Second Chances

Second Chances
By Hero541
Chapter 9: Late Night for Me

Josh sauntered up to the Frosty Mug pub for the second time this week. The adrenaline still rushed through his veins after his performance. It felt good to be able to do that again, stand there and feel the music flow through him as the crowd practically begged for more. If he had to be honest with himself, he was surprised that the ponies there had taken to the music so quickly. These creatures certainly were strange…

Josh walked into the pub and was immediately greeted by Frosty.

“Another gin and tonic for you?” asked the bartender unicorn, levitating a glass and two bottles from the shelf.

“Not tonight. I’ll take a boilermaker.” said the human, seating himself at the bar in front of Frosty.

As the unicorn busied himself with the drink, Josh looked to his left and saw a yellow pegasus mare with a long flowing pink mane and tail looking away from him. He wasn’t sure how, but he knew he recognized her from somewhere.

“Hey there.” he said as his drink arrived, “You look awfully familiar.”

The mare turned to face Josh apprehensively. Her teal eyes were filled with worry and fear at the sight of the tall human next to her. She said nothing at his words, simply looking down and all around, occasionally stealing a glance at Josh.

“You’re one of the ponies who found me yesterday morning.” he said, the revelation hitting him as he dropped the whiskey into his glass of beer.

She again said nothing, still avoiding eye contact with Josh and hiding behind her mane. Josh took a large swig of his drink, still disappointed that the alcohol here seemed so diluted.

“I’m Josh.” he said, holding out his hand to the mare, “What’s your name?”

“I-I’m Fluttershy…” she mumbled, her wings pressing tighter against her body at the sight of his hand.

“You’ll have to talk a little louder than that if you want me to hear you.” he said, dropping his arm.

“M-my n-n-name’s Fluttershy…” she murmured, slumping down further on the barstool.

“One more time.” said Josh, turning his ear closer to the pegasus.

She simply squeaked a little and almost seemed to shrink. Josh leaned away from her, afraid he’d said something wrong in the time he’d been sitting next to her.

“I… I’m sorry. Did I say… something wrong?” he inquired, concern painting his face.

“Naw,” said Frosty walking back over from helping a customer, “That’s just Fluttershy. She’s a sweet pony, but not the best at meeting folks sometimes.”

Frosty turned to Fluttershy, “It’s okay, dear. Josh here’s a good guy. He’ll be nice to you. I promise.”

At those words, Fluttershy raised her head a little and peered at Josh from behind her mane. The human smiled sweetly at her, holding out his hand once more. Slowly, she raised her own hoof, and Josh gently grabbed it, shaking it delicately.

“So, Fluttershy,” continued Josh, turning to his drink once more, “what do you do around here? Wait, let me guess.”

He craned his neck a little and looked at her flank, seeing three butterflies for her cutie mark.

“You’re some kind of bug catcher, right?”

“N-No.” she finally stammered out, rising up a little, “I’m j-just an animal caretaker. P-ponies bring me their animals if they’re sick or n-need g-grooming and I do that for them.”

“Ah.” said Josh, showing genuine interest in the pegasus’ job, “So you’re like a veterinarian then?”

“Oh no.” Fluttershy said, finally perking up some more, her words becoming clearer, “We already have a vet here. I’m just there for short-term care.”

“Interesting. Do you have any pets yourself?”

Fluttershy spent the next half-hour telling Josh all about her pets she had at her cottage. The whole time, he simply sat there, his head resting on his hand, a bemused smile on his face as the once-shy pegasus before him talked on and on about her animals. It was cute, how she was getting more and more excited to tell him all about them.

“…then there’s Angel Bunny. I found him when he was just a baby, and took him in. He’s probably the closest to me of all the animals.”

A satisfied smile came to Fluttershy’s face as she looked towards Josh.

“That’s a lot of animals.” he remarked, not taking his eyes off Fluttershy.

