Late evening in Ponyville was seldom busy, especially during the winter. Ponies sat before fireplaces in their homes, laughing with friends, or planning the holidays. The brisk air during the day became more chilling at night, keeping most everypony off the streets. It wasn’t until the holidays grew closer that carols and bells would be heard this late, and so for years the town remained silent during this time of year.
That was, until the Neon Palace arrived.
The silence in the air was replaced by the booming base of the popular club. The dark sky overhead became lit by the beacons and strobe lights flickering about. Vibrations could be felt when nearby the chaotic building, and the beats maintained a sphere of influence around the perimeter, making sleep within its reach impossible. Luckily for the peaceful ponies of Ponyville, it was built far enough away from the homes that it caused no noise complaints.
Starfall Blitz stood just inside the range of the club’s booming music. The dark gray pegasus was nervous, who wouldn’t be? Feeling a frigid breeze flow past his blue mane, he resumed his walk towards the club.
There he was earlier that day, searching for Starlight’s friend Trixie, when he came across the most peculiar unicorn in town. He shook his head at the very thought of what had happened, but again, there was no arguing with it. His first date would be with a pony he hardly knew at all.
As he approached the bright, flashing night club his mind became lost in a haze. What was he going to say to her? How does somepony handle a situation like this anyway? Would Twilight disapprove of this if she knew? He was supposed to be resting up for their journey to Griffonstone tomorrow.
All of these thoughts swirled about in his head like a storm. The royal guard part of himself kept saying for him to turn around and go back to the castle, over and over again. The Starfall Blitz side, however, actually wanted to see what it was like inside. He shook his head, trying to dispel all of the conflicting thoughts.
“I’ll just drop in, spend some time with her, listen to some music, and fly out of there.” Starfall reassured himself.
Drawing closer to the building, the sound began to crank up, the serenade of partying ponies inside now reaching his ears.
He took a deep breath. “Thirty minutes, tops.”
The bass from the loudspeakers was strong enough to make one feel the vibrations within their body. Lights darted overhead and all around the hall leading into the building. Inside, the dance-floor was absolutely packed with partying ponies, jumping up and down as the base dropped. Around the center floor there were lounges where ponies rested, and several bars where they got their drinks. The club was brimming with excitement as everypony cheered.
Feeling somewhat out of place among the in-motion crowd, Starfall flew over them to the central bar, which sat directly opposite to the turntable area where most of the action was going on.
The pegasus rubbed his ears a bit as he sat on the open bar stool. Looking out and around at the amped-up audience, his eyes searched for this mystery mare. Squinting, he did not spot her, she was nowhere to be seen on the dance-floor or the lounge areas. It would be difficult to miss her; she stood out rather brilliantly when they had met earlier.
Starfall took a break from scanning the moving crowd to look around at the room itself. It was rather impressive to be honest; almost the entire interior of the building was this one, massive space. The high ceilings allowed pegasi easier access to move around, and the lounges were specifically designed to be set up in a way that made conversation possible, the loud music dimmed down by their locations relative to the speakers.
The music itself was also incredibly catchy and fun to listen to. Whoever was in control of the beats really knew what they were doing. Curious on the matter, Starfall adjusted his gaze to the turntable mini-stage, risen just above the dance-floor so that all could see it. He could hardly believe his own eyes.
The unicorn’s head bounced with the beat, her electrifyingly blue mane swishing around her. Her white fur shined as the strobe lights passed her over, and her headphones were set up so that one ear was open, hearing the music live. She adjusted the records on the turntable with expert precision as her other hoof was raised high in the air, pumping up and down. Finally, her slick shades reflected the passing lights, a huge smile on her face. Vinyl Scratch was the DJ, and enjoying every moment of it.
“Ha…” Starfall chuckled, leaning back on the bar. “How about that?”
The bass dropped and the crowd jumped up and down in unison, joined by the DJ as she lifted both hooves up in the air. Her music electrified the air, making it impossible to stand idle as the song rocked on.
Starfall tapped his hoof on the bar as he watched, his head moving from side to side. It was as if the music took a magical hold over his body. His tail didn’t last long before it started swinging back and forth as well.
