The Party

Chapter 6

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It is with grudging agreement that you accompany the two mares through the mansion. None of you are feeling particularly jovial, but Shock is determined to change that. Only an hour or two after Rainbow Dash’s intrusion, Shock suggested going out and getting drunk.  A simple idea that she endorsed heartily. On some level, you agree with her. When all you have is alcohol and bad memories, you have to make do. And nothing washes away memories quite as effectively as ridiculous amounts of booze.

So it’s fortunate that, upon entering a decent sized ballroom, you discover that the mansion is certainly not suffering from any shortages. Crates of beers and wines of every kind are stacked literally to the ceiling and encompass half the room.

“Holy shit...” you breathe. Some other ponies have made a start on the lower crates, with several unconscious pioneers piled up in the corners, apparently swept aside to make room for more ponies to pass out.

“This is what I’m talking about!” Shock screams excitedly, snatching a bottle of the nearest who-gives-a-shit. You follow her example, taking a cautious drink of some wine. It’s sweet, with a cool minty aftertaste. You take another swallow or two and offer it to Twilight. She accepts graciously and sips at it timidly, surprising you.

“I figured you for the non-drinking type,” you state.

She looks into your eyes carefully, lowering the bottle from her lips. “On any other day, I would be.”

It occurs that you aren’t the only one who wants to forget. An understanding nod is your only response.

The low hum of music suddenly cuts out with a record scratch before being replaced by a much louder song. Vinyl Scratch is back on the track. Bass pounds through the mansion as the filthiest dubstep you have ever heard tries to pulverise your internal organs. You cheer along with Shock and the other thirty-ish ponies in the room. Twilight looks like her internal organs were pulverised, staring at the speakers in surprise. You nudge her and smile, motioning for her to have another drink.

“It gets easier, don’t worry!” you shout over the music. She doesn’t look like she believes you, but takes another sip anyway.

The torrential waves of unfiltered power that are blasting from the speakers suddenly cut to a chorus of synthetic strings before changing back. The music deviates between the two quickly before merging in a perfect harmony, the bass complementing the strings in a flaring crescendo. It reaches its pinnacle and holds, all but a single artificial note falling silent. You’re holding your breath and nopony is moving. Even Twilight can sense something is about to happen, her wide purple eyes watching a speaker as if it would provide warning. The final note softly fades away, only to be replaced a second later by an absolutely apocalyptic roar as Vinyl unleashes the bass once more. It floods your entire body and you leap in the air, pumping your hooves just like the other ponies in the room. You yell as loud as you can, voice lost underneath the audio tsunami that occurs when the Vinyl Scratch is on the track.

In some distant corner of your mind, you register Shock dancing beside you and Twilight trying to get into it. That’s about all you can register with the sheer energy imbued in your limbs from the music. You anticipate a one second sudden silence in the song, launching yourself into the air. It feels like you’re hovering during those hundred milliseconds and your breath hitches in your throat. Your hooves slam back to the ground the exact moment the music picks up again. Shock is grinning at you from ear to ear, an expression you return whole-heartedly. Twilight seems to be letting go, her eyes jammed shut and her extremities flailing. Your heart twinges when you notice her tongue is sticking out as if concentrating. This mare doesn’t seem to have any idea how adorable she is. And how bad at dancing she is.

Ponies are starting to stare and chuckle with their friends now, Twilight’s ‘dancing’ is attracting a fair amount of attention. You take a moment to weigh your options, eventually deciding that friends come before dignity, even friends you’ve only know for a day. Hoping Shock agrees with you, you stand beside Twilight and mimic her moves, even the tongue. You feel the heat of embarrassment roll over your skin but manage to push past it until you stop caring about the looks they are giving you. To your relief, Shock catches on and joins it, sacrificing all her party cred for the sake of a friend.

Something amazing happens. Other ponies in the room start to copy you, laughing with their friends. Within moments the entire room is doing it. Those who enter late and don’t realise the joke join in too, going with the flow.

Twilight just invented a new dance.

---

Songs blend into songs and sweat rolls down your face. You have absolutely no idea how long you’ve been dancing, but you do know your body is close to giving up. Even the steady intake of alcohol you maintained during the dancing can’t keep you moving anymore. Your companions seem to be feeling much the same way, Shock swaying slightly on her feet and Twilight drenched in sweat. The purple unicorn hasn’t drunk very much at all for a while, so she is probably sober. The thought is comforting because you aren’t sure if you can make it all the way back to the room.

“Maybe we should get back to the room!” you yell at Shock. It hurts your throat and suddenly the loud music is no longer enjoyable. It’s like drowning in a sea of noise.

She nods in agreement and begins wandering towards the exit. You nudge Twilight and motion towards the door. She understands and follows Shock. You take a moment to steady yourself against one of the crates, shaking your head.

