My Little Pony: Small Town Life

by Mythic Night

Ep 4 - Sounds of the Club

Sunny hummed a happy tune to herself as she looked through her dresser and closet, trying to find something to wear to the club. She didn’t dress up too often, but this was a special occasion and she wanted to look her best for the crowd. It had been a while since she got to go dancing, far too long for her liking, so she planned on enjoying every moment of this night.

After a while, she decided to go with a simple white dress and black boots for her night out. The dress had thin straps over her shoulders, and it was short to allow for free movement. The black boots made for a nice contrast with the white dress, and would prevent her hooves from getting too sore from dancing. She decided to add to her monotone look with some gray eyeshadow to accentuate her eyes, and a bit of mascara.

She looked herself over in the mirror, and smiled at the sight before her. “Yeah, I’m definitely gonna break some hearts tonight.” Just as she had just finished getting ready, she heard a knocking at her door. She quickly trotted down the stairs and greeted her guest and escort, Silver, at the kitchen door.

When the door opened, Silver’s eyes widened as he looked her over, stunned at the sight before him. “Oh, uh… Wow…” he muttered to himself.

Sunny grinned at his expression. “Like what you see?”

“Yeah…” he answered with a slow nod. He stood there for a few moments, looking Sunny over, before he suddenly looked horrified and blushed deeply as he realized what he said. “UH! Er, well, I mean… You look very pretty, Sunny!”

She couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction, the unicorn’s face lit up in embarrassment as he looked everywhere but her. She knew she’d get some interest from stallions at the club, but she didn’t expect Silver to react that way. Oh, look how flustered he is! she thought. He’s just too cute…

Her laughter died down as she saw how embarrassed he was, cringing as he looked down at his hooves. She decided to ease his discomfort by giving him a gentle nuzzle, pulling back to see him give her a sheepish smile in return. “Thank you Silver, I appreciate the compliment.”

Silver smiled and gave a small nod, then cleared his throat, eager to change the subject. “So, uh, shall we go then?”

“Oh, yes, lets,” Sunny replied with a nod, closing the door behind her before the two started on their way to the local club.

= = = = = = = = = =

The pair enjoyed some idle chit-chat as they made their way to the nightclub, meeting their friends at the entrance along with a group of other ponies waiting for the club to open. Mystic was wearing a black V-neck t-shirt, and Frosty was wearing a two-piece outfit that consisted of a red top and short red skirt, while Jewel elected to wear nothing like Silver.

Silver noticed that, out of the whole group, Jewel was the only one looking rather glum. Everyone else was happy and excited to cut loose on a Saturday night, while she seemed like she just wanted to go home and head straight to bed. He found it odd, considering she was the one who recommended that they go dancing.

While the others shared greetings, Silver came up to Jewel and asked, “Hey, you alright? Is everything okay?”

Jewel gave a small smile as she replied, “Hey Silver, yeah, I—well, no…” She sighed, her ears folding as her gaze fell. “I’m not feeling all that great right now, but it’ll all be better as soon as I get to the bar.”

Silver frowned, glancing over to Mystic standing next to her, who met his glance with a concerned frown and a shrug. Whatever it was that was bothering her, she apparently hadn’t told Mystic about it either. Silver looked back to Jewel and told her, “Well, if you want to talk about it I’ll be happy to listen. I’m sure Mystic would be happy to talk about it as well.”

“That’s right,” said Mystic with a nod. “Whatever’s bothering you, you don’t have to deal with it alone.” He reached a foreleg around her shoulders to give Jewel a gentle hug, which she leaned into with a sad smile.

“Thanks guys…” She replied, looking between Silver and Mystic. “Right now though, I just want to drown my sorrows.”

Silver gave her a sympathetic nod, but before he could say anything more the bouncer at the door called for everypony to line up single-file to enter the club, and they all lined up as asked before they started making their way inside. It didn’t take them long to enter the club and pay their entry fees, what with Ponyville being a relatively quiet town and not a bustling city.

The group found a table to sit at, and just as everypony was getting situated the lights dimmed and a voice called out from the speakers, “Alright everyone, give it up for Ponyville’s number one DJ, DJ P0N-3!” Everyone cheered as a white unicorn mare with a crazy blue mane and purple shades walked up to the DJ booth and waved to the crowd, and Silver recognized her as the same DJ who played music for his welcome party.

DJ P0N-3 pulled a record out of a box behind the DJ booth, spun it around in her hooves, and then set it on the player to begin pumping out dance music from the large speakers to either side of her. Several ponies immediately flocked over to the dance floor, showing off their moves beneath pulsing lights, while others went to the bar to start their night off.

Silver and the others went to one of the tables, and after some conversation it was decided that Mystic would stick with Jewel at the bar, while Sunny and Frosty would go dancing, and Silver himself would keep their table for them. Four of them went off to their destinations while one sat there, watching ponies dancing and enjoying the music.

= = = = = = = = = =

Sunny and Frosty trotted over to the dance floor and gave appreciative nods and winks at the stallions admiring their outfits, before they began to dance with all the other ponies. It had been a busy day for Sunny, who was glad to cut loose and show off her moves, while Frosty was just happy to have some entertainment after another boring news day in Ponyville.