Putting her hooves back on the turntable, Vinyl stopped moving her head long enough to notice the gray pegasus across the room. Leaning up on the table, she waved at him with a big grin on her face. Starfall waved back, glad in the knowledge that she knew he was there. The DJ returned to her stance and continued controlling the beats; knowing the song was ending soon.
Although most everyone was on the dance-floor, some ponies still lingered in the lounges and at the bars. Some needing a respite from the dancing, and other having partied a little too hard.
Trotting over from one of the lounges, Thunderlane sat next to Starfall.
“Hey, didn’t expect to see you in a place like this.” He said, striking up a conversation. Being a fellow pegasus, it wasn’t long after he first arrived in Ponyville that Starfall befriended Thunderlane. His black fur had made him difficult to point out in the crowd, so Starfall hadn’t noticed him.
“What? Royal guards can’t have a good time too?” Starfall chuckled.
Thunderlane scoffed, smacking the bar with his hoof. “Let me buy you a drink, what will it be?”
Politely shaking his head, Starfall replied, “That won’t be necessary, thank you though.”
“Live a little!” Thunderlane laughed, shaking the other pegasus with both hooves. “Come on, one drink!”
“I appreciate the offer, but I have an early rise tomorrow.” Starfall answered, trying to keep from anything impairing his judgement.
Tilting his head in confusion, Thunderlane scoffed again. “So….you just came to listen to the music…..or, what?”
A little embarrassed to tell him, Starfall nodded in reply. “Something like that.”
The fading vibrations in his stool told Starfall that the song was over. He turned to see Vinyl jumping down from her stage, trotting through a crowd of applauding ponies. When she was about halfway through to the bar, another pony jumped up onto the stage and began the next song, pulling everypony else’s attention back to dancing.
Thunderlane followed Starfall’s gaze to the approaching mare and smirked, nudging him with his elbow. “Oh, I see what’s going on here.”
“Wha….no, you don’t under-” Starfall began to say.
“Best of luck there bud,” Thunderlane chuckled, walking away to give the two some space. “Try not to have too much fun.”
Starfall was left with no time to snap back with a comment, as Vinyl emerged from out the crowd. As she approached, she made her magic note appear, and it finished as she stopped in front of him.
Sorry about that, lost track of the time.
“That’s alright,” Starfall replied, pulling out the stool next to him for her. “Happens to everypony.” Vinyl smirked at the gesture.
Awww, what a gentlecolt.
Starfall stifled a laugh at the comment, joining Vinyl as they both climbed up onto the stools.
You like the club? We’ve got parties like this one rocking till the break of dawn!
“I do, it really is a fun place to hang out.” Starfall said, looking around at everypony still partying. “Have you been working here long?”
Well, the Neon Palace just opened up about a month ago. The manager is a friend, so he hooked me up with this gig once a week. Why? Looking for a job?
“No, no, just curious.” Starfall confessed. “You seem really good at it, I imagine you get asked to host events like this all the time.”
Yeah, I am pretty awesome, so it happens.
Vinyl used her magic to get the attention of the bartender, who trotted on over to them. He must’ve known Vinyl well enough because she didn’t have to do anything for him to pour her drink in a flash and slide it over to her.
“Cider for you too?” he asked Starfall, eyebrow raised.
The pegasus shook his head. “Nothing for me, thanks.”
Vinyl perked up at hearing him and used her magic to write another message.
Awww come on, have a drink, I’ll pay.
Starfall was left to persist once again. “That is very kind of you but-” He was silenced when the mare scooted her stool closer to his, leaning in oddly close to his face.
Pleeeease? Don’t make me beg.
His face glowed the slightest shade of red and his confidence crumbled, as well as his resistance. “O-okay….one drink.”
Sitting back upright, Vinyl grinned. The bartender offered a light chuckle at the submission, pouring a stein of cider for the pegasus and sliding it on over to him. Starfall waited a moment to see if Vinyl would scoot back, but she watched him expectantly, remaining where she was. Lifting up the mug, he drank down a few sips, satisfying the white unicorn enough for her to drink some of her own.
Vinyl used her magic to lift her shades off from her head and onto the bar, looking to Starfall with a sly expression.
So, do you ask out all the mares like this?
