Owen,
I hope you're feeling better! Before you start your new position at the school, I would like to ask a favour. Could you please work one more night for me? I just need you to help me out one more time.
If you can, please come to the club at 7PM tonight and make sure to be on time. See ya then!
Vinyl
I read over Vinyl's note again and considered my options. Since being released from hospital a week ago, I have been recuperating at home at advice of medical staff. Luna had come by every now and then to check up on me and check that my magic input was flowing out freely. It was weird, wearing this ring on my finger. It made me feel like I was married. Made me think that soon enough, one day, it'll happen.
The rest of the girls helped out during the week as well. Even though I was totally capable of moving, they insisted on doing my housework for me. Twilight used her magical OCD powers to make my home immaculate. Seriously, every book or game case was perfectly aligned. Rarity took care of my washing and my bedding. Applejack was kind enough to supply me with fresh produce - I paid her for it but she tried her best to decline...she failed. Fluttershy actually planted flowers around my home whilst I was in hospital and she took care of them. Pinkie occasionally popped round to try and make me smile...she did.
And Rainbow Dash, well, she gave me something awesome. I used my 'One Free Sonic Rainboom' ticket I got at Hearth's Warming. When I saw it...oh my fucking god. I had never seen something so amazing! The way she just exploded leaving a trail of rainbow behind her with the epicentre blasting outwards.
But back to today. A note was dropped off not half and hour ago. Giving it's only morning, I had hours to decide whether I was going to this shift or not. On one hand, I couldn't just up and leave without saying goodbye to anyone could I? But on the other hand, should I run myself ragged after I was supposed to be resting?
Just to get some answers, I tapped my gem and waited for a response.
"Morning lovely...*yawn*...you do realise the time don't you?"
I winced as I completely forgot. "I'm so sorry! I'll call back later..."
"No dear, it is fine. What is the problem?"
"I got this note from Vinyl this morning asking me if I can do one more shift. Am I alright to do so, giving me current situation?"
"The doctors said that you should be fine after a few days. Do you feel up to it at all?"
"Well...yeah. I feel fine and I feel back to normal now anyway."
"I think you should go. You can't just leave without thanking Vinyl for all the time she put up with you."
"That's exactly what I...hey wait a minute. What do you mean by 'put up with me?" I heard her laughing on the other end. "Alright fair enough. I'll go. I bet it'll be emotional."
"She's losing her best employee - I'm certain she'll be emotional. Just make her feel happy throughout the night and you'll be fine."
"Alright love. I'll see ya later. And err...sorry for waking you."
She chuckled. "Have fun tonight my dear."
Taking Luna's words into account, I knew she was right. Now I had to plan for the night ahead. No doubt Vinyl will make me work as hard as possible - might as well get her money's worth, right? I walked into my bedroom and set out a black shirt with some jeans. My best jeans I might add.
*KNOCK KNOCK* "Owen?"
And here she was again. Always at Midday, Twilight would pop round to see how I was. I quickly looked around to make sure that everything was perfectly organised and neat and straight. No doubt she'd throw a hissy if something was short of a millimetre out of place. I opened up the door to view the lavender coated unicorn.
"Hey Twilight." I looked over her. "And everyone else. What's up?"
"What's up?" Rainbow asks. She took the air and flew close to me. "This is what's up!" she said excitedly handing me a note.
"What's this?" I gave the note a quick read.
Rainbow Dash,
Come to the club tonight for a night you'll never forget!"
Vinyl.
"She gave you one as well?" I asked.
"She gave one to all of us." Rarity answered. I looked up to see that the five of them had the same note in their hooves. "You're going to work? In your condition?"
"Yes." I answered. "I already conferred with Luna to ask if it was alright and she said it was. I suppose you lot will come along at some point in the evening?" They all agreed to come by at one point. "Great. And I know why you're here as well. And like I said before, I'm perfectly fine now. I appreciate all of your help but I am perfectly capable of doing my own housework now."
"Yes but...what about your books and your clothes and--"
I held my hand up to the rambling Twilight. "My place, my mess, my problem. Seriously, it's alright." I said with a smile. I then had a mischievious idea. "You know...I remember seeing some of your books out of place. I swear I saw a D in the K section."
