//------------------------------// // Ch. 13: “It’s All Fun and Games Until…” // Story: The Dawn of a bright, new life. // by Hallowedsoul //------------------------------// Chapter Thirteen “It’s All Fun and Games Until…” It was interesting watching the ponies surge into the club, with some racing to grab seats near the DJ booth so that they could get a good look at Vinyl, who waved at each of them excitedly. As I looked around, I could see the patrons were already enjoying themselves immensely, and not just because they were out in some new club. Aurora Hall had an energy to it, evident in the way staff did their jobs quickly and efficiently all the while smiling and chatting with those they served. Anypony that attempted to accost any of the staff were swiftly and surgically removed from the building by the bouncers. And of course, we in the VIP section were getting lots of attention, with several ponies hanging around in the hopes that they’ll be invited inside. I acknowledged those who were polite and spoke with those who I felt were good ponies and they usually were, listening avidly to whatever stories I told them. However, we did get those ponies who heckled me or Twilight in an attempt to curry favor with the one they weren’t. We made a point of ignoring them, with a bouncer removing them if they became too agitated. Octavia largely ignored the ponies who tried to garner her attention, only responding to me, Twilight, Neon, Luna or wait staff if they happened to walk by when she fancied something, while devoting all of her attention to Vinyl whenever she took a break from one of her sets. Neon Lights had warmed up to the Princess and they chatted with each other almost endlessly. I’m sure he thought he was being smooth, but I could easily tell who the Player was and who was being Played (here’s a hint; Luna never seemed more than slightly amused by Neon’s stories, despite expressing clearly that she thought they were fantastic. Celestia would be so proud). Vinyl was having a blast. She was only gonna be DJing for a few hours, after which they’d set the sound systems to begin playing their own music until the club closed in the morning, but between her own excellent music and the music from my world that she’d been playing, the crowd was eating out of the palm of her hand. It was during the second set that I asked Twilight to dance with me, which she did hesitantly. At first, she was extremely nervous about being on the dance floor, but I showed her some simple dance moves (it was that or suffer watching her do “The Shepard” all night) and eventually she got into it and we lost ourselves for a few songs, stopping when Vinyl announced it was time for the break between sets. What amazed me was that when she announced this, none of the ponies gave out cries of disappointment or protest. Some even looked eager to hear more of the strange new music she’d been playing all night (this one was a big hit; it was getting requested like crazy: Radioactive - Imagine Dragons), to whom she happily obliged. As Twilight and I returned to our seats, we saw a familiar cyan pegasus floating around the crowd, wearing a very hip outfit. It was all form-fitting and displayed her lean athletic body well. She had on a sleek vest (no undershirt) that was colored like her mane and sparkled in the light with a pair of sleek black pants along with what I thought were the pony-equivalent of heeled pumps that were also rainbow colored. I gave out a loud whistle and she turned her head, blushing furiously as I waved her over. The bouncers let her into the VIP section without question. “Rainbow Dash, what brings you here?” I asked her with a coy smile on my face “I didn’t think you were the clubbing type, and I know for a fact Rarity didn’t make that outfit for you because if she had, it’d be a dress.” “Yeah, I’m only here because I, uh… heard Spitfire was coming, but I haven’t seen her yet.” She replied, an annoyed expression on her face, which was still slightly red “I was trying not to draw your attention because I know the two of you are on a date and everything…” “But there were too many ponies and you wanted to catch Spitfire before she left.” I finished for her, my smile turning warm. She gave a small huff and lounged back in the couch. It was at this time she noticed that Neon Lights was staring at her, his jaw on the floor. “Do you mind, you’re starting to creep me out.” She snapped at him, which caused him to blink and close his mouth. “That depends, do you mind if I buy you a drink?” He asked with a sly smirk on his face, but it fell under Rainbow’s un-amused glare. “Sorry, not interested.” She replied flatly, before looking away. Everyone in the VIP section save for Dash and Neon, who