private Manehatten Misadventures [1x1]

[Plume 922]

[OOC: http://mlpforums.com.../#entry3364546]

 

Remix was ecstatic.

 

Not only had she just earned herself a brilliant gig in Manehatten, explaining why she was here now and not in her usual home of Ponyville, but she basically had an entirely new city at her hooves that she could explore. Normally, she wouldn't take the trip out here just for a holiday, but now she had an excuse to run about and see everything. Bouncing down the street, she glanced to and fro, a happy grin on her face as she took in all the sights. 

 

Suddenly, she froze, before running up to the window of an electronics shop. "Oh. My. CELESTIA!" she exclaimed, pressing her face against the window to try to get a closer look at the beautiful set of headphones on display. They were shining and glossy in the light, and she squeed a little at the sight. "Is so bootiful..." she mumbled in awe, her words distorted by the fact  that her face was still smushed on glass. Glancing at the price tag, her eyes widened, before she sighed, backing away from the display. "I'll come for you one day, my love. One day."

[Wolfeus Silverpaw 301]

Nightlight admired the neon lights of Manehatten with awe. He'd recently been invited by a big-shot director to be a part of the ensemble of Ponies Misérables, and he couldn't be more excited to be a part of the production. He wouldn't be the center of attention, and the ensemble was quite possibly the most empowering and important role in the whole show. It was also a huge bonus getting to sight-see in such a wonderful city. He hummed as he trotted along, swaying his head to the nonexistent music. "♫Will you join in our crusade? Hmm hm dee dum dee la dee da♫" he sang to himself softly, in preparation for his audition. He'd already been accepted as part of the cast; it was just a formality thing.

 

A loud voice caught his attention. "Such language..." he muttered in disapproval of using the princess's name in vain, though with the language content of the show he was performing, he wasn't exactly one to talk. He looked up from the sidewalk to see a flashy mare with highlights in her hair admiring a set of headphones. He laughed silently, but upon closer inspection, he noticed her cutie mark was a set of headphones. Another musically gifted pony? There were no musically talented ponies back in his hometown of Tall Tale. It wasn't in his nature, but he felt compelled to talk to her. "Hey." He greeted casually, smiling.

[Plume 922]

Remix's musically attuned ears naturally pricked as soon as she heard even the slightest hint of music, and she paid mind to the voice even though owner of said voice was still far away. She sighed longingly, somehow unable to pull herself away from the headphones even though she knew she had no hope of ever being able to afford them. A couple of ponies went around her, glaring at her or sighing distastefully at her reaction to the headphones and the fact that she was being a public obstacle, but she paid them no mind. She didn't even notice, to be perfectly honest: her mind was already in two places at once, listening to the singing while fawning over the headphones.

 

When another pony walked up to her, she jumped a little, not expecting him to greet her. She recovered quickly, however, and smiled broadly at the other pony. "Oh, hey!" she exclaimed, running his face and voice through her mind to see if she knew him. Drawing no comparisons with anyone she knew the name of, she shrugged, before offering a hoof to shake. "My name's Remix Blitz, what's yours?" she asked, cocking her head slightly as she waited patiently for him to reply. She stayed quiet, trying to figure out why his voice sounded familiar even though she didn't know him, before realising that he was the one who was singing earlier. "Woooo boy, you got a set of pipes, don't you?" 

[Wolfeus Silverpaw 301]

Nightlight reached out his own hoof to shake hers, and was taken aback by the ferocious shaking that followed. He was about to answer what his name was, but the one who asked interrupted him. Nightlight blushed at the comment. Sh-she heard me...? B-but that means...!! Nightlight was suddenly self-conscious of the fact that everyone who'd been walking along might've been able to hear his voice, and he tensed up. "Y-yes, I suppose so..." he responded, finding himself unable to look the mare in the eyes. He stared at his hooves as he softly spoke, "My name is Nightlight Sparkle." He quickly added, "B-but you can just call me Nightlight." He bit his lip, mentally slapping himself for letting slip his last name. In truth, he didn't have a last name. He'd only tacked that onto his name because it was his role model's last name. He hoped the mare he'd spoken to didn't notice.