Twilight gasped and teleported away leaving the rest of us giggling at her worryings. After conversing with the girls, I said I'd see them later and went back to my sofa. Midday now so my 360 was going to supply some afternoon entertainment for me!
"Come on..."
*THUD*
"COME ON!"
*THUD*
"GET UP THERE YOU VICIOUS...BASTARD!"
A certain test in Portal 2 was driving me insane. Attempt after attempt after attempt, I could not get that fucking mutated turret to stay in the beam of light. Damn it Wheatley, you are a moron but a clever one at that. Trying for the umpteenth time, I managed to finally get it in the beam.
"YES!"
*THUD*
"WHAT?!...ohhh...stay on the button..." I couldn't take that anymore so I turned the 360 off and set the controller down calmly before I did any damage to anything. I glanced over at the clock and was rather surprised to see the arrangement of the red strips. "6:30? Huh..." And who said gaming is a waste of a day?
I quickly had a shower and got myself dressed in smart casual attire - a navy blue shirt with black trousers. I slipped on my good shoes and put a warm jacket on. Even though it was May now, it was still a little chilly. Knowing tonight was going to be a bit tough, i gave myself an internal speech before leaving.
"It'll be alright. Six hours of serving drinks, a couple of heartfelt goodbyes to the staff and then I'll be off. Just...stay...neutral."
It was quite upsetting knowing that this would be the last time I would work with the DJ and the club staff but it wasn't like I was leaving forever. "I'll promise to visit whenever I can." I did my jacket up and checked myself in the mirror. "No time like the present."
I opened my door and walked into the evening chill, locking it behind me. I began strolling into town, greeting anyone who gave me a wave or a friendly hello. Something that did interest me was Rainbow skulking about. She had a heavy bag lumped over her back and was entering the library. Thinking nothing of it, I carried on my walk. Soon enough, I came across Sugarcube Corner and the smell of sweet pastry caught my attention.
"I've got time..." I entered the bakery and was greeted by the male half of the family. "Hey Carrot, how are you coping?"
He sighed heavily and it was only then I noticed the bags under his eyes. "It's been rough but I don't regret any of it." He turned around to see both of his kids, Pound and Pumpkin, crawling towards him. "Hey my little angels. Did you miss Daddy?" he said, nuzzling them both.
The foals responded with happy gurgles and squeals whilst returning their father's nuzzle with one of their own. If there was anything that could induce a heart attack or diabetes, it was this - it was too sweet! "Awww...they are too adorable!" I exclaimed with a huge grin on my face.
"They're adorable now but try getting them to sleep! I mean, we hired Pinkie to...to..." He stopped talking as Pound started flying towards me cautiously. Stopping just short of my face, he stared at me curiously; his face remaining neutral. "He's never this good with new ponies..."
Trying my best not to scare the little guy, I slowly raised my hand to him. He took notice of my raised appendage and backed away slightly. I smiled softly at him before moving my hand out to him as slow as I could. I then placed my fingers on top of his head and started scratching him slowly. The foal reacted to this by smiling and moving his head in the direction of my hand. It was just like scratching a cat.
"Aww...aren't you just the sweetest thing?" Before I could continue, he flew above me and landed on my shoulder - his back legs draping off my shoulder. "Oh so you're a parrot now are you?" I slowly lifted him off my shoulder and held him in one arm, tickling him with the other. This resulted in ear-splitting high-pitched squeals from the newborn as he practically thrashed around in my grip. "I think I found your weak spot." I said happily.
"You're pretty good with foals. Pound has never taken to somepony so quickly." Carrot said with a genuine smile. I put Pound back on the floor and he quickly ran to the back of the building. "And he's off again. Never keeps still." He turned to me and cleared his throat. "Is there anything I can help you with? We are closing up soon..."
The display did look nice with all of it's cakes and pastries but I wasn't hungry anymore. "No...I'm fine. See ya." I said, walking out of the bakery. Those foals were so adorable...once again, it got me thinking.
'Is it possible? Would she even want kids?...Do I?'
The prospect of having children of my own petrified me but...but after seeing how cute they were...I couldn't say I didn't want them. To hold a child in my arms and call it my own...it's everyone's dream...isn't it?
