Rave at the Electric Mane[Finished]

[RainbowFoxxy]

If you want to be in this thread and you were not part of the speed dating rounds, please PM me before joining in!

 

 

Music pulsed through the downtown Canterlot club, causing Vinyl's hips to sway to the beat. The mare's eyes narrowed as she surveyed the scene. Already the club had quite a crowd and everypony and griffon seemed to be having a good time. This crowd had come early in the night and she was sure things would heat up later. However, it was a good start to the evening and a good turn out so far.

 

The white unicorn nodded to several ponies that she knew as they danced away. She was making her way to the DJ box where she would be hanging out until her relief got there later in the night. Possibly that special somepony she had her eye on would join her in the box later. That could be really fun!

 

All in all everything was set for an epic night. The bar was open, the beats were jammin', and the ponies were ready for the night of their lives!

[ShadowWalking18]

The music blared, and all around ponies and griffons were getting ready for a night of fun.

 

But for one, short statured griffon, the night was still up in the air.

 

Being shorter then most, Razor tried to avoid getting lost in crowds. And he really, really hoped that nopony or griffon brought up his height.

 

He didn't want to get into a bar fight at an event following his first attempts at dating in.....well...ever.

 

But, if he was lucky that wouldn't happen.....maybe.

 

"As if I didn't have enough to worry about." Razor mumbled to himself.

 

He hadn't found a date, which wasn't too surprising. Though he did see a number of mares he had had a date with. But he was sure they had all found someone else already.

 

....Aaaaand he wasn't making himself feel any better.

 

Well, there was an open bar. Cider would help. Though he wondered if the bartender was serving any Griffon brand liquor. The real heavy stuff.

 

Heading to the bar first, Razor took a seat and ordered up a drink. He would start off light, then work himself to the heavy stuff once his tolerance kicked in.

 

"Two ciders. Chop chop." He called up to the bartender and tossed up the needed bits, plus a tip.

[PyroBlaze]

Well, this was fun so far! Flux had found herself gravitating to dancing when the music had started, leading her to a very chaotic dance with no real pattern to it as she moved around. Honestly, she was just having fun with it. She wasn't really trying either way, and she didn't really care to restrain herself at all, to the chagrin of her imaginary friends.

The disguised changeling hoped that she would get to talk with her new friends more, especially that Kalime. That dog was a fun one to be with. Maybe she'd even get to talk with someone new! Make even more friends! One could never have too many friends.

She giggled happily to herself as she kept dancing around, weaving through the crowd randomly with her eyes closed. Even without her sight though, she didn't run into any of the others in the crowd with her.

[Zealot]

Once again, the soldier had arrived at a social gathering she was ill prepared for. Clandestine looked around the rave, with a little bit of disgust. So this was what everypony had been excited about? Loud music and some flashing lights? Granted she had been to these kinds of parties before, though that was in her younger days. She shrugged, perhaps it would be enjoyable. Though she would have appreciated the music being a little quieter. That was a bit of a shock as the mare stood in the entryway. Was she getting... too old for this? No, certainly not. The music was great, the lights were great. She'd go find the bar and have a great night. That was the plan, right? 

 

Still, the number of bodies on the dance floor made it impossible for Clandestine to even approach. She knew her phobia would get the better of her, so she didn't even think of going near the dancing. No doubt somepony would make a mistake they'd regret, and she would be left with the consequences. Instead, she opted for the more safe option. The bar. After all, she wanted to forget her dates had ever happened, all she'd managed to cause was embarrassment and regret after all. A stiff drink would do her good.

 

The mare was once again wearing her black party dress, and had still not been able to sort out her mane. No doubt an onlooker would see that she'd made a complete state of it, leaving it in a bit of a mess. If one was kind, they might think she was going for the windswept look, though to the fashionable pony it was a lost cause. The black dress was old, but hadn't been worn all to often. It could be mistaken for being new, though Clandestine would be quick to correct. A small knife was hidden, strapped on her back right leg. The mare was a bodyguard for a living, she'd managed to sneak it past security with ease. Though she didn't intend to use it, she always felt vulnerable without a weapon nearby. It gave her peace of mind, and that was all that mattered.

 

Nonetheless, she was feeling down and needed a drink. The presence of the angry looking mare was enough to force apart the crowd as she headed straight for the bar. Ignoring the other ponies. Clandestine had her sights on one thing, a seat at the bar. Once she got there, she took the first one she found free and glared at the barkeep. "Whisky," she demanded, putting down the required bits. 

 

Still, it wasn't a complete loss she supposed. She had met a few interesting ponies, though Clandestine was sure they would be quick to forget her and move on. The soldier looked up across the bar seeing the small griffon she had met on one of her dates. Sitting alone. Well, that date hadn't gone terribly, maybe she could talk to him. Clandestine gave him a smile and meandered over, "Hey," she greeted him, making sure to keep it casual. "My name's... oh drat, I already did that didn't I?" she chuckled in embarrassment. "Umm, can I join you? I'm all by myself over there, so I sort of wondered if you wanted the company."

[RainbowFoxxy]

"Two ciders. Chop chop."

 

The Keep at the bar that night was the one and only Pony Joe. He had had such a great time helping to host the speed dating that Vinyl had invited the handsome stallion to attend her rave as the official bar keeper. He had done business in a similar fashion for years, giving ponies what they wanted as far as drinks. His specialty was coffee but the stallion also knew how to mix a few good drinks. The call for cider was quickly answered.

 

"Two ciders." Joe levitated the bits into a jar under the counter. "Looks like fun out there." He commented dryly as he watched Flux sauntering through the crowd. Joe had enjoyed his speed date with the unicorn and certainly wouldn't mind getting to know her a little more. "You got a pretty griffoness meeting you tonight?"

 

"Whisky,"

 

Joe answered the request, again levitating the bits into the jar. The pony who had requested the drink had a definite military air about her. The stallion remembered her from the speed dating rounds even though he hadn't gotten to meet her yet.

