Rave at the Electric Mane[Finished]

[PyroBlaze]

Flux smiled widely at Inkbrand's introductions before turning to Zelda as she spoke, saying the two just tended to run into each other at various events and such. Well, it was always great making new friends! The disguised changeling was practically bouncing in place from excitement before the question turned to her.

 

"Oh, I met him just now! He's a fun guy!" She chirped happily, smiling at Inkbrand as he began trying to lead Zelda off to dance. "Have a good dance, Zeldy!" She added before processing the last thing Inkbrand had said. "Sure thing, Inky!" She called, not really sure if he had heard. 

 

Oh well, that was a matter for later though. For now, it was glowstick time! She selected a rainbow of colors, two sets, and placed them around her forelegs. After that, she began dancing wildly again, leaving streaks of rainbow color in her wake from the fast-moving glowsticks. She gazed up at the DJ booth as she did so, giving the mare making the music a wide smile.

[Hawkeye12]

The whisky seemed to already be doing a number on the older mare. Well, maybe that wasn't a bad thing? Though by the look of that other griffon, maybe not. But whatever, he would just drink his beer and see. Maybe something interesting will happen at some point.

 

And as if on cue, something interesting did happen. Huh.

 

Hawkeye watched with a look of both confusion and curiosity as a random earth pony mare leaped over Cladenstine, asking the two mares already at the bar for a dance. Luckily Foxglove said yes, because judging by the choice words the other pony said, she was probably going to straight up attack that mare. Well...dang. 

 

Thpugh eventually the weird moment passed, and Hawkeye watched as the bartender asked the older mare for a dance. "As for me, I'm gonna need some more of this in my system before I get out there." he said with a shrug, taking another sip of his beer. "Speaking of which, I think I've gpt enough in me to go mingle for a while. See you later." The griffon smiled a bit crookedly to the group before walking away, wandering around the perimeter of the dance floor.

 

Actually, staying at the bar probably would have been nice, but that mare was kinda freaking him out. But oh well. Besides, he wanted to see who else had arrived so far. Zelda was here, though she had already gone to dance with Inkbrand, which was disappointing. Dash or Martini didn't seem to be there yet either, so be had to actually go and meet new people. Gasp!

 

There was a white unicorn that he didn't recognize at all. Was she at the speec date? Either way, she was kinda cute, so he flashed a smile in her direction before walking on, making a mental note to talk to her later.

[Zealot]

Clandestine sighed in relief as the loud mare got off the bar and went to the dance floor, thankful that she was gone. She'd ignored her comment, glowering with her bad temper. Yep, at least there was one pony she would be glad to see the back of. After all, that was all she seemed to be doing nowadays. After all, the completely absurd suggestion that she should be dancing in that kind of crowd with her issues just annoyed her. Sure, she'd like to be able to dance. Maybe the pony wasn't so bad. Unfortunately it was doubtful that Clandestine would get the chance to know somepony like that. Heck, a simple flank bump might end up turning into some sort of bar fight. She hated the idea that she would be the cause of something like that. 

 

Maybe she should just go home...

 

But no, she had to finish her drink at least. That way she could probably tell herself and her therapy group that she'd tried. Maybe it would take a fair few failures like this to really get a hold of her problems. Not being able to touch without turning into a killing machine really hindered her. Grumbling to herself, Clandestine took a swig of her whisky as it came.

 

In fact, she was quite surprised when she heard the voice of the bartender yet again. What, he was apologizing. Well, that was nice she supposed. "Yeah well, it's not me I'm worried about. It's her own fault if I end up breaking something, not like I can help it. I'd rather she apologize instead of you though, you had nothing to do with it. Not that I would care if she did. After so many years of... well... I tend to hold grudges and I sure don't forgive easy." She snarled at her drink and took another swig, wondering how much longer this night could get. 

 

Still, what was that? He wanted to dance with her? Was he even listening? "Look, like I said. I have a touch phobia. If a pony even lays a hoof on me then... well, I'll react with force unless I can hold myself back. I was mobile infantry, we're tough. Guess I'm just tough and twitchy." She smiles at that, feeling a little better now that she'd at least explained her reaction to those who were nearby. "So, sorry. I think I'll have to turn you down. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be able to dance like you civilians. I can't though," Clandestine trails off, in a dour mood once more. After all, his offer had sounded something akin to charity. He was a handsome stallion, no doubt he wasn't offering out of the kindness of his heart. She frowned at that. Besides, he was working at the moment.

 

Clandestine glanced up briefly as the other griffon turned to leave. She figured he was probably uncomfortable after her little outburst. "Uh huh, whatever," she responded, lifting her drink slightly to wave him goodbye. 

 

So that was that. She'd no doubt be left to drink herself under the table, though again she wondered about buying the bottle and just heading home to save herself a little embarrassment. Clandestine thought to herself she'd be fine with that, though somehow she didn't feel that way. Instead she just felt sad, and angry. It was a strange thing. She'd love to be able to touch, and in time she might even be able to. Yet here she sat. Would she ever become comfortable with another pony's touch? Not tonight, though she'd at least hoped that she might take her first step. Clearly she had been wrong. 