[Plume 922]

Remix raised an eyebrow as he got a little self-conscious about something or another, but decided not to press it any further, even though she was curious as a pony could get. "Whaddaya mean you 'suppose so'?" she asked, making motions with her hooves to emphasise her point. "You were brilliant! You could probably actually make a living off them vocal chords, you know." she said, grinning a little as she relaxed, crossing her front hooves. "Nightlight Sparkle?" she mimicked quietly, trying the name out on her lips as her eyes lit up in recognition. "You mean like, Twilight Sparkle Sparkle? Like, the new princess of Ponyville?!" she exclaimed, her voice getting louder and louder as she got more excited. "No. Way!" A couple of ponies passing by looked up as they heard her shout the name of the newest princess, but most of them were just annoyed and/or interested by her loudness.

[Wolfeus Silverpaw 301]

Nightlight smiled, blushing slightly at the compliment, but his expression turned to one of panic when she said his last name. He blushed deeper as he face-hoofed, his ears turning down. Goodness, what have I gotten myself into...? Note to self: Never say hi to a random stranger ever again. "Y-yes, her," he weakly replied. His voice was really soft as he explained, "W-we're not related or anything, it's just... well, I look up to her, and..." Nightlight sighed, thoroughly embarrassed. "I-I kinda gave myself her last name," he finished quickly, looking to the other side of the street. Just how much attention were they attracting, anyway? If the director found out about this...

"Well, it was nice meeting you. I suppose I'll just take my leave now." Nightlight hastily sidestepped around the mare, straightened his monocle with his magic, and kept walking.

Edited December 31, 2014 by Nightlight Sparkle

[Plume 922]

Remix's brow furrowed when she saw his panicked reaction, but she chose to say nothing, hoping he would explain himself eventually. "You gave yourself her last name?" she repeated, a little incredulous at first, but, when she took into account the embarrassment of the other pony, she realised that Nighlight was probably telling the truth. "Oh! Woah! Man, you dedicated. That's pretty cool! I wish I was brave enough to do that. I mean, you probably have to put up with so many ponies like me asking about it and being embarrassing." she said, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof as she now felt somewhat guilty for her earlier outburst. When Nightlight turned to walk away, Remix's ears dropped back against her head, and she pouted a little. "Wait! Don't leaveeeeee!" she cried out melodramatically, dashing forward before matching his pace. "I know you wanted to leave, but... I just came to apologise." she said, much quieter and in a solemn tone as she stared at her hooves. "I'm sorry for embarrassing you, and I'm sorry for being a public nuisance."

[Wolfeus Silverpaw 301]

Nightlight's ears pricked. Dedicated? He was certain the other pony would've laughed. Regardless, he wasn't sure where the theater he was performing at was, so he decided it was best if he went on his way. He cringed at the pony's outburst of telling him not to leave, furthering his embarrassment. When she said she wanted to apologize, he stopped, turning to listen. With a tone like that, she must be sincere. "It's okay," he said, smiling. It was nice to talk to a pony for once that actually realized her own mistakes.

 

Despite feeling an urgent sense of needing to be somewhere, Nightlight didn't really have anything he needed to do. He wanted to get to know this pony better, and maybe have a best friend for once. That is, if they got that far. He had casual friends, sure, but none of them took him seriously, and there were only so many things he could talk to them about. Besides, none of them were this lively. Nightlight smiled to himself as he realized this. He'd have someone to keep in contact with during his stay in Manehatten, if nothing else. I could invite her over to my place. B-but wait, wouldn't that be a date?? Nightlight felt himself growing nervous. He was torn between risking being extremely awkward and risking never seeing this mare again. "So, um..." He mentally face-hoofed. He wasn't used to making conversation.

[Plume 922]

Remix's ears pricked, and she looked up in shock, both amazed by his response and also the fact that he had stopped instead of just walking away. "Really?" she asked, jaw dropping as she processed what Nightlight had said. "Thanks. You... You are the second pony I've ever met who hasn't pushed me away." she said, her voice containing a small tone of sadness, which vanished just as quickly as it appeared as she visibly brightened. She stood a little straighter, and her eyes seemed to become clearer in a matter of seconds. 

 

 

Seeing how awkward her was being, Remix just laughed a little, but not in the mean way - it was a light, joking sort of laugh that contained no deeper meaning. "No need to be awkward, I'm just another pony." she said, her voice a little gentle and soothing as she tried to get him to relax a little. "So, whaddaya wanna do?" she asked, tilting her head and placing a hoof on her chin in thought. "We could go get something to eat, or go sightseeing, or visit one of the tourist destinations considering that we're already in one of the more busy spots. Or, I mean, we could do whatever you're comfortable with!" she exclaimed, flailing her hooves a little. The last thing she wanted to do was to pressure Nightlight into doing something he didn't want to. She knew that feeling all too well. 

