Taking Manehattan in Style! [ATTN: RandomPony and Zealot]

[Elderflower]

 

Well here she was back in the big city again, tucked away in some hole in the wall pub with a neat whiskey in hoof. Birdy tapped her hoof on the old wooden table, idly keeping time with the rhythm coming from the drums on stage. The Prancing Pony wasn’t one of her usual haunts, but she had been seeing more and more of it with her last few visits. She stumbled in there one night while she was on her way to her favourite speakeasy, mostly out of a desperate need to find a washroom before her bladder fell right out of her! Well, needless to say the Pony had charmed her. It was a little dingy and rundown but the regulars were all boisterous and goodnatured sorts who drank heavy and sang loudly - exactly the type the vagabond vocalist got along with best.

The band that was playing had been on stage the first night Riff Run had stumbled into the joint as well. Their music was simple and straightforward folky-feelgood stuff that she didn’t usually get hooked on. Something about their charm was ridiculously catchy, however, so she found herself pulled back to check ‘em out.

Pleased as punch to be out on her own, Birdy polished off her drink and bounced over to the dance floor. How could she resist the chance to dance to a catchy, upbeat folk tune? The answer was simple: she couldn’t. So there she was, bopping away spiritedly on the dance floor. Birdy’s philosophy on dance was this: stick to the beat but move however you damn well please. None of this look-at-me hip swaying or body weaving - just good old-fashioned hopping and bopping and having a blast. Her moves definitely weren’t trained or polished, but everypony she danced up to couldn’t help but join her and laugh along. She had an infectious, fun-loving personality and did her darnedest to spread the sickness as much as she could!

Laughing and singing along in her chocolatey tones, she grabbed the nearest pony to her without a second thought and began to spin around with them.

“I guess this means that you and me are thick as thieves ooh-oh!”

 

To set the mood, this is the song Riff Run is singing along to!

 

[RandomPony]

"I think it's about time for another bout of pony-watching." Jack recalled saying to himself earlier, walking down the sidewalk to his apartment.  His walks had taken him past this specific place that had interested him a few times now, a small tavern called The Prancing Pony.  He had no idea if tavern was the right word in this context, but from the way it looked, it felt like the appropriate word to describe the establishment.  Deciding to take some time for himself, he had entered the bar, politely asked the bartender for a glass of water, and sat at a table along the wall, simply watching the crowd of ponies dance, drink, and make loud noises.

 

The atmosphere of the place was accentuated by the band playing lively tunes that most of the patrons couldn't help but at least tap a hoof to.  Jack bobbed his head side to side, smiling slightly as he just took in the atmosphere.  He saw ponies coming and going, ponies having the time of their life on the dance floor, ponies chatting with each other at the bar and across tables... It always felt somewhat relaxing to just watch the world continue to spin around him.  A small, if powerful reminder that his life wasn't the center of the world.  Or even the mantle of the world.  Possibly barely even a small island on the upper crust, if he wanted to continue with the metaphor.

 

He chuckled lightly to himself, tipping his glass to his mouth, but finding it empty.  Jack stood from his seat, holding his glass with the intent of asking the bartender for more water.  At first he thought to move around the group of dancing ponies, but the tune was admittedly good at making a pony want to move.  Tapping his hoof in time, he looked at the dancers.  They moved and jerked about with a fervor and liveliness he hadn't seen, or felt, in a while.  He thought for a moment, wondering if he might make a fool of himself.

 

A smile came to his face as he felt his body swaying with the music.  'Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.' The thought moved him into the crowd, trying to look like he was just dancing like the other ponies, but still making his way towards the bar.  'Although, that saying doesn't have much relevance to the current situation,' He moved to the side of a couple dancing away with each other.  'I'm not really taking a risk by trying a little dancing on my way to get a drink, and there's not even-'

 

Suddenly he was spinning.  He reflexively pulled the hoof holding his glass in closer to his body, hoping not to drop it.  There was another pony spinning with him, it seemed.  She had a very brown coat, not unlike his own, but a very black mane and tail, with a streak of a light cream fluttering slightly as they spun.  As they began to slow their spin, the mare started singing with the band.

 

“I guess this means that you and me are thick as thieves ooh-oh!”

 

Her voice was definitely well suited to the song, he thought.  However, her melodic voice was probably well suited to a multitude of songs, across a variety of genres.  As she laughed, he felt slightly flustered, but couldn't keep a small laugh of his own from escaping.  "Um, you'll have to forgive me for not singing along, I don't know the lyrics." Jack paused.  "And I didn't know you were going to dance with me." Another pause.  "Should I have known you were going to?  Was there some sort of signal you made that I didn't see?  I apologize if so, I'm very new to dancing, first time trying it in fact!" He chuckled nervously, feeling slightly awkward as he disengaged himself from her grip.