Luckily Starfall had already swallowed his cider, elsewise he probably would’ve choked after reading her note. “No, not at all. To be honest, I’ve never actually been on a date before.”
Seemingly surprising her, Vinyl was left fascinated.
Seriously? A stud like you? I figured you’d have all the ladies lined up.
“Hehe,” Starfall chuckled, struggling to stay collected before the flirtatious mare. “Hardly.”
Vinyl smirked again, batting her sly eyes at him again.
Well then, lucky me.
Starfall averted from her gaze to take another drink. “…..tread softly Starfall.” He thought to himself.
I haven’t seen you around town before today, are you just visiting?
“I just recently arrived to be Princess Twilight’s royal guard.” Starfall answered, putting down his stein. “I haven’t been here long.”
Ooooh! So you’re Twilight’s guard I’ve been hearing so much about! You know, you’ve made quite the impression in town already.
“A good impression?” he asked with a hopeful, half-smile.
Yeah, totally! I heard you messed up some dragon a few days ago that attacked Twilight! That must’ve been wicked cool to see!
Starfall was glad she was impressed, but worried about how quickly word got around town. Hopefully he never made a mistake, otherwise everypony would know about it in a heartbeat.
So you really have never been out on a date before?
With a slightly embarrassed expression, Starfall replied with a small nod, staring down into his mug of cider.
Alrighty then! Let’s do this!
Starfall’s eyes grew a bit wider as he saw the unicorn down the last of her cider. “You know…” he said, standing up from his stool. “It’s late, I have an early morning tomorrow, so thanks for the-”
Vinyl interrupted him by using her magic to spin him around, and then grabbed hold of his arm with both hooves.
Oh no you don’t! You’re on a date with the Master of Beats! So you better believe I’m gonna show you a good time!
Pulling him with a surprising amount of force, Starfall was hardly able to put his mug down on the bar before Vinyl yanked him out onto the dance-floor. “Vinyl, I don’t think-!” It was pointless though, the music drowned out his voice as the two delved further into the crowd of ponies.
Somewhere near the center of the dance-floor, Vinyl turned and released Starfall’s arm, jumping up and down and outshining everypony else around her. She chortled a laugh and spun around, catching in with the rhythm almost immediately.
Not wanting to stick out as the still-guy in the dancing crowd, Starfall started out a bit slow. Moving side-to-side on his hooves and nodding his head, he tried blending in best he could. He was afraid of sticking out and being laughed at, so he put minimal effort in letting loose.
Seeing her date so uptight, Vinyl grabbed hold of the pegasus again and continued hopping up and down. Starfall didn’t know if it was curiosity, pressure, or just the beat getting to him, but he too began jumping up, making the unicorn laugh out loud again. A different feeling crept up inside him as his attempt to staying calm and collected began to lose its grip. His mouth curled into a grin, and then into a wide smile.
The bass dropped and everypony cheered again, lifting their hooves up into the air. The entire room vibrated from the loudspeakers and roaring ponies all about.
The lights, the music, the excitement, the adrenaline….it all built up as Starfall chucked subtlety out the window. Nodding his head like his frenzied friend, his mane swished about just like hers. The two spun each other around as they hopped to the beat, the both of them laughing and shouting. Starfall had never felt like this before. Sure he was never quite as contained as the other guards, but now, in this moment, all of that pressure was gone.
As the rave raged on, Starfall became caught up in the music, losing all track of time. He had been to parties before, but never let loose like this. The two danced, went for a drink, and danced again in a cycle that went on for as long as the lights flashed and the ponies cheered.
The cold air on his face helped snap Starfall out of the berserk trance the Neon Palace had placed over him. As he helped Vinyl along the road, she waddled, swaying from side to side, occasionally needing to be caught.
He had no idea what time it was, or how long the two of them were in there. It shocked him to think about it, how much he lost control. It hadn’t been too long ago now that he remembered he had to be up bright and early the next morning, and he dreaded that rising.
Correcting Vinyl as she slightly lost her balance, the white unicorn chuckled, fixing the crooked shades on her face, but still leaving them out of place.
How was that for a first date, huh?
The letters on her magic note were difficult to read, but it still impressed Starfall how well she could write when this intoxicated.
