Luv In The Club

The yearly expedition in Manehattan was happening today, and we had ventured from all over the map to come together. Astro Blaze and I had come from Cloudsdale. Friends since our school days, we had been nearly inseparable. Unfortunately, Astro's job had him moved to Canterlot for the autumn and winter months, so it wasn't long that we could see each other regularly.

Next is Electric Dynamo, or "Dyno" as we call him. He was a strong earth pony, whom we met from an expo in Las Pegasus. Astro and Dyno became quick friends as well as Dyno and I. He's told us tons of stories of him growing up in the winter wonderland that is Neighagra Falls in the winter time. I don't think I could handle that much snow, and I volunteered for the weather team before!

Next is Berry Blast, my cousin. My aunt and uncle had eloped to Baltimare when I was super young and eventually had Berry when I was around 3 years of age. I remember always going to visit them for the holidays with my Mom and Dad. I remember one year when I got in trouble for dive-bombing the trampoline with Berry Blast and her brother, Bluewave, on it so I could launch them higher. Ahh, good times.

Then there's Smokey Spark... what can't I say about him? He's a up and coming rapper from Manehattan, and the one who's apartment we're all meeting up at today. I met him when he was "touring" (which was basically him couch-hopping from town to town making his presence known) and he stopped in Cloudsdale. I had been a fan of this kind of music, and to see a real, authentic pony from the streets of Manehattan themselves was unlike almost anything I had ever seen. He had real emotion, real passion in his lyrics that not many could recreate. Every where he went he made his presence known, whether it was through his performances, or the trail of smoke following his every step...

Finally there's Cozy Jetta, or "Jetty" as we've come to call her. She's from Ponyville, and we met through Smokey in a way. I was at a tavern before one of Smokey's shows, and had seen a sad pony all by their lonesome at the end of the bar. I decided to break out of my shell a little bit, so I went up to her and struck up conversation. She was very shy at first, but eventually she came around to me. Turns out, she was passing time to go to Smokey's concert too! From then on I knew we'd always have at least some connection, whether it was through common interest in music, or her relatively close proximity to me in Cloudsdale. Did I also mention she's super adorable?

~~~*****~~~

The busy noises from the streets of Manehattan never ceased to put me in a state of awe. Every time I visit, I still get a rush. Walking down the sidewalk, I felt every undulation under my hoof as I stepped carefully to avoid small ledges in the concrete patches. Downtown was a far cry from where Smokey had grown up. He was from the depths of Marelem, and wasn't afraid to show it sometimes either. He was proud of who he was, and it reflects in his music.

I stepped aside from the busy path of walking ponies to gaze up at Smokey's apartment building. "Coltshire Plaza" read the letters embossed on fancy stone entrance-way. While it wasn't "luxury" by most standards, it was much nicer than anything I could probably afford in this tax-happy city. Smokey had recently been in a deal signed to a small label, so he was growing steadily in fame as well as fortune. I walked past the mare at the front desk, and gave her a wave hello. I turned the corner of the ornate lobby to find three elevators. I clicked the "UP" arrow and stepped back and waited for the elevator. A couple seconds passed, and Elevator #2 dinged its presence. I stepped inside and hit the button marked "15". The small jolt of the elevator accelerating upwards almost made me stumble slightly. I was never used to how fast these elevators go.

The elevator opened and I walked onto the soft carpet of the hallway. Taking a right, I glanced at each sign on each door to count my way.

"1503...1504...1505..." I said to myself as I kept sauntering down the hall.

Here we go! The metallic sign read "1508". "Smokey's Palace" as he dubbed it, was awaiting me. I knocked on the door. Moments later, a green aura engulfed the door handle. I heard the sound of a sliding lock and a deadbolt, then the door flew open. I was greeted by the faint but apparent scent of his apartment. As best as he tried to hide it, his apartment reeked of mareijuana. No pony in all honesty cared about other ponies using it, but me not being acclimatized to it still made me feel weird.

