Chapter 1: Hitting the club
Twilight and Spike were, once again, re-organizing the bookshelves. Twilight had been trying some weather-related spells, and had caused a mini-twister, tossing all of her literature to and fro. Spike sighed as he placed another book on the shelves. Twilight turned to him.
"It wasn't that bad, was it? It worked... sort of," she said with an awkward grin.
Spike rolled his eyes and bent to pick up another book. Just then, they heard the door burst open, blown open with such force that multiple books fell from their perches and onto Spike, burying him. Twilight turned to see what had caused the door to open.
There was Pinkie Pie, throwing streamers and confetti into the air, pulled from saddlebags that hung from either side of her body. Twilight tried to get her friend's attention, but to no avail. Pinkie just kept on dancing around wildly, with much excitement. Finally, Twilight had had enough and forced her friend still with a little bit of magic. Twilight walked up to her floating friend and sighed.
"What's all the commotion about, Pinkie?"
"The club! Duh!" Pinkie stuck her tongue out at her purple friend and giggled.
"What club?"
"Well, if you let me down, I can show you!"
With that, Twilight reluctantly released her friend. As soon as her hooves were on the floor, Pinkie pulled a flyer out of her saddlebags and gave it to Twilight. Twilight hovered the flyer in front of her and read it.
Come one, come all!
To the grand opening of a new nightclub! Ever been bored at night, stuck with nothing to do? Well, here's your solution! Our new club, Essence, shall be having a grand opening tomorrow night, and we're sending everypony tickets! We hope you can all attend. Music, dancing, and a good time are GUARANTEED!
"A nightclub?"
"Yup! Exciting, right? It's basically a big party house! They sent the tickets by mail as well!" said Pinkie as she reached a hoof into one of her saddlebags, withdrawing it to show Twilight six silver tickets.
"Well, it's nice that they're giving out free tickets, but how did you get six of them?"
"I went through everypony's mail, of course!"
Twilight blanched. "You can't just go through somepony's mail! That's invasion of privacy!" (Twilight also had several magazines she didn't really want anypony else to know about.)
"Relax, Twilight, I only looked for the tickets. Anyway, what do you say?" Pinkie said, a silly grin on her face and expectation radiating from her eyes.
Twilight thought. She had just gotten finished with a bit of studying, and all of the books were organized... "Okay Pinkie, I'll go–"
Pinkie took off like a rocket, jumping from one place to another.
"OhmygoodnessTwilightyouhavenoideahowhappythismakesmelet'sgogettheothergirls!" She babbled as she grabbed Twilight's hoof. And just like that, they were out the door.
And sure enough, Pinkie convinced everypony, even a somewhat reluctant Fluttershy, to come. They agreed to meet at Twilight's tomorrow night around dusk.
Seeing as it was summer, dusk came late that day. It was nine o'clock, and the sun had just fallen below the horizon, when everypony showed up at Twilight's door, ready to party. Fluttershy looked a bit nervous of course, but that was her normal self.
"Everypony ready? Got the tickets?" Twilight asked. Each of her friends nodded and pulled out a silver ticket. "Alright, looks like we're all set. Let's go."
They couldn't contain their excitement. Pinkie and Rainbow babbled on and on about how awesome this was going to be. Rarity was dreamily speaking of meeting some stallion that would make her romantic dreams come true. Applejack and Twilight kept their thoughts to themselves, keeping their opinions in mind until they actually got to the club. Fluttershy was still reluctant, but she didn't want to feel left out, so she walked along in silence.
"Alright fillies, it should be just around this corner," Said Pinkie Pie. They turned the corner, which led to an alley.
"Uh...You sure this is the right way? Seems kinda strange if you ask me," said Applejack.
"Yuppers! This is the way."
Pinkie led them to a stone shack that looked like it wouldn't even fit ten ponies in it, much less than tens, maybe hundreds of party-goers. A large stallion, wearing shades even though it was night time, stood in front of the door. He looked very intimidating.
He smiled as Pinkie Pie approached, holding out their tickets to him. He took their tickets and said to Pinkie in a deep voice, "Hay, Pinkster! How's it hangin', sis?" He bumped hooves with Pinkie.
"Everything's good, Ush!" she said as she completed their brohoof. "How's the turnout tonight?"
"Oh stallion, it's great! Tons of ponies showed up. Looks like we're off to a good start."
"That's awesome! Well, mind if we head in?"
