February 8th, 7:59 PM ----

Twilight stood at her counter, staring into the microscope. What she was viewing was a bright white scale sample from Rarity.

"Hmm, strange," she thought to herself, moving her head to a book of different fish scales. "Though she does resemble a fish with her tail and fins, her scales don't look like that of any fish at all," Twilight said in her mind.

She quickly moved from one book to another. This book had lizard scales of all sorts. But as she flipped through the pages, not one matched.

She then looked over to her friend's samples. "AJ's lion hair resembled less lion hair and more like proto-feathers. Her claws, however, looked like lion claws and could be retracted like ones, but they were the wrong shape; feline claws were curved, these were flat and sharp, more like a talon from a bird. Speaking of birds, on closer inspection, Dash's beak didn't resemble that of an eagle, but like a griffin's, according to mythology books. Yet it also didn't match any known bird beaks and resembled that of a reptile's beak." Twilight scratched her head before she looked over at the table where her brothers had fallen asleep playing their board game. She smiled as she grabbed some blankets from the couch and covered them gently while the sounds of them sleeping filled the room. She glanced at the clock; it was nearly 8:00. Not exactly a late hour, but she couldn't help but feel tired herself after all the work she had done. She then wondered when Fluttershy would get home as she set a hoof to her chin and grabbed a carrot out of the kitchen. She handed it to a very annoyed little bunny in its cage and then proceeded to feed the rest of Fluttershy's animals.

As for Fluttershy, she stood in a dark green and black dress, nothing too fancy since she was going out for drinks and nothing more. She hoped to get a dance out of the evening with Mr. Ghost at the very least; it's been so long since he held her in such a manner. She remembered the way he held her at the gala, as if she were glass, as if she was the most important thing at that moment. With any luck, he would ask her and not the other way around. Even so, if she did ask him to dance, would it be so bad? Her mind pondered such questions as she was sitting in a car driven by Tree Hugger. The question was, was she already drunk? The way she drove didn't ease any of Fluttershy's nerves that evening.

"So, you say you invited a friend, huh? What's her name, anyway? I can't wait to meet her," Tree Hugger asked.

"Um, his name is..."

"No way. Our old friend got herself a boyfriend, eh?" said Landy, Tree Hugger's roommate. She was also friends with Fluttershy back in the day.

"No, no, it's not like that. He's just my tutor, and he's really nice, so I thought..."

"Oh lighten up; I'm just teasing," snickered Landy. "If you really want to lighten up, I know one or two good drinks to get ya." She winked.

"Fluttershy doesn't really drink like us. I told her it will just be a cool night," said Tree Hugger with a slow and smooth grin.

"Yes, of course." She smiled nervously as they pulled up to the Dragon Pony Bar.

As she waited in line, she remembered the conversation she had when she asked him out and couldn't help but feel nervous as the thought of him coming here tonight crossed her mind.

Little did Fluttershy know that Dash stood inside of the bar in the back, drying dishes, alongside her cleaning them was none other than Dr. Sunburst, the very same doctor who implanted Shining's eye.

He looked over with a smile and noticed her stiff posture. "Hey, you alright?" he asked in a friendly tone, making her twitch a bit.

"Huh? Oh yeah, yeah, um." She thought of an excuse quickly. "It's just I'm underage; what if a cop comes in?"

"You're not drinking; you're working, so don't worry about it," Sunburst assured her and got back to work.

Dash nodded and turned her attention back to the cup she was drying, all the while cursing herself. "Stupid, stupid, get a hold of yourself," she thought. "Play it cool, just play it cool," she told herself.

The truth is she hated it here. She was scared and nervous whenever she had to do anything involving Chaosville. But she couldn't let her friends know. No, she had to play it cool. This was important. Any intel, even the slightest bit, could help them figure out who the Chaos King was and where he was, what his plans were, and maybe even how to stop him once and for all. She had to put aside her fears and get the job done no matter what. So she loosened her posture a bit and put on a cool smile before turning her attention back to the doctor next to her.

"So, how long have you worked here anyway?" she asked, trying to play it cool.

"Oh, let's see, hmm, the last decade or so. I used to be a high-class doctor, and I wanted to help anyone I could, but..." he shrugged and then sighed. "Not everyone can afford to go to a doctor when they need to." His tone shifted to one of pity. "I saw how many here in the south needed my help, so I opened my office here, much to the dismay of my peers." He lowered his eyebrows. "Those stuck-up doctors, they all say they want to help people, but then don't help unless you have a bundle of cash in your wallet." He shook his head. "I knew I wasn't going to make much opening an office in a city like this. But I didn't care; I just wanted to help people, and then I learned about Chaosville. I joined almost immediately and even made their websites for them." He smiled. "And what's also nice is that some of their funds go to me to keep my office open so that I can help anyone, despite how much money they have."