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

The DJ was in her element! The beats were pumping hard and fast. Ponies had grabbed glow sticks and the floor was a swirl of lights and color! It was awesome to be able to move the crowd with her music! Vinyl pulled her shades down just a touch, surveying the ponies closest to the booth. That was when the wide grin of the dark unicorn caught her eyes. The DJ pushed her shades back in place over her eyes and lowered booth hooves to the discs. She scratched out a super sweet sound and then raised one hoof high. Then she flashed a quick smile back at the mare and used the hoof in a 'come here' signal. Not just any pony got invited to Vinyl Scratch's DJ booth.

 

 

Joe only let himself feel a little bit deflated when the military mare denied his offer. it was too bad really, she wouldn't have to worry about her touch phobia with the plan he had in mind. Well, perhaps she would warm up to him as the evening went on.

 

"That's fine, I understand." He slid another drink her way. A beautiful mare like this one certainly didn't need to spend the whole evening alone. "This one's on me." He knew he was pressing his luck a little but the music, the lights, and the in general made him feel a bit more courageous than usual.

 

 

The white unicorn felt herself slip into the mood of the dance floor as she twirled a glow stick and danced as close to a couple of good looking ponies as she could. Vinyl knew how to throw a great party! She only wished she had brought somepony with her for the night. It was cool to just dance with whoever was around but Dusk had always enjoyed sharing nights like this with her friends. Oh well, she would just have to make some friends.

 

Just when she was thinking about going over to the bar a griffon walked by and flashed her a smile. She felt her heart speed up a little at the way he had smiled. She had never thought about griffons before but hey, if they were at this party, maybe she should get to know one! She waited a little bit until he was on the dance floor as well and mad her way over.

 

The pretty white unicorn just kept dancing, moving closer to him as she did so. Eventually she was close enough to flash back a greeting of her own. She moved in closer, wondering if he would want to dance with her...

[ShadowWalking18]

With all the drinks and his frazzled nerves, Razor was finding it rather hard to keep his head clear on all of the things going on...or maybe that was the drinks taking affect? If it was, then him downing two of the four drinks he ordered wasn't gonna help.

  

Then the Goth mare offered him a dance, after of course she finished a few others....all because he got her a drink? Razor gulped and said, "I...I...uh sure...." He wasn't sure if she heard, or would remember.

 

He reached for another drink and tried to not drink this one as quickly as he had the others, and jumped when Clandestine snapped at a mare that jumped right over them to appear and ask her for a dance....

 

...Razor blinked a bit at the threat and found it....kinda cool.

 

"Wow...that was actually kinda hot." he said. He took another drink, "least I'm not the only one here with a phobia."

[Zeig]

 

That.

Bucking.

Purr.

The two of them had come a long way since their first meeting at the Veiled Garden - and buck, did that seem like forever and an age ago - and Inkbrand knew for a fact that the griffon was more receptive to flirts and the occasional wandering hoof than a dragon to a pile of rubies. But that knowledge still wasn't enough for the grey stallion to try and push his luck even further, by burying his face in the generous plumage of feathers Zelda was sporting below her neckline to get a feel of that vibration right up against his cheek.

…Maybe if he could just -

No, no no, bad Inkbrand, focus buck it! If only she'd stop purring, then he could concentrate on the words leaving her beak.

"You know you'll always be my number one," the tattoo-clad stallion said promptly and shamelessly, cocky grin on his face as he sidled along the griffon's side to end up hoof pumping to her left. Hay yes, he hadn't been wrong in thinking 'rave' Zelda would be any less up to the challenge of a dance as 'classy' Zelda had. The griffon's body was nothing but silk and gloss, dark colors practically soaking up the veritable neon and reflecting it right back out again, and buck if it wasn't sexy as all Taurtarus.

A fact that Zelda was apparently well aware of, it seemed, and Inkbrand felt his eyebrows lower on his forehead as the griffon commented on the various other party-goers, a challenging grin edging onto fierceness flitting across his face. Sharing the wealth, huh? Yeah, he knew a bit about that himself - who was he to keep his fine stallion self from the equally fine ladies of Equestria? - though if Inkbrand had to guess, more ravers than he could count with four hooves were just waiting to get a taste. He'd noticed the appreciative glances the griffon had accrued from their dancing, but they were all going to be sorely disappointed before the night was over.

He was far from finished with Zelda.

"You and I both know I'm the most interesting thing at this party, Z," Inkbrand claimed with a toothy smile, tone still playful despite the hint of a growl undercoating his words, along with the foreleg he used to keep the griffon pressed tightly against his side. "And I'm sure they're all very grateful," he added, golden eyes momentarily bypassing the griffon's to shoot a smug look at the pale blue stallion over her shoulder, "that you're such a, 'sharing is caring' kind of gal."

'Atta boy. Walk away.'

A sudden roar of approval from the crowd, and Inkbrand was forced to divert attention away from the griffon and towards the DJ booth, where Vinyl had showered the surrounding crowd with glow sticks of various colors. A small scramble to catch the sticks landing close to them suddenly had the entire floor feeling a bit too stifling, too pressed, perfect for a mesh of dancing but not quite as ideal for what he had in mind. A quick glance around revealed a pathway to temporary freedom, and the grey stallion didn't hesitate to shoot Zelda a quick wink followed by an equally quick toss of his head towards the edge of the rave pit, before tugging the griffon behind him as he made his way off the dance floor.

