//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 - Hitting the bar // Story: The Calling Night // by Derpator //------------------------------// Sounds became louder as the pair of mares gradually made their way across the evening town of Ponyville. They neared with every step towards the bar, The Horse’s Head, Ponyville’s only watering hole. It was a relatively new establishment, attracting some light activity on a nightly routine. It was originally named after the owner heard a tale of the Headless Horse, the rumour supposedly coming from Rainbow Dash. The name stuck, and a successful business of serving drinks was born. Rainbow Dash did not get any lease on the name, much to her arguing. It wasn’t in the center of Ponyville. It was located around the outskirts. Deliberately placed away from as many houses as possible, the Mayor was not impressed with the sounds that would resonate from its interior. As it was the only of its kind as well, it attracted quite a huge crowd, but sometimes not the best kind. Rarity hadn’t been there that many times. Not by personal choice anyway. She was sometimes requested to discuss important business details with some top fashion critics in a public place. The attention received from some of the ponies was admittedly nice, but the idea of it taking part inside a bar was a bit distracting. However, there were also some cases of the other types of ponies that offered to thank her for her designs. They weren’t very special by themselves, just regular customers, but the idea was that they thanked her for the service. She wasn’t much of a drinker, but she foolishly accepted anyway. Almost every time, she found herself getting hit on. She should have always felt flattered that stallions or the occasional mare found her remarkably beautiful, but after so many times of the same cheesy lines, it just became degrading. But the worst part about it was that business was business. She couldn’t accept their... tempting offer, but throwing her drink in their face wouldn’t be good reception for her. And that was only one of the things she was afraid of running into with Pinkie Pie. The pink pony wasn’t really experienced to the dating scene, or even the bar, so her greatest concern was some stallion taking Pinkie Pie away while she was gone. She would remain on edge, and it’s what she constantly told herself. Pinkie Pie kept insisting that they’d have a lot of fun, something she did want to happen, but she remained on alert anyway. Many times she found herself either chuckling or unknowingly agreeing with Pinkie Pie’s suggestions. She didn’t know what half of them were. But she knew she had to tell Pinkie Pie about the difference between a party and a ‘party’. They stopped in their progress to gaze at the establishment. It wasn’t the fanciest looking place, but certainly not run down either. Being a relatively new building, it sparked up activity, which was already evident by the many voices they could hear. A few groups of ponies were scattered outside in small huddles too, a few giving a quick glance. “Is this it?” Pinkie Pie asked, still looking up at the partially illuminated ‘The Horse’s Head’ sign. “This is it,” Rarity confirmed, before taking her steps towards the bar. She was slightly nervous from the scene, and Pinkie Pie followed. Pinkie Pie did the honours again, opening up the front door, inviting Rarity in. She took the generous invitation, her hooves stepping foot into the bar. She quickly scanned the scene, trying to recognise what types of ponies were present. There were no brawls, which was already a good sign. She could read the nature of some ponies just by looking at them. She turned back, Pinkie Pie having entered the bar too. “Wow,” Pinkie exclaimed, her smile bear. “This looks nice.” The smile was infectious, appearing on Rarity too. “It is.” With another search, she looked for a suitable place to sit. She had an inkling that Pinkie had just been making polite conversation. Her first time in a bar and all she said first off is ‘nice’. The place was fairly packed from first glance, though not overabundant with crowds. Conversations were happening left and right, front and center, words that couldn’t be deciphered from friendly chat, confined in social circles. It was a friendly atmosphere. That calmed Rarity a bit, a slight sense of relief. An open booth was