His story surprised Dash. She honestly didn't know what to say, and it showed in her expression as she looked away and found a framed newspaper article hanging on the wall. Dash dried her hands and took a look at it. Her eyes widened at the information as she read it.

Gang crimes at an all-time low, the headline read.
Gang wars over territory have now diminished, with several gangs taken out completely, according to cops. Sources say that those who were arrested said only one man did it. And this isn't the first time he's done it. The man in question, a bartender who owns the shop, has no response.

There was a photo of at least fifty gang members knocked out cold on the side of the road from several different gangs. In the background, you could make out the bar, though it didn't have the Dragon Pony sign yet. Must have been an early photo before that sign was put up.

Dash bit her lip as she tried to think about that, only for Sunburst to interrupt her thoughts. "Now I'll deal with the rest of these. Do me a favor and go and deliver these drinks," he gestured to a tray of orders. "We're understaffed tonight, and it's a popular night, so put on your best friendly face for the customers," he chuckled gleefully.

Dash did as instructed, not wanting to give anything away that she was thinking. She picked up the tray and headed out as she read which tables they belonged to.

"Table seven, ten, and twelve." She shrugged and headed back to table twelve, delivering mugs full of beer to two questionable-looking creatures.

"Thank you," smirked the tall, slender cat with a sly smile and a rather smooth voice. His partner, a dirty-looking brown pony, grumbled a response but didn't say anything. Dash didn't care and barely paid attention as she continued their conversation before she got there.

"Here's to a deal well made, Caballeron," the cat held his mug up.
"It's a rather expensive request, Capper. Not gonna be cheap," Caballeron smiled.

"Hey, since when does my boss never pay up?" Capper's smile only grew. Caballeron smiled back, matching his sly grin. "I'm just making sure I'm not getting swindled."

"You're not," the cat eased him, much to Caballeron's amusement. "Well, here's to the boss." He held up his mug.

"Here's to the boss," Capper joined in the toast.

As for Dash, she moved swiftly to her next table, delivering drinks to Smolder and some of her friends before heading to table twelve.

She faked her best smile and walked to the furthest back table. There sat a pony reading a newspaper. "Here, ma'am, your dri—" Dash nearly spilled the customer's martini as she realized who she was standing in front of.

"Oh, hello again. I didn't know you worked here," said A.K. Yearling in a dull voice as she lowered her paper and took her drink.

"A.K. Yearling," Dash nearly squealed but coughed and tried to play it cool. "Uh, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, just getting a drink while I'm in town," she said, never changing her gaze from the two at table seven.

The two seemed to get along just fine as they chatted.

"So why are you working here? You're not drinking, are you?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Me? Oh, no, no. I'm a good girl." Dash wanted to hit herself in the face. "I'm a good girl, really, so uncool," she scolded herself but continued. "You see, I joined a group of charity..."

"Of charity? Really, Dash, can you even speak right?" she argued with herself. "It's called Chaosville, and they actually own this bar. All funds from it go to mostly charity around the city. We're understaffed tonight, so I'm helping out," she smiled, sounding a bit like Pinkie.

"Chaosville, eh? Strange name," Yearling replied in her usual dull tone.

"Oh, I suppose. Anyway, enjoy your drink. I'll just, uh, get back to work." She smiled nervously and tried to leave before she made more of a fool of herself.

"Wait," A.K. called out, stopping Dash in her tracks.

"Would you like to read a little bit of my next book? I would like a fan's opinion on it."

"Would I?" Dash turned on her heel with the biggest smile on her face. "Uh, uh, I mean," she coughed and then played it cool. "Sure."

A.K. Yearling chuckled at her enthusiasm before downing her martini in one gulp and began her way out of the building.

Dash followed her, so internally excited that she didn't even realize she walked right past Fluttershy standing in line. Nor did Fluttershy see her due to her head being in the clouds, dreaming about the possibility of dancing with Mr. Ghost once again; only for her thoughts to drift away with the familiar sound of his bike. To her surprise, he was nicely dressed in a dark green hat and suit, matching hers in complete coincidence. But he wasn't so dressed up that he looked out of place for the night. Fluttershy watched as he quickly caught up to her and her friends, a soft smile on her face the entire time. His height intimidated everyone but Fluttershy, who was used to it.

