The Exile and the DJ

It was a little over a month before I saw Vinyl Scratch again. During that time, it had rained twice, and to my surprise, I wasn’t burdened with the usual aching of my scars. Well, there might have been some stinging, but every time an ounce of pain began to form, I’d remember how it had felt to confide in Vinyl, and it would all just melt away. Every night since then, I’d leave the bar unlocked as I went around cleaning up, expecting her to burst through the door, ask for a bottle of booze, and join me for another evening, but she never did, so in the end I’d find myself locking up, going back to my apartment alone, and hoping the next day might be different.

Then one Friday evening, at about nine o’clock, I was reorganizing the back room of the bar, when my uncle came back with a huge grin on his face.

“Zander my boy,” he said, walking over and slapping me hard on the back like he did whenever he was excited about something, “I’ve gotta say I’m proud of you, son.”

I looked at my uncle, and raised an eyebrow, feeling very confused by this sudden burst of jubilation.

“What is it, Uncle Zera?” I asked.

Zera, clasped his hands on my shoulders, and gave me a rather sly smile.

“There’s a mare here to see you. And I gotta say, lad, she’s quite the looker.”

A mare, I thought, feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness. I set down the case of whiskey bottles I was carrying, and rushed into the bar to greet my guest, but to my surprise, it wasn’t Vinyl.

The only pony I could see, other than the old stallions near the back, was an Earth pony mare who could not look more out of place. She stood a few feet away from the counter, dressed in a perfectly pressed, white blouse, a little pink bow tie, and a black, knee length skirt. To top it all off, she had a long, dark gray mane, that fell gracefully over her right shoulder, a pair of beautiful mulberry eyes, and a coat that, despite being a light gray, shown with a vibrant glow. She looked like a proper lady. So what was a mare like her doing in a bar like this?

“Uh, can I help you?” I asked, trying to sound polite, despite feeling curious, and a little disappointed that it wasn’t Vinyl Scratch.

“Oh, hello,” the mare said, smiling brightly, as she stepped up to the counter, and held out her hand, which I shook. “You must be Zander.”

“Yeah, that’s me, and you are?”

“I’m Octavia Melody, Vinyl Scratch’s roommate. She told me to meet her here, and also asked if I’d see if you were available this evening.”

My heart started racing.

“Vinyl’s going to be stopping by?” I tried not to sound too eager.

Octavia’s smile widened, and she nodded her head.

“Yup. It’s a bit out of the way, but she insisted that we meet here to see if you’d like to come out with us for the evening.”

“Oh, well then.” I looked back towards the door where I found my uncle standing, furiously nodding his support of my going out for the evening. “I suppose I might be able to get off early tonight.” Suddenly remembering my manners, I grabbed a menu from under the counter, and passed it to Octavia. “Would you care for a drink while you wait? A beer or something?”

“Tea, if you have it.”

Tea? I don’t think anypony’s ever ordered tea here before.

“We don’t have any down here, but I could get you some from my apartment, if that’s alright with you? It's just right upstairs.”

Octavia nodded, and sat down at the bar, while I excused myself, and ran upstairs.

In my apartment, I went to the kitchen, and opened a cupboard near the sink where I pulled out a small canister of tea, an infuser, and a kettle, which I promptly filled with water, and placed on one of the burners of my stove to heat up.

Then I made a dash to my bedroom, quickly stripped out of my clothes, and started digging through my dresser for a fresh black t-shirt, and a pair of jeans. Once I had clean clothes on, I made my way over to the bathroom, and ran a brush through my messy black mane and tail to make myself more presentable.

When I was done, I rushed back to the kitchen, just as the kettle began to whistle. I grabbed my ceramic teapot, and poured the hot water into it, before taking my infuser, scooping out a small amount of tea, and placing it in the water, which turned a soft, bluish shade, as it steeped. It was an herbal blend of my own creation; just one of the few things I had actually picked up from my mother’s lessons.

“There we go,” I said to myself, as I turned off the stove, and grabbed a teacup, before heading back down stairs.

When I reentered the bar, Octavia was in the middle of a conversation with one of our regulars, a scruffy middle aged pegasus stallion, who had a number of gray hairs mixed in with the dark blue of his mane and tail.

“I’d love t’hear ya play sometime, miss,” he said, his gruff, low voice coming out slurred from too much drink. “I’ve always been a fan o’ classical music. Even played the violin back when I was a colt. Course I was ne’er good enough to play at the Manehatten Concert Hall like you do miss.”

Octavia smiled at the aging stallion, before opening the silver clasp of a little black purse, fishing around a bit, and withdrawing a pen, and a small business card, which she wrote something down on.

“Here’s a card for the concert hall ticket office,” she said, handing the card to the stallion. “I usually set aside some tickets for my coltfriend, but he never uses them, so just tell the ponies at the ticket office that Octavia Melody reserved a pair of seats for you, give them this confirmation number, and they’ll hold them for you.”