 

Two ciders and a whisky levitated out to their waiting patrons. Joe nodded to the military pony and smiled. "Enjoying the party so far?" It was small talk but hey, you had to start somewhere.

[Blueblood]

There were two sorts of ponies that ended up in raves.  The first were attracted by the novelty, but ultimately spent most of their time either at the bar or with their backs to the walls, watching all the action on the dance floor.  The second dove straight in and didn't come up for air until the sun rose!

 

Flying Brick was, of course, of the latter persuasion.  Granted, it wasn't quite possible to put on her best moves merely to a beat; she relied upon a melody for a truly inspired performance.  Then again, the night was early, and it wasn't all that easy for a potential audience to pick her out of the crowd.  Not yet, anyway.

 

And yet, even under these circumstances one might see something unique about the mare.  Even in the midst of the crush on the dance floor, she never collided with anypony.  Sometimes, of course, she'd hook hooves and take another dancer for a spin or two, but then she'd be off again, flowing through the mob like a trailing ribbon through the air.  

 

One such pony, or changeling, hooked was Flux, recognized from an earlier speed date.  "Little bouncing flyer!  Is good to see you again!"  The earth pony stuck around for a second spin, to give the other time to reply.  "Is great party, yes?"

[PyroBlaze]

Flux had been dancing through the crowd happily, her eyes still closed as all she could hear was the music. It was great! Her face held a wide smile as she moved across the floor.

Suddenly, she was spinning, and she let out a surprised squeak as she opened her eyes. Her smile returned in full when she saw the reason for her spin.

"Hiya Bricky!" She said happily, giggling a bit before responding. "Yeah! I'm having a great time! It's great to see you here too!" She finished, still smiling widely.

[ShadowWalking18]

 

 

Still, it wasn't a complete loss she supposed. She had met a few interesting ponies, though Clandestine was sure they would be quick to forget her and move on. The soldier looked up across the bar seeing the small griffon she had met on one of her dates. Sitting alone. Well, that date hadn't gone terribly, maybe she could talk to him. Clandestine gave him a smile and meandered over, "Hey," she greeted him, making sure to keep it casual. "My name's... oh drat, I already did that didn't I?" she chuckled in embarrassment. "Umm, can I join you? I'm all by myself over there, so I sort of wondered if you wanted the company."

 

Razor took his ciders and started to drink one. He was so expected on being alone that when someone did approach he jumped and nearly choked on his drink. He covered his beak with his wing and coughed as he set down the drink, some of it spilling onto the bar from his momentary shock.

 

He turned and blinked in surprise when he saw that it was the military mare from the dates. He was glad his wing covered his face, as he blushed a moment remembering the....awkwardness.

 

Then again...all his dates had felt awkward.

 

It took him a moment to realize that he should say something. He lowered his wing, now no longer coughing to respond.

 

"Oh...I...uh...uh sure....if you want....uh...take a chair I guess." He said, stammering a bit. His phobia kicked in and he edged himself a bit in his seat to have a bit of distance between them. He took another gulp from his drink, though perhaps a bit bigger then his original intent as he was starting to feel nervous.

[Zealot]

Suffice to say the soldier was a little surprised at the reaction she got. Causing Razor to jump and spill his drink was not the way she'd wanted to start things. Still, when Clandestine was used to moving stealthily then it was likely unavoidable. Clandestine always moved quietly, and she was always surprising ponies, making them jump or run away altogether. She felt a little bad for sneaking up on him, but she couldn't help it. That was just what she did. She sighed and apologized, "I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I forget how quietly I walk, and the noise in here makes it so easy for a pony to sneak up on another." She tried to smile, but it was rather weak and forced. 

 

Nonetheless, she took the offered seat next to him, though remained at a comfortable distance. With her phobia of touch, she couldn't bring herself to get closer. If that was a comfortable distance for him or not, well, that was up to him. "Thanks," she said, shuffling into the chair. A cursory glance over the griffin showed he was nervous. He was edging himself away and his stammer was a dead give away. Once again, she was intimidating another person. She hated the way she did that, but unfortunately her intimidating presence wasn't something she could just switch off. She tried to be friendly, but Clandestine always ended up being that scary pony that nopony wanted to talk to. It was probably better if she was ignored, then at least everypony else would be happy. She sighed again. "I... I really am sorry. There's not many ponies that can really stomach me I'm afraid. So, I can go away if you want. I'll understand, it's just all this civilian stuff is so hard. You know? But, well..." she asked, trailing off a little forlornly.

 

Her whisky came and she was grateful for it's appearance. She needed a drink and happily sipped at the foul liquid. Clandestine had never been one for drinking heavily, though after her speed dates she was willing to make an exception. They could have been worse of course, but they could have been so much better. 

 

Still, she was surprised to hear the bartender ask her a question. A handsome stallion, and she seemed to remember he had been at the speed dating, though they had yet to meet. Still, he was working, so he was probably just being polite. She tried a smile, but again it was clear the mare wasn't all that happy. It was all for show, "Not really," she replied. "I've only just got here and from the looks of it I just scared poor Razor here half to death. Story of my life." She shrugged it off, eyeing the whisky eagerly. "Still, thanks for the drink. I expect I'll need plenty more like it before the night is done."

[Zeig]

 

Some ponies liked to sneak into a party.

With the knowledge that so many eyes and ears would be in attendance at an event, those ponies tended to end up with stage fright before they even stepped hoof in a place, as if they were expecting a gigantic spotlight to fall directly on them. Shy, dithering, and self-conscious, they tip-hoofed and snuck their way inside, usually in the midst of a large crowd, to avoid being noticed. Honestly, he didn't know why they bothered showing up.