I trotted down the small hallway-slash-foyer to be greeted by Smokey, in the center of the white couch in the living room, rolling what I could only assume were "materials" for his future use. Dyno was to his right, who gave a small wave and a "Hey, what's up?". Berry Blast was on the loveseat perpendicular to the two stallions, idly flipping through a magazine. Jetty sat alone on a recliner across from Smokey and Dyno. She gave me a sweet smile that could melt even the coldest of hearts. I turned my body to face Dyno. I hoof-bumped Dyno, but was subsequently ignored by Smokey, who was full on concentrated in his efforts to roll a blunt, tongue out and everything. His green aura worked meticulously on the papers that were in front of him. Berry tossed the magazine to the side and stood up to give me a quick hug. I reciprocated, then turned to face Jetty who had also stood up. I knew to make this one last, however. Jetty knew her way around friendly affection, and always gave the best hugs. I put my foreleg around her and grasped snugly. I felt her squeeze me back, and noticed my heartbeat quicken a little bit. I discreetly inhaled to catch her scent. She always smelled like cinnamon rolls. Did I mention she gives the best hugs?

"I'm so glad you could make it!" She said to me.

"I wouldn't miss our excursions for anything." I replied as I regretfully released the embrace. I took a seat next to Berry on the loveseat, taking a moment to look around at Smokey's decor. I always enjoyed modern style like he did as well. It makes a home feel more luxurious than it necessarily is.

"Aaaaaaand perfect!" Smokey said to no one in particular. "All done. These shits gonna be fire to smoke when the crew pull up." Smokey aligned all the papers in a small, shiny wooden box and hovered it with his magic over to the cabinet under the TV stand. "I know y'all don't really use that stuff, so I save it for the label mates and whatnot."

"You know, I've always been keen to try it." Berry spoke up. Everypony turned to face her.

"Really? You'd do that?" I asked.

"Buck it, why not? I'm down to try new things." She quipped back. She smacked my chest with the back of her hoof. "You should too, c'mon!"

"Oh, I don't know... I don't have a problem with ponies using it but... it's just not for me I don't think." I said to her.

"Aww, c'mon Cali, BLAZE UP!" She yelled while putting both hooves in the air. "Don't be a wuss."

"Hey Berry" Smokey interrupted, "It's fine if he don' wan' use it. As much as I love the stuff, I won't force it on nopony if they don' wan' it."

"Thanks, Smokey." I smiled at him.

"No prollem bruh." He said as he got up from his spot on the couch. "Be right back wit it Berry, I got some pre-set in my room." He turned the corner out of sight and walked down a small hallway to what I assumed was his bedroom.

"Hey," Jetty piped up, "Has anyone seen Astro yet?"

Just then, a knocking was heard on the back door to Smokey's small balcony. It was Astro Blaze, with his unmistakable blue coat and jagged orange mane. He hovered at the sliding glass door, jiggling the handle, but to no avail.

"Heeeey!" A muffled voice was heard through the glass. "Let me in!" Berry got up and flipped the lock on the interior side of the door handle, and Astro slid the door open.

"What's up guys? Long time no see, eh?" He landed on the carpet of the living room and folded his wings. Berry, already standing, gave him a quick hug. He moved on to Jetty, and wrapped a hoof around her shoulder, all while still sitting in the chair. He then turned to me. I quickly stood up and gave him our totally-not-classified hoofshake, which ended in a bro-hug.

"He has a door, ya know." I quipped as I tilted my head to point at the front door.

"Yeah, but walking is boring. Who walks up stairs anyway?" He said, completely oblivious to the fact that not everypony has wings. I looked over to Berry and Dyno, who both furrowed their brows and made the same "are you kidding me" face. Astro met their eye contact.

"Oh...right."

As both Astro and I took a seat, Smokey came back with a ready-to-go bong and a fancy engraved metal lighter, and took a seat back in the middle of the triple width couch.

"Alright, here we are." He said as he placed it down on the glass coffee table. "I filled it with some mild stuff, since it'll be yo first time doin' it. Don't wanna go too crazy now." Berry nodded in confirmation as everyone watched the mini ritual-like sequence of Smokey initially lightning the bowl part of the bong. "I'll get it going for ya, and I'll even be so kind as 'ta hold the lighta for ya. All ya need to do is breathe in, and hold it as long as possible. Got it?"

