real problems, I'm sure they'd be different than anything you've known."

Once again he used to mirror to observe the trio of ponies in the booth. His gaze lingered for a moment, and Max bit his lip in anxiety. With a quick snap of his head he looked back at cherry, with a half expectant, half anxious expression.

"Alas, I don't believe I gave you a fair chance to answer... How did you come to that conclusion?"

[CherryRie]

“Same again, Ms Dawn?” Dusk queried as he swept up Cherry’s empty glass in a glimmering aura, leaving the Filly with the straw in her mouth.

“Something a little fruitier I think. You pick, hun.” She replied, smiling from behind the bent pipe.

Twiddeling the ornament thoughtfully, the filly observed as her old friend began wisking down various brightly coloured bottles from the shelf. At least the distraction gave her a moment or two to think though an answer.

Eventually with Dusk whisking bottles in through the air in a flurry of creation, she turned back to Max.

“Oh, it’s not that the circumstances aren’t sometimes difficult or overwhelming at first glance.” She explained, feeling out her words carefully. “But once you strip away the elaborate ideals we surround our lives in, it’ll always come down to the same formula. What was it now? ‘Needs breed drives, which return fulfilment and enrichment, which give rise to new needs.’ I think that’s what the book said anyway. Ponies convince themselves that something hurting them is insurmountable because they make them out to be more complicated then they need to be. Sorry to say it hun, but we’re just a kind of animal with intelegence and pretentions of aw-Oh!”

Pausing for moment the Pegasus observed the large ornate glass that had been placed in front of her. Inside a strange red concoction glistened tantalisingly. With a look of mild confusion, Cherry leaned over and dipped the straw between the crushed ice cubes, taking a long tentative sip.

“...It tastes purple?” She exclaimed, eyebrows raised at the smirking bartender.

Dusk chuckled as the cocktail apparatus began to clear itself from the table “I thought it would match your mane perfectly, Ma’am.”

Giggling slightly, Cherry rolled her eyes at the stallion and returned to her drinking partner’s conversation “Anyway, I mean, for instance; you look like the kind of stalion who's done well for himself. You're healthy, you look well off and secure in life... so are you happy? An’ don’t lie,-" She insinuated groggily "- cause I already know the answer.”

[Bannhammer]

Maximilian intently listened to her words. A strong gaze her only feedback as he sipped at his drinks and slowly ate his salt. She seemed to know what she was talking about, and the rich Unicorn couldn’t help but think that there was much more to this pony than he had once thought. For a filly so young to be so critical of ponies in general was not only striking, it was downright impressive. She tried to sum up her argument with some encapsulating statement about Ponykind in general, but the barkeep cut her off with a fresh drink.

The Rockefilly took the short pause to look in the mirror, once again trying to observe the trio still in the booth. Without drawing much attention, he quickly swiveled his head around to get a better look. As soon as the bartender replied to Cherry’s curious remark, Max whipped his head around and tried to look as calm and collected as possible.

With a nod, he finished his drink and set the now empty glass back onto the counter. Max beamed a little at her words as she recognized his status. Her question at the end really caught him off guard.

“Am I happy?”

Maximilian chuckled as he levitated a coaster nearer to him. Pulling a pen out of his tux, the rich socialite scribbled a few notes down on the small piece of cardboard. With a smile he levitated it up and over towards the Barkeep. Max had written some instructions for the Bartender to send some drinks over to a booth in the back. Hopefully a small gift could calm them down.

He finally returned his attention to the question at hoof. “What possible reason could there be for me not to be happy? I have everything I could want; I have power over ponies…” Max smiled at Cherry. He was a skilled liar, and he really put some effort into this. “I’m perfectly pleased with life.”

“So… if you already knew the answer… why did you ask the question?” Max politely signaled for another drink and chuckled flippantly.

[CherryRie]

“To see if you knew the answer too.” Replied the filly, honestly. Despite the ever present smile, pity now edged Cherry’s sanguine eyes.