Other ponies took a more confident, languid approach, which was the norm. Nothing special, just a pony showing up to have a good time. Definitely an improvement, and the majority of the ponies now streaming into the club. Excitement was clear in the air, but these ponies were content to simply arrive and slowly start slotting themselves in place, whether on the dance floor or straight to the bar to salt up. No fanfare or fuss, no veritable stage fright.

And then there were the ponies that made sure every other pony in the room knew they had arrived to the party.

Three guesses as to which one he was.

"The fuuuun, has arrived!" Inkbrand bellowed as he weaved his way past the ponies lingering on the edge of the dance floor, obviously not ready to take the veritable plunge, "no autographs baby, I'm on my break." The pretty blue Pegasus directly in his path rolled her eyes, but obligingly moved out of the way as the grey Earth Pony sauntered further into the crowd, head bobbing to the already jamming beat. Vinyl Scratch was easily visible, raised a bit above the pulsating crowd in the DJ booth, and Inkbrand let out a piercing wolf whistle in her general direction, one that was easily swallowed by the music.

Which is what he bucking loved, buck it!

"What's going on, brother, long time no see," the tattoo-clad stallion yelled to his general left as he belatedly recognized the red stallion he'd ended up positioning himself next to, an old customer and regular at one of the bar's he frequented. The stallion responded in kind, eyes laughing as they shared a quick hoof bump, before Inkbrand fully turned his attention to whatever pretty mare that was nearest to him - a pale yellow Unicorn, it seemed. The grey Earth Pony grinned lasciviously and sidled up to her side, the few glowing accessories he'd brought with him - a glowstick wrapped around his neck, and one falling lopsided against his ear - casting a pall on her features. Unlike the other one, though, the mare simply returned his look with a mischievous smile of her own, hips swaying to the music.

Oh hay yes, this was going to be a good night.

The great thing about a pit of bodies all bouncing and jamming together, really, was the fluidity of the dance floor. In a few moments time, Inkbrand had moved on from the yellow Unicorn, dancing hooves instinctively moving around towards both familiar and unfamiliar faces, and this time he found himself next to a vaguely familiar, dark brown Earth Pony, and an almost violently purple Unicorn. Surprisingly, the name came to him faster than it had in the past, causing Inkbrand's ears to perk up slightly as a grin split his face.

"'Scuse me ladies," the tattoo-clad stallion sing-songed as he deftly slid into place beside Flying Brick, one leg boldly reaching out to hook around the Pegasus' waist, "but this area's been deemed a fire hazard, because the two of you are smokin' tonight." Flying Brick was quickly becoming a regular face at similar events, even at his tattoo parlor - but the violet mare she'd been apparently dancing with was definitely unfamiliar to him. Still, the music was pounding, not leaving much thought to flirt as Inkbrand's body continued to move to the beat, one hoof pumping in the air and his mane flying every which way.

Oh hay yes. So long as nopony insufferable came along to lecture him in proper dance etiquette or some rot, this was definitely going to be a good night.
 

 

 

[[ lxl ]]

 

[Blueblood]

You could be a victim of your own success on the dance floor.

 

The more a pony approached the level of virtuouso in her moves, the less likely most ponies were to approach her.  It came of dancing for an audience, Flying Brick supposed; her performance was more visual than participatory art.  That usually meant that either she had to make the first move, which wasn't a hardship for her, or she was exclusively approached by the truly bold.

 

It was both tonight.  The earth pony mare signaled Flux with a gesture that vouched for Inkbrand as she bumped flanks with him, with a force that would have knocked over the less sure-hooved.  "You see nothing yet, zherebets!  You stick with us, and we make the open flame!"  Brick had treated Ink's cheesy pick-ups as straight lines ever since they'd run into each other at raves.  She liked him; he was sort of like a canary for parties.  If Ink wasn't dancing, the atmosphere was not right.

 

Speaking of which... from the DJ booth a ringing series of treble notes chimed through the baseline, weaving it into a tapestry of sound that bypassed the ears and brain and moved the mare's hooves directly.  Flying Brick leaped, practically soared over the heads of the ponies as she surged into her first movement, justifying her paradoxical name.  One might almost think she ought to have been born a pegasus, watching her move like that...

[PyroBlaze]

Flux was having fun dancing with Flying, she would be a good friend to have, the disguised changeling could tell. As the stallion appeared as well, her grin grew even wider, both because of the new pony and because of all the tattoos he sported across his body. He looked fun too! She giggled at his words, smiling at him.

"Thanks! You look pretty hot yourself!" She chirped happily as she danced, still no real pattern present in the moves as she danced in a small circle, giving an 'ooh!' sound as she watched Flying leap into the air. "I'm Flux!" She said, falling over abruptly and going into a spin that left her on her back in a giggling mess. Once she was done, she paused, her face looking at Inkbrand upside down.

"What's your name?" She asked, tilting her head to the side before rolling over and getting back to her feet to continue her little dance, obviously enjoying herself.

[Pretzelparty]

Foxglove was silently bobbing her head and bouncing in her seat to the pumping music. She'd gone to more than a few clubs with sort of atmosphere when she was younger -different music, but still similar in tone-, resulting in a rather nostalgic experience for her, the only that was missing was her old friend Bramble Rose joined at her hip and dancing eagerly alongside her. So far the individuals here were proving to be quite interesting. There was that very lovely specimen of a griffin Zelda, whom she honestly could see herself with but she felt maybe they should get to know eachother a little better sometime... possibly while on some sort of adventure with ghosts and the like. A somewhat roguish stallion who was a friend of Zelda's was apparently having fun flirting with a few mares who were also involved in the festivities.

 

Having made hersel comfortable at the bar she noticed a griffin eventually sit down beside her. Perhaps she should have said something but decided to remain silent and just ponywatch the others until she felt it was the best time to make her presence known. That time soon came with the arrival of a pony, this time a mare who's approach seemed to scare the wits off the poor fur and feathered being.