"Yep." Berry nodded in confirmation once more. A few more seconds pass as the water in the bong starts to heat up. He puts his muzzle to the end of the glass and takes a small inhale. He quickly exhales as a tiny puff of smoke comes out of his mouth.

"Alright, it's good ta go. Ready?" He floated the bong over to Berry's position.

"Ready." She said, confident as can be. The lighter flicked once more as Berry put her muzzle to the glass and takes an adequate, but slow inhale. The water bubbled in the bottom of the tube as I could see smoke enter her mouth. She put up a hoof to gently push it away from her mouth as she closed her lips and held in her breath. She only held it for a few seconds before she sputtered and coughed out smoke like an old train. Her face flushed slightly as she coughed more and cleared her throat.

"Here ya go." Smokey hovered a glass of water over to her, which she promptly gulped about half of.

"Damn, that's *cough* nice though. Let me try it again." She said with determination.

"Ahhaaa! That's the spirit!" Smokey exclaimed, clapping his hooves together. He hovered the bong over to her once more, and she put her muzzle to the glass rim. The lighter flicked, and she inhaled. This time, a little more deeply. She held up a hoof once more as Smokey moved it away and sat it on the table. She held it in for about 6 seconds, then elegantly tilted her head upwards and exhaled the smoke to the ceiling. I was amazed that she got the hang of it so quick.

"See? You're a pro already." Smokey smiled at her.

"That's stuffs really nice. How long till it kicks in?"

"It takes a little under an hour usually. That strain is very slow acting, and lasts quite a while. But don't worry, it ain't super strong or nuttin'. It's very mellow. You'll feel like you're floatin' on a cloud." Smokey explained.

"Neat."

"HEY!" Astro spoke up. "I wanna try that too!"

"Well looks like we got a high tide caravan goin' on here now." Smokey replied. I sat quietly as I watched all my friends getting high. It was pretty entertaining, not gonna lie.

"This bong's pretty empty, try that vape right there." Smokey pointed to a small, black device with a spout looking protrusion on top, sitting on the table. "It's got oils mixed in wit' the normal liquid. It's not too intense for a beginner either. I feel that would be more your speed anyways."

I watched as Astro picked up the vape, and put the spout in his mouth and inhale. He pulled his mouth off and exhaled, but nothing came out.

"Ya gotta hold the button down, bruh."

Astro put his mouth back on it, and pushed a small button on the front of the device and inhaled. An audible "wrrsh"ing sound could be heard. We all watched as Astro pulled off the device, and exhaled a huge, dense cloud of vapor. I heard a faint gasp of what seemed to be amazement from Jetty to my right.

"Yoooooo! This shit's cool!" Astro exclaimed, inspecting the device. He put his mouth back on the vape and inhaled once more. He exhaled, releasing another huge cloud of vapor that soon dissipated.

"Don't overdo it, now. You don't need a lot when it comes to that." Smokey gave a word of advice. I learned to trust whatever Smokey says. He grew up in the streets. He knows what's up. Smokey turned to Dyno who had been silently watching this whole thing like me. "You want to try it too?"

"No, I'm okay. I don't want to get in that stuff." Dyno waved a large hoof dismissively. Smokey turned his attention to Jetty, who had been the third musketeer of observing during these whole events. Smokey raised an eyebrow to her.

"Oh...no, no thanks." She said sheepishly as she wagged her head back and forth.

"Ayy, it's fine. Like I said, I ain't gon' make nopony do nuttin' they don't wanna." Meanwhile, Astro had taken two more large hits from Smokey's vape, once accidentally blowing a cloud in Smokey's face.

"Alright man, you're good wit' that." His green aura surrounded the vape as he brought it back to the table. "I don' need you bein' too crazy at the club tonight."

"Club?" I inquired. "What club?"