“It’s a lot of work to keep them happy,” she said, turning to the bar again, “but it’s all worthwhile in the end.”

“Fascinating.” said Josh, signaling for another drink from Frosty.

“What do you do?” asked Fluttershy, peering at Josh’s leg to see if he had a mark.

“I’m a music producer.” he replied, making a depth charge with his new drink and taking a large gulp, “I make electronic music.”

“Oh.” remarked Fluttershy, her eyes wide, “You mean like Vinyl Scratch?”

Josh cringed a little at hearing that name. What she played on that stage tonight can hardly be considered fucking music he thought.

“No. Not like Vinyl. She’s got the makings of a DJ, but she needs to be just that. Leave the producing business to professionals. The last thing the world of electronic music needs is another wannabe trying to make their way and embarrassing us all.”

His harsh words made Fluttershy look a little uneasy. She turned to the bar again, not all that eager to resume the conversation. Even Josh had to admit that his words were rather tough on the budding DJ, but it needed to be said. She just wasn’t good enough to be putting on shows like that yet.

“Didn’t she have a show tonight?” asked Frosty sauntering back over to the two at the bar, wiping down another glass.

“She did.” said Josh, taking another large gulp of his drink.

“How’d it go?” inquired the barkeep.

“Well, it wasn’t all that great. Her timing and tempo were pretty off. The equipment wasn’t even hooked up right, and the effects she tried were pretty shitty. Eventually, I fulfilled my duty as a producer and saved that show before it completely nosedived into the ground. I got that place jumping like you wouldn’t believe. Vinyl oughta thank me for saving that little debacle.”

“That’s interesting.” said the unicorn, “She came in here a little earlier. Looked like she’d been crying a bit.”

*****

Josh slowly made his way to the darkened boutique. Gently opening the door, he silently ducked into the shop and made his way across the room towards the staircase. As he did so, he heard a small mumble nearby and turned around.

“…mm… Welcome to Carousel Boutique…”

Looking closer, he made out the shape of Rarity asleep in a comfy chair near the window. The moonlight played off her coat, making the already white fur appear almost silver. She was wrapped in a pink bathrobe, curlers in her mane and tail, and was fast asleep. Josh smiled at the cute sight.

“Rarity.” he whispered, walking towards the sleeping unicorn and gently shaking her.

She awoke with a small start, turning on the nearby lamp. Looking up, she saw Josh and broke out a sheepish smile.

“Were you waiting up for me, Rares?” he asked, still smiling down at her.

“I just wanted to make sure you got home alright, dear.” she said, yawning and rubbing her eye with a marshmallow hoof.

“Well, I’m home now, so you oughta get to bed, okay?”

“Right,” said Rarity, slowly making her way off the chair, and putting on her slippers, “I’ll see you in the morning then, darling.”

Josh followed Rarity up the stairs, watching as the mare slipped into her own room before he entered his. He turned on the light and looked around. Rarity had managed to enlarge the bed for him to fit comfortably, and it was graced with fresh sheets and a comforter. Upon those sheets and comforter, lay a small white unicorn filly.

“Sweetie Belle?” said Josh, a little louder than he meant to.

The little filly lay curled up on his bed, her tiny body rising and falling with each silent breath. A small, peaceful smile graced her face and she was mumbling.

“… gotta wait for… Joshie… wanna say… good night…”

The cuteness and peacefulness of the scene was too much for Josh. He couldn’t disturb the little filly, who was already far away in her own little dream world, which she had entered waiting for Josh to return home for the night. Silently, he walked towards Sweetie Belle, and gently stroked her mane, causing her to shift a little in her sleep.

“Night, Sweetie Belle.” he whispered, watching the smile on her face grow and her little body to curl up even tighter.

Carefully, he turned off the light, and closed the door, making sure to not wake Sweetie Belle. Slowly, and with a smile on his face, he made his way downstairs again.

“The couch does look pretty comfy anyway.”