Everypony Has Their Buttons...
“You’re going to love this show, Mac. It’s totally worth the trip to Manehattan.” Dash grinned, hovering next to Mac, a foreleg thrown around his shoulder.
It was a hot, late summer day, not the nicest season in a big crowded city. But harvest would be starting soon and Dash insisted they needed a vacation before Mac threw himself into weeks of hard labor.
Mac smiled and gave her a nuzzle. “Eyup.”
“Oh it so is,” the green unicorn stallion in front of them in line said, looking at them over his shoulder. They were all waiting for the doors to open to the Bridleway theater.
“Aw yeah, hoofbump,” Dash extended her hoof.
The stallion turned around and bumped it lightly. He grinned, tossing his floppy orange mane out of his eyes. “I’ve seen it five times! Center Stage is amazing!”
“Yeah, she’s awesome!” Dash agreed.” I saw it last time I was here. I’m not even big on musicals myself, but the big dope here loves ‘em, and he’s never even seen it.” She elbowed Mac with a fond smile, which he returned.
“He sounds like a stallion after my own heart.” He held out a hooficured hoof. “My name’s Day Trader.”
“Rainbow Dash,” Dash said, shaking his hoof. “And this is Big Macintosh,” she added, as Day Trader shook Mac’s giant hoof. “But you can call him Mac.”
“Nice to meet you two. So, you don’t usually like musicals?”
“Most of them are just a bunch of ponies singing and dancing.” Dash rolled her eyes.
“You sound like my boyfriend,” Day Trader chuckled. “Maybe you can talk him into seeing Hinny.”
Dash grinned. “I’ll totally talk anypony into seeing Hinny of the Hills. Just let me at him after the show!”
“Actually, I’m meeting him at Fetlock’s afterwards. Have you guys ever been there?” He cocked his head.
“Nope,” Mac answered.
“We’re from out of town,” Dash added.
Day Trader’s face lit up, and he laid a hoof on Mac’s shoulder, smiling at both of them. “You have to come, you’ll love it! Why don’t you come out for drinks with us?”
“Sure!” Dash grinned. Then she caught Mac’s eyebrows raised at her. “Don’t give me that look. If it was up to you we’d never meet anypony.” She turned back to Day Trader. “He’s just shy.”
Day Trader gave a sympathetic smile and gave Mac’s shoulder a pat. “The big ones always are.”
After the show, Day Trader led Mac and Dash a few blocks through the city. It was late, but everything seemed to be open in Manehattan. They shoved their way quickly through crowds of ponies, past restaurants and shops with bright neon signs.
Eventually they came to a pink sign that said “Fetlock’s,” with a burly flexed foreleg next to the name in the same neon. Standing at the door was a stallion about Mac’s size, tattooed like he had the cutie pox and sporting a hoofful of facial piercings.
Day Trader handed the stallion a bit, while Mac pulled out two bits. The tattooed stallion took the bits from Day Trader, and one of Mac’s bits, then opened the door with a wink to Mac. Dash thought that was weird, but forgot about it when she saw the inside of the club.
The lights inside weren’t much brighter than the illuminated nighttime street outside, and the room was just as colorful. In the bar, dim drop lights hung over brightly painted tables, and in a row over a bar styled in neon green and chrome. Through a door towards the back Dash could see ponies dancing and hear the pounding bass.
But their stop was a table towards the front where a stocky beige earth pony in a light purple tie sat waiting. He grinned when he spotted them.
“You brought some friends?” He said, standing up to greet Day Trader with a hug and a nuzzle.
“You know I can’t help bringing home strays.” Day Trader returned the hug, and then turned to Mac and Dash, his foreleg still around the stallion. “This is my boyfriend, Lancet Arch. Arch, this is Rainbow Dash and Mac. They’re from out of town, I met them in line for the show.”
The introduced ponies shook hooves and settled in at the table. As they sat down, a skinny stallion came over to take their order, and returned a few moments later with beers all around.
“There are a lot of stallions here,” Dash said, looking around. Most of the tables were full of stallions, and a few more sat at the bar. The waiter and the bartender were both stallions, and everypony she saw come out of the dance floor seemed to be a stallion. She was pretty sure she was the only mare here.