It didn't take too long to break free of the crowd and bypass the bar, ending up in a small, secluded alcove still easily visible from the dance floor, but far enough removed to be semi-hidden by the dim atmosphere and lack of pulsating neon lights, sans his own. Inkbrand could almost feel the extra swagger in his hips as he gently but insistently pulled the griffon into the spot, and was even proud that he managed to restrain himself a bit as he abruptly whirled the two of them around, strength and size allowing him to pin the griffon against the wall as his forelegs came to rest against the concrete on either side of her head, effectively blocking out the rest of the rave from her sight.

Out of sight out of mind, eh? Something like that.

Or like this.

"But to be honest," the tattoo-clad stallion breathed, and now, the faint undercurrent of a growl came through, low and husky and full of promise, "I've never been very big on sharing." A brush of his lips against the griffon's own beak, teasing and coy and full of restraint. He was a bucking champion, that.

But…not yet. Not until one final detail was dealt with.

"Never been big on the 'Happily Ever After' bit, either," Inkbrand admitted lowly, pulling his head back slightly to meet Zelda's gaze head on, the griffon still trapped between the wall and his forelegs. "Nothing long-term or serious. Doesn't work for me, with me - no point getting a mare's hopes up." The uncharacteristically solemn mood his words were bringing seemed to literally tug at his teeth, scream at him for bringing the party atmosphere down for serious discussion and serious words - but they were important, buck it. Important before any mare got the wrong idea about him, about what he would do, about who he really was and what he wasn't and her first love that had to be her last love and -

Buck, no. Better the loss of a million sexy griffons than having to go through that again.

The party was still in full swing behind his back, Inkbrand could tell, but he kept his sharp golden gaze focused on the black griffon trapped against the wall, the not-question spiraling into the air. There was only so much self-restraint he had, only so long he could play the game without making a pass for the prize, but this was too important to leave up to chance. Zelda was too important to not adhere to this common courtesy.

She deserved at least this much.
 

 

 

 

[PyroBlaze]

Flux's smile widened at the DJ's responding blast of music. Man, she loved this place! So much energy! So much fun to be had! And she couldn't even hear her imaginary friends arguing! She loved those two, she really did, but they did not see eye-to-eye on... Well, on anything, really. Probably why she had given them such opposing names. Angels and devils didn't get along very well... Oh well, they helped her make decisions sometimes, so that was cool, plus they kept her company while she was on the road.

 

Through her musing to herself, she almost missed the beckoning hoof the DJ mare gave her, though she did catch it, earning the mare another wide smile. The disguised unicorn was bouncing with joy as she practically bounded her way through the crowd again, somehow maneuvering herself so that she did not hit any of the other dancers. Once she got to the booth, she began bouncing in place as she smiled widely.

 

"Hiya! I'm Flux!" She chirped happily. "Thanks for inviting me up here! This looks cool!"

[Zealot]

Clandestine sighed once more, still utterly dissatisfied with the way the evening was going. Ahh well, at least she was doing something non-violent right? The group had told her she needed to do something peaceful, get used to not using her skills for every little thing. Well, sitting at a bar and drinking definitely didn't use any of her skills right? Maybe she should stay then. She was out of the house and doing something relatively peaceful. Besides, the music was okay, even if it was a tad loud. Still, wasn't that just the general club atmosphere.

 

Still, she seemed to have attracted the attention of the bartender. Probably because she was the only one doing any proper drinking, other than the griffon. She took another sip of her whisky, draining another glass only to have it replaced by a third. Well, she'd already had two. Perhaps she should slow down a little after this next one. Of course, that wasn't nearly enough to get her tipsy. Still, Clandestine was planning on heading back home before she decided to forget that the night had ever happened. That was if she was still going with that plan, she didn't really know any more. Part of her was saying that if she did that then it would be admitting defeat, saying that she couldn't do it. Maybe she'd just have to keep trying. Still, the whisky was on the house, that was nice of the bartender. "Thanks," she called over the music. The offer to dance still rang in her head. Clandestine spared a glance to the ponies on the dance floor. They seemed happy enough in their revelry, perhaps it would be nice to join them. She couldn't though. "Don't take that the wrong way, I'd love to go over there and dance. I can't though, otherwise I'll inevitably hurt somepony, like I almost did just now."

 

Clandestine shrugged and took a sip of her newest whisky glass. Yeah, maybe just do three then stop for a moment. After all, she might be able to do a little better if she tried some more, though in truth she'd been trying very hard already. Still, what had that griffon just said?

 

The soldier blinked twice as she heard it, not quite registering that he'd called her hot. Well, she tried her best but she didn't really consider herself to be all that attractive. Clandestine knew her mane was a mess, she wasn't all that pretty to begin with and she'd spent far to much time in the mud for her coat to ever look good without a thorough spa treatment. Not that Clandestine had stepped hoof in a spa all her life. Still, it was sort of nice to hear. That was if he was being honest. After all, she was pretty, she just didn't think she was. "Sorry what? Did you just call me hot?" Clandestine asked with a raised eyebrow. "Well, you should see me in combat," she said with a chuckle. Then there was something about him having a phobia? Well, that wasn't something he'd told her on their date. Still, he'd caught her interest. "Ahh, doesn't matter. I'll take what compliments I can get. Thanks. Still, you have a phobia yourself?" she asked, sounding genuinely curious. "I mean, my touch phobia is a result of my conditioning. It's not really a phobia I guess, but it's more reflexes. Doctors and anypony in an Equestrian uniform I'm fine with touching, it's just everypony else I seem to have a problem with." She shrugged and took another sip of her whisky, interested in his response. After all, what could a tough griffon like him have a phobia of?

