Silver took a moment to study the clock as he stepped into the tavern, wondering how it could be so incredibly mistaken. It was simply not possible that in the short time he spent at Sweet Apple Acres, three whole hours had passed. A rumbling in his stomach backed the clock’s far fetched tale, though he wasn’t entirely upset with the fact, seeing how getting to spend some time with Applejack was a prerequisite for time’s hasty passage. Intending to grab a bite to eat so he could think clearly for his experiments, he made his way to the kitchen where he was surprised to see his cooking staff hard at work.

“Hey guys, what’s the occasion? The tavern is closed tonight, you know.” The two pegasi didn’t even look up, so focused and fearful were they.

“Very good, you two, no distractions. I’ll make proper cooks out of you yet,” Lemon encouraged with a smug grin. “I know we’re closed tonight, but these two have a lot to learn, so I thought they could use the practice. I’m glad you’re here, though. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with the food.”

“That makes sense. There haven’t been any notable complaints, but I’m always open to an increase in quality.” Quality, just like she said. “I have some work that I need to get done, so whenever dinner is done, come find me in the cellar. Just knock before coming down the stairs, so I know to stop. Should something unexpected happen, I wouldn’t want anypony else in harm’s way.” Lemon nodded and went back to supervising, offering advice and pointing out any errors.

Having been packed with boxes, crates, and barrels, the cellar suddenly seemed much smaller than he had remembered. By the time he had the tables, heating pads, and other such equipment set up, the room was a little more cleared, but not by much. Still, if he kept his experimentation to one side and his casks in the other, there shouldn’t be a problem. The box of alchemical ingredients had arrived while he was at the farm. Inside lay a briefcase, and he opened it with caution, staring at the rows of vials contained within. He silently thanked his parents for their gift, the worth of the materials probably amounting to a week’s profits at the tavern.

First step of the process, a simple taste test. He would have imagined the rainbow to be something fruity tasting, but as he took a none too small drink his taste buds seemed to explode with different tastes, finally settling on an overwhelmingly spicy finish.

“Whoa, I was not expecting that.” He stared at the fluid a moment before taking a smaller sip, noting that the burning sensation didn’t linger like it did with salsa or any other type of spicy food. The order of the tastes was consistent, which gave him something to work with. A third taste revealed that there was an element of sweetness, but it was being overpowered every time. Spicy, sweet, bitter, sour, crisp, savory, and magical; seven distinct tastes to balance out.

Grabbing a magicked pen from the case of vials, he selected a beaker and drew a number of symbols upon it, before pouring in an equivocal, though small, amount of rainbow and apple juice. Setting the mixture on a heating pad, he waited patiently for it to reach the proper temperature before placing the tip of his horn to the outside of the glass. The runes began to glow as he analyzed the compound, the chemical makeup slowly unraveling in his mind and revealing the nature of the mixture.

He pulled back and stared at the beaker, the fluid steaming within seeming much more simple than he had expected it would be. Wasting no time, he added a touch of honey for taste and a drop or two of quinine to take the edge off of the bitterness. Pouring a small amount into a separate beaker and setting it aside to cool, he returned his attention to the original. The colors originally stayed completely distinct, but as the heat changed the makeup of the rainbow, the colors began to run together, forming a none too appetizing brown deluge. It was a regrettable loss of product, but it may serve a purpose yet. Taking a sip of the small amount of rainbow he had left revealed that the bitterness had indeed been successfully neutralized and adopted the taste of the apple juice, but the other flavors remained unaffected, likely due to the magical nature.

Silver’s eyes shone in the dim lighting as he became absorbed in his work, and the dinner was entirely ignored until midnight when he finished. Sudden, ravenous hunger tore his attention from the finished product and towards the plate of long since cold food. Hunger is not known for being fickle, and thus the meal was consumed with gusto. His tired body prompted a groan as he stood, wincing as he realized he had basically been using magic nearly non stop for several hours. Making immediately for bed, he paused at his door, startled by the snores coming from within.

