//------------------------------// // Ch. 12: "Date Night" // Story: The Dawn of a bright, new life. // by Hallowedsoul //------------------------------// Chapter Twelve “Date Night” Saturday couldn’t come fast enough, and I was nervous the entire time. I mean, I’ve been on dates before, but not with someone I actually cared about. But despite my anxiety, I went about my day as though nothing was wrong, though the girls, all of them save for Twilight, kept trying to reassure me that everything would go perfectly and that the two of us would have a great time. They must’ve been pestering Twilight as well, because she showed up at my place around noon with an irritated look on her face which vanished once she saw me. We had a nice lunch and vented our frustration regarding the way the girls were bugging us. We both eventually decided to send all of them a text message. From: Leon and Twilight Girls. Please leave us alone. Thank you. Once that was done, we both shut our phones off and enjoyed each other’s company in the silence. It was during this time I discovered that Twilight was as sensitive to my touch as I was hers, which despite being strange was not unpleasant. Eventually, Saturday dawned and I spent most of the day at the boutique as Rarity made some last minute adjustments I’d requested for my outfit. Nothing that would alter the appearance of the outfit, just some small things that would make me feel better (I’ll admit, I felt bad about making the fashionista so uncomfortable, but she understood where my request was coming from and complied). As evening approached, I was waiting outside the boutique for Twilight to get ready. Several ponies walked by during that time and all of them had some kind of reaction to my outfit (Roll the score, Nica, I know you’ve been counting. ‘Thirteen double takes, ten tumbles, five propositions and one happily passed out Lyra. Gotta say, Leon, that mare really cracks me up some times.’). Anyway, my musings were interrupted by someone taking my arm and drawing in close. When I looked, I saw it was Twilight and she was giving me an expectant smile. She was still as beautiful in her dress as when I’d first seen her the other day. “Are you ready, Twilight? Vinyl wanted us there a little early, before her show starts.” I asked her, to which she nodded. Without another word, we began to walk toward our destination. The place Vinyl was performing at was a new club called “Aurora Hall” that had just been renovated and had hired her to play for their grand opening. As we approached, we could see a horde of ponies standing in line, all waiting to be allowed in. Twilight was at first concerned that we’d have to wait, but I merely chuckled and led her to the front while the other ponies were unsure whether to protest us trying to get ahead of them or stare at us as we passed. As we walked up to the front, we saw a rather imposing stallion standing guard in front of the door, wearing a simple black shirt that said “Security” in big, yellow letters and a pair of jeans, with what appeared to be rather heavy boots on his hooves. We stopped just as he attempted to block us from entering, then he realized we were waiting to speak to him. He gave a cough and consulted a clipboard in his hand. “State your business or move to the back; the club will be opening in half an hour.” He stated flatly. “Leon and Twilight Sparkle, two for ‘Friends of DJ-Pon3’.” I responded, reciting the message I’d gotten earlier from Vinyl. There was an immediate wave of murmuring from the crowd, most in disbelief that we even knew the famous DJ, let alone were her friends. “Password?” He asked, again in a flat voice. “Vicious.” I replied, which caused him to check his clipboard quickly, before nodding and giving us a small smile. “Go on in, sir and ma’am; the DJ is expecting you.” He said, tapping the door twice, which opened and allowed us to enter. I patted the door guard on the shoulder as I passed. “Stay frosty, bud. The night will end eventually.” I said reassuringly, which caused him to respond with a weary smile and nod. As we were walking away, I heard somepony attempt to get in the same way, but was turned away the second they’d tried using my password, reason being was that Vinyl chose it for my use only. We were stopped at a counter at the end of the lobby being run by a cute fox-girl, wearing an outfit like what you’d find on a casino employee, who looked at us with bright eyes and a big smile. “Hello, welcome to Aurora Hall!” She chirped excitedly, in what I thought was a mild accent that I couldn’t place “May I take your coat and