As the pair danced, Sunny noticed Frosty giving a sly look at the ponies around them, taking in the strong stallions and lovely mares on the dance floor and at the bar. The promiscuous pegasus happened to enjoy the qualities of both stallions and mares, and she pondered taking one of them home that evening.

Sunny giggled at Frosty and gave her a playful shove. “Doing some shopping, are we?”

Frosty just grinned in response. “Can you blame me? There are some cuties here tonight…” she said while glancing at a nearby mare.

“If you say so…” Sunny replied as she danced to the music.

Frosty smirked at Sunny. “Oh come on, you’re telling me you can’t appreciate a pretty mare?”

“I can appreciate them as a friend, if that’s what you mean,” Sunny said with a playful raspberry.

“More for me then!” Frosty replied with a wink and a grin.

Sunny smirked and rolled her eyes. “Whatever happened to your plans with that delivery pony, anyway?”

Frosty grinned lecherously, and told her, “Oh, I went to his place after we finished bowling the other night. I’m telling you, after that big, strong hunk got through with me, I thought I’d be walking funny for a few days…”

Sunny snorted and shook her head. “Don’t you get tired of those flings? Don’t you want something more?”

Frosty shrugged as she danced along with Sunny. “I’m in no rush to get into a relationship, especially if I need to go around Equestria to get the big stories. It just wouldn’t be fair to whoever I ended up dating.” As it was, she didn’t need to do too much travelling in her job for the Ponyville Express, but she had to think long-term when she managed to get to a major news publisher.

Sunny grinned. “Frosty, you know about my mom, right? Famous dancer, goes around Equestria with her dance company half the year, and still had time to get married and raise a couple lovely fillies?”

“Yeah…?” Frosty looked curiously at Sunny as they danced.

“Well I figure if she could do all that being gone for weeks at a time, then there’s no reason you can’t when you’d only be gone a few days here and there!” Sunny winked at Frosty.

“Yeah well…” Frosty perked up and grinned at Sunny. “What about you, huh?!”

Sunny’s brow furrowed. “What about me?”

Frosty just continued to grin. “When are you and Silver gonna get serious?”

That question nearly caused Sunny to fall over as she stumbled mid-dance. “Wait, WHAT?”

“I mean really,” Frosty said as she looked through the crowd at the stallion sitting at the table, “he’s quite handsome. It’s a wonder none of the other mares have shown interest yet.”

Sunny sputtered, “I’ve only known him a few days now! That’s not enough time to start dating!”

Frosty gave a snort at that, “Sunny, dear, if it only takes a few hours to have a fun night with somepony, then a few days is plenty to start a relationship!”

Sunny blushed, dancing forgotten for the time being. “I’m not like that! Besides, what makes you think I’m interested in him, anyway?”

Frosty couldn’t help but laugh, still dancing to the music even as her friend stood there scowling at her. “Oh please! I saw the way you two were together at the bowling alley, I saw that little nuzzle you gave him when he was all frustrated.”

“I-I was just being nice!” Sunny said with a pout. “Friends are nice to each other!”

Frosty grinned as she added, “I also heard that you were checking him out that first night.”

Sunny’s whole face burned as she looked around to see if anypony heard her. “Jewel told you, didn’t she?”

“Oh yeah!” said Frosty with a giggle. “And I gotta say, he does have a cute butt.” She looked thoughtful as she added, “You know, maybe I should give him my own little ‘welcome to Ponyville’ party after we’re done here…”

“No way! He’s mine!” Sunny shouted, then looked flustered as she realized her outburst amongst the other dancers looking at her curiously. “Er, I mean…”

“A-ha!” said Frosty with a triumphant grin. “So you do like him!”

“Yeah, I do…” Sunny admitted, cheeks red as she began to dance again, hoping the patrons nearby would lose interest.

“So what’s the problem?” Frosty asked.

Sunny frowned and sighed. “It’s just, well, I don’t want to rush things. He’s only been around a few days, and I don’t know much about him. If I’m going to start dating somepony, I’d like to know them a lot better than this.”

“I can understand that,” Frosty said with a nod. “You want to know that you’re compatible with him.”

“Exactly,” said Sunny. “If I’m going to start dating again, then I want a long-term relationship, not a short little fling.” She glanced over at Silver through the crowd, who spotted her and gave a smile and a small wave. She returned the smile and wave before she turned to Frosty and added, “Besides, you’ve seen how Silver is; if I push things too hard too quickly he’ll just clamp up, and that’ll be the end of it.”

“That’s true, you don’t want to end your relationship before it even begins.” Frosty smiled thoughtfully as she added, “Though I really don’t think you’ll have to worry too much; it looks to me like he likes you too.”

Sunny giggled at the memory from earlier. “I think you might be right. You should have seen how he reacted when he saw me in this outfit. He got so flustered, and I swear it was the cutest thing!” The two giggled at that, though afterwards she added, “Still, best to get to know him better and let him go at his own pace for now.”

“Just don’t wait too long,” warned Frosty, “or you might find some other mare asking him out instead.”

Sunny nodded, and their conversation ended as they both focused on dancing with the music. Such worries could wait for another day, and she wasn’t going to spend this lovely evening thinking about what-ifs.

