Lynne’s Story – Part II
I picked up Ruby-- he felt as light as a bag of apples-- and thrust him atop my shoulders. The foal let out a nervous cry that quickly turned into a happy cry as I bounced about. He didn't really know what I was doing. I didn't either.
I babbled on and on in my diary that day-- and I might as well read it out again now, "When something sweet comes into your life, it gives you that special, warm feeling inside. It lifts your day a little higher. It lets you see everything in a brighter light. I could go on and on with the blasted cliches. That's how you normally feel. But when you've been kicked down to the point that you don't even know how you'll wake up in the morning, things change."
When that something sweet came into my life at that moment, I grabbed it tighter and closer than my own shirt. And I didn't let go. I'd never dream of letting it go.
Anyways, I sped away from the lamppost down along Vine Street. Goodness knows the hoodlums I passed as I went along dark corner after dark corner. I halted-- almost smacking into a brick wall. Ruby bounced up atop my head. I leaned back and let him slide a little bit down my back.
"Uh, sir..." he stammered. I leaned back to see him face to face. I could see from his pained expression that quick thinking and dealing with new situations was far from his strong suit.
"Not 'sir', 'Lynne'!" I hollered, and I gently placed him down on the concrete in front of me. I glanced upwards at the magically glowing sign. My eyes traced around the little blank spot that used have a huge icon of an elegant red unicorn-- always reminding me so much of Rarity-- kicked back seductively. I read aloud, "Juneberry's Place."
"Sir, uh... Lynne, sir," Ruby muttered, and he touched his front hooves together. He had to instinctively think of me as a father figure... since he didn't scream out for help. "Why... Why did you just coltnap me?"
"What?" I spat out, and I giggled a bit. He relaxed pretty quickly as well-- that furrowed brow going back to his sugary innocent face. Oh, goodness, how am I going to get out of this? "This isn't coltnapping... It's just... just..." I struggled to find a euphemism for grabbing a foal against their will and taking them somewhere else. "Just... touring. That's it. Touring."
"Sir, I... I don't know you," Ruby replied. He leaned forward and deepened his voice at those last words-- as if the fact that I didn't know him would be news to me.
Well, I can tell that you aren't the sharpest knife in the drawer... I rattled words off like an auctioneer. "My name is Lynne Sweet. I'm from 221 East Side Avenue in Ponyville. My birthday is August 22nd. I have one hundred and thirty bits in my bank account. I work-- used to work-- at that construction site on Vine Street. I'm part of the 'Three Lovers' singing group. My favorite color is pink. There." I took a breath. "You know me now. Happy?"
"I... I guess," he muttered, and then he bounced off of the concrete slab onto the gravely road.
"Look, please, just..." I said, holding my hooves up in the air to make a pretend wall keeping him in place, "Wait a moment." I stepped over and pointed at the tiny entrance right beside us. Smoke poured out of the slightly ajar door.
"We're not going in there, are we?" he whined, and his lip quivered while his eyes slightly watered. He seemed to take to me like a parent or an older brother immediately.
"Look, you don't have to do anything! Anything at all! I just need to show you to Juneberry, and then we get started on our new singing group," I remarked. The foal's ears perked at the magical word 'singing'. I paused, and then I went on. "Our official, our legit... Our licensed and performing singing group. You know, those... 'inter-age groups' always have the best sound. Those alternating vocal harmonies just sound so 'round' and so 'complete'." I had him hanging on my ever word. "So, I just know you're a natural for our group. It would be such a fantastic partnership. So many gigs, hopefully. So many girls--"
"GIRLS!" Ruby screamed. He jumped up and rattled his body upon the edges of my front hooves. "Girls! Girls!" He almost seemed to drool. "So... if I sing, play for real... In a REAL group, finally..." He looked up at me with those precious orange eyes-- eyes that could tame an ursula minor. "Girls will... like me?" He squeaked those last words like a bike horn.
I took a gulp. "Yeah, sure..." I replied. Was it a lie? I told myself it wasn't. I thought to myself that if I believed it to be true and I tried my hardest... It would become true. I believed in this colt.
And he believed in me. We stepped out into the ugly wall of smoke. Another solid wall of noise and commotion flew into our senses inside Juneberry's club. Ruby immediately grabbed my side again, and I instinctively plopped him back on my back
He glanced to our left at the wall of booth after booth-- filled with ponies drinking themselves stupid. He gawked to our right at a set of curtain covered cubicles. The closest one was left wide open. Ruby's eyes widened as he traced up a set of soft, slender legs connected to the body of a frilly pink unicorn-- and the young yellow stallion pressed against her chest.
I looked over as well. I eyed the stallion locking lips upon her quivering body and then pulling himself back-- a saliva trail dripping out onto her frizzy red mane. What can I say, I was a stallion and I had hormones. But I didn't gawk for long when I heard Ruby's hooves pitter-pattering upon my head. Hearing the well-overworked unicorn cough violently into her customer's face also helped bring me out of the mood. I took a deep breath, and then I made a left.
I trotted down besides the drunks towards the stairs. I paused after I put my hoof upon the first step. That repulsive 'hoof-step' music waded down from the upstairs. Ruby and I scrunched our face at what felt like a skunk emptying himself at us. I took a gulp, and then I forced myself towards the mindless electronic garbling.
"WHAT! Oh, seriously, is it going to be, this time," muttered a familiar looking mule at the corridor entrance. He stopped, shrugged at me, and then he flew open the door.
Ruby and I walked into the office. I slinked the foal down onto the cold, hard wood. He looked terrified. I felt halfway there.
My eyes darted about. They moved across the wall of weapons over to my right. They then danced across the other wall and it's layer of solied cabinet after soiled cabinet filled with... Celestia knows what. Ruby and I coughed at the noxious smoke flying about all around.
We looked out at the corner of the room. We heard a couple small snorts and a little petite coughing as well. Somepony clicked the ceiling fan on, and the air in front of us cleared up. Ruby and I stared at the scene.