The old stallion chuckled as he took the card, and slipped it into his left breast pocket.

“Thank you miss; it’ll be nice t’be able t’take the missus out for a night on the town sometime.” With one last smile, the stallion tipped his hat to Octavia, and went to join his friends in the corner.

“Here’s your tea,” I said, walking up to the mare, and pouring her a cup.

Octavia thanked me, before taking the teacup, and blew a thin waft of aromatic steam into the air.

“Wow, this is really good,” she said, taking a sip

“Glad you like it. I make it myself with herbs from the community garden just a couple of blocks away. Just don’t ask me what any of them are; I was never good at remembering plant names. Though I must warn you that there is a hint of poison joke in it.”

Octavia hesitated as she brought the cup up to her lips for a second sip.

“Don’t worry, it’s perfectly harmless. Trust me, I’m a bit of an old pro when it comes to preparing poison joke. See, the petals, when dried properly, don’t have any of the nasty, body altering side effects. Instead it has a very mild euphoric effect, which will make you feel a little giddy for a while. Just make sure you don’t drink it too fast; you might end up going into an uncontrollable laughing fit for a few hours.”

Octavia giggled, as she raised the cup for another sip.

“So it’s true, what Vinyl said about you being part zebra.”

A lump began to form in my throat, and my scars began to flair.

“W-what did she t-tell you?”

“Just that you’re a zebracorn, and that you work in, and live above a bar...and that you’re really kind.”

The pain in my back began to subside. Good, I thought, relaxing again, Vinyl didn’t blurt my secret to her.

After that, a few minutes passed in silence, as my guest sat there, sipping her tea like a young lady, while I began wiping down the the counter, occasionally looking up to see if Vinyl was at the door. Finally Octavia broke the silence

“Thank you,” Octavia said, all of a sudden.

I gave her a smile, and held up the teapot.

“You’re welcome. If you’d like some more, just ask; the poison joke’s already in your system, and having more won’t cause the effects to grow any stronger. Well, you'll be fine as long as you just keep sipping it.”

Octavia returned my smile, and shook her head.

“I don’t mean the tea. I just wanted to thank you for looking after Vinyl. She told me about the night she came here, how you let her in out of the rain, listened to her troubles, and...” Her cheeks suddenly flushed pink, “and how you didn’t take advantage of her while she was drunk.”

I tossed my rag in a bucket, and leaned on the counter across from Octavia.

“I was just doing what any proper gentlecolt would do.”

“I know but, well, I just think it’s wonderful that she’s finally met a nice stallion who-”

“Yo, Tavi, Zander,” a familiar voice called from near the door. We both looked up, and saw Vinyl walking towards us with a big grin on her face.

I felt my heart skip a beat. There she is, I thought, feeling myself blushing as she took a seat beside her friend at the bar. As she sat down next to Octavia, I couldn’t help but look from one to the other, trying to figure out how these two were friends; while Octavia looked like she might be the daughter of a rich family from Canterlot, Vinyl looked more like a she was ready for a night at a club, with her wild, short mane, tight black tank top, too short jean shorts, knee high socks, and high top sneakers.

“Hope you haven’t been telling zebra boy here all of my dirty secrets, Octavia,” she said, wrapping her arm around her friend, “I don’t wanna scare him away before things get...interesting.”

Octavia giggled.

“Oh no, I was just telling Zander everything you told me about him, and thanking him for looking out for you.”

Vinyl blushed.

“Jeez Tavi, why do you have to be so sentimental? I mean for Celestia’s sake, we didn’t even fuck.”

I noticed a couple of stallions turn our way at Vinyl’s words, so I quickly cleared my throat, hoping to change the subject.

“So, uh, how have you been?” I asked.

“Well, I haven’t been having any one-night stands, and I’ve only stumbled back to the dorms, what, twice?”

“Five times,” Octavia corrected.

“Oh. Well, five times in a month is still better than how I used to be." She flashed me her devilish grin. "But I'm not here to talk about what I've been up to, I'm here to give you an opportunity to leave this crumby old bar, and escort two sexy, young mares for a wild night in Manehatten."

Obviously feeling very impatient, Vinyl snagged my collar in her magic, and started leading around the counter.

"Whoa, hold on," I pleaded, canceling out her magic with my own. "Where are we even going?"

Vinyl leaned over the counter, until she was so close that I could smell the sweet scent of her perfume, and then looked at me with flirtatious eyes.

“You’ll just have to wait and see.”

Then she flicked me in the horn, grabbed Octavia by the hand, and made a mad dash towards the door, cackling like a mad mare.

I stood, stunned for a few seconds, but suddenly felt my legs carrying me after them. As I began to pick up speed, I felt a smile spread across my face, and I began to laugh. I didn’t even look back as I left the all too familiar bar behind me; I was feeling too excited for whatever plans Vinyl and Octavia had for the evening.

...

“So what exactly is it that we’re going to be doing tonight?” I asked, as the subway we were on hurdled further towards the heart of Manehatten.

“I told you, we’re getting you out of that stuffy, old bar," Vinyl said, as she stretched out in her seat.

"And again I ask, to do what?"

Vinyl didn't answer, she just winked, and grinned. I looked over at Octavia for some kind of help, but she just sat there humming happily to herself.

Seeing as I wasn’t going to be getting answers from either of the mares, I decided to sit there quietly, and stare out the window at the blurry brick wall of the subway tunnel, as we made our way to some unknown destination.

The rest of the subway ride was silent, except for the sound of the wheels of the vehicle carrying us into the city, and the voices of the other passengers who were sitting around us, talking in a mass of jumbled conversations.

When we finally reached our stop, we climbed out of the car, and made a straight line towards the stairs leading to the surface.

"Holy Luna," I said, as I stared, slack jawed, at the world into which I had just emerged. All around me there were flashing lights, giant buildings that threatened to block out the night sky, large signs telling ponies of the latest musicals that were showing on Bridleway, and millions of ponies, all of whom seemed to be in a big rush to get to wherever it was they needed to go. I'd only ever seen this part of Manehatten from afar, so it was hard for me to believe that it was really all part of the same city where I’d lived most of my life.

“Yeah, Manehatten can be a bit overwhelming your first time,” Vinyl said, slapping my back. “Now quit gawking like a tourist; we’ve got places to be.” Vinyl grabbed me by the hand, and began dragging me into the endless throng. “Lead the way Octavia.”

The two of us followed the gray mare through the bustling streets of Manehatten. I held onto Vinyl’s hand, like a foal clinging to it’s mother, scared that if I let go, we would become separated, and I’d be lost in the sea of ponies. Normally I was fine going out on my own, but I’d never been someplace so...vast. Plus I had no idea where we were going, so all I could do was put my trust in Vinyl and Octavia to guide me through.

Vinyl seemed to sense my trepidation, because she stopped for a second and looked back at me. At first I thought she was going to roll her eyes, or tease me for being so nervous, but she didn’t; instead, she showed me that sweet smile of hers, and gave my hand a gentle squeeze, and began running to keep up with Octavia.

We didn’t stop walking until we turned onto a street that was far less populated than the part of the city that we had ascended into. What we found down there were a string of bars, late night restaurants (the kind with little tables out front so ponies could eat outside in the cool, night air), and a few coffee shops with acoustic music coming out of the open doors. Octavia led us down the street a ways until we came to a bar called The Watering Hole, which looked even more run down than my uncle's Rusty Horseshoe.

"This is it?" I asked, looking up and down at the dirty brick front.

"I know it doesn't look like much on the outside, but trust me it’s-"

"Yeah yeah, it's one of Manehatten's hidden fucking gems," Vinyl said, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes. "Now if you two are done wondering how sucky this place may or may not be, why don't we go in and get some drinks."

Octavia and I looked at each other, and she gave me a look that said "sorry about Vinyl." I just chuckled, as I grabbed the door handle and pulled it open, holding it for the two mares to enter first.

Octavia was right; while the outside was worn and dirty, the inside was warm and inviting. Along the far wall, there was a long counter with several bar stools, on which many young mares and stallions sat, drinking and talking, there were also a few tables, and a small stage in front of which a small crowd had begun to gather.

"Over here," Octavia said, guiding us towards the crowd.

We made our way through, until we were as close to the front as we could get and saw nothing but a set of instruments, just waiting to be played.

"Looks like we were earlier than I thought," Vinyl said, with a sigh of relief, before turning to me. "Zander, be a good gentlecolt and order as a round of beers."

"A light one for me, thanks," Octavia added.

I huffed, but made my way over to the bar nonetheless, thankful that I had grabbed some money before heading out.

After ordering three bottles of beer, and giving the bartender my bits, I made my way through the jumbled mass of ponies to join Vinyl and Octavia.

"Here you go," I said, passing a beer to each mare.

Instead of simply thanking me for the bottle, Vinyl placed a hand on my shoulder, pulled me down to her level, and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I stood there, dumbstruck, finding the sudden display of affection strangely sweet.

“There’s more where that came from if you play your cards right,” Vinyl whispered, giving the tip of my ear a gentle rub.

I nearly choked on my beer. Did she just say what I think she said, I thought, feeling even more discombobulated than I had when she had kissed my cheek. I can’t think like that; I have to remember to be a perfect gentlecoooogaaaahhh...

A sudden pleasant jolt shot up from my crotch, and up my spine. I turned my attention to Vinyl, who was now leaning up against my chest, facing the stage, and drinking her beer. It was hard to see in the dim light of the room, but Vinyl’s horn was emitting a faint, pulsing glow. She’s got me in her magic, I thought, as the ethereal grip around my stallionhood rhythmically tightened and slackened. I closed my eyes, trying desperate to keep myself from getting an erection, but that was a fight that I was quickly losing.

“Uh, Vinyl,” I said, trying not to draw any unwanted attention, “do you think you could let go?”

Vinyl tilted her head back, and looked up at me with a mischievous smile that I found a little irksum.

“Awww, what’s the matter? Don’t think you’ll be able contain your excitement?”

Octavia turned her head our way, took one look at me, squirming uncomfortably, and gave her friend an unimpressed look.

“Oh come on, Vinyl,” she said, “you promised me this morning that you wouldn’t do anything crude.”

To my relief, Vinyl released my stallionhood, and she threw up her hands defensively.

“Alright, alright,” she said. “Geez, I was just trying to have a bit of fun while we waited.”

Then she turned to me, placed a hand on my chest, and gave me her best attempt at an apologetic look.

“It’s ok,” I sighed, “Just...no more surprises. Please?”

Vinyl rolled her eyes.

“Fine, but you’ll have to make it up for me later.”

Then she winked, and slowly dragged her hand teasingly down my stomach, before turning back around, and leaning against me once again.

It wasn't long before the members of the band began to take the stage. First there was a slender, young, Earth pony mare, with a golden mane that was tied up, and hung gently over one shoulder, who stepped onto the small stage, and picked up an accordion, and attached it to the strap that hung around her neck. Following closely behind the mare was a unicorn stallion who was wearing a slim fitting suit that looked to be much older than he was. He walked over to the opposite end of the stage, and grabbed an electric guitar off of its stand, plugged it into an amplifier, and began messing with a set of pedals that were set up on the floor in front of him. The next two band members to take the stage were, to my surprise, a male, and a female griffin, who took up the drums and double bass respectively.

All that's left is the singer, I thought as, I stared at the empty spot at the front and center of the stage.

Suddenly there was a bright flash, and I was forced to look away, as a blinding light filled the emptiness. Before I could turn back to see what had happened, the band had begun to play. It was a style I'd never heard before (not that I was well versed in music to begin with); it sounded like an old folk song, but with the inclusion of an electric guitar. I liked it.

It wasn't long before the singer added his voice to the song, drawing my attention back to the stage. I nearly fell over backwards when I finally laid eyes on the stallion singer; he looked exactly like Vinyl. Sure he was taller, had a more masculine build, a whiter coat, and his mane and tail were cut a little shorter, but there was no denying the obvious resemblance. Vinyl did mention something about having a brother, I thought, recalling the conversation that we had had when we first met. Sure enough, during an accordion solo halfway through the first song, the stallion's eyes landed on us, and Vinyl began waving, and cheering in a frantic attempt to let him know that she was there to show her support. He looked at her, then to me, then jumped back into the song without any other acknowledgment of our existence.

Vinyl's brother kept looking our way throughout the night, though never directly at us; he was looking just a few inches to the right, right at Octavia. Every time he did, the mare would scream her head off to let him know that she was having a good time. I wonder if they're together, I thought, as I watched the two ponies exchange smiles. I tapped Vinyl on the shoulder to get her attention, then pointed from her brother to Octavia. She must have understood what I was asking because she smiled, and nodded her head.

The concert was short, only six of seven songs, two of which Vinyl's brother had dedicated to his marefriend. All in all I had found the whole experience rather enjoyable, despite the fact that every now and again the singer would give Vinyl and me an odd look, almost like he was trying to figure out why we had come.

When it was finally over, after all the instruments, cables, and all the other pieces of equipment had been packed up, Vinyl's brother, came our way.

"Strat!" Octavia exclaimed, as she ran into the stallion's arms. Strat smiled as he hugged his marefriend, and lifted her off the ground.

"I'm so glad you were able to make it," he said, planting a small kiss on her lips before setting her back on the ground.

"Oh come on, you know I'd never miss a show."

"Well thank Celestia for that, otherwise we probably wouldn't have had any fans."

Octavia gave Strat a playful push.

"What are you talking about? Didn’t you see that crowd that was here."

"Of course I didn't; it was impossible for me to see anypony else when I couldn't take my eyes off of you."

"Sweet Luna," Vinyl groaned, as her brother and friend continued their long embrace, "if you two are gonna be so lovey dovey, take it someplace else; the back room of this bar perhaps."

The two ponies turned their attention towards us, and Strat's smile faded a little.

"Vinyl, I’m surprised to see you here" he said, sounding neither happy, nor upset with her presence.

"Hey, I just thought I'd come out and support my bro."

Strat’s face seemed to soften a bit at this, and a slight smile seemed to return.

Seeing her brother's mood improve, Vinyl flashed her own mischievous smirk, as she walked up to her brother, slapped an arm around his shoulders, and squeezed him hard. "I’ve missed you so much, G-string.”

I noticed the obvious twitch in her brother’s face when Vinyl called him G-string, but she didn’t allow him the chance for a retort, because the next moment, she was standing next to me, and had slipped her right hand into my left.

“Zander, meet my twin brother, Stratocaster-”

“Oh, so you do know my name,” Stratocaster interrupted.

Vinyl just rolled her eyes, as she continued with her introductions.

“Strat, this is Zander. He’s my coltfriend.”

I put on my friendliest smile, and extended my free hand.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said.

Stratocaster looked me up and down, as if he was trying to size me up, before taking my hand and shaking it.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” he said. “Let’s hope you last longer than all of Vinyl’s other coltfriends.” His voice was thick with sarcasm.

Octavia tugged on the stallion’s arm.

“Be nice, Strat,” she whispered.

"No, it's alright," Vinyl said, gripping my hand a little tighter, and grinning wide. "I’m hoping things work out too."

A bit of an awkward silence fell on us as we stood there, the other patrons bustling about us, as they headed to their tables or up to the bar. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, it was more like we were all politely waiting for the next pony to speak up. When no one did, Vinyl took it upon herself to take the lead.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but without my brother playing music, this place is fucking dull as shit," she said. "Why don't we head on over to the Apple Core Lounge, get a few drinks, and see where the night takes us?" Vinyl’s hand suddenly left mine, and quickly found my backside, which she squeezed, causing me to jump. "Who knows, if we play our cards right, we'll all get laid."

...

The Apple Core Lounge, as it turned out, was a nightclub located just a few mile miles away from where Vinyl and Octavia went to school. Originally it was built to cater mostly to the local college students, but now, due to its reputation as a place for good booze and even better music, it was quickly becoming a popular hangout for young socialites from all corners of the city. At least, that's what Vinyl said.

“Do we really have to go in?” Stratocaster groaned, as we passed the long line of ponies (each dressed in clothes that looked to be far more expensive than my entire wardrobe) to the front entrance, where a burly stallion wearing a black t-shirt, dark jeans, and sunglasses stood behind a black, velvet rope, guarding the door.

“Oh come on, Strat, you’ll have fun,” Octavia said, taking her coltfriend by the hand, and kissing him on the cheek.

“But-”

“For Celestia’s sake, G-string" Vinyl added, "it's not like you've never been here before."

Strat's face suddenly flushed red.

"I-I don't-"

"Don't try to fucking deny it; I've seen you in there, pounding down a few drinks, and dancing with Tavi. By the way, you look like you've got bees in your pants when you dance." Vinyl began jerking her body around, kicking her legs, and flailing her arms. Octavia and I broke out in laughter as we watched Vinyl mimicking her brother, who just turned a deeper shade of scarlet. I know I probably shouldn't have laughed, seeing as I was trying to date his sister, but I just couldn't help myself.

"Well now that that's out of the way,” Vinyl said, straightening herself out, “why don't we go on in, and you can show everypony your “awesome moves” yourself."

We made our way towards the front door to the large stallion, who turned and smiled when he saw us approach.

"Well well well, if it isn't DJ Pon-3," he said, in a deep voice that boomed over the music that leaked out of the front door.

Vinyl smirked as she walked up to the stallion and slapped him on the back.

"Hey Black Velvet, how’s The Core looking tonight?”

The bouncer shook his head.

“S’alright. A little dull, but I’d bet all the bits in the bank things’ll start to pick up now that you’re here.”

“Well then I better not keep everypony waiting.”

Black Velvet nodded, and smiled, as he stepped aside, allowing us to enter.

“Give ‘em hell,” he said, slapping Vinyl on the rump as she passed.

I felt my jaw drop; who was he to touch my marefriend like that?

“Don’t read too much into it.”

I looked over, and saw Octavia looking up at me.

“Vinyl and Black Velvet are just friends.”

“Then why-”

“Trust me, she’s not his type.”

“But apparently I am,” Stratocaster said, as he caught up with us, rubbing his own backside.

Octavia giggled. At first I thought Stratocaster would find this annoying (he didn’t really seem to have much of a sense of humor), but to my surprise, he joined in on the laughter. Can’t really judge a pony after spending just a few minutes with them, I reminded myself, as I watched Stratocaster take his marefriend’s hand, and led her down the short entrance hall, and through a set of elegantly carved, wooden double doors, into a dark nightclub.

When we'd first emerged from the subway, I'd found the city lights and sounds a bit overwhelming, but it was nothing compared to how it felt to step into a club for the first time. It was dark, but not so much that I couldn't see anything, thanks to the colored lights that flashed like lightning to the rhythm of the music. The song that was playing was Sapphire Shores’ newest single, remixed with a bass beat so powerful, I could feel it pounding in my chest, causing my heart flutter. It was a little much for a stallion like me, who barely ever left his own apartment.

So this is what a nightclub is like, I thought, as I followed Octavia and Stratocaster through the forest of writhing bodies over to a dimly lit bar, where Vinyl was already standing, leaning against the counter, and chatting with a white maned, minty coated, unicorn stallion.

"First round's on me," she shouted to us over the blaring music, as the stallion turned his back, and began mixing drinks.

I slid up next to Vinyl, and placed a hand on her shoulder for support, as if at any minute I’d be knocked off my feet by the music’s overpowering force. The short mare looked up at me, and gave me a grin.

“Alright there zebra boy?” She asked, pressing her body firmly against mine.

I nodded.

“I’ve never been in a nightclub before,” I said.

“Yeah, no shit. But if you wanna make this relationship work, then you’re gonna have to get used to places like this.”

Before I could come up with some sort of response, the bartender returned with a round tray, with four short tumblers full of some kind of purple colored concoction. I went to pick mine up, but Vinyl slapped my hand away.

“Careful,” she said, “you don’t want to burn yourself.”

I looked from her to the glass feeling very confused until I saw what she was talking about; dancing on the surface of the drink was a faint blue flame.

“You gotta put it out first, see?”

I watched as Vinyl picked up a coaster from the counter, and placed it one after the other over all four glasses, extinguishing the tiny fires instantly.

“Bottoms up,” she said, handing us our drinks, and raising her own glass in celebration.

Tentatively, I brought the glass to my lips, and took a small sip, and then another, longer one. I didn’t know what it was that Vinyl had given me, but it was the best tasting alcoholic beverage I’d ever had. It was very warm, and tasted like some sort of blackberry juice, with hints of vanilla, and cinnamon. I had no idea that you could make drinks like this; the ponies that came to my uncle’s pub only ever ordered their drinks straight, or as a simple cocktail, so this vibrant mixture was foreign to me.

Vinyl watched with amusement as I consumed my beverage.

"Easy there, Zander," she giggled, as she placed a hand on mine, forcing me to lower the glass. "It might taste like juice, but it’s still got plenty of booze in it. We've got a long night ahead of us, and I don't want you on your ass before the fun begins."

I just smiled and nodded, already feeling a little lightheaded. That's what I get for being a lightweight, I thought.

For fifteen minutes the four of us just leaned against the bar, sipping our drinks. Stratocaster and Octavia were standing off to the side, talking, and laughing, lost in their own little world, leaving Vinyl and I to watch the jumbled mass of ponies, gyrating against each other. It wasn't my usual idea of a fun evening, but seeing Vinyl enjoying herself made me feel just as relaxed as I would have been back in my apartment, watching television and sipping tea. In that moment I wished I could have talked with her; not about our personal troubles, but about things we liked, things we hated, or our individual dreams for the future. I didn't care what we said, I just wanted to get to know her better. Of course I knew an intimate conversation would be impossible thanks to the deafening music, so I decided that if the rest of the night went well, then perhaps sitting down to talk would be a good way to wind down.

Just as I was finishing my drink, I felt Vinyl's hand on mine. At first I thought that she just wanted to hold it, but when she began making her way towards the throng of ponies, I realized that she was inviting me to dance.

"What the fuck's wrong?" She huffed when she noticed that I wasn't following her.

I smiled at her, sheepishly.

"I, uh, don't dance." It wasn't a total lie; I liked to move to the music every now and again, but only when I was washing dishes in the back room of the pub where no pony could see me.

“You don’t really have to.” Vinyl pointed towards the nearest couple; the mare was rubbing herself all over the stallion, as if she were desperately trying to feel every inch of his body with every inch of her own. The stallion himself just kind of stood there, occasionally grinding up against the mare to the rhythm of the music. I was thankful that it was dark because I was sure I was blushing profusely. This is dancing? I thought. It looks more like some sort of crazy mating ritual. And I was about to become a part of it.

I followed Vinyl onto the dance floor, stumbling a little thanks to the alcohol.

Vinyl started off slow, facing me, pressing herself firmly against my body, dragging her hand down the length of my torso, and rocking her hips provocatively against my lower body. As the music began to pick up pace, she twirled around, and rubbed her rump against my crotch. And I just stood there, trying hard to keep the erotic images from invading my mind. Of course Vinyl wasn't going to let me remain inactive; without missing a single beat, she sought out my hands with her own, and gave me a guided tour of her incredible, lithe figure.

"C'mon, zebra boy, move those hips," she said moving my right hand to her waist, and my left to her stomach. "Just let go; let the music take over."

"If you wanna make this relationship work, you're gonna have to get used to it," Vinyl had told me. I took a deep breath to cool myself down, then listened to the music, feeling the rhythm with my body. It wasn't long before I started to move; nothing too much, just a subtle rocking of my hips.

"Not bad," Vinyl said, as she removed her hands from mine, allowing me to explore her body on my own. "I mean, it's not great, but I'll give you an A for-"

I couldn't help myself; I placed my hand gently against her throat, and tilted her face towards mine, and kissed her. Maybe it was the alcohol affecting my decision making, but it just felt like the right thing to do. In that moment everything seemed to vanish. There was no more music, no more flashing lights, no more dancing ponies; it was just me and Vinyl.

Eventually a need to catch our breaths forced us to part, and the world around us slowly invaded our revelry. I don't know how long we’d stayed like that, our lips locked, tongues dancing along with our bodies, but it didn't feel long enough. As the world began to reform around us, Vinyl looked up at me, her eyes twinkling like stars in the flickering lights of the club. I thought back to when we first met, and how beautiful I had found those big, magenta eyes, but they were nothing compared to the passion filled orbs that gazed into mine.

"Uh, sorry about that," I said, suddenly aware of all the ponies around us.

Vinyl just laughed.

"What the hell are you apologizing for?" She asked.

"Well, I..." You're overthinking things, Zander, I told myself. "No, never mind," I said, shaking my head. "Would you like to go back and get another drink?"

"Now you're speaking my language."

Vinyl took me by the hand, interlocking her fingers with mine, and led me back to the bar.

"Hey, Peppy, get me a couple Dragon Scale Drop Shots, would you?”

The young unicorn stallion, walked over, a couple of bottles with the names Breath of the Dragon, and Flim & Flam’s Hundred Proof Whisky clutched in his hands.

“Right away, Miss Scratch,” he said, taking the two bottles, and pouring them into a cocktail shaker, measuring them with practiced precision. After giving the simple concoction a quick shake, he grabbed a couple of shot glasses from the rack behind him, and filled them with the reddish, amber liquid.

“Here goes nothing,” I said, picking up my shot, and raising it.

“Whoa, hey, hold up, buddy,” Vinyl said, “there’s a bit more to it than that.”

I looked up, and sure enough, the bartender came back, a mug of beer in each hand.

“Here you are, Miss Scratch,” he said.

“Thank you, Mr. Schnapps.” Vinyl took her shot, and dropped it, glass and all, into her beer. She looked at me, then nodded, indicating that she wanted me to do the same. I did.

“Cheers!” Vinyl said, raising her mug.

I did the same, then took a deep drink. It was strong, much stronger than I was expecting. It had the usual hoppy taste of beer, and the burn of whisky, with an overpowering spiciness that gave the Dragon Scale Drop Shot its name. As I continued to sip it, I looked over and saw that Vinyl nearly had her’s completely upturned, draining her mug faster than it had been filled. Not wanting to look like too much of a weakling in front of my new marefriend, I lowered my mug so I could take a deep breath, said a silent prayer to Princess Luna, counted to three, then chugged my beer, feeling it sting as it went down my esophagus.

I knew I was done, when the shot glass on the bottom slid down, and smacked me in the face.

“Nice going, Zebra boy,” Vinyl chuckled. “Here, let me help you with that.”

Vinyl snatched the collar of my shirt, and yanked me down to her level. Without so much as a warning, the brazen young mare touched my muzzle with her tongue, and licked away at the wet spot where I had been struck by the miniature glass, cleaning up any drops of alcohol that might have been absorbed by my coat. I felt like a manticore cub receiving a tongue bath from its mother. It was very awkward, and yet, sort of tender, in its own weird way. I would never have admitted it to Vinyl, but as she washed my face, I felt a slight shifting in my jeans, as blood began to rush to my stallionhood.

"There," she said, when she was done, "nice and clean."

"What the hell was that?" Asked an alarmed voice.

I looked over to see that Stratocaster had walked up behind us, and was looking at his sister, obviously displeased with what he had just witnessed his do.

Vinyl just shrugged her shoulders.

"It's not polite to waste a good drink," she said. "What's up G-string, need your face cleaned as well?"

Strat gave his sister a sarcastic smile.

"Actually I wanted to know just what you did to-"

"Strat!"

I had to step aside, as a clearly intoxicated Octavia came up to us, wrapped her arms around her coltfriend, and held onto him as if she was trying to keep herself from falling over. Her mane was slightly disheveled, her bow tie was undone, and the top two buttons of her blouse were unbuttoned, revealing a beautiful set of...don't look at those you moron, I thought, quickly averting my gaze, your marefriend is right there.

"Straaaaat, why'd you leave?" She asked with a giggle. "Don't you wanna have a little fun with me?"

"I-in a minute, Tavi," he said. Then he turned to Vinyl, and gave her an accusing look. "Seriously, what they hell did you slip her?"

Vinyl smirked, as she watched Octavia start to try and dance with Strat.

"Hate to break it to you, bro, but this isn't my work. Tavi's probably just really enjoying herself, and from the looks of it, she wants you to enjoy her too."

I looked at Octavia again, squinting my eyes, trying to focus through my alcohol induced double vision. And that's when I spotted it; at the nape of her neck, there was a faint discoloration, the same shape and size as a bit coin.

"How long has she had that?" I asked, pointing to the spot, suddenly feeling a mild sense of dread.

