[Sponsored] The Grand Ballroom

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

Silver rubbed a hoof to his neck nervously, "Well... I'm a bit rusty but I do still remember some of the the dancing lessons from when I was a colt..."  Silver's education (thanks in no small part to his noble status) had provided many advantages and quite a few aspects of it could best be described as 'Posh'. Back at the manor instructors taught him as a colt many steps and dances. The Tango, Foxtrot, Waltzes; all styles he remembered how to do. Still though, with all the time since he'd danced last he'd hate to wind up stepping on somepony's hooves as his muscle memory tried to re-awaken.

 

But then, something incredible happened. Did Rarity ask him to dance... well, in a way? She was the bearer of the element of generosity and all that, maybe she was being kind but then Silver realized that She'd come with only a maid (albeit a very cute one) and nopony she called her date. Was this fate? The hoof of destiny pushing to ponies meant for each other together... well, probably not. Silver knew his place: the background. However, he did manage to befriend the fashionista before and based on the eyes she gave Miss Rainbow Dash when she came in, Silver could tell if anything ti would most likely just be a dance between friends. "Well, Miss Rarity, That sound-" Silver was cut off for a moment as Dash pulled the diamond flanked unicorn off to somewhere else.

 

"Huh..." Was all the stallion could get out, looking thoroughly gobsmacked.

 

At Crusader's query, Silver could only rub his chin in thought. "Sorry..." he began. "I don't really know of many promising candidates... or at least any who are openly interested in such a position."

 

Sunrise's words got the stallion flustered all over again, rather surprised that somepony else was already interested. This wasn't just -anypony- either but a mare who got him started on one of his favorite past times. Silver could only assume Rarity was going to be dancing with Dash and Silver would hate to disturb them. "It'd be an honor to share  a dance with you." He said bowing his head politely, "Would you like me to lead?"

 

Soon the wine arrived. It might be a bit too early in the night to be imbibing such things so soon, but then again with how SIlver's heart was beating he could probably use a bit of 'liquid courage' but not much. The stallion smiled to Valencia, "Much appreciated, Miss Valencia." The stallion levitated a glass up and poured a minute amount of the wine in and took a sip. It was good... well as good as wine could taste. The bitterness always seemed to stick out like a sore talon. as the griffin's say; at least for this pony. Despite the bitterness, Silverheart smiled in the made's direction. 

 

"An excellent choice, Thank you again."

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ciraxis]

"Well, some of us already do so, regardless of the season." Swift answered to Fire's note about clothing. "Although in my case it's just an old and harmless habit now."

Unicorn however was on the same boat when it came to what actually Rarity's clothing attributed to.

"Rubbish. Not wearing a pretty dress does not detract from the girl at all. The way I see it clothing attributes to three things. Practical use, appearances and self esteem - nothing more. It's just sad that many judge in regard to the second."

 

"And regarding that fat and old. part Did you saw herself in mirror recently Love? Because I did saw you last evening. I could count muscles on your stomach.....and probably balance a stemmed glass on it too. What didn't saw was wrinkles." Swift said before pulling crimson mare closer to himself. Unicorn himself leaned towards her to whisper to Fire's ear.

 

"It doesn't matter what others said Moto. For me there is only one mare that is perfect - you. A soft on surface, with steel just below it. Kindness, but also burning fire of determination. This white marshmallow may make pretty clothes, but I prefer the mare that can chock-hold minotaur into submission. My mare."

 

When pegasus mare mentioned the....experiences that her sister happened to have when finding fitting garments, Squall gave a meaningful sigh.

"That's why I always provide myself at the same tailors. They simply know my measurements by now. But then again, I am long past the time when 'growth spurt' was a problem."

Swift paused for a moment while rubbing his chin. "And while we at it - the more I think about it, the more I think you sister will not grow as big as you. I may be wrong but for now, it looks like she will end quite petite."

 

While Fire and Star were exchanging words, Swift's attention once again was drawn to Bluebelle maid for some reason. Noblepony registered the exchange of words between the two mares, but for now his focus was on Valencia. Squall unconsciously squinted his eyes, while drilling young pony with his gaze. Something was...off with Blue's servant.

"Blue, enlighten me. How...long does she works for you exactly?" orange unicorn inquired while turning his head towards the maid.

Before he could get his answer, the four were approached by the Silverheart. Silverheart, Sliverheart? Oh, that's right, the Prestzy brother. Swift remembered him well. So by the book, that he could as well be a bookmark himself. He probably could use a vacation. Still, Squall wasn't to be left behind in this 'politeness contest'.

"Pleasure is all mine Silver. But please drop the 'Sir' part. We all are equals here." swordpony said while putting emphasis on certain part - to show that he was really meaning it.

"And if you could, send my regards to your family. It's been a while since I seen any of them." Squall added.

 

Soon enough the music started to play. Not wasting much time, Blue invited the pair to the dance floor.

"Go ahead. We will be right behind you soon enough. Not want to overshadow a host right of the bat." Swift reassured the pair. As Star and Blue wandered off noblepony once again spoke to Moto.

"She didn't answered your question, didn't she? I wonder if there is some kind of an embarrassing story that they don't want to share." he pondered.

"Well, I guess it doesn't really matter. Should we show them how it's done, beloved?" noblepony asked, while offering Fire his hoof.

[tacobob]

 

Fire Walker watched the icy blue mare as she and her partner strutted over to the dance floor. This would be her next step. Hit the floor! Strut her stuff! Hopefully she would be able to last a few seconds without stepping on all of Swift's hooves. Thankfully the mare was able to fit in a few dance lessons into her rather busy schedule during the last few months. While she was no Mare Taglioni, her one hundred bits a lesson should have at least made her a little more graceful. Once the pair found their spot, more appropriate music started as a young pianist began what sounded like a waltz. Whatever song it was, it sure sounded rather nice, and would be perfect to start the night of dancing with her stallion.

 

The red mare couldn't help but smile as Silverheart's cheeks turned a few shades of red. It was so odd that they were so close in age, but the stallion's baby-face and small build made him look so much younger. The officer could easily pass as a teenager. "We'll have to get the gang together one of these days and have a few drinks...Discuss all the more interesting things that have happened so far." If he wasn't working, did the stallion take anypony with him? She doubted any mare in her right mind would say no to such a handsome fellow.

 

Maybe mentioning Punk Walker was probably not the wisest thing she could have done this night. "Yes, he's my brother.", four years of Professor Deadpan's 'Stiff Upper Lip' classes kept the mare from losing her cool as the officer spoke of his recent misadventure. "Oh dear.", she whispered, "I have not spoken to my brother since he had been kicked out of an little café in Ponyville. Apparently he was rather rude to Lady Dash. And from what I had heard, it took the presence of our little sister Wind, to keep the rainbow haired mare from giving him a good thrashing.", she couldn't help but shudder as she imagined the ruckus he created. The red mare silently hoped her beleaguered brother would grow up a bit and find his place in the world before he managed to tiss the wrong person off for the last time.

