http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE6HfI9EDPw   >You sit in the bar, taking another swig of your brandy. >The soft rain can be heard rapping against the windows, complimenting the smooth tones from the sax behind you. >The smoke from your last cigarette hangs in the air around you, joining the musk that already lingered. >P0nies are playing cards, sharing stories, and enjoying the company. >They share tales of times past, loves lost... >Everybody's got a story. >The soft noise of the door opening catches your attention. >You see her walk in, it'd be a tough sight to miss. >The hat and cape drip as she takes a seat, lightly shaking the rain off. >You'd recognize her anywhere. >Trixie was her name. >'The Great and Powerful Trixie' to everyone else. >But not to you. >To you, she was the latest blue mare to wash up in this dive. >Not the first, that's for sure. >But that's a story for another time. >"Double Scotch." >She's lookin' to get real wasted tonight. >You bet you know why.   >She was a showmare, that one. >Always the talk of the town. >For better of for worse, and she knows it too. >The stares she's getting now are always present. >The intent, however, changes day to day. "Hey, Trix." >"Who da-" >She turns to face he who dared. >"Oh. It's you." >With a solemn expressionless face, she gets up and moves to a seat closer. >One of the few gents she would make an exception for. >As she sits, you can't help but notice she takes off her hat and cape. >Now that's something she never does. >Before long, the bartender arrives with her poison of choice. "A double, eh?" >She's aware of your intent. >"Trixie doesn't need to explain herself." "'Trixie' doesn't have to." >You can read her like a book. >With a sigh, she downs her drink in one swift motion. >Impressive and saddening in one fell swoop. >She clacks the glass on the countertop, the hollow noise resonating throughout. "That bad, huh?" >She simply glares. >"Trix...I...have had enough of being judged for one day." >She quickly gestures to the barkeep for a refill. "You know I won't judge, Trix." >With a long, drawn out sigh, she confides. >"Another day, another crowd running me out of town." >She stirs her empty glass, wishing there was more alcohol to fill the void she's creating in her ego. >You take another drag from your stick. "You know how it is, Trix. They weren't ready for ya." >A small smile escapes the melancholy that is her, but only for a moment. >"Will anyone be ready?" >Her next drink arrives. >You hold up yours in response. "Here's to those that will be."   >With a soft clink, you both take a swig of your glasses. >As the night passes, she shares her travels, like all the rest. >P0nies she's passed, places she's been... >Everybody's got a story. >On her third glass, the oh so familiar sound of the door's hinges reoccurs. >But a not-so-familiar face walks in. >Striding in tall and proud, this griffon had been caught in the rain for a while. >Not something to stand tall and proud about. >She takes a seat at the bar, on the opposite side of Trixie. "You know her?" >"Please." >Trixie wasn't one to make her voice silent, and for damn sure the griffon heard her tone. >"You got something to say, punk?" >Talons balled into a fist. >Now wasn't a time for violence. "Hey, hey, cool it." >You slide your freshest glass of brandy down the counter. >It makes a sharp ting as it strikes her talons. >"...thanks." >Her voice was sharp, still. >Maybe a drink would cool her jets. >Sure enough, the brandy was enough to unrustle her feathers. >"Griffon..." >"Gilda." >"Fine, Gilda..." >As Trixie set herself up, you knew oh so well she was about to knock herself down. >Preventing this would maintain the atmosphere. "So Gilda, what brings you to a dump like this?" >You knew how to fluff a griffon's feathers, so to speak. >"You mean the bar, or the town?" "All a matter of perspective." >"The town, then." >She swigs from the brandy, then tosses it back down the counter. >"I'm a whiskey kind of gal."   >You motion the bartender to pour one up. >As it clinks down in front of you, one final pass ends the glass in it's rightful place. >As a sip is taken, she starts on about P0nyville, the town she loathes so much. >The friend she lost, and the people who hate her. >Everybody's got a story. >As it winds down, Trixie raises her glass to the griffon. >"Cheers, it seems, are in order." >Gilda looks on in confusion. >"Cheers? Did anything I say sound fucking cheery?" >Trixie scoffs lightly. >"I meant to not being the only girl run out of this town." >You could swear a flash of red crossed her white feathers as she reached for her glass. >"Cheers it is..." >They both take a sip, then turn to you. >"How about you?" "Me?" >"Yeah, what'd this town do to you?" >She had a point. This bar was made for the outcasts. >Those who had some place to hide from, or someone they couldn't bear to see. >A stigma with the p0nies, or the town itself. >Everybody's got a story. >But you? >You sip the last drop from your glass. "...that's a story for another time."