[Pretzelparty]

 

The pale pony danced enthusiastically, passing by Zelda and Inkbrand and giving them both a smile. The rushing music and the ecstatic faces only served exacerbate Foxglove's excitement, She continued her dance, her image practically flashing all around the room until she caught sight of her dance partner who seemed to be de-syncing from her movements. Foxglove narrowed her eyes at the mare, taking her little divergence as something of a challenge. Soon brick would suddenly find foxglove next to her after another flash of the strobe light, trying her darnedest to keep with the acrobat's moves; she was doing decently but there were some moves someone as flexible as brick could easily do that foxglove couldn't. Whether she could keep up with this stalliongradian mare was an answer only time could reveal...

(OOC: sorry for the short length, didn't have much to work with.)

[Blueblood]

It was not quite fair to expect an amateur to keep up with a professional, in any venture, but making the point obvious would not have been polite.  On the other hand, Flying Brick could only stay just out of Foxglove's reach for just so long.  How, then, could a dancer finish with grace, both for herself and her partner?

 

The Stalliongrad mare's solution was to suddenly seize hold of her goth partner, swing her round once, and place her gently down on a briefly empty spot, stepping back with a bow.  It might have been called inelegant, but certainly not anticlimactic!  "Khorosho, ochen' khorosho!  Always up for good dance, eh- ha!"  Brick burst out laughing.  "I seize you onto dance floor before learning name!  Mine is Flying Brick, you won't forget in hurry, I think."  Well, as far as she was concerned, motion told more about a pony than mere words, particularly when they were mere tags given to a foal before they demonstrated any kind of personality!

 

"Come, come, I take you back to bar, or perhaps to next partner, eh?  Shame to monopolize at rave, and I did promise others."  The earth pony threw a chummy hoof around Foxglove's shoulders as they started to head back, though they didn't quite make it to the bar before running into Hawkeye again.  "Hey, catbird!  I still owe you dance."  Flying Brick detatched herself from the goth, winding over to the griffon before throwing a hoof around him.  "DJ is about to play good number soon; saw her wink into audience."  She gave Hawkeye a wink of her own; his inauguration into the dance scene would be a baptism of fire, but after this, he need fear no Rave!

[tacobob]

 

 

Zelda waved as the strange, but completely likeable mare before she joined ‘Inky’ for a proper rave type dance. She could see how the two were friends considering how much energy she had. She would need to match this before the griffon could be considered a serious threat on the dance-floor.  Again, the older mare seemed to have issues with her current situation. She had been swearing up a storm just a moment ago, but now she seemed to be a little more relaxed. Would her old companion be able to keep her calm, and even earn her friendship by the end of the night? It might be a bit of a fight, but she could see it being well worth it.

 

The sudden appearance of the writer snapped the griffon from her current line of thinking. Zelda could only smile back at the mare as she danced on, and wondered if she would end up in one of the famous mare’s stories. Hopefully she would be a heroic character, or at least someone who doesn't get offed until the middle of the story.

 

And now for Inkbrand, the two were on the floor once again. The previous dance they shared had been more of the slower speed. Dancing with ponies sometimes could be rather awkward. While griffons could easily move on their hind legs as well as all four, many ponies had difficulty staying on two legs for an extended period of time, and were generally not very agile when they were. She would have to test her partner who had been already in the process of throwing a few of his trademarked compliments her way. She let out another purr while she got closer, and even let her tail find its way closer to him as well. She did not want to lead or even control him, but preferred to give the stallion a gentle guide.

 

The blacksmith let out a chuckle as Inkbrand spoke, “While I probably shouldn’t think of you as a ‘thing’, you’re definitely on my current top ten list of interesting people.”, she glanced at the older military mare for a brief moment, “But there are few of interest around here beside everypony’s favorite tattoo artist.”, she kept her voice down low, “What fuels their fire, and while they might not want to be with others, what still drives them towards us. What others might be hiding and for what reason they do so. Or maybe I just need a good, stiff drink.” She tended to get over talkative when suffering from sobriety for too long.

 

“I tend to be busy at odd times of the year, and even stranger times of the day, and I could always use a special pony to help me be inspired.”, she growled the last word as she matched the sudden beat of the music. “Just pop over and give me some of that inspiration, which being an artist yourself, you would know so much about. And I know where you’re coming from. I had something going on a while back and it was absolutely draining. I don’t need that right now, but I like what we’ve got so far.”

 

Curious to where the stallion was going to lead her, she allowed him to lead her to the next area, and let out an second purr as she was ‘gently’ laid against the rather uncomfortable wall. He truly wanted to be the center of attention for the moment, and Zelda knew she tended to get distracted rather easily. “Oh, I disagree.”, she ran her clawed hand under the pony’s fuzzy chin, “You are so going to get a ‘happily ever after’. Maybe not now, or even ten years from now, but you’re eventually going to settle down. Get married. Have adorable little foals. Teach them everything you know..And even then you will never stop learning..Here.”, she scooted even closer, so much so that her little beak was nearly touching his snout. “Let me instruct you on a little something if you would like..."