“Have to admit you’re really good at that though.” She continued in amusement “It’s like you almost believed it yourself.”

Sighing theatrically, the Pegasus rested her fore-hooves across the bar and stretched the smile a little further. “You know, I don’t think I want to go down this path. It’s been one of those days and right now I just want to relax an' pretend I don't care.”

For a moment something seemed to catch the filly’s gaze before it returned to Max “So, do you have any amusing anecdotes, or maybe a have game of pool? Suppose that would be a good group activity," At this she paused to take a strategic draft from her tumbler "- we could invite your ‘friends’ to join in too, if you like?”

[Bannhammer]

Max snorted a dismissive reply to Cherry’s observation. She somehow saw fit to patronize him, yet she did so without a hint of contempt. The rich Unicorn was stuck trying to justify being angry at a small filly merely for seeking the truth. Something about her demeanor was off putting; either her startlingly mature attitude or her almost nonchalant dismissal of his lie just seemed strange.

She stretched, expressing her desire for a shift in conversational topics. Cherry’s attention was elsewhere, and Max was left trying to think of what to say. Before he could reply, she faced him again and asked for some sort of story, or even a game of pool. Max would have been happy to oblige, but she then suggested that his ‘friends’ be included.

“Oh no, they’re not my friends… They’re just business acquaintances. We’re working on a deal, but I had to, um…” He paused and stuck some more salt in his mouth. “I had to get something to drink, just couldn’t wait.” Max flashed his trademark grin, hoping that at least some form of charm could work on the young filly.

On the outside, Maximilian was calm on collected, but he was confused and anxious on the inside. Cherry wasn’t simply a young filly, ignorant of hardships and full of optimism. She was a pony who knew things, things that a pony her age shouldn’t.

“I take it you don’t exactly enjoy my company…” Max chuckled and popped more salt into his mouth.

[CherryRie]

“If I wasn’t wanting of the company, I wouldn’t have invited you to chat, hun.” Cherry nickered, watching Dusk carrying drinks to the party she had seen in the long mirror.

“It’s just...”

Faltering mid exposition, the filly cast her gaze back to the steamed glass as once again she failed to frame some complex thought.

Finally she seemed to settle on shifting the conversation in a more comfortable direction, at least for a little while. Waving a fore hoof in a motion that both dismissed and boasted an over extravagance brought on by inebriation. Max’s sense of smell had been right, the filly been drinking long before she’d entered this particular bar.

“You don’t seem so bad, from the outside in at least. I’ve kept worse company that’s for certain.”

Time began to glide past for the drinkers, the awkward minuets of silence quickly adding up for another half hour. Woozy from rhubarb intoxication and starting on her fifth intreguing cocktail, Cherry saught for something to pick up a conversation again. Although she'd never admit it, she was terrable at being lonly, simply couldn't get the hang of keeping quiet when there was space to fill with conversation. Something in the mirror caught her eye once again. Muzzy recognition caused a slight shift in the young face that suggested the expression had become genuine. She was drunk, but still she felt like she had to care and couldn't bring her self to look at the biuness pony beside her. Now that gaping maw of emptiness was tearing once more at her chest, threatening to rip the filly in two if she didn't brake the awful silence.

“So what do you work in? Marketing? Banking?”

[Bannhammer]

"My business is business." Max gently lifted his glass for yet another sip.

This question he could answer fully and honestly, and he did so without hesitation.

"I buy things, like stocks, raw materials, real estate, pretty much anything that can be bought. Then, once i've nudged the prices up, I sell the items for more than I paid. Rinse and repeat."

Another sip of his drink punctuated his speech before he added, "I've often thought of starting a bank, but father would never approve."

Maximilian levitated the glass into the air and swiftly turned it, swirling the mixture contained within. As the liquor swished and spiraled Cherry could see a contemplative look form on the Unicorn's face. Somehow the turbulent mixture in the small glass sparked a thought, and the Manehattanite observed it for a moment before resuming.