looked like he’d been slapped, laughed at the unicorn stallion, who just leaned back in his seat and began talking to Luna again. The music suddenly cut off and there was a crystalline tapping sound coming from the stage, which caused all activity in the building to stop and everyone to turn their eyes toward it. A spotlight snapped on, revealing the white-coated fox from before, tapping her finger against a glass. Once there was complete silence, she spoke into the microphone in front of her. “Good evening, everyone, and I use that term because I am not simply addressing ponies or patrons. I am also addressing the staff working here tonight because in Aurora Hall, we are all worthy of respect.” She paused as the crowd before her cheered and clapped for a moment, calming when she held up her white-coated hand. “And it is with that message that I am proud to announce your host for the evening. The concept of Aurora Hall was born years ago from the truly artistic mind of one stallion, a visionary of your kind who traveled the world high and low to see all things beautiful and it is because of his vision that we are all gathered here tonight to celebrate the opening of this grand establishment; to show the beauty and goodness that resides within all races!” She once again paused to allow the crowd to applaud her words, before silencing them once more by raising her hand. “Now, without further ado, allow me to present; the gracious host of tonight’s celebration who is also the owner and manager of Aurora Hall: Spectra Lumière!” The crowd applauded as the curtains parted, but it quickly turned to gasps of surprise when they saw the alicorn float down beside his secretary, giving her a warm smile and shaking her hand gently before turning to face the crowd and taking his secretary’s position on the stage while she took a few steps back. “Good evening, honored guests! I hope you’ve all enjoyed yourselves tonight!” He said which caused the crowd to erupt into applause. He smiled and waved at ponies before silencing them by gesturing with his hand. “To start with, I wish to thank my hard-working staff for making this all possible; Aurora Hall would be nothing without you and you know it! Come on, everybody, let’s give the staff a round of applause, they deserve it!” He exclaimed as he began to clap his hands together, with the patrons all turning to one staff member or another and giving them cheers and applause, which caused many of the wait staff to blush deeply while some (namely all the foxes) to bow in respect. I saw Sakura poke her head in from the lobby and wave at me once she saw where I was. I pointed a finger at her and applauded, I even yelled out her name which caused her to glance around nervously before giving me a bow and retreating back to her post. I returned my gaze to the stage to see Spectra give me an approving nod. Once the applause died down (Spectra, interestingly enough, made no effort to stop it, letting the patrons continue clapping until they eventually got tired and stopped), the alicorn began to speak once more. “Thank you, again, for your hard work. Now, I wish to explain what my vision for this establishment is. Many years ago, I began to travel across the world in search of the truly beautiful from other countries, to bring home to Equestria. I found what I was looking for, of course, but it was nearly always marred by that which has no place among the innocent; anger, greed and worst of all… prejudice, a hatred of all things different.” There was a gasp from the crowd at this and he held up a hand to calm them. “But where all these… vile, things lay, there were also individuals who, despite the corruption around them, glowed brilliantly and persevered to show their worth, their beauty; all the staff you see around you are such individuals, individuals who refused to succumb to the grime of their homes and instead sought to rise above the decadence. It is they who have inspired me to emerge from the shadows and accept my place in Equestria as a noble and proud alicorn.” Spectra paused to allow the crowd to cheer, before silencing them by raising his hand. “And soon after, I began to envision a place where anybody, be they pony or not, could go to escape from that which tries to obscure the beauty of our world, a place where they can be free to be themselves. This-” He said, gesturing all around him “Is the fruit of my vision; an establishment staffed by many different races and that which caters to all who wish to partake. Welcome to Aurora Hall, honored guests, for it is here you shall receive nothing but respect; all we require is that you extend the same respect not just to other patrons, but those who are employed here. Enjoy your evening!” And