hat, sir?” “The coat, yes. The hat, no; it’s part of my outfit, darling, no offense to you.” I said, as I handed my coat over to her. “It is no problem, sir, please enjoy your evening!” She chirped again, her smile never losing strength. I stopped her as she turned away to hang my coat up and she looked at me with a curious expression on her face. “I don’t mean to take up your time, miss, but I’m rather new in town and I haven’t seen any of your, and I deeply apologize if I offend you, kind around before and I was wondering if you could tell me where you come from.” I asked her, a gentle smile on my face. She looked at me extremely surprised, before giving me a more genuine smile than before and nodding. “Of course, sir-” “Call me Leon, please. I hear ‘sir’, I end up looking over my shoulder expecting to see my father standing behind me.” I said, extending my hand towards the fox-girl. She seemed even more surprised by this, but shook my hand nonetheless and I noticed that there were no shivers at her touch. “Of course… Leon. My name is Sakura; I’m an Inari Fox from far to the east.” She replied, her accent becoming a little thicker, but she seemed to have a perfect grasp on English (or would it be Equestrian here? Damn, I knew I’d forgotten something in all the excitement.) “We are not usually seen outside of our homeland, but a few of us do venture out into the world. I, myself, was living in Fillydelphia when the manager of this club found me. You’ll see more of us in there, though, and not just ponies or foxes; there are wolves, some small dragons and several of the bouncers are minotaurs!” I was genuinely surprised. From what I’ve seen, most of the establishments in town were run almost exclusively by ponies and they generally disapproved of different races; even I got disgusted looks from certain ponies when I walked through town. “That’s impressive, Sakura. I’m guessing this isn’t a normal thing, is it?” I asked her, to which she shook her head sadly. “No, it’s not, Leon-san.” Sakura replied, and I blushed when she added the extra bit onto my name that confirmed that the Inari were not unlike the Japanese (and my blush wasn’t helped when Twilight giggled). “I was barely making enough to live before Spectra-sama found me.” She said sorrowfully, but her eyes brightened at the mention of her boss “He saw the miserable state I was in and said I shouldn’t have to live any less than I deserved. He offered me this job and said it would pay more and that the work environment would be leagues better, also promising to provide for whatever I needed until we were open and I could stand on my own legs again. I wasn’t sure if I could trust him, but he was so nice and I could tell he was very concerned for me, plus I hated my last job; the ponies always treated me like I was a… lesser creature. So I took his offer and moved out here to await Aurora Hall’s completion and just like he said, he made sure I was comfortable throughout.” My heart went out to this poor girl, but my spirits were uplifted to hear that somepony had felt the same way and granted her a measure of mercy. I pulled out my wallet and held a one hundred bit note out to her (Oh yeah, they totally have those, it’s awesome). She gave a small squeak and shook her head quickly. “Oh no, I’m not allowed to take tips, s- I mean, Leon-san. But thank you all the same.” She said quickly, with an embarrassed smile, but I took her hand and put the note in it. “This isn’t a tip, Sakura; this is a gift between friends, because friends watch out for each other.” I replied with a warm smile “We are friends, aren’t we?” She looked between me and the money, her eyes glistening like she was going to cry. She glanced around hesitantly before walking out from behind the counter and approaching me. She was pretty short, around Terra’s height. “I’m not supposed to do this while I’m on shift, but…” She said, before latching onto me in a fierce hug “Thank you, Leon-sama. You are the second individual who has shown tremendous kindness to me, and I won’t forget this.” She broke the embrace and turned back to the counter, grabbing a piece of paper and pencil and then writing something down. It was her phone number. I tore a blank piece off and asked for the pencil, which she gave me, and I wrote my own number down on it which I handed to her. “I’ll see you around, Sakura. Give me a call if you need anything.” I said as she went back behind the counter. “Same to you, Leon-sama. I hope you and your marefriend enjoy yourselves tonight.” She replied with a warm smile and a bow. I chuckled and turned to see a blushing