>You have the grumpiest face ever
>just. It's so sour you can turn water into lemonade just by staring at it
>It's 2. in the PM. See, apparently you shouldn't drink with ponies that are all into competition
>Cause, yanno. You're pretty sure you have alcohol poisoning
>This also means you were late to Anons' house, and he ended up leaving
>Which means you're staring at a locked door with all your stuff inside
>you heavily debate breaking into his house
>on one hoof, this would be easy. You can think of at least 6 ways to do it without leaving a trace
>on the other hoof, you'd easily slip into adventurer mode and he'd probably catch you rolling on his bed, wings hard as you "explored"
>can't have that
>Just a little peek won't hurt
>You check the walk up to his house - nopony coming
>engage sneak mode
>you casually hop into his bush
>heh yeah you do
>and look in his window
>....he hasn't even touched your shit. Really? Hm. 
>You sigh and turn around, walking back down the path you came from
>no need to grab your stuff - it would prove (1) that you were there and broke in, and (2) gives you a reason to get back into his house.
>shaking off the leaves, you take flight
>Now where... hmm... 
>You glide lazily over town
>Oh, yeah. There he is - coming out of this gingerbread house
>Probably a bakery or confectionary
>You don't need to feed your sweet tooth right now, but you make a note of it's location as you dive
>You land next to him with a resounding *CLOP*, striking your Daring Pose(tm)
>He jumps a little before regaining his composure, laughing a bit
>"Well *there* you are! I was wondering if you just forgot about me and headed off into the forest!"
>Oh colt, I'd never forget you
"Heh, no. I just..."
>"Let me guess. You and Dash partied hard?"
>"PARTY!?!" Suddenly a Pink pone is all up in your face
>"Whenwhasthispartywhywasn'tIinvitedIhaveaskycopteryoucould'veaskedmetocomeinandplothowtogetanonherdingwithusImeanyourquestionsaboutclouds"
>"What?"
"What?"
>Pinkie giggles. "What? You should always check with the party mare - I could've brought jello shots."
>This mare
"Haha, next time, I promise. I was actually hoping to catch up to Anon...?"
>He nods. "Yeah, we should talk. Thanks again for the sweets, Ponko."
>Pinkie smiles, trotting back into the restaurant. "No problem nonny, you know I've always got somethin sweet for you~"
>Did she ju- is she? Alright, possible ally/enemy #1.
>You glance at Anon
>He doesn't register anything - so... ok, arrow dodged there
>the two of you begin to walk idly through town
>"So, uh... about last night."
>Fuck. You were hoping he didn't care.
"Uh... yes?"
>Let him lead, then you'll know where to backpedal
>"Listen, it's alright, really. Let's not make it weird, ok?"
>You couldn't have hoped for better. For a stallion, he's not too bad.
"Yeah, sure, I totally agree."
>Your tummy rumbles
"Ah...soooooo can I buy you lunch?"
>go big or go home
>He laughs
>Damn you like that laugh
>"How about this time I pay, hmm? It's the least I can do."
>Oooh, he wants to be all self-sufficient. It's cute, in a stallion, but you don't want to encourage it. 
>just this once won't hurt, though
>especially since you forgot your bits in your pack
"Well alright. Where to?"
>He mentions the same hayburger joint as last night
>Does this stallion even cook...? Ah well.
>You agree (of course) and make your way in
>You two order, eat, make small talk
>your hangover starts to go away
"So... can we pick up where we left off last night?"
>He raises an eyebrow and looks like he's about to speak
>you shush him with a hoof
>he complies
>good boy
"I mean, more about your history. You were talking about the bronze age. Are all your ages named after metals and rocks?"
>He recomposes himself, smiles, and begins to talk again
>you let him go for a few minutes before you feign looking for something
"Oh buck, I don't have my journal on me! It's probably still in my pack..."
>"Well then, let's just continue this at my place."
>yeeesssssss take two.
>Ok
>Ok Daring don't screw this up
>You're back in his house, on his couch, he's talking to you again and this time you're actually taking diligent notes
>What he's saying is pretty interesting
>minus the countless wars, his species united into tribes, then kingdoms, and now coalitions of kingdoms
>if what he's saying not only is his species more advanced than yours
>they've also littered their planet with mad loot and then forgot about it
>whyyyyyy can't you be there, digging things up, your harem of exotic humans waiting for you back at camp~
>hey now that's a good little fantasy, you better save that for later.
>"...and that's pretty much when everything went to shit. I mean, things are always going to shit, but now it's just a little more shit than before."
"....before. Alright, I think I got enough for today!"
>He smiles at you, placing a hand on your shoulders
>it's so warm
>you look up at him
>"Daring... thank you for listening. I mean, I know I'm probably never going to get home, and it's somewhat theraputic to talk about it, to have someone who actually wants to listen."
>Woah this is deep outta nowhere
>Stallion wants to talk about his feelings, ok, just... try to pay attention this time
>buck he's still talking
>"...and that book could help others not make our mistakes. It'll be nice to leave some sort of legacy, yanno?"
"Heh.. uh, yeah. I don't...well, I can understand."
>"Oh?"
"Yeah, I mean. That's one of the reasons I do all this adventuring stuff. Ponies see what I find, they learn more about themselves, about the world, and my name's tacked onto it. It's leaving a legacy - even if I'm stealing some of the spotlight for myself."
>"Haha! That's one way to look at it."
"You and me, we're alike in that regard."
>and the line is cast...
>"Yeah, I guess we are, I guess we are. Hey, I didn't mean for this to get so deep, sorry for suddenly being a bitch."
>Oh you'll be my bitch
"Well... I've got something that can fix that."
>He looks at you curiously
>You reach down inbetween the cushions and pull out your bottle of boarbon, shaking it a little
>He grins. "I'll go get the glasses."