"You made it!" she called out, catching his attention as she stretched out her hoof.

He didn't take it; instead, he straightened his jacket, much to her disliking. "Yes, well, I said I would meet you at 8, did I not? Unfortunately, I'm five minutes," he checked his watch, "and twenty-four seconds late due to work. My apologies, Mrs. Breeze."

"It's fine; we haven't made it in yet." She then turned to her friends. "Tree Hugger, Landy, this is Mr. Ghost. Mr. Ghost, these are my old high school buddies from back in Cloudsdale."

Mr. Ghost gave them a nod and a friendly smile, yet somehow it came off a bit off to look at. "Well, why are we all standing here? Let's go in."

"But we're in line. You can't just cut in line," Fluttershy told him, a bit confused.

"As the owner of the pub, I sure can," he smirked.

"What?!" The three girls shouted in unison.

Mr. Ghost chuckled before bypassing the short line. The three followed him, still in shock. Most were unhappy at first, but as soon as they recognized him, they all gasped and parted ways to let him through.

"Boss, we, uh, we weren't expecting you," said a dog with a bit of sweat dripping off him.

"No need to worry; I was invited," he chuckled. "Invited to my own bar by a friend. I had to come just to see the look on her face." He laughed more.

Mr. Ghost clapped his hooves, and those in the crowd held the door for him and the three ladies who followed.

The bar itself was what you would expect from a bar: a dance floor of some sort, pool tables, and, well, a large bar that took up the entire back wall from the entrance.

He went to the bartender first.

"Uh, sir, what are you doing here?" asked Sunburst in a stutter.

"Take it easy, Mr. Burst; I'm only here to have a few drinks and relax tonight." He said, taking a shot of something random.

"However, since I am here, I say get next round on me." He said with a smirk.

The bar was packed with ponies, lizards, cats, and dogs. Some were bikers and some weren't. Most of them were just there for a drink. But as soon as they heard Mr. Ghost offer, the crowd all cheered in one go, making Fluttershy jump a bit.

Mr. Ghost took another shot of something before turning to his guests. "Well, let's grab a table!" He clapped his hooves, and some tables in the back cleared out for him and the ladies. It was a rather large booth.

In the back of the room sat Mr. Capper and Caballeron, both of which were surprised to see Mr. Ghost out for once. "Heh, well, I'll be darned," Capper smirked as he watched the boss along with the ladies. "What's he doing here?" grumbled the pony next to Capper. "No idea," the cat smirked.

"Wow, I should have come here with you more often," Landy laughed as she sat down next to Tree Hugger.

Fluttershy got in the booth, followed by Mr. Ghost, who set his arms out on the back of the booth like he owned the place, and for good reason; he did. Fluttershy couldn't believe it; she knew he was a drinker, but to actually own an entire bar? She knew he was a banker, but the way he always held himself made it seem like he'd never be involved with such things. Yet again, it was clear it was all an act. Even now, with the way he sat with such a laid-back posture, it all seemed as though he were acting. Some of the waitresses came to their table, much to Fluttershy's distaste; they asked him in a quietly flirty manner, "Can we get you anything, boss?"

Despite their tone, Mr. Ghost shrugged and gestured with his hoof to those around him at the table. "Whatever they want," he answered back as he took off his shades, revealing his ruby eyes. "So, Mrs. Breeze, what will it be?"

"Oh, I, uh, I don't drink," Fluttershy replied.

"Oh, come on, Flutters! I know what to get you; it'll put you right in the mood. Just a little root beer float, except with real beer," Landy laughed as the waitress wrote it down. "In fact, make that three."

"Okay, and you, boss," the waitress smiled somewhat seductively.

"I'll take a few more shots. Thanks; hell, just bring the bottle," Mr. Ghost said before another voice came over the crowd.

"Haha, well, isn't this quite the surprise, if it isn't the infamous Mr. Ghost," said a shady-looking gray pony with a yellow shirt and a beer in hoof. The same pony who sat with Capper a moment ago.

"Ah, Mr. Caballeron… always a pleasure," smirked Mr. Ghost, but the smile said anything but friendly. As Fluttershy watched this exchange, she got the odd feeling she shouldn't be there at all.

Caballeron sat down across from them. "Yes, of course! What are you doing here, sir? This isn't about our trades now, is it?" he asked a bit slyly.