Edited January 2, 2015 by MiniKirby123

[Wolfeus Silverpaw 301]

Nightlight blinked, feeling both sympathy and empathy for Remix. Ponies pushed her away? That settled it, there was no way he could leave this pony behind. Nopony else deserved to feel the loneliness he'd felt throughout his life. Plenty of ponies had cast him out and teased him for being too feminine.

 

Nightlight smiled, Remix's light laughter putting him at ease. He nodded slightly at her comment, but a portion of his nervousness returned when she asked him what he wanted to do; he wasn't good at making decisions. Especially decisions that involved other ponies. "Um..." His tummy growled audibly, causing him to blush with embarrassment. He supposed his belly had decided for him. "I suppose we could go get something to eat," he said quietly, not quite warmed up to the pony he'd met only minutes before. His eyes widened as he realized what was going on. A-are we going on a date...? Nightlight had never dated anypony before. He wasn't sure how to react. He pushed the thought aside and asked, "Wh-where would you like to go?" He hoped they could strike some familiar ground so he could open up a bit more. He wanted to share himself with somepony else the way he'd always dreamed of doing with Twilight, but he was far too shy to initiate the beginning of it.

[Plume 922]

Remix grinned. "Great! I'm a little hungry too, actually, now that I think about it." she said, placing a hoof on her chin as she thought a little. "Where? I'm not sure what's around this place. I guess we could go walk a little and check? I mean, this is a main street, sort of, and I think there's a town squarish area a little ahead." she said thoughtfully, before taking a couple of steps. "Well, whatcha waiting for? Let's go check it out!" Normally, she hated making decisions for others, but judging by the way he was acting, neither was he.

 

"So. What do you like to do?" she asked as the two of them walked along. A couple of passersby shot them smiles, either thinking they were related or romantically attached. Remix paid them no mind, but at the same time, glanced to Nightlight occasionally to make sure he was doing okay. "I mean, judging by your singing, I guess you do musical theater? Or just performing, based of your cutie mark. Amiright?" she asked, smiling at him. Only now did she properly take in his appearance, no longer afraid of being left behind. "Hey! I just noticed! I dig the bow. Makes ya look adorable." she said, patting his head to prove her point.

[Wolfeus Silverpaw 301]

Nightlight was grateful that somepony else was taking charge; it took the pressure off him. He hoped they could dine somewhere with spaghetti; pasta was his favorite. He smiled, falling in step with the hyper music pony once again. She was so... different. Different from anypony else he knew. She was... mystical. She'd wanted to talk to him from the moment he'd said hey, and she'd been nice to him ever since. He sighed hopefully. Maybe she would be the first pony to truly understand him for who he was.

 

Nightlight noticed the reactions of nearby ponies, but he shrugged them off. It's not like he was going to see them ever again. "Yes, musical theater," he replied to her question. "It's really fun. Actually--" Remix cut him off, and her compliment made Nightlight blush profusely. It pleased him immensely, for he always did his utmost to look pretty, despite being male. "Th-thank you," he said, smiling, the blush refusing to fade as he looked away. He took no offense to being patted on the head; he actually kinda liked it. "What is it you like to do?" he asked, a more friendly and open expression on his face, a sparkle in his green eyes.

[Plume 922]

"No problem!" she said, happy that he was relaxing. That meant that she was doing a good job in trying to accommodate him, and that her attempts to make him relax were working. "Always give a compliment where a compliment is due! I mean, you look better groomed than most mares I know. I bet you spend more time on yourself than I do in a week!" she said, grinning cheekily. "As you can tell by this beautiful mane and tail, I basically roll out of bed and just get on with it." she said, a little embarrassed that she actually was so uncaring of her appearance.

 

"Me?" Remix asked, shrugging a little. "Listen to music, make music, remix music, whatever." she said, subconsciously reaching up a hoof to stroke the headphones that lay around her neck. "I like eating, dancing, partying, raving, harassing random strangers on the street, the list goes on." she said, giving Nightlight a somewhat apologetic look. "Oh! Speaking of eating!" she exclaimed, as she finally noticed the fact that they were now in the center of the town square. "Hey! It was closer than I thought! And look at all the food shops!" she chirruped gleefully, happy that there were so many options. "Got any preferences? I love anything, so ya know, whatever is cool with me!"