The music stops abruptly.

A chime rings through the air, high and clear.

Everypony stops dancing.

Nothing much happens on the first day. Shock’s words echo in your mind.

Oh fuck.

What time is it?

“Hello, my little ponies.” Princess Luna’s voice comes from everywhere at once, startling you. “Welcome to Day Two. Your playtime is over.” Her voice lowers and becomes sinister. “But mine has just begun.”

Plumes of smoke rush out of every wall, swirling into the room with frightening speed. In your drunken haze you think it might be poison and try to hold your breath, but when the smoke doesn’t harm you or burn as you breathe it you relax. It’s only mist.

Only seconds pass before the entire ballroom is filled with it. You can’t see your own hooves and become disoriented trying to remember which way the exit is. A mare rushes out of the mist and moves past you while hyperventilating.

“I need air! I need to get outside!” she wails, the noise fading into the fog along with her.

You walk forward carefully and slowly in the direction you think the exit is. Other ponies shuffle in the fog around you, calling out to friends and screaming in terror.

“Shock!” you yell desperately, “Twilight! Anypony!”

There is no reply.

You wander through the fog for an eternity until even the sounds of other ponies fade away. A chill runs down your spine. Has something happened to them? Is something in this fog?

No. No matter how evil Princess Luna acts, there is no way she would be allowed to just slaughter ponies on a whim by unleashing dangerous monsters. There’s probably a law against that, right?

That’s what makes this party so hardcore. Ponies die at this party, dude! It’s awesome!

Oh shit oh shit oh sh-

What’s that? A strange violet point glows in the darkness. Your first thought is alarm. Princess Luna herself is in here picking off ponies! And you’re next!

But that doesn’t make sense even to your alcohol-muddled brain. Gradually, the point increases in intensity and sound forces its way through the fog to your ears.

“Alright, I hate to be a show-off but I have no choice!” says a fantastically familiar voice.

The mist stops flowing as if paralysed, then in one rushing movement it floats to the top of the room. You can see your hooves again!

Twilight, your saviour, quickly ushers you over to the doorway where Shock is waiting, half encased in mist from outside the ballroom. So the fog is everywhere then. That makes things slightly more difficult. The unicorn charges out the doorway and you and Shock quickly follow. The mist retreats from Twilight as if she has a bubble around her.

“Hurry! I don’t know if I’m breaking any rules by doing this!” she calls over her shoulder. You quicken your pace.

A glance behind you reveals a very disturbing sight. The mist drops and reforms the second Twilight is out of range, so it appears to chase you down the halls like a sentient monster. Somepony is screaming. You hope it’s not you.

Wait, there are several screams. All around you, voices cry out in pain and confusion. Thousands of ponies, lost and blinded by the fog, falling to desperation. A chill runs down your spine as you wonder how many bodies there will be in the morning.

All you can do is follow the purple flank as it flows through the ocean of white. You’re not sure how Twilight knows which way to go, but you trust her. She seems to know what she’s doing.

After Celestia-knows-how-long she finally stops outside your door. You have never seen a more beautiful door in your entire life. Shock stumbles up to the lock, the silver key falling from her teeth. She curses but before she can pick it up it floats into the lock surrounded by a haze of purple. The fog closing behind you, you shove Shock forward into Twilight and together you push through the door and collapse just inside your room.

It’s full of fog. Naturally. Twilight picks herself up and looks exasperated. “Alright, that’s it!” she says determinedly. An invisible wave of heat passes through you, prickling at your fur. The mist inside the room seems to burn away in an expanding circle around Twilight’s horn. In less than ten seconds the way is clear.

You feel your muscles ache as you close and lock the door. Shock must be feeling the same way, as soon as she could see where the bed was she made a beeline for it and climbed up.

“That was some crazy shit,” you say hoarsely with a bit of laughter in your voice.

Twilight give you a worried smile. “I used my magic to counteract one of the traps. One of Princess Luna’s traps! I might be in so much trouble right now!”

You shake your head. “No way. I saw at least three other unicorns doing the same thing on our way here.” It’s a lie, but Twilight seems to calm down.

“I feel a little tired from running while keeping that spell going. Do you think we should go to bed?” she asks.

For a moment you wonder why she is asking you. Your mind answers your own question instantly: because from her perspective, she’s still a guest in your room. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. We’ll sleep off the booze and figure out what to do next in the morning.” She looks a lot more at ease knowing she has your consent to sleep. It’s ridiculous, really.

She climbs up onto the bed. Shock is sprawled across half of it, leaving barely any room. She lies down as close to Shock as she can get and you lie behind her, the closeness making it feel like you’re spooning.

That, along with the fact you haven’t had any release in the last few days only serves to make falling asleep impossible.