"Needless to say he'd have the final say on that matter."

Max looked away from his glass, keeping a blank stare focused intently on the filly in front of him.

"So, Miss Cherry, do you have a line of work? You're a bit young for a job, but I guess you could always help out with the family business."

[CherryRie]

Laughing richly, Cherry rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly at the business pony’s suggestion.

“Funny you should mention that. You could say I’m the odd one out in the family, their business isn’t to my taste and I really don’t want anything to do with it. Mind you that’s not for lack of trying on my parent’s part.”

Once again the filly looked up at the long mirror, watching the other patrons with the inebriated subtlety of a half brick.

“Makes you wonder who you’re out to please sometimes, yourself or them. Grandfather started the business. I thought he'd be upset that I didn't want in. But ya know the funny thing is, though I know he’s 'unhappy' about it, I think... I hope, he’s proud of what I’m trying to do instead. Somehow that dosn't make it seem as awful.”

[Bannhammer]

Maximilian voiced his confusion. "So, there's a family business...and you're not a part of it?"

That concept just didn't make sense to Max and he shook his head in disbelief. He also had a grandfather that started the business; but for a pony to completely ignore the responsibility of serving the family befuddled him. The Rockefilly could not fathom how you could justify it, even if they didn't like the work, it was their duty. "The most important part of a family business is business, but without family you end up working with a bunch of ponies you can't trust."

He sipped his drink and looked to the side; trying to get another look at the ponies he was presently trying to avoid. "You must really not like it, Cherry, for you to just ignore the business like that."

The stallion felt a tiny bit of anger rising up, somewhat at the young filly for what she said, but mostly at himself. He raised his glass and took another sip, hoping to silence his anxiety with more drink. Wasn't he also disgracing his family? The deal that was falling through as they talked came back to mind, and the self loathing started to creep back into his mind. Frustratedly, he slammed his glass back down on the table with enough force to create a long crack down the side.

With a disgruntled sigh he shoved the glass down the bar, and waited for a new one. The pony behind the counter understood, and Max returned his full attention to the inebriated filly. Her state served as a temporary distraction from his pressured situation. "I guess that a little independence would be nice, but in the end you have to know what your priorities are. Expectations must be met, and legacies must be fulfilled." Max took another slow sip of his drink.

"Nopony can outrun fate."

[CherryRie]

Cherry gazed blurrily at her drinking buddy. Despite the mugginess floating in her head, righteous indignation still bubbled to the surface, showing in her expression far more then she would have liked.

“Don’t just assume that every business is the same. I can’t just... If accepting fate means sacrificing the happiness of others, then I’ll gallop till my legs give out.”

Distracted as he was, the business pony didn’t notice the look Dusk shot across the bar as the broken glass was whisked away and replaced by a fresh beverage. He’d seen this before, something had happened and left the filly in a bad way. Cracks were forming in her composure, any second the alcohol would win out and the dam would break. And this slimy goit was the last pony she needed to be around when that happened.

“Miss dawn, would you like me to-”

“No!” the filly blurted, wings ruffling as she confronted the buck.

“No, I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to sit here and drink till something in life makes sense again. Everypony meanders around in a daydream, like the world will magically become perfect if they just ignore the bits they don’t like. Well it’s not perfect-” she slurred, voice cracking with pain “-for some it’s bucking horrible. Just the idea that there are ponies out there that would actually make it WORSE for them... horse apples I can’t do this anymore.”

Something had shifted about the Pegasus. Gone was the perpetual smile, replaced by soul crushing despair “I promised Sunny I wouldn’t do it again, I PROMICED... but I couldn’t just... Celestia curse it, it’s like I’m dying inside.”

[Bannhammer]

"What about your happiness?" Max nearly shouted in confusion. Cherry had cried out in despair, and any attempt to conceal her inner pain had failed, leaving her open like a book that nopony should read. The sight was more depressing than anything he'd seen in all his years, and her emotional collapse quickly spread around the bar.