 

It seemed her old friend would have a dance with Lady Rarity, and then something happened. "Erm.", she muttered to herself. Hopefully once things were settled, the stallion would have his chance to entertain the overworked unicorn on the dance floor. And speaking of Rarity, her Swift had a few words about the mare. And while she did not agree with his compression between the elegant mare and an marshmallow, she decided not to argue. She did agree with the rest that he said. "Well, he probably shouldn't have been so rude to us and of course the whole mugging thing probably wasn't such a good idea either.", she sighed, "Still felt a little bad for hitting him so hard." The larger races tended to underestimate ponies when it came to a fight. Yes, he stood several feet over the pair, but when angered or annoyed a pony sure can kick!

 

"As for Wind.", she whispered, "Kid still hasn't hit puberty yet, so she still has a bit to go, and I don't think she was smaller than me when I was that age, but I do know she's going to be something..Gal is fast. I mean super fast. Most in the family say she's faster than Great Aunt Stardust ever was, and that gal was a Wonderbolt." She couldn't help but giggle like a silly school filly when the noble-pony mentioned Star Crusader's no answer when it came to how she went from being an trusted ally of Blueblood to an lover. "Probably not something that could be politely discussed in a proper ballroom. I'm sure we'll hear later on."

 

And now it was time for dancing! They might have missed a majority of the waltz, but they would at least get a few moments to find their spot.

 

"Sounds like a plan.", the mare responded as she followed the stallion onto the floor.

 

 

 

[PyroBlaze]

Sunrise blinked a bit in surprise at Rarity's sudden disappearance at the hooves of Rainbow Dash. Well, that was interesting, she had to wonder what they were conversing about wherever they went. Now, she had nothing against two mares being in love, but the fact that they were both famous made her pause. Were they even an item? Who knew, and it didn't matter at the moment anyways.

 

In any case, her gaze turned back to Silver as he accepted her offer for a dance, causing her to smile as she returned the small bow. "I am honored to have your companionship in this dance, sir Silverheart. You may lead if you wish." She said to him, smiling at him and the maid that had just brought him some wine. She did not really wish to have any drinks at the moment, so she simply let the maid go about her business.

 

"I must ask, sir Silverheart, but where did you procure your outfit? I enjoy it very much." Sunrise questioned, trying to give him some time to drink the wine. "Also, if you ever find yourself in Manehatten, do not hesitate to stop by my boutique."

[Dubstep]

"Oh where are my manners, forgive me mio caro. Captain Tarisio Mercutio Goldplume, at your most humble of service." the griffon replied with another little bow. The name Goldplume would easily stick out to most in high society, as one of the founding families of Talonopolis and quite possibly the richest family there as well it was difficult to confuse the name.

Tarisio would have been more than content to converse with the lovely pony, but her chromatic maned friend seemed to be in quite the tizzy over something, and in the blink of an eye withdrew the fashionista from the crowd. The pirate arched a brow. "Is that one always so..." Tarisio paused a moment to find an appropriate word that wouldn't insult "Impulsive?" he asked of no one in particular, merely letting the question hang in the air. He was a patient griffon to be sure, he could wait as long as he needed! And should Miss Rarity not wish to dance, perhaps the lovely maid from before would be so inclined?

[Zeig]

 

 

She hadn't been expecting much of a response, not really - perhaps a mumbled thank you and return of compliment, with his face flushed red and his eyes shining vividly under the lighting.

 

As such, Mei wasn't quite prepared for the hushed words that spilled from Lími's mouth, causing her to still slightly even as they continued their beautiful dance. Lími...almost sounded hesitant, reluctant, as if he were confessing some dark secret. Though the words didn't seem to match, as he spoke of his kin. She did remember some of his commiseration he had revealed back in Garden Gait, when he spoke of his kin's despairing over gentler souls that favored sweetly whispered words over the brutality of swords and shields, though she couldn't recall if he had referenced all his Reindeer kin, or only those particularly close to him, like his...clan? Yes, his clan. 

 

Though, from the way he spoke now, it seemed that his disposition was something of an oddity among all Reindeer, rather than the latter, and the thought made the young Qilin droop slightly. She supposed it made sense, in a way...living in a dangerous and wild land (and Mei couldn't help but shiver at the thought), it seemed only natural to protect one's self and loved ones however was necessary. She could hardly imagine having to don a helmet and pick up a sword to face every day out in some wild lands, rather liked her cheongsam and her watering can, thank you very much...but at the same time, she could only imagine what life must have been like for her poor Reindeer, before he'd left those horrid lands of his to come here. 

 

She hoped he liked it far better than his homeland. 

 

In a way, however, Mei couldn't stop a little thrill of smug satisfaction as, despite her disappointment with the Reindeer race as a whole, she had to acknowledge that the exceedingly rare, oddball Reindeer had somehow landed in her lap. The one Reindeer who wielded the pen instead of the sword, and spoke of the beauty of flower fields and her appearance in equal measure...what were the odds?! If his kin were all wild ponies who swung about sticks and torches and encouraged ferocious and fierce behavior, then Lími was a treasure even more extraordinary for it, and had fallen straight into her hooves.

 

"Then you must be a rare and beautiful spirit, LÍmi," the vivid blue Qilin declared in a firm tone of voice, for some reason eager to rid the young Reindeer of the note of despondence that seemed to have crept into his voice. "It's all to easy for some one to acquiesce to the demands of others, but it takes strength of self to become your own." Mei brushed her cheek against Lími's in what was hopefully an encouraging gesture, her captured hoof tightening against the Reindeer's own. "At least they're not Caribou," she added brightly, hoping he might find solace in said fact, because who would want to live amongst Caribou?

 

No one, that's who!

 

There was a thought still nagging at the back of her mind, however, one that had silently grown at the Reindeer's first words. It wasn't until after she spoke that Mei realized what had been bothering her, causing a hesitant pause in her dancing. 

 

"You - are you, I mean your kin?...are Reindeers, closely related to Caribou?" the young Qilin ventured uncertainly, her tone low as if hiding terrible knowledge away from the other party goers. "It's just that...well, the way you describe them, they sound very familiar to what I know of them. Well - aside from the fact that Caribou are utter brutes. No offense," she added hastily, because perhaps Reindeer were related to the repulsive Caribou. The idea was so abhorrent that it almost made Mei squirm in Lími's grasp, but the Qilin steadied herself after a moment. Related or not, Lími was her sweet, gentle Reindeer, and his kin hadn't been the ones to lay siege to Sun Spot's hometown, forced her friend's family to evacuate inland and survive by begging for scraps from every Qilin and Longma they passed, until they'd mercifully found peace in her own village. It hadn't been Reindeer who'd decimated Old Pony YeYe's pottery business that had been in his family ever since the formation of the Empire. 

 

No, not...not Reindeer. No matter what their customs, surely they could not be as bad as them.