 

The mare chuckled softly, sitting beside Razor, "That's the reaction I was expecting when he finally noticed me beside him... but seems he never did." The curly maned mare looked over the griffin with her violet eyes and smirked playfully, before looking at the bartender, having said nothing in her entire time present and almost seeming like she had just popped into existence in her seat. The ivory coated pony spun in place on her barstool and looked to the bartender, "May I have a ... hm it just occured to me I've never had alcohol before... Might ask what you two might recommend?" 

[ShadowWalking18]

 She sighed again. "I... I really am sorry. There's not many ponies that can really stomach me I'm afraid. So, I can go away if you want. I'll understand, it's just all this civilian stuff is so hard. You know? But, well..." she asked, trailing off a little forlornly.

 

Her whisky came and she was grateful for it's appearance. She needed a drink and happily sipped at the foul liquid. Clandestine had never been one for drinking heavily, though after her speed dates she was willing to make an exception. They could have been worse of course, but they could have been so much better. 

 

Still, she was surprised to hear the bartender ask her a question. A handsome stallion, and she seemed to remember he had been at the speed dating, though they had yet to meet. Still, he was working, so he was probably just being polite. She tried a smile, but again it was clear the mare wasn't all that happy. It was all for show, "Not really," she replied. "I've only just got here and from the looks of it I just scared poor Razor here half to death. Story of my life." She shrugged it off, eyeing the whisky eagerly. "Still, thanks for the drink. I expect I'll need plenty more like it before the night is done."

 

Razor finished his first cider and started on the second, when he heard Clandestine's words and turned to look at her in surprise, "What? No, no your fine there really! B-besides I'm not a pony...I'm a griffon so..."

 

Wait did that make things better? He shook his head and gulped down his second drink before saying in as confident a voice as he could.

 

"B-besides I-I wasn't scared," Razor said, taking a deep breath as he puffed his chest out, "I'm not scared of anything. I'm an Ironclaw, and nothing scares us. Especially not ponies." Razor's voice now was rather confident.

 

Yeah, that was right. He was an Ironclaw. He was descended from the first Ironclaw who founded his family clan ages ago. HIs family was rich in ancient traditions and rituals that would make even the most die hard griffon or dragon pale in horror. An Ironclaw was scared of nothing! He was scared of nothing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The mare chuckled softly, sitting beside Razor, "That's the reaction I was expecting when he finally noticed me beside him... but seems he never did." The curly maned mare looked over the griffin with her violet eyes and smirked playfully, before looking at the bartender, having said nothing in her entire time present and almost seeming like she had just popped into existence in her seat. The ivory coated pony spun in place on her barstool and looked to the bartender, "May I have a ... hm it just occured to me I've never had alcohol before... Might ask what you two might recommend?" 

 

 

At least that's what he was saying until he heard another mare's voice speak near him and he jumped again and turned quickly and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he saw the mare before him.

 

It was another mare, and very pretty. Down right beautiful in a dark, gothic sort of way.

 

Razor felt his heart racing now as he looked left, then right, then left again and right again. He was trapped....between two mares.

 

Two....pretty. hot. gorgeous mares.

 

He could already feel his confidence and just recently recollected calm slipping  away.

 

It was then he realized the new mare had said something, and Razor had to quickly respond....though maybe he should have taken it slowly.

 

"What? No! No.....I-I-I...I noticed you....I mean I didn't, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't have. I mean who wouldn't notice a mare like you." He babbled, gulping as he tried to figure out if what he said was right.

 

He couldn't help but lean back away from the new mare, only to feel his back bump against Clandestine. He froze then snapped around and leaned away from Clandestine, only to feel his wings bump lightly against Foxglove and he turned around again.

 

Razor was starting to shake now as he sat rigged at the center of his chair, his talons gripping the bar and digging into the wood as he tried to calm down.

 

Pretty military mare to the right. Pretty goth mare to the left. What did he do?!?!?!?!

 

It was when he heard the goth mare mention drinks that Razor's talon snapped to his bit bag and pulled the thing up to the counter and dumped nearly the entire contents onto the bar. In total he had poured out six hundred bits.

 

"Yes! Drinks.!" He said, as if that was the answer. Though to what he couldn't say.

 

"Uh...right drinks. Uh...anything they want. Um...two vodkas for me. No Tequila. No both. Both! Two of both for me. A Rum and coke for her." Razor said, pointing to Foxglove for the Rum and Coke.

 

He then settled his talons back onto the bar, his face going red with a  blush as he dug his talons into the spots they had before as he tried to calm down.

 

'Come on Razor your an Ironclaw! Your family is legendary for removing one of its own talons at initiation in ages past for Fausts sakes! You can handle being next to two mares!' He thought, though that didn't really help him.

 

He hoped those drinks got here. Now!

[Hawkeye12]

Hawkeye sighed a little to himself as he entered the club. It was weird; the griffon was usually relaxed with things, willing to do just about anything. Go into the Everfree Forest? Sure, why not! But going to party? It just wasn't one of those things. 

 

But oh well. At least he wasn't late this time, right? And besides, he could probably chat it up with one of the ponies here...as long as it wasn't on the dance floor. That  would be the one place he wasn't going to step claw on. Steering himself away from the open area, Hawkeye took a moment to look around and see who else was here. Some ponies who actually could dance were going on the dance floor, one of which being that Inkbrand stallion that Zelda had mentioned. Speaking of which, she didn't seem to be anywhere. Dang. It was obvious that he liked her, and really wanted to continue that conversation they got going.

 

His gaze then drifted to the bar, which some ponies had already gone to. Hawkeye smiled to himself. Out of the way but not alone, now that was more like it.

