"Blackyyy!~" Maya hopped over the counter, trotted over to Blackened, and gave him a big hug. "Where've you been, dude? Haven't seen you in a long time."
"Ooh...!" He quickly returned the hug to her. "Maya! You know, I've been really busy. Couple of weeks after we beat that monster, I moved to Canterlot to work at a bigger guitar shop," he told her. "Customers have been requesting my services like crazy, ever since this one guitarist came in to get his stuff set up. It's pretty wild. So how about you?"
"Been pretty chill," she answered, walking back to her station. "Got this whole thing paid for by Tia after the battle, in exchange for... me actually paying taxes. You've probably seen Rave in the news, she's doing pretty good for herself. Oh, and Moondust is doing a little reading now."
Maya grabbed a tall glass and filled it up with that new White Mane lager, offering it up to Rep. "Surprise!"
He shuddered at the thought of taxes. "Ew, taxes. Hate those things..." he chimed in. "At least everything else is going great. Those kids grow up so fast."
"Yep. Seems like just yesterday I was bleeding out upstairs at the old place for him... Hope he appreciates that one day." Maya quickly prepared Blackened a Lemmy. "Don't worry, still know what you like."
"I'm sure he will.~" As the Lemmy slid over to the counter, his eyes widened some. "Is that a Lemmy?" he asked, becoming somewhat nostalgic. "It's been a pretty long time since I've had one; hope I still like these things." He grabbed the glass and swigged it, letting the familiar taste come back to him after two years of not having one. "Just as great as it ever was," he declared.
Maya giggled some. "Well, that's good to hear. So hey, we're putting on Az's match this afternoon. You gonna stay and watch? He's up against the Crystal Heavyweight champ. And I... may have slipped him a bribe to make it last a little longer. You know how quick he ends a fight."
Nightshade sighed. "Why, Asmodeus, would I allow this creature to live? When a dog goes rabid, you put it down. And I actually like dogs." It was difficult to say how much of Nightshade's hatred towards cattle was from her own experience, and how much she had learned from her father. Either way, as far as she was concerned, bulls were evil creatures, fit only to be served with a side of potatoes and a fine wine. "And what would Raven think?" Blackout asked, appearing from behind. "As distasteful as I find it, I understand why you insist on eating flesh. But this one is still alive. He's not a threat." Nightshade stamped her hoof angrily. "Ugh... fine! Take him off to rot in a cell. But I'm taking one of the ones that fell at the camp. I want my steak, and I did promise Maya I'd bring her some beef for the bar." She kicked the fallen guard one more time, then pointed to the guards she'd talked to a minute earlier. "Change of plans. Grab one of the dead ones from back at the camp and send it to Chopping Block." She turned back to Asmo. "You know, sometimes this whole 'being a better pony' thing is a pain in the flank."
Asmo rolled his eyes. "Threat's neutralized. Murdering him would just be extra work. And we'd have to explain why we killed a defenseless enemy. Translates to even more work." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Sweet." Maya made a quick change to the inventory paper and poured herself a mug of Sweet Apple Cider. "You should try some of the new stuff we have on draft, dude. It's really top quality."
Nightshade shrugged. "Whatever, dude. Let's just go grab Raven and head for Maya's. You coming, B-O?" "Godsdammit I have asked you not to call me that in front of the Guards," Blackout replied with mock irritation. "Not right now. I have to oversee prisoner transport. I'll be by later. Maybe lunch?"
"Who's he fighting, anyway? Last I heard, he was going up against that undefeated hippogriff from Baltimare."
"Crystal Heavyweight Champion, who's a hippogriff from Baltimare for some reason. Match is for Az's world title. Think we both know who's coming outta this one on top."
(Finishing the lager, and putting the glass on the counter.) Thank you Maya, how much do I owe you for that?
"Crap, I thought he fought that hippogriff last week. He's won so many they're all starting to run together." Nightshade shrugged, and flew off towards wherever Raven was.
A new face turned up at the bar, the doors closing past the new stranger. This new stranger, a batpony, walked immediately to the bar. He wore a light gray hoodie and had a short lavender mane. As things began to get loud around the bar, he just yawned and took an empty seat whenever he could find one. "Could I get a mango smoothie, please?" The unfamiliar stallion asked politely. "Or anything with fruit?"
