Mr. Tender came back to the bar around four. Before he asked me anything, he looked across the packed bar. “You seem to have it under control,” he said with a hint of awe. “Ah’m impressed. And surprised.”

I set a frothy mug of cider down for a patron before turning to him. “How so?”

“Ah’ve never been this busy this time of day.”

I picked up an empty mug and started cleaning it. “I guess everyone in town knows I’m here and wants to see me.”

“Hey buddy!” a rough looking stallion near Mr. Tender practically shouted at him. “How’d you get Yang Xiao Long here?”

Mr. Tender looked the stallion in the eyes. “You really want to know? Ah’ll tell you: Ah have no idea. She just walked in and took up the job Ah’d posted.”

“That’s it?” Another stallion, this one much better dressed than the first and fairly round, asked him before turning to me. “Miss Xiao Long, how’s about you come to my saloon, the Polished Saddle? Ah can pay you more for the same work, and at a nicer bar as well. Whadda ya say?”

All eyes were on me as I gave him a thoughtful sideways look, then Mr. Tender, then back. After a moment, I leaned on the counter in front of him, and in one fluid motion, reached up and firmly pushed his forehead, sending him falling backwards onto the floor with a crash. “Nope.”

There was much laughter at the stallion’s expense from the other patrons as he got back up, even setting the stool right. “Miss Xiao Long, Ah’m sure we can make a deal. Name your price.” The laughter died down to little more than whispers as I thought it over.

I gave him an answer after almost a minute. “Ten bits and I won’t topple you over a second time.”

“Does that mean you’re coming to my saloon?”

“Nope.” I pushed him over again and there was more laughter. Bits went from hoof to hoof, and a few were even set on the bar for me, which I quickly collected and put in the appropriate place before Mr. Tender pulled me aside for a bit. “What’s up?”

“How many bits have you made already?”

“I stopped counting after 400 or so. A lot of it’s from tips, none of it’s from that round guy. Anyways, I’ve gotta get back to work.” As I went back to the patrons with a smile on my face, Mr. Tender went around them and upstairs. “I wonder how Silk’s idea is coming along? I guess I’ll see it soon enough.”

Around 6, Mr. Tender pulled me aside again. "What's up?"

"Ah'll take over the bar for a bit," he said. "Silk just finished your dress. Go try it on, see if she needs to make any adjustments."

"You sure about that?" I looked back at the crowd at the bar, many of the patrons chatting it up with each other. There had barely been a minute between someone leaving a stool and it getting occupied again. "I don't want you to be slammed like this."

"Ah'm certain. Just wrap up somehow."

"Hmm, alright." I went back to the middle of the bar that had become a stage of sorts for me and turned to the audience. With a couple snaps, I had their attention and an idea. "Everyone, as much fun as it's been, I'm afraid I have to take care of something upstairs. Treat this stallion well in the meantime, alright? I'll hear from him if you don't." I gave Mr. Tender a pat on the withers before leaving him to tend the bar while I went upstairs.

"Silk, I don't know how to feel about this," I told the seamstress as I looked in the full length mirror she had revealed from the wardrobe. "I mean, I look good, and it's impressive work, but. . ."

"Is it the shoes?" Silk asked. "Ya're shaking like a leaf in them."

"Well. . ."

Silk sighed. "Just tell me what ya don't like."

"Well~" I took a breath before answering. "I have no idea how to walk in these heels, the skirt really shows off my legs, there's just. . ."

"Ya got nerves?"

"Yeah. Nerves and balance issues." I really liked the dress, and I even found myself liking the heels as I looked at them more, but the idea of going out in front of the crowd at the bar dressed like that, and new to heels, was a bit scary. "I suppose it would be a bit much to ask for more. . . flat shoes?"

"I'd also have to redo the skirt so it doesn't drag along the ground if I made new shoes for it." Silence hung for a bit as I kept looking in the mirror. "How about ya take 'em for a walk out in the hall? See if ya can't figure out how to walk in 'em? 'Sides, ya made it from the changing screen over to here without falling."

Three knocks came from the door. "Everything going alright?" Mr. Tender asked through the door.

"Just need to take care of one thing, sir," Silk said before opening the door with her magic. "How does she look?"

Mr. Tender looked me over a bit and I felt the blush cover most of my face. "You've outdone yourself, Silk. She's a bit shaky, though."

I turned to the mare. "How did you even come up with the idea for heels anyways?"

Silk shrugged. "If I knew, I'd tell ya. Probably 'cause I've made 'em often for mares here." She walked up to Mr. Tender. "Can ya give me a few minutes to get her used to the heels?"

"I'll give you ten minutes," Mr. Tender said. "If I don't hear her coming down the stairs by then, I'm coming back up." With his bit said, he left us.

"Ya heard him," Silk said as she turned back to me. "Get walking."

"Alright." I slowly made my way out into the hall and started walking its length. "It's okay, it's okay, just one foot in front of the o-" I tripped on a toe and fell, hitting the floor face first. "Hello, gravity. Just dropping by to say hi."

Some hooves rushed up to my side. "Are ya okay, Yang?"