available in a corner. It was positioned perfectly in regards to the atmosphere. A chance for a little isolation, something Rarity was slightly edging towards. Although it was a girls night out, she did not want to get tied up with other ponies. Hopefully, Pinkie Pie would understand that, if a little harsh on her plans. Rarity tapped Pinkie Pie on the shoulder, before pointing towards the booth. “Shall we sit?” Pinkie Pie looked at the booth, then back at Rarity, before nodding her head. “Ok,” she agreed, already making her way over to the corner. Rarity watched Pinkie Pie enter the booth, the pink mare resting herself on the comfortable material provided, sitting around the circular table. Pinkie Pie adjusted herself a bit, smiling all the while. To anypony else, it looked like she was just happy to be there. “A lot of ponies here, huh?” Pinkie Pie asked, making polite conversation. “Indeed,” Rarity concurred, scanning the area again. “So, what do we do?” Pinkie asked. She wasn’t sure of what to follow-up with. Rarity extended her hoof out to Pinkie Pie. “Hand me the purse. I’ll get the first set of drinks.” Pinkie Pie happily obliged, digging out her small purse and presenting it to Rarity. Rarity humbly took the purse. “I’ll be right back, ok?” At Pinkie Pie’s nod of acknowledgment, she turned and headed for the bar, ready to get their order in. Pinkie Pie sighed as Rarity walked off. She had succeeded in her task, finally getting Rarity to loosen up. It might not have been permanent, but after days, even weeks of constant nagging for a break, she had given in. She didn’t like to see Rarity the way she was. Nopony did. She loved to see the smiles on a pony’s face, and Rarity not shining one for all of that time was not ok. If Rarity turned that frown upside down for a brief moment, or even an hour, she’d have been ok. But she never did. And Pinkie didn’t like it. It eventually got to the point where she had to do something. Just watching Rarity up at the bar, ordering drinks, conversing with other ponies was brightening her mood. The night had gotten off to a brilliant start in her opinion. She might not have had a girls night out before, but she was sure that was bound to change. Rarity looked like she belonged in the crowd, another face, another pony. “Wait a minute,” she said to herself, realising something was off. “She didn’t ask me what I wanted.” Pinkie Pie tapped her chin, trying to figure out the answer. Why didn’t Rarity ask her what she wanted? Was she going on a presumption, a whim? She had drunk alcohol before, but was what she drank widely known? Pinkie Pie couldn’t figure it out. She also didn’t notice the stallion that had slugged his way over to her. As she contemplated why Rarity didn’t ask her what mood she was in for the night, her train of thought was cut off by a gruff sounding voice. “Hey there,” the stallion spoke. He was stood overarching the table, holding a mug of alcohol, likely cider from first glance with his hoof. He was an earth pony, is what the first thing ponies would notice about him. He had caught Pinkie Pie’s attention. “Well hi,” she cheerfully replied. “I’m Pinkie Pie.” The stallion inched closer a bit, but not too much. To Rarity, she would have known exactly what he was going to do. To Pinkie Pie, who hadn’t been to the bar before, she had no clue. “Well aren’t you a pretty little thing?” he asked, looking her over like he was checking out her figure, but not at a stalker level. He was putting on a façade. “Well thank you!” Pinkie replied, flushing. “But, what’s your name? I’ve never met you before.” She tilted her head to the side, still oblivious to what was going on. “I know all the ponies in Ponyville, and I’ve never seen you before.” The stallion smirked, like he knew Pinkie Pie wasn’t getting it. Going out on whims to chat up mares, they would usually slap him or blow him off, but Pinkie Pie... A mare that didn’t catch on. He found his game plan. Still grinning, he put his mug down onto the table. He was about to slide into the booth, but a sound stopped him in his progress. It was somepony clearing their throat. He jerked around to see just who would have interrupted him. He became face to face—or rather, a few feet away—from a certain unicorn. She didn’t look impressed by his presence, but her stare wasn’t leering at him. “Got them already?” Pinkie asked, noticing