 

"Ah, my name is Jack Trade!" He said in greeting, waving his hoof with an empty glass.  "It was nice bumping into you!" He said in farewell, as he departed towards the bar.  After a step, he stopped.  The mare had such a sense of genuine happiness about her, such a happy and carefree attitude that felt incredibly infectious.  Reflecting on his time in Manehattan, he concluded that such an individual was rare to see, and thought that maybe it would be nice to get to know her.  But he had already said goodbye, and made to leave.  Turning back felt like it would be more than a little bit awkward.

 

More laughter came from the bar, as ponies clapped one another on the back, jovial and cheerful.  What was one moment of awkwardness in a bar one night for a chance to meet a friend?

 

He turned to the mare and spoke again, "Uh, hello again!  Sorry to bother you, but would I be able to buy you a drink?" He continued shortly after he asked, giving no time to answer. "And possibly having some conversation over the drink, I mean.  And my drink, too." He waved his glass.  "Drinks, plural."

[Zealot]

Stiletto smiled across the bar as a bottle of beer was placed in front of her. Excellent, that was what she was here for. After all, the pegasus had been working all day delivering messages across the city. Her wings meant that it was quite easy to deliver mail to the offices of the high rise buildings. It was a pretty dull job but at least it was temporary work. Manehatten had proved to be less exciting than she'd thought it would be and after a few weeks the thrill of the city had worn off. The place had a vibrant air to it, but there wasn't too much to see. Stiletto sort of wanted to get moving now that she had seen all there was to see.

 

So after a hard day's work the pegasus found the nearest bar and decided to have a quick drink. The oppressive air of the city skyscrapers had left her in a bit of a melancholy mood. Being an empath, she'd ended up picking up the bored vibes of the legions of office workers. Suffice to say, Stiletto wasn't feeling all too good. Thankfully she'd found the bar before she'd got too upset. 

 

So here she sat, taking a swig of her beer and revelling in the lively positive atmosphere of the tavern. The music helped, it was jolly and vibrant, giving the empath a pleasant and friendly mood. Stiletto allowed the positive energy and the happiness of the other ponies to wash over her, making her feel better in turn. It was certainly something the pegasus did regularly. Whenever she was feeling sad, she found a happy pony and let their positive vibes wash her problems away. 

 

She took another swig of her beer and looked around, eager to see if there were any happy ponies she could talk to. After all, Stiletto hadn't been too successful in making friends here and she thought it would be best to try and change that. The pegasus stalked around the edges of the dance floor and picked out two likely prospects at random. A stallion and a mare. They both seemed fun, having positive auras. With a 'what the hell' attitude, Stiletto walked up to the pair and introduced herself. "Hey there, I'm Stiletto, what's up?" Of course, this might be a little strange to them so she made sure to soften her words with positive friendly energy. Hopefully that would make it sound like she wasn't being weird, just friendly and happy. Though with the beer bottle in her hoof it might be misconstrued as a little drunk. But hey, risk and reward. 

[Elderflower]

The stallion that Birdy had grabbed hold of sure was a nervous one! He seemed too concerned with whether or not he was performing up to par than he was with having fun! She boomed with laughter, ruffling up his mane a little before saying, “Yer thinkin’ too much! Just-”

But he was already gone. Birdy pouted a little at being left alone, but quickly got over it and got back into the groove. If he didn’t wanna dance, so be it. She wouldn’t let some Jittery Jack ruin her jive. So the swaying and the singing and the general fun-having was continued, alone, until Jack Trade was standing before her once again. Curious, Birdy stopped dancing a moment and made a great show of really sizing this cat up. Her eyes narrowed, raking him up and down until she plastered this dramatic scowl upon her face, stroking an imaginary beard with a dark hoof.

“Tell ya what, Jittery Jack,” the mare finally said. her scowl transformed into this huge, ridiculous smile, “You give me one more dance. A good one. And I’ll let ya buy me a drink. And you should know...the trick to dancin’ fancy ain’t dancin’ fancy at all. It’s turnin’ off that brain o’ yours, feelin’ the music, and just movin’. Ya hip?”

Hip or not, he was gonna dance anyways. Birdy grabbed his front hooves and stood tall on her back legs, hauling him up and spinning him around. She spun and dipped him, then set him back on all fours, joining him before hopping and bopping once more. When she really started getting into the groove, a pretty blue pegasus babe came up towards them, introducing herself as Stiletto. A confident one!

Forgoing the usual pleasantries, it was Stiletto’s turn to be spun. Birdy only gave her one impish grin as warning before grabbing her hoof and pulling her into a quick little waltz. The song had changed, the beat was ¾, and Birdy knew the steps well...when she was leading.

“The name’s Riff Run, hun, but friends call me Birdy. That one there’s Jittery Jack,” she broke away and pulled Jack towards them, ruffling his mane again, “Ya hear that saying before? “Three’s company?” Looks like good company, which means it’s a good time for a round. Jack’s buying!”