"Ponies will always get hurt, you can't change that! You said it yourself, there are ponies acting like the world is perfect, ignoring the parts they don't like. You're right, the world isn't perfect, so why do you care about others?" the Rockefilly shouted out in a mixture of confusion and despair. He didn't know what he said, the alcohol finally having a effect on him.

Max's tone shifted, quieting from a loud condescension to a gentle pleading. The rich Unicorn just couldn't bear the sight anymore, and he felt like he had to help. "Cherry, I don't know what, or to whom, you promised, but it's obvious this isn't helping you. Just... Just..." The sight of the pained filly tore at his heart, and her words only spurred him to drink further.

Maximilian took a deep breath and looked in the mirror, he decided to try and move the conversation away from her, in order to let her vent. Maybe that would help. "So, what do you think of the ponies that make things worse? Are they the ones who cause all the problems?" He knew fell well what he was doing, and he understood that he had just handed the can-opener to a filly next to a can of worms.

[CherryRie]

“No.” Croaked the filly, tears flowing freely as she gazed into the crystal depths of her beverage. “That’s the worst part. Poison goes where poison’s welcome. But what they do, even if it’s not ‘legally’ wrong, is wrong in a more fundamental way.”

Bitter sarcasm began to lace Cherry’s words. Behind the bar, Dusk suddenly became very engrossed in cleaning a glass.

“After all, it’s not ‘their’ fault that Rhubarb leaf isn’t as tightly controlled as it should be. It’s not their fault that she got hooked on the foul stuff either. Maybe they could have stopped supplying her when she started showing, but surely she knew the risks, so why bother? Not their look out. After all, it’s just Business.”

She was almost spitting through the tears now, teeth gritted in anger and pain “Business that cost her everything. Her job. Her Mate... her foal. Six weeks premature and suffering from leaf poisoning. The poor thing didn’t stand a chance. She has to live with the fact that her weakness killed her son. But it was those parasites who used that vice for their own petty gains.”

Breathing heavily to choak back wracking sobs, Cherry seemed to be gradualy zoning out, speaking more to herself then anypony in particular.

“Celestia has given us a world that’s so close to perfection, nopony need want for anything. But ‘they’ exploit weakness, let ‘profit’ guide them like some unfeeling machine. Horse-apples, I’d only gone in to the clinic for some aspirin, just some feathering aspirin. What was I supposed to do? Leave her to face the wreckage alone?”

“Maybe not all the blame can be placed at their hooves, but most of it can. Whether it’s gambling on the economy, selling out ponies’ homes from under them or providing Leaf to pregnant mares, nothing is beneath those ‘ponies’. In a thousand tiny ways they chip away at the world, and for what? A hoof full of Bits?!?" And at this she rounded on her drinking partner, eyes wide and pleeding, "Money can’t buy happiness, or a soul! And it should never be exchanged for either!”

Rage subsiding, the Pegasus settled slightly with her head resting in her fore-hooves “Directly or not, ‘They’ steal away lives and leave others in ruins, all for the sake of a few shiny coins. And they’d do it all again if they could. As far as I’m concerned, they don’t deserve this world.”

Something about her tone enthecised that this was not a suggestion of cardinal punishment, but rather insidious observation, as though literally taking the world from a pony was worse than death.

[Bannhammer]

“How Dare you!?” Max slammed his glass down on the table, the alcohol clouded his mind and made it easy to jump to conclusions and misinterpret words.

“I might not do the most ‘honest’ of business, but…”

“You lump my business, no….” He paused and scowled even more. “You lump ME in with the Rhubarb peddling scum?” The Rockefilly shook his head, Cherry might not have called him out directly, but she came damn close.

“I guess, by your definition, I’m one of those ‘ponies’; a pony that deserves only the most vicious condemnations!”