"Not at all, Pinks. Enjoy yourselves," he said as he opened the door. No pony could see what was inside. Pinkie led them in with a wave to the usher.
As the door closed behind them, the "shack" lit up. It was really an elevator! There were two lights on the wall. Red and green. The green one lit up, and they began their decent. Everypony stared open-mouthed at Pinkie.
"What?" Said Pinkie.
"You know that guy?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Yeah, his name is Tyrone. He's the usher!"
"What's an usher?"
"If somepony isn't allowed in, or is causing trouble, he turns all scary and kicks them out!" Pinkie said with a smile.
Before anything else could be said, the elevator dinged and the doors opened, into a poorly lit room with gray walls and a single set of double doors. Pinkie nodded and led everypony to the doors. They couldn't hear music or anything else associated with a club.
Pinkie looked back with a smile, and thrust the doors open.
The group was immediately assaulted by a cacophony of techno music and lights. It was a bit overwhelming, but they strode in anyway. A mare came up to them, and without a word, waved them over to a booth. The mare also took their drink orders and told them she'd be back soon.
Pinkie asked, "Well, what do you think?"
The dance floor was packed, but not so much that there was no room. The music thumped out from huge speakers at the other end of the room. The bass was so loud that it made their bones vibrate, but it wasn't so loud as to discourage conversation. The club smelled faintly of something... No pony could tell what, but it was nice. Faint, as to not be overwhelming.
Rainbow nodded her approval, "Seems like my kind of place!"
"Looks like a tootin' good time," affirmed Applejack.
"So many ponies! The odds are in my favor tonight, fillies!" Rarity chimed in.
Twilight looked around and noticed Fluttershy hiding, practically half under the table. "I think Fluttershy and I will stay here for a little bit. Have our drinks, ease into it. You go on ahead without us. We'll catch up later."
The other four fillies shrugged and left the booth. "Are you okay, Fluttershy?" asked Twilight.
Fluttershy squeaked and tried to scoot lower under the table. Twilight sighed inwardly and grabbed her friend, dragging her back into the booth. Fluttershy immediately tried to shrink back into herself. Just then, the waitress returned with six large mugs of cider, the glasses still frosted with ice.
Twilight picked hers up and sipped at it while she pulled out The Guide to Social Life: Clubs. She read it and slowly stopped paying attention to Fluttershy.
Fluttershy was looking around rapidly. So much noise, so many ponies. It was too much. She was hyperventilating. She started to panic and spotted the mugs of cider on the table. She immediately downed hers in a few gulps. The frosty beverage worked miracles, slowly loosening the knots in her stomach and mind.
She grabbed another and downed it as well. Despite how cold it was, a warm glow spread through her stomach and she started to relax. She gulped again and again. Two ciders were left. Fluttershy was perfectly calm now.
Twilight looked up from her book as she finished her cider, only to see Fluttershy smiling and getting up from the booth. Her gaze turned to the four empty mugs on the table.
"Fluttershy, you had four ciders already!? We haven't even been here fifteen minutes!"
Fluttershy looked toward Twilight lazily. "It'll be okay Twilight! I'm fine! I'm going to hit the dance floor."
Twilight got out of the booth, too. She wanted to make sure her friend would be okay. It wasn't like Fluttershy to socialize, but then again, she was inebriated.
As Twilight followed her drunken friend, she looked around. Pinkie was on the dance floor, putting all the other single dancers to shame and switching partners rapidly. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were in other booths, drinking and arm-wrestling with some stallions. Rarity skirted between the dance floor and the booths, seeking the stallion of her dreams.
Twilight looked back to Fluttershy, only to find her gone. Oh, no... She hadn't been paying attention! Where could she be? Twilight began trying to navigate the dance floor, but to no avail. She'd continue searching from the edges, but for now, Fluttershy was on her own.
Fluttershy stumbled onto the dance floor. She didn't really know many dance moves, but the cider made her limbs move in odd patterns anyway. Soon enough, she was near the opposite wall when she hit a stage. She looked up onto the stage. There, she saw a majestic pony, and time seemed to slow.
The mare on stage was standing at a turntable, scratching at her vinyl records, adjusting knobs and dials. She was pure white, the kind of white associated with purity and clarity. She had purple reflective shades on, mirroring the view in front of her and hiding her eyes. Her mane was semi-long, and multi-colored. It was split into streaks of calm ocean blue and a charged electric blue. She was absolutely beautiful. Gorgeous.