the two drinks Rarity had. Her horn was active, the constant blue aura waving around her appendage. Two beverages were hovering in the air, also with an encrusted blue aura. “Can we help you?” Rarity asked the stallion. She placed the two drinks in her grasp down on the table without looking. She scrunched up a bit of her lip. Her stare seemed to give off a more vicious vibe, but it wasn’t intentional. Though she knew what the stallion was doing. Out of the corner of her eye, Rarity saw Pinkie Pie analysing the drinks. The pink mare slid one over towards her, checking it out. Rarity knew she had bought Pinkie Pie the most suitable drink, and she would gladly join her, except for one minor detail. The stallion stood in her way. He realised the situation was lost. He could tell Rarity meant business, and she wasn’t messing around. Pinkie Pie may not have picked up on his idea, but Rarity would in a heartbeat. Chuckling nervously, though unintentional, he slipped his hoof on the table, picking up his mug. “S-Sorry,” he said, forcing a grin. Rarity raised an eyebrow. The stallion took a gulp. With a swift movement, he escaped from the scene. He did it shoddily. It was awkward for him, but his retreat put the smirk back on Rarity. With a graceful sigh, satisfied with what she had done, Rarity slid her way into the booth. For some reason, she felt like she could slouch on the material, remembering that moment not a short while ago. She sent the stallion off, and it only took a leer. Why couldn’t she do that sort of thing more often? “I never got his name,” Pinkie Pie said, looking over to where he ran off to. “And you probably wouldn’t ever remember...” Rarity muttered under her own breath, not aware of what she was saying. “What was that?” Pinkie asked, giving Rarity a questionable look. Rarity remained still for a few seconds, before snapping out of her slight daze. “Huh? Oh, sorry.” “It’s alright.” Pinkie Pie looked down at her drink. She willingly smiled. “Thanks for getting the drinks." Rarity nodded at the appreciation, lifting up her own drink. She knew exactly what both of them wanted. Hers was more of a drink to suit her taste. A tiny bit fancy, not overly expensive, but still maintaining a moderate level of alcoholic content. Pinkie’s was an obvious choice for a mare too. It wasn’t as refined as the ‘stallion’ type of drinks, rather having an impeccable taste of fruit mixed in. It still held the alcohol, and Rarity had seen Pinkie Pie down a few in the past. How could she resist getting it? Making an immediate mental note in her head regarding money, Rarity used her magic to bring out the purse. She levitated it between the two of them so she could keep a watchful eye on it. She took another look at her own drink. “Should we toast?” Pinkie Pie paused in her slurping of her drink, her eyes darting. With a grin, she lowered it. “Sure.” She met Rarity’s smile, as well as her drink, by lifting her own up and meeting Rarity’s. The two glasses clung as they collided, before they both took a small swig. “So, what did we toast?” Pinkie asked after a mouthful. Rarity went into thought again, a part of her lip curling. “How about... to having fun?” “Having fun?” Pinkie quirked her eyebrow. “Well sure,” Rarity affirmed with a grin. “Didn’t you want me to loosen up?” “Of course I did,” Pinkie Pie replied, sliding a hoof onto Rarity’s. "And I'd say you're doing a great job so far!" Rarity couldn’t tell what was coming over her to cause her to feel flushed from Pinkie Pie’s hoof touching her own. It was a little awkward, granted, but it must have been some of the actual real contact she’s made with somepony for a while. Pinkie Pie gave her the massage, and it was Pinkie once more. Why was it getting to her? It must have been the early stages of the alcohol talking. Pinkie Pie retracted her hoof, taking another drink. She took a gander around, her eyes lying on the crowd. What did she think of the bar so far? She hadn’t been there for half an hour, and she was already enjoying herself. But approximately 99.9% of that was due to being there with Rarity. But then her eyes found that stallion who had come over before. “You know... that stallion said I was pretty.” Rarity put down her drink immediately, already regretting her choice of going on the night out. It was a brief argument. She knew what was about to