 

 

[starswirlthebearded]

Dissy was busily playing the waltz she had chosen for the opener. A bit unconventional sure, but still a waltz which was more expected in this kind of event. She could play something jazzy, but it would probably be ill received at this point. Her ear perked up as she heard a glass touch down on the table next to the piano meant for refreshments. Valencia had set down a crystalline looking glass with an amber liquid inside of it. 'Neighburn Arranta' she called it. Not wanting to break concentration Dissy merely nodded and gave a smile to the maid whom had delivered her her drink. 

As the song wrapped up she took a look around the room while wondering what that Fet Loch stallion was going to say before he lost his train of thought when Rarity was dragged off. Dissy smiled to herself finishing off the last few stanzas starting to progress into a decrescendo to the final morendo to finish off the song. Dissy took a quick breather, as she was sure all the dancers wished to do as they regrouped. She still had one more song to lead before she would get her second break, only this one would be slightly longer. She looked around and noticed a pony whom was clearly not pleased to be there. In fact he seemed more the sort to show up in a seedy club she was more accustomed to playing. Well she would only get to have free reign a few times so she decided to do something more her speed. It may be a waltz, but it would be a waltz with flair. She decided at that moment to play Blue Danube Waltz. She took a couple of sips of her whiskey before setting her eyes back on the keys for the next song. Within moments her hooves touched the keys starting out with crescendo to ease everyone into the song.  
 

It was still a waltz... more or less... Though the highhats in the audience probably wouldn't expect it, heck, she wouldn't be surprised if some of them jeered at her for playing something so unconventional. But the ponies she was with earlier were sure to enjoy something with a bit more... pizzazz. 

[moonshineTheleocat]

((Sorry if I missed anyone, I’m under a busy schedule as of late. So this was a rushed post))

Crusader would answer the question personally about how the two had fell for each other… in private. She was not a very ‘telly’ sort of mare. She’d rather move a mountain, than reduce herself to anything less than a warrior. That is to say… to be a blushy and shifting daydreaming mare.

“Y-yes…” The mare stuttered a bit uncharacteristically, she was still close enough to catch the Unicorn. Surprisingly, she could hold a stoic expression even while there was a blush on her cheeks. “Well… not exactly. There are a number of embarrassing moments, both for Bluebelle and I. But I hardly find the Gala to be a good place to discuss personal matters when this is where the rumor mill flourishes.”

Indeed the dances were starting. The music seemed to be a majestic lure to ponies in the crowd, making them tear away from conversations to business to conversation of tapping hooves. Deeply, the stoic Star Crusader had infact been looking forward to this moment in her foal hood. As weird as that may sound. But… then another thought was crossing into her head. It wasn’t the jealous eyes that she was worried about. Though, she’d be mentally hyperventilating if too many eyes fell on her. No… it was the sheer size difference. When she learned, it was with her father, whom was roughly her own size. Now it was with her romantic other… whom was she was still taller than even when she was lying on her belly.

Still… there was a saying for this. When in roam, do like the roamons. And that… she –did-. She smiled softly to Blueblood and pro-offered a hoof. When it was taken, she guided the two of them across the room and to the ballroom’s dance floor. Just as the others were taking each other by the withers… she lifted the smaller mare off of her own hooves. Her hind legs being the only things supporting them both with her wings slightly open for balance. Though this act was not carried forcefully mind you. Instead, with as much grace as a giantess could afford.

And as the music queued for them to begin, she took the princess for a gentle prance.

[IceStorm]

Ice Storm gave a small smile as the princess had addressed them. She told them that it was nice change from the daily work that they had done. Truly, the princesses never really did get enough time to well, just pbe ponies. She hoped that at the very least, her studies of the stars were helping at least relieve some of the stress off of Princess Luna. After all, one less thing that she has to focus on, so she can actually do just that. She can spend time with other ponies, or simply use the time to relax herself. However she used it though, it was her time to spend doing something other than work if she so chose. She nodded politely towards the princess. "Well, we should meet up once the Gala is over, and we can catch up on a few things. Or we could even catch up a bit in the lounge once the dancing is over. I found a few things in Andromareda that you might find interesting," she smiled.

 

Just as she was about to speak up again though, she spotted a familiar stallion heading towards them. Before she had a chance to say anything, he had already asked the princess to a dance. She wasn't too concerned about that, however, who the stallion was threw her off guard for a bit. "Hey there Inkbrand! Starting to warm up to these Galas I see," she smiled as she heard the princess accept the dance from Ink. "Say, I'm thinking about hosting a little after-party once the Gala is over. Both you and Luna are invited. I still have some of that champagne left from the Hearth's Warming Gala I threw a few months ago. It should be even better by now," she said with a smile as well before turning to Fire Heart and giving her a small kiss on her cheek, a reminder that she never needed an invitation to join her for anything she was doing. "That said, have a wonderful dance the two of you!" she smiled and waited in case her marefriend had anything she wanted to say to them before they resumed their own dancing.

[RarityDash]

Though the gentlemanly griffon managed to introduce himself, little else was allowed to transpire before very suddenly Rarity was violently pulled away from everyone else by Dash. 

 

It was a surprising thing and once the two of them were alone, Rarity realized how much she didn't want it. She wanted to distract herself. She wanted to be amongst others. She wanted to hear Silver's answer about that dance. The last thing she wanted was to recieve any kind of real answer when it came to Rainbow.

 

And yet that answer came. It came like a great weight hurled right into her face. There was no doubt possible as to the nature of Rainbow's awkward, fidgety words. Ranbow was without question smitten by Carrot. She was there as his date. Her beautiful dress was to impress him. 

 

In the wake of the realization, she felt stunned, all at once like she should laugh and like she should cry.

 

How? Had everything been simple missunderstanding?  Or was this a more recent development? Either way, some Shadow Spade she was, collected evidence leading to entirely wrong conclusions. And what did that say? For her to missinterpret things so regularly in the same unusual way... she supposed there was no other conclusion than the simple fact that she was projecting her own feelings back onto Rainbow. It had always been her. Rainbow and her heroics and her bravado and her sensitivity and her love, they had left the unicorn fascinated and charmed. It was, in truth, not so different from Blueblood or Trenderhoof, a pleasant daydream, entirely in her head.

 

And that now was all it ever would be, There was nothing more to say. It was over, wasn't it? She had chosen him. Rarity would have to find it in her to move on.

 

"So... all this time... you've had a thing for Carrot?" she asked Rainbow, trembling slightly at first as she spoke. She took a breath. "I've told you before, Rainbow. I'd never judge you. You could have just told me plainly." Rarity felt an irony in her words as they left her. She doubted she'd ever be able to tell Rainbow how she felt, and she wondered if she would be spared judgement if she did.

 

She forced a smile to the corner of her mouth as she looked Rainbow in the eye. Whatever she felt, the pegasus was her precious friend and she had asked for advice. Though she doubted her advice on such things was truly worth much, she would nevertheless rise to the task of giving it. "You really don't need to let it get to you, dear. I know it's difficult; like me, you tend to overthink things that don't need it.  But all we can do in these situations is let go. You're a star. Just being yourself, it'd be enough to charm anypony."

