Are You Ready?

by Dirty Bit

Chapter 7

It was exhausting. He crossed the sea of ponies and has seen neither hide nor hair of Fluttershy at all. A smart idea would be to let him come to her, seeing as how attached she was to him, and decided to stand in one spot motionless while everypony around him mingled about. A few minutes had passed and he felt like an idiot just wasting his time standing in one spot in the middle of a crowd like some kind of cheap statue. The doctor went to move until he heard a voice "Hey, Doc! Over here!" he turned to see a familiar rainbow colored pony standing with two of her other friends. Upon instinct, he trotted over to see Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity anticipating his arrival. Rainbow was the first to speak up "How are you enjoying the party so far? I'll bet you're having a good time!" Dr. Facilier could only look away and reply with a halfhearted response.

"Yeah, it's nice, I won't disagree.
So what is it that you want from me?"

Rainbow raised an eyebrow to how he acted "I just wanted to know how you were is all." Rarity then came forward, a look of excitement on her face "Excuse me, Dr. Facilier! I heard you ran into my little sister at Applejack's farm. She told me that you could read fortunes??" She asked as she showed an ecstatic expression on her face. Something told him she wanted to be told some good news and nothing else.

"Yeah, I do that, and other stuff.
Though, I can't be responsible if the results are rough..."

Rarity nodded in agreement "Yes, that's true, the future isn't always bright. Oh, but it's so nice to meet such a mystical pony who is also a gentlecolt!" She said as she looked at him "I may have sounded different when we first met, but when I look at you, I could find possible inspiration for a new design of clothing!" Applejack chuckled at Rarity's train of thought, then turned to Dr. Facilier "Ah'm rather skeptical about fortune-tellin', doc. How can ya'll be sure if yer predictions come true for other ponies?" He wanted nothing more than to prove her wrong right here and now, but he didn't have any tarot cards with him. Instead, he simply spoke his mind.

"Feel free to believe what you want, my girl,
but there were many predictions that I've unfurled."

Applejack gave a friendly scoff of disbelief and smiled at Dr. Facilier "Well, I guess I shouldn't doubt ya too much. Hay, Pinkie has her Pinkie sense, which is pretty much like tellin' the future." The Shadowcolt could only wonder about how Pinkie can be so random, yet at the same time intriguing in the most mysterious ways possible. He nodded to Applejack, and then was met with Rainbow Dash wanting to talk "Say, Doc, you've been hangin' out with Fluttershy for a long time, and you two seem pretty close. Are you two together?" This kind of question didn't matter to him in the slightest, seeing as how he thought of Fluttershy as a pawn and nothing more, although, he couldn't help but admire how dedicated she was to helping him. Back in Louisiana, he had to rely only on himself and the magic he borrowed from his friends on the other side to work his way up to the top. He shook his head at Rainbow Dash.

"We're only friends, that's all there is to it.
No need for assumptions, you may as well quit."

Rainbow Dash put her hoofs up, as if accused "No need to get like that, it's just that she seems to like you a lot is all. I wouldn't mind if you actually WERE together, I mean, look at me and AJ over here!" Rainbow Dash and Applejack placed a hoof around their shoulders and smiled at each other, leaving the doctor to stare dumbfounded and somewhat irked at the sight of those two together. He wondered what they do in-NO! He blocked it out the moment he thought of it. Dr. Facilier might be a villain, but even HE had standards. He merely tipped his hat to the three as he went to go find Fluttershy.

"Y'all have been kind, it's been fun to talk,
But I gotta find Fluttershy, I have to walk.