Winking at them both, Birdy bounced off towards the bar.

[RandomPony]

Jack stood very still as the mare looked him over, trying to keep his smile from slipping.  She seemed to be putting quite a lot of thought into considering his offer.  Then her scowl broke into a smile, and she asked for another dance, imparting some of her wisdom of the dance floor to him.  "Turn off...? But how-" And again, before he could realize, he was suddenly dancing again.  Or rather, being held by a pony who was dancing, and so some of the dancing rubbed off onto him.

 

Jack Trade was very used to using his brain quite a bit, and found it a difficult task to "turn it off" as he was advised.  Nevertheless, he tried his best to move along with the rambunctious mare, trying to move with her without thinking too much about whether the move would look appealing or keep their center of balance.  As the song drew to a close, he began to feel that maybe, given some time and maybe a dance instructor, he could pick this up as a hobby.  A dance instructor who specialized in "turning the brain off" might be a difficult find, he noted.

 

His train of thought was suspended as a new mare introduced herself to them. "Hey there, I'm Stiletto, what's up?" He waved with his hoof still holding his empty glass, right as his dance partner swooped her up into yet another dance.  She seemed to have energy to spare!

 

“The name’s Riff Run, hun, but friends call me Birdy. That one there’s Jittery Jack,”

 

She pulled him in by his neck, ruffling his mane.  "Jack Trade, actually." He chuckled, smiling as his mane flew about.  It felt easier to be at ease around her, even with her loud and boisterous nature.  There was just something that felt so genuine about how she was just having a good time that seemed to rub off on other ponies.

 

“Jack’s buying!”

 

He watched for a moment as she left for the bar, leaving him with Stiletto.  "Ah, yes, hello!" He said, extending his hoof to shake before remembering that hoof still had an empty glass in it.  Smiling sheepishly, he waved again.  "It's nice to meet you, Miss Stiletto.  As Riff Run says, I'd be happy to buy you both a drink if you'd care to join us." The night was getting progressively more expensive, but he could probably just forgo restaurant food for the next couple weeks to make up for it.  Or actually save his bits and not spend them on the next advertisement that caught his attention.

 

"Feel free to order whatever!" He said, sitting next to Riff at the bar. "It was very nice dancing with you, Miss Riff Run!  If you don't mind my asking, where did you learn to dance in such a manner?"  His glass was finally set on the bar, at the end of it's journey.  "Some water, if you wouldn't mind." He smiled at the bartender.

[Zealot]

Stiletto felt a flash of warning as her empathy alerted her to some sort of intent coming from the strange mare. She tensed, but relaxed when she found herself grabbed for a dance. It seemed as if nothing was the matter. The pegasus chuckled as she matched the dance, letting herself be led by the stranger. It was nice to dance waltz from time to time, even if Stiletto wasn't entirely practised in the dance. Her in-experience showed and she found herself struggling to keep up, though she enjoyed it nonetheless. 

 

That was when the pony introduced herself as Riff Run, or Birdy, and embraced the other stranger. From the way she ruffled his mane playfully, Stiletto could tell this 'Birdy' was going to be fun. It was always good for her to hang around fun ponies, it helped keep her mood up. Still, the other stranger was introduced as 'Jittery Jack'. Though he was quick to point out he was actually called Jack Trade. 

 

In any case these ponies were up for another drink, and Stiletto was more than eager to join them. "Sure thing," she called. "Nice to meet you too Jack, though you don't have to call me miss," Stiletto said with a chuckle as he tried to offer a hoof. She motioned to her own bottle and shrugged. "Well, I appreciate the thought. I'll join you for drinks anyhow."

 

With that she followed her new companions back to the bar and took a seat next to them. She took another swig of her beer and ordered another before interjecting. "Yeah Birdie," Stiletto chuckled and tried to recall the last time she had waltzed. "I don't think I've done waltz since flight camp. Still, I guess that's understandable. Mercenaries aren't really the dancing types," she said with a smile. "No matter how much I tried I could never get my platoon leader to organise a dance party. There was plenty of beer though."

[Elderflower]

 

Well well! Stiletto was a bit shaky on her hooves at first but her inexperience with dancing didn’t faze Birdy in the slightest. The coffee-coloured mare, after all, was more interesedt in fun - and it seemed like that’s exactly what Letty was having! Good, good - fun was definitely good! When the other two slowpokes joined her at the bar, Riff Run couldn’t help but toss Jittery Jack a mischievous wink.

“You sure ‘bout that offer? Anythin’?” she pointed out a whiskey bottle that seemed almost radiant, since all  of the bottles on the top shelf were lit up from behind by way of unicorn magic, “Top shelf whiskey. Just one o’ those neat costs more bits’n I can make in a whole day’s work. That’s what I’m gettin’!”