"Not the first time, Silk." I cautiously got back up on my feet, something I had to figure out with the new heels. "Probably not the last, either. While you're here, do you have any advice for walking in these?"

"For ya? Not sure I do. . ."

I thought for a moment before rephrasing the question. "What would you tell a mare new to heels? However that works."

"Well, I'd start by telling ya to relax a bit and just. . . Feel it out, I guess? Think of it as part of your foot? I don't know."

"Hmm. . . Alright, I'll try that."

I wish I could say the next few minutes went spectacularly well, with me suddenly able to walk well in the heels after Silk's advice. I wish that I could say I suddenly felt like I could walk in any kind of shoe, no matter the shape. I wish everything had just gone perfectly.

Even though it didn't end with miraculous and flawless skills, I was content with being able to walk the length of the hall and turning without falling over. Stepping sideways was a different issue, but I managed to get it down to where I wasn't risking a fall or twisted ankle pretty fast. That I managed to figure that all out, along with leaning and crouching without falling, in about ten minutes was a miracle I definitely appreciated.

I was on my way from the middle of the hall to the stairs when Mr. Tender came up. "Everything going well?"

"She's figured out walking well enough," Silk reported. "She should be good to go behind the bar."

"Then Ah'll see you downstairs, Yang. Everyone's waitin' for you."

As Mr. Tender left, I was reminded of two things: I was going to be seen by lots of ponies, and I still had to go down to the main floor. "Right. Stairs and a crowd that wants to see me in this. . . Showy dress. Nothing to worry about at all."

Silk came up beside me on my way to the stairs. “Same thing happened with me when I started here. Trust me, ya get used to it.”

“Surrre.” I looked down the stairs and saw something that took a load off my shoulders. “Why ponies have handrails like this, I have no idea. I’ll take it, though.” With one last sigh, I put a hand on the rail and began my slow descent, each step audible in the silence and suspense that I imagined to be everyone downstairs waiting for me to appear.

After what felt like a few months of slow steps, I finally stopped on the main floor. Everyone in the saloon was looking at me. A bit of motion near the stage caught my attention, and it turned out to be a stallion, who fainted after looking at me. One of the showmares looked at him for a moment before looking at me with a smile and a nod.

After collecting myself, I made my way back around to the bar, Mr. Tender giving me a nod of confidence as I passed him. After taking my spot at the bar and collecting myself, I looked around the gathered ponies. “I had this under control before, I can do it again. Just now with heels and a showy dress.” One stallion looked like he hadn’t had anything, so I started with him. “So, what would you like?”

It was half an hour after closing time, and there was still a crowd around the bar looking at me. They’d all paid their tabs and still had some drinks, but for the most part, were just looking at me. I wanted to find my bed upstairs, switch back to some of the combat outfit, and go to sleep, but the presence of the crowd prevented that. Finally, I came up with an idea. “Okay, everybody, here’s my deal: If you want to stay and look at me, it’ll be a bit per minute, starting. . .” I watched the second hand on the clock over the front doors, waiting until the minute changed. “Now.” After I said that, the crowd dispersed and left, allowing me to finally start wiping down the bar. "Hit them in the wallet, and they'll leave. Only after closing, though."

I’d managed to work past my issues with the dress while I was working in it, and even found myself enjoying it a bit. I still didn’t like the heels, but I was getting more confident and better with them. I knew that, when I got back home, I was going to use the buckle on the ensemble. I was also going to take some time to enjoy some clean clothes and a proper scalding bath.

Once everything was cleaned and the big bunch of bits put in a chest, I realized another problem with the heels: if I tried lifting something heavy, it could damage them, and that wouldn't be good. Since I couldn't come up with a solution that I didn't feel would leave the heels undamaged, I did the next best thing and knocked on Mr. Tender's office door. "Come in," he said. I did as he said and found him at his desk over a pile of papers. Behind him was a big safe, almost a vault in its size. "Need something?"

"Bar's clean, and the bits are waiting there," I reported. "I'm just a bit afraid to move them since I might damage the heels."

"Don't worry about the heels. Silk makes them out of the strongest stuff she can get, so they shouldn't break. Probably did some magic on them as well. If you could bring them in here, Ah'd appreciate it."

"Well, alright." I went back out to the bar and found the bit chest. "Alright, time to see how they hold up." I bent down and slowly picked up the chest. I did not want to lose my balance and spill them, after all.

The walk to the office felt a bit slower, since I was being extra mindful of my balance with the huge amount of bits. Thankfully, the door didn't close on its own, so it was easy enough to get in. "Just put it on the table by the other one, by the safe door."

I went over to the table he mentioned and hesitated. "I don't think that's a good idea. Sir."

"Just do it," he said without looking back.

I shrugged. "Alright." I gently set the chest down and the wooden table started to creak and groan. I had only managed to take three steps back before the table collapsed, thankfully spreading only bits of wood and not the bits.

"What in-?" Mr. Tender quickly looked over to the table and only briefly looked saddened before a smile crossed his face. “Miss Xiao Long, Ah believe Ah owe you a bit of gratitude.”