Rainbow Dash grinned mischievously at him "Yeah, because you two are 'friends~'..." she said in a mocking tone as she then pointed him to her with her free hoof "She's over in the corner talking to Big Macintosh!" It was good to know where she was, as he went to trot over, leaving Rainbow Dash to call out "Good luck~!" giving a wink, leaving the doctor to get annoyed at the gesture. After reaching her destination, he noticed the two talking, and then the one called Big Macintosh stared right at him. He was a large red stallion with a harness over his neck and half of a green apple as his cutie mark, assuming that this stallion was related to Applejack and Applebloom. Big Macintosh didn't say a single word since Dr. Facilier arrived, staring with a bored expression as a blade of wheat stuck out of his mouth, whereas Fluttershy noticed, flinching a little "Oh! H-Hello, Dr. Facilier! Are you enjoying yourself?" She asked, then shrunk back and looked away "I-I'm sorry, of course you are...This is Pinkie's party after all..." Pinkie could be found flying across the room with a helmet, yelling "No it isn't! Wooohooo~!!" there was a loud crash, causing Fluttershy and the doctor to wince at the sound. What was that pony doing? Dr. Facilier tried to ignore the random action as he turned to Fluttershy.

"Actually, I was lookin' for you.
I'm not really sure on what else to do."

Fluttershy quickly turned to the doctor, giving a faint blush at the thought of him searching for her "L-Looking for me? Wh-Why?" She was almost breathless, and the doctor sighed, wondering if what Rainbow Dash said was true. He enjoyed being adored by woman left and right, but he would never want to deal with being in a committed relationship with someone that liked him. All he wanted was money, mischief, and power. Dr. Facilier went to answer her question, but then the lights faded a little as a disco ball emerged from the center of the ceiling, spinning around. He was impressed at the display, but was then caught off-guard by a song that started playing. It sounded like nothing he ever heard before in his life, in fact it sounded horrible to him. It was nothing but beeps, boops, bumps, and wubs over and over, and everypony around him was found dancing to it with smiles on their faces, and even noticed Big Macintosh was dancing a little despite looking bored. He sneered at the music as he stood stock still at the abhorrent sight in front of him, and noticed Fluttershy looking concerned "Do you not like this kind of music, Dr. Facilier? I figured you would enjoy this piece." The doctor shook his head to her.

"This ain't my music, this ain't my jive.
Whoever made this shouldn't even be alive!"

Fluttershy shrunk back a bit at the mean response the doctor uttered "U-Um...this was a song made by Vinyl Scratch. She is a talented music pony who makes more songs like this." Even the name gave him more reason for hate. Vinyl Scratch? It's a crime to music in his case. The very thought of the atrocious cacophony of noises they called music was entertaining to them was maddening. He sighed as he trotted over and sat down on a chair on his haunches, looking like a depressed squid as he stared at the scene in front of him. Fluttershy looked sad at the fact that Dr. Facilier wasn't enjoying himself at the moment, and looked around, hoping Pinkie didn't catch him. She trotted over and sat next to the Shadowcolt "Umm, if it's not too much trouble, can I sit with you? P-Please?" She looked away, seeming embarrassed. The doctor looked up and gave a faint smile.

"I won't stop ya, come sit right here.
You don't seem like the dancin' type with your fear..."

Fluttershy hesitantly sat next to him and replied to his comment "Well, yes, it's true...I can't really bear everypony staring at me while I dance by myself." she cringed at the thought "I-It makes me nervous..." she shook a little, then flinched as she felt a hoof on her back. She turned to see Dr. Facilier give her a comforting smile, making her look away, but smiling a little "Th-Thank you, Dr. Facilier..." The doctor gave her back a good pat and went back to watching the dancing ponies.

While the song played, Pinkie noticed Fluttershy and the Shadowcolt sitting down and not dancing. She could only gasp in surprise as she sped on over and stopped in front of the two, making them jump "What are you two sillies doing? You shouldn't be sitting on your flanks like couch potatoes! You should be DANCING!" She said as she gave a comical dancing twirl, making the doctor groan.

"Sorry, Pinks, but this ain't my jam.
I'd dance to a different beat, if I can..."

Pinkie looked determined, and nodded as she gave a mock salute "Your wish is my command!" She said as she sped to the record player and switched the records. Everypony noticed it, some even groaning and jeering as it stopped, but when Pinkie changed the record, a new song played, and this one caused some ponies to murmur as the intro played out.

