Twilight's Birthday

by Gallifrey

On the Town

Rainbow Dash and Applejack were at the bar together, the earth pony drumming a hoof on the counter as they waited to buy the fourth round of drinks. Rainbow Dash suddenly sneezed violently, making Applejack jump.

"By Celestia, Rainbow, dun' do that! You startled me."

"I can hardly control that, AJ," said Rainbow playfully, nudging her with a hoof.

"True, you enjoying tonight so far?"

"Yeah, it's nice seeing Luna again, she's awesome. It's also good for us all to do something together, how long's it been since we last all met up?"

"Uh, last week when we cleared the snow drifts between mah farm and town?"

"Oh yeah! I don't have a good memory."

"You're telling me," said the cowpony. "Hang on, drinks are here."

As Applejack conversed with the barman, Rainbow looked around, and inadvertently caught the eye of a light grey stallion pegasus.

"Good evening," he said smoothly, if a little drunkenly.

"S'up?" said Rainbow.

"Name's Silver Wind," he said, extending a hoof.

"Rainbow Dash," she said, bumping it.

"I'll see you in a minute RD," said Applejack.

"Sure thing, AJ."

"So, what brings a pretty mare like you to a place like this?"

Despite the clichéd words, Rainbow felt a stirring inside herself as her ego was massaged gently.

"I'm here for a friend's birthday, what about you? S'not everyday you see a stud in here."

"Why thank you, I'm here because I had a tough day at work," he said leaning closer.

"Oh? What's your job?" said the cyan pegasus, subconsciously leaning away.

"Let me show you," he said, grabbing her with his hooves, trying to kiss her.

"That doesn't even make sense! Get off me you freak!" she shouted, tumbling to the floor and beginning to panic as both her and another pony smacked him hard in the face.

Rainbow turned around to see the incensed face of Applejack looking at him in disgust.

"You dare touch her again, and ah'll kick your ass from here to the Sea. Ya got that pardner?"

He winced under her harsh glare, turned tail and ran.

"Well that escalated quickly," said Rainbow, standing up next to her earth pony friend and brushing herself off.

"You alright sugar cube?"

"Yeah, 'course I am!" Though Applejack could hear a trace of shakiness in her voice.

"Hey, forget him. You'll always get a few bad apples."

"Yeah, I know, I'm glad none of you guys are."

"If we were, would we be your friends?"

"I suppose not, heh. Let's get back."

They took their places again and Applejack patted Rainbow's leg reassuringly. Rainbow felt a multitude of shivers radiate from the epicentre where Applejack touched. She struggled for a moment to keep her wings in check.

"Thanks, AJ," she whispered.

"Um, what happened over there?" asked Fluttershy, pointing to the bar "I couldn't really see but it didn't look good."

"Some idiot tried 'the charm' on Rainbow; hmph, not on my watch."

They all looked at her curiously at what she just said.

"I mean he tried to take advantage of her," she said hastily.

"Oh! Are you okay Rainbow?"

"Guys, I'm fine. Thanks though. Applejack helped me before anything got out of hoof."

"Well, that's good," said Twilight, "do you think it's time to move?"

"Yeah," said Pinkie, "who's ready for a party? Hoof Beats?"

They all nodded, except Luna, who looked confused.

"What exactly is Hoof Beats?" she asked. Twilight answered.

"Hoof Beats is a night club," she said kindly, "Vinyl Scratch is playing there tonight."

"Who?"

"You'll see."

-------------

A curious and excited Luna hovered by Twilight's side as they meandered to Hoof Beats. Twilight wobbled and would have suffered a nasty fall if she had not been caught by Luna.

"Twilight, would you like to, um, ride on my back? For safety purposes you understand."

Rarity's ears perked up at this, but she didn't turn around.

"Please, my rump has hit the floor all too often recently."

"Oh really?" she used this as an excuse to steal a glance at the purple pony's posterior. She knelt down with a slightly tipsy grin on her face. "Hop on then."