“Not gonna lie,” Starfall huffed, chuckling to himself. “It was pretty awesome.”
As the two approached Vinyl’s home, the mare chortled again, leaning onto the pegasus with a hoof wrapped around his neck.
Oh you’re such a gentlecolt, helping a vulnerable mare like me home so late at night.
The unicorn lost her balance, but Starfall caught her again, shaking his head. “Whatever you say DJ.” Helping her up, he opened the door for her and she waddled inside, spinning around rather lazily.
Why don’t you come on in and help me to my room?
Now Starfall knew he was a little out of it, but not that much. “I’m sure you can manage it yourself.” He said as politely as he could. Vinyl pouted a bit, using her magic to take off her shades and reveal a puppy-gaze. She feigned a fall, and the pegasus caught her again.
Carry me?
Letting out a sigh, Starfall lifted her up in his arms, walking in and closing the door. Vinyl chuckled to herself as the pegasus brought her to her room. It wasn’t difficult to tell which one it was; the loudspeakers, empty soda cans, and musical devices led right to her bed. He was so caught up in bringing her to her room that Starfall didn’t notice the other half of the house was cleaned spotless.
Lying her down on the mattress, Starfall stood back up, seeing the unicorn giving him a set of bedroom eyes.
Why don’t you stay the night? Partying isn’t the only thing I’m good at you know.
“Tempting as that is, I have to be getting back to the castle.” Starfall scoffed, his mind much clearer now than before.
Awww, but it’s so cold outside. If only there was somepony to help warm me up.
Starfall chuckled and shook his head. “Goodnight Vinyl.” He went to leave.
Using her magic, she tapped him on the shoulder, getting him to turn around one last time. Having risen up onto her hooves, she pecked him a small kiss on the nose. He stood, flustered as she leaned back down onto her bed, winking at him.
See you around then, hot stuff.
Curling underneath her blanket, the mare drifted off to sleep in moments. Starfall was left stunned for a few more moments, still a bit red. Backing out of the room, he quietly closed the door. Starfall let out a deep breath, the coloration of his face returning to normal.
“Starfall?” asked a voice from the other side of the room. The slightly startled pegasus turned to see Octavia standing just outside her bedroom. She was a gray-furred earth pony with an elegant, black mane and tail. “Are you just now returning?” she asked, in shock.
“Oh!” Starfall winced. “I’m so sorry, I forgot the two of you were roommates.”
Octavia trotted over to him, saying, “Did she not apologize to you for keeping you up so late? Here, let me get her up so that-”
“It’s alright,” he replied, calming her. “I actually….had a really good time, I just really need to be getting back to the castle.”
“Oh, I see.” She answered, still sounding a bit tired. “Another time, perhaps?”
Starfall nodded. “Yeah, another time.”
She watched him trot over to the door. “Goodnight Starfall.” She said quietly.
Looking back over his shoulder at her, Starfall smiled. “Goodnight Octavia.”
Closing the door behind him, Starfall couldn’t even feel the cold of the night. Taking flight, he soared over the silent town, everypony else fast asleep and warm in their beds. Glancing back at Vinyl and Octavia’s house, he lifted his hoof to his nose.
His first kiss came from a pony he had met on that same day….what were the odds of that?
Flying through the empty sky, he thought about what had happened at the club, how much fun he was having and how easily he let loose. That never happened to him, but it did feel great. He was still the calm and collected royal guard he knew that he was, but occasionally, what would it hurt to feel like that? Just every once in a while. He would just need to be careful around the cider; wouldn’t want to wake up the next morning with that seductive DJ sleeping next to him.
Speaking of sleeping, oh boy was he going to regret this decision in the morning. “Thirty minutes tops….yeah right.”
Landing at the front door of the castle, Starfall folded up his wings and looked out into the dark one last time, smiling through his weariness. He would never forget this night at the Neon Palace.
Author's Note
Hey there everypony!
So now we see just what happened on that crazy night!
We already knew Starfall was more laid back than other royal guards, but now we see he has a wild side that just loves to par-tay!
Part II of Lights and Shadows is still on to arrive on April 3rd!
Hope you enjoyed it! Stay awesome everypony!