= = = = = = = = = =

Mystic and Jewel both sat at the bar, only one other pony sitting there while several others were lined up to order drinks and go to their own tables. There were two bartenders at the bar, taking orders and making drinks for all the thirsty ponies, but first one of them took the orders of the few sitting at the bar.

“I’ll take a hard cider,” Mystic ordered.

“I’ll have a beer,” Jewel said, “strongest you’ve got.”

The bartender nodded and worked to get their drinks, while Mystic turned to look incredulously at Jewel. “Wow, a beer? You sure about that?” When he saw Jewel turn to scowl at him, he winced and held his hooves up. “I-I’m just saying! You usually go with weaker, fruity stuff.”

“Yeah, well…” Jewel nodded to the bartender as their drinks were served, and she took a deep sip of her beer. “It doesn’t taste as good as my usual, but it’ll get me drunk faster…”

Mystic frowned at that, sipping his cider quietly for a time while Jewel finished her beer and ordered another one. “Jewel, I’m worried about you.” She turned to look at him sadly, and he reached a hoof over to rub her shoulder. “What’s the matter? What’s got you so upset?”

She remained silent for a few moments before she sighed and asked, “I assume you remember my big sister, Summer Breeze?” He nodded, and she continued, “And her boyfriend, Storm Chaser?”

Mystic nodded again. “Yeah, I remember them. Why? Did something happen to them?”

She gave a snort and nodded. “Oh, yeah, something happened alright. Last night they invited me and the rest of my family to their home for a nice dinner, to tell us that they had gotten engaged!”

“Oh, well, that sounds like a good thing,” he said, still confused and concerned at Jewel’s attitude.

“Yeah, good for them…” said Jewel before she took a long sip out of her second beer.

“And you’re not happy about this…” he noted.

She growled and responded, “Of course I’m happy! My big sister is getting married to the love of her life while I can’t even get myself a special somepony!”

Mystic frowned and reached over to stroke Jewel’s back. “Oh Jewel…”

She sniffed, tears starting to blur her vision as she just looked sadly at her beer. “I… I am happy for her, it’s just… Why can’t I have that?” She choked back a sob, and continued, “I just want to be married to a kind, handsome stallion, and to raise some foals of my own. That’s not too much to ask, is it…?”

Mystic grimaced, trying to think of how he could help his oldest, closest friend with her issues. He had been in a few relationships himself, but none of them ever lasted very long. He never felt that spark with any of those mares, never felt a real connection with any of them, so he never talked of marriage or foals.

After a short time, he finally said, “Jewel, you know perfectly well that I’ve never been in a serious relationship before, certainly not in any where we discussed marriage…” She looked over to him as he thought about his words, and he continued, “But, whether you want a serious relationship or just a fling… In either case, you need to put yourself out there.”

She remained silent, and he told her, “I’ve seen you look at other stallions before, but I’ve never seen you actually go up to any of them and ask for a date. If you want a husband, a family, then you’re going to have to take that first step.”

“Well, I mean, I try…” Jewel quietly replied. “You know, when I’m out and about with Frosty.”

“And…?” Mystic asked.

Jewel sighed. “And I just get so flustered. I don’t know how to ask somepony out on the rare occasion I build up the courage to talk to them, though usually I just sit there awkwardly…"

“What about the times when they come up to you?” he asked. “Surely there’s been a stallion or two who asked you out?”

Jewel winced. “Yeah, there have been… But I usually just freeze up, and if I ever manage to say anything I tell them—“ She clamped her mouth shut and whined.

Mystic’s brow furrowed. “Tell them what?”

“Nothing…” she lied, unwilling to admit to him that she turned down every stallion who came calling. True, she wanted to find a special somepony of her own, but the feelings she had for Mystic kept her from seeking out relationships with other stallions. Even when she wanted to try, the thought of dating another stallion made her feel an odd kind of guilt.

He sighed, and shook his head. “Jewel… I know that you’re a timid mare, but you need to get over your fears if you truly want a chance at the happiness you seek.” He gave her a smile as he told her, “You’re a beautiful, sweet, and gentle mare, and any stallion in Ponyville, no, in Equestria would be lucky to have you.”

Jewel blushed and smiled sheepishly over at Mystic. “Y-you really think so?”

He nodded. “I do, and once you believe that then you’ll have no problems asking out any stallion.”

She frowned at that, her gaze hardening as she looked down at her beer. Sure, confidence was part of her problem, but it wasn’t the main issue for her. How can he say all that and not be interested in me? she wondered.

“Like him, for instance,” Mystic said as he motioned a hoof over to the only other pony at the bar.

“Wha…?” Jewel perked up at that, and her gaze followed his hoof to spot a dark gray pegasus stallion with amber eyes and blue-silver mane and tail. She remembered that his name was Thunderlane, and as far as she knew, he was… single. Her brow furrowed, and she looked back at her friend. “Wh-what about him?”

“Go ask him out,” he replied with a smirk. “Just know that you’re awesome and a real catch, and you’ll do fine!”

She looked over to the pegasus, then back at Mystic, her cheeks burning as she sighed. “Fine, sure, why not?” She decided to finish off her beer before she got off the stool and walked over to the pegasus, taking a deep, soothing breath before she greeted him. “Hi there! Um… Is anyone sitting here?”