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

The DJ gave the discs a bit more of her attention, scratching something that would add a bit more drive and enthusiasm for dancing out on the floor. It wasn't really needed as it looked like plenty of ponies were giving their best. But, she never could resist seeing how far her synthesized rhythms would take even the most creative of dancers. She swiveled about in her chair at the arrival of the unicorn in the sound booth. She had eyed the dark colored mare at the speed dating round but hadn't had the chance to properly interact. It was admittedly loud in the DJ box but that never deterred Vinyl Scratch. She had a way with communication, no words needed.

 

The white unicorn lowered her shades and watched as Flux bobbed up and down to the music. She was undoubtedly good looked and the DJ was happy to have her up in the booth for a white.

 

"Hiya! I'm Flux! Thanks for inviting me up here! This looks cool!"

 

Flux huh? That was a cool name. Vinyl nodded, swinging her hoof out over the sound board. She winked at the mare before sliding her shades back into place and pulling other swivel chair up next to her own. She offered Flux and seat, making sure their chairs were close enough together to show Flux what she did up here.

 

 

"Don't take that the wrong way, I'd love to go over there and dance. I can't though, otherwise I'll inevitably hurt somepony, like I almost did just now."

 

Joe nodded, happy that she seemed pleased enough with the gesture of a drink on the house. When she turned her attention for the griffon the bartender cocked an ear. He wasn't the nosy type but he really did want to hear where the military mare was coming from. There was something charming about her, something that communicated with him on a deeper level. He wasn't reaching out to try to help her or anything, he was just genuinely interested.

 

"Can I get you another?" He asked the griffon. Why not see if he'd like another round before talking about a phobia? It never hurt to ask.

[Hawkeye12]

((Ah! Forgot about Flying Brick's post, edited.))

 

The music was loud and pumping, which was good! Maybe it was the drink, or maybe Hawkeye was finally letting himself be normal here, but he definitely felt himself slipping into the party mood of the rave. He even puta little trot in his step as he walked. Yep, life was good. 

 

And what's more, the unicorn who he smiled at seemed to notice him, as she seemed to be dancing much nearer to him than earlier. She even flashed a smile at him in return, which was a sure sign that she wanted him to dance. He contemplated it, which was really his mind only thinking about refusing for a fraction of a second. Because, well, who would turn down an offer from a pretty mare?

 

"Well, you might just be enough to actually get me onto this dance floor," the griffin said, sidestepping onto the said floor and in front of her. He smiled again, his usual flirty smile towards her, and offered a claw. "Though I'm probably not that great at dancing, but we'll see. I'm Hawkeye, by the way."

 

But then he heard a voice call out to him, a familiar Stalliongrad accent. Way to kill the moment. Hawkeye turned around to see, sure enough, the mare who had suddenly appeared earlier at the bar. She certainly did have a talent for appearing out of nowhere. But before he knew it, the pegasus's hoof was around him. Well...he did sorta owe her a dance...did he? He couldn't remember, but hey, might as well. "Alright, alright, I'll dance," he said, looking back at the other mare, "Don't worry, I'll catch up with you later."

 

Well, this was a turn of events. But he didn't mind that much, and he couldn't help but smile at the pegasus's wink, and decided to give her a wink of his own. He half wrapped his claw around her, just as she was doing to him. "Didn't quite catch your name. I'm Hawkeye," he said again, just now realizing that two mares wanted to dance with him in a span of a couple minutes. Huh. This was actually going pretty well...

[PyroBlaze]

Flux smiled at the silent greeting she received from the DJ and the invitation to sit next to her. She bounced in place for a couple seconds in happiness before landing in the chair, sending it spinning for a second or two before she stopped herself while facing the soundboard thing.

"Ooh! This looks fun!" She chirped, still smiling widely.

[Zeig]

 

…Buck. Not the reaction he'd been hoping for.

Of course, it was getting a little bit difficult to think with the pounding music, flashing lights that flickered in and out of his peripherals, and the teasing whisper of a cool beak against his own muzzle. Inkbrand had never been one to hold back before, not when he was fooling around like this - but buck, he wasn't entirely sure the black griffon had understood. She clearly hadn't caught his change of mood - or if she had, had chosen to ignore it to continue on with the flirtations and teases - and the grey Earth Pony was honestly flummoxed, wavering.

But again. Music, lights, bucking sexy as griffon pressed against his body.

There was only so much bucking self-restraint he had to begin with, after all.

"You get it, then," Inkbrand half-affirmed, half-warned, golden gaze near flashing as a passing light flickered over their alcove, staring straight into Zelda's own aqua ones. "You're not getting a 'Happily Ever After' with me." And that was, honestly, the best he could do, anymore. The tattoo-clad stallion felt the tenuous threads of social politeness snap under the weight of those bright, searing eyes as he surged forward, aggressive, the only possible response he could give.

The kiss mimicked their dance at the Veiled Garden rather than the one they had just exited from - slow, unhurried, and languid, but passionate and unrelenting, dominating on his part. Inkbrand took what he wanted as he pressed the griffon up against the unforgiving wall, a fair grimace flicking over his face as the inevitable awkward clash of lips against beak forced a moment or two of experimentation and exploration - though it was replaced only seconds later by a rot-eating grin as Inkbrand tilt his head further, bypassing the sharp end of her beak to press more firmly against her face.

Ah…there it was. Still a bit awkward, but easily overridden by bucking hot as.