"The club we're going to tonight, silly." said Berry.

"I had no idea we're going to a club..." I looked around at everypony in the room. "I don't really do that, ya know, club stuff." Astro just had to butt in:

"Aww, c'mon! I've seen you drink 'n shit before. I've seen you dancin' to your music."

"Well, for one, the only time I got truly drunk was New Year's Eve last year." I blushed a little thinking about the second bit. "Second, you weren't supposed to see that..." I heard Jetty giggle a little as she probably was imagining me dancing, what I thought was alone in my room, when Astro decided to pay me a surprise visit that one time.

"Ha ha! You should've seen 'em! Dancing like nopony was watching."

"Yeah, because I THOUGHT nopony was watching." I barked back at him, my face growing a little hotter.

"Hey man, chill. Not gonna lie you had some moves there; before you saw me and slammed the door in my face of course." He gave a small chuckle, as well as Berry and Jetty. I looked down to save myself from my own embarrassment. My sulking session was interrupted by Berry elbowing my arm.

"Hey, we'll be seeing your moves at the club later, right?" She raised a brow at me.

"Oh, nononono. I rarely ever dance, ESPECIALLY in public." I warned her.

"Yeah, come on Cali!" Even Dyno piped up, not heeding my warning. I crossed my arms in mock frustration.

"Yeah bro, everyone's gotta let loose once in a while." Astro said as he shimmied his rear back and forth on the couch, mock dancing while seated as best he could.

I rolled my eyes at Astro's response. "If I say 'maybe', will all of you let it go?" I said, flatly.

"Hmm, we'll see." Berry hummed. "Say, Smokey, when are we going anyway?" Smokey glanced at the clock next to the TV on the stand. It read '8:48'. It was on the tail end of spring, so the sun was starting to make its way down in the sky, just starting to cast a slight golden hue in the sky.

"So, what's this club" I emphasized the word 'club' in my slight annoyance, "that we're going to anyway?"

"Iss on the west side, it's called Cloud9." Smokey announced to the room. "It's really ex-"

"NO WAY!" Berry shouted to no one in particular. "That's one of the most exclusive clubs in all of Manehattan!"

"Yeeeeaaaahhh... as I was gonna say, it's really exclusive. I got us an in though, I know some ponies." He gave a proud grin.

"Oooo, that sounds like fun!" Jetty said rather excitedly.

"Doesn't it? This night gon' be lit." Smokey said, standing up and stretching. "We can prolly leave now, if y'all want."

"Yeah."

"Sounds good to me."

I chimed in, "You got anything to eat real quick before we go?"

"Yeah, bruh. Right in the kitchen over there. You can eat anything ya find."

"Alright, cool." I stood up and made my way through the living room to the kitchen. Stepping through the archway to the kitchen, I stopped. I gazed around the kitchen to find something quick and easy to eat. Banana...nah. Apple...nah. Brownies....BROWNIES? My eyes widened as I spotted two trays of brownies on the counter top. I walked over to the counter and took a sniff. And they're fresh too! The tray on the left had a piece already cut out of it, and a knife sitting on the edge of the tray. I picked up the knife and cut a small piece, about equal to the size of the piece already missing. picked it up and took a bite. Oh my Celestia, these are amazing! I took another big bite, and almost ate half of it by then.

I finished up the brownie and brushed the crumbs off my hoof. I felt a bit thirsty, so I went to the first cabinet closest to me and opened it. Dishes... I opened the second and found what I was looking for. I grabbed a small glass and brought it to the refrigerator. I placed the cup on the small ledge in the freezer door, and clicked the lever to release the water. The cup filled most of the way, and I pulled it back. After chugging the cool water, I placed the cup in the sink. Refreshing. I walked back out to the living room...

"So what'd you have Cali?" Astro asked me.

"There were some bomb ass brownies on the counter there and-"

"WHOA. Bruh, which one did you eat?" Smokey stood up quickly with wide eyes.

"Huh... what do you mea-"

"Which. One. Did. You. Eat?"