Soon enough, I came across the club and something seemed a bit off. There was no queue. No beats. Nothing. I distinctly remember Vinyl saying to be here at 7PM sharp. I knew it couldn't be past that so I slowly approached the club trying to look for any form of life or club activity.
"Hey Owen! Nice to see ya!"
I looked up to see that the upstairs window was open and Cherry Spice was leaning out of it. "Hey Cherry. Err...can I ask you something?"
She jumped out of the window and landed firmly on the ground with a thud. "Sure! What is it?" she replied.
"Well...look." I gestured towards the club. "Opens at seven and there's no noise...no queues...nothing. Did Vinyl not pay for advertising again?"
"Oh THAT! It's nothing. I think we're opening later. Come on inside." She opened up the door and walked in, closing it behind her. I walked up to the door and pulled it open. Walking inside, the lights weren't even on. Only one light shone like a spotlight onto the dancefloor. "Stand in the light." I heard Cherry say.
"Cherry just what the hell is this?" I got no response. "All right, fine." I walked into the light and stood still. "Now what?"
The lights switched on and I covered my eyes for a second. Regaining my vision, I looked towards the mixing deck. "Surprise Owen!" shouted a very happy Vinyl.
Above the mixing deck hung a banner that read 'Good Luck Owen!'. "Vinyl...what is this?" I approached the mixing deck and Vinyl just giggled.
"Alright everypony, come on out!" And just like that, ponies started coming out of every avaliable nook and cranny and began to fill up the dancefloor. They all cheered for me and gave me pats on the back. "I couldn't let you leave without throwing you a huge goodbye party, could I?" Vinyl said into the microphone.
"You did all this...for me?" I said, my lips turning into a smile. "Wow..."
"Not just me." As she said that, Pinkie came out, followed by Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack and Rainbow Dash. "They helped me put this all together for you. There's no possible way to say how grateful I am for all of your work over the past seven months. So tonight Owen, you and all of your friends are going to party until you drop! How does that sound everypony?!"
The crowd around me screamed with agreement and cheered for the music to start. The girls gathered around me and all wished me well. "You girls...thanks." They all gave me a huge group hug as I thanked them.
"Let's get this party started!" Vinyl shouted. She pointed her horn at her mixing deck and a tune began to play. But this one wasn't like her others. It was one of mine. One of my most favourite songs ever. Don't Stop Me Now by Queen was a song that I could listen to over and over again and I'd never get sick of it.
We all danced for a good couple of hours. Many songs from world were played - many from Queen, a couple of Led Zeppelin, a few Status Quo. Despite alcohol being served, we kept drinking to a minimum and tried to enjoy ourselves without the need of booze. Knowing what music Vinyl had, I went up to the mixing deck and had a look through. Finding a certain song, I came up with an idea.
I took the mic in my hand at the end of the current song. "Hey guys, are we enjoying ourselves?!" The crowd cheered, some slurred and some just chanted random words. "Alright! Now, I have a request to ask of one individual." I turned to Vinyl. "Miss Scratch. Would you accompany me for a dance?" Vinyl audibly gasped over the volume of the crowd. I took her hoof in my hand and turned to the crowd. "Want her to dance?" They all shouted 'yes' in reply.
She pulled my hand close to her. "You're going to regret this." she said with a smirk. I led her onto the dance floor and the ponies parted around us.
"I want you lot to join in as well. I know you've played this song a lot but I want to do it with everyone. We all ready?" I asked the crowd.
"Ready for what?" Vinyl asked. I clicked my fingers and Twilight turned the song on. As soon as it came up, we all knew what it was and got in line. The song started and we all began to follow the instructions.
Of course, the 'clap your hands' part was replaced by hoof stomping but it didn't make a difference. Left foot was left hoof and so on. 'Hands on your knees' was quite funny to watch just because they kind of crouched and jumped slightly. 'How low can you go?' was brilliant because they all just flopped and lay on their bellies which made me laugh so much.
Once that song finished, it moved onto another - this one was perfect. I knew all of the words (SAY WHAT YOU WILL! xD) and it was a catchy tune. The lot of us started dancing to the tune as the vocals started.
When the chorus hit, I took ponies by the hoof and danced with them personally. I started with Vinyl, then moved to Cherry, then Rainbow. Throughout the song, I danced wildly, probably making myself looking like a complete idiot but I didn't care at all. Another chorus came and I took AJ, Rarity, Pinkie and Twilight for a personal dance. They were all skeptical at first but got straight into it.
