My Little Pony: The Next Generation
Princess Twilight’s Day Off
The sun was beginning to rise over the Crystal Empire as the ponies began to stir from their beds. Today was yet another Elements of Harmony meet and greet. The elements and their spouses were not exactly in love with all the same, boring questions they received, but the kids loved the opportunity to explore the new cities on their own.
Today’s adventure began with a grand tour of the Crystal Castle, led by Shining Amor, as his parents had elected to attend the show. Everypony was impressed by some facet of the castle or another. Claire loved the way the crystals shimmered when the light hit them, while T marveled at the seemingly support-less architecture. Star was once again impressed by the professionalism of the guard. Candy and Gold broke off from the group to visit the kitchen and sample “a few” of the treats being prepared. Annie relished in the sounds of the royal garden, while Blitz was content to fly over it.
The tour wrapped up about the same time as the elements show, so the children met their parents outside the castle. It was here that Twilight dropped a bombshell on the rest of the group.
“You guys do whatever you want,” she began with a large smile on her face, “I need to head back to the castle to get ready.”
“Ready for what, exactly?” Rarity was the first to ask what everypony was thinking.
“I’m going clubbing. You know, live a little, dance a bit, and have some fun for once.” The rest of the group tried and ultimately failed to stifle their giggles as images of Twilight’s dancing came flooding into their minds.
“No offence, Twi, but you and dancing go together about as well as me and a mountain.” The reference to her numerous accidents earned not the laugh Dash was hoping for, rather sincere nods of agreement.
“Nonsense. I’ve been studying on howtoclubbing.com. It’s been really helpful!”
“You can’t get fourth place in dancing, Twilight,” Rarity said as she rejoined the conversation. “Besides, the clubs here are no fun for a single pony. A girls’ night out would be much more entertaining.” The crew shot quizzical glances at Rarity, as nopony understood this knowledge of the Crystal Empire’s club scene.
“Actually, that does sound like a good idea,” Applejack interjected. “When was the last time the six of us went out alone? No kids, no husbands… No offence y’all.”
“None taken,” Gold and Caramel replied in unison.
“Well then, it’s settled,” Pinkie Pie began excitedly, “tonight is the Elements of Harmony’s official Crystal Empire G.N.O.!”
The night’s adventure started as the sun finished dipping below the horizon. As the six walked down the street, it was obvious that they planned to have fun. Rarity was the only pony dressed, excluding Applejack with her hat, but even her getup was plain and understated. As Rarity had established herself as resident club expert, she had insisted on a place called “Slate,” located just outside the downtown district. As the crew laughed and joked their way down the street, the bright signs and long line made themselves apparent.
“Don’t worry, I can handle this,” Rarity stated plainly with a smirk. She walked straight up to the bouncer, who appeared to recognize her, as he pulled the velvet rope away to allow the six ponies inside. The music hit the group like a brick wall, causing Pinkie and Dash to begin to bob their heads to the rhythm. Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy covered their ears until they began to grow accustomed to it, Rarity, however, seemed completely unaffected.
Rarity headed straight to the bar, as she figured she knew better than the rest of the girls what they would like. She was the only one of the six who ever drank, although it was usually wine. The others would be too confused by the strange beverage names to make any kind of educated decision.
The five remaining ponies staked their claim at a booth in the corner, large enough for the six of them and maybe even another. As they settled down, Rarity arrived and magically doled out the drinks. After a few rounds, some of the other patrons began to notice the famous ponies in their midst. One stallion even worked up the courage to approach them.
“Hello,” he began with a large smirk adorning his face.
“Married,” was the reply from the table, as everypony but Fluttershy said in unison. The stallion let out a small chuckle as he walked away.
“Well,” Rarity began with a smile, “I guess we’ve still got it.”
“Darn tootin’,” Applejack replied, as her accent was much thicker after a few appletinis. “Now, I don’t know about y’all, but I’m in a dancin’ mood.” With that, the ponies moved from their seat to the dance floor. The other five ponies made sure to give Twilight plenty of space. She had indeed gotten better, but was left with quite a bit of room for improvement.
As they night wore on, the friends couldn’t help but notice the attention Fluttershy was receiving. She turned away stallion after stallion, never seeming to get any less nervous. As the group grew tired, they decided to return to the castle for the night. Dash was the first to bring up the issue most of the friends hoped to avoid.
“So, Fluttershy, still shooting down those colts?”
“Well, none of them seemed very nice, and their breath smelled bad.”
“Honestly, dear,” Rarity began, “it looks to me like you’re afraid of a little romance.”
“It’s not that. I’m just waiting till I meet the right stallion.”
“That can take a while,” Twilight added, “but whatever works for you is fine. You’ll find somepony someday.”
Fluttershy looked up to the moon and thought of all the chances she had and had blown, and weighed the chance that she would have another shot carefully. She finally said, with a tinge of heartache, “Maybe someday.”