Twilight (I guess she’s still getting used to it). I extended my arm to her and she took it, but just as we were about to go through the doors, they swung open and a unicorn stallion looked around before his eyes fell on us and he grinned. His coat was something like a bluish-gray color and he had a spiky black mane and tail, with a pair of black sunglasses perched on his head above his startlingly blue eyes (Aw, lucky bastard, I want eyes like that!). His attire consisted of a black, short-sleeved shirt with a white undershirt and a white tie around the collar. On his legs were a pair of black jeans and a white belt holding it up, with a pair of black and white sneakers on his hooves. He looked really cool, by the way. “Hey, you must be Vinyl’s new friend.” He said, then turned his attention to Twilight “And you must be his date. I’ll admit; Vinyl wasn’t kidding when she said you two would be the hottest couple in the club tonight.” Twilight and I both blushed, but I extended my hand to the unicorn with a friendly smile. “Hi, my name is Leon, and this is Twilight Sparkle-” I began, but the second I said Twilight’s name, his jaw dropped. “Dude, you hooked up with a bucking Element of Harmony?!” He exclaimed in shock “And Princess Celestia’s personal student, no less, nice work! Wow, I’d heard the Elements were all smokin’ hot mares, but I had no idea they looked like her!” But then he saw my hand was still extended towards him and he shook it firmly “Oh, right. Name’s Neon Lights, I’m one of Vinyl’s other friends and to my great sadness, no longer the coolest pony in the room.” “Doesn’t that title belong to Vinyl Scratch?” I said with a laugh, and he laughed back. “Nah, man, she lays claim to being ‘the single most awesome pony in the room’.” He replied with a chuckle. I decided right then that I liked this guy, he was a lot like Vinyl. “Neon!” Vinyl’s voice boomed from unseen speakers “I thought I told ya to get their slow flanks in here, not chat ‘em up and make ‘em go even slower! The club’s gonna open soon and I wanna talk to all my friends while I still have the time!” “Oh, whoops. I nearly forgot.” Neon said, glancing back quickly before motioning for us to follow him. As he led us into the club proper (the interior was incredible; the ceiling, walls and floor all shimmered and glowed with light, flowing steadily from one color to another. For reference, imagine standing smack dab in the middle of an Aurora Borealis) Twilight leaned in close and whispered into my ear. “That was a very nice thing you did for Sakura, Leon. You’re a great friend, you know.” She said. “Aw, shucks, Twilight. You’re making me blush.” I replied with a chuckle and she giggled, but then her face grew solemn. “I don’t think I like Neon, though. He talked about the girls and I like we were objects to possess.” She said, her lips pressed in a thin line, but I just chuckled. “He’s a DJ, Twilight; they talk to everyone like that. Hell, the first day I met Vinyl she threw a coin at me like I was a stripper or something. I still have it, too.” I replied, but gave her hand a gentle squeeze “Don’t worry; he’s a nicer guy than you give him credit for. Vinyl wouldn’t be friends with a stallion who’s only looking for the next mare to mount.” “And what makes you think I won’t find a way to seduce your marefriend tonight, Leon?” Neon called over his shoulder, a stupid grin plastered on his face. “Because I’ll drown you in a water bubble you won’t be able to remove from your head if you made such an attempt.” I replied and the three of us laughed. Hey Nica, you’re being awfully quiet tonight; I thought for sure you’d have something to say by now. ‘I’m sorry; the number you are dialing is temporarily unavailable until such time as you are not on a freakin’ date, Leon!’ She retorted, her voice strangely full of static, probably just for effect ‘Seriously, forget about the little voices in your head for one night and focus on your marefriend. I’ll still be here when you wake up tomorrow.’ We walked out onto a huge dance floor, with tables and booths on either side of it, with a DJ booth and stage at one end, where Vinyl was fiddling with her equipment, and a large circular bar at the other end, where a bunch of foxes, wolves and ponies ran to and fro making sure they were stocked with everything they needed. Of course, they paused what they were doing to stare at Twilight and I as we passed into their field of vision, with one wolf giving out a whistle of appreciation for Twilight and whom I silenced by giving him a stern glare. I looked around and saw that there were indeed several minotaurs standing at strategic points of the club, glaring at everything they could see, along with a bunch of tough-looking earth ponies and unicorns (not all of whom were stallions; I saw some lean mares that looked like they could take somepony’s ass to the dirt if they so much as glanced at them wrong). All of them were wearing the same get-up as the guy at the door; they even had matching ear-pieces. Neon led us to one particular section, with several comfortable looking couches and small tables. It was roped off, with a sign that said “VIP Only” on it. Seated on one of the couches was Octavia, who was wearing a stunning black gown that glittered whenever she moved and black slippers on her hooves. Instead of her usual pink bowtie, she was wearing a pink flower in her mane. She looked up as we approached and her mouth opened in a surprised “o”, but it swiftly turned into a smile and she walked over to greet me. “Leon, it’s a pleasure to see you again!” She said as we hugged each other lightly “Vinyl told me you were coming, with a date no less, and I was curious as to who it would be. I never expected you’d have Twilight Sparkle on your arm, looking absolutely beautiful, if I do say so myself!” “Oh, um… thank you, that’s a very kind thing to say, miss…?” Twilight said, and Octavia gave an embarrassed cough and smiled at her. “My deepest apologies, my name is Octavia; I was performing at the Grand Galloping Gala when…” She replied, but then her smile became strained. Twilight stood ramrod straight, her horrified face turning pale. “Oh no… you were playing the cello when…” Twilight began, but Octavia finished for her. “When Pinkie Pie and your friends… ‘crashed the party’, so to speak.” Octavia said her smile still a little forced “I was actually rather amused when that happened but if it’s at all possible, could you tell Pinkie not to interrupt me when I’m playing next time?” “Yes, of course, Octavia.” Twilight replied, with an embarrassed smile. We decided to sit down and wait for Vinyl to finish whatever she was doing. Twilight and Octavia started chatting amongst themselves, while Neon pestered me on the details of Twilight and I’s relationship (I politely, but firmly, told him it was none of his business. It didn’t stop him from asking, though). After a few minutes, Vinyl joined us in the VIP section. Her attire for the show was a light gray button-up shirt with her cutie mark printed on the pocket in front whereas on the back it said “Pon-3” as though it were some kind of baseball shirt. She wasn’t wearing jeans today; instead favoring a short, form-fitting black skirt and a pair of black leggings that went to just above her knees with her normal, blue-laced sneakers on her hooves. On her hands was a pair of jet-black fingerless gloves with a white patch on the back of both that had her cutie mark on them. And of course, she had her traditional purple shades on her face and a pair of blue-trimmed white headphones that had her cutie mark printed on each earpiece around her neck. Her mane was also done up in a kind of spiky ponytail this time, which I thought made her look very attractive in her current attire. “Glad ya could make it, Leon!” She said as I stood and gave her our traditional greeting, and I felt the familiar shivers of pleasure. Not in the same intensity as Twilight, but they were there “I also see that your date managed to make it here as well!” We all chuckled at the comment, though Twilight was blushing slightly. Vinyl held up her hands and we quieted down. “Alright, I know you all have met each other, but I still have one friend who’ll be joining us as soon as everything’s ready.” Vinyl said, clapping her hands together “After all, he’s the reason I got this gig. And in case you’re curious, I’ll come out and say it; when I’m not out playing for all my adoring fans in Equestria, this is where I’ll be spinnin’ my music, though they’ll have other musicians on call as well. I figured, hey, I needed something steady for the downtime between tours, albums and the occasional out-of-town gig but I didn’t know any joints in town that wanted me around for more than one show.” She was interrupted by a fox walking over to us holding a tray. “Excuse me, DJ; I have a drink order here for a Mr. Leon.” She said, giving the unicorn mare an apologetic look. Vinyl glanced at me with interest, but I shook my head. “I’m sorry, miss, but I didn’t order any drinks.” I replied, giving her a warm smile. “It’s compliments of the house, sir.” She said, a small smile on her face. At that, I stood up and walked over to her to take the two bottles off