Edited January 2, 2015 by MiniKirby123

[Wolfeus Silverpaw 301]

Nightlight blushed, smiling brighter at the additional compliments. "Thanks."  He giggled at the mare's acknowledgement of her unkempt hair, and listened with interest to what she enjoyed doing. Another musical pony... maybe they could sing a duet sometime? He couldn't help but laugh when she mentioned harassing random strangers on the street, and appreciated the apologetic look she gave him, though it was unnecessary. He forgave her wholeheartedly, and besides, he'd been the one to start the conversation anyway.

 

Nightlight nodded when she asked for preferences. "I'm actually rather fond of spaghetti." He quickly added, "Y'know, if that's okay with you." He looked at her meekly.

[Plume 922]

Remix grinned when she heard Nightlight's laugh. "Ohmigosh even your laugh is adorable!" she exclaimed, squishing his cheeks a little with her hooves. "I swear to Celestia you are too adorable like seriously how are you even allowed outside you're a danger to the public." she said, her words all flowing into one big one in her excitement. As soon as he mentioned spaghetti, however, her focus was pulled away immediately. "Spaghetti is great! I love pasta, but I'm more of a ravioli person myself. That spinach and cheese combo gets me every time, I swear, it is heaven wrapped in a small pasta-ry bundle." she said, using her hooves to further push her point.

[Wolfeus Silverpaw 301]

Nightlight blushed profusely again. His heart fluttered a little; this mare really thought he was adorable. She's quite pretty herself... He shook his head from his thoughts as the topic switched to pasta. He smiled at Remix's ramblings, even though he wasn't particularly fond of ravioli himself. He'd really rather they just got spaghetti, but he didn't want to be pushy. He took a deep breath. No need to be awkward; she's just another pony. Despite reminding himself of this, Nightlight felt anxiety build up inside him, and his left hoof started shaking noticeably. "Wh-what should we get?" Nightlight asked, hoping Remix wouldn't notice.

[Plume 922]

Remix glanced around, checking out the stores. "Well, we both like pasta, or variants there-of, so why don't we try that Itailian place over there?" she asked, pointing it out. "That way, I can get ravioli and you can get spaghetti and everyone's happy." she said, smiling. "Unless you can't finish one yourself. Then we can share a spaghetti." she said, shrugging. Looking to Nightlight for his answer, she noticed his left hoof basically doing a dance of it's own, and raised an eyebrow while staring at it. "Uh... Your hoof alright there, bud?" she asked, a little worried and somewhat confused. She'd heard of nervous quirks, but never to this extremity.

[Wolfeus Silverpaw 301]

Nightlight opened his mouth to say he could very well finish a plate of spaghetti on his own, but before he could, Remix cut him off. Nightlight pressed his hoof into the ground, forcing it to stop shaking. "Y-yes, I-I'm fine," Nightlight defended, not wanting to explain his slight issue with anxiety. He took a deep breath, calming down. "That sounds great." He smiled, willing himself to relax so Remix wouldn't ask further questions. He straightened his monocle and the bow in his mane and asked, in a somewhat exaggerated gentlemanly tone, "Shall we, then?" Nightlight lifted a hoof to escort the mare, smiling, a playful twinkle in his eyes.

[Plume 922]

Remix watched as he tried to stop the shaking, deciding to not press it further since he seemed so uncomfortable with discussing the topic. "Alrighty then. Well, if it sounds good to you, then let's go!" she said, smiling. Seeing him act all fancy, she played along, adjusting her headphones and straightening into a pose and royal Canterlot would be envious of. "We shall." she said in an absolutely perfect Canterlot lilt, taking his hoof and smiling as they entered the restaurant. 

[Wolfeus Silverpaw 301]

It seems I've an actress in my midst, Nightlight noted passively. Maybe I could get her to audition too? Shyness casting over him brought him back to reality as he realized one of them would have to talk to the waitress pony behind the counter. He took a deep breath and decided to take charge. "Um, hi." He stood tall, hoping to impress Remix. "Table for two, please." The sentence came out sounding more like a question than a statement. Nightlight's ears flopped and he blushed as the waitress went on about how happy a couple they looked and things of that nature. "We're not really a couple," Nightlight stated quietly, though the waitress didn't hear him. When he thought about it, he discovered that he actually liked the idea of Remix being his marefriend, and that thought scared him. Wasn't Twilight his dream girl? Didn't he want to be with her instead? His blush deepened, and he lagged behind, following the waitress and Remix to their table.