The mare looked down right at Fluttershy and smiled, showing her perfect teeth. Fluttershy looked away and blushed, whether from nerves or cider, she couldn't tell. She stepped away from the stage and it's flashing lights and headed back to the booth. She needed to think.
When she stepped off the dance floor, she was immediately locked into a hug by Twilight.
"I've been so worried! Are you alright?" asked Twilight, looking her over.
"Yeah, I'm okay. There was this pony though...I need to think. Could you help me to the booth, Twilight?"
"Sure thing," Twilight said as she escorted her friend to the booth. "Stay here, all right? Can you do that? I really should check up on the others."
"I can do that."
"Okay. I'll be back soon."
Fluttershy sighed. Now she was alone, sort of. She had space to think. Something about that DJ entranced her. Was it her mane? Her shades? The music pumped through her very soul when she saw her, or so it seemed.
She'd never had romantic feelings for anypony before. She wasn't stupid though. She knew that some mares preferred mares, and some stallions preferred stallions. It really wasn't a big deal in Ponyville. Most, if not all, didn't care.
I guess...I guess...I guess I AM a fillyfooler. And there's nothing wrong with that at all! she thought to herself. She felt a rush of pride and renewed energy as she admitted this to herself. She also felt...well, a little bit dirty. She was surprised to find that she didn't mind. She actually liked it...
With a determined huff, she set off toward the restrooms. She brought a mug with her. She got some strange looks for it, but nopony really minded. She entered the restroom and filled up her mug with water. She took a few gulps and re-filled it.
She then dumped the water onto her head, sending a cold shock throughout her entire body and mind. Instantly, she felt her thoughts clear. She did it again. Thankfully, there was a blow dryer in the restroom.
She got back to the booth to find Twilight conversing with another mare. The mare had a blue body with a dark blue and white mane.
"Yeah, I'll see you later, Colgate," Twilight said as she gave a wink and a wave to the departing mare. She noticed Fluttershy, and looked around. "Hay there... Fluttershy. You look a lot better. How are you feeling? And how long were you standing there?"
"I just got back. And yeah, I drank some water and... splashed some water on my face. I feel a lot better now."
"Oh, okay. Well, I'm going to get something else to drink. Why don't you hit the dance floor? Find that pony you were mumbling about."
It sounded like a good idea as any. Fluttershy went back to the dance floor. She looked back once before entering the fold. The blue pony was back in the booth. She was sitting close to Twilight... a bit too close... And then, they kissed once, just a peck on the lips.
Fluttershy gasped. It couldn't be? Twilight too? Her mind started to wander when somepony bumped into her. Her mind snapped back. Now wasn't the time to think about it. She had a DJ to find.
She waded through the crowd, back to the stage. There she was. Now that she had some mental clarity, she saw that a stage name was stenciled onto the turntable.
DJ P0N-3
The DJ saw her staring. She smiled that smile again, the one that sent shivers down Fluttershy's spine. She even giggled a little bit. Fluttershy giggled as well. Neither were paying attention, however, to the crowd.
By the time everything had happened, the nervousness, the drinking, the first encounter, her sexual revelation, and Twilight's rendezvous with the blue mare, the night had gone on. It was quite late now, well past midnight. The ponies of the club started to get rowdy. The music whumped on, and ponies drank and drank. The dancers were twirling in mad circles, limbs and wings and magic flailing about.
Mugs, chairs, tables, even ponies themselves were being thrown around. One such mug had been streaking through the air. It flew on and on, and finally, with a dull clink, struck Fluttershy in the back of the head. No one noticed. No one but the DJ.
The DJ started to panic. That mare would get trampled! She fired up her magic and brought the unconscious mare onto the stage. Things were getting out of hand. The grand opening was over.
The DJ hit two buttons. The first activated a glass screen which covered the stage and all her equipment. The second activated the microphone on her turntable.
"PARTY PONIES! I'LL GIVE YOU ONE CHANCE! THE PARTY IS OVER! YOU NEED TO LEAVE, NOW!" She roared over the speakers.
In reply, a mug full of cider flew through the air and splashed cider onto her screen. Alright, enough was enough.
She walked over to the wall and hit a panel. A handle popped out of the wall. She put her hoof through the gap and pulled. The sprinklers on the ceiling sprang to life, showering everypony in the club.
The ponies started streaming out of the club. Apparently, there were multiple entrances. Nopony was left inside.
Nopony. Nopony except her and the mare lying unconscious on the stage.