come. “Really...” “Yeah.” Pinkie Pie turned to face Rarity. “Why would he say that of all things? Why not tell me his name?” Rarity tittered with her teeth, letting out a deep exhale. Why was she destined to have to give Pinkie Pie ‘the talk’? Pinkie Pie really didn't know... “I mean, it was rather nice of him to say that.” Pinkie Pie felt a little blush coming over her at the memory. “But why wa—“ “He was hitting on you,” Rarity interjected sternly, looking down at her drink. Pinkie Pie turned to face Rarity. “He was what?” she asked, her brow raised. “Hitting on you. It’s something you haven’t experienced before. But I know of it.” Pinkie Pie waited patiently for Rarity to carry on. She watched as Rarity seemed to down a lot of her drink. If she were to guess, she would have said Rarity felt tense. “You see Pinkie, at the bar, there are ponies who will attempt to flatter a pony they see from a distance. They will make contact and compliment you to no end. Most of the time, they only have one goal in mind.” “What’s that?” Pinkie Pie’s only response was Rarity tilting her head and scrunching her snout. It took her a short moment before she figured it out. “What? Really?” Pinkie Pie’s look of horror and disgust was all Rarity needed to know. If she hadn’t had stepped in, and with Pinkie’s knack to take things fast... But she pushed that thought back. Pinkie Pie went out of her way to make her happy. She wouldn’t have left her alone. The stallion would have likely given up before long, with Pinkie Pie refusing to leave without her. The thought alone made Rarity chuckle. “Yeah,” Rarity said. “I’ve been on the receiving end of multiple cases. Not all of them want sex, but most are after it. And of course, with alcohol, you’re more tempted to accept their offer.” “So that stallion only wanted me to climb into bed with him?” Rarity didn’t like the way Pinkie Pie’s eyebrows lowered. She especially didn’t like how Pinkie Pie was seemingly glaring in the general direction of the stallion, or how high her voice had risen. She became nervous, and she hadn’t realised she had briskly finished off her first drink. Tapped out, she needed to do something quickly. "Yeah...” Rarity nervously replied. She was quiet, afraid of what might come. “How could he think of me like that!” Pinkie blurted out, even slamming her hoof on the table. Rarity grew tense, her body jolting from the thundering sound. Her head frantically coiled around the scene. She bit her lip. Luckily, Pinkie Pie’s outburst wasn’t attracting public attention. But she knew she had to do something. Without second guessing, or thinking, Rarity leant forward and placed her hoof on Pinkie Pie’s shoulder. “Pinkie, please calm down.” “Huh?” Pinkie Pie felt herself softening up from the contact alone, her muscles losing their tension. “I understand how you’re feeling. But please, don’t feel anger over this.” Rarity skimmed over at Pinkie Pie’s drink. It must have only been half full, but then, Rarity was a half empty kind of pony. With a warming smile, she faced Pinkie Pie again. “How about I go up and get another set of drinks?” “But... I haven’t finished this one.” “I know Pinkie, but I don’t want you to do anything rash. We’re here for fun, remember?” Pinkie Pie’s ears fell down. Rarity was right. She was getting too worked over it. She took a sigh, slumping her shoulders. “Alright.” Rarity felt chuffed at how gentler Pinkie Pie’s voice sounded. Taking her time, she removed the hoof from Pinkie Pie’s confine, taking the purse with her magic. “Same again?” Pinkie Pie nodded. “Ok, I’ll be right back.” Pinkie Pie acted rashly, grabbing Rarity before she could move. Rarity only felt flushed again when Pinkie Pie crushed her with a brief hug. “Thanks Rarity.” Rarity’s smile grew as she slid her way out of the booth. “Just... remain calm, ok?” She left Pinkie Pie with her joking words, before turning to head for the bar again. Rarity had a suspicion that one or both of them would have been hit on at some point, intoxicated or not. She had been around the bar long enough to know that sort of thing tended to happen. But why didn’t she let Pinkie Pie in on the details earlier? It might have saved her from spilling it then. As she ordered another round of drinks, she took a peak back behind her. Pinkie Pie was still drinking her first one. She couldn't help grinning at the display. She