"I don't know!... the one with the piece already cut out?" I replied hesitantly. Then he just started laughing. Smokey fell back into the couch, laughing his flank off. After his laughing fit, he sat back up on the couch.

"Ooooo shit, you're gonna have a fun ass night tonight!" He said still chuckling.

"W-what? Why?" I became nervous. What did I do wrong?

"You ate one of my brownies, bruh."

"Well, yeah, duh."

"No, you ate one of my weed brownies." After hearing that, I fell to my haunches. My mouth fell slightly ajar. I was probably overreacting, but a small sense of dread fell over me too. The moment of silence was cut short by Berry's sharp laughter.

"Haaaaahahaha! Cali did blaze up!"

Smokey stood up and sat down next to me, and put a comforting hoof on my back.

"Hey, don't worry bruh. It's gonna be fine. You only had a small piece right? Like with Berry and Astro, it's gonna take a while to kick in, probably longer than the other two. You'll feel real good, like you're on a cloud, but on the ground. You feel me?" His confident knowledge was somewhat reassuring.

"Yeah, I feel you." I replied back, smiling a bit.

"But heed this warning," he said, re-raising my blood pressure again. He lowered his voice a bit, but not enough to be completely private. "The strain I made them with was for a, well let's just say, 'special' party I was havin' later this week. It may or may not act as a lil' bit of a...umm... what's the word?" He put a hoof to his temple whilst squinting hard. "Let's just say, you might get 'bit by the love bug'." He elbowed my side with jest.

I looked down at the carpet for a moment, thinking what he meant by it. It took a moment, but another wave of dread hit me when I realized what he meant. I looked up at him, with small pupils. I whispered to him, hoping only he would hear.

"It's gonna be an....an aphrodisiac?" I worriedly asked.

"Yeah! That's the word. Ah-phro-deeez-iac." He carefully enunciated aloud.

I felt a hot wave wash over my body. I don't want to be getting all up on mares in the club tonight. I can't do that. I don't have the confidence to do that... I-I've never done that be-

My inner monologue was interrupted by a snort of laughter from Berry and Astro, along with a smile and stifled laughter from Dyno.

"Looks like Cali might finally get laid tonight~!" Astro chimed in. After hearing this, a blush returned to my face once more.

"Oh, buck you Astro."

"Hey, c'mon bro, nothin' to be ashamed of." He reminded everypony. "We want you to have a good time just like we wanna have a good time."

I looked back at him, initially furrowing my brow, but then releasing the tension in my face as I smiled at him.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I sighed. "Are we gonna head out?"

Smokey replied back, "Hell yeah, bruh! Let's go!"

At that statement, everypony stood up, and filed towards the door. Smokey hovered a black beanie from a nearby chair onto his head, and affixed it with his hooves. Smokey was the first to reach the door, followed by Astro, Dyno, and Berry. I stood up and followed behind her. Before I reached the door however, I noticed Jetty was still sitting in her chair, seemingly lost in a daydream. I stopped and turned to her:

"Jetty, you comin'?" I inquired. She looked up at me with a surprised face.

She stammered, "Oh, what? Y-yeah uh, just give me a second. Gotta, uh, use the bathroom." She gave a sheepish smile. and got up and walked towards the hall next to the kitchen.

"Uhh, alright. We'll be in the lobby waiting for you." I said to her, gifting her my own smile. I proceeded to walk through and close the door to the apartment. I clicked the elevator button, and had to ride the elevator down myself, as my conversation had me miss the one everypony else was on. As I got to the lobby, the group was waiting for me.

"Where's Jetty?" asked Dyno.

"She had to use the bathroom I guess. She'll be down in a sec."

Moments later, Jetty arrived into the lobby.

"Alright, I'm ready. Let's go." She bounced slightly on the tips of her hooves.

Smokey lead us through the front door, back into the hustle and bustle of the city in the evening. The sounds and sights and smells hit me once again, and to my surprise, a feeling of excitement washed over me.

This night is sure gonna be something. I guess I should try my best to enjoy it.