After that song had finished, Vinyl returned to her mixing deck to take over from Twilight. Some of her own music was put on for the more 'non-sober' ponies in the room. I took this opportunity to grab a drink from the bar. Cherry was serving.
"You've got some serious moves!" she said with a smile.
"Thanks!" The girls gathered up next to me. "Let's see now...a beer for me and whatever these lovely ladies want!" The girls placed their orders and Cherry soon served them their chosen drinks. "Right, how much do I owe you?"
"Vinyl didn't tell you?" I shook my head. "Open bar." she finished with a wink.
It was around 11PM. Since hearing from Cherry that the alcohol was free tonight, Rainbow took it upon herself to get absolutely shit-faced. As did AJ. They were both locked in a fierce drinking game that didn't show any sign of stopping. Bottles and glasses formed a perfect outline of their figures as the discarded objects began to build up.
"Can I have everypony's attention please?!" I turned to see Vinyl was at the mic again. "This party is about to draw to a close and I want to thank each and every one of you for turning up! And Owen?" She pointed her hoof at me. "You are gonna be sorely missed! Am I right everypony?!"
The crowd cheered as the spotlight shone on me. I gave a wave and a smile as everyone stomped their hooves for me. Vinyl made a motion for me to come up to the mic. I did so and looked upon the crowd. "I just want to say that without this job, I would not have learnt so many new skills, not learnt about loads of different types of drinks..." I pointed to my head that showed a small scar. "...not learnt how to duck properly." Everyone laughed at this.
"But most of all. I would not have met such awesome ponies to work with. Weight, Cherry and of course you Vinyl." I leant down and hugged her with all of my might, her doing the same. The crowd applauded and I went back onto the dance floor.
"Thank you Owen! But you know...there is one more thing that needs to be done." How she said that sent shivers down my spine. "There is one more pony who would like a dance with you."
I turned around and looked at her - she was grinning. "And who would this be?" I turned to the crown. "Anyone?" The spotlight shone into the corner of the club where this mystery pony was waiting. Although, it wasn't such a mystery now. "Hey...I thought you'd be working right now."
Luna emerged from her seat and walked up to me. "How could I pass up an opportunity to dance with my courter after such an invitation was sent to me?"
"An invitation? What..." I looked over at Vinyl who was laughing, along with Twilight. "You two..." I looked back at Luna - I couldn't say no...and I didn't want to. "So you want a dance, huh?" I kissed her softly. "Then a dance you shall get." I took her hoof and led her to the dance floor. "Vinyl?"
Vinyl set the song in motion. I gulped as I knew immediately what it was. I stared into Luna's eyes as she placed her hooves around my neck and I placed my hands on her sides. We began to slow dance back and forth whilst the crowd looked on.
When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary,
When troubles come and my heart burdened be.
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.
I rested my head on her shoulder as we danced. "So this is the song you were humming..." she whispered to me.
She rested her head on my shoulder. "In the bath? Yeah...yeah it is..." I looked over her shoulder to see the girls and even Twilight watching in awe. "I'm sorry I never did this before."
"Don't be...just be here now...with me..."
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas.
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up... To more than I can be.
"It's all true." I said to Luna. "This song...are you hearing the words?" She nodded. "Every word...it's all true. You made me who I am today."
Luna leant into my shoulder and kissed me on the neck. "I love you so much."
I rested my head against hers and kissed her neck. "I love you too." I felt the ring around the base of her horn with my forehead. "The next time we do this...you'll be in your wedding dress..."
"And what's to say we won't dance before then, hmm?"
We both chuckled as the song finished. "Everypony give it up for Owen and Princess Luna!" Vinyl shouted over the mic. The crowd cheered for the both of us as we nodded at their thanks.
"That was most enjoyable. But I must return to Canterlot...the Night Court is still in session." I walked her over to the door and hugged her tight. "Goodnight my love."
"Have a good night as well. I'll come visit tomorrow. Around six?"
"I look forward to it." With that, she shone a brilliant shade of blue and disappeared.
"Hey Owen! Rainbow and AJ are playing spin the bottle! You want in?!" Cherry called out to me.
"Oh for...not this again..."