 

She ran a hoof over Rainbow's dress then and nodded slowly. "Besides, this dress should make it truly quite easy. Looking as you do tonight, you're not going to have to work very hard to get somewhere," she said her smile becoming a bit more natural. "Just try to wear it with confidence, and let yourself have fun. That's what this night is for."

 

"So come on, let's get back to the others," she finally said escorting Rainbow along back to where they had been before.

 

There, she looked to Carrot, "Sorry about the intrusion, darling," she said with a laugh, though it had been in no way caused by her. "And good luck. I'm sure keeping up with a Wonderbolt on the dance floor is no small task!"  she added, giving an encouraging nudge to Dash.

 

When thsi was through she let out a somewhat empty sigh. She didn't want to dwell on it any further. She was at the Grand Galloping Gala and she was going to do her best to at least try and salvage the evening. She looked around the dance floor for an opportunity and found that she had missed her chance with Silver Heart. While she had been busy with Rainbow, the handsome stallion had been swept away by a pretty mare. Rarity glanced to the stage and found that Miss Dissonance was still occupied with her piano set as well, having changed to a more exciting but no less beautiful waltz.

 

The two of them occupied, Rarity pondered who else she could approach for a dance. She supposed she could just cut her losses and dance with a good friend like Valen. He'd probably have fun. Then again, he was there for work rather than as a guest and, after it all, she wasn't quite sure she was ready to face all of his youthful cheer and optimism.

 

That left the griffon who had called himself Tariso. Rarity didn't know him at all. He had presented himself as a gentlemanly charmer, but Rarity didn't know if that was the truth of his character or if he was a simple scoundrel. His bold approach left little doubt as to his interest, at least. Rarity stepped toward him.

 

"My apologies, sir. My friend can be somewhat unpredictable in her actions at times," she said with a small laugh. "Now, where were we?"

 

She recalled his rather formal introduction. She had actually heard the name Goldplume before. In her recent venture to Aquellia she had saw fit to learn a bit about the country. The Goldplume clan was one of the three most prominent in the land, known for its wealth and influence. And he had also said he was a captain, hadn't he? Most likely that meant he was with the Aquellian marines. Putting it all together, she realized this must be someone truly distinguished.

 

"Perhaps you'd care to tell me more of yourself, Captain Goldplume, over a dance?" she asked, extending a hoof to the griffon.

[Bramble Rose]

Dash felt a weight in the pit of her stomach at the odd look on Rarity's face.  What kind of expression was that?  Was she shocked?  Was she going to laugh at Dash for being so stupid?  The faint tremble in Rarity confirmed for Dash - Rarity was trying really hard not to laugh at her friend.  Well, Dash could understand that.  If it was somepony else, Dash would be laughing her tail off.  Still, Rarity kept on with her usual aplomb.  

 

"So... all this time... you've had a thing for Carrot?"

 

"Yes.  I mean, no.  I mean, not 'all this time' - it's kinda recent.  I wasn't even thinking of it, and then he just sorta... sprung this on me.  I dunno.  No one's ever taken that kind of initiative with me before without being a jerk, y'know?"

 

Dash was glad Rarity was so awesome, otherwise this would have been even worse and more awkward than it was.  She listened to the rest of Rarity's advice, and nodded firmly.  "Yeah.  You're right.  I'm awesome.  I'm awesome."  She recited the words as a mantra against nervousness, trying to grab hold of the usual bravado that staved off her self-consciousness.  Deep breath.  Head up, grin on.  Forward momentum!

 

She grabbed hold of Carrot's foreleg.  A bunch of other ponies were already on the dance floor.  "All right, comon!"  What did you call a pony when you hadn't agreed on what you were to each other, yet?  "Let's ... uh ... let's get this date started!" she said brashly, dragging him onto the dance floor quickly to stave off any protest as to her choice of words.

 

Except the music wasn't exactly rockin'.  She knew Dissy had better stuff than this in her repertoire!  This was some sorta slow, fancy, flowing dance.  She swallowed nervously, held Carrot's forehoof, and tried her best to mimic the graceful, delicate swirling movements of all the other mares on the dance floor that was making all their skirts flare out.  Yeah.  She could do this.

 

*whump*  "Oops, 'scuse me," she mumbled to the pony she'd bumped into, her face flaming red.

[Zeig]

 

Well, a stallion couldn't be blamed for trying, better than sitting on the sidelines and mopishly waiting to be invited to a dance, yeah yeah, he'd make sure to keep his eyes level with -

 

- wait, what?

 

Inkbrand was fairly pleased with his ability to keep his flirty expression firmly fixed on his face even as he was internally screaming, because holy rot Princess Luna just accepted his invitation to dance.

 

He wasn't able to keep his grin from delving into something sharper, however, something more intrusive as the dark colored Alicorn placed one shimmering hoof inside his own, allowing that same something to turn more base as Inkbrand valiantly struggled against the urge to do something stupid, like pound his chest in stallion-esque victory. It was a feeling all stallions felt, at times - the sort of triumph a guy experienced when he succeeded in grabbing the most beautiful mare off the rave floor and into a dark corner, while all the others groaned and glared their disappointment. 

 

Would there be any dark corners involved with the veritable Queen of darkness? Doubtful. But what the hay - a stallion could just, close his eyes and dream.

 

Fantasizing would have to wait however, as Inkbrand was (quite rudely, in his opinion) pulled out of said fantasies by one of the mare pair that Princess Luna had been conversing with...though, her words provided ample distraction in their surprise. The tattoo-clad stallion couldn't recall who the icy blue mare was or where he had met her, but she obviously knew him from...somewhere. She spoke of a Hearth's Warming Gala as if he should know what that was, but unless he had been absolutely rot-faced out of his mind and had wandered into some shindig by mistake, Inkbrand couldn't recall ever having attended something like a Gala in his entire life.

 

Sans the one he was currently at, of course.

 

"Yeah," the grey Earth Pony said slowly, golden eyes flicking from the blue mare onto the red one. Like fire and ice, the two of them seemed, standing next to one another. "might do." Even if he really had no idea who the mare was, after-party parties were usually the best part, when every one who really cared about making an impression went home, and the rest were left to drop their masks and seriously cut loose. And, well, he was never one to turn down a party invitation from a pretty mare, and the grey stallion quickly composed himself again, cocky grin once again on his face. "Don't you ladies do anything I wouldn't do," Inkbrand leered, and with a parting wink for the dancing couple, he wasted no time in leading the darkly colored Princess a bit further onto the ballroom floor, and honestly, sincerely, tried his best to hide the growing smirk on his face with each and every jealous or awe-filled look that was shot his way from the party-goers. 

 

He, didn't do a very good job of it.