“Berry, really? I’m just going to have to get you a bed, aren’t I?” he whispered, chuckling softly as he beheld the mother and daughter fast asleep in his bed. There was literally nowhere else for him to sleep, and he had no spare blankets, so with a sigh he began to undress before stopping cold. Ruby had never seen his body, and waking up next to him in that condition would be horrifying for the little filly. Quietly grabbing a spare set of clothes, he indulged a quick shower, redressed, and returned to bed, easing down gently onto the mattress and into the covers. The fatigue drew his eyes to a close, and his thoughts turned to dreams as he revisited Sweet Apple Acres.

“Now, remind me again why I’m stealin’ someponies clothes, Applejack. You don’t seem the sort that would require the services of a shifty character such as meself.”

“Silent Gale, ah already told you, ah just have to know why he wears clothes all the time. Now listen, if he ain’t wearin’ anythin’ when you get in there, then just take a quick peak and come back t’ me. If he is wearin’ his fancy getup, then take every pair o’ clothes he ‘as. A fancy pony like him ain’t gonna walk around in dirty clothes.”

“Aye, it will be done. I can’t well refuse the lass that gave me a place to live, at least until I commandeered a proper house for Cloudburn and meself. Still, Applejack, I can’t say I approve. Stealing is one thing, prying into another’s personal life is different.” Leaving Applejack to ponder his words, the dark blue pegasus deftly picked the locks on the tavern and let himself inside. His hooves were tightly wrapped with towels to muffle his hoof falls, and after a quick assessment of the interior he made straight for the stairs, the only section of the tavern he had yet to explore. He pulled a small canister from his wings and sprayed the hinges before testing the door, which opened with nary a creak.

“Well now, for bein’ family, you sure are close, Silver,” he whispered, eyeing the trio as they slept. Gale pulled the covers back enough to see that Silver was indeed fully dressed. He returned the blankets to their original position and stopped to think. If it had been just Silver, he may have attempted to remove them to the point of catching a glimpse, but even with his skill there was just no way to maneuver around the three ponies. In the all but empty room, it was foal’s play finding the rest of his clothes, and he closed the door behind him as he left with a small pile of fancy garments in his hooves.

“It ain’t right. What ahm doin’ just ain’t right. But I gotta know.” Saying the words out loud didn’t make her feel any better about going behind Silver’s back, but the curiosity was driving her mad. She crammed the anxiety down as Gale returned with his mark, depositing the clothes in a heap in front of her.

“There, I've done my part. I would have pried his clothes off to take a gander, but with three ponies in one bed, it’d be mighty difficult.”

“Three ponies? Ah should ‘ave known.” Any regret for her theft disappeared as she grabbed the pile of clothes and stalked back to Sweet Apple Acres, barely resisting the urge to burn them. Three ponies indeed. Why she cared so much she refused to think about, only that the idea made her want to give the smooth talker a sound throttling next time she saw his face. It was with such thoughts that she entered her house around one in the morning with a slamming door, her frustration blinding her to her surroundings and the many ponies asleep in the house. Throwing the clothes in the corner she climbed into bed and lay staring at the wall. Had she been a unicorn, the wall would likely have been ablaze under the intensity of her vexation. Applejack cringed as she heard the door slowly open and close, knowing that she was in for a lecture that she didn’t have the patience to deal with. “What do you want, Big Mac?”

“First off, ah want t’ know whose clothes those are an’ why you have ‘em.”

“What, not goin’ to get on mah case ‘bout slammin’ the door?”

“Nnnope.”

“An’ why not?” Big Macintosh knew she was upset before he entered, but if she was willing to shout this late at night, then talking to her now would do more harm than good. “Where’re you goin,’ huh? Ah asked you a question.”

“Eeeyup.” The closing of the door signaled a complete breach in the floodgates of her anger, and Big Macintosh winced at the sound of her pillow getting a sound thrashing. As the feathers floated around the room like snow, she paused with her hoof raised and stared at the thoroughly destroyed casing.

“What am I doin...” Her hoof slowly sank to her side as the furious energy drained from her body, leaving only guilt in its wake. A heavy hoof descended on her shoulders, and the last of her will to fight disappeared as the tears began to fall. Big Macintosh knew his sister well enough to know that her outbursts of anger normally didn’t last long, and she offered little resistance to one of the few sources of comfort she had as he sat down beside her. “Ah don’t wanna be like this, brother. Ah just wanna be like ah used t’ be, before everythin’ got complicated.”