Inkbrand wasn't sure how long he caressed Zelda's sweet mouth with his own, but he wasn't some green-horn bumbling about with his first girl - he knew when to pull away before the kiss got uncomfortably devoid of air. The tattoo-clad stallion didn't move too far back however, snout hovering over the griffon's beak, so close that they might as well have continued kissing, breathing in the same air as one. Only a few breaths passed before he move back in, though the second kiss was just as passionate but shorter, broken when Inkbrand moved his mouth away and around her beak to trail along her defined cheeks, pressing languid and lethargic kisses to her glossy feathers as he moved downwards.

…Buck, her feathers felt so good. Cool, almost, like they had some sort of glossy sheen to them. The tattoo-clad Earth Pony ended around the side of her neck, lightly mouthing the area, though he was more preoccupied with feeling any vibrations that might have been erupting from her chest at the moment. Equestria knows he'd waited long enough to feel those purring vibrations right up against his skin.

Far too bucking long.

"Instruction, please," Inkbrand snickered with a huffing sort of laugh, head buried against her neck as he delivered small licks and nibbles amidst his talking, "I'm the bucking champ. You're resting in the best of hooves now, babe."
 

 

 

 

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

Vinyl smiled a coy smile as the unicorn sat in front of the sound board. She certainly was a cute mare and the DJ was always happy to have cute ponies in the booth with her. She slid her chair up as close as she cloud to Flux and reached out towards the discs. Her hooves began to move with the beat, mixing it and creating a new track. She paused and clicked a few buttons making the beat she had just scratched out repeat and then began to add to it. Soon she had a whole new track moving the ponies in the crowd below. The DJ reached over and flicked a switch that sent some more strobe lights into effect along with black lights to really set off the glow sticks.

 

"Ready?" She spoke and she reached for Flux's hooves.

 

With the lighting change it was a little harder to see up in the booth.

 

"It's best to learn by feel." She reached out, guiding Flux's hooves towards the discs. "Like this." She moved their coupled hooves over the discs a couple times and then removed her hoof for a moment to flick a switch. It wasn't long before they were mixing a new track together.

 

"So, what do you think? Ready to try on your own?" She lowered her shades just a touch and gave the unicorn a sly wink.

[PyroBlaze]

Flux returned the mare's smile with a wide one as she sat there in the booth with her. She always liked trying new things and meeting new ponies, and this was both, so it was extra exciting! Besides, the DJ was a good looking mare, which only made things better, in her opinion. The disguised changeling watched the white mare's hooves work the disks and buttons for a bit before she asked if she was ready.

 

"Yeah!" She chirped happily, letting the mare guide her hooves as they made some music together in the booth. It was fun! And pretty soon, she was even offering to let her do it herself!

 

"Sure! Sounds fun!" Flux was beaming at the mare now, giggling at the wink she received with the question. She took a moment or so to let the music wash over her before reaching out and placing her hooves on the disks. She let the music guide her movements, and the best word to describe what came of it would probably be 'different'. Still, it wasn't bad. At least, she didn't think it was.

 

"How'd I do?" She asked cheerfully, looking back to the other mare.

[ShadowWalking18]

 

 

The soldier blinked twice as she heard it, not quite registering that he'd called her hot. Well, she tried her best but she didn't really consider herself to be all that attractive. Clandestine knew her mane was a mess, she wasn't all that pretty to begin with and she'd spent far to much time in the mud for her coat to ever look good without a thorough spa treatment. Not that Clandestine had stepped hoof in a spa all her life. Still, it was sort of nice to hear. That was if he was being honest. After all, she was pretty, she just didn't think she was. "Sorry what? Did you just call me hot?" Clandestine asked with a raised eyebrow. "Well, you should see me in combat," she said with a chuckle. Then there was something about him having a phobia? Well, that wasn't something he'd told her on their date. Still, he'd caught her interest. "Ahh, doesn't matter. I'll take what compliments I can get. Thanks. Still, you have a phobia yourself?" she asked, sounding genuinely curious. "I mean, my touch phobia is a result of my conditioning. It's not really a phobia I guess, but it's more reflexes. Doctors and anypony in an Equestrian uniform I'm fine with touching, it's just everypony else I seem to have a problem with." She shrugged and took another sip of her whisky, interested in his response. After all, what could a tough griffon like him have a phobia of?

 

Razor knew it was the drink that was making him feel more comfortable and more...talkative. But...wasn't that the point? He took a sip from his other drink and nodded as Clandestine asked if he had called her hot.

 

"Yeah. Aggressions kinda hot." He said, he figured that was natural. He couldn't help but smirk at the offer for combat, "Oh? You that tough."

 

When she asked about his phobia, he choked a bit and looked away a bit in embarrassment, "Oh uh...m-my phobia?"

 

He tried to figure out how to best talk about his phobia without looking like an idiot....as he did he listened in on her own explanation of her own. He looked back at her as he took another sip of his drink.

 

"Just touch? Well that's not as bad as mine. In fact its not as bad as mine. I'm uh...well....I'm uh...Gynophobic. That means I'm kinda...uncomfortable around females. I...I get nervous and edgy around them....especially if they start flirting with me."

 

He couldn't help but blush as he hid his face in a wing, "I know its pathetic...so just laugh and get it over with." He groaned in embarrassment as he downed his third drink.

 

He noticed the bartender offered another drink, and Razor rubbed his beak in thought as he checked his wallet.

 

He had given a lot of bits already and he said, "Another round? Six Hundred bits not enough for the whole night?" He was sure that was how much he had dumped out in his sudden spurt of fear....which when he thought about it now...probably wasn't the brightest move.