( For your listening pleasure...if you want to, that is... )

Dr. Facilier was tapping a hoof to the opening beat, and his ears perked up to the familiar sound of jazz instruments being used in a wonderful fashion. His eyes lit up with surprise and slowly growing determination as he looked for a vacant spot on the dance floor. When he found a spot ripe for picking, he quickly leapt off his chair and got himself situated for dancing to this new jazzy beat that had been produced. Everypony turned to see the Shadowcolt as he began breaking out some pretty good dance moves, some even better than his little demo he performed back at Sweet Apple Acres. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and their other friends watched in awe as he danced like there was no tomorrow. The doctor danced with his eyes closed, a smug smile on his face with each move he made. When the song was halfway finished, he looked around and spotted Fluttershy staring at him, smiling as an idea crafted into his head. He danced his way over to Fluttershy and used a free hoof to wave Fluttershy over to him, wanting her to come over to him. Fluttershy's eyes widened in shock as she pointed to herself, looking nervous, with Dr. Facilier nodding in response. Fluttershy noticed some ponies began looking at her, and she began to cringe and shake "B-B-B-B-But-but-but..." Rainbow Dash groaned behind her "Just go already!" She shoved Fluttershy onto the dance floor, earning a glare from Applejack, and defended herself "What? It had to be done! You know those two belong together!"

Tension was rising with poor Fluttershy as she stood stock still next to the dancing doctor, shifting her eyes to see expectant ponies left and right and whimpering cutely. The Shadowcolt saw this and decided to take matters into his own hooves as he shimmied near the timid pegasus and whispered in her ear.

"Follow my lead, girl, I got your tail...
With me at your side, you will not fail."

Fluttershy flinched as she heard those last words. Could this stallion really care for her? Not wasting a moment of the doctor's time, she hesitantly began to move her legs to the beat, paling horribly in comparison to Dr. Facilier's mad skills. She turned to see the doctor nodding in approval, and figured she should try more as she added more oomph to her dance moves for his sake. She began to smile as she felt a surge of excitement from dancing as her moves began to appear more graceful and appealing to the audience around her. She was able to ignore everypony around her as she looked at Dr. Facilier, who was grinning at her successful dancing. She could only grin back gratefully as the two danced side-by-side to the rest of the song. When the song ended, the two struck a good duet pose as everypony cheered and stomped their hooves in applause. Normally, this would cause Fluttershy to shrink into her mane at the magnitude of the noise and the amount of people producing it, but that didn't matter as she looked into the charming doctor's eyes as he grinned at her. She felt like she was walking on sunshine when staring at him, yet she was unaware it wasn't being returned in kind. Dr. Facilier was happy to feel that he had probably earned Fluttershy's unquestioning trust, and could not wait to exploit it at the right times if necessary. As the two stared, Pinkie was at the record player "Okie Dokie Loki! Time for another song change! It's a good thing I found this one!" She said as she switched the records, the new song starting up.

...He couldn't believe it...

It played...that very song played again...those drums...those piano keys...those voices provoking more paranoia in his ears. Upon hearing this song, his charming grin left in a flash as he stood still, his eyes widening and twitching as the song progressed. Fluttershy, along with the rest of the ponies watched in confusion, murmuring at the scene in front of them. The timid mare was the first to look worried as she trotted over to the doctor "Dr. Facilier?? Wh-What's wrong? Did something scare you??" The Shadowcolt couldn't hear the mare over the beat that was being produced. And if that wasn't bad enough, it even had those words going through his head like hammered nails:

ARE YOU READY~!?

It was awful. He was reliving his most recent defeat with those words repeating.

ARE YOU READY~!?

He couldn't take it anymore, as he raised both forelegs to his temples as he gritted his teeth "GET OUT OF MY HEAD! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!" Not even realizing he didn't rhyme for the first time, he pushed a group of ponies around him out of his way as he found the exit and galloped. Fluttershy saw this and galloped after him "Dr. Facilier! Wait!!" Twilight felt concerned herself as she turned to her friends "C'mon, girls!" Twilight and the rest of her friends followed Fluttershy out the door, wanting to help her as well.