with that, he stepped down from the stage to thunderous applause and made his way over to the VIP section, where the bouncers bowed respectfully as he approached and admitted him without a word being spoken, save for Spectra thanking them for their diligence. Luna rose from the couch for the first time that night and approached Spectra with a big smile on her face. “Good evening, Spectra, I was wondering when you were going to come and say hello!” She said, as the two of them embraced warmly. “It’s good to finally meet you, Aunt Luna.” He replied, returning her smile “Aunt Celestia told me so much about you and my heart broke every time I looked upon the moon and thought about how lonely you must’ve been up there. I’m sorry I couldn’t be here to meet you when you returned, I was rather busy planning, well…” He gestured all around him “This, a place where one goes to get away from a world of prejudice. Like I said, everyone here is worthy of respect and no one is rejected because of status, birth or race. All are welcome in my sacred hall!” We all smiled and gave him small applause, which he accepted graciously. After a moment, Luna invited him to sit next to her opposite Neon, who was looking extremely nervous at having to share the same space as two alicorns. “Tia sends her deepest regrets that she could not be present for the opening of your establishment, Nephew.” She said, but she continued to smile “Though she was not lying when she’d told me you were rather unique; I am most certain I have never seen such a coat and mane coloration.” I decided to tune them out at this point and turn my attention to Twilight, who looked like a kid in a candy store in the presence of both Luna and Spectra. “Seems you’re enjoying yourself, Twi.” I whispered into her ear, which caused it to twitch at my proximity and make her turn and give me a big smile. “Yes I am, Leon, thank you for bringing me.” She replied, her eyes glowing brightly “I never imagined a night club to be so… beautiful. And the host is an alicorn, can you believe it?! I’ve only ever known Celestia and my old foalsitter, Cadence, and Luna only just came back herself; this would be an exciting opportunity to learn about them!” But then her words caught up to her and she looked at me with an ashamed expression on her face, her ears drooping. “Oh… I’m so sorry, Leon. Here we are, out on a date in a most magnificent place… and all I can think about is learning when I should really be enjoying the time I’m spending with you.” I put an arm around her shoulders, feeling her tremble slightly at my touch, and pulled her closer to me. “It’s all right, Twilight Sparkle.” I told her, a warm smile on my face “My only goal tonight is to make you happy. If learning is what makes you happy, then by all means; learn away. Just be sure you leave a little learning for me, okay?” She looked at me in surprise, before she smiled and gave me a gentle hug. “Thank you, Leon… I’m lucky to be here with you tonight.” She murmured and then we sat like that for a while, just holding each other gently. Rainbow Dash made a retching sound, which caused everyone in the VIP section to glare at her, and stood up to continue her search for the wayward Wonderbolt, whom I suspected hadn’t actually been there. Twilight also stood and said she was going to get order some more drinks, despite me telling her that wait staff came around fairly regularly and would take our orders for us. I decided to stay out of any conversations while she was gone and just enjoy the music for a little while (Vinyl had just begun her third set). However, my peace was interrupted by Neon, who called out my name and inclined his head out toward the bar with an urgent look on his face. When I looked, I saw a stallion trying to chat up Twilight. Normally, I wouldn’t have paid too much attention to it (after all, most of the stallions in the club had been trying to talk to her all night), but he kept stopping her every time she tried to break away from him. I stood immediately and left the VIP section, heading towards the bar to save my marefriend from an ignorant jackass who couldn’t take a hint. “Smack him once for me, Leon!” Neon called out to me as I left. As I approached, I heard the stallion try, once more, to get Twilight to join him at his table. He apparently thought he was somepony special, and wouldn’t take no for an answer. “For the last time, I’m already with somepony tonight.” Twilight snapped at him, thoroughly irritated “And besides, I wouldn’t be caught dead with you at your table even if you belonged to the Royal Family themselves!” She attempted to storm off, but then the stallion did something really stupid. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her arm up so that she couldn’t leave at all, which caused her face to contort in pain and anger. “I suggest you release my date if you intend to keep that arm, sir.” I stated, my voice cool. Both of them spun their heads to look at me, the stallion giving me an indignant glare and Twilight giving me a grateful smile. “You’re her date? If that’s the case, she definitely needs to come with me. Come on, babe.” He said as he tried to pull Twilight away, but I grabbed his arm before he could. “Sorry, bub, but the lady’s already said she’s not going with you so I suggest you back off and slink back to whatever pit you crawled out of.” I retorted coldly. He tore his arm free, releasing Twilight, and spun on me “How dare you touch me, mongrel! Do you know who I am?! I should have you locked up for defying your betters!” He snarled angrily. As soon as the words left his mouth, the club grew still. The music stopped, ponies ceased dancing and the staff all turned severe glares towards the stupid stallion, with several bouncers beginning to move towards us. I merely turned and began to lead Twilight away. “Don’t you turn your back on me!” He cried out angrily, but I ignored him. I heard a soft sound and immediately spun around, grabbing his outstretched hand and slamming his head into the counter in one smooth motion. As he fell, I took the knife he’d pulled and examined it, frowning at my observations. “I’ll admit, this is a very elegant weapon.” I said, turning the knife around to look at every square inch of it while the stallion struggled to his feet, blood dripping from his nose and mouth “The hilt is of simple design, but the gold is a nice touch and the engraving is beautiful, and the blade has a very nice polish and design to it.” The stallion stared at me in disbelief and fury, his breathing heavy. “There’s just one problem; only an amateur would actually bring something like this with the intent to use it.” I stated, then began to make the knife dance in my hand, every slight movement of my wrist sending it into a flashing twirl before finally allowing it’s hilt to rest in my palm “It’s far too flashy; the engraving and shine will alert any competent opponent you’re going to try and cut them years before you even think of attempting it. And it’s also a half-gram heavy on the back end.” I placed the knife on the counter and stared at the stallion calmly. He looked from me, to the knife and back again, before making a lunge for his weapon. With a sigh, I grabbed his hand and flung it back into his face, causing him to cry out in pain and clutch it as more blood began to drip down. “Augh, you coward! Draw your weapon and let’s settle this like real stallions!” He snarled angrily, but his expression became fearful under my new stare. “I don’t think you want that, because when I play that game, I play for keeps.” I replied, my voice calm and emotionless “I do not make idle threats; when I said you would lose your arm earlier, I literally meant that I would take your arm, even if it entailed tearing it straight off of your torso.” He stared at me fearfully and opened his mouth to speak, but I stopped him. “But fortunately for you, the Rules of Hospitality forbid me from drawing a weapon in the home of a generous host, for one does not repay good fortune with bad grace.” I stated with a shrug, but gave him another cold stare “However, if you are so intent on throwing your life away, I will be more than happy to drag you outside where you can make a pathetic attempt to reclaim your pride right before I shove a knife into your throat and watch the light fade from your eyes.” The stallion gulped, his body trembling in fear. “So I am going to give you this chance, this one chance, to turn around and leave.” I said flatly “I suggest you go to the hospital and think very hard about your life while they treat the wounds you have suffered here tonight, because if you cross me like this again I will not bother with a warning.” After a moment, he spun around and tore a path out of the club. Several foxes appeared immediately and began to clean the blood off the counter and floor (they also made the knife disappear) while I turned back to Twilight Sparkle and looked at her sorrowfully. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I really didn’t want you to have to see me like that; I’m not proud of that particular aspect of myself, but it became necessary back on my world.” I said, not daring to touch her after what I’d just done, but she surprised me by kissing me gently. “Thank you, Leon, for coming to get me.” She replied, giving me a warm smile “I’ll admit, it was scary seeing you so cold, but he was asking for trouble when he attempted to hurt you. Let’s go and enjoy the rest of our night.” As we walked back to the VIP section, everyone in the club began to cheer and applaud me, causing me to blush furiously while Twilight gave me a playful nudge. “Aw, yeah! Way to kick flank, Leon, this next song’s dedicated to you and your date!” Vinyl called out from her booth. Once we’d returned to the VIP section and sat back down, Neon flashed me a thumbs up and Octavia nodded approvingly. “An excellent show of nobility, Leon.” Luna remarked, a small smile on her face, but I was still upset. “No it wasn’t. I threatened to kill him, all because he was tormenting Twilight.” I replied morosely “I don’t want to treat this place like it’s my world, yet he… he almost made me forget that.” “That is where you are wrong, Leon.” Spectra stated, his voice calm “You went to defend the honor of the mare you cared about, while also putting your own on display by respecting the rules of my house and showing restraint in a situation where others would have started a brawl.” I gave him a small smile, but I didn’t feel any better. Spectra seemed to notice this and walked over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Do not regret what happened, for you have done nothing wrong.” Spectra said, calmly “That individual has paid my house a great insult and he shall never again enjoy the comforts provided by this establishment. If anything, I now consider you a valued friend and wish to say you are welcome here whenever you so desire; the doors of Aurora Hall shall always be open to you.” “I, for one, am impressed by you yet again, Leon.” Luna remarked, a smile on her face “Despite the fact that the fool had drawn a blade upon you, to which you were well within your rights to strike him down for doing so, you allowed him to live. Your control in extreme situations is rather astounding.” I felt Twilight take one of my hands and squeeze it gently. I glanced at her and saw she was smiling gently at me, just as she laid her head on my shoulder. I decided that dwelling upon something for which I was not at fault for would only ruin the night for us, so I let it go and chose to focus on the rest of the date. Twilight and I chatted with Spectra, who was more than happy to answer our questions. Twilight had managed to conjure parchment and a quill for somewhere and was scribbling furiously as he spoke, an elated expression on her face. I couldn’t help but smile as she did. Eventually, Vinyl came to the end of her last set and began to pack up her equipment while the club’s sound system switched to a playlist Spectra had set aside. I considered staying till the club closed, but I noticed that Twilight was starting to nod off and came to the conclusion that it was time to get my marefriend home so she could get some sleep. I bid Spectra, Luna and Neon farewell, while giving Vinyl and Octavia a hug before turning to Twilight, who was insisting that she stay and talk to the Aurora Hall manager some more. She gave up when I reminded her what I do with sleep-deprived minds. We made our way to the lobby, where I picked up my coat and put it around Twilight’s shoulders while also sharing a goodbye hug with Sakura (say what you want about hugs, it expresses how much you care about people more than anything). Twilight and I said nothing as we walked calmly to the library, just leaning close and enjoying each other’s company. All too soon, our journey came to an end and we found ourselves standing outside the front door of her home. “Well… here we are, once again, Twilight.” I stated, and then looked at my date affectionately “Thank you for coming with me, I truly appreciate it.” “No, I should be thanking you, Leon. I had a wonderful time tonight; I hope we get to go there more often.” She replied with a smile while returning my coat to me, but then she began to blush and glance away nervously “Would you… like to come inside, Leon?” I considered her proposal very carefully, but smiled gently and shook my head. “Not this time, Twi.” I replied solemnly “Maybe once we’ve become a little more comfortable around each other, I might, but for now… goodnight Twilight Sparkle; I’ll see you tomorrow.” She looked slightly crestfallen, but also somewhat relieved that I’d chosen to wait (I’m just a paragon of restraint, aren’t I?). “Okay, Leon. Good night.” She said and then kissed me once more before opening the door and going inside. I managed to return to my own home without incident and even changed into my pajamas before collapsing onto my bed and falling asleep almost immediately. My dream that night was of me, sitting on that hill again, watching the column of water move across the countryside, only this time I wasn’t alone. Twilight Sparkle sat with me and we watched the storm’s progress together.