“Well, of course there are.” Day Trader smiled. “It’s one of the nice things about the big city, there are places for colts like us to hang out together and enjoy each other’s company.”
Mac smirked and rolled his eyes. “It’s a gay bar, Dash. Didn’t ya’ see the bouncer wink at me?”
Dash blinked. “Oh!” Her eyes went wide. “Hold on, you got your cover waved for being hot? That’s awesome!” She grinned and nudged Mac proudly.
Arch smiled and rolled his eyes. “Tats likes muscle stallions.”
Mac just took a drink of beer, then smiled and shrugged. “Farm work’s good for a body.”
“How about you, Rainbow? Do you keep in shape working the farm?” Day Trader asked.
“Nah, I work out. I’m in the Wonderbolt reserves,” Dash grinned and leaned forward so they could admire her toned foreleg.
“Well that’ll keep a pony in shape!” Arch laughed.
“It sure works for that Soarin’.” Day Trader let out an appreciative whistle.
“Eh, he’s got a nice flank, but who needs that when you’ve got a guy with a nice everything?” Dash grinned and slapped Mac’s rock hard shoulder playfully.
Day Trader offered his beer for a toast. “I’ll drink to that.”
Dash tapped his bottle with her own.
“Y’all…” Mac blushed and took another sip of beer.
“Hey, I hear you’ve got the stallions all over you. Guess I’d better keep an eye on you in here.” Dash laughed.
“You better keep an eye on him, too.” Day Trader said to Mac, motioning with his bottle toward Dash. “A twink as cute as he is will catch everypony’s eye.”
Dash blinked, then narrowed her eyes. “What did you call me?”
“A twink?” Day Trader smiled. “It just means a wiry little pretty-colt type.”
Mac raised his eyebrows. “Dash is a--”
“No way am I a pretty-colt type!” Dash cut in, slamming a hoof on the table. “I’m in the Wonderbolt reserves! And I don’t even brush my mane! Mac goes to the spa more than I do!”
“Well, you’re a nut who don’t understand a nice hooficure and a massage.” Mac took another drink of beer.
“There’s nothing wrong with a hooficure and a massage,” Arch agreed, nodding approvingly.
Day Trader rolled his eyes, still smiling. “Oh come on, you two are so traditional. A big, buff bear with unshorn fetlocks, and a cute little twink who lives at the gym? Just own it!” He finished with a wave of his hoof.
“Uh, we ain’t--” Mac started.
“I’m. Not. Cute!” Dash stood to her rear hooves, leaning over the table. “Awesome? Sure! Hot. Athletic... but I don’t have a rutting cute, pretty bone in my body!”
“Okay!” Day Trader raised his hooves in surrender. “Okay! How about… fierce and fabulous?”
Dash paused. “...okay, yeah. I like that.” She grinned, relaxing back into her seat. “Fierce and fabulous!”
Arch chuckled and smiled at Mac. “He’s a hoofful, isn’t he?”
“Actually… Dash’s a mare,” Mac said calmly.
Arch and Day Trader both stared at him. Then they looked at Dash and their eyes slowly went wide.
“Oh Celestia!” Day Trader said, putting a hoof over his mouth. “I’m so sorry! Just, your voice, and you obviously work out--”
“We honestly didn’t mean anything by it,” Arch assured her.
“Huh?” Dash raised an eyebrow at them. Then the realization hit her, and she smiled and waved a hoof. “Oh yeah, the colt thing. I get that sometimes, it’s cool.” Her smiled turned to a quick glare. “Just don’t call me cute.”
The other couple shrugged at each other, then nodded.
“Can I call ya’ cute?” Mac said, leaning over and nudging Dash with a smirk on his face.
Dash snorted a laugh and rolled her eyes. “Only ‘cause you’re a dope.”
Mac leaned his head in, and Dash nuzzled him quickly.
Then she turned back to the other stallions, her face all business. She pointed a hoof at Arch. “Now, I understand that you need to go see Hinny of the Hills, the most awesome musical there is.”
Arch raised his eyebrows and laughed. “Oh boy. I’m not getting off easy this time.”
Day Trader leaned back in his seat and smirked. “I might as well buy the tickets now.”