Maximilian traced the rim of his glass and glared at Cherry.

“I’ve done plenty, I’ve sold out others and ruined lives!” He seemed to calm down, but it was mostly from despair rather than any sense of tranquility. “Does…. Does that mean that I don’t deserve this life? I suppose I should have expected no less, why should we look out for others when this is a world filled with vindictive ponies such as you?”

“You may be mature, and you may in fact know many things for your age, but you do not know everything! I’ve seen the true underbelly of society as well, and while you may be able to take the high ground and easily cast blame and guilt upon them I do not have that luxury.” Max closed his eyes and continued bitterly. “The Rockefilly name is just as mired and sullied as the rest of them.”

“I… don’t wish to say that I regret the business I’ve done.” He bit his lip and softened his gaze. “But I do have doubts about whether or not they have to be done. The costs may not be too much for my purse... but I refuse to continue hurting others for my own goals.” His slip into the future tense was a clear sign of where his thoughts were.

“I don’t know, maybe your words are deserved… maybe I don’t deserve this life.” Maximilian sighed and gave a look of pure depression and despair. “When is a pony too far gone?”

A small slip of paper was placed in front of him by the bartender, and the Rockefilly slowly turned it over to read what it said. Instantly, he whipped his head around to look at the table with the other ponies. Just as quickly, he returned his gaze to Cherry. “And how much pain should a pony take for the sake of others?”

[CherryRie]

For a moment the filly seemed unable to respond, voice catching in her throat as her addled mind struggled to processes everything that she had just heard. A lot of opinions and regrets were cueing for her attention. But one thought struck against her alcohol grazed conscious like a lead ball, shattering it into crystal clear sobriety.

“Rockefilly.” She said flatly, a statement of fact that she couldn’t quite grasp. “Max... Rockefilly. Maximilian Rockefilly.”

Something in Max’s blank expression provided an answer to the implied question, prompting a fleeting squint of disbelieve to flash across Cherry’s eyes. More pieces of a mental puzzle slipped into place, prompting the filly to turn and stare at the three ponies watching them from the other side of the smoky room. As she swivelled back to the bar her sanguine eyes brushed over Max’s forlorn face, their earlier despair replaced by something many times worse; disappointment.

“Irony, thy name is Cherry.” She breathed, managing a slight smile at her own expense.

Tossing back the last of her cocktail, the filly slipped off the squat stool and got unsteadily to her feet, turning towards the door and the street beyond. Yet, she paused, as though an invisable string of thought had tugged her to a halt.

“To answer your question, Mister Rockefilly. If there's something left to save -" She said sadly, half turning her head to look at the buisness pony through the corner of disapointed eyes "I would carry it all."

[Bannhammer]

Max sat, completely still, unsure of what to do next. The young filly was leaving just when he needed her most.

“But… but…” Her look of disappointment tore at him, and he could only close his eyes and clutch his glass in response. He felt like he had just been condemned for all time, and for it to be at the hoof of such an innocent pony! All of his fears surged into his already full mind, and he simply couldn’t handle this new weight upon his conscious.

“I’m sorry!” He shouted out, the Rockefilly letting the shame and guilt wash over him fully. The stench of alcohol did nothing to quell the reek of failure that stung his nostrils. Maximilian’s hooves moved up to shroud his face as he tried to contain his tears and laments. “…for everything. The lies, the pain, all of it, I’m sorry!”

“What am I doing?!” The rich unicorn uncovered his face and yelled at the ceiling, barely able to choke out his words. “I… I’m trying!” A loud ‘thump’ could be heard as he let his maw smack into the counter. “I’m trying so hard…”

“I just don’t know what to do…”

There were a few silent moments as the grown stallion sank deep into his own despair. “I don’t know…”

He whimpered and tossed his glass aside. The glass shattered when it hit the ground, and a few of the shards managed to land near the ponies Max had been avoiding. A spark flashed in his eyes, and with newfound vigor the Rockefilly stepped down from his spot on the stool and stumbled towards the trio of ponies. They each shot him looks, and the one farthest from the Rockefilly let out a chuckle.