 

He stopped trying to hide it when the music changed, dramatically enough for Inkbrand to actually pause and crane his head towards the musician's stage, trying to figure out who was responsible for the sudden change. It was, to his surprise, a familiar looking mare who Inkbrand was eighty-six percent sure he'd met at some point at the Bohemian Club, along with her niece that she had (for some reason) dragged along for the ride. From Bohemian to Grand Galloping Gala, huh? Pretty impressive, even if this music still made him feel like he should be sitting in a lounge chair while sipping brandy, and Inkbrand tossed his head in a nod and a grin that undoubtedly became lost in the sea of ponies, before returning his attention back to his dance partner. 

 

A clearing on the dance floor soon provided room for Inkbrand to abruptly swivel around and bend over Princess Luna's hoof slightly, before he rose the both of them to their hind legs, one foreleg boldly wrapping around the mare's waist while the other kept her hoof hostage. Standing up, the Alicorn's head actually rose slightly above his own, but Inkbrand wasn't bothered one bit as he gave the mare a flirtatious wink, not even hesitating to pull the Princess closer to him so that they could better step into the steps of the waltz. With its more unpredictable feel than the previous song, calculated and measured steps were thrown out the window, in favor of remaining in some semblance of a three-step dance while pretty much doing whatever.

 

And he was bucking fine with that.

 

"So," Inkbrand drawled, drawing out the word as his golden eyes glanced up into the Alicorn's own, "you come here often, Your Ladyship?" The sly grin on his face did nothing to belie the cheesy pick-up line, which was kind of the point, and Inkbrand felt his grin stretch out even further as the two of them waltzed about on the dance floor.

 

[Bellosh]

 

Lími might have found solace in Mei's words. For a brief moment, the young bull was filled with hope as his dance partner offered comforting words and affectionate gestures. Just maybe... the qilin would understand that no matter his origins, Lími was nothing like the unflattering stereotypes often associated with his kin.

 

What could have been an uplifting moment however was completely soured the moment the dragon mare started going on about caribou. Right then, the magic of the dance was snuffed out of existence as the couple ceased their waltzing. This... this wasn't how Lími wanted things to go at all! The caribou was sweating bullets, caught between the need for honesty and the impulse to shut his yap and continue living the Lie. Which, of course, could never go on forever; as the son of Jarl Sigrun, it was inevitable that Lími would be outed to Mei as one of the Viking Caribou.

 

There was another emotion which ate away at the princely bull as well. It was the same one that fueled Lími's rant at Sir Squall earlier in the evening; that desire for others to stop perceiving his people as nothing more than savages bent on looting and burning every town in sight of a flying airship. It rarely actually manifested within Lími, but it enjoyed a rude awakening thanks to that rude unicorn. Although the caribou didn't perceive it on a conscious level, it was gradually reemerging.

 

Had he been younger, Lími would have hid his heritage while in foreign lands, afraid of how others would have judged him based on the nefarious reputation of his species. In fact, that very immature cowardice was why the bull was in his current rough spot to begin with. But after proving his worth to Clan Askr by passing his Will Test, after categorically denouncing his violence-craving older brother right in his face, after seeing his own mother mutated against her will into a berserker... Lími was sick and tired of concealing his identity. No more!

 

"N-n-n-now wait," a panicked voice stammered from an unhinged Lími, whose eyes radiated fear as he desperately clung tighter onto Mei; "There- there are a few caribou clans who s-still cling onto the abhorrent traditions of the past. But-but... the vast majority wish for peace with the rest of the world. Yes, there is ugliness — brutality even — to be found in the world of caribou. But there is courage also... strength... and honor. Virtues which our High King-"

 

That sentence was left unfinished, for right then Lími's sensitive ears picked up the garbled sound of commotion coming from the lounge, vaguely familiar as signs of a physical allocation. The caribou heard such muffled noises many times before, writing from his bedroom while rowdy caribou partied over in the Great Hall. Wait... that's where his mother was! Had the worst come to past? Was Sigrun... provoked into a transformation? Lími couldn't tell for sure, but if his fears had been realized... then Lími's defense of his species would be all for naught.

"Odýrr," the caribou turned his fear-stricken gaze towards the lounge, evoking the name of the caribou's mercy god in vain; "Odýrr, Odýrr....."

[Blueblood]

Star Crusader was probably wise to not air the whole story about how she and Prince Blueblood became... well, what they were to each other.  For one thing, the whole story, if properly told, was a lengthy one.  For another, it was a tale chock full of things Bluebelle would rather not discuss in public.  Not even the especially salacious stuff; things like the embarrassment there was the time they were first introduced (when Crusader had to wrest Blueblood from between the High King of the Caribou's antlers), and also the major psychological issues that Blueblood had to deal with when first getting used to being Bluebelle, which had been happening around the same time.

 

Though, the Princess had to admit, she found it... quite frankly astonishing just how unblinkingly most ponies were taking the news of her transformation.  Aside from Fire Walker, who it appeared had been out of the loop, pretty much everypony else had received the news in stride.  Heck, Swift seemed more curious about the Princess' maid rather than the fact that the Princess had once been a Prince.  "Oh?"  She raised an eyebrow at the green unicorn.  "Thinking of hiring her away?  You're ten minutes too late, I'm afraid.  Rarity has already offered her a dream job, and I've let her go, pending two weeks to get the gala matter settled."  That was more a deflection than an answer, but given the level of tact that Swift had displayed so far tonight, Blue was by no means confident that his interference would in any way help Valen/Valencia work through their own gender issues.

 

A quick glance in Rarity's direction confirmed for the Princess that the fashionista would indeed be fine; already she was striking up with the griffon captain.  Whatever came of that (and Bluebelle was pretty sure nothing would), at least Rarity wouldn't sit out the first dance.  Which left Blue able to share hers with her own 'knight'...

 

The music had already started up.  Bluebelle looked up into Star Crusader's eyes, letting her guard see the encouraging sparkle in her own teal irises.  The size difference may have been great, but that didn't matter.  Even if she had to dance on two legs while Star stood on four, Blue would make her marefriend's first dance what she dreamed of, if at all possible.  Fortunately, the simplicity of the waltz allowed for significant improvisation, which experience had proven necessary for them to reconcile physical awkwardnesses.  "May I have this dance?"  She asked playfully as she took Star's hoof, and they began.

 

Bluebelle was a little surprised to be lifted completely off the floor, but she had enough native gracefulness to make the motion look intended.  The lack of needed hoofwork was enough to free enough of her attention to mark a few things out of the corner of her eye.  Such as the fact that Auntie Luna was dancing!  Well, that was nice.  She'd found a stallion who-

 

Wait.  Who the buck was that?  Tattoos, blue mane... a sickening pit opened up in the alabaster mare's stomach.  That was Inkbrand, wasn't it?  Blueblood had met the rather irreverant stallion before, and had a distinct memory of having behaved in an absolutely humiliating manner.  In the Prince's defense, a rogue griflet had been indiscriminately shooting love potion darts around, but still.  The two had not gotten along, and from what she recalled of the punkish-looking stallion's personality, this was a disaster waiting to happen.  And the last time Auntie Luna had gone through a social disaster, Equestria nearly ended up with one holiday less.

 

Bluebelle blinked.  No, don't think about what can go wrong.  Concentrate on the now.  Concentrate on the gorgeous mare taking her around the dance floor.  Don't worry about that crashing sound in the distance....

[brianblackberry]

Carrot Fields felt awkward, really awkward.  He'd thought that Dash was his date, but as soon as the subject was brought up, she'd panicked and literally flew off with one of her best friends, Rarity, leaving him alone on the ballroom floor.  It was secondary school all over again.  Having no one to dance with and no more reason to request a song from the pianist, who thankfully continued playing instead of drawing any more attention to him, Carrot headed towards the exit of the lounge before any further embarrassment could be heaped upon him.

 

Swirls of thought ran through the gray earth stallion's mind as he walked quickly towards the door.  Maybe he'd read too much into their relationship.  After all, she always preferred to call their time together as "simply hanging out" and that she didn't like 'labels' like dating or coltfriend and fillyfriend.  He thought it was just her nervousness and inexperience when it came to relationships and played along - albeit with much teasing - as she would sputter and protest and turn adorably red-faced.  Now, though, doubts creeped into his head.  Maybe it wasn't just her being shy, maybe she did just saw him as nothing more than a fling, an affair, some stallion she could spend a night with.  After all she was famous, a Wonderbolt, on princess Twilight Sparkle's council, and an element bearer.  Who was he, a farmer?

 

Just as his mind almost had him convinced there wasn't anything special between them, Dash suddenly reappeared and grabbed his foreleg to drag him back.  That alone would have brighten his mood, but when she called it a date, his face practically glowed, there she was blushing and acting all flustered, and his heart soared.  He hadn't been imagining anything.

 

He winced as she bumped into another pony on the dance floor because she was trying too hard.  "Dash, Ah know aam a bit clumsy, but mebbe ye shoods lit me leid?"  He didn't know the dance either, but it'd be easier for him to guide her away from collisions since he wasn't the one twirling around.  "Ye know yoo're th' bonniest maur haur. Everypony is probably jealoos ay me an' mah date, an' ye know whit, they shoods be! Yoo're ravishin', awesomely ravishin'!"  Did awesome work as adjective with ravishing?  It does with Dash, it most certainly does with Dash.

[Zeig]

 

 

Oh dear. Or - ohdeer, as Lími seemed fond of saying. 

 

A saying that Mei was beginning to suspect was not the invoking of a different species of deer at all.

 

Reindeers or Ohdeers or whatever else, however, it seemed she had not succeeded in her attempts to tactfully question Lími without offending him, for his eyes were suddenly quite distressed. Perhaps even more telling than his expression, however, was the tight grip the Reindeer abruptly had around her, keeping her pressed against him as if he feared she would simply flounce away off the dance floor. Mei couldn't help the light squeak that escaped her at the bold move, but couldn't even find it in herself to be mildly annoyed as her companion's distress continued to rise at a palpable rate, the obvious passion in his voice rising along with it.

 

She only wished that his inflamed words made actual sense.

 

"Virtues which our High King-"

 

Peace? Courage? 

 

Honor?! 

 

Perhaps it was simple association of his (apparent) close relatives that was prompting Lími to speak in such fierce defense of their...honor, and what could he possibly know of their honor, really. Did he suffer at the hooves of brutal coastal raids that left entire villages razed to the ground, leaving their families broken and penniless? Were Caribou so ruthless as to attack their own kin, however distantly related they might be? But no, Lími was here, standing in front of her in their defense, and what good was wishing for peace and expecting all to be forgiven and forgotten?

 

Where were the overtures of relief and aid, restitutions made to the villages and families that suffered during their brutal campaigns? Where was Sun Spot's healthy hind leg, forever crippled when her father had dragged her out from underneath rubble as the Caribou had mercilessly torn down their home?

 

"-virtues which our High King-"

 

Caribou had no honor - not their culture, not their sons and daughters, not his precious High King, not their pathetic wishes for peace after years of blood and tears.

 

Mei didn't wish to offend her dear friend any further than she already had - truly, she didn't - but his words were so misaligned that she couldn't find it in herself to let them slide past, agreeing to disagreeing. But before she could rise up again, a bit incensed, he stopped on his own accord, apparently preoccupied with distant yet growing noise of what sounded like a resounding conflict in the lounge area - but in her defense, she was much too occupied to pay nearly as much attention.

 

Because she, quite abruptly, had something else to pay attention to.

 

"-our High King-"

 

An Elder Dragon could have come rampaging through the ballroom at that moment, and Mei doubted she would have noticed.

 

"LÍmi, you..." 

 

Sound itself seemed to ring silent as she stared, mouth slack, at the Reindeer in front of her, his murmured curses seemingly muffled and muted like the entire rest of the world. Even the motion of his head, turned towards the commotion that had arrested his attention, seemed sluggish and dull, the twirling dress around them cutting through the air rather than around it, as if they were simply not a part of the world.

 

"...you're a..." 

 

And in the midst of that sudden, intense stillness, there was only one thing that Mei could suddenly (cruelly) understand.

 

"...Caribou?" 

 

 

[PrinceoftheNight]

Princess Luna gave a small smile to Ice as she spoke. "But of course. I would be delighted to go to it." She said with a small smile to her as she turned her attention to the stallion that asked her to dance, and from what she heard from Ice, his name was Inkbrand. Quite the fitting name since all the tattoos, the color of his fur and his cutiemark. And this stallion really seemed eager to dance with her! It was rather obvious from the surprised expression she could see in his face. Perhaps he expected to be rejected by her, as any stallion would in similar circumstances, but this were special. She had the intention to dance and this was the first pony to ask her, so she decided to accept. Perhaps this would also cheer up some other ponies to go and ask her to dance, though she hoped she wouldn't get overwhelmed by them.

 

As she turned to him, she noticed that the pony seemed rather... distracted to say the least. Maybe having fantasies since she accepted? She couldn't blame him, since he wouldn't be the first one she would have cough like that. She had seen it before with guards, stallions that see her walk down the streets of Canterlot or in the castle's halls. Even more since she was one of the four alicorn princesses. Who wouldn't want a chance with her?! "Hey, don't get any ideas~" She said teasingly with a soft yet playful smirk to Inkbrand as she let him guide her to the dance floor, seeing the faces of the stallions looking at both. They were jealous, and wanted to be in her dance partner's position in that moment. That just made her chuckle a bit. They all look rather silly and a bit adorable for her, and this made her feel loved by her subjects.

 

Yet as she walked she noticed Bluebelle. Something seemed off. She seemed a bit worried about something, and she was looking towards her and Inkbrand. Perhaps she was just surprised by the fact she indeed decided to dance after all? Or maybe it was about her partner. Either way, she couldn't tell and decided to focus on her upcoming dance.

