Amber Ale nearly galloped around from behind the bar counter, as she filled the last orders of a couple patrons that made their way in to her little tavern. It’s Friday evening, and as one would expect, many forty hour a week workers in the border town of Degus were ready to relax this weekend and allow themselves some much needed time off. Something that the summer ale unicorn was also looking forward too; considering after the morning shift tomorrow, she’d be off till Tuesday evening.

“Did you want another shot of FireColt added to that cider Cherry Blossom?” she asked the newly 21 mare at the counter.

“Oh no, I think two will do it for me,” the mare almost hiccupped across to her, as she gladly accepted the glass and went about the tavern to her friends.

“I know I could use one right about now…” Amber muttered to herself, looking around the counter seeing that every pony was well taken care of. The mare took a moment to lean back against the shelf of liquors, taking solace that her patrons were happy. Looking up at the clock she saw that it’s only a few minutes to four thirty, and already she was starting to worry. “…Where is that colt?” Amber whispered.

“I'm right here darlin’,” she heard called out to her from the colt she was looking for.

Iron walked in to the bar, making sure to close the door behind him, before he made his way to the counter and took the stool that she nearly reserved for him every Friday afternoon. Reaching across the counter, Amber embraces her old friend of many years tightly as he did the same and met her halfway.

“How did you hear me?” she asked.

“Meh, working in a shop gets you used to reading lips,” Iron replied simply, setting the smaller mare down.

Breaking away from one another, Amber set about lifting a few bottles with her magic without even needing to look, already knowing his favorites. “What took you so long?” she asked, feeling almost forgotten, “I expected you half an hour ago.”

“I had to take some of the students work home first,” Iron pat the satchel on his side, now laden with nothing more than his wallet and other essentials, “originally I thought about grading their work while here, but I wanted to relax a bit.”

“As you do every Friday here,” the mare remarked. Setting the glass right in front of him, Iron simply grinned as he took the first sip. Savoring the burn of the cinnamon whisky trickling down his throat, as it warmed his stomach from the outside in.

“I can see that your day’s been going as expected,” he gestured with glass still in his aura to the many guests in the tavern. Several of which are other teachers from the same school as himself.

“It’s a Friday night, I expect nothing less,” she answered while filling another guests glass, “I have servers for the others, I just have to worry about the bar.”

“And now I’m here.”

“And I already have the first aid kit ready,” tapping the underside of the counter, she glared back at him.

Iron rolled his eyes at his friend, “Oh come on,” he took a sip, “I’m not that bad…”

“You passed out inside the counter before,” she deadpanned back at him, watching as his eyes danced around the room, not even daring to look at her, “not on top of it like a normal drunk, but inside it, after working past the hinge lock on the outside. That took coordination.”

“So I’m a functioning alcoholic?” Iron shrugged his shoulders, “sue me.”

Rolling her eyes casually at him, Amber simply went about her night tending to her customers. However, this time with a grin on her face, knowing that her dear friend was right there ready to put a smile on her face if she needed. ‘As asinine as he may be, you just have to love the colt.’ she remarked to herself, silently happy to see several of the other ponies there leaving as they finished their little meals. Giving her more time with her friend.

Making her way back to him, and seeing that he already polished off his first glass, Amber went about refilling his drink, “So how goes the lesson of the day?” she asked casually, “haven’t killed any of your students have you?”

“Other than the one in my backyard already, no,” Iron answered just as nonchalantly, gladly accepting the drink, “just the basic lessons of how to use magic as well as ones’ natural talents… so the usual.” He watched as she nodded through his day. Talking about the finer details of production and what you can and can’t do with magic, all the way to the end of the day where he tasked his students with that little last minute homework assignment.

“Do you really think any of them will actually try to not use their gifts?” she asked, making up an order of fried leeks and setting them out on the plate, before the mare whipped around to grab the ketchup.

“Oh absolutely not, though all a colt can do is-” the sound of the plate sliding off the counter and smashing on the ground interrupted him, as Iron only looked back up to see Amber with her gentle face resting on the counter.

“I really need to get this counter pushed out further…”

“Well…” Iron started off, looking between the remains of the plate and her flank, “I told you your plot was getting bigger.”

