“We’re heeeere.” Tempest sighed, wincing at the bright neon that danced over the hood of her GSX, doing it’s best to reignite the migraine she thought she defeated earlier this afternoon. Turning to her companion, the Unicorn shrugged, noting how Twilight was still shaking to the rhythm of the mighty 455 V8, long after the ignition had been firmly switched off. Placing a hand on her companion’s shoulder to stop her quaking, Tempest smirked. “You wanted me to have some fun, right? Welp, time to show me this ‘fun’ you speak so highly of!” She finished her sentence with an overly exaggerated wink, hoping to calm Twilight’s nerves.
“W-well I’m not exactly the go-to pony when it comes to ‘being lit’ or ‘getting krunk’ as the fillies say nowadays-” Twilight started, bringing up her fingers to insinuate air-quotes. “-buuuut I am more then certified in having a fun evening with my friends! I may not be on the same wave-length as Pinkie Pie-”
“For that, I am eternally grateful.” Tempest interrupted with a hearty chuckle. “This ain’t rocket science. We go in there, we drink, we might even dance-”
“-We might even have fun, too!” Twilight smiled, pulling at her slinky black dress as she let out a delighted squeak. “I never get to wear this thing! I might even successfully break it in!”
“-You’re a true party animal.” Tempest coyly sneered. “Maybe one day you’ll upgrade your wardrobe to something on my spectrum.” Tempest snickered as she patted the lapels of her leather jacket. “You ain’t even gonna see me slink into one of those things!”
“-And a few day’s ago Grubber you said you’d never set foot in a club!” Twilight squealed, tugging on her friends arm with hearty enthusiasm. “You never know what you’ll find yourself doing a week from now! Come on! We might even get a good seat to get a true observation of Ponyville’s nightlife! Ooooh I can’t wait to review my experiences with online enthusiasts of the night scene! I hope my leg-to-dress ratio fits the proper etiquette of this establishment!”
“You’re carelessness may cost us a lot of fun with such displays of staunch debauchery.” Tempest winked at Twilight playfully, who chuckled away the jab at her intense self-scrutiny of her own wardrobe. “Let’s get crackin’, shall we?”
“Let’s!” Twilight chirped, undoing the multiple extra seatbelts before clambering out of the 50 year old muscle car, briefly leaving Tempest alone. Her smile wavering, Tempest sighed deeply as she studied the faces in the crowd and the ritzy establishment itself. Swearing under her breathe, Tempest swiftly placed the “Princess Twilight Sparkle’s Chauffeur” identification badge on the dashboard of her GSX before undoing her seatbelt.
“One drink… just one, measly drink. This is gonna hurt…” Tempest muttered, her smile slowly returning. “… but you can do this.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Once upon a time, the establishment was a ritzy, high-end restaurant. The current venue appeared quite keen to shake the building down to it’s foundations. Highly skilled cellists were playing alongside archaic electronics, resulting in an odd mix of ear-splitting easy listening. Suffice to say, it did little to change her current disposition.
Tempest knew very well that the ponies of Equestria were a humble sort, a very forgive-forget type of folk. She knew they meant well, but considering how she could recognize quite a few of the clubs current inhabitants from lines of cramped cages, Tempest felt deep down she wasn’t worthy of their hasty forgiveness. The ponies that did give her a piece of her mind in the last few months were few and far between, but they gave her a respite she longed for.
A punishment of some kind for her cruel and selfish actions.
Twilight Sparkle was a beacon of light in the final moments of the Storm King’s short-lived reign, one that was worth sacrificing all Tempest had left. And with her crippling guilt and doubts of self-worth in a world where everypony so easily forgave her actions, Tempest admired the criticism Twilight had to offer, no matter how slight or large.
And for that ounce of discipline, Tempest was willing to do anything for such a ‘Friend’.
“YO OCTAVIA!! OCTY!!” Tempest winced as the shrill, drunken shriek of a familiar DJ pierced the musical crescendo, her pearly white coat eliminated by complex, labyrinthine patterns that glowed through her very shirt. Lit up like a Hearth’s Warming tree, it was no wonder she became a beacon on the dance floor as she waved at the cellist who tried in vain to concentrate on her work. “HEYO OCTO!! I’M GONNA GO DANCE WITH THIS EXOTIC ZEBRA CHICK!!” Tempest couldn’t help but smirk as she finally found Twilight in the crowd, currently performing what the ex-warlord could only describe as a chicken in the midst of an existential raging fit alongside a Zebra who despite wearing heavy stack-heeled boots, was dancing like she was barefoot. Twilight didn’t seem to mind one iota that she was woefully outmatched, or that some club-goers who were initially mesmerized by the Zebra’s quick-footwork recoiled in horror upon laying eye’s on the Princess of Friendship’s futile dancing attempts like they just watched a brutal car accident.
Tempest kept her distance, finding joy in Twilight’s ambition to enjoy anything new, even as her high-heeled shoes slipped and scuffed on the dancefloor.
“Wheew!” The Zebra exclaimed, panting heavily as she wiped the sweat from her brow with her forearm. “I could use a drink! For I must admit, I’ve employed every move but the kitchen sink!”
“Oh come ON, Zecora! It feels like I just got here!” Twilight cheered. “I’ve still got a few slick thrusts I could utilize in a safe and proper manner!”
“Well MAYBE we just gotta obtain a good pick-me-up! The body requires sustenance to keep the party rolling!” Vinyl proclaimed, striking a proud pose as she pointed to the bar-top on the other side of the dance floor.
“I doubt the nutritional value of most cocktails in this fine establishment contribute much to our required daily intake of-” Twilight started, bringing her finger to her bottom lip to ponder, only to be dragged along by Vinyl and Zecora, her shoe popping off in the process. “-Bu-but a nice drink would be quite refreshing regardless!”
Tempest rolled her eyes with a smirk on her face, knowing her favorite part of the night is coming right up!