She said it with a straight face, not a hint of humour or a joke written into her words. Of course, when the barkeep came ‘round her way she ordered a much more reasonable drink. Still whiskey, still neat, but this time it was just your average brand - not at all extravagant or expensive. That didn’t matter, though, the sweet burn of the first sip was still as precious to her as gold. More precious, actually. It was much better than gold. It was only after that first sip that she laughed, nudging Jittery Jack and mentally patting herself on the back for her awesome pranking skills.

“Thanks for the drink, Jittery Jack, and the dance! Next round’s on me!”

 

When he complimented her dancing skills, she struck a flashy pose, grinning hugely. “Ya like my moves, handsome? I learned ‘em the only way ya can...by just dancin’ one hay of a lot! Like I said, trick is not ta think about it. I’ve been turnin’ off my head and dancin’ since I was a filly. Lucky for me, doesn’t take much to turn my head off!”

Laughing, Birdy tossed Letty a wink before her jaw just about dropped. Flight camp? Mercenaries?

“Jumpin’ jazz cats!” she called out, “Yer a merc? Trained?”

She let out an impressed whistle, rubbing her voluminous black mane with her hoof, “Well, Letty, colour me impressed. What a mare! Ya must be made of the toughest stuff in here right about now! Whaddaya think, Jittery Jack? I bet she could take tha both of us out with just one hoof!”

Yep. Birdy liked these two. She always did meet the most colourful characters when she hit up Manehattan’s night scene, and tonight was no exception! She was starting to form plans, her mind scheming away at where she could drag Letty and Jittery Jack to show them a night in Manehattan that they’d never forget!

[RandomPony]

The bottle of whisky was possibly the most intimidating thing Jack had seen.  "Um, w-well, I did say anything, and I intend to keep my word." His voice sounded shaky.  "B-but, could I maybe ask that you, um, reconsider a less... extravagant drink?  Of course, I'll still stick with whatever you choose!" He chuckled lamely.  Riff's face continued staring at him, in complete seriousness.  "N-no?  Okay, that's fine, no problem!  Uh, I'll only be able to get the one drink, though..." Tapping his hooves together nervously, he broke eye contact and studied the glass that held his water.

 

When the bartender finally asked Riff for her choice of drink, he let out a large sigh, followed shortly by high, still slightly nervous laughter.  "Right, thank you!  I mean, I'm sorry, I don't want to seem rude, but I am very relieved!"  He ran a hoof through his hair, his face still pulled up in a half smile.

 

Jack gaped openly at Stiletto at this new piece of information.  “Whaddaya think, Jittery Jack? I bet she could take tha both of us out with just one hoof!” He swallowed before nodding.

 

"Uh... I hope this isn't a stupid question, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to or... can't," He looked around the bar before leaning in slightly.  "But, are you on a mission right now?"

[Zealot]

Stiletto laughed out loud at that. Sure, she was a trained mercenary, but the toughest pony in the bar? She poked around with her empathy, well, maybe... It was nice to think so, but with her empathic abilities it was unlikely she'd cause a fight. Even if she did, hopefully she could end it quickly. Once Stiletto stopped laughing she gave the pair of ponies a smile, "Yeah, I'm a mercenary. Flew around the badlands for a bit fighting dragons." She chuckled at that, no doubt they'd be impressed by that.

 

The question by Jack surprised her though. Why would she be on a mission in a bar? It's not like she was some sort of hitpony or an infiltrator. If she was, wouldn't she have had a better cover than 'mercenary'. She giggled at the question and playfully answered, "Oh yeah. I'm on a high priority mission, to drink and have fun by the end of the night." The pegasus adopted a mockery of a serious tone and continued with, "I must find the fun and save the world from the evil of... boredom." The mercenary laughed to herself once again.

 

Yep, the pegasus was certainly having a good time. She'd found two fun ponies with great auras and her own was shining with contentment. Who knew what would happen by the time the night was done. Still, once Stiletto had stopped laughing she remembered that they were ordering drinks. "I'll have another beer if you're buying, but nah. In all seriousness I'm just on some downtime. Haven't had a good mercenary job in a while. I'm a reconnaissance flier, a scout. Not much use for scouts in the big city, so I've been stuck doing other things." She shrugged and smiled happily, "But hey. At least there's plenty of places like this."

[Elderflower]

Well! Riff Run had successfully scared the proverbial pants right off’a Jittery Jack! Grinning her most dastardly grin, she wrapped a foreleg around his neck and pulled him close, butting his head with hers lightly. After a short little cackle she said, “I got ya good, Jittery Jack! Now stop ‘pologizin’ for anythin’, why don’t ya! Loosen up a bit! There’s no need t’be so nervous with friends!”

 

She slackened her grip on him a little but still kept a leg draped casually over his shoulders while Letty told them both about a recent encounter with dragons. Birdy let out an impressed whistle, her grin growing big enough that it looked a little dangerous.