“Gentlecolts…” Max levitated the stack of papers toward himself, tears starting to trickle down his face. “I have to start somewhere…”

“What?” The stallion in the middle motioned for the other two to get up, and soon the trio was standing in front of Max. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that I know what I have to do.” He sniffled, and the tears were gone, replaced by a solemn and nervous expression.

“Max, don’t tell me th-“

“I… am not, going… to accept this…” He choked out the words, struggling for every syllable.

“No.” The middle pony put a hoof on this shoulder. “We are not going to let you do this. Think of the benefits!”

The struggle was gone, and a stream of words poured out of Max. “Think of the pain! If I buy that low rent housing, sure, I make a few bits. You tear it down and build something else, I make more bits. But the ponies that live there, the ponies that need a home are suddenly on the streets!”

“Who cares?”

“I care!”

“So you’re going to ditch the deal because you feel bad for some poor ponies.”

“Y-yes…”

The other stallion narrowed his eyes. “Your father would never do th-“

“I AM NOT MY FATHER!” Max screamed and tossed the papers at the stallion. “I will never BE my father! If that makes me a lesser pony, so be it! But I cannot ignore this voice inside of me forever, the voice that tells me that what we do is WRONG.”

There was another silence, and the ponies stood and stared at each other.

[CherryRie]

Practically shaking with indignation, the middle of the three pawed furiously at the ground and glowered at the unicorn before him "I am not going to accept this! We did not sit here watching you chat up jailbait for an hour just for you to rub our muzzles in the dirt."

"Simmer down now, Turps." The second calmly cut in, stepping forward so to place himself between 'Turpentine' and the Rockefilly. Briefly his eyes darted to the clock behind the bar before returning to Max with an overly friendly grin.

"Maxy' boy, you’ve had a right skin full tonight, sure as hay could have drunk us under the table with the pace you’ve kept. Ah ain’t got no doubt that there’s some issues that you need working through, I mean don’t we all. But you gota' understand, this is just the alcohol talking. Now I’ve known you some time and 'Maximilion' Rockefilly has never been one to turn aside a good deal."

"Y-Yeah." Stuttered the wheedling voice of the third, a short wiry unicorn "I mean, it’s just business. Right?"

After glancing at his short colleague the second pony continued "Max, you can’t pretend like you suddenly grew a conscience. This is what we do. Look, just sign the contract, there's a week resendence period anyway, so if you still feel this way in the morning-."

Whatever suggestion he was about to make was cut short by a cough that, though intended as a polite interjection, was about as subtle as a tractor backfiring. All eyes turned to the young Pegasus who had sauntered back over form the swinging bar door and stood a little way behind Max. Swaying slightly, the Filly wore a watery grin that her alcohol drowned social sense informed her was business like.

"Gentelcolts-"

“What the hay do you want?” spat the Loudest of the three, who was looking at the filly as though she had just crawled out of the gutter and proposed a roll in the hay.

Despite being completely pickled, Cherry was putting on a surprisingly sturdy display of authority, if one ignored the slight swaying and the fact that her eyes seemed forever focused on something three feet behind whomever she was actually looking at. Ignoring the rude interruption she soldered on with barely more than a carefully drawn breath.

"I believe Mish-ter Rockefilleh has made his positing on this matter quite clear. May I suggest you leave and per-pre-follow, any further arrangements at a later day?"

