“Stan! Stop flying!”
“You ain’t the boss of my booze, I can do what I wa-”
*SMACK*
Carl stopped flying and crossed his hooves as Stan smacked into a lamp post. He shook his head in dismay. “Are you okay?” He asked with disappointment in his voice.
Stan spun around and smiled. “I am just as good as that mare is looking.” Stan pointed toward his right.
Carl sighed and looked the same way to see what he was talking about. His jaw immediately dropped once he looked at who was walking along side the street. It was Luna.
“W-what is she doing out in this part of town?” Carl asked, though he knew Stan would say-
“YOMYGOSH! Let’s go seduce that mare and see if she wants me!” Stan rubbed his hooves and ran toward her with full speed.
Carl sighed and grabbed his wings, making Stan run in place with his tongue flapping in the fake wind. “Just leave her alone Stan, she must be out here for a reason. Besides, she’s in a disguise.”
“Nice rhyme.” Stan stopped running in place and faced his friend. “Wait...how do you-”
Carl smacked him. “We can disguise too you know, so I‘m pretty sure we...or I, know a bit about who’s disguised and who’s not. Those red glasses are giving off so much green, I can see it from here, it's obviously disguising magic. Look, let’s just leave her alone.”
“But she’s not alone, she’s in that club.”
“What club?” Carl yanked Stan out of the way and saw that the princess was now walking into a club, and from the sound of it, it that was packed full of ponies. “What’s she doing-”
“Let’s go say hi.” Stan started running, but he stopped mid way and ran back to Carl. “W-w-wait! I need to practice first” He cleared his throat and looked at his friend. “Carl, change into her and let me seduce you, then you do the same to me.”
Carl was dumbfounded. “What?”
“Just change into Luna and seduce me.”
“W-what?” Carl’s mind was still trying to process what his drunk friend was saying.
“Seduce me!” Stan sighed. “You know what. Forget it, let me do it.” He puffed out his chest and took a heroic pose. “Ey there Miss. Moonie, how’s about we go blow a stand of popsicles and get to my place to come...and uh, do...things...Carl, what would we do?” He belched and smiled at Carl.
Carl’s brain continued to skip gears as Stan continued to talk. “W-w-what?”
Stan tapped Carl’s nose. “It’s always with the what’s with you..why not the other W’s, like how…” Stan pulled out another beer and took a sip, which turned into a chug.
“Where does he keep getting those.” Carl said to himself. “Look Stan, can we just go home? That’s all I want right now.”
Stan held a hoof to his chest. “And I want to have a princess to make out with, and then eventually date, and then...well, you know the rest, so it seems we reached an impasse.”
Carl groaned. “No we haven't. That’s it! Stan, I am no longer telling you to go home.” He grabbed Stan’s beer, which turned out to be his entire arm, and pulled him away from the sight of the ponies. “I am making you go home.”
Stan pulled away from his grip and stuck his tongue out. “Well then make me.”
Carl growled. “Well then...I will.”
“Well then!” Stan finished the rest of his beer and threw it into an alleyway that was next to the club, making a cat screech. Stan put up his hooves and prepared for combat. “Ba-ring it Charley.”
“IT”S CARL!” And just like that, they lunged at each other.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shift and Lift walked through the streets with their heads up high and eye’s looking everywhere. “So,” Lift said. “Where to now?”
Shift smiled. “I dunno, somewhere that the fans would least expect us to be.”
Lift took of his headphones and wrapped them around his neck. “Then it’s gotta be a pretty cool club, one that has just enough ponies-”
“And just the right kind of music.” Shift finished and tilted his fedora to his right. “How about that place?”
They both looked at a club that seemed just right for their tastes. “Seems decent-”
“To say the least.” Shift finished.
“Welp, looks like we-”
*SMASH*
Lift yelped and grabbed his brother, shaking like a leaf. “What was that?”
Shift did the same. “I-I don’t”
*CRASH*
“STAN! Just give up!”
“NO...YOU!”
Shift and Lift let go of each other and realized what the noises were. “Looks like our friends-”
“Are back.” Lift finished. They smiled at one another and headed toward the noise, which was behind an alley.
As they turned around the corner, they saw a pair of changelings fighting one another, both knocking each other into piles of trash, cans, walls, and dumpsters. Shift and Lift just smiled. “Should we help?” Shift asked.
“I dunno, should we?” Lift crossed his hooves and raised an eye toward him.
Shift nodded. With that, they both cleared their throat and said. “EY hero!”
Stan ears pointed toward them. “Hero? Oh...that’s me!” He pushed Carl off of him and ran out of the alley.