[Plume 922]

Remix opened her mouth to speak to the waitress, when all of a sudden, and rather unexpectedly, Nightlight took charge. She couldn't help but smile, happy that he was finally coming a little out of his shell. At his tone, however, she couldn't help but giggle a little, hearing how instead of stating something it became a question instead. When the waitress started talking about them being a couple, Remix blinked a couple of times before bursting into laughter, struggling to breath. She noticed how Nightlight tried to alert her that they weren't a couple, but the waitress seemed to not even notice when he said it. Realising how uncomfortable he seemed, she decided to speak up for them both. "Oh, sorry, we're not together. Just a friendly lunch, nothing more." she said, explaining to the now awkward waitress as she sat down. A menu was placed in front of her seat, and the same went for Nightlight. "So, getting your spaghetti, I assume?" she asked, smiling at him over the menu only to see his face as red as a beetroot. "Woah, you okay there? You're looking pretty red. You're not getting sick, are you?" she said, reaching over and pressing a hoof to his forehead. "Nope, no fever."

[Wolfeus Silverpaw 301]

"I-I'm fine," Nightlight lied. This is so embarrassing... He hid his face with his menu. "A-and yes, I'm getting the spaghetti." Nightlight paused, taking a deep breath. "Actually... The waitress just embarrassed me a bit. That's all." He put his menu down, unable to meet Remix's eyes. He noticed this was becoming rather commonplace.

[Plume 922]

Remix nodded slowly, but gave him a somewhat incredulous look. "Alrighty. If you say so." she said, before returning to reading through the menu. "Sweet! Spinach and Cheese Ravioli for me." she said, grinning at him over the menu. "She embarrassed you? What did she say?" she asked, confused. They'd both heard the same stuff, and she didn't feel embarrassed in the least. "Well, if you're uncomfortable, I can do the ordering." she said, out-stretching a hoof and calling the waitress over. "Hey! Uh, one spinach and cheese ravioli and a spaghetti." she said, shooting her a winning smile. he waitress nodded, writing everything down. "Anything else? Drinks?" she asked, and Remix shook her head, before looking to Nightlight. "You want anything?"

[Wolfeus Silverpaw 301]

"N-nothing! She said nothing." Nightlight bit his lip, looking down. Nothing except that we were a couple, making me shock myself by discovering I would've been okay with that. His breathing quickened as he tried to sort out his emotions, unintentionally tuning out Remix's voice in the process. He'd barely met this pony. How could he have feelings for her? Especially when his heart belonged to Twilight? He glanced up at her mane, admiring her pink highlights against her royal blue ocean of hair. Nightlight immediately shot his eyes down to his menu when he realized he was staring, and his eyes didn't move from it, as though he were expecting it to say something.

 

Nightlight jumped at Remix's question, worried he'd been caught gazing at her pretty mane. "Huh? N-nothing. ...W-wait. Um, just water would be nice." Nightlight fidgeted with his hooves. She didn't notice, did she? Nightlight face-hoofed, telling himself that by now he should know that nothing gets by this pony. Nightlight took a deep breath. Just play it cool and befriend her. Then, if everything goes well, I won't be so lonely anymore, he thought, not realizing his silent conversation with himself was totally visible to Remix the entire time.

Edited January 6, 2015 by Nightlight Sparkle

[Plume 922]

Remix frowned when he jumped, feeling like he'd been more than a little skittish ever since they entered the restaurant. She felt Nightlight's gaze on her, and bit her lower lip a little. She didn't mind attention, but it felt like she was being studied. Subconsciously, she pushed her mane out of her eyes slightly with a hoof, pretending that she could not sense Nightlight's gaze on her mane. Staring out the window, she waited a little before feeling like she had to do something to stop him, turning back and raising an eyebrow. "Nightlight? Is there something wrong? Is something on my face?" she asked, touching her face somewhat self-consciously with a hoof.

 

"Yep, just water." she said, smiling as she handed her menu to the waitress who proceeded to reach over and take Nightlight's as well. Once she had left the table, the lavender mare finally properly face Nightlight, blinking her eyes a little owlishly. She noticed now that he had changed to playing with his hooves instead of drilling holes into the menu with his eyes, which she assumed was a good change. Talking to himself, which was what he then began to do, however, probably wasn't. "Uh... Hey...? You've been acting super weird ever since we came in here."