The stallion perked up and looked over to her. “Huh? Oh, no, it’s free,” he told her, taking a sip of his drink.

Jewel sat down on the stool beside him, and glanced over at Mystic. He gave her an encouraging smile and nod, and she turned to face the pegasus once more. “I’m Strawberry Jewel. You’re Thunderlane, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” he responded with a nod. She noticed him looking her over with a smile, and she felt herself blushing in embarrassment when he asked, “So, what brings a pretty mare like you here?”

“Oh, uh, friends,” she replied sheepishly. “Made plans with my friends a few days back, but right now it seems everyone is all over the place.” She looked about, then asked, “What about you?”

“Just came by to chill after a long week,” he explained. “I was going to meet a couple of my friends here, but they seem to be running late.” He took a sip of his drink, then smiled at her as he asked, “So I guess that means we’ve got time to chat.”

“Yes, I suppose we do…” she said, looking to her hooves resting on the bar. Jewel felt awkward sitting there talking to Thunderlane like this when she had been sent over to get a date. She glanced over at Mystic, who smiled at her as he watched the pair, and she sighed before turning to look at the pegasus once more. “Actually, the reason I came by was…” She drifted off, wondering how to ask.

“Was what…?” Thunderlane asked, looking curiously at Jewel.

The alcohol had begun taking effect, but it wasn’t yet enough to lower her inhibitions. Just ask him out, Jewel thought to herself. It’s really not that hard… Her mouth opened, only to close a second later as her courage failed her, and she looked away.

Just as she was about to make another attempt to ask the stallion out, she thought about Mystic, sitting nearby, and felt a familiar sense of guilt at the thought of dating another stallion. Her brows furrowed as she stared into nothingness. Why do I always feel this way when I want to date a stallion? We’re not in a relationship, he doesn’t even like me that way! Jewel sighed, and looked to Thunderlane with a small smile. “I came by… hoping to make a new friend,” she lied.

“Oh…” he replied, looking disappointed for a moment, before he smiled at her. “I could always use more friends. Especially ones that show up on time,” he added with a chuckle.

Jewel giggled at that. “Punctuality is nice…” She heard a shout by the entrance, and the two looked to see a couple ponies waving in their direction. “Oh, looks like your friends are here. I guess I’ll leave you to it.”

He nodded. “It was nice meeting you, Strawberry Jewel,” he said as he got off the stool and headed towards his friends.

Jewel got up and walked back over to Mystic, sitting on the stool next to him once more. She turned to face him, and he gave her a gentle pat on the back as he told her, “Uh, well, good effort?”

She whined and buried her face in her hooves, feeling embarrassed by the awkward attempt and guilty for trying. “I… I told you…”

He stroked her back gently as he told her, “I know, but nothing’s going to happen if you don’t take that first step.”

She thought about that for a few long moments, considering that advice in relation to him. He’s right, she thought to herself. Nothing’s going to happen between me and Mystic if I don’t make that first move. She thought about how things could go, about how they could be a happy couple and go on to have the life she dreamed of, and it brought a smile to her face.

That smile died when she thought about the other way it could go; being rejected by Mystic, and losing his friendship in the awkwardness that would ensue. The thought of their friendship ending was what stopped her from speaking up. They could talk for hours, confide in each other, and he would always protect her, and she couldn’t stand the idea of Mystic not being there.

I… I have to make that first move, she thought as she brought her hooves down from her face. I have to try! She cleared her throat, and looked to Mystic. “Hey, Mystic?”

“Yeah?” he asked as he looked to her curiously.

She looked at him, gazing into his eyes, and felt her heart skip a beat. She slowly opened her mouth, wanting to ask him that important question; will you be my special somepony? She knew what she needed to ask, and yet her fears stopped her. The thought of their friendship ending because of this held her tongue, and she could only whine and look away.

I can’t… I just can’t risk our friendship, she thought with a sigh. I can’t lose him…

“What is it, Jewel?” he asked, concerned at her silence.

Jewel took a deep breath, and told him, “I want whiskey.”

His brow furrowed as he asked, “Wha?”

She slammed a hoof on the counter and called to the bartender, “I need a shot of whiskey!” If she didn’t need to drown her sorrows before, she sure did now!

= = = = = = = = = =

Silver sighed as he just sat there, quite bored as he simply listened to the music playing. He looked around at the crowd, at ponies sitting at the tables chatting, and ponies on the dance floor showing off their moves.

When he had agreed to go to the club with the others, he assumed it would be some kind of group activity, and yet they only grouped together long enough to tell each other where they were going and split up after that, leaving him alone at the table.

He recalled their bowling night, and remembered how much he had been dreading the activity with them, at least until Sunny showed him how to play properly. After that he ended up enjoying himself, and through it all he grew closer to his new friends, learning more about them as they played.

He had hoped that it would be the same way tonight when he agreed to go to the club with the others, but then again even if they had stayed together, what would he have done? He didn’t normally drink, and on top of that he didn’t know how to dance either. He had to wonder what he was thinking at the time, agreeing to go to the club when he couldn’t enjoy either activity there.