[Zealot]

Clandestine looked over her drink and sighed. Well, maybe she was attractive after all. She sure didn't feel like it, but hey. Can you really argue with that? Aggression was hot apparently. She didn't think of herself as aggressive. She was only aggressive when she needed to be. Still, she could pull that off right? Again, things were looking up for her. She took another sip of her whisky, feeling a little more confident, although that was probably just the alcohol taking effect.

 

"Yeah I'm that tough," she replied with a curt smile. "Mobile infantry taught me that much. Hooves first, straight to tartarus. First in, last out. Yadda yadda," Clandestine explained with a slight shake of her head. "I know my way around a battlefield and I can handle a little combat, or a lot. Either way," she smiled at him once more letting that hang there. Perhaps that could be taken as some sort of clumsy flirt, but Clandestine was being genuine. She did know how to handle herself in a fight. Years of experience in the mobile infantry had taught her that. And now that was attractive? Well maybe she was selling herself short.

 

Still, the question about his own phobia clearly caused Razor some discomfort. She felt a little bad about asking. Still, what was that? His was worse than hers? She begged to differ. Clandestine would love just to be able to touch another pony... or a griffon. It was painful for her to be so isolated. Still, he was to prove her wrong. 

 

He was afraid of females? Clandestine raised an eyebrow at that, but could clearly see he was embarrassed about it. Well, she didn't really know how to respond to that. In a way it was kind of cute, but in another it was kind of off-putting. Clandestine didn't laugh, but she did let off a single chuckle. "Well, I think you win there. I can imagine that would be... difficult for you." She shrugged and took another sip of her whisky before turning back to him. Clandestine did wonder if the pair could help each other with that. Perhaps if they got together, they could work out their fears. "With me it's just touch, but a phobia is no laughing matter. I don't think it's pathetic. Heck, it's normal for me. I scare everypony off, at least you've got the guts to sit here and talk to me."

 

She thought he was quite brave for that. Clandestine was only just starting to face her fears, yet here he was, sitting there in front of what was undoubtedly a terrifying presence for him. She smiled and turned back to the bartender briefly, "I'll take one more."

 

The unicorn then shuffled on her seat uncomfortably and turned back to Razor with a bit of a shrug. "Look, you seem like a nice guy. I'm not gonna flirt. I'm terrible at it, and you said it makes you uncomfortable. But I dunno, maybe we can help each other out with our phobias. I know I could use the help. You know, if there was anything I could do to help you get over it." She shrugged. There, the question was out there. All she had to do was wait for the response.

[Blueblood]

As excited as Flying Brick was to finally get an actual griffon to the dance floor, it would have been unforgiveably rude to take too abrupt a leave of her last dance partner.  Throwing Foxglove a wink, she called out, "Make somepony happy on the floor for me!  Dos'vedanya!"

 

That social norm dutifully smoothed over, the earth pony mare turned her attention fully onto the griffon.  Hawkeye, his name was?  Hm, a fit specimen, but his step was unsure.  She liked to see a catbird strut with feline confidence, but she was certain that would come in time!  Already, he was fielding attention from multiple mares at once, and meeting them with winks and aplomb.  Oh, this was fine one, alright.

 

"My name is Flying Brick, and yes, they can if you throw hard enough."  She laughed as the pair was moved by the ebb and flow of the crowd into the middle of the dance floor.  "But we save tango, perhaps, for later.  Now, I just want to see you move your claws!  DJ, be with the hitting of the beat now!"

 

It took a little while, as it happened, for the beat to be hit, as Vinyl was currently setting up her booth for a duet.  When it came at last it was... erratic.  A sympathetic listener might have called it syncopated.  In any case, it was a backhanded blessing for the new dancer.  On the one hand, it would take an experienced pony to actually be able to dance well; on the other hand, that minimum threshold was so high, that no one would notice if an amateur was off-rhythm, as most even of fairly decent experience would not be.  To her credit, Flux included a melody, which Flying Brick let flow through her own hooves.

It was almost like watching an exquisite clockwork toy, one cued to change suddenly with shifts in it's tiny gears, but always deliberately, never because of a loose spring.  It might have been intimidating to watch, but she made sure to give encouragements to her partner.  "Don't think too hard, and never worry!  Is only thing that ruins good time!  Just feel the beat, and move!"

[tacobob]

 

“Muh?”, the dark griffon was generally the a sort of person who could easily be distracted by anything, and tonight was the night her little birdy brain was all over the place! She was worried about her old friend Razor, along with her shipment of Alabaster...Why was it taking so long? And her usual model was out of commission due to the pony pox! Seriously? She might need to borrow Dunder again, or maybe even Inkbrand? Good gravy! She could just imagine asking him! His head was big enough. Oh, he's still there! Hello!

 

The stallion's kiss quickly pushed away all of her other meandering thoughts for just a moment and now she was fully invested in the kiss, and what a smooch it was! She offered no resistance and ran her claws through his coat. Thankfully years of sculpting and smiting had rendered the griffon's talons soft and dull, which was better suited for a massage than ripping a foe into pieces. As the kiss continued, Zelda wrapped her front legs around the branded stallion's side and proceeded to run her claws through his mane and down his back. Unlike her previous experiences, she did not have to help lead him, as the earth pony knew where he was going.  She managed to keep up with Inkbrand, but it was obvious who the more experienced one in this game, and it sure was not the griffon. She knew she was not leading this exhibition, but could at least make it more pleasurable for the pair.