"Carefully, Caballeron; I didn't invite you to sit down," Mr. Ghost's grin shifted to one of annoyance, his eyes narrowing. "I am here for a night out, nothing more."

Caballeron smiled, but despite it, at that very moment, it seemed as if all the confidence in the rough-looking pony's face melted away as he quickly got to his feet. "Yes, yes of course. So my mistake." To anyone else, it would seem like he only meant about their trades, but to Fluttershy, she got the feeling that he was talking about something else with that apology. "Oh, hey, I know: since you're here, why don't we hear you sing something? I haven't heard you in so long."

"Sing a song, sing a song," chanted the crowd.

Mr. Ghost snickered.

"You sing?" asked Fluttershy.

"I dabble. I'm not very good at it. I'm better at playing music than singing."

"Oh, now you have to do it."
"Be among the mighty, the world at our command," sang Capper from the back of the room.

His boss instantly recognized his voice and shot him a dirty look, a look that, if it were given to anyone else, would make them quiver in fear, yet Capper only chuckled slyly at it. "Come on, boss! Have some fun!" he encouraged.

"Fine, so long as it's anything but that," he pointed at the cat. With another gulp of liquor down his system, he mentally cursed his subordinate. "Why of all nights is he here?" he grumbled as he headed to the piano. "So, anyone here have a suggestion? One that isn't a curse," he narrowed his eyes at Capper in particular, who only shrugged in response.

"Oh, I know, I know!" Landy said with an evil grin. "Fluttershy, you've got to get up there and sing with him."

Fluttershy's eyes widened at that. "Me? Uh, no, no, I don't think so."

"Duet, duet, duet!" chanted the crowd.

Fluttershy sighed in defeat and then grabbed someone's beer, drinking half of the glass from a waitress's plate. She just wanted enough in her system so she could get past her stage fright. She got up on stage as a blue feline handed her a mic.

Mr. Ghost only rolled his eyes. "Any song you'd like to sing, then?" he asked as if he was already tired.

"No, not really," she answered.

Mr. Ghost played with the keys a bit, but then an idea struck his face. Fluttershy tilted her head, waiting for his response.

"I got it!" he laughed. "Oh, everyone knows this one." He chuckled. "Tell me, folks: you want a show tonight?" He asked the crowd, who only responded with cheers.

Mr. Ghost began playing the piano. It took a second for everyone to catch on to what he was playing, but soon the crowd began clapping to the beat, knowing the song all too well.

Fluttershy put a hoof to her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter. She didn't know if it was the alcohol in her system or if she was just comfortable with him, but she already knew what to do.

"We're no strangers to love
You know the rules and so do I
A full commitment's what I'm thinking of
You wouldn't get this from any other guy"

Mr. Ghost sang a bit smoothly, making Fluttershy gasp at the depth of his voice, but knowing the song all too well herself, she joined in.

I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand

Mr. Ghost chuckled as he sang the next line.
We've known each other for so long
Your heart's been aching, but you're too shy to say it

"That'll do," shouted Capper. Mr. Ghost's disapproving look never wavered for Capper, who could only do so much to stifle his own laughter. I'm in so much trouble later, he mentally noted as he gestured for his boss to start singing.

"Inside, we both know what's been going on"

"We know the game and we're gonna play it"

The entire bar joined in; you could even hear the song outside.

"Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you"

Thank you for clarifying your preference regarding the wording! I understand that you want to keep your original phrasing and style intact. In that case, I'll focus on making corrections without altering your expressed voice or combining sentences. Here's the revised approach based on your feedback, maintaining your wording while correcting spelling, grammar, punctuation, and clarity:

Dash followed her hero to her car; it was the furthest car in the parking lot, and it sat in a rather dark shadow. She stopped just a foot away as A.K. Yearling opened the back seat, supposedly to get her computer.

"So what's the next adventure? Are we going to finally face off the ancient mummy who was actually a long-lived alien from space or what?" Dash asked a bit over-excited.

"Oh yeah, about that, you see..." A.K. Yearling backed up a bit and stretched out her back. To Dash's surprise, she was just a bit taller than her slumped old body gave her credit for. But she thought nothing of it until it was too late. As Dash became distracted by the sound coming from inside the bar, she asked, "Huh, what's going on in—"

In an instant, Yearling jumped and spun mid-air, her back heel kicking Dash in the back of her head. She fell to the ground hard, unconscious, as A.K. Yearling landed.