Fluttershy's eyes popped open, and she sat up. A wave of pain hit her head as nausea coursed through her. Ugh, too fast. She laid back down. Where was she?
Then, it all came back in a rush. The club, the drinking, and most importantly, the DJ. The last thing she remembered was staring into those purple reflective lenses, and then blackness. She looked around, but could see nothing. The room was pitch black.
Suddenly, a door opened and light flooded in from the portal. The silhouette of a pony stood in the doorway. The silhouette reached up and flicked a switch on the wall. Light sprang to life from the ceiling. Fluttershy scrunched her eyes shut and retreated, with a squeak, back under the covers.
She heard a chuckle, and a tomboyish, yet delicate, voice met her ears.
"It's okay. It's just me."
Fluttershy peeked from her cover and there she was. That pony from last night. The DJ.
"Don't worry now, I'm a friend. Are you alright?" She asked.
Fluttershy nodded and pulled the blanket down a bit. She was speechless.
"You got hit in the noggin pretty hard. Somepony decided to toss mugs around. I shut the party down," she said with a laugh. "I've sent word to your friends that you're being taken care of."
Fluttershy looked around. There was hardwood flooring. It was quite a spacious place. She could see a kitchen through a doorway to her left, and the mare went over to a cord and pulled it. Sunlight streamed in through stained glass windows, illuminating the inside of the room with a myriad of colors.
The white mare went into the kitchen and filled up a glass with water. She came back and hoofed it to Fluttershy, who sipped it slowly, not sure what to say. She looked around awkwardly.
The white mare noticed. She sat down on the bed next to Fluttershy and extended her hoof, "I'm Scratch, by the way. Vinyl Scratch."
Fluttershy beamed inside as she shook hooves with Vinyl. She thought that that was an appropriate name. It had a nice ring to it was well. Finally, she spoke up.
"I'm... I'm Fluttershy."
"I like that name. It suits you," Vinyl said with a chuckle. "Now, if you don't mind me asking, what were you doing at a place like Essence? You don't seem like the party type."
Fluttershy found Vinyl very easy to talk to. "Well, all my friends were going...I guess I didn't want to feel left out. But it wasn't all bad."
"It wasn't? Why not? You got a bit tipsy and then got knocked out by a mug of cider. How is that not all bad?"
"Well, I discovered something about myself... and... met you... But how did you know I was drinking? I only saw you twice."
Vinyl chuckled. "I was watching you. You seemed so out of place that I noticed you immediately."
Fluttershy blushed as Vinyl giggled. Vinyl wouldn't ask what Fluttershy had found out. Not yet.
"I'm feeling a bit better. I... I think I can call you a friend. Why don't we head out today? Do you have... anything planned?"
"Not at all. Where do you want to go?"
"Well, I have to get food for the animals that I take care of..."
"Sounds like fun! Let's go!"
Ten minutes later, they were strolling through Ponyville. Fluttershy stopped at several shops while the two mares talked. She picked up things like food and supplies for home.
The whole time, ponies kept walking up to Vinyl and trying to converse with her. Fluttershy was a little bothered by it, but Vinyl kept turning them away. Finally, the shopping done, they headed back to Fluttershy's home.
"Vinyl, can you help me cut up these vegetables? It's time to feed the animals." Fluttershy said. Angel came into the house and hopped up onto the counter. He started tapping his hoof impatiently. "I know Angel, I know. Hold on."
Vinyl stared at the rabbit with a raised eyebrow. "A bit rude, isn't he?"
"No, he's just hungry. It's no problem, really."
"If you say so." Vinyl said, unconvinced.
They finally finished cutting up the food and making the meals for the animals. Normally, it wouldn't be Vinyl's cup of tea, but something about Fluttershy made her happy, no matter what they seemed to be doing.
Now that the animals were fed, Fluttershy led Vinyl up to her room.
"I know that we're friends, but I don't know much about you. Why don't you tell me about yourself?" Vinyl asked.
"Well... Normally I'm pretty shy but my friends can give me confidence. I don't get nervous around you though. I find you really easy to talk to... I really love animals, no matter what they are. Bears, dragons, anything. Even if I don't like them, I'll take care of them. My friends are all different, but we get along just fine," Fluttershy explained.
"I see."
"What about you? What are your friends like? What do you do for fun?"
Unknowingly, Fluttershy struck a chord. Vinyl's shades gave nothing away, but she turned her head. She sighed. Fluttershy... Fluttershy had a right to know.