“Come back here...ugh...Stan!...whew...how can he still stand?” Carl got up and dusted himself off before following him.
Shift and Lift chuckled. “Looks like our hero-” Shift started.
“And his sidekick-”
“Are in a bit of-”
“trouble.”
“Whoa!” Stan gasped and ran up to the DJ's “How’d you two do that?”
They both tilted their heads. “Did what?” They said in unison.
“OHmygosh, you can do it together too!”
“Do what together?” They said again, not understanding a thing Stan was talking about.
Carl stood next to Stan and wrapped his hoof around the back of his neck. “Don’t listen to him guys, he’s just drunk off his flank.”
“Still?” Lift said.
Stan flopped his ear stems. “Aw, they didn't do it that time.”
Shift pointed at Stan and looked at Carl. “What is he talking about?”
Carl shrugged. “I don’t know. Can you two just help me get this guy home?”
“But Caaaaaaaaarl! I wanna do the princess.”
The DJ's burst out laughing. “W-wh-what?!” They said together.
Carl groaned. “It’s a long story, basically he saw a poster of Celestia, and now he’s got beer goggles for her, and her sister apparently.”
Shift stopped laughing long enough to say, “Really? How does he expect to-”
“Get laid with them?” Lift finished.
Carl blushed while Stan raised his hoof in the air. “By laying with the younger sister first..who is right over...over...Hey! Where’d she go?” Stan walked out into the street and turned around several times to try and find her. “She was right here.”
“Who? Luna?” Shift asked, looking at Carl.
Carl replied with a nod. “Yep, we saw her flying out from her balcony, and then we found her walking along the street, and she was wearing glasses with disguising magic.
"How could you tell?" They asked.
"I could see the green flames coming off of it from across the street. Anyway, she then heading into that club.” Carl pointed to the building next to them.
Shift and Lift looked at each other, unsure as how to respond to that. “So...She’s out and about-”
“In this part of town-” Lift finished.
“Where all the bars,”
“and the drunks,”
“and the drugger's,”
“and shifter's, no offence brother.”
“None taken, but really. I don’t think someling..or uh, pony like her would be out in this place.”
“Yeah,” Lift said. “It’s pretty shady.” The DJ's looked up at the club they were eyeing earlier. “Well, except for this place, seems pretty high class, even for a princess.”
Stan stopped spinning and looked at were the others were looking. “Ooooohhhh, pretty lights. Can we go in?!”
Carl growled and grabbed Stan. “NO! We are going straight-”
“Into that bangin' club!” Shift and Lift grabbed them and started pushing them into the building.
“Guys!” Carl said. “Don’t encourage him, he needs to-”
“Let the hero do what he wants Carl.” Shift said with a sly smile.
“Yeah,” Stan said. “let Stan do what he want’s Carl.”
Carl just sighed and looked at the entrance to the door, knowing that once they enter, there will be trouble.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The DJ's shoved the heroes into the club. Carl stumbled but kept his stance. Meanwhile, Stan managed to stumble all the way into the counter, knocking a group of ponies out of the way. “Number five of the first pleading!” Stan yelled. “Gimme your best shot Mr. Light.”
“Mr. who?” The bartender looked as uncomfortable as ever once this changeling came in, he was about to say something, but another came up behind the bug and laughed.
“So sorry about that...he’s just a bit tipsy is all...w-we’ll just find our way out...seeing that you’re not to keen on changelings being in your bar.” Carl turned Stan around and started walking.
“Hey now!” The bartender said. “I never said that I don’t accept your kind. You guys can come in all you want. Zebras, on the other hoof, can stay in their herds.” He smiled and placed an empty glass on the table. Stan gazed at it in amazement while Carl groaned. “So what’ll it be gents?”
Stan shoved Carl out of the way, making him land on a stool surprisingly, and rested his arm on the table. “How’s about a mariachi band?”
“Um...I think you mean a martini?”
“That too.” The bartender shrugged and poured a glass for Stan to drink.
Carl sighed and looked around the bar, it was nothing but a dance floor in the middle, and tables all around, and music that would be something Lift and Shift were into, he would ask if they liked the music, but the twins were gone, so now it was just him. He was starting to not care what his brothers were doing. So, he slumped his head on the table and sighed. All he wanted to do right now was go home.
“One of your finest mugs please.” Carl’s ears twitched once he heard that feminine voice. He looked up and saw that it was-
Carl nearly fell out of his stool once he saw the dark princess herself chugging down a drink almost as fast as Stan did. “S-she’s here?” He thought. "Drinking!? I though she would be dancing."