“Fighting dragons, hmm? Remind me t’stay on yer good side!”

 

She winked at the other mare, then took a sip of her whiskey. It definitely wasn’t going to last...this just didn’t feel like a sipping-drink kinda night. She signalled to the barkeep for another round, asking (with a thoughtful hoof touching her chin) for a boilermaker this time. After hoofing over the bits with a generous tip included, she raised her pint and invited the others to do the same.

“Time for a toast!” she said, giving Jack a squeeze, “And an oath! Let’s make sure Letty completes her mission of drinking and having fun!”

 

The coffee-coloured mare clinked her glass with the others’, then took a huge swig of her boilermaker. She wiped the foam of the beer from her lip, then fixed the others with a serious look.

“Okay, ponies,” she said dangerously, “What’s the mission plan?”

[RandomPony]

Laughter bubbled up from within as Riff pulled him close and lightly but forcibly touched her forehead to his.  He wasn't very familiar with the action, but he had seen other ponies do it at least a couple times.  "Right, of course, loosen up." He parroted. Her grip on him slackened, but her leg remained across his neck.  He looked from the leg to Riff Run, confusion evident on his face.  Was this a normal thing for ponies who had just met each other to do?  It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, the companionship of the gesture actually felt nice.

 

However it brought to mind the fact that Riff Run was quite more experienced in these instances of social interaction, and he was not.  Her advice already forgotten, Jack started racking his brain for how to best respond in a way that wasn't too awkward.  He started to bring his hoof up to drape across her neck as well.  He recalled hearing somewhere that mimicry was a form of flattery?  But what if the mirrored gesture came across as too needy?  Too starved of sociable contact?  His hoof slowly fell back to his side.  Riff Run had already said there was no need to be nervous, but his attempts to figure out how to not be nervous seemed to have the unintentional side effect of making him nervous.

 

"Dragons?" Jack's eyes widened.  "Actual dragons?  The huge scaled beasts living on mountains?!"  Never in his life did he think he would one day meet a pony who had been in a fight against a dragon and lived!

 

Stiletto laughed at his question.  Although not the purpose of the question, surely that was a good sign?  She went on to explain she was on a mission to... rescue the world from boredom?  'Ah!  It's a joke!' Jack smiled, feeling a little burst of pride at having picked up the joke only a little bit after she had made it.  Progress!  "Well, if I can be of any assistance to your mission," he brought a hoof up in a salute, still smiling. "I will be happy to serve my nation."

 

Raising her glass, Riff Run called for a toast.  Jack felt her grip tighten on him for a moment, and was again unsure of how to respond.  Did this count as a hug?  Hugs were usually meant to be reciprocated, right?  Before he could second guess himself, he squeezed Riff Run back, raising his glass as well.  Was that acceptable?  Had he made her uncomfortable?  Was there something else he could have done that would have been more appropriate?

 

Trying to file through the thoughts as quickly as possible, he heard Riff Run continue, “And an oath! Let’s make sure Letty completes her mission of drinking and having fun!” Making sure she had fun?  Although Jack had offered to help, he wasn't sure what he could do beyond that.  How did most other ponies even have fun?  He was having fun just a while ago, pony-watching.  And then he'd been swept up by Riff Run, and...

 

Was he still having fun?  Looking to Stiletto and Riff Run, they both sported wide smiles, drinks held up for a toast and an agreement to keep having fun.  Yes, he decided.  He was definitely still having fun.  His glass clinked with the others as he took a generous gulp of water, before he set his glass down.

 

“Okay, ponies,” Her tone was quite different from what it was just a few seconds ago.  “What’s the mission plan?” Jack stared at Riff Run for a few seconds.  He squinted his eyes slightly, furrowed his brow and scrunched up his mouth in an attempt to match or possibly out preform her serious expression.  He had never had much practice in making a serious face.

 

"I believe," He started slowly.  "Our acquaintance, who has had formal training and possesses the most background knowledge of our objective, should give us a mission briefing, so we may better understand our means to achieve our directive."  He finished, looking towards Stiletto and keeping his face as serious as he could maintain.  After a second, though, his expression broke to a nervous smile as he continued, "I mean, you could tell us what you enjoy doing and, I guess we can work from there?"

[Zealot]

Stiletto was taken a little off guard by her new friends' surprise. Well of course she had fought dragons. It wasn't that uncommon was it. Besides, it wasn't like she'd fought many of them. They had always been teenagers or younger still, and she'd always had back up. Still, it was likely impressive to those who hadn't been there and the pegasus guessed that a little more elaboration would reveal that she wasn't quite the mercenary prodigy that they were making her out to be. After all, she was only a scout. Stiletto Dragonslayer though, that had a ring to it. She smiled, "Yep, actual dragons. Not the large ones, but they were breathing fire, had scales and wings. They were dragons." The scout had seen her fair share of big dragons though, mostly from several miles above...