 

As he approached though, he got a look of who was at the bar. A griffon, who Hawkeye had sworn he had seen before but couldn't quite put his claw on it, sitting surrounded by a mare on each side. One seemed a bit older, drinking whiskey and had the eyes of someone who could beat him up if she wanted to...though she probably didn't. The other, to put it in frank terms, was...well, hot. Definitely the goth, badflank type. But Zelda was still at the top of his list. Dang, that griffon was a lucky guy to have those mares. Though...was that a nervous look? 

 

But then the realization came that he was still standing there, and the griffon quickly walked up to the bar and grabbed a stool. "Need help there buddy?" He asked, sensing his usual self take over. He then turned to the barkeeper and put some bits on the counter, sliding them over to him. "Whatever you got on tap." Hawkeye never really drank much besides the occasional beer, and he didn't really care which kind it was. He turned back to the other ponies with a smile. "I'm Hawkeye. And uh, I hope I'm not intruding anything?" 

 

He really hoped he wasn't, because it just occured to him that he could have walked into something awkward. But hey, what could go wrong?

[Zeig]

 

Well hello there.

The grin that Inkbrand had been trying to keep tame failed, utterly and spectacularly, widening into a full-on leer as first Flying Brick, then her purple friend, greeted him - and the former with a rather impressive flank bump. The grey Earth Pony luckily kept his balance, avoiding falling flat onto his backside in the middle of a mosh pit, and pulled a hoof to his mouth to let out a long and sharp whistle as the brown colored pony suddenly flipped over the heads of nearby dancers, showing off her lean curves and flexibility.

Open fire, hay yes.

Inkbrand only had a moment to admire that flame, however, before she disappeared from view, undoubtedly landing somewhere else in the pit, and the tattoo-clad stallion turned his attention onto the purple Unicorn, body not stopping its movements as he gave the other pony a toothy grin. "Inkbrand," he introduced, shameless as he leaned in very close to speak his name right into the other's ear, "best Tattoo Artist in Equestria. Ever think about getting one?" This time, he had to half-shout in the mare's direction, having retreated back a pace to resume his dancing - or, what could be constituted as dancing in the middle of a rave floor. "Jumping up and down and pumping your hoof repeatedly in the air" was too much of a mouthful.

"Bet you'd look pretty in pink!" the tattoo-clad stallion went on to say, stepping forward again to rub shoulders with Flux, "with some black tribal thrown in, eh?"

Not that Inkbrand was actually attempting to schmooze future clients on the dance floor - at least, not this time - but easy conversation was a natural by-product of a relaxed and casual pony. Too many ponies concentrated on dancing, like it was a technique that had to be learned, which made conversing and letting loose annoying as all Tautarus.

Buck, not him. Like moving his body was something he'd had to learn.

And speaking of moving bodies, a thought abruptly alighted onto Inkbrand's brain, causing him to raise his head and glance towards the entranceway. He hadn't seen Zelda outside, waiting to be let in - but he hadn't exactly been paying attention to the doorway all night. 'Cause, smoking hot mares surrounding him on all sides, 'n all. Ah well, maybe something last minute had popped up for the griffon. Or even still, she was meandering around somewhere. If she was, Inkbrand was sure he'd be able to spot her slinky onyx body as soon as it was in viewing range, and then he'd pounce for a repeat of the Veiled Garden.

But for now, he was content, because, again. Smoking hot mare, 'n all.

Without so much as a 'by your leave', Inkbrand swept back into Flux's personal space, one foreleg daringly wrapping around the purple Unicorn much as it had with Brick, pulling the other pony close to his side. "You a regular at these things?" the tattoo-clad stallion questioned, still having to raise his voice to be heard despite the closeness. Though it wasn't surprising to see new ponies every time one of these shindigs happened, seeing her in the apparent company of Flying Brick, a long-time regular, was intriguing. Reclusive friend being introduced to the wonders of a Vinyl Scratch rave, maybe?
 

 

 

 

[tacobob]

 

After her unique experience speed dating at a donut store, Zelda took note that there was in fact a second part of this little adventure. This second bit did not take place at Pony Joe’s Donut emporium, but at a nearby club. This had all been written on the back of her ticket. Was it called the ‘Canterlot Club’ or was it a club in Canterlot? Thankfully, somepony was clever enough to place an itty bitty map on the back as well. And there was an name, the ‘Electric Mane’. Oh, how ponies loved their puns!  Those who organized the event also had enough sense to plan this during the night, when it was a bit more socially correct to drink up a store and dance terribly. This gave the young griffoness time to run a few errands and take a quick shower and slip into something a bit more appropriate. And while ponies –could- be decent dancers, most tended to be four left hooves. She knew Inkbrand was a decent hoofer from previous experience and while the idea of tossing on a pair of plate-mail shoes to protect her tender little kitty feet, she knew it was better to look good, than to feel good!

 

Flash-forward to the rave....

 

The black griffon made her way into the club looking as flashy as a large raven slash panther could. She sported a clingy design that matched her new markings perfectly to the color. As she surveyed the area, the big cat spied her good friend Razor as he sat alone looking rather pitiful. Seeing the griffon like this just about broke her heart into a million tiny pieces. She would make her way over and sit next to her friend, and they would drink and talk about old times, like they used to. Inkbrand would understand, so would Foxglove, and so would Hawkeye! The blacksmith did not get very far as the pretty older mare she and her final 'date' had watched from their table, decided to try her luck with the griffon. She silently hoped something would come out of this! Maybe her buddy needed somepony a bit more mature, and less of a silly filly.

 

Knowing Razor should be in good hooves, she turned her attention back to the dance floor. As she did, she managed to catch sight of one of her dates, the mysterious and gorgeous Foxglove. The mare had been in the process of getting a drink, so Zelda decided to leave her alone for the moment. Hawkeye was also there, as was Inkbrand who was busy yammering away! Oye! Do these silly boys and girls know how a rave works? One only communicates with the legs and hips at these things, or was that the Flamenco?

 

Zelda poked the marked stallion with a single claw. and once his attention went her way, she pointed to the dance floor. This was not an offer, this was a command!