Twilight is breathing shallowly and you can feel her heart beating quickly. The alcohol must be playing havoc on her body, especially considering she never drinks.

Every time she exhales, she presses back against you ever-so-lightly. You pray to Celestia that Twilight can’t feel the response she’s incurring. It’s out of your hooves now. You have absolutely no control over the pressure below. Resigned to your fate, you jam your eyes shut and for the millionth time imagine having the power to make yourself sleep instantly without drugs. Oh, what a world that would be. You would be able to escape from awkward situations like this just by closing your eyes.

You think about trying to shift backwards, but two things make that a bad idea. One, if she’s awake she’ll basically feel you rubbing yourself against her and, frankly, the mare has been through enough of your shit. Two, if you move back any further you will fall off the bed and wake her up anyway. You are trapped in a state of perpetual embarrassment no matter what.

Your arousal is compressed almost painfully between your belly and Twilight’s back. There is no way she can’t feel it, and she is definitely awake. Hopefully, your death will be quick and painless. Twilight seems like a very efficient pony who will kill you in the most effective manner, probably by snapping your neck with her magic or stopping your heart.

Damn it, not even thinking about your imminent death is helping! If you make it through the party somehow, you can tell your grandkids that the penises in your family are proud, unyielding creatures that have absolutely no shame or sense of appropriateness. Perhaps that will be your legacy.

Twilight shifts slightly and you accidentally rub against her. You gasp at the sensation and she giggles. Yep, definitely awake.

“I am so sorry!” you whisper as you recoil, instead falling to the floor with a thud.

She rolls over and peeks down from the bed. “Don’t worry, it’s not your fault,” she says, but her mouth is hidden and you can see the smile in her eyes.

You push yourself to your hooves, hoping the angle is hiding your erection. “I... er... it’s the booze, always does this... heh...” It’s a very shaky excuse but thankfully she doesn’t question it. “I’ll just go sleep on the floor over there...”

Twilight sits up straight. “You can’t sleep on the floor! You’ll wake up aching.”

“I’m already aching, but alright. What should I do then?” You don’t meet her eyes, face heating up. “It’s... it’s not going to go away if we lie like we did before.”

“That’s okay, it’s perfectly natural.” She sounds sympathetic but there are two pools of red on her cheeks betraying her embarrassment. “Maybe... do you think you can... take care of it in the bathroom? Then it won’t bother you and you’ll be able to sleep.”

While not exactly the solution you want, it’s still a solution. With a stiff nod, you duck into the bathroom and close the door.

It’s completely silent and you know any noise you make will be heard with perfect clarity on the opposite side. You consider abandoning the plan and just sleeping on the floor and only the insistence of Twilight keeps you there.

Exciting images flash across your mind as you stand over the toilet, pictures of Twilight curled up on the bed, Shock lying on her back with her hind legs spread and those green eyes looking up at you expectantly, even the memory of Spitfire and Rainbow Dash getting intimate. They swirl around behind your eyes as you perform the task. Eventually those images become more intense as you reach your peak, pulsing in time with your heart and your erection as you spill your seed into the white bowl. You jam your eyes shut and the final image is of Twilight and Shock side by side, smiling at you.

They trust you. You’re their friend. And here you are, thinking about them in that way. What kind of sick pony are you? With disgust in your heart, you flush the toilet and clean up with water from the tap. You are so undeserving of their friendship it should be a crime for you to even look at them.

You look at the ground and exit the bathroom, making the walk of shame back to the bed. Twilight had curled up again, facing away from you but you hear her giggle quietly as you lie down beside her. “Better?” she whispers.

“In a manner of speaking,” you mutter. She turns over and looks at you questioningly. With a sigh, you elaborate. “I feel like I betrayed you and Shock by thinking about you while I did that.”

“You were thinking about us?”

Oh, fuck everything! You stupid bastard, why did you say that?!

“Feel free to snap my neck anytime now. No, really, snap my neck.”

“I’m not going to snap your neck. I’m just... surprised.” She certainly looks surprised, and her eyes never once leave yours. Weighed down by guilt, you look everywhere except her. Her next whisper shocks you to the core. “What did you imagine?”

“I... I don’t want to talk about this right now. I feel like shit already. Let’s just go to sleep.” Your tone is harsher than you intended and Twilight quickly rolls over to face away from you. Barely thirty seconds pass before your guilt compounds and you’re forced to apologise. “Hey... I’m sorry I was so blunt. I say a lot of stupid things these days.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she softly replies. “You know... I don’t mind...  that you thought of me...”

You don’t know what to say. Your arousal died in the bathroom, but there is a different feeling in your chest now, similar but infinitely more... magical.

Shuffling forward, you silently wrap your hooves around Twilight and rest your head on the pillow. This is too much for your drunken brain to process right now. