I can do this, Silver Rush thought, staring intently at the paper and quill in front of him. I obviously have plenty to write about, so there’s no reason I shouldn’t be having trouble writing things down. His horn lit up as the quill levitated into the air, dipping the tip in ink as he set it to the parchment before him. This would’ve been the moment that his pen started furiously scribbling across the paper, writing out the story buzzing about Silver’s mind. Unfortunately, his writer's block still reigned true.
Silver Rush was a pony. Nothing too significant about him; grey body, blue-and-teal hair, and a pair of glasses set on the edge of his nose. Oh, and he was originally from a human world, until a mishap with a magic mirror brought him and his best friend to Equestria, where they’d both decided to stay and live out their lives. At the current moment, he was staying at the Rainbow Friendship castle, where Twilight Sparkle was gracious enough to offer housing.
“Whatcha doing?” a voice called from the doorway. Silver Rush turned in his seat to face the voice, which turned out to belong to Autumn Flash, the previously mentioned mare.
“Trying to fight through my writer's block again,” Silver replied. “What about you, Autumn?”
“Getting ready to head out, actually,” replied the red-orange pegasus. “I got a singing gig down at the club.”
“Wow, that was quick.”
“Well, when you have a specific skill set such as mine, you know where to look for job opportunities.” Autumn is a complicated pony. Autumn was a fantastic singer and could beat anypony brave enough to challenge her in a sing-off. She was also gender fluid and acted more guy-like in her general mannerisms, but still usually wen by feminine pronouns. Autumn was that way back on Earth, and that didn’t change when she became a pegasus.
“If you got a job simply bu having a limited skill set," Silver retorted, "then I should have a full-blown career by now.”
Autumn walked up to Silver and elbowed him a bit. “Hey, if we’re going to bunk together, you’re gonna need to cover your half of the rent. You’re an intelligent guy, there’s plenty you could do.”
“I suppose you’re right,” said Silver. “Its just a matter of finding something I want to do.”
“Well, why don’t you head down to the club with me?” Autumn asked. “I bet I could get you in for free.”
“I don’t know…,” Silver looked out the window, debating between the path of clubbing or the path of laziness.
“You know what,” Autumn said after a moment, “non-optional. You’re coming with me.” Before Silver Rush could process this, Autumn Flash had picked him up by the shoulders, hoisted him out of his chair, and was flying the both of them down the stairwell at high speeds. As he and Autumn screamed down the halls and out the entrance of the castle, Silver could vaguely make out the forms of Twilight Sparkle and Spike, who were undoubtedly spun around by the streak of orange and grey speeding past them. Just like that, Silver and Autumn were gone.
“What in the name of Celestia was that?” Twilight half-asked herself, half-asked Spike.
“Probably Autumn dragging Silver off somewhere,” Spike replied. “What else is new?” Spike picked up the cardboard boxes full of playing cards he had been carrying. “Come on, this house of cards isn’t going to build itself.”
In a few minutes Autumn Flash arrived at the club, Silver Rush still being dragged by the shoulders. She finally dropped him once they had reached the front door to the bar, where Silver collapsed in a heap at the hooves of the bouncer. Even with his face in the dirt, however, Silver could tell the sign above the door read The Midnight Hour.
“What’s up, Jace?” Autumn said to the bouncer. “Don’t worry, this one’s with me.” The bouncer nodded and waved the two ponies through. Silver Rush pulled himself out of the dirt and dusted himself off, following Autumn Flash through to the main dance floor of the club. A massive DJ station rose above the flashing multicolored floor, and ponies were writhing and dancing to the sound of electronic beats. Silver Rush watched as Autumn Flash started across the vast room to take the stage.
“Time to get to work,” she said as he trotted forward. “Silver, why don’t you grab a drink at the bar? Maybe try talking to ponies for a change.” Autumn winked at him and ascended the stage to sing. Silver watched the orange pegasus as he began to sing, then started toward the bar for a drink.
“Welcome!” the bartender said as Silver Rush sat down. “So, what’s your poison?”
“I have no clue,” Silver replied. “What do you recommend?”
The bartender looked at Silver quizzically. “I’m not here to tell you what to drink, I’m just here to pour them.”
“Give him a hard cider,” the pony next to Silver spoke up. He turned to his right to see a plum-colored mare with a raspberry mane and purple eyes. She sat with a tall bottle by her side, and the cutie mark of a bunch of grapes and a strawberry stood out against her flank. “Put it on my tab,” the mare added.
“Thank you,” Silver said as the bartender poured him a drink, “but you really don’t have to pay.” Silver always had to be polite to everyone, or at least try to be.
“Seemed like you were feeling down,” the earth pony replied. “Figured you could use it. Besides, everyone knows a drink tastes better when it's free.”
“Fair enough,” Silver said, giving the mare a smile. The bartender set his drink on the counter as he said this, and the glass lit up a pale blue as Silver levitated it by his side. “I don’t believe I got your name.”
“Punch,” the mare said. “Berry Punch. You?”
“Silver Rush,” replied the grey unicorn. The two ponies clinked glasses and both took their collective sips of their drinks. While Berry downed half her glass in a single gulp, however, Silver coughed on a single sip of his cider, having never actually drank alcohol before.
“You okay?” Berry Punch asked.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Silver Rush assured. “I guess this isn’t my typical type of place to hang out.”
“Well, what IS your usual place to hang out?”
“Stuck up in my room, scribbling away at a sheet of paper.”
“You’re a writer?” Berry Punch said in surprise. “That’s awesome! What do you write about?”
“Whatever I want, really. Lately though I haven’t been able to write about anything.”
“Well,” said Berry, “what brings the writer out of his dark, windowless room and into a place like this?”
Silver Rush smiled and took another sip of his cider. “Dragged here by a friend."
"Who's the friend?"
"Autumn Flash. She’s actually up there on stage, singing his heart out.”
“No way,” Berry said, turning her head towards the stage. “That’s so cool! So you two are friends?”
“Best friends. We’ve known each other as far back as either of us can remember. We’ve always been there for each other.”
“Awww,” Berry Punch cooed, leaning on the bar. “That’s so sweet. So, you two ever… you know….” Berry tapped her hooves together to try and get her point across.
“What? No! I mean, it’s not like…,” Silver Rush stammered, blushing as red as the side of a barn. “Why would you ask something like that?”
“Pure curiosity, I suppose,” Berry said, chuckling a little bit.
Silver sighed and took another sip of his drink. “Look, can we change the subject, please?”
“Alright, alright,” Berry pulled back. “So, you’re a writer and Autumn’s a singer?”
“Yeah?” Silver said, staring down into the frothing,, bubbling liquid that was his cider. He wasn’t sure where Berry Punch was going with this, or whether or not he would like it.
“Well, have you ever written songs for Autumn to sing?”
Silver looked up at Berry from his cider. "As a matter of fact, I have," Silver replied, not expecting her to ask. "I mean, not frequently, but the few songs I've written for her she really liked. Got good responses from crowds, too...." Silver's voice trailed off from here, and he began to slip into his mind and focus on the budding idea in his mind.
“Holy Celestia, that’s it!” he exclaimed after a few moments of tense thought. “Berry, you’re a genius!” Silver gave her a massive hug, downed the rest of his cider, and started pushing his way back through the dance floor.
“What a strange pony,” Berry Punch said to herself. “Bartender, another round!”
After pushing and shoving his way through, Silver Rush finally made it to the DJ station, where a white unicorn with wild blue hair and sunglasses was spinning records. The booth itself was insulated and soundproofed from the rest of the crowd, a large glass window looking out over the club.
“Excuse me!” Silver Rush yelled at the top of his lungs, trying to get her attention through the glass. “I know this isn’t the best time and you probably don’t take requests, but can I ask a favor?!”
The unicorn turned to Silver and moved a single headphone from her ear. The mare gave him a puzzled and slightly annoyed look.
“CAN YOU DO ME A FAVOR?!”
She pointed to the door on the side of her booth, apparently beckoning him inside. Silver Rush obliged her offer, maneuvering himself to the door of the booth and slipping inside. As he entered, he noticed a considerable difference between the sound in here and the dance floor. The unicorn gave him another puzzled look, wanting to know what it was he wanted.
"Uh, hi," the awkward stallion said. "My name's Silver Rush, and, well, I was wondering if you could do me a favor. I would seriously owe you one for it." Pausing for a moment, Silver’s horn lit up a bright blue, and instantly a CD case appeared before him and Vinyl. “Can you play this CD for me?”
Vinyl gave him a scrutinizing look, apparently wanting to know what the disk contained.
“It's just an instrumental. Can you just play it, please?”
Vinyl Scratch looked at the disc, then back at Silver Rush. “It’s for a mare, isn’t it?” she said, being the first words she had actually said to him.
“She’s on stage singing right now. She knows the song by heart, just please?”
The mare smiled. “Sure, why not?” she said. Her horn lit up as she levitated the case over to her, opening it and removing the disc. “Best of luck to you. Name's Vinyl Scratch, by the way."
Silver, ecstatic that she agreed to help him, ran out of the booth and back down to the stage as Vinyl put in the CD. He ran to the stage to get Autumn Flash’s attention, which proved to be more difficult than he thought. She stopped and noticed him, however, when the music started playing.
“Silver, what did you do?” Autumn looked directly at him.
“You and I both know this song,” Silver said back. “The talent show seems so long ago, doesn’t it?”