 

She really did want to go a little further, but it quickly dawned upon her. This was a public place and there were plenty of eyes bouncing around, even in the darkness. And even the usually very open minded ponies had their limits. Still, the second kiss surprised her, and nearly took her breath away, but she held on, and responded with an internal purring, one that could not be heard with normal ears, but the stallion would feel every bit of it

 

"Yeah yeah.", she spoke once her beak was free to do so, "You're the champ.."

[Hawkeye12]

So, this oddity of a mare was Flying Brick. Quite the...interesting name, sure fit the cutie mark. Still, she seemed friendly enough, catbird-napping aside. She was fairly cute as well. A good oddity. 

 

But then the music suddenly changed, and the griffon's attention went to the sound booth. The DJ had apparently brought another mate up there with her, and the two were mixing a track together. If you could call it that. The rhythm was...interesting, so to speak. But then again, it wasn't like he could do any better. He had the musical sense of a rat, after all. 

 

Speaking of which, he still had to dance. Right. Well, maybe this improvised track would make things easier? Hawkeye grumbled a bit under his breath, but he knew there was no other way around it. 

 

So he danced. Sort of. It took a moment, trying to get the new rythm in him. But soon enough he felt it, and his claws began to move with the beat. The rest of his body tried to as well, but it was just mostly bouncing. Of course he was probably screwing something up as he did this, but hey, he was going to have do dance at some point, right? Might as well get it over with. The mare's words of encouragement helped. It was funny, actually- usually Hawkeye never thought about anything too hard. This was an exception, apparently. The irony of it all was enough to make him smile as he looked back at Flying Brick. "I look like an idiot right now, don't I?"

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

"How'd I do?"

 

The DJ certainly didn't mind the music the mare set onto the tracks. If was certainly 'different' and she could she the dancers respond to the change in the rhythm right away but she would get them back into the groove in a minute. it was worth it to have a pretty mare like Flux in the booth with her. She nodded and gave Flux and encouraging smile.

 

"For your first time, that was pretty awesome actually!" She pushed her glasses up onto her forelocks so she could get a good look at the mare that sat next to her. "You look like potential DJ material to me. You said you've never done this before?"

 

As she spoke, Vinyl took the discs in her capable hooves and scratched the rhythm back into the groove it had been in before Flux's first attempt. The dancers responded and the floor went wild as she flipped a couple switches and put a new track on. It was a tune that was really popular in Equestria at the moment, with hints of Vinyls own work mixed in.

 

Once she had things rolling she nodded to her new friend. "Want to dance? There's enough room up here for us."

[PyroBlaze]

As she waited for the response, Flux gazed at the crowd, smiling as she saw them dancing to the music she had created. Yay! She even saw Flying Brick dancing to it, along with a griffon she had yet to meet.

The disguised changeling looked back to Vinyl as she spoke, making Flux's smile grow wider. Yay! She did a good! It didn't really matter that Vinyl then proceeded to change it back, that was fun! She paused at the question about her doing this before, making her hum slightly to herself as she tapped her chin with a hoof.

"Maybe? As far as I remember, this is my first time..." She said, giving a final hum before going back to her cheerful self. At the request to dance, she gave a happy gasp before responding.

"Yay! Let's dance!" She chirped, getting up from her chair and moving it out of the way with her magic. She then smiled at her partner expectantly as she waited for the mare to join her.

[Blueblood]

One of the great philosophers of ponykind once remarked that humility was the key of enjoyment, which was another way of saying that self-consciousness was the opposite of fun.  Not being a pony given to bookishness of any sort, Flying Brick had never come across this remark, but it was in fact the maxim that guided her life.  Even when she danced for an audience, she wholly abandoned any thoughts of herself or how she looked in the sheer joy of the music, of the dance!

 

Hawkeye was the apprentice in this school, and the mare thought him a promising enough pupil.  He was willing, at least, to go along, to let himself be moved by the song and the dance.  True, his physical skill was not on par with hers, but what of that?  She could dance enough to make up the difference.  No, that wasn't her true lesson, and she wouldn't leave until he learned it.

 

At his remark at the end of the number, the gryphon would have found himself seized in her hooves, drawn close an unable to look away from the sun-bleached pink of her eyes.  "Leave dignity for stuck-up unicorns!  You, catbird," Her voice dropped to an accent-amplifying low timbre and roll, which had sent electric shivers up the spine of many an inostranets visiting Stalliongrad.  "You made for passion.  No one here to look, all are here to feel.  Feel the beats and the passions, and give up to them!  Sledovat'!"

 

And with the command for him to follow, she pulled him into the next number like a swimmer pulling a reluctant bystander into the  water.  The next number swelled through the speaker, breaking out like waves that Flying Brick could expertly surf.  Irresistible as a riptide, the earth pony mare led Hawkeye adance, the leading partner in an intense and remixed tango.  There was no room for fancy moves, the floor was packed as the DJ's hits brought in a floodtide of bodies to the floor.  True to her word, none were watching, for all were caught up in the rave, glowsticks flashing like strobes, lighting up everypony in surging stills and shadows.

*Let go of yourself,* The whole seemed to roar in one thought, *Let go of yourself and take hold of what is poured out for you, what is in front of you, what moves you!*