Twilight clambered up onto her back and held on as she took off to join Rainbow and Fluttershy a few feet from the ground.
The lavender mare saw Rarity still struggling, and so she lifted her up with her magic to hover alongside Twilight. The white unicorn looked at Twilight and Luna together and winked knowingly as a sign that it was going well.

"Twilight," said Luna.

"Yes?" she answered, moving further up Luna's body in order to hear her better.

"What should I expect at this club?"

"Loud dancey music with lots of bass, very loud. So loud it will be difficult to talk properly."

"I see, what of the atmosphere?"

"Well, there'll be lots of lights, it'll be warm, and it'll be quite crowded."

"This doesn't sound all that appealing..."

"Oh, I know, but it's good if you're drinking."

"I'll trust you Twilight, you are a very clever pony after all."

Now it was Twilight's turn to feel the warm stirrings of a massaged ego, albeit a much tinier ego.

"Why thank you Luna," she leaned in and murmured, "though I'm not half as clever as you."

"Oh please," she muttered back, "Twilight, you are an exceptional pony, and don't let anypony tell you otherwise."

"As are you," Twilight commented.

Their continued flattering came to a halt as Rainbow Dash cautiously waved a hoof in front of them, grinning.

"Girls? Drop the sweet talk for a minute will ya? We're here."

Luna and Twilight looked up at the rather inconspicuous building that stood before them. The only indication this was the right place was a small, green neon sign that said Hoof Beats, the muffled sound of loud music that reverberated through the walls, and the small notice that informed the reader that Vinyl Scratch and Neon Lights were playing.

"Oh boy! It's been a while since I've been here!" squealed Pinkie, bouncing to the doors.

As they entered, Luna's first impression was how unnecessarily dark it seemed to be. After they paid the lucrative sum of twenty bits, they descended a flight of stairs illuminated in deep purple light, that made Luna's eyes feel funny, and Twilight appear white. The dull, powerful throbs of the bass grew louder as they approached the 'main event' as it were.

"Princess," said Rainbow with a cheeky grin, pushing the double doors open at the bottom of the stairs, "welcome to Hoof Beats!"

She had to yell the last of her sentence, due to the deluge of sound that cascaded out of the doors. They entered and weaved their way straight to the bar before anything else. Luna looked around, amazed by the scene.
The club was a giant, two tiered, circular room, and it seemed to be designed so that the socialising and drinking could take place on the upper tier, and on the lower tier... she broke off so she could look over the edge at what was down below. She cautiously parted the crowd and peered over the edge to see what she initially thought was water. Then a beam of bright light shone through the misty smoke, to reveal that it was in fact a veritable sea of ponies, all jumping up and down, hooves pumping the air joyously.

Oh my, thought Luna, We've never seen anything quite like this.

Her eyes listed to the left, where there stood two unicorns, one white and one blue.

"Hey hey, Can-ter-lot!" the white one shouted through a microphone during a lull in the music. "This is VS and Neon Lights in the house tonight! So, you ready for us to. Rock. Your. World?"

A tumultuous roar came from the crowd.

"I can't hear you!"

They roared their affirmation even louder.

"What?"

"YESSSS!"

"You heard them Neon! Hit it!"

The shaking pulse of the bass immediately resumed as a new song started. Luna felt a tap on her withers.

"Luna, you're here. We were wondering where you'd got to... are you alright?"

Luna had a slight manic glint in her eyes.

"We have decided that we rather like this place," she said, beaming.

"Oh good, I was a bit worried you wouldn't. Here, I got you this," she hummed, handing her a beaker containing a lurid turquoise liquid.

"Twilight, this is your birthday, you shouldn't have. And pray tell, what exactly is this?"

"Just drink some," said the unicorn encouragingly.

Luna gave the drink an experimental sniff; a potent aroma of fruit laced with alcohol assaulted her senses.

"Oh my, Twilight, how strong is this?"