“You didn’t expect love t’ be easy, did you?”

“Ah never said nothin’ ‘bout love.” Big Macintosh remained silent, wrapping her in a tight embrace. As the tides ran themselves dry, she turned her gaze to the window and looked out at the stars, wishing for an end to all the confusion.

Until his revelation at the opening of the tavern, it was a little known fact that Berry Punch and Silver Moonshine were cousins. Perhaps an even less known fact was that there was technically no blood relation between them, and thus, when Silver woke to find the mare snoring fitfully with her head resting on his neck, he couldn’t help but be a little embarrassed.

“Uncle Shiny, you’re turnin’ red.” Ruby commented with a yawn, waking as he shifted in an attempt to put some distance between the filly’s mother and himself.

“Ruby, we’re gonna have to get your mother a bed if she’s going to insist on passing out in my tavern every night.”

“I tried to warn her that the last one was going to be too much, but you know how she is.”

“That I do, Ruby.” His chuckling trailed off as exited the bed and opened a dresser drawer to find all of his clothes were missing. “I would expect this in Manehatten, but not Ponyville. Looks like I will have to raise the wards at night after all.”

“Shiny, what’s wrong?”

“Somepony stole my clothes last night.” As the thought struck him, he raced down to the cellar to make sure nothing else was missing. To his relief, everything was exactly how he had left it, which left the matter of the bits stored in the tavern safe. This too was left undisturbed, leaving a very confused stallion wondering why in Equestria somepony would break into a business and steal only a pony’s clothes. It was an expense he hadn’t been hoping to make, but perhaps Rarity could make him some new clothes, though that would have to wait. This morning was a time to test the fruits of his labors. Ruby was getting ready for school as he returned to his room to find a very hung over mare clutching her head in agony. The light level in the room suddenly dropped as Silver hung the much needed drapes over the single window before returning the a very miserable Berry Punch.

“You’re going to kill me, you know that?”

“Then I’ll just have to bring you back to life,” he replied, grinning as he handed her a dose of the hangover cure he had given her the other day. “Now I doubt you heard, but somepony broke in last night and stole my clothes, nothing else.”

“It better not have been Applejack.” The thought hadn’t crossed his mind, but she didn’t seem like the type to commit such an act. Maybe he was just being optimistic, but he wanted to assume the best in her.

“I don’t think it was, but regardless I’m going to have to start raising the wards at night.”

“Awww, you’re cutting me off so soon?”

“Hey, thank our mystery thief. I wouldn’t care if you slept over here, but I can’t have some shifty pony wandering in and out as they please.”

“Maybe I’ll just sleep over here until I catch them, then.” Her cousin’s contained laughter clearly indicated that he didn’t think she’d be up to the task, and with a stubbornness that is inherent in all mares, she took it as a challenge. “Just you wait, Silver. You’re going to owe me something special to drink when I catch that dirty thief.”

“Perhaps some Dragon Liquor?” Her eyes grew wide as she recalled one of his rarer experiments that he had made only once. It was a brew magically enhanced to compound the effects of alcohol to a point that even the most veteran of drinkers would be floored by a single serving. But the taste... “I’ll take it by your drooling grin that half of a glass will suffice as payment should you excel at guard duty. However, I would like to request that you find someplace else to sleep at night.”

“Hmmm, true, I wouldn’t want to take Applejack’s place.”

“Maybe I should have given you this instead,” he replied calmly, pulling out a different vial from his coat.

“What’s that one?”

“If somepony should repeatedly abuse my alcohol, a few drops of this will lead to a particularly potent hang over the next morning. Should it be taken while in the midst of a hangover, however, I fear for the results.”

“Easy, Silver, no need to go that far. Yeesh, you’re no fun.” He stowed the substance and looked at the clock. It was still an hour before his test subjects were to arrive, so he made breakfast for himself and Berry, having one glass of cider to her three as they ate. Berry watched him leave with a wave and another glass as he made his way to the cellar to begin setting up, excited to receive feedback on what could be one of his most popular inventions yet.

Silver’s excitement was shared with the rest of the ponies that met up just outside the cellar, looking on from a distance as they exchanged greetings.