 

Right, what was going on, they were getting more drinks. That was good, another drink would do her just fine. She ordered another beer for herself even though she already had one in her hoof. No doubt she was going to end up finishing both anyway. Might as well buy them while she could. The pegasus rose her bottle in toast and called out, "Ohh rah," as her glass clinked. She took a swig and exhaled, that was good stuff.

 

With that done the pegasus chuckled with enthusiasm as she felt the happy feelings around her. It was really good to just have fun, she sensed that maybe Jack wasn't quite sure about it but he was having fun nonetheless. 

 

There was the suggestion that she tell the others what she liked to do, which Stiletto happily obliged to. "Well, I like travel and seeing new things. Which isn't really possible in a night," she giggled and took another swig of her beer. "But hey, you asked. I like this music though, it has a nice feel to it. Still, I'm sure if you two have fun then I will too, that's usually what happens."

[Elderflower]

Birdy burst with happy laughter when Jittery Jack gave her a little squeeze back. She ruffled his mane, grinning widely. “Look, Letty! Jittery Jack is warmin’ up and learnin’ about how friends act. By th’end of th’night he may even be able to relax those tense muscles o’ his!”

When their little toast was over and Letty announced what it was she liked to do to have fun, Birdy stroked her chin thoughtfully. It was odd, seeing the coffee-coloured mare in a quiet moment (quiet was a rare thing to find with this one around, after all). Of course, she properly met expectations just moments later when she burst out with an, “AH-HAH!” and slammed her drink down on the bar, the mixture of beer and whiskey sloshing out onto the counter a little.

“A plan! I have one.”

The mare finished her mostly-full drink and slammed the empty mug down again, wiping her mouth with the back of her foreleg. Her cheeks flushed immediately and she stood up.

“Finish yer drinks!” she commanded, “Letty likes travel, but we ain’t no pegasi so we can’t go along with that in one night. But we can barhop and show ‘er new things right here in th’city! I’ll show ya both my side o’ Manehattan. Finish yer drinks and we’ll head somewhere new and do two rounds. It’ll be two rounds per joint, ya dig?”

[RandomPony]

Heat flushed his face as Riff laughed, probably because of his actions.  Then she kept her grip, and ruffled his mane again in what he was beginning to think might be her preferred method of showing affection.  As she commented on his tense muscles, he realized he had indeed tensed when Riff had started laughing.  For some reason, he felt his face flush even further.  Even as he felt relief, a need to justify his tense muscles suddenly sprung up, as if to explain to the other two his line of thought that lead to such a reaction being deemed reasonable.

 

"I'm just- it's not- I don't-" The statement accurately portrayed Jack's line of thinking at the time.

 

Jack looked at his small glass of water as Riff commanded them to finish their drinks.  He shrugged and gulped down the remaining water, setting his glass down decidedly more gently.  He stretched as he stood from his seat, his muscled feeling much better after their small workout of tensing and un-tensing.  "Well, as long as you're leading, it sounds fun to me!  I don't know that many places here besides the big restaurants." He kicked some small bits of dust on the floor, sounded slightly apologetic for his lack of knowledge of the area he now called home.

 

Turning towards Stiletto, he grinned as he continued. "I guess this can be a new experience for both of us, right?"

[Zealot]

Stiletto giggled at Riff Run's suggestion. Jack certainly did seem a little tense to her now that she focused on him, almost like he was trying to relax but couldn't quite do so. It seemed as if all of the happy vibes of the tavern were mixing things up, that was ok though. It wasn't like Stiletto minded too much. In many ways, it was quite nice to be slightly surprised about what a pony was feeling. She chuckled as his face flushed and she took another swig of her beer.

 

Still, Riff Run's other suggestion sounded like it would be pretty fun. The pegasus had spent a lot of her time working and going to the more touristy parts of Manehattan, so it would be pretty good to go and see the less touristy parts. "Hey that sounds fun," she enthused. "I've done a few barhops but not in Manehattan before. This should be fun." After that she quickly drained her drink. It would be nice to know some places where there was a good atmosphere. The empath would thrive on those happy feelings, and that reflected on everypony else. If Riff Run could point her in the direction of more places like this, then that would definitely work for her.

 

"Just one thing," she said quickly. "They should be nice places, like this one. Happy, I'm quite sensitive to atmosphere." Stiletto hoped that would be enough, sometimes ponies didn't like the fact that she was empathic and she would hate to lose friends before she made them.

 

That was when Jack asked her a question. "Sure," she responded. "I mean, I've been on a few bar crawls before, but never around Manehattan. So yeah, it'll be new for both of us. But hey, Birdy knows what she's doing." Stiletto hoped that would reassure him, he did seem tense with the way he was flexing as he stood. 

[Elderflower]

“Okay, ponies, listen up!”