Sanguine eyes wavered across the assembled company, her utter contempt hidden beneath alcoholic ‘friendliness’. Dominating the trio was this ‘Turpentine’ fellow, one who oozed a palpable aura of offence that made Cherry sick to her stomach. This wasn’t a simple case of instant dislike, oh no, this pony had Worked to become this unpleasant and the atuned filly could feel it irradiating from him like the open door to a garbage furnace. To his left was the level headed one (whose name she hadn’t yet caught) wearing an all purpose look of confusion, nothing unsual there, in fact he seemed more amicable then her previous drinking company. And then there was the runt who had been staring at her flanks all night. Pity was the only emotion she felt in conection with the unicorn, especially now that he was stuck with a horrified rictus at the sight of the false flower she was wearing in her mane.

Even through her hazy conscience this look registered and rang cirtain bells. Good. Such things were not common knowledge, but at least one of them knew who she was.

Her sluggish thoughts piled into one another as Turpantine stepped forward to tower over her slight form. By Celestia this one was rank! Where was that feeling coming from? It was like a smell that was bypassing her nostrils and going straight to the puke centres of her brain.

“No one bucking asked your opinion girl.”

For a moment the filly felt the urge to back down, but some part of her refused to be hassled by such a vial creature. Instead she stepped smartly around the stallion’s bulk and approached the voice of reason. Away from the stink her composure was quickly returning, heavy breaths moving aside to allow through a soft kind voice as she spoke the buck. As she did, the colt’s expression slid through confusion to mildly freaked understanding, her carefully chosen words striking a chord somewhere deep in his soul. Behind them the other earth pony had been left to fume indignantly.

"You’re right to be worried about the clock." She nickered, stepping a little closer to him with calm honest eyes fixed upon his own soft olive orbs.

“Look at me when I’m speaking to you!”

Cherry didn’t give Turpantine’s biting so much as a glance. "The deal can wait till morning, but she might not. So go home and let her know you care."

Blinking in dumbfounded recognition, the stallion licked his dry lips into a worried little smile before replying “How did you-?”

The large grey hoof came from seemingly empty space, shoving the filly roughly aside as the previously ignored earthpony step in-between.

"This-" Bit Turpentine, watching with a twisted grimace as Cherry failed to regain her balance and collapsed in a drunken heap "Is none of your business you little Line-bred street sweep. "

A scrape from behind the bar drew his attention from the fallen filly. Dusk was withdrawing the landlords friend from its hiding place with a look of grim intent on his features, though seeing the heavily built stallion looking his way caused a moment of hesitation. The Barpony was not built for fighting, but quite suddenly it seemed as though he wouldn’t have too. Cherry had gone from laying down to upright and was quite suddenly far too close to the stallion for comfort, all seemingly without crossing the intervening space. Noses practically touching the stallion’s could hear the filly’s overbearing panting and taste the bitter drinks upon every breath.

“Get out of my way, tramp-”

A growl stuck in Turpentine’s throat as icy sanguine eyes fixed him with cold, calculated hatred.

"Shut. Up."

There was no kindness there this time, though oddly there was no venom or revulsion in the girl’s manner either. Hollow space like the eye of a terrible storm forged of inebriated malice carried an undertone of condescending command, like a master telling its dog to heel.

"Do you even realise just how revolting you are? No pony likes you. You are alone in this world, and rightly so. Your no stallion, you’re a thing, a slime off the walls of Celestia’s most depraved dungeon. Can you even name one Pony that has ever gotten close to you for anything but your wallet? You are disgusting."

Max winced. He didn't know why. Had some young upstart spoken to him in such a disrespectful way, they would have found themselves without a bit to their name by morning. But there was something in the filly's 'statement', as though it had been granted some otherworldly weight that made it absolutely, irrefutably true. Something was happening here, something extraordinary and abhorrently fascinating.

From the look of things, Cherry's scorning had struck the unfortunate business pony like a ton of bricks. Turpentine was as pale as his namesake, his acidic fury swept away by the wake of undeniable truth, replaced by a look of horrified panic.

Face marred by confusion and disgust, Cherry stepped back and broke whatever invisible hold she had over the stallion, the tension snapping like a rubber band. Gulping air as though he had run a marathon, the earthpony scrambled away, tripping over a bar stool in his desperation to put as much distance between him and the filly as possible.