Silver glanced over to the bar where he noticed Mystic and Jewel sitting there, the latter drinking from a small shot glass to the obvious concern of her unicorn friend. He wondered what could be bothering her to drink like that, and hoped that it wasn’t anything too serious. He hoped that she would feel like talking about it, not just to give him something to do, but to also help her through it.

He glanced through the crowd of dancing ponies and caught a glimpse of Sunny and Frosty moving with the beat. It was hard for him to make them out through the crowd, but far as he could tell they certainly had good moves. Of course, he didn’t know much about dancing, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying the movements of the dancers.

As he caught another glimpse of Sunny in her white dress, he couldn’t help but blush in embarrassment as he remembered his reaction earlier. Real smooth, Silver… he thought to himself as he remembered how he stared at her and stuttered through the whole awkward situation. He at least felt comfort in the memory of her gentle nuzzle and thanks for his compliment, which caused his heart to skip a beat as feelings welled up inside him.

When he first saw Sunny, he thought she was beautiful, one of the most beautiful mares he had ever seen in fact. It was when they got to talking at the party and at her shop that he got to know her, and found her to be a kind and independent mare. He admired those traits in her, and felt his attraction to her grow beyond the physical.

Her assistance at the bowling alley was what caused his feelings for her to grow into something more than mere attraction, though. To most ponies it was just a simple thing, really; she helped him play better, nothing more. To him though, it was more than that; she saw his struggle, and actually took time to aid him when anypony else would have just sat there and watched, or worse yet taunt him for his poor performance. Because of her, what could have been a long evening filled with ridicule while playing a game he disliked instead turned into a delightful time spent getting to know his new friends and gaining a new hobby.

His growing feelings for Sunny didn’t do him much good, however; as little as he knew about friendship, he knew absolutely nothing about love and romance. He had been a lonely colt growing up, and in the years when ponies would start looking to date he was instead focused on his studies and magic. It left him smarter than his fellow classmates, but socially stunted otherwise.

To top that off, he wasn’t even sure what she felt about him either. Even if he got up the courage to ask Sunny out, that didn’t mean that she would actually be interested. He remembered the times they spent together, and the affection she showed him, but he thought that she could simply be acting nice toward him. He certainly didn’t want to make assumptions and cause awkwardness between them, or worse yet upset her.

Before Silver could think further on Sunny, he noticed movement by the bar. He looked over to see Mystic urging Jewel away from the bar and towards the table he had been holding for them. Jewel’s head bobbed and swayed with the beat of the music while Mystic watched her with concern as they made their way to the table.

They both sat down, and he greeted them, “Hey guys, done at the bar?”

“No,” Jewel said with an indignant huff, “but Mystic said that I’d had enough tonight.”

“That’s because you have, Jewel,” Mystic told her. “A couple beers and a couple shots of whiskey are more than you usually go for; you’d get sick if I let you keep drinking.”

“Yeah, well…” she grumbled, head bobbing a bit at the music as she felt the alcohol really starting to take effect.

Silver frowned at that, looking at Jewel with concern. While they were both distracted with her, Sunny noticed the group forming up at the table, and both she and Frosty decided to take a break from the dancing. They walked off the dance floor, and Frosty sat at the table with the others while Sunny remained standing, looking between her and Silver.

“You guys thirsty? I was gonna hit the bar for a drink,” said Sunny.

“Oooh, I’ll have a strawberry daiquiri,” Frosty said.

“I guess I’ll take a hard cider,” Silver replied.

Sunny nodded at that, glancing over to see Jewel raising a hoof before Mystic reached for it and put it back down, shaking his head at her. Sunny smirked at that and turned to walk over to the bar, ordering their drinks, and after that she sat down at the table waiting for the bartender to finish their drinks and serve them.

After their drinks were served, Sunny was the first to speak up. “So Jewel, what’s going on tonight? I noticed you seemed pretty upset earlier.”

Jewel sighed, and answered, “Short version? My big sis is getting married, and I’m still alone.”

“Oh, I see…” Sunny said with a nod. “I can see how that would be upsetting. Still, I mean, you’re not entirely alone, Jewel.”

“That’s right!” Frosty said with a grin. “You’ve got us!”

Jewel snorted at that, crossing her hooves as she sulked. “Not helping…”

Frosty pouted at her. “Well that’s not nice…”

“Don’t mind her,” Mystic said, “I’m sure that’s just the alcohol talking.”

Sunny perked up at that. “Wait, alcohol? As in, she’s been doing serious drinking?”

“Not as much as I would’ve liked,” Jewel spoke up. “Mystic wouldn’t let me have any more.”

“Drinking won’t help your problems, Jewel,” Mystic told her.

As all this was going on, all Silver could do was sit there quietly, drinking his cider. He couldn’t even figure out how to start a relationship of his own; he sure wasn’t in a place to try giving advice to a lonely mare like Jewel. He noticed her glancing over at him with an odd look in her eyes, tilting her head as if thinking.

“You know, I remember what you said, Mystic,” Jewel said, feeling relaxed and confident as the alcohol took full effect. She smiled as she looked Silver over and added, “I just gotta put myself out there, right?”

Mystic’s eyes narrowed as he looked sideways at her. “Uh, yeah…?”