 

As the princesses looked at Inkbrand while they arrived to a clearing between the sea of ponies that she didn't doubted would move aside just to see her dance, then towards the ponies playing the music as it changed. Quite the coincidence. Yet she didn't hesitated and decided to carry on with the dancing.
As soon as the two were ready, she turned towards Inkbrand and made a slight bow, signaling she was ready, before she let him get both in position. She stood on her back hooves as he grabbed her hoof and wrapped his other hoof around her waist. After that, she placed hers on his shoulder and soon both started dancing slowly.

One would say that maybe she would be somewhat clumsy at this, but the night Princesses was showing otherwise. She was dancing gracefully even though they were just starting. Over the past pair of weeks, her sister helped Luna get a dancing instructor to teach her how much had changed since the old days, but not that much seemed to have, but she was still out of practice. Once the instructor was done with Luna, she started practicing every now and then with one of her guards, the same one that escorted her to the party when she arrived, until this day.

 

It was not until the stallion spoke to her while dancing that her smirk grew a bit bigger and let out a soft giggle. "Really, you chose that one?" She asked as she let him guide her on the dancing

 

[Zeig]

 

The grin that had remained almost perpetual during this entire time only grew as the Princess spoke, because hot feathers, she was a bit of a minx, wasn't she.

 

...That was probably exaggerating, sure, but still, Inkbrand couldn't help the surprise he felt at the Alicorn's playful response to his blatantly obvious flirtation, having much more expected a scoff, or even, perhaps if one could imagine it on a pony of such magnitude, a roll of the eyes. Instead, Princess Luna had immediately gotten the joke of his lame come-on and had responded positively, an ability that, Inkbrand could say with certainty, at least seventy-five percent of Canterlot's population sorely lacked.

 

But not their darkly colored Princess of the Night.

 

It was a pleasant realization, wholly surprising, and seriously hot as.

 

"Oh, you know, gotta stick with the classics," Inkbrand retorted, with such an outrageously flirty grin that he was surprised a guard didn't immediately come charging him down like a bull towards a red flag. Though, perhaps he should be more careful, because there was obviously something going on in one of the rooms outside the ballroom. One of the grey stallion's ears pivoted, slightly, to catch the tail end of some sort of commotion going on in - sounded like it was coming from the lounge? Which made him a bit annoyed, to have been missing out any action that involved tons of alcohol and smashing chairs over the heads of others.

 

But only a little annoyed, because bucking Princess Luna.

 

"But if that one didn't do anything for you," the tattoo-clad stallion commented mischievously, foreleg tightening a bit around the dark Alicorn's waist, "try this one on for size - if I said you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me?" A lascivious wink belied the seriousness in his words - especially considering that he was already holding said beautiful body against his - but Inkbrand had to chuckle anyways, because there was something just a bit ridiculous about spouting the lamest and most obvious pick up lines to one of Equestria's four Princesses. 

 

A Princess who was, unsurprisingly, much better at this fancy ballroom stuff than he was - though at least he wasn't blushing and tripping all over his hooves in embarrassment, like some stallions seemed to get whenever a pretty mare so much as looked at them. Still, he wasn't doing much aside from leading the two of them around in circles, and that's all waltzes seemed to be anyways.

 

Which wasn't to say he couldn't improvise. 

 

A swell in music provided the opportunity to lift the Alicorn off the floor in a half twirl, easily settling her on the opposite side, and Inkbrand didn't so much as bat an eyelash at the nearby dancers who glanced askance at the out of place maneuver. "Though I've gotta say," Inkbrand commented slowly, golden eyes raking over the Princess' face, "all this step-two-three isn't really my style." A quick glance down at their hooves to make sure he wasn't about to step on anything, before Inkbrand swept Princess Luna back into his forelegs, once again assuming a more traditional position. "I'm more used to kicking it back at a Vinyl rave, 'ya know? Ever been to one?" Inkbrand questioned rather indulgently, not expecting an affirmative in the slightest, because holy buck that'd be bit weird to imagine, if not entirely epic. Hopefully the question would, however, open up a few more facets of information for the tattoo-clad stallion to uncover.

 

Because, really now, what the buck did a Princess do for fun, anyways?

 

[Bellosh]

 

Lími's repetition of the word "Odýrr" ceased with the next words squeaked out of Mei's mouth. She didn't have to finish her sentence for the caribou to see that somehow, his companion had figured things out. How did she understand? Had Lími been a little too vocal about defending the caribou's reputation? Was it that accidental slip of the tongue regarding the High King, a royal title unique to the Viking Caribou alone? Either way, words were not something that could be taken back.

 

Much like the time in Garden Gait when Mei first snuck up behind Lími, seeing the qilin's mouth open wide in aghast reverted the young bull back to being that adolescent deer caught in a beam of light. His hooves shaking, his mind paralyzed by fear; Lími was virtually helpless. He so truly wanted to first beg of Mei to not think of him any differently before unveiling his true heritage, but that plan was torn to shreds now.

 

This was it; the clutch moment that would make or break Lími's future chances with Lián Mei for all time! If he was lucky, then the dragon mare could be made to grasp the reasons why the caribou lied about being a reindeer. If not..... Lími better hope he could come up with words so mind-blowingly original that Mei would be all but compelled to hear him out.

 

"I-I-I... I can e-explain!!!"

Or he could just say what everyone else always says when caught in a lie. Bravo Lími... bravo.....

[SteelEagle]

Ahhh, the dance floor. Such a wonderful time to be had! Valen had been in enough high society functions to have the experience. The training came from the Academy- since it was there to help the upbringing of fellow high society types, a course on formal dancing wasn't unusual by any stretch. Nor really were the other courses he had added since then, including ballet and line dancing. They were common among high society- the line dance was a produce family tradition no matter what produce it was- and it all helped tremendously with his form on the runway. He enjoyed all forms of dancing, really. He thought that Babs would enjoy some of the street dancing classes that popped up around the fashion district during the summer. He wasn't sure if it was just to be obnoxious by being different o if they thought it worked well together, but he needed to take one soon.

 

The music changed. Dissy played something that was a bit unusual for this gathering, which seemed to be the way she preferred it. That was just as well. Some ponies might complain but this year's eclectic gathering of guests made that unlikely. This piece in particular was very catchy, and having had to listen to more than his fair share of piano recitals he could easily detect that she was a true mistress in her field. Maybe she should come to Rarity For You? yes, there was a dance club normally, but it couldn't be that way all the time. Could it? And even if it was, variety was the spice of life. Mix that with a nice show and clothes and you had a most delightful day at the most delightful boutique in Manehattan, did you not?

 

This was a useful method of distracting him from the fact that nopony had offered to dance with him. Well, he was on duty and maybe that deterred some. Plus he was just a maid. Most looked right over him. That was okay, though. He had come to the Gala to work on behalf of the Princess. Getting a nice dance in was most definitely a secondary goal and one he wanted to achieve, but look at all those amazing dance partners available. Princesses and pirates, Wonderbolts and fashionistas, heroines and herpes alike- he seemed like the final pick, and he wasn't going to begrudge them that. He watched them dance and as Dissy started up her next song, made sure to collect several empty glasses and did some general tidying, a one-pony waltz of work throughout the ballroom util somepony was ready for him.