Carl looked both ways and slid his stool along the ground until he was next to her. Carl looked up at the princess, her glasses were still a blazed with green fire, just like the type of fire his kind used when they disguised themselves. He had to admit, they did look hot on her, metaphorically and physically.
"Whoa now Carl," He thought. "back up, she's a princess, don't be like Stan." Carl closed his eyes and took a deep breath, knowing full well that he needed to let the princess do whatever she wanted. She's a princess, a princess with a nice pair of blazing red glasses and eyes so beautiful that he could. "Shut up Carl!"
Luna stopped drinking and looked at him. "Hmm? What did you say?"
Carl clamped his mouth shut and looked at Luna, he wanted to back away from her and huddle in a corner. "Oh...uh...n-nice glasses?" "DID I SAY THAT OUT LOUD!"
Luna giggled and smiled. "Why thank you changeling, nice to see your kind getting along here, especially to a random mare like me."
"Nice rookie mistake there princess." Carl thought. He shook his head and smiled back. "Well, you know us changelings, just...trying to fit in." He laughed nervously, making her laugh as well.
"I can relate." She took another sip from her drink. "So, what brings you here?"
Carl fidgeted, maybe he could get some answers as to why she's here now. "Oh just...hanging around, what about you?"
Luna shifted her eyes. "Just taking a breather from things." She adjusted her hair and smiled.
Carl decided to get to the point, he was beyond curious as to why she was here, so he was gonna get answers now, and nothing would stop him. "Look, you can drop the act Lu-"
*CRASH*
“Gah...Watch where you’re going changeling, you spilled my drink!”
Carl immediately looked past Luna to see Stan knocking into another stallion who was carrying a drink for himself. He also looked slightly tougher and bigger than him, and almost just as drunk. Stan got up and looked at the pony straight in the eyes. “How’s about you go watching where your face was going, Mr. I’m important.”
The stallion placed his bottle on a table where his group of friends were at and looked at Stan, his drunk eyes a blazed. “Do you know who I am?” The pony asked.
“Do you know how much of a hero I am?” Stan answered with a smirk
The stallion growled. “Changeling, I suggest you don’t get on my bad side, my friends might feel the same way.” The pony glanced over at his friends at the table, who were starting to get just as mad as him.
Stan snickered. “Oh no! Mr. Important over here has a bad side...yeah, how about you go do a horizon hustle with yourself and sleep next to your friends over there.” Carl bit his hoof in hopes that Stan say anything stupider than what he’s already said.
“Alright changeling, you think you’re so tough.” The stallion grabbed Stan by the throat and held him inches away from his face. “Let's take this outside.” The stallion looked over his shoulder to make sure his gang would join them.
Stan sneered and pushed himself away from the pony. “Oh please, I'm tougher then anyone, I can take on aaaaaaanything, with or without an outside.” He crossed his hooves and looked away.
Carl was wanting to look away too, He knew all too well where this was going. “He’s gonna beat him up!" He thought. "Come on Carl, you have to do something!” Carl decided that it was time for him to Stallion up. He ran up to the pony and said with no confidence in his voice. “Um...hey...pony.” Carl poked him on the side, receiving a glare in response.
“The names Charles Mighty” The pony cracked his hoof and looked down on the changeling.
Carl gulped. "Well, Um...Look Charles, me and my friend here don't want any trou-"
"So he's your friend?" Charles glared back at Stan, who was currently eyeing the princess. "Guess that only gives me a reason to beat you up too."
"Oh well that's all well and go- W-w-what!" Carl looked up at the pony in pure fear now, knowing full well that he could kick his flank. He had to talk his way out of this now. "Wait a sec now, I-"
“WOOOOOOOOOOOO.” He was interrupted by Stan cheering as the changeling grabbed the pony's beer bottle. “Let me show you how a real changeling does it Miss Moon!” Before anyone could stop him, he chugged down what was left of the bottle and threw it on the floor. “Whoooo….whoooo.” Stan smiled slowly went away once he glanced at the other ponies. “What?”
Every pony at the table was glaring at him. Stan felt tapping behind his shoulder and turned around to see the pony. “That was my drink, changeling!” Charles yelled.
Stan rolled his eyes. “Like you need it, besides, a bug like me needs way more...matobolizm and stuff, so..." Stan rested his arm on the counter and look at Luna. "Did it impress you?”
Luna stopped drinking her mug and raised an eye at Stan. "Did what impress me?"