remained facing Pinkie Pie even when the drinks came up. She used her magic to carefully levitate them through the air, walking back over towards the booth. Why was she finding Pinkie Pie’s displays so charming? Pinkie Pie beamed when Rarity re-entered their booth. But that was only a cover. Rarity could see Pinkie Pie was thinking about something. “Ok, what is it?” she asked with force, placing down the various objects in their appropriate places. Pinkie Pie felt shocked. She whimpered for a short moment, before taking a sigh. “That stallion called me pretty...” Rarity groaned. “I told you Pinkie, don’t let it get to you. It happens.” “I know... but...” “But what?” Pinkie Pie slouched in a more curled up posture, looking nervous. “Well... did he really think that?” Rarity looked left and right. “You mean... did he actually find you attractive, rather than just saying it?” “Yeah...” Pinkie mumbled, staring at her drink. “Was he just making it up to soften me up?” Rarity paused in taking a swig, lowering her drink. “Of course not.” She caught Pinkie Pie’s attention. “Why would he have come over to wind you up if he didn’t see anything?” “But wasn’t he just after me because of my looks?” Rarity raised a hoof onto her chin. “Well... looks are a part of it. But he must have seen something in you. Or maybe he knew of you. You are rather notorious around Ponyville after all.” Pinkie Pie’s frown began to change. “But I’ve never seen him before.” “Doesn’t mean he doesn’t know you,” Rarity backfired instantly. She inched closer, placing her hoof on Pinkie Pie’s shoulder again. She stared into her dazzling eyes. “You are pretty Pinkie. Not just pretty, but beautiful. And I’m not just talking about your looks. There’s so much about you that is beautiful.” Pinkie Pie blinked her eyes before her full smile showed itself. To Rarity, her eyes were sparkling. They were truly beautiful. “You... you mean it?” Rarity only nodded at Pinkie Pie’s question. She truly meant it. Pinkie Pie had so many qualities she sometimes wished she had. If she had that selflessness, her eccentric personality, sometimes she would be better off. If she could feel enthralled working on an important dress day after day, and proceed through with Pinkie’s mannerism, she might have been better off. She truly admired some features about Pinkie Pie. More than she likely knew. She didn’t even know how thrilled she was just to be on the night out with her. With Pinkie Pie, Rarity felt there was more freedom. She could unwind after a day. Pinkie Pie had no idea how grateful she was for that. That could be why she didn’t take her hoof off of Pinkie Pie. The two of them remained stationary, only staring into each other’s orbs. Both of them had something calling them to the other. They were locked, and neither felt like they wanted it to end. Yes, Pinkie Pie was beautiful... Rarity felt her hoof sliding along Pinkie Pie’s shoulder, heading somewhere else, possibly too personal for contact. It made her realise the reality of what she was doing. Her eyes widened in shock, having caught up with the situation. She retracted her hoof from the vicinity of Pinkie Pie right away, deeply apologising. Why did she do that? A thought that was clunking up her mind. She wasn’t into mares. She wasn’t into Pinkie Pie. She was only friends with her. It was just the alcohol kicking in, she told herself. Rarity felt their situation becoming a bit awkward, though Pinkie Pie didn’t. She didn’t mind the hoof on her, or so Rarity saw. She watched Pinkie Pie upping the game a bit, downing her drinks with no trouble with a cheeky grin. She couldn’t comprehend how Pinkie Pie managed to do it, but she had. Pinkie Pie sighed after finishing off her second drink. She leant forward and picked up the purse. She turned around to Rarity with her never-ending smile. “How about we speed things up?” Rarity gulped as Pinkie Pie jittered the purse around, the sounds of bits colliding resonating to her. What was her plan? “What... what do you mean?” Pinkie Pie’s smile turned devious, her teeth emerging from the parted pink lips. “Let’s do shots.” Rarity’s eyes widened once again at the implications alone. She was about to argue, asking Pinkie Pie to stop, but Pinkie had already jumped out of the booth and shot off for the bar. Rarity’s lips wobbled. She didn’t know if she liked where it was going.