[Blueblood]

Not for the the first time, Flying Brick's enthusiasm for dancing had sailed far above the heads of most ponies.  She bore them no ill-will for it, but at the same time, there was this tiny bit of... frustration?  Melancholy?  The mare wasn't one for words, her formal education having only barely gone beyond the point where books no longer had pictures in them.  But she remembered seeing one picture, in a gallery, that captured the mood perfectly:

 

A master painter was walking in the midst of a crowd of foals, excitedly splashing watercolor paints on little pieces of canvas.  He was pleased to see so many foals eager to do what he enjoyed the most... and yet, burdened with the knowledge that he could barely talk to them on his own terms about his craft, and that it would be a rare day if any of them got to that level.

 

Deep thoughts for a raver; perhaps it was not only the virtuosity of her moves that separated the Stalliongrad mare from her fellow party-goers.  Still, such mental vagaries could not last long in the mind of even the most ardent of intellectuals, when faced with the power of Vinyl Scratch's beats!  In no time at all Flying Brick was living up to her name again, sailing over the crowds in search of a pony, any pony, who might at least touch, even if they could not share, her passion...

 

True to form, the way she went about this was not in the least subtle.  Taking energy from a sudden rush of ponies in the pit, she somersaulted out of the crush, maintained momentum as her hooves bounced like superballs in the empty floorspace between the dance floor and the bar, and vaulted over the shoulders of one of the two mares seated at the table!

 

She stuck her landing on the bar with surprising grace, not even spilling a drop of any of the drinks placed on it.  Throwing her head back, she grinned at her momentarily stunned audience, her teeth lit up by the green lights of the stage.  "You!  You have appointments with me on dance floor!  One at a time, who first?"  Not one to beat around the bush, our Flying Brick...

[PyroBlaze]

Flux smiled at the introduction, and the closeness at which the stallion delivered it. He was fun so far! She tilted her head momentarily at his question about tattoos and whether she had thought about getting one. Despite her tilted head, however, her amalgam of movements didn't stop, as if her body was being controlled by the music and she only had control of the head. His suggestions though did sound like they might look good. She had to wonder if tattoos would even work though, given she was a changeling and not actually a unicorn. Oh well, that was an issue for another time!

 

"Yeah! That sounds like fun!" She chirped happily, smiling widely at him before he moved back in, pulling the two of them together. She mimicked the action, leaving them both with a hoof draped over the other.

 

"Nope! This is my first time!" She said happily, obviously enjoying herself. "I love parties! I've just never had the chance to go to one like this before!"

 

Before anything more could be said, a griffoness approached the two, poking Inkbrand before pointing at the dance floor.

 

"Hiya! I'm Flux! What's your name? How do you know Inky?" She asked the newcomer, her expression showing genuine curiosity for the questions she asked.

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

"Suuuuure, ya did" chuckled the mare, a slight drawl in her voice. Foxglove didn't show it much, but she was born fin Dodge junction, her parents had lived there for a time before moving to Canterlot in the hopes of better business opportunities when she was a foal. Her folksy voice tended to show only when she was drunk, or exceedingly stressed from her work. Her reasons for hiding it came from when she was a filly and figured the best way to blend in was to speak as the 'cultured' do. Wen Razor rather abruptly paid for her drink she went wide eyed as he effectively flooded the tabletop with bits, "Well, thanks!" Soon enough the bartender arrived with her Rum and Colt. She took a sip and thought a moment, "This is pretty good, I'll have to treat ya to a dance later." 

 

 

 

 "I'm Hawkeye. And uh, I hope I'm not intruding anything?" 

 

The Ivory earth pony shook her head, "As far as I can tell, not at all. Ah'm always willing to welcome a new conversation partner." She chuckled softly and took another sip, not even budging from her seat when a red mare suddenly backflipped on to the table, "You!  You have appointments with me on dance floor!  One at a time, who first?" She looked up at her with those violet eyes and grinned, "Well I Hate to be late to anything, let alone a dance!" The mare's ears perked up as she let the music fill her body and soul. With her new dance partner hopefully in tow, the gothmare looked back to razor, "I'll make sure ya get a dance tonight too, gotta pay ya back for the drink after all." and with that the mare joined the ranks of the ravers... leaving her umbrella on the side of the bar.

 

The music was pounding and powerful, the kind of music that could easily get a pony's blood pumping. The kind of music that made a mare ecstatic to have pulse that they could quicken, and so that's what Foxglove resolved to do.HEr dance started out slow and elegant but as soon as the tempo changed she switched to a much more expressive and excited series of movements, the flashing lights and strobes almost making it look like she was teleporting about ahoof to the left and right with each movement. Her hips swayed and shook with the beats laid down by their DJ, a pure and excited yet somehow subdued smile resting on her lips as she spun and twirled about on the dancefloor.

[Zealot]

Clandestine shrugged, taking another sip of her whisky. It didn't really matter what he said after all, she knew he felt it. It was in his body language, all tensed up. Still, he'd jumped at the other mare's sudden appearance as well. Perhaps it was something else, not liking mares? Well, she was getting the impression she was better off drinking at home. Maybe she should just buy the bottle and go off by herself. Collapse on her couch at home and drink her problems away. It was a depressing thought, but it seemed as if the night wasn't going to get any better as she'd said. Drinking alone seemed like a good option for the mare. That way she would at least be spared the uncertain looks and awkwardness. Then she could enjoy herself and forget about the whole experience.

 

Still, the goth mare seemed agreeable. Lean, elegant, and she had a cute look to her. But what was that, never had alcohol before? Clandestine was shocked, and her face registered an expression of interest. "Never had alcohol before? Well, stick with me if you want to know how to drink. I'll be doing plenty of it tonight," she chuckled at that, taking another sip of her whisky. That was when Razor offered to pay for their drinks, practically spilling what looked like his life savings on the counter. Again, Clandestine was shocked and again she couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction. What? Did he really like the cute goth or something? Clandestine thought to herself that maybe she should go goth, that was if she wanted free drinks from the griffon. Or perhaps she was misreading his reaction.