Glancing after his associate, the levelheaded pony turned back to Cherry, finding the frozen gaze melting into a puddle of panicked glances. The girl looked about to faint or run for the hills herself. Yet slowly she gathered her wits and put on the pleasant smile once more, albeit significantly strained.

"I thought you were going home to your Marefriend?"

Snorting in flabbergasted surprise, the stallion nodded in recognition, turned away and head for the exit. He’d just seen one of the most unpleasant buck’s he knew flee from a filly half his size. And yet things felt a lot… clearer, for him. He was going back home, to see the one mare that made his stressful life worth living.

Still shocked into silence, the runty unicorn attempted to follow in an impressive impersonation of a shadow, only to find his tail caught on something. Dread swept over his small form as he swivelled around to face the filly who had grabbed his 'attention'.

"Not so fast, hun." She said, spitting out the olive green hair and stepping closer to the snivelling buck.

"You shee this flower? Just nod hun."

Nod.

"You know what it means, don't you?"

Nod.

"Good. So you know what I could do to you if you tell either of your friends who I am. Now, go home and think about what you’ve seen tonight. There’s an important lesson you can learn from your friends there. It's about knowing what’s important, or some’at like that. Oh! And grow a pair. You’ve got a good brain and can’t just live off other Ponies opinions forever."

Nod-nod.

“okay, go on then.”

Run for exit.

With the three offensive characters finally off the premises, Cherry dropped her facade and drew a long steady breath. She felt.. odd. Lighter then she had done in days. The buzzing in her head was gone and for once colour seemed to be seeping back into world around her. Maybe everything wasn’t that bad? And that alone told her everything she needed to know. A shameful grimace graced her features as she waved a hoof to the bartender and turned back to the contemplatively silent Max.

"Dusk, two coffee's please, black as Nightmare Moon's mane. Mister Rockefilly, please take a seat." She gestured to the wall booth where the business ponies had been moments before. "I think it’s important that we spoke properly."

[Bannhammer]

"I agree"

Maximilian stared blankly ahead, still trying to process exactly what had just happened. As he trotted alongside the younger filly Max gently placed a hoof on her shoulder as nothing more than a paternal display of concern. The unicorn muttered something and continued approaching the booth.

As he sat down, Max didn't break his stare, and he found himself once again looking at an image so complex he could only hope to understand a part of it. Many questions swirled through his mind, and the rich stallion simply sat and let the confusion and apprehension wash over him and replace the fear and loathing that had taken up residency in his mind.

There was a long silence, and it wasn't broken until the coffee finally arrived at the table, the steaming, black drink a welcome sight to the Rockefilly. He stared into the mug, and his own reflection stared back.

Maximilian's expression was twisted and contorted, a futile attempt to rein in his confusion and pain. He finally looked up from his mug at Cherry, obviously holding his emotions back behind a weak levy made of nothing more than lies and doubt. There were a few more tentative moments of silence, and as Max lifted the cup to his muzzle he chuckled weakly, and was the first to speak.

"To think, the first pony to do me a favor, and it's a little filly I met in a bar."

The porcelain mug started to shake, and a pained smile formed on Max's lips, soon joined by watering eyes.

"Why?"

Whether or not Cherry was aware of this, that act of defiance meant so much to Max. Throughout his whole life, nopony had ever done anything for him, he had been forced to provide for himself, a ploy by his parents to simultaneously raise a strong son without having to do much work.

He felt disgusted with himself, and Max didn't know whether or not he should feel so... weak, for lack of a better word. His mind was clouded was inebriation, and the already emotional stallion felt even more conflicted as time passed. His gratitude was replaced with doubt, and once again thoughts of his father's disappointment at his weakness creeped into his mind.

"You... You didn't have to do that..."

The tears, brought on by the squall of emotions, threatened to pour out, and he covered his face with a hoof. 

 "Why?"