the tray. I nodded my thanks and she walked back to the bar. I sat back down next to Twilight and handed one of the bottles to her, which she glanced at curiously. “What is it?” She asked, eyeing the fizzy clear liquid. “Its soda, probably imported from the east.” I said, and held my own bottle up for her to examine “You can tell because of these characters. Don’t worry, it’s safe to drink; you might even like it, its melon flavored which I’ve heard is very good.” After brief hesitation, Twilight managed to open the bottle but she stared at the marble that had fallen in the neck. She glanced at me quizzically and I took a sip of my drink to show her how. After mimicking me, she looked at me with excitement. “It’s really good!” She said, and took a longer pull at the fizzy beverage. “I’d never lead you astray, Twilight.” I replied, then turned my attention back to Vinyl “You were saying, babe?” Neon Lights looked at me curiously when I referred to Vinyl like that, but Octavia and Twilight just shook their heads with exasperated smiles on their faces. Vinyl merely laughed. “Right. Anyway, about three months ago, an old friend of mine contacted me and asked if we could meet somewhere.” She said, crossing her arms over her chest “I figured he just wanted to catch up ‘cause he’d been out of town for a while, but it turned out that the reason he’d wanted to talk to me was because of why he’d been gone so long. He was offering me a regular gig here.” “That was just a secondary objective, though; I truly did want to catch up with one of my dearest friends.” A smooth voice spoke from behind Vinyl. I looked and suddenly understood how Neon felt when he’d seen me earlier, though now he was probably feeling like the ‘third coolest pony’ in the room. At first, I thought he was an exceptionally tall unicorn, probably a good half-foot taller than me even without his horn. But then I saw rustling on his back and my brain literally seized up on me for a second, and probably so did Twilight’s. He was an alicorn. The owner/manager of Aurora Hall was a freakin’ alicorn. There were only four jaws on the floor in that building and they didn’t belong to any of the staff or Vinyl and especially not the freakin’ alicorn standing casually behind the DJ! Dear God Almighty, I was freakin’ out here! After a moment of stunned silence, the manager coughed and everyone was brought back to their senses. I shook my head and decided to a better look at him. He was wearing a tuxedo ensemble, complete with a vivid red rose and black bowtie. But what was so amazing about him was his coat, mane and eyes. His coat was jet black, but shimmered different colors with every subtle movement of his body. His mane and tail were a beautiful silver color that also shimmered with different colors. His eyes were a deep emerald green… that also shimmered with various colors! I honestly thought I was looking at a living, breathing work of art. It was like God took a pony and sculpted him to perfection. “Hey, ya made it!” Vinyl exclaimed, drawing the tall alicorn into a friendly hug “I was beginning to think you were too busy getting your precious club to open on time. Everypony, this is my friend, Spectra. Spectra, this is Leon, his date Twilight Sparkle, Neon Lights and my own special somepony, Octavia.” She finished with a sly wink towards the cellist, who blushed lightly, but gave a small smile. After the introductions, I stood and extended my hand to the alicorn, who shook it firmly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Spectra.” I said with a smile. “Oh no, the pleasure’s all mine.” He replied “I’ve actually been rather excited to meet you, Leon.” ‘And you as well, Miss Veronica.’ His voice spoke, ringing like a bell in my mind, which caused me to freeze and stare at him. I also got the feeling that Nica was paying very close attention now. “How…” I began, but he held a finger up to his lips which had curved into a knowing smile. “Spoilers, my friend.” He replied with a whisper. Damn, I really need a new catch phrase. ‘No, you don’t.’ Spectra’s voice rang in my mind ‘That one word is good enough; it conveys just the right amount of suspense and irritation.’ I slowly returned to my seat, all the while staring at the enigma known as Spectra. I was snapped out of my trance when Twilight gave my arm a gentle shake. “Is something wrong, Leon? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” She asked me, concern in her voice. I shook my head, and then gave her a small smile. “Sorry it’s just…” I began, struggling to put what I was feeling in words “Never mind, I’ll tell you later.” She gave me another worried look, but nodded and turned her attention to Spectra. “I wasn’t aware there was another alicorn alive in Equestria, Mister Spectra.” She said, giving him a curious look, to which he laughed. “And I’ve spent the last few hundred years ensuring that I remained a secret.” He replied, a big smile on his face “But the times, they are a-changin’, as the song goes. I’ve decided to reveal my presence to the world at large through a night club staffed by members of different species. I just wish there were still some crystal ponies in the world. A real shame there are not.” Just then, another fox hurried up to Spectra. This one had a snow white coat and was dressed in the manner of an office secretary, complete with glasses and folder. “Excuse me, Spectra-sama. We are ten minutes until the opening of Aurora Hall; the Moon has been raised and our last VIP shall be joining us shortly, according to her message.” Spectra nodded at her, and turned back to Vinyl. “DJ, if you’ll get some music started, please. Your first set will begin in thirty.” He stated, his voice calm but authoritative. The DJ nodded and returned to her position at the booth, where she plugged in her iPod-like device and started the first song (The House Rules - Christian Kane). When the song began, the staff all stopped what they were doing temporarily to listen to the strange music. Once it really got going, they all broke into smiles and went back to their duties with more energy. “It never ceases to amaze me; the power music has over individuals.” Spectra commented lightly, observing his workforce with a smile “It is easily my favorite form of Art. Where paintings fail to move and speeches cannot inspire, an ordinary song played at just the right time in just the right place makes everyone’s heart shine with such brilliance… it’s magnificent.” “You must truly love Art, Spectra.” Octavia said conversationally, though she blushed when he turned and gave her a smile. “But of course, Octavia. That’s my special talent; I can tell what is truly beautiful and inspire artistic talent in others.” He replied “True Art has a certain… magic to it, which is drawn from the soul of the individual that created it. It is what happens when one believes, heart and soul, in what they do and pours their being into their Art, regardless of what others may think of them.” I stared at him in awe, and so did the others. His words had moved me in such a way that I had not been aware was possible. I, too, loved music. I personally thought paintings were pieces of paper with pretty colors on them and statues were well carved hunks of rock, but music made me feel and I had a track for every kind of emotion I could think of. But when he spoke those words, I also felt a familiar longing in my heart. It was for a dream I’d abandoned so long ago along with whatever life I’d had before my best friend had been killed. Photography. I’d always loved photos because they could instantly capture those rare moments of beauty in the world that would take too long to draw, or they could take an ordinary setting and turn it into something wondrous. I suddenly remembered being on a tall hill during a particularly nasty storm. It wasn’t raining anywhere near me, but I could see far in the distance this colossal column of pouring rain, wisps of water curling upwards at the base with the light filtering in through the clouds, illuminating it in a radiant glow. It looked like a waterfall, moving across the countryside. I had always regretted not taking a picture of that moment, because I never saw such beauty like it again. ‘It truly is a shame that you turned away from something you felt so passionately for. But then again, you have only just started your life in this world; there is always time to take it back up again, Leon, to pursue your artistic dream to its fullest.’ Spectra commented, apparently having seen the memory as well. My mind returned to the present and I blinked. What the hell just happened? I shook my head and took a long pull from my soda. “Leon, before I go, I wish to thank you.” Spectra said, his clear voice grabbing my attention “Poor Sakura has had a rougher life than the others I’ve gathered here at this establishment and you, with so small of acts as listening to her and providing your support, have made her world a brighter, more beautiful place.” “Oh. It was nothing, really. She’s a nice girl who got dealt a bad hand and I felt she could use a friend who actually understood what she’d been through.” I replied, scratching at the back of my head in embarrassment “I would’ve