"I'm not sure," said Twilight smiling, sticking her snout in her own drink, lapping it up.

Luna drank a sip of the syrupy, curiously coloured cocktail, and found that it was most agreeable. A sharp sweet taste exploded over her tongue, followed by a swift bite as the alcohol powered through. She drank some more and licked her lips.
Twilight saw Rainbow hover above everyone else, she scouted out the unicorn, pointing down to the dance floor beneath them and waved her forelegs about in a dancing fashion. Twilight nodded in understanding.

"How much was this?" asked Luna.

"Five bits."

Luna almost spat out the drink in her mouth.

"How much?!" she spluttered.

"It's worth it, it's good right?"

"Yes, but even so... I'll get us some more."

After four of these drinks and many bouts of giggles, the two mares walked down a long and shallow flight of stairs to the dance floor. The remarkable change in atmosphere shocked Luna as they gradually moved towards the front; she could smell the mingled scents of sweat and alcohol in the thick, hazy air, see strobe lights and lasers spin beautiful patterns above her in the smoke, and hear the deep thrumming music reverberate through her entire body like an earthquake.
The song ended and there was a short lull in the driving music.

"Twi- Twilight," said Luna with slight difficulty. "I can see the others over there."

She pointed vaguely towards the front. Twilight's mind sluggishly processed this information, and once it had they pushed their way up to the front.

"How are you feeling?" asked Twilight.

In truth, Luna's mind was fogged up in a warm alcoholic haze, her vision sometimes blurred a bit, forming coherent sentences became increasingly difficult, and she had all but lost the feeling in her hooves.

"WE ARE GREAT!" she shouted, bordering on dissolving into the Royal Canterlot Voice. "YOU?"

Twilight was in the same boat as Luna, except her horn felt tingly for whatever reason.

"Heya!" shouted Rainbow when she saw them, waving them over. "You alright?"

"Very good," said Luna, who suddenly seemed fascinated with Twilight's mane, giving it a little flick.

"Everyponay!" came Vinyl's amplified voice, "are you ready for some pony rock?"

A resounding cheer echoed off the walls of the club.

"Let's go, Neon!"

The beat started, the dancing began, the eclectic electric sound booming through the hot and sticky air like a knife through warm butter.

"Aawww yeah!" yelled Vinyl behind a turntable, jumping and hoof pumping with the crowd.

"Scratch and Neon's in the club tonight!
Oh yeah we're gonna have a good time!
So grab some pony don't be shy!
It's our job to make you feel alright!
Now let's raise the roof, tonight's the night!
We're gonna party till the morning's light!
The house is hot, the beat is tight!
We just wanna see ya...
SHAKE IT!"

As one, every pony in the club jumped up and down to the rhythm. Drawn together by some unseen force, and aided by a tactical push from Rarity, Twilight and Luna danced, exchanging some very friendly contact each other. As they rubbed against one another in the cramped conditions, both ponies felt the heat rising, both around them and inside their bodies. Both were thinking less with their head on their shoulders in their mutual intoxication of both alcohol and... something more.

Oh my, thought a hazy Luna. Her fur feels quite nice- did she just touch my flank? Her eyes look so very pretty.

Twilight gave her a smoky look, biting her lower lip, making the blue alicorn's heart flutter, both ponies picked up the pace of their dancing. The music continued:

"The name's Neon Lights and I wanna see ya shake it,
I'm the host of this party and I'm glad you could make it!
I've the music that booms, now show me what you got,
Now do your thing girls and flaunt that plot!"

There came a wave of high pitched squeals from the females in the audience.

"On the dance floor is where we're livin',
You keep movin' to the beat and the beat we'll keep deliverin',
Now that's a promise we're gonna commit,
Hey Vinyl Scratch, spin that sh-"
"Ayo what's up, I'm the other half of this duo,
Got my bass cannon set to max, it's gonna blow!
It's pony rock, so get them tails a-bouncin',
And get them hooves up in the air cause we are announcing, it is!
Scratch and Neon's in the club tonight..."