Jewel grinned at Silver. “So Silver, you said you’ve never had a special somepony?”

Silver nearly choked on the cider he had been drinking. “Uh, well, no I haven’t,” he answered with a cough.

“Well I’ve never had a special somepony, either,” she told him, gazing at the stallion with half-lidded eyes. “I’d say we both need practice, so… Do you wanna go on a date sometime?” She grinned and waggled her eyebrows at the stallion.

Several things happened at that moment; Silver’s eyes widened as his cheeks burned from embarrassment, the poor stallion blindsided by the drunken request. Sunny’s brow furrowed and she started to get up from her chair to speak, only for Frosty to reach a hoof over to stop her, the other hoof holding her own mouth shut to stifle her laughter. Finally, Mystic could only gape at Jewel, wondering just how drunk she had to be to become outgoing like that.

Silver could only respond with, “Uh…”

Jewel giggled and continued, “Well, I suppose we’ll need a few dates for practice, won’t we?” She brought a hoof to her chin as she bobbed her head side to side, thinking. “Who knows? If things go well, maybe you could be my special somepony!”

His eye twitched as he replied, “W-well, um…”

Sunny smirked as she looked between the embarrassed introvert and the normally-timid mare trying to seduce him. By this point Frosty had both her hooves at her muzzle as she tried to silence her laughter, and Mystic was still staring at his oldest friend asking his newest friend out.

“So whadda ya say, Silver?” she asked with a smile. “Wanna date me?” She started to frown at Silver’s embarrassed expression, and added, “Or… Aren’t I pretty enough? Is that the problem?”

Silver let out a squeak of horror at that, and started sputtering, “Er, well, no, uh, wait!” He waved his hooves about and tried to explain. “I mean, you’re pretty! I just don’t know, uh, what I mean is… I’m not sure I’m ready for that!”

Frosty and Sunny both broke out into laughter as they watched Silver desperately trying not to stuff all four hooves into his mouth as he attempted to gently decline Jewel's offer, though their fun was cut short when Mystic spoke up.

“I think it’s time I brought you home, Jewel,” he said.

“What?” Jewel’s brow furrowed as she looked over to the unicorn. “But I’m trying to get a date here!”

“And you’re not yourself,” he told her. “Why don’t you sleep on it and ask tomorrow? Come on,” he said as he got up and urged her from the table.

“YOU’RE the one who—oop!” Jewel stumbled a bit and braced against Mystic. “Thanks… Mmm, big, strong stallion…” she murmured as she nuzzled him gently.

“Come on…” he told her as he led her toward the entrance with her pressed against him.

A minute after the pair left, Silver felt his blush finally going away, glad that the awkwardness had passed. He didn’t expect to get asked out at the club, let alone by one of his new friends!

“You okay, Silver?” Sunny asked.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine…” he replied. “So, that was just the alcohol, right…?”

Frosty snorted. “Yep! She’s probably going to be mortified when she remembers what she did.”

“Well that was really awkward…” said Silver with another sip of his cider. “I don’t get it though, why is a pretty mare like her alone?”

“Because she usually gets flustered when she’s interested in a stallion,” Frosty replied. “Apparently she’s okay asking them out when she’s drunk though,” she added with a giggle.

“So, uh, did you guys enjoy your dancing?” Silver asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

“Absolutely,” Sunny said with a smile. “We decided to take a break when I spotted you three at the table here.”

As Sunny and Silver spent time chatting, Frosty looked between them with a smirk, remembering her earlier conversation with the yellow mare. The way she saw it, these two were practically on a date now that their group had shrunk, and she was more than happy to abandon her role as a fifth wheel to give them the privacy she thought they needed.

“Well you two, it’s been fun,” Frosty started, giving a stretch, “but I think I’m gonna call it a night.”

Sunny frowned. “Really? Already? I thought you just wanted to take a break.”

“I did, sure, but now all that dancing is catching up to me,” she replied, giving a fake yawn. “I’ll be heading on home. You two have fun now, okay?” She winked at Sunny as she got up and headed out the door, smiling as she thought, Don’t blow this chance, Sunny!

Sunny blushed a bit at that wink, then cleared her throat. “Speaking of fun, how are you enjoying yourself, Silver?”

“Me?” he asked. “Oh, uh, well enough I suppose…”

She gave him a deadpan stare. “I’m not convinced.”

He chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. “Eh, well… Okay, so I’m actually bored out of my mind.”

She gave him a sympathetic smile as she told him, “Oh Silver, you didn’t have to hold a table for us if you didn’t want to.”

“Well, uh, honestly? I didn’t have much else to do…” he told her with a blush.

Sunny tilted her head curiously. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, you see… The thing is, I don’t know how to dance,” he admitted, “and I don’t normally drink either.”

She gave him an incredulous stare. “Wait, so… You can’t dance, you don’t drink, and you still came to the club with all of us?” She gave a snort, then started laughing at the ridiculous situation.

Silver could only smirk and shrug, knowing how silly it sounded.

She brought a hoof up to her mouth to try stifling her laughter, and asked him, “W-what…” She giggled, and asked, “Why did you agree to come if you don’t dance or drink?”