Riff Run hopped up on the bar, sporting a mock-military stance. She was rigid, tough, and glaring down at her peons with a spark of good humour in her eyes. The barkeep behind her raised a hoof in protestation, about to tell her to get off of the bar, but turned away with a defeated frown. Anypony with a keen eye would be able to pick up on the fact that he had dealt with Birdy more than once and each time he came out on bottom. There was just no point reasoning with this one.

“Next up is one o’ my favourite spots. Small, good whiskey, great ponies, and th’only way ya get in is if yer on the list. Lucky for you rubes this hep cat’s on that list.”

She winked at the two and then hopped off the bar, ruffling Jittery Jack’s mane once more before she bounced out of the Prancing Pony and onto the streets of Manehattan. Once she was out in the balmy night air with her new friends at either side, there was no resisting the music any longer. She began nodding her head to a rhythm, then her whole body got into the jam.

“You never see the likes o’ me baby, when I walk in a room. Nothin’ you’ve read in magazines, darlin’, so lemme tell ya the news. Hey have ya heard there’s a new sensation? Extra extra, I’m comin’ to you!”

She grabbed Letty’s hoof and pulled her into a swing, leading the steps and dipping and spinning the mare down the street while she sang in her coffee-and-honey voice, “I know ya want it, ya know it’s true!”

She set Letty back on her hooves and set her sights on Jittery Jack, draping herself over his back while he walked. She tapped her hoof in the air while she continued with her song, “The beat is boppin’, it’s movin’ you. Your hooves are tappin’ down in your shoes, I feel you droppin’ a different groove - hey lemme show ya what I wanna roll to, if you kick it oldschool I could be your somethin’ new!

Come along, newbies! Impress me!”

Birdy slinked down off of Jack’s back and continued bopping her way through the streets, laying down some serious sexy scat while she did. If she was taking these new ponies to Swing 64 then Jittery Jack had better liven up - or maybe not? She had the feeling that breaking in a stiff might just be the perfect fun for the hottest swing spot in the city. Letty would be no problem, though - she was fine as wine and knew how to have a good time.

 

 

The song Birdy's singing is this:

 

 

[RandomPony]

Jack brought up his hoof in a sharp salute as Riff jumped off the bar,  a smile breaking his stone face as she ruffled his mane again.  Shortly after, he looked at the bartender apologetically, before following Riff outside.

 

As she walked down the street, she started singing again.  Jack bobbed his head with the beat, smiling as he did.  She really did have a wonderful singing voice!

Then, almost as predictably as a tornado sweeping up houses, she swept up Stiletto into a dance down the street.  Despite not having had a drop of alcohol the entire night, Jack felt a lightheartedness as she sang and danced for them (and for anypony within earshot).

 

Deciding to try and let loose a little more, he tried moving his body in a rhythmic manner as he followed the two dancers down the street.  Moving his hips and shaking his whole body, he tried to move like he felt the music would be telling him to move.  As he was shaking his head, he caught another pony, openly staring at him.  Heat flushed his face in embarrassment, as he stopped flailing around like a mad pony.

 

Then Riff looked at him, intent all too clear on her face.  He opened his mouth to explain he didn't quite feel like dancing, but only got so far as the first syllable before she simply put herself on top of his back.  Not quite knowing what else to do, he shut his mouth with a audible click, and continued walking down the street, trying not to jostle his new rider.

 

Riff continued singing as they walked, and Jack glanced back once or twice to check if... well, to check for something.  This was an unfamiliar situation, and things that are unfamiliar need to be checked up on with regularity.  That was how it became a familiar thing, after all.  Jack wasn't sure he'd get familiar with Riff's antics, though.  At the moment, she seemed just as full of surprises as the presents for Jack's birthday party.

 

Eventually she slid off his back, and continued leading them down the street, still singing as she did.  After a moment, it registered in his head that she had said something, not sung it.  "Wait, I'm sorry, come again?" He sped up to walk close behind her as he asked.

[Zealot]

Stiletto laughed happily and finished her beer as Birdy jumped down from the bar. Right, off to the next pub. This was going to be fun, she could tell. After all, Birdy seemed to be pretty enthusiastic about all of this, and it was nice to share in the happy enthusiasm of that particular pony. That just made the empath happier and happier, washing away the long dullness of the day before. Yes, the next pub was going to be fun.

 

Still, once out on the street she found herself span around by Birdy once again. The pegasus struggled to keep step with her, though it was easier than last time. Probably only due to the suddenness of being swept off her hooves by the mare however. Still, no sooner than she had been swept up had she been deposited back on the ground. Though it took a few seconds for the pegasus to find her balance. She chuckled throughout the whole affair, Birdy's aura tickling her with it's upbeat tones and carefree vibes. It was nice, and joyous. 