 

"Well. If the griffon's buying drinks, I want another whisky," she declared. Clandestine downed the last of her small glass and pushed it to the bartender halfheartedly for a refill. After all, one small whisky shot wasn't nearly enough to get her as inebriated as she wanted to be. 

 

That was when they were approached by another griffon. Well, he seemed nice. Just wondering if he should join them. Clandestine gave him a shrug, "Hey, whatever. It's a free country," she said, glancing his way. She wasn't too fussed about the company she kept after all, and didn't mind having another griffon around. Maybe he'd be less scared of her than the current one. 

 

Her focus turned on the bar she was completely caught off guard by what happened next. Her back was turned, though she heard and felt somepony approach, her combat intuition tickling her sense of awareness. She felt hooves on her back as a mare leapfrogged over her and somersaulted onto the table. 

 

The soldier swore, loudly, and profusely, glaring at the pony on the bar. "What was that? I have a touch phobia you..." she swore again, clearly enraged as adrenaline coursed through her. Clandestine shook her head in annoyance, looking down at the bar and focusing herself as she panted at the sudden rush she'd felt. "You're lucky I didn't break your hoof," she spat at the mare. Still, she remained where she was sitting, recovering from her shock, breathing steadily and trying to control herself.

[Zeig]

 

Inkbrand gave a small, probably unheard hum of acknowledgement at Flux's words, body idly moving against the mare's own.

So his intuition had been right after all, first time raver. And having the time of her life, it sounded like. It was enough to bring an appreciative smile winding up the grey Earth Pony's lips, golden eyes not-so-subtly inspecting the purple Unicorn with approval. It was pretty rare to meet somepony who, being introduced to a mane-flinging and hoof-pumping spectacle like this for the first time, pass with flying colors instead of wilting into the background, wide-eyed like a filly in a candy shop. Even the most outgoing of ponies could find themselves completely overwhelmed by the sheer loudness of a party like this, no matter what their previous experience.

But no, Flux was clearly having no trouble adjusting, and Inkbrand couldn't help the grin that stretched over his face as the purple Unicorn slung a hoof around him, mimicking his earlier action. Buck, if he kept running into mares like Brick and Flux on the dance floor, he might have to spend the entire night dancing away to -

- scratch that. Literally.

A press of hooves or a warm body wasn't unusual at a rave, but the sudden feeling of claws poking at his side was a startling enough sensation for Inkbrand to pull back from Flux, head automatically twisting to inspect the cause of the feeling. A lecherous grin bloomed across his face a moment later as Zelda's ice blue eyes came fully into view, one that stretched into something more feral as he got an eyeful of the clinging and downright delicious outfit the griffon was sporting, hugging her body in all the right places.

Mmm…that's probably why she'd taken a bit to show up to the party. Inkbrand could honestly say he didn't mind one bit.

Neither did he mind the black griffon's sudden demand for a dance, too, causing the tattoo-clad Earth Pony to slow down his body's movements for a moment. It was difficult masking the pleased smile drifting across his features, so Inkbrand didn't really bother trying to as he ran one hoof through his mane. "That's Zelda," he introduced for the griffon, eyes automatically shifting to the spiraling ink around black claw close to his side, "customer of mine. And rather willing dance partner, if I'm not mistaken," Inkbrand added, with a smirk that indicated he knew he wasn't.

He never was.

Which still left the conundrum of having a sexy black griffon patiently waiting to be swept into his hooves, and said hooves hanging dead by his side. With a slight quirk of his eyebrow towards Flux, a look that read, Well, what can I do? Inkbrand winked down at the purple Unicorn, getting out a "Save some of that energy for me later on, sweetheart," before he twined one hoof through Zelda's forearm, leer on his face as he insistently and firmly led the griffon towards wherever she had pointed at.

…Where, had she pointed at?

Ah, whatever, it was a rave floor, any spot was all the spots. As soon as there was a relatively large enough space for two bodies to squeeze into, Inkbrand whirled around, wasting no time in letting his hooves settle on those slim black hips as he pulled Zelda up close to him. "Dolling yourself up extra pretty tonight, huh babe," the tattoo-clad stallion murmured low in his throat, eyes again lingering on the garment that only enhanced the griffon's lines and curves. "S'at all for me?"
 

 

 

 

[Blueblood]

One reason why Flying Brick tended to shun more 'classy' venues for plying her craft was that balls, galas, and the like tended to place inordinate value on the mastery of subtleties that one had to study for years in order to watch, let alone do.  Mincing hoof movements, twitches of the eyebrow, bowing a third of the way down as opposed to a half- bah!  Dancing was for the masses, be they ever so clumsy.  She would be last to deny that there is joy in the mastery, but the key thing was to be bold.  It was no cowardly thing to face a rave floor or ask another pony for a dance; but if you had that and a basic sense of rhythm, you had a Faust-given right to the dance floor, and let no snob tell you otherwise.

 

Such, at any rate, was the Stalliongrad mare's philosophy, and its application here had borne great fruit!  Instantly one of the seated ponies had taken up her offer, drinking in full the draft of enthusiasm, energy, and life from a tap that had never gone dry from the beginning of Equestria.  "Excellent, khoroshen'kaya!"  She called out, unapologetically taking a swig from Foxglove's rum and colt.  "Life punishes those who are late to its bounty!"