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

With the lady's approval Silver took her hoof and led her out. The music was.... bit different than he'd expected, but from his time with dissonance on the Fashion show ship: He knew she was not your typical musician. Silver was a stallion of routine though and such a sudden change to the type of music one used for a waltz was offputting, but looking to his dance partner he felt a determination not to let her down. He took a deep breath through his nose and  started out slow but in sync with the music, keeping in mind his position and Sunrise's own in relation to everyone else on the floor.

"A former employer and friend of mine; Miss Coco Pommel, made it for me as thanks for me offering my services as a model for her outfits in a fashion show on a blimp." The stallion chuckled, "It... went a bit differently than we thought it would." 

 

There were a few twirls and dips, the soft sounds of clipping and clopping of their hooves on the marble floor as Silver lead his partner along and minded his steps. "The next time I'm stations in Manehattan I'll be happy to stop by!"

[PyroBlaze]

Sunrise smiled, following Silver's lead as they started their dance. She knew how to waltz, though the current song was a bit different than the waltz music she was accustomed to. No matter, they both seemed amply able to adapt to the changes. 

 

The designer giggled a bit at the twirls, enjoying herself as she listened to her partner's words. 

 

"You have modeling experience? Well, you certainly look like you could do modeling, it's a shame I could not attend that show." She responded, smiling at him. "My compliments to Ms. Pommel, she did a wonderful job." 

 

After that, she let it fall quiet for a moment or two, enjoying the dance with the stallion. 

 

"Was there anything you wished to know about me, Sir Silverheart?" She asked, looking at him. 

[Zeig]

 

 

She wasn't sure which was worse.

 

That her suspicions had been confirmed, or that they had been confirmed so easily. She had half-expected (wished?) for Lími to casually deny it, to laugh at her revelation and gently remind her that no, he was a Reindeer, silly, how could she get the two of them mixed up so erroneously? But he hadn't, and his expression, one clearly caught in a lie, spoke louder than any words ever could.

 

...Nope. This was definitely worse.

 

"You're a, Caribou!" Mei shrieked, tearing herself out of the Caribou's grasp so quickly it almost appeared as if she had teleported. She almost crashed into a passing pair of dancers with her haste to distance herself, but the Qilin could hardly hear their cries of protest as her attention remained fixed on the young bull in front of her. "You - you lied to me," she accused, each word seemingly rising in volume and passion as more and more dancers began glaring her way, obviously wondering at the commotion, and Lími was now responsible for making her seem utterly boorish here at the Grand Galloping Gala, but she couldn't control herself - "all this time you - and I invited you into my home and you - and your precious Jarl too?!" the Qilin suddenly gasped, more unpleasant revelations rearing their revealing heads as she recalled several mentions of a 'traveling companion' that Lími had been loathed to part ways with. She was certain said companion had been referred to as a Reindeer as well, but how could she possibly trust his word now?

 

Or trust the idea of Reindeers even existing.

 

"What even is a Reindeer anyways?" the vivid blue Qilin spat venomously, hysterics quite suddenly giving way to angered indignation as she remembered how many times she had waxed poetic about her dear, sweet Reindeer - even here at the Gala, too! Going on and on to Sunrise Skies about how she should find a nice Reindeer to settle down with and not any bloodthirsty Caribou with Lími hanging onto her, he'd been standing right there - oh, she was such a fool, Lími had made her seem such a fool! "And an Ohdeer and whatever other deers? You just made them up, didn't you? To take me for a fool?!" 

 

 

[Lux]

Well then, we have to make sure we do this more often," she smiled. "I'm sure we can find events like this that we can go to more often and just have a nice dance together. After all, I always enjoy being with you whenever I can," 

 

"Oh I enjoy being with you whenever I can, and since I'm graduating soon I'll be able to spend more time with you, beyond working on the next step with my career."

 

"S-sorry to interrupt your dancing. Thank you. I am indeed having fun and it is a nice change from our daily work."

 

"No need to apologize. I'm glad that you are enjoying your night."

 

Fire noticed that Luna was a little nervous while talking to her and Ice Storm. She remembered how in times before the Princess was calm and in control. Unless it was not them but the setting. Was Luna feeling awkward on the dance floor? It was strange being a pony without a partner on a dance floor. Before Fire volunteered, a stallion offered to dance with the Princess. Well that was nice of him and hopefully Luna would have a fun time. But the big surprise was what Ice Storm said, an invitation to an after Gala party!

 

"You know I'll be there," Fire said before addressing the Princess and Inkbrand, "Have fun you too!"

 

 

 

 

[Dubstep]

Minerva groaned to herself as more and more guests found partners to dance with. For the majority of the time she didn't care a bit about the dance. She didn't remotely expect anyone to have the guts...or the desperation to ask her to dance, not with so many clearly better choices. But now it was starting to feel like she was sticking out like a sore thumb more than the dress was! It was driving her nuts! Scanning the crowd she tried her best to find SOMEONE who was free to dance, but every time she did, someone scooped them up before she could even think about asking.
 

That is until she happened to spy a little maid going about her business. It wasn't hard for Minerva to tell that she was looking to dance to, the way they were eyeing the other couples on the floor. She hoped at least she wouldn't give the poor girl a heart attack just by wandering over. With a heavy sigh she did just that and put on her best attempt at being polite. "Hey. Uh. If you're not busy...well not too busy, you're clearly already...ugh. My boss dragged me here and I've got no one to dance with and it's making me feel stupid, I don't even know how to dance, but do you want to dance?"
 

---
 

A smile was brought to Tarisio's face as the purple maned maiden returned. It was clear that hers was a presence that could grab nearly anyone's attention. Which made it even more delightful that she would give hers to him. Ahh if only he had been the first pirate she had met, perhaps then the profession would be romanticized instead of vilified, but that was speculation and speculation would avail him nothing! No, it mattered little what her thought of his 'career' was. What mattered was what she thought of him. If he could help it, he would leave her with thoughts of how charming and handsome he was, perhaps the desire to meet again someday.

Bowing deeply the griffon gently took Rarity's hoof in his grasp, politely kissing it as he did. "Meraviglioso, it would be my honor to dance with you, Lady Rarity." as the two wandered onto the dance floor, and Tarisio took the lead, he spoke up once more. "I'm delighted that you wish to know more about me I must say. Sadly I'm certain my life is nowhere near as interesting as that of someone such as yourself." it was clear from the way the griffon danced that he was enjoying himself, so to was it clear that it wasn't his first dance. "As I mentioned, I am a captain, she's a fine airship. My crew and I, we take shipments to and fro. I'm sure it sound dreadfully dull compared to say, the navy or the like. But it's a delight, seeing the world from above in all different locales. Though really, I'm much more interested in hearing about you, mio caro. It's not every day that a humble griffon gets to dance with a heroine."