The two siblings looked to the spot that I indicated, and Vinyl began to laugh hysterically.

"So that's how it is?" She said, "All this time I thought you were a major prude, but judging by that hickey, I'm guessing you two were up to more than just "talking" over there in your little secluded corner."

"What? I didn't do that!"

"No, I, uh, I think did," I said, walking over to Octavia to better examine the small spot that had appeared on her coat. "I also I think I know what happened to her. See, while we were waiting for Vinyl at my uncle's bar, I offered her a cup of tea that had dried poison joke petals in it."

Stratocaster's jaw hung open.

"You gave her poison joke?" He asked, grabbing my shirt collar anger.

"No, well, yes, but-"

"Why the hell would you do that? Was it some sick joke that my sister put you up to?"

I removed Strat's hands from my collar, and looked at him calmly.

"Look, when the petals are dried they aren't as potent as they are when they're fresh, and you don't get any of the usual side effects; they just put you in a good mood."

"Well it looks like it put her in too good a mood."

I nodded.

"My guess is, the alcohol in her system must have somehow amplified the poison joke's potency, putting her in a state of pure euphoria."

For a second we all turned to watch Octavia, who was now dancing on her own just a few feet away.

"This is fucking hilarious," Vinyl said, her hands on her knees, preventing her from collapsing with laughter.

"Shut up, Vinyl," Strat said, before turning back to me. "So what are we supposed to do?" He looked looked back at Octavia, and his eyes went wide when he noticed that his marefriend's display was starting to attract some unwanted attention.

"Well, we could go back to my apartment, and I could try to mix up a solution that should cure her. Of course, it would take a while to get there, and I don't even know if I have the right herbs I'd need. The only other thing I can think of is to let her continue to do exactly what she's doing."

"What, just dance it out of her system?" Vinyl asked.

I nodded again.

"Yup. It'll take a little longer to get her back to normal, but physical activity seems to be the best option that we have right now."

Vinyl suddenly grabbed her brother by the shoulders, spun him around, and directed him at Octavia.

"Alright, G-String, time to show your lady friend a good time. Remember, have fun, and if your little colt parts start to tingle, then take her to the back room; I'm sure the two of you will be able to find another way to get the poison joke out of her system."

Stratocaster looked like he was about to make a rebuke, but Vinyl wouldn’t let him; with one swift push, Strat was launched at Octavia, and the two of them became a part of the sea of ponies.

For a moment, Vinyl felt content just watching her brother and friend on the dance floor, laughing every time Strat moved. I couldn't help but chuckle as well; while Vinyl's impression of Stratocaster's dancing wasn't spot on, he still looked silly, especially when compared to most of the other stallions on the dance floor.

After a few minutes of watching Stratocaster dance, Vinyl turned her attention back to me.

"Well now," she said, pressing her stomach against mine, "now that the kids are preoccupied, why don't we find someplace a little more private where we can have a little fun of our own?"

I felt the blood rush to my lower regions; I had a pretty good idea what Vinyl’s idea of fun was.

“Hey, Peppy, get me a couple glasses of Old Mustang, and the key to the private room.”

The stallion behind the counter chuckled, as he grabbed the familiar bottle of whisky from his shelf of booze, and poured it into two tumblers.

“Here you go, Miss Scratch,” he said, as he gave us our drinks, then dug into his pocket, and produced a small, silver key, “and please, try to keep it clean this time.”

Vinyl leaned over the counter, and fluttered her eyelashes.

“Awww, but I can’t help it that I’m such a dirty filly,” she said in an unsettlingly seductive tone.

After sharing a laugh with the bartender, Vinyl picked up the key and the two glasses, and started walking off, along the edge of the dance floor.

“Come on Zebra boy,” she called, flicking her tail back and forth with the sway of her hips.

I looked to her, then back at the bartender.

“Anything I can do for you sir?” he asked, as I stepped up to the bar.

“Yeah, uh, how much for the drinks,” I said, feeling I should be a gentlecolt and take care of this round.

“Two glasses will be eight bits.”

If I had been in the proper mind set, I would have argued over how outrageously overpriced that was (seeing as we sold a bottle back at The Rusty Horseshoe for ten), but my head was so groggy, I didn’t really feel like debating prices. So I pulled out my purse, took out ten of the small gold coins, and gave them to the stallion.

“Keep the change,” I said, before hurrying off in the direction that Vinyl had headed.

Luckily, she’d waited for me just outside of a door right next to a stage.

“Did you get lost or something?” Vinyl asked, handing me my drink, and opening the door.

“No, just...had to be a gentlecolt.”

Vinyl grinned, and grabbed me by the belt.

“Oh yeah? Well why don’t you follow me, and show me some of that gentlecoltliness.” Without allowing me the chance to move on my own, she pulled me through the doorway, down a short hall, to another door, that was painted light purple. She stuck the key into the lock, turned it, opened the door, and led me inside.