 

Of course, exercising such boldness did tend to come with social costs; dancing hard put one at risk of stomping on hooves, as it were.  In the case of one particular mare, one hardly needed to stomp to tick her off, if Brick understood 'touch-phobia' right.  And it had to be said, while she was not unsympathetic in general, the earth pony had never been the most sensitive of mares, and this was a particularly bad time for her in terms of offering an understanding ear.  Loud music tends to deafen it.  "Eh, not the worst I've heard."  She grinned, darning the former special ops' swearing with faint praise.  "You have to take of hold of me first; I give you chance after first dance here."  And with a final wink, she bounded off after her goth dance partner.

 

Those who would have dismissed the idea that one could actually partner up for a rave dance, seeing only two ponies who happened to stand next to each other during their hip sways and hoof pumps would have been educated by sight the two mares presented.  In these situations, Flying Brick liked to use the 'Mirror Dance' technique, attempting to match the movements of her partner.  It would start by Foxglove taking the lead, starting slow in tempo but ramping up, Brick always following close in the acceleration.

 

But once she had found her groove, as it were, Brick would start to de-sync, the flashing images created no longer being perfect reflections as she overtook the lead, watching to see if the other mare would follow...

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

From the DJ box, Vinyl was able to keep an eye on the scene. She would adjust the music here and there, taking the dancing ponies to new levels of experience. She could see some to the ponies that had been at the speed dating event and noticed that some of the couple pairings were reflecting what she had seen happening at the earlier event. It was always awesome to see ponies having a great time dancing to her rhythms! She leaned in towards the mic;

 

"Let's get some glow stick action!" The lights lowered as black lighting was turned on. Strobes went into effect as the DJ began tossing glow sticks into the crowd from a box she had in the booth. There were also some boxes of sticks here and there throughout the Electric Mane that some ponies may have already taken from. "Light up the night!"

 

The white unicorn cracked a couple sticks open and began to swing them around, still keeping an eye on the special somepony she had picked out earlier. She would entice them up to her box...eventually!

 

-----------

Pony Joe was a little shocked by the reaction from the military pony but he couldn't blame her. Everypony had their own sets of fears and concerns. The bartender quickly doled out more drinks and then slid another whiskey to Clandestine. She really was quite a pretty mare.

 

"Sorry that happened...sometimes things get a little wild in here. I don't think she meant any harm." He hoped she would be able to calm down and enjoy herself again. "If you feel like dancing...I might be able to help you out." He put on his best smile, wondering if she might want to dance with him. if she had a touch phobia, he could make a special place for her to dance where she wouldn't have to worry about that.

 

----------

 

Dusk Till Dawn could hear the beat bumping all the way down the block from the Electric Mane.

 

"Seems like my protege's got this one all hooked up." She nodded her head slightly to the music, savoring the way the white unicorn could blend her music. If there was one thing Dusk could appreciate it was the ability to take different kinds of music and make them work together. She was a mix master herself. The unicorn was excited to see the turn out a Vinyl's event. Sure, she had been to lots of parties thrown by the blue maned unicorn but that didn't make her less excited to be at this one.

 

She slid into the place when the lights went down and the black lights came up. After grabbing a couple light sticks from a box by the door, she nodded to the bouncer, who knew her by name, and took to the floor!

 

Flashing lights, and blurs of color sparked everywhere as the music pounded away. The smells of sweat and alcohol mingled with the excitement filling the place made her heart beat a little faster. This event was definitely happening! The sleek unicorn made her way through the crowd, eventually ending up dancing near another darker unicorn. She was hot in all the ways Dusk liked and the unicorn began dancing with her without even asking permission. The other unicorn looked like she was having such a good time, she doubted having another dance partner would upset her.

[tacobob]

 

Zelda caught sight of the first pony who seemed to understand the concept of a rave. The agile earth pony was probably a professional dancer, acrobat or at least she was just very good at moving her cute lil' flank around. This reminded the griffon of the last wedding she had attended, which was her father and her now stepmother’s. Half of Sayre's family were professional dancers, thus making the rest of the party goers look like awkward clogdancers with four left feet. Thankfully, Zelda had learned so much since then, but she was still a bit of a novice at this whole 'rave' style of dancing, which she had been assured, was nowhere near as complicated as ballroom dancing or other forms of social dancing.

 

As she approached her frequent dance partner, she spotted another mare who had a question to ask, which was, 'How do you know Inky?'

 

Inky? This gal knew him well enough for a nickname? Knowing Inkbrand, there was probably a dozen gals like this, and while Zelda considered herself as a griffon who didn't mind sharing her goodies, sometimes the old green eyed monster reared its ugly head. Her kind shared a greed that rivaled the mighty dragons, and even the friendly blacksmith could get a little possessive over people. She needed to behave and not scare anypony away like she did back at the tattoo parlor.

 

"I'm Zelda.", the black griffon's kitty senses were a bit off. She smelled a little different. Maybe it was just he perfume? And while her instincts wanted her to tell the unicorn to buck off and keep her hooves off the stallion, her friendlier nature spoke instead, "Eh, we keep managing to run into each other. Either at random places like this strange donut speed dating turned rave thing, or little events due to our jobs. So...". a smile formed on her beak, "How did you meet Mister Inky-Butt?"

 

OOC: Feel free to reply here..The next bit of action happens after Zelda is finished talking with Flux..

 

The black bird's ears waggled as she overheard a few choice words spoken by the older mare. She apparently did not care for somepony who got a little to close to her comport zone. Hopefully she would calm down and not cause a scene. After making a mental note to keep her ears open for any trouble, she divested the majority of her attention to the snarky stallion.

 

"Really? You just think of me as your 'customer'?", she playfully teased the marked pony. "Not even an 'client'? Sounds a bit more professional in our line of work.", she kept the smile as they got even closer, "And yes, some of it's for you, but I promise to share this time around. There's some interesting guys and gals out there, and the night is still young.", the griffon said with a purr.

 

This was a tad bit different from when they danced before. This was less traditional and more crazy, and while still she was still very sober, this could still be pulled off. She was a griffon. Quick, agile and strong. She just needed to follow the music.