"Do it!" hissed Rarity in Twilight's ear. "Go on! Kiss her!"

"We just wanna see ya...
SHAKE IT!"

With a lurch of the stomach, Twilight steeled herself and leaned closer to Luna, nuzzling her neck. The alicorn, getting the message, gave Twilight an immobilising, smouldering look. The bookish unicorn grinned sheepishly, placing a hoof gently on Luna's neck and stroking it, leaning closer. The rising heat, that had been accumulating not just for that evening, but for the last few months that Twilight and Luna had met one another had caused time to boil to a point for them both. Their lips were mere inches apart, both were revelling in the unspoken desire that had finally bubbled to the surface in their inebriation. They closed their eyes...

"EVERY DAY I'M PARTYING!"

"Pinkie?!" they both said, the mood shattering like glass all around them, the shards reflected in the hopeful, sparkly look in Fluttershy's and Rarity's eyes that swiftly melted to disappointment.
They all looked up to the stage, to see Pinkie sharing Vinyl's microphone, looking totally at home in front of the large crowd of ponies, and of course, she started singing, as if there was ever any doubt.

"Put the lights on me. It's time for the only true party pony!
The name's Pinkie Pie and I know you all missed me,
But hey, wait! There's room for three!

"Let's get some balloons! The pretty ones!
Let's turn up the bass! Getting louder now!
Gummy's here with me! He's rocking out!
Now it's a party! With thanks to me!"

"Oh Pinkie Pie," said Applejack, "ah hope she never changes."

"Get up, get down, put your hooves up to the sound..."

Twilight gave Luna a cocky grin and took hold of her hooves, raising them to the air.

"Jump up, stomp down, everypony hit the ground..."

Their dancing built up steam again, all but forgetting Pinkie's interruption. Twilight looked at Luna to see that her eyes were alight with happiness, pleasure burning in their depths, and Twilight knew that she didn't want to be anywhere else right now. She smiled at Luna, and she smiled in return, causing Twilight to smile wider, until eventually the two ponies were laughing together. Everything around them faded from their minds, their surroundings didn't matter right now, the music seemed to die out into a deafening silence as all faded to black, and it was just Twilight and Luna, together.

"Twilight, I-"

Her words were muffled by a gentle touch of a hoof.

"I know," she whispered through half lidded eyes.

They threw themselves into a furious hug, burying their faces in one another's mane, smelling a strange mixture of shampoo and sweat.

There came a loud rushing sound as reality came mercilessly crashing upon them as the ground rushed up to meet them. They had lost their balance in their embrace.

"Uh, maybe you've had enough to drink?" said Applejack, looming over them and helping them up.

"Hmmmm, may-maybeh," said Twilight.

"Good night everypony!" said Vinyl from the stage.

"Huh? Is that all?" asked Luna. "WE DEMAND MORE!"

"More! More! More!" called the crowd, following Luna's hollering. Alas, Vinyl Scratch never did encores.

"A pity. What time is it?"

"It's midnight," said Fluttershy.

"Surely not!?" exclaimed Luna.

"Oh my, th-that went fast," hiccoughed Twilight, swaying on her hooves. "Mmm, perhaps we better get back to the Castle?" And in full view of her friends, she winked unashamedly at Luna, causing the alicorn to blush.

"Yes, well..." began Applejack.

"Hey guys!" chirped Pinkie Pie, bouncing up to them, providing a convenient distraction.

"Pinkie, how were you able to just walk up there and start singing?" asked Rainbow Dash, who was totally not jealous.

"I'm the party pony," she said simply.

"What does that even mean?" said Rainbow incredulously.

"It means what I say, and I say what I mean."

"Huh."

"I'm hungry, can we get food?" asked the pink pony.

"Now that you mention it, I do feel quite hungry," said Fluttershy.

"To the pizza parlour!" squealed Pinkie Pie.