When he ran outside, he went as far as the nearest oak tree and placed a hoof on the bark, hyperventilating and sweating profusely as his mane and tail became more whacy, frazzled, and disheveled like before. He stared down at the ground as each bead of sweat poured like rain onto the grass. When he was sure the song was out of earshot, he looked up to the pale moon, sitting on his haunches as he tried to calm himself down. It was as if they planned this all along. His so-called 'friends' were tormenting him still, just in a more colorful and creative way. It was no surprise that almost everything in this world was enough to drive a human being to insanity after a good period of time, but he already went through a period of that before this. With one last deep breath, he sighed as he looked down, his tophat looking to almost fall off of his head, then flinched as he heard a faint voice "Dr. Facilier!" He looked up, and thought he was hallucinating when he saw Fluttershy galloping to her in the distance with a look of worry on her face. He went to place his head back down until she heard her call again "Dr. Facilier!" He looked again, and could've sworn he saw some tears streaming from her eyes. Did someone in this world honestly feel that much for the Shadowcolt?

When Fluttershy and her friends reached him, Fluttershy knelt down in front of the doctor, placing a gentle hoof to his head "Dr. Facilier! Are you alright? What happened?" she sniffled a little as she wiped tears from her eyes with a free hoof. The Shadowcolt noticed that everypony behind her looked at him with the same expression of worry and concern, even Pinkie, who he could've sworn looked darker and having a mane that lost all of it's puffiness. Was this some kind of trick? Was this all being staged? He was about to say yes, until it happened.

Fluttershy quickly hugged Dr. Facilier, despite how much he was sweating, and began sobbing lightly "I-If it was my fault, I'm sorry!" she continued crying in his chest. He couldn't believe his eyes, and then turned to see Pinkie stepping up "I picked that song thinking you would dance to it. I didn't mean to make you go all crazy..." her lower lip quivered. Twilight was next to come up "We didn't expect you to act like that around that song...even though none of us ever heard it before, for some odd reason. I hope we didn't cause you any problems." This just keeps getting more surprising. Every little pony in front of him showed him sympathy, guilt, and concern all at once, and did not even give off any wicked vibes at all. Was he wrong about this place? He did manage to learn a new trick, and was more than happy to have mastered it. And if that wasn't enough, he had the one mare in front of him, caring so much for the Shadowcolt that she was even crying in his chest.

...Perhaps this was a second chance for him...

He slowly raised a hoof, and then began caressing Fluttershy's long flowing mane with it, causing her to look up with tear-stained eyes. Dr. Facilier looked back at her with a comforting smile, and uttered some words.

"I'm okay now, no need to cry...
Thank ya for findin' me, Fluttershy.
That song just brought back bad memories of mine.
It triggered my brain, and I went out o' line..."

The doctor looked to the other ponies, who wondered what he was gonna say next.

"Thank y'all kindly for havin' me here...
I think I'd consider you my friends, all dear.
Jus' lemme catch my breath, and head back inside.
I'll be right with ya, with moves I haven't tried..."

Everypony began to smile at his words, Pinkie's mood slowly becoming better as she grew a little brighter, except for Fluttershy. She said "N-No..." causing everypony to stare at her in confusion. She wiped her eyes as she then looked at Dr. Facilier "I...I-I wanna stay out here, with you...to wait with you..." she said as she slowly began to smile "I wanna wait for you to get your energy, so that we might dance together again..." she then blushed "I-If that's alright with you, I mean..." The doctor chuckled as he weakly patted her head. Fluttershy's friends were moved by the scene, Rarity even shedding a tear at the romantic overtones of what happened just now, and they each made their way back to Sugarcube Corner, though they galloped a good distance away, leaving Fluttershy and the Shadowcolt laying under the tree, watching the moon as they smiled.

'I'm not actually FEELIN' this way, am I?'