Autumn smiled. “Well then,” he said, “if you think I’m going to be singing this song all by myself up here, you are sorely mistaken.” Then, without warning, Autumn pulled Silver Rush up onstage to stand with him on the mic.
Silver Rush could sing some, and he knew the cues just as well as Autumn did. However, that didn’t make being up onstage any less nerve-wracking. Luckily for him, Autumn Flash started off singing first.
Autumn’s ballad was breathtaking. Silver Rush watched as Autumn Flash stood onstage, her powerful voice reaching out to touch every pony in the crowd. Every pony stopped dancing and watched as this pegasus sang Silver’s song, a song of heartbreak and taking risks to find the one you truly loved. Silver had written it while him and Autumn were still living on Earth, and it had won the two of them the first place prize at their local talent show.
This time however Silver Rush stood with her, joining in as the chorus began. His voice was deeper and calmer, yet still loud enough to match Autumn’s, and the two meshed and blended perfectly. Silver took the second verse, channeling his jazzy upbringing as his voice rebounded against the walls of the club. The beat and instruments sounding from Vinyl Scratch’s computer only served to complement the ballad of Silver and Autumn. The chorus came again, then the duo sang the third verse to each other as the song neared and finally met its conclusion.
Once Silver and Autumn finished, the entire crowd went completely berserk. A mixture of cheering and tears welcomed the duo as they bowed to their audience. Autumn Flash was jacked, but Silver Rush looked as if he were about to pass out from lack of oxygen. Silver was NOT a born singer. He much preferred writing songs over singing them.
“Not bad, dude,” Autumn turned to Silver. “Not bad at all.”
“... Thanks,” Silver replied, half-speaking, half-painting as he said this. “... Still… can’t… compare… to you.”
“You’re being too modest, again,” she poked back. “Keeping up with me was a feat in itself.” As Autumn said this, she and Silver started to walk offstage toward the front entrance. On their way out, Silver and Autumn were stopped by a copper-colored earth pony with a bit too much product in his slicked-back mane.
“Excuse me,” the stallion said, “how would you two like to earn a good chunk of change?”
Twilight Sparkle was in a moment of deep thought, concentrating as the playing card levitated before her. She and Spike were a single card away from completing a full house of cards in the likeness of Twilight’s castle. The massive undertaking was set up in the map room, and the cards reached up to almost touch the roots of the massive chandelier. Twilight was poised to put the last card in place when she heard the large wooden doors of the castle open and close, and both she and Spike heard the clopping of hooves as Silver Rush and Autumn Flash walked into the room.
“Hey guys!” Spike said as the two ponies walked into the room. “What’s up? You two were sure in a hurry to get out of here.”
“Well, I wasn’t so much in a hurry as I was dragged to a nightclub by Autumn here,” Silver said.
“A nightclub?” Twilight asked quizzically, setting the last card down. “What in Equestria were you two doing there?”
“I had a singing gig there and I thought this one needed some fresh air,” Autumn nudged Silver. “He ended up having a good time.”
“So what happened?” Spike asked. “This sounds like an interesting story.”
“Storytelling is your forte, Silver,” Autumn looked at him. “You go ahead.”
“Well,” Silver started, “I met a pony at the bar named Berry Punch. She was really nice, actually, and we were talking for a while when she gave me some great advice without realizing it. From there I slipped a CD to the DJ and Autumn and I both sang a song that I wrote onstage.”
“Nice!” Spike exclaimed as Silver went on.
“Oh, it get’s better,” Autumn interrupted Silver’s story. “After we got offstage, this stallion caught us and said he really liked the song. He told us he was a music producer and he wanted us to come down to the studio with him to record a few songs tomorrow!”
“And he said I could write some new songs to record,” Silver added. “I finally have something to write about again!” Words cannot describe the excitement in his voice.
“That’s fantastic,” Twilight commented. “I’ll have to listen to the album when it comes out then.”
“Thanks,” Silver grinned. “Now, if everypony will excuse me, I have some writing to do.” With that, Silver bolted out of the room, upstairs to his bedroom for the company of parchment and ink.
Twilight smiled. “That pony really is one of a kind,” she said.
“Yeah,” Autumn said. “He is.” Then Autumn ran up the stairs, supposedly to his room, leaving Twilight and Spike with their massive castle of cards.
“Those two really are something special,” Twilight said.
Spike looked straight at Twilight, looking her directly in the eyes. “You like Silver Rush, don’t you?” he said, not trying to be subtle at all.
“What?!” Twilight recoiled at Spike’s accusation, causing her to smash into the table the house of cards was sitting on. The massive tower teetered and wobbled, and finally came crashing down on her and Spike.
Spike looked at Twilight through the curtain of cards covering his face and smiled. “Your actions speak louder than your words, Twily.”
Twilight just sat there, blushing underneath the mountain that was once her house of cards.
