Chapter 6: Decisions, Decisions
"Unbelievable," said Angel, restlessly tapping his foot. "Fifteen minutes and still no sign of Opalescence. Whose bright idea was it to invite The Reigning Queen of High Maintenance, again?"
He quickly turned his sights to Winona, shooting her a dirty look. "Oh, right, it was yours."
"Well, we can't just leave without her," Winona protested.
"Says who?" Angel asked. "Maybe YOU don't mind waiting till the crack of dawn for that cat to get ready, but I do. And I'm sure I'm not the only one."
"I don't mind," Tank said shyly.
"Well, of course YOU don't! You're her 'favorite tortoise'!" said Angel, singing the last two words in a mocking falsetto.
"Actually, I don't mind either," said Owlowiscious. "In fact, I rather appreciate having a bit of time to quietly reflect on the day."
"Seriously?!" cried Angel. "You, too?!... Gummy, back me up on this one. You want to blow this joint just as much as I do, don't you?"
Angel stared at Gummy, waiting expectantly for some sort of response. To his disappointment, Gummy just silently stared back at him, his face just as empty and unwavering as it always had been.
"You guys friggin' suck," grumbled Angel, folding his arms and pouting.
"All done!" chirped a freshly groomed Opal, gracefully bounding through the cat door. Her fangs and claws were all shined so vigorously that they practically sparkled, her fur was neatly brushed into place, and her favorite fuchsia bow rested comfortably above her head.
"Took you long enough," Angel muttered under his breath.
"Aw, buck up, Angel," said Tank, taking note of his grumpy expression. "The night's still young, after all. And now that Opal's all ready, we can start... uh... we can start to...um... hmm..."
"Is somethin' wrong?" asked Winona.
"I just realized, I don't know what we're doing right now. Where do you guys think we should go?"
"I just assumed that we'd be going to the park again," Owlowiscious said with a shrug.
"The park? You gotta be kiddin' me, sugar," said Winona.
"Why, what's wrong with the park?" asked Tank.
"What's wrong is that the ponies always take us there," explained Winona. "You wanna blow this night doin' what we're gonna be doin' next week anyway? Ah know ah don't!"
She reared back and gave the ground a thorough pounding with her forelegs. "This here night belongs to US, sugar! Tonight we can go anywhere we want, and ain't nobody gonna tell us we can't!"
She punctuated her statement with a resounding, "WOO-EEE!", followed by a backflip. She stuck a perfect landing, planting her four feet firmly on the ground, and stared at her five friends with a maniacal grin and a lustful look in her eyes. The rest of the gang just stared at her in utter disbelief.
"Now where do y'all wanna go?" she asked, her voice taking the form of a deep, guttural tremolo.
"Hey, uh, Winona?" Angel asked nervously. "Why don't you ask that question again, only this time in a way that doesn't make me wet myself in fear?"
Winona let out a sheepish chuckle as the vigor in her eyes evaporated. "Sorry 'bout that, sugar. Guess I got a lil' carried away."
After taking a moment to regain her composure, she posed the question a second time. "Now where do y'all wanna go?"
"Why don't we go to the spa?" suggested Opal.
"The spa?!" barked Angel. "You just gave yourself a full- body makeover a minute ago!"
"Well, yes," said Opal, "but what about the rest of you? You all look like you could use a massage or two, to be perfectly honest."
"Oh, heavens, no, not for me," said Owlowiscious with a shudder. "Believe me, a night of having two strangers rub their hooves all over me is not my idea of a good time. Besides, the spa's probably closed by now."
"What about Sugarcube Corner?" asked Tank. "I mean, I could definitely go for a milkshake about now. That place MUST still be open, right?"
Gummy shook his head.
"Oh, right, I forgot. It closes early on sundays."
"The bowling alley, maybe?" asked Owlowiscious. "Mistress Twilight hasn't taken me there in a while."
"Bowlin' alley's only open 'till six," Winona said forlornly.
"For Celestia's sake, is EVERYTHING closed?!" cried Angel. "You know, it's just our luck that we have to live in some tired-ass middle of nowhere town like Ponyville. Why can't we live in a place that's still alive when the clock strikes seven? A place that doesn't... that doesn't sleep?"
Suddenly, Winona's eyes shot open in surprise. "Angel, say that again!"
"What, that Ponyville is a tired-ass town?"
"No, no, no, after that!"
"You mean that I wish we lived in a city that doesn't-"
"That doesn't sleep!" Winona exclaimed. "There's our answer right there, fellas!"
Tank eyed her confusedly. "Wait, what's our answer?"
"Don't you get it? Everyone in this one-horse town has retired for the evening. So if we wanna have a good time, there's only one place left that we can turn to. An' that place is the city that never sleeps; MANEHATTAN!"