“Morning, Twilight. I wouldn’t have thought you’d bring Dawn along for this,” Rainbow Dash called from the sky as she and Storm arrived, landing a short distance away and approaching the other three ponies.

“She doesn’t handle separation anxiety very well. Remember what happened last time we tried to let Spike foal sit?” Storm shook his head, recalling the tale and truly feeling for the dragon.

“I wonder what we’re going to taste, I love trying new things! I hope it’s sweet. Aren’t you all excited?” Pinkie exclaimed.

“I must admit, I am quite curious to see what Silver’s cooked up. Well then, it’s a little early, but shall we head inside?” Twilight spoke for all of them, and Silver greeted the group as they approached.

“Thanks for coming everypony. Now, these drinks, as you know, have not been tested. There is nothing in them that should cause any kind of harm, but as magic is involved, one never knows for sure until they are tried. I don’t want anypony to feel forced to participate.”

“Ok, cool, now where are they?” Rainbow Dash replied, dismissing the warning with a wave of her hoof. Not relishing the idea of packing five ponies into the cellar, especially with all of this research materials below, he had set up the testing area in the dining area of the tavern. Berry greeted them cheerfully as they entered, draining her cup and skipping over to the rest as Silver let them all be seated. Levitating six cups from the counter, he began pouring out even amounts until a sudden flash caused him to look up. After scrutinizing the glasses, Dawn looked up and tapped a hoof on the table.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry, sweetheart. How rude,” he chuckled, levitating a child’s glass over though not filling it right away. “Seeing as you’re not an official tester, your mother and father will have to decide if you can have any, alright?” The little filly turned back to Cerulean with an imploring look.

“Dawn, that’s not fair, you know I can’t...” The eyes grew wider. Her entrancing gaze was broken as Twilight stuck her hoof between the two, collecting Dawn and setting her in her lap.

“Dawn, mommy and daddy need to make sure it’s safe to drink first. Just be patient, ok?” Her folded arms indicated her displeasure, but she contented herself to sit babbling to herself while they accepted the glasses from Silver and stared at the rainbow colored drink.

“Wow, I know I’m kinda famous, but you didn’t have to go and make a drink in my honor, Silver. Thanks anyways, though!” With that, she took a large swig and sat staring into space.

“Rainbow Dash, are you all right?” Storm asked, waving a hoof in front of her eyes.

“I think... my brain just exploded. Taste it.” One after another, they all raised their glasses and came away with a similar conclusion. Much like pure rainbow, the drinks taste shifted rapidly once taken. Rather than sensations of taste, a myriad of fruity flavors could be tasted, one for every color of the rainbow. The foal’s patience was wearing thin, and without warning she yanked the barrel over and affixed her mouth to the nozzle and released a torrent of the drink, quickly becoming too much to hold in her mouth and drenching the foal. It was impossible for her to be upset with the outcome, however, as the drink was delicious. Sensing her intent to repeat the affair, Silver filled her cup and slid it over as the filly stood and shook herself off, grabbing the drink and teleporting to her perch to sip it in peace.

“Well, it looks like that iteration is a success, time for the next. That one was just a juice base for the kids, but for adults, there’s this.” Pulling a second barrel from behind the counter, he tapped the cask and poured the alcoholic form into the adult glasses, taking a moment to refill Dawn’s cup before watching the reactions.

“Shiny, you’ve done good. This is fantastic!” The other ponies had barely finished taking their first drink before Berry drained hers, eagerly holding it out and giving Silver a pleading look. He let her sit for a bit before busting into a grin and giving her a second dose, which she took time to savor.

“Silver, I’d love for you to show me your alchemy sometime. I had thought it was a dead end in magic, but you’ve proven me deliciously wrong.”

“Thank you, Twilight, but you are partly correct. Much of what was sought to be accomplished with alchemy can be done in much less strenuous ways with magic. However, my mother’s side of the family has a knack for finding creative ways to put it to good use. Now, everypony, I...” I must be hallucinating. Everypony turned as Celestia and Luna walked into the tavern, greeting everypony and taking in the sight. Berry grew worried as her cousin pulled out a vial that looked like the one he had threatened her with this morning and pulled out the stopper.

“Cousin, what are you doing?”

“Trying to sober myself up. That cider I had this morning was obviously much too strong, as I’m starting to see things.”