He shrugged and chuckled sheepishly, telling her, “Well, I mean, I didn’t like bowling before you showed me how to play, and that turned out to be a fun evening. I figured this could be a fun activity with my new friends, though that didn’t exactly pan out when everypony split up like that.”

“So,” she asked, “how exactly were you planning on enjoying yourself tonight?”

“Uh… No idea,” he admitted with a shrug.

Sunny giggled. “Well, how about I show you how to dance? Would you like that?”

Silver perked up at that. “Teach me to dance? Uh, sure! That could be fun, I guess.”

She finished off her drink, and gave the unicorn a sly smile as she told him, “Alright, but this is the last time I show you how to have fun. I’ll have to start charging you if I need to keep teaching you stuff.” Silver blushed and sputtered an apology, and she just laughed. “Oh, I’m only teasing you, Silver. I’ve had fun hanging out with you, and I’m happy to help you out.”

He smiled at that, and finished off his cider. “I guess I’m ready when you are, Sunny.”

She nodded at that, finishing off her own drink before replying, “Well, how about now?”

Silver chuckled and got up with her. “I guess that works.”

The pair headed to the dance floor just as a new pulsing track started playing, and they carefully made their way through the small crowd to find a cozy spot of their own. Sunny moved in front of Silver as he looked about at the ponies around them moving with the beat, and he wondered if he bit off more than he could chew.

She wouldn’t let him worry to long though, as she spoke up and said, “Alright Silver, you ready?”

“Uh, yeah,” he replied, looking away from the other ponies to focus on her. “So, what do I do?”

She giggled, and told him, “There are a lot of different dances you can perform in a club, but contrary to what you may believe, they don’t have to be complicated.” She started to bob her head to the beat of the music. “Watch what I do,” she told him before she began to move with the music.

She began to dance, starting by swaying left and raising her left foreleg, then she stomped her foreleg and swayed right, raising her right foreleg with the motion, all the while bobbing her head to the beat. “See? Just sway, lift, stomp, sway, lift, and stomp with the beat,” she told him with a smile. “Now you try! Start by bobbing your head with the beat to get a feel for the rhythm.”

He nodded, listening to the music for a few seconds before his head began to bob with the beat of the music. Well, here I go… he thought timidly as he started to move his hooves in the way Sunny showed him. She watched him as he moved stiffly side to side, looking at his front hooves and obviously trying hard not to mess up the steps while he worked to match the beat.

She giggled at the stiff movements, quickly silencing herself as she saw him blush and grimace at her amusement. “You’re doing pretty good Silver, you’re just stiff is all! You have to loosen up!” She smiled and gently booped his nose with a hoof, causing him to look up at her. “Don’t watch your movements, just feel the beat and move to it.”

He nodded at that, and took a deep, soothing breath before he bobbed his head to the music, getting a rhythm going as he began to move once more. He tried not to think too hard on the simple dance and instead tried to enjoy the music and company, and his movements loosened up to become a proper dance instead of a stiff stomping.

Sunny’s smile brightened as she saw Silver start to relax and really dance. “You’re doing it, Silver! Nice job!” She grinned and winked at him as she danced with him, and he couldn’t help but smile as they danced together through the song.

Silver danced along to the music with Sunny, watching her smooth movements as she did a dance all her own, and he found himself impressed at her moves. “You’re really good,” he told her. “Did you take lessons?”

She grinned and told him, “Sort of! My mom actually taught me a bit of dancing through the years. It’s because of her that I love to dance so much.”

“It must be nice to share an interest with your family,” he replied as he kept up the basic dance that she taught him. “Do you go dancing with your mom very often?”

“No,” she told him with a sad smile. “This is actually the first time in weeks I’ve gone out dancing myself, and months since I got to spend quality time with my parents.”

“Why so long?” he wondered.

“Work,” she told him. “I’m running my business all by myself, so it doesn’t leave much time for relaxation or socialization.”

“Oh,” he said, giving her a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Sunny giggled and shook her head, “It’s fine, Silver. Not like I didn’t know what I was in for when I opened my shop.”

He pondered that as he danced, wondering if there was something he could do to ease her workload and allow her more time to relax like this. Granted, he had never held down a normal job before then, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t learn!

Soon enough, a new song started to play, and she asked, “Hey, do you want to try learning a new dance?”

Silver shrugged and stopped dancing. “Sure, I guess.”

She stopped dancing as well, and listened to the beat of the new song, head starting to bob up and down with it. “Okay, so, watch what I do, just like before,” she told him, before she started to move. She moved her front left hoof left, while her back right hoof went right, and she moved her rump with the back hoof, then both hooves went center before the opposite motion was repeated with front right and rear left hooves.

She smiled at Silver as she did a few more repetitions, then told him, “Step, center, step, center, just like that. Give it a try.”

He nodded, bobbing his head with the beat to get the rhythm down before he began to move, this time having to focus both front AND rear hooves. He moved with the beat, a little clumsy at first as he tried to work two legs in different directions in rhythm, but soon he got it down and began moving just as smoothly as she was.

Sunny couldn’t help but grin as she saw Silver getting into the dance. “There you go! Not bad, Silver.”