 

Yet, the pegasus had to agree with Jack. Stiletto had no clue what Birdy was on about. Did she want her to sing along with the song? Stiletto had been bobbing her head to the beat, sure that was one thing, however the lyrics escaped her. "Sorry, I don't know this song," she called, humming along. "I like it though," she said as she moved to rejoin the pair.

[Elderflower]

“Hey, hey hey!” Birdy sang, wrapping a foreleg around each of their necks and hugging ‘em in close, “What’d I say about thinkin’ too hard, Jittery Jack? Don’t do it! Stop thinkin’ so much and just do. Dance, sing, scat, soar, do a hoof-stand! Just let loose ‘n have fun!”

She released them yet again and dashed forward a little, throwing herself into a flawlessly executed cartwheel before she started scatting again, her voice ringing through the empty streets and alleyways. The further along they went, the darker and danker their surroundings became. Birdy was, as always, bursting with energy and singing her heart out without a care in the world, completely unfazed by their surroundings.

She paused her song again, body still bopping to the beat as she walked along, “Jittery Jack, if ya stay nervous like that all th’time Manehattan’s gonna eat ya up or leave ya behind. And Letty, I know there’s a party animal waitin’ t’come on outta ya. Let yerself let loose! Now let’s try this again! Forget doin' the right thing and forget knowin' the words! Don't give a hay about the details, just cut loose! Impress me!”

She stopped right in front of her two new friends, staring them down and tapping out a rhythm with her hoof. It was quick, lively, and soon enough she was scatting to it again, the nonsensical words spilling out into the night air with some seriously impressive vocal tones. She wouldn’t take another step towards their destination until she saw these two leave behind their inhibitions and join in her good, wholesome, mindless fun.

[RandomPony]

Jack flushed again as Riff pulled him into a hug.  "But-" was about as far as his objection got before the mare threw herself forward into a cartwheel and resumed her singing.  At that point it seemed it would be rude to interrupt.

 

Forcing himself to be content, he listened to her sing and scat as they continued in her wake.  Jack noticed that she was leading them into an area he had not been to very often in his short time in the city, and it seemed like an area that had been around longer than most others.  Or at least not as well-maintained.  "Hey, Stiletto," He began, glancing at the buildings and dark alleys around them.  "If we happen to run into any sort of trouble, you'd be able to handle it, right?  I mean, mercenary training, fighting dragons, you'd be able to handle any kind of trouble in the city, right?"

 

Then Riff Run abruptly turned, and halted their progress.  "I'm not nervous all the time..." He muttered defensively.  Her hoof started tapping out a beat.  Riff continued staring at them, not moving.  Then it dawned on Jack that she was waiting for something from them.  Some sign of their embracing her rules of the night, of his compliance with her demands.

 

"I, uh," Riff started scatting again, making it harder to think of how exactly not to think.  He helplessly looked at his surroundings, trying to find some sort of inspiration or cue for what to do next.  Riff's hoof continued to tap the ground.  Thought and memories aligned to bring back memories of one of the first endeavors he had spent money on when he first came to Manehattan.

 

Jack began tap dancing to Riff's tune.  It wasn't by any means a very complicated dance, he had only enough to attend the one beginners class, and that was mostly stretches and discussing the special shoes for tap dancing, but they did try some near the end.  Having kept his focus on his hooves until he felt confident that he remembered how to move them, he glanced up to Riff for any sign of approval, a hopeful smile on his face for having so cleverly come up with this while being put on the spot.

[Zealot]

Stiletto chuckled to herself as Birdy hugged Jack yet again and sent herself... into a cartwheel. The pegasus just had to cheer at that and stomped her hooves in applause. After all, it's not every day you see a random cartwheel being perfectly executed by what was undoubtedly one happy pony. 

 

Still, Stiletto turned her attention to Jack who asked her if she could handle herself if they ran into trouble. That caused her to look about the city around them, not seeing any immediate dangers. What was he worried about? She could tell something was wrong. Maybe he was just nervous at how dark the alleys looked. Either way, it was distracting her and she really wished he'd stop. Nervousness was like an irritation to an empath, and while it was fine sometimes, usually most ponies calmed down. Still, best to put him at ease. "Err, yeah," she enthused. "If we run into trouble I can pretty much deal with it, though I don't think we will," she tried to calm him.

 

The pegasus didn't know if she was successful or not, but Birdy was demanding that they let loose a little. The pegasus looked at her with a curious expression. She was cutting loose wasn't she? This was why she'd gone to the bar. Sure she hadn't excelled in her dancing or been as enthusiastic as the other mare. Still, the pegasus reasoned that she could cut loose a little more and since Birdy was tapping her hoof on the ground to a beat she felt no reason to object. It was always good to have random fun after all. 

 

Stiletto broke down into a little dance, swinging her hooves this way and that to the beat. She hummed along as she did so and felt herself relax into it. Dancing was always nice since it was so freeing and she chuckled as she did so, happy to be dancing.