“I work out four times a week!” she squealed at him, careful to keep her volume down enough so as not to draw any more attention from the other patrons, “My figure is petite, and my plot is toned, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“Oh trust me, I’ve noticed,” Iron winked at her. As she tried his best to keep the poker face up, all while watching her own turn a lovely shade of crimson. Though before Amber could say any more, he reached up and over the counter. Grabbing the broom and dust pan he knew she keeps on standby, before Iron hopped off his stool.

Watching as the colt cleaned up her mess, Amber simply smirked at him, “You know I would have gotten that…”

“I know… but I’m a pain in your flank every time I see you,” he admitted.

“So this makes up for it?” Amber rolled her eyes, gladly accepting the little bit of kindness from the colt as she set about making another batch of leeks. “Besides, you aren’t that much of a pain in my flank…”

“Not as much as I could be,” Iron grinned back, only to watch the blood return to her features, “though last time I tried to ask, you flat out said No to me…”

‘I wonder how many times he’ll bring that one up,’ she muttered to herself, “I know, I know, I know… It would just be… weird, that’s all.”

“No correction… I’m weird, that wouldn’t even be close,” Iron reminded her once more throughout the years, “but unwillingly… I accept it,” he said as he finished up cleaning. Tossing the remains of the meal in the trash behind the counter before stowing the cleaning gear up for when it would be needed again.

Amber gently sighed at the colt. Knowing how one works and what goes on in their head to some would sound like a gift. However, when it’s somepony you’re close to (and they can be as off as they come), it’s a curse. Seeing how Iron acts with others and how brash he can be, almost has broken the mares’ heart many times, when she would watch them push him away. Knowing in reality how much heart Iron truly has to give. If he wasn’t a so rough around the edges.

“You’re a good colt, Iron,” she grabbed his attention, mostly with the shot glass as she filled it in front of him, “you do mean well, you just don’t always end up doing well…”

“Aint that the truth,” Iron replied, generously accepting the gift as his drinking binge carried on in to the night.

The clock struck midnight as the moon stood high above the small down. In any other case it would sound like a fairy tale, though most fairy tales don’t have a bar in them. Amber waved good bye to her coworkers and the last of the regulars, as they left for the night to sleep off the drink in their own beds. Going around the establishment, she checked the back door to see that it’s locked, the stove to be sure the burners off, and the pantries to see that the food is stored properly before heading out the door herself.

“No wait… there’s one thing I’m missing,” Amber remarked under her breath, as she looked over to see the colt finishing the last of his drink, “Are you done Iron? Or would you like one for the road?”

“Na I’m good,” Iron grabbed his chest as he burped and felt the scorching after breath come back up. “Besides I still have a few bottles back at home…” the colt said as he got up from his stool, and nearly lost his footing before the first hoof touched the floor.

Galloping up to his side, Amber gave him a shoulder to lean on as he steadied himself, “Are you going to make it there okay?”

“I just have to follow one road…” Iron answered, quick witted as ever, even in his bliss, “I think I got it.”

“Just checking on you,” she chuckled, putting the key in her purse as she went to the door.

“What time is it?” he asked, forgetting to look at the clock… or he was unable to. Either way, Amber obliged him and read it for him.

“About a little after midnight,” she said putting the key in the door as she opened it up. The fall weather had snuck up on her, with a cool wind blowing through the door it ran a shiver up her legs all the way to her chest, as she felt the goosebumps raise up from under her coat. “I should have brought a jacket…” she mumbled, “Looks like winter will be here sooner than expected.”

In the still air of silence, the only thing she felt was the presents of another get suddenly closer to her while she stood there in the door way. Looking back up, Amber watched as Iron slung his bag over his side with an ever stoic expression on his face, and calmly looked back down on her.

“Come on, let’s get you home,” he said calmly to her.

“Really now? Iron… it’s out of your way,” she tried to protest as the colt nudged her out the door, “You don’t have to-”

With a single raised hoof, Iron silenced her, “It’s late, it’s cold, and there are some really strange ponies out at a time like this,” he paused for a second to let that sink in, as she chuckled from his subtle joke. “I’ll walk you home, besides you know I never really minded the cold.” Accepting yet another sweet gesture, Amber sighed at first before smiling back at him and headed out the door.

For only being mid-October, while the days may still be warm, the nights certainly have gotten colder and colder with every passing moon. In this moment it was then that Amber was glad that she had another there with her. With every little breeze that blew through, she snuggled up closer to her friend, relishing in his warmth that he put out from his frame.

“Seriously, how are you not cold?” she asked, once again for probably the hundredth time over the years that they’ve known each other.