done the same for anyone else.” I felt Twilight take my hand and squeeze it gently. When I looked at her, she was giving me a warm and caring smile and her eyes shone with admiration. “Leon, you are being far too modest; you are a great friend and instantly likeable because, despite your past, you refuse to see anything other than the best in others.” Twilight said, her voice reassuring “No matter how wrong somepony is or how dire your situations, you always look forward, firmly believing everything will turn out for the best. I’ve seen you angry and I’ve seen you despair, but I’ve never seen you lose faith outright, and remember Leon, I’ve seen you on a more personal level than anypony else, even Terra. Hope and Faith shine from your soul like the guiding beacon of a lighthouse.” I stared at her, speechless. No one has ever said such things to me before and I was touched. I wasn’t even embarrassed like I normally would when people say good things about me because this was… honest. There is a significant difference between Truth and Honesty. Truth is telling someone what is true, even though it will tear them apart spiritually. Honesty… is telling someone what is true in a way that will inspire them to see themselves in a manner they hadn’t before, even if it hurts. And her words did something else. Before this date I knew I really, truly liked Twilight Sparkle and I wanted her to be happy again. But now… I knew I loved her. When I turned back to Spectra, he was smiling warmly at both Twilight and I, like he’d heard my revelation as well, in which he probably had if the mental conversations were anything to go on. It was at that precise moment that Luna appeared on the couch next to Neon Lights, who sprang away with a surprised yelp. Octavia had stood up quickly as well and both gave the Moon Princess a deep bow. Twilight had attempted to stand as well, but I placed a hand on her shoulder and held her down. “Good evening, Luna. You sure it’s okay for you to be here and not at court?” I asked her casually, not even bothering to refer to her by her title. Twilight, Octavia and Neon all looked at me in horror whereas Luna merely yawned, though the Moon Princess gave me a rather nasty glare (she’s probably still upset with me for telling Celestia about the cake thing). By the way, she wasn’t wearing her ”Greek Goddess” ensemble this time, but a dress similar to Octavia’s except it was a midnight blue and sparkled like there were actually stars in it (very nice use of her magic, by the way). Her mane, however, was not the usual “flowing night sky” she usually had. Instead she favored her natural light blue color tonight, which she had styled in a way that it was draped over one shoulder with bangs on the opposite side half obscuring her eye. I thought she was stunningly beautiful tonight, but not nearly as beautiful as Twilight. “And a good evening to you as well, Leon. I have decided not to hold court this time; nopony ever comes for it anyway and one night will not be missed.” She replied with a shrug. After the Princess’ casual conversation with me, the others relaxed visibly, though she noticed when Neon attempted to move so that Luna could have the couch to herself “Neon Lights, why do you not return to your seat? I am not here as your Princess this evening, only as another pony enjoying the night life.” Neon jumped when she’d used his full name, and started glancing around nervously for some support. “Dude, go ahead and sit, she’s not gonna bite.” I said, and then gave Luna a sly grin “At least not too hard, I think.” Neon looked carefully at me, and then at Luna, who patted his original seat next to her with a warm smile. “Neon, just take the damn seat already and quit bein’ a filly about it!” Vinyl snapped from her booth, just as the next song on her device began to play (Left Hand Suzuki Method - Gorillaz). Neon sighed heavily and returned to his seat, giving Luna a nervous glance as she draped an arm over his shoulders in a friendly manner. The rest of us merely chuckled and turned our attention to the front when Spectra’s voice came out over the intercom (Holy crap, I didn’t even see him leave). “Doors are opening, everybody. Aurora Hall is officially open for business! Here’s ‘Cheers’ to a busy first night, because we have a great turnout!” All of the staff in the building, along with Vinyl, myself and the others in the VIP section gave out a loud cry of “Cheers!” just as the first wave of ponies surged into the club. As the flood of ponies showed no signs of slowing, I could tell Aurora Hall was going to have a successful opening night.