The pair danced together, just enjoying the music for a while as Silver felt his confidence growing. He had been so worried about embarrassing himself earlier, but the moves she showed him were simple enough for him to follow, and he felt pretty good about his skills up to that point.

Sunny kept on smiling as she danced with Silver, enjoying this moment they were spending together. She didn’t get to socialize a lot because of the demands of running her own business, but lately she had been making time to hang out with her friends, and to get to know Silver. He was a nice stallion, though usually quiet, and times like this when he opened himself up were why she was really starting to like him.

They enjoyed a couple more songs together like this, before Sunny spoke up again. “Hey Silver, you’re doing pretty good. How about you try some moves of your own?”

Silver stumbled at that thought, and he stopped dancing as he looked at her with furrowed brows. “What? Sunny, I-I don’t know how to dance beyond what you’ve shown me.”

She smiled as she told him, “You don’t have to do anything fancy to dance in a club, Silver. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

He wasn’t so certain of that, and his ears folded as he shrunk a bit, looking at all the ponies surrounding them. “I-I don’t know, Sunny… What if I’m terrible? What if they all laugh at me…?” He couldn’t help but notice just how many ponies were there on the dance floor to watch him embarrass himself.

“Silver…” Sunny reached a hoof over to his cheek, and gently guided him to face her. “Look at me,” she said, and he gazed into her beautiful blue eyes. She held his cheek as she told him, “Don’t worry about anypony else, just focus on me, okay? It’s just you and me here. Let everything else fade into the background.”

He stood up slowly, soothed by her words and her gentle gaze. “Just you and me…” he repeated to her.

She nodded slowly and smiled. “That’s right. Don’t worry about anything but us, okay?” He gave a small smile and nodded at that, and she brought her hoof back down and said, “You don’t need to know any fancy dance moves, you just have to move to the beat. Think you can do that?”

“I can try,” he told her, feeling himself relaxing from her gentle encouragement.

“You’ll do fine, I know you will,” she told him with a bright smile.

Silver smiled, her confidence in him giving him the strength to brush aside his fears and just start dancing with the music. He didn’t know anything about dancing before that night, but if he only had to follow a beat, well, he could do that.

= = = = = = = = = =

It was some time later, well past midnight when the pair left the club. They danced for a while, and while Silver did his best, he couldn’t match Sunny’s talented moves; nevertheless, they both enjoyed themselves. Eventually though, the pair tired out and decided to call it a night.

As they walked along, heading to Sunny’s home, Silver groaned in discomfort. “My legs are so sore right now…”

Sunny giggled. “What, not used to working your muscles? I suppose it must be nice to just sit around and read books all day,” she teased him.

“And sculpt,” he said, giving her a smirk. “I sculpt too, you know!”

“Right, reading and sculpting,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Still, what did you expect?”

“Not soreness,” he admitted, stretching out his legs as they walked. “I never realized that dancing could be such a workout!”

She giggled and nodded. “Mm-hmm! That’s one of the reasons I love dancing so much, because it’s a fun way to stay in shape.” She smiled at him as she asked, “You had fun otherwise, right?”

He smiled and nodded at her. “Yeah, I did. I don’t really know what I was expecting tonight, but I’m glad I went dancing with you. Thank you for showing me how.”

“It’s really no problem, Silver. I was happy to teach you, and I liked dancing with you.” She looked thoughtful before she gave him a sheepish smile, and added, “I’m sorry we all left you just sitting there at the table when we split up. We should have asked you what you wanted to do instead of just going off doing whatever.”

Silver shook his head and smiled at her. “There’s no need to apologize, really. I agreed to go to the club with you all, so of course you’d assume I’d find something to do there.” He chuckled and blushed as he added, “I should have told you guys from the start that I didn’t know how to dance.”

“Well, you do now,” Sunny replied with a grin. “So whenever we do this again you’ll be ready for a night of fun.”

“That’s assuming my legs don’t fall off from the dancing I did tonight,” he grumbled, only to laugh as he dodged a playful swat from the yellow mare.

They reached Sunny’s home a short while later, and before the night came to a close, Silver felt the need to ask a question that had been bothering him since they left the club. “Hey, Sunny? I need to ask you something,” he said.

She turned to him with a gentle smile, and asked, “What is it, Silver?”

He looked sheepishly at his hooves, before looking back up to her. “I gotta know, my dancing tonight… How did I do?”

Sunny went “hmm” as she thought back to their time on the dance floor, then responded, “Well, you were pretty good. Not the best dancing I’ve ever seen, mind you, but it was genuine.” She smiled and stepped forward, surprising Silver by planting a soft kiss on his cheek. She pulled back to see him giving a goofy smile while his cheeks reddened. “Thanks for showing me your moves, Silver.”

“Uh, y-you’re welcome,” he replied, quite flustered by her affection.

She turned to the door, and pulled out her key to unlock it. Before she went inside, she turned to him, and said, “Have a good night, Silver.”

“You too, Sunny,” he responded, still wearing that goofy smile.

She couldn’t help but giggle at the look on his face, and she gave him a playful wink before she headed inside and closed the door behind her.

Silver turned away and started heading home, trotting along with a happy little giggle from receiving his very first kiss. His chances with Sunny were definitely looking up!