“Huh?”

“Ah’ll be honest: the saloon is in dire straits. Ah love the Rusty Horseshoe, but Ah’ve only been breaking even at best for the better part of a year now. Ah was afraid Ah’d have to close down the stage and let the girls go, along with Spiffy Keys.”

“And then I showed up today.” I let the silence hang for a bit before continuing. “Well, one restaurant owner to another-”

“Saloon, not restaurant.”

“-I still wish you luck after I leave.”

“You will stay for the week until Sweet Cider gets back, right?”

“Of course. No drinking on the job, keep things going smoothly, and all that. I’m sure I can handle that.” I made it to the doorway when a question came to mind. “Which room’s mine, by the way?”

“Room 12. Silk’s already moved your things there. You’ll find a key in the room if you want to use it.”

“Thanks.”

It was dark upstairs with only a couple lanterns lit next to the bathroom door, so I summoned a bit of fire between my hands to light my way, careful not to burn the gloves. After I found room 12, I cancelled the flames and went in. Thankfully, there was enough moonlight coming in that I could see the room. It looked like a hotel room, though with only one bed, no bathroom, and no cable TV.

I sat down on the bed and quickly took off my new shoes. Immediately, I felt relieved to be free of them. “How can anyone walk in those all day?” I flopped back onto the bed and gazed at the ceiling. “I guess I’ll find out soon enough.”

After taking the barmaid ensemble off and putting it away, I put on the tube top and shorts from the combat outfit, the Ember Celica with the dress. “Not ideal, but it’ll do for now. Still wish I had some clean underwear.” I stood around for a bit before deciding to take a shower.

It turned out that I wasn’t the only one who had the idea to take a late night shower, and there was a bit of a line. While I was waiting for one to open up, I sat down with an earth pony mare on a bench. “So, busy day today?” The mare gave me a sideways look before deciding to just ignore me. “Right, dumb question.”

While I was waiting, I watched the ponies around me. Most of them were from the stage, I recognized a few from elsewhere in the saloon, and all of them were mares. “So it’s either all mares that live and work here, or there are stallions and I’m just not seeing them. Eh, not really much of a concern for me.”

I wound up being the last one to take a shower out of everyone in the room. The water was, as Silk had said, warm. Much to my dismay, I couldn’t get it hot like I liked it. The water was only on or off. There wasn’t even enough heat in it to make any steam on its own. Not wanting to have to deal with it for long, I kept my shower quick.

After I was done, I noticed that there was no towel in the foyer area for me, even though I saw one there when I came in. With no other options, I went back into the shower and built up some heat before blasting the water off of me and out of my hair. “That’s better.” I stepped back out into the foyer and got dressed before heading back to my room.

Even though I was inside, I still felt a bit of a chill from the lowering temperatures outside, and quickly cocooned myself in the thick blankets before going to sleep.

“Yang, can I talk with you now?”

“No, Luna.” A moment later, I changed my mind. “Okay, sure, let’s talk. What’s up?”

“Everyone in Ponyville is worried about you, for starters. And no, that is not an exaggeration.” Luna conjured a table and chairs, and I followed her lead, sitting down across from her. “Can you tell me where you are? It would help calm Ponyville down quite a bit, and keep the rest of Equestria from worrying as well. You are very popular, after all.”

“Rusty Horseshoe Saloon in Appleloosa.” I looked down and saw that I was wearing the barmaid ensemble. “Filling in for a barmaid for a week so I can make bits for the train back.”

“You do know you could have just asked around and gotten the bits, right?”

“Yeah, but that’s not my style. I don’t want to beg if I can help it, and when I saw the sign for help, I took it. I’ve easily made enough in tips that I can already afford first class and any extra cargo charges for Bumblebee.”

“But you’re not going to leave yet, are you?”

“Nope.” I reached under the table and pulled out a mug of cider, then put it in front of Luna. “I’m seeing it through to the end. My feet will probably hurt a lot once it’s all over.”

Luna nodded in understanding before chugging half of the cider down and gently setting the mug back on the table. “Celestia and I want to know about your fight against that weather machine, but she would want to hear it herself instead of from me.”

“Couldn’t you just link us up or something? You’ve done it before, I think.”

“Many times for many dreamers. However, this is one case I must refuse. I made the case to her that I should go through her memories to see if I can find clues for the other evils that we sealed. While I do that, I can’t allow anyone else to be in her dreams, lest she gets distracted.”

“Ah, I see.”

“I can still relay a message for you, if you’d like.”

I didn’t have to think long before I had an answer. “I actually do have one, though it is a bit. . . odd.”

“That’s alright, Yang. What is it?”

Author's Notes:

And here it is, Chapter 100! I had nothing special planned for this chapter, not even Pinkie putting up a banner in town with '100!' written on it.

The art for this chapter was done by SuperTechno324, and thanks to his good prices, speed, and quality, I may just commission more art from him for I Burn.

Speaking of commissioned art, there is another piece that I commissioned before that I will use in I Burn, but that's quite a ways further down the road.