"You're kinda my next story," she smirked and took off her hat, revealing her long hot pinkish-reddish spiked hair. She had a scar just across her right eye and an evil grin in her dark green opal eyes.

Finding her voice, Fluttershy sang the next line more confidently with every word, starting to get into the groove.
"We've known each other for so long
Your heart's been aching, but you're too shy to say it."

Mr. Ghost got up, and to her surprise, spun her around as he wanted the next line.
"Inside, we both know what's been going on. We know the game, and we’re gonna play it. I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling."

"Gotta make you understand." Fluttershy said as she lost herself enjoying the dance, while the crowd continued the song, dancing along and snapping their fingers or clapping their hooves.

"Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you."

Mr. Ghost ended the song by spinning her around and catching her in a half dip. The two stood a bit out of breath, both smiling at each other for a moment as the crowd cheered and clapped.

Mr. Ghost was the first to undo their stance and take a seat, but not before he nodded his approval to her singing skills. The two sat and had a few more drinks, listening to the crowd sing a few different songs, only to soon begin to tire out and want to end the night.

"Welp, I have work in the morning," said Landy. "Come on, Treehugger." Treehugger didn't argue. She only looked at Fluttershy, who was currently eyeing Mr. Ghost in a drunken happy daze. "Hey, you don't mind if we head out? Maybe your friend can give you a ride," Treehugger said, tipsy herself.

Fluttershy nodded as she asked, "You don't mind giving me a ride, do you?"

Mr. Ghost only shrugged as he stood up.

Fluttershy was in a happy daze, all that alcohol in her system as she walked out of the bar loopy. She didn't have much to drink, but it was clear she overdid it. As they walked out of the bar and parted ways with her friends, Mr. Ghost offered to take her home instead, worried about what she would do on her own in this side of town, like this. Though he had four times what she had and a lot heavier of drinks, he wasn't the least bit drunk by the looks of it.

"Come on, let's get you back to where you belong." He told her with a smile as he watched the drunken mare dance around.

"What? Oh come on, the night is young! Let's have some fun." She said as she began to shake around, dancing.

"No, it's time to go." He muttered angrily, not liking the sound of himself. Since when was he the party pooper?

"Oh come on, just dance with me a little," she spun around before humming "Never Gonna Give You Up."

A bit annoyed, he spun around with her once, but only to get her closer to the bike.

"There, we danced; now come on," he retorted as he sat her onto his bike.

"Oh fine, fine! I like your bike anyway. At least it's better than you." What she said made no sense at all, but he just shook his head. "Why did I agree to this?" he cursed himself.

"Bike rides can be so much fun," she cheered excitedly as she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Don't you think?" she asked, a bit flirty. "Oh, I know! Can we take the scenic route? I don't want it to be a short trip."

"A scenic route?" His nose scrunched angrily. She pouted at the anger in his voice; the look on her face nearly made the tall pony laugh. She was rather nice-looking in her dress, and he caught himself as his gaze drifted down her body, only to snap out of it with her next plea.

"Please, I don't want the night to end just yet," she whined as if she was a little filly. Seeing a full-grown and beautiful mare beg him nearly broke his composure.

"A scenic route, eh?" said a sly voice. Discord growled as he turned around and saw his subordinate. "The mountain road is quite scenic, actually." He grinned.

She gasped, "Oh, a mountain ride, yes, yes, yes! Can we please?" she begged, nearly falling off the bike, tipsy. Discord growled in his frustration, only making the cat smile widen. He turned to her with a groan. "If I do, will you promise to behave?" he said a bit nervously.

"Mhmm, oh I promise. I promise to behave," she replied, drunk, coming off somewhat seductive.

Mr. Ghost cursed himself for his own choice of words but knew it was the best way to shut her up. Capper chuckled at the scene before him. Mr. Ghost turned back, "You have a job to do, and I want it done tonight," he growled. "On my way now, I was just having a drink with Caballeron when I saw you, that's all." He held up his paws. Mr. Ghost rolled his eyes and got on the back of his bike, starting up the engine. He rode off, leaving Capper in a pile of dust, but Capper's expression never changed despite the dirt in the air. He simply put on a pair of glasses and said, "Well, time to get to work."

Once Mr. Ghost was as far away from him as he couldn't see him, he let his expression soften before a new thought crossed his mind. "Hmm, I haven't been there in a while," he mumbled to himself.

Author's Note

RICK ROLL!!!

🤣🤣🤣

https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ?si=7FiC_bO4ISKVsVoC

Hope you guys don't mind and you enjoyed the chapter.