“So that’s why he did it…” Carl thought. "Just to look like a tough guy in front of the princess."
The other stallions sitting at the table glanced to one another and nodded. Knowing this changeling was gonna pay for drinking his friends drinks. “That’s it changeling, you lit the wrong fuse.” Charles reached down and grabbed the his bottle from the ground.
Stan snickered. “I can’t breath fire silly, and I don’t even have a match.” He smiled, knowing this stallion was all talk and no bite. “So hows about you go bu-”
*SMASH*
Carl gasped and the princess turned away from her drink to see Stan falling to the floor. Carl backed into Luna once he saw Charles pointing the now broken bottle at him. “You wanna go too changeling?”
“Hey! What was that for!” Luna said as she stepped in between Carl and the pony. “The bugs were just trying to have a good time.”
“So were we,” Charles said through his grinding teeth, he looked toward his friends again, who were looking at the changeling on the ground. “until this bug showed up!”
The stallion continued pointing the sharp end of the bottle toward Carl. “You and the rest of your kind are all the same, ruining everything all the time."
Carl cowered in fear while Luna continued standing in front of him. “So that’s what this is about? Just because he’s a changeling?”
“So you’re standing up for him now?” Charles's other friends started looking at her now. “Standing up for this monster.”
Carl was starting to shake. He didn’t care what this stallion was saying, he heard it all before, but he did care about living.
Luna scoffed. “He is not a monster, and so what if him and the rest of his kind made a mistake, there here trying to fix it, don’t hold that against him.”
Charles and his friends weren’t buying it, they started circling the mare and changeling, walking over Stan as his hoof began to twitch.
“Mare, listen, we don’t like hurtin’ ladies, so why don’t you just step aside and let us take care of this creature for ruining our town.”
Luna glared at him, this stallion and his friend were hitting the stage of 'angry drunkenness', she looked behind her at the still cowering changeling, admittedly, she found their kind a little adorable, and she could relate with the whole 'doing something bad and living with it' thing. She was not gonna let this creature get hurt for trying to do good. Even if it meant others knowing she was taking a break from royal duties just to party out and about. “You’re gonna have to get past me first.”
Charles grinned, as did his friends. “With pleasure.” He held his hoof back and plunged it toward the mares face.
Charles hoof was inches away from contact, but no contact was made. Both him and Luna were surprised to see this. “what the-”
Seconds later, he was thrown across the room, making the music stop once he hit the dance floor. His friends gasped and looked over their shoulders to realized what happened. It was Stan. Who got back up and tossed Charles across the room.
“S-stan?” Carl leaned over Luna’s shoulder and saw Stan standing up with his head down, hiding his face.
Charles got up from the floor and groaned. “W-wha? How are you still awake, changeling?”
Stan continued standing there, not talking or looking up. Carl was starting to get nervous. “Uh...Stan.” Carl said. “Y-you can talk now-”
“So tell me about this one Terry.” Stan said, his eyes still down to the ground.
The group of stallions looked at each other. “Terry?” One of the said. “What are you talking about bug.”
“Who cares!” Charles yelled. "You're dead bug!" He ran toward Stan, intent on ending the changelings life.
Stan smiled and ducked as the pony pounced on him, sending Charles crashing onto the table his friends were at. “Feisty little prisoner, ain't ya. You'll still die here either way.” Others in the bar gasped once they could finally see Stan as he held his head high and started walking toward the dance floor.
The pony’s friends started helping him up once Stan put his hoof on an old radio at the end of the counter. The pony shook his friends off him and grabbed the broken bottle. “You’re gonna pay changeling!”
Stan turned around to reveal his bright red eyes and wicked smile. Most ponies in the club gasped while others, being the group of angry ponies, continued glaring at him. Carl held onto Luna’s arm and prayed that Stan would be okay after this. As for Luna, she instinctively put a wing over Carl and held him close, making him blush a bit.
“So, It looks like I got my hoof full on this one, ey Tommy?” Stan glanced to the bartender, who gave him a weird look and stepped away.
"Um, changeling," The bartender said. "I wouldn't be fighting in my bar if I was you, and that radio is from my father, it only plays old music, I don't think you would-"
"You're right Tom," Stan interrupted. "Music would be nice."
“Uh, Stan, you okay?” Carl was getting too nervous for this. Stan wasn’t acting like this a little bit ago, now he was starting to look very scary with those red eyes and smile.
Charles and his friends started walking toward him. "You're dead changeling..."
Stan smiled. “You’ll be backing down after this is over ponies.” He punched the radio and turned up the music. "Time to get to work~"