“Meh, you get used to the cold when you’ve gone camping in fifteen below,” Iron answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

“That would explain a lot,” Amber accepted the one of dozen answers he’s given her, “you really didn’t have to do this though.”

“Hey now, you’re a friend…” he winked at her, “you put up with a lot from me, the least I can do is walk you home at night.” He replied as he tugged her next to him playfully, not that she was against it or anything, the act just helped make her that much warmer.

Though while the different homes and businesses passed by and she relished in the comfort of her friend. Iron reached in to his satchel with his magic, producing a single cigarette as he placed it between his lips.

Hearing the spark of his magic against it, Amber glanced up to see her friend taking one long drag before carefully blowing the smoke away from her, “When did you pick that back up?”

“Meh… it’s only really an occasional thing,” he answered. The death stick in his mouth a habit that sort of stuck from his time serving, before that he never really enjoyed it or even wanted to pick up the habit. Though one doesn’t simply join the military and not develop an addiction of some sort. Iron took one more drag, before holding it in his aura on the opposite side of her, “I might do it on a Friday when I’m looking forward to the weekend, when I need a moment to think, take a load off, or even when I’m just really drunk…”

“You’re drunk almost eight days out of the week,” she deadpanned at him.

“That’s far beside the point, thank you very much,” he replied rather proud of himself. Allowing a simple moment of silence to pass between them as he smoked, Iron pipped back up once he tossed the butt down and crushed it with his hoof, “So are you going to invite me inside when we get there?”

Pondering it for a split second, Amber shook her head at the colt, “If it was any colder, I might consider it… I mean it wouldn’t be the first time,” she looked back up at his cool hazel eyes. Recalling the instance they both had too much of the drink and wound up back at her place, one thing led to another, and they both learned the others form a little more than they had before, “But as I said, like after that time, it would be weird.”

“Well hey, a colt can try?” he brought up, just as they we’re stepping up to her modest little home. Going along the path, Iron made sure she was well in her door before he even thought about heading home.

“With all these little random acts of kindness,” Amber commented as she looked around on the coat rack for something to give him for the night, “how is it that you’re still single?”

“Because I’m a dick,” he answered flatly.

Amber simply held her tongue, before she set her eyes on a nice thick scarf, one that wouldn’t really be missed much. Turning back to the colt and holding it in her magic, the mare proceeded to wrap it tightly around his neck, hearing no objections from the colt. “Well I wouldn’t say completely,” she mused while she tied it on, “you’re just a pony who has… selective dickish tenancies?”

Loosening the knot around his neck so it didn’t feel like a noose, Iron chuckled a bit at her for the gift. “I’m a kind hearted bastard with a heart of gold. Problem is its ten karats so it’s strong, but not that pure,” she listened as the words fell off his tongue, almost like they were rehearsed in a mirror over and over again.

Smiling warmly at her ever odd friend, Amber leaned in to him and planted a gentle kiss on the side of his cheek. A simple gesture that she’d done with him before, but one that always warrants a much beloved response… watching his own face flush fully with blood. With a little chuckle, she covered her mouth to hide the grin, “You’re a sweet colt,” she waved him on, “However, you’re drunk and I can imagine you’re tired… go on home now and get some sleep. I hope to see you later.”

Wiping the grin off his face, Iron recomposed himself, “You will, don’t worry,” he remarked as he started to back away. Holding up the end of the scarf in his hoof, he gave a simple nod of thanks to his friend before heading back to his place.

Across town, down a road, and a little more off from town was his own cottage. With all its feelings of a cozy home that he loved, Iron opened the door as he locked it behind him, and dropped his bag on the ground. Before moseying himself up the stairs to the shower. The weather outside may be chilly, and he may not mind it, but that didn’t mean in any way, shape, or form a hot shower wasn’t something he looked forward to.

While the heat sobered him up for a few minutes, Iron took care of washing his mane and brushing his teeth before getting out and toweling off with his own hooves. Still remembering what it was like to be forced to do that all those years ago. The colt took great pride in knowing if he ever had to go through that again, it wouldn’t be a challenge that he hadn't faced already… though would still take some getting used to.

Slipping out of the bathroom, he kicked up the covers. Not even bothering to set his alarm, after all it was Saturday, and he was off. “A much needed day to sleep in…” Iron smiled to himself before the night, and the ethanol took him out of consciousness and in to the land of the night.