"Fluttershy."
"Yes?"
"What I'm about to tell you might surprise you. I've never told anypony this before..."
"What is it Vinyl? It can't be all bad can it?"
"I... I don't have any friends..." Vinyl whispered.
"What do you mean?"
"I haven't opened up to anypony like I am now... I've... I've never had a friend before." Vinyl started to tear up. Fluttershy trotted over and embraced her friend in a soft hug.
"What about all those ponies that tried to talk to you in town?"
"They aren't my friends. They just know me as the DJ that they party with. I spin records every night. Sometimes I don't get any sleep. But as long as the booth doesn't fall... No one talks to me there. The ponies don't care about me. I'm just their entertainment. I guess I live up to that label, constantly screaming 'party!'. They don't know me!" Vinyl sighed. "I've tried to make friends before." The tears started falling steadily now. "They aren't interested in making friends. They-they-they just want to party... It makes sense. I was just a DJ. Nothing special. I had no pony. Till now..."
"Vinyl..."
"Fluttershy, you're my first and only friend... You came to me when no other pony cared. Thank you... but why?"
Fluttershy thought. If Vinyl had the courage to admit that to her, then she had the courage to tell Vinyl how she felt.
"Well... Back in the club, I was really nervous. The music, the ponies. It was all so loud, and there was so much going on. I was panicking. I found that cider eased my nervousness. I traversed the dance floor blindly til I hit the stage. Your stage. On it, I saw this beautiful mare working her turntables. I was drunk, but I could tell I liked her." Fluttershy explained.
Vinyl nodded as Fluttershy wiped her tears away with a wing. "Go on... Please?"
"To be honest... I... I had a crush on you. I went to the restroom and cleared my head. I had to see you again. You know everything after that, but there's more to it than that. I have a crush on you, yes, but throughout today, I've found that I'll have a lifelong friend in you. As you'll always have a friend in me. It's okay if you don't feel the same," Fluttershy said. There. It was out in to open.
Vinyl turned toward her. She reached up and took off her glasses. She opened her eyes.
Fluttershy gasped. Her eyes were a bright ruby red. The complete opposite to Fluttershy's icy blue. The complete compliment.
"I... I like you too Fluttershy. I've never had anypony to like before. I guess that makes me a filly-fooler. Heh. There's nothing wrong with that," Vinyl admitted with a chuckle.
"That's what I said!" Fluttershy giggled. She was overwhelmed with happiness. It felt amazing, having somepony feel for you as you feel for them. Fluttershy felt that they would be the best of friends. "Well, there's only one thing left to do now!"
Vinyl was confused. "And what would that be?"
"Why, introducing you to my friends of course!"
A little while later, they had met up with the rest of the mane six at Sugarcube Corner. Twilight had brought her new friend, the blue pony from the club.
Fluttershy, whose confidence and self-esteem was through the roof because of Vinyl, decided to go first.
"I see Twilight brought a new friend too, but I'll introduce my friend first. This," She waved a hoof at Vinyl, "is Vinyl Scratch, the DJ from the nightclub. And, uh... I don't know how to say this...I think it'll be easier to show you."
Vinyl trotted up next to Fluttershy's side. Without warning, she grabbed Fluttershy, and gave her their first kiss, one of many to come. Right in front of their friends.
Everypony else gasped. This was a shock. Especially seeing as it was Fluttershy.
Applejack looked at Rainbow and nodded. She stood up. "I have an announcement to make. Fillies...Me and Rainbow have been together for the past few months!" She then grabbed Rainbow in a hard embrace as they locked lips.
Twilight sighed. She knew it would come to this. "Okay. Fillies, this is Minuette. Her nickname is Colgate, and, uh... We met at Essence. We're fillyfriends too!" She said quickly as they hopped onto the kissing-in-front-of-your-friends bandwagon.
Pinkie Pie and Rarity looked at each other with a sideways glance. They had no romantic partners to show. Pinkie had gone to the club to party. Rarity, well... that was a tale for another time.
The couples, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie left Sugarcube Corner happier than they had ever been. The couples all had laid their feelings out in the open, and it had been for the best! They couldn't have asked for a better outcome.
Fluttershy looked into Vinyl's ruby orbs and smiled as their lips lightly grazed against each other. She didn't know where this road with Vinyl would lead, or how bumpy it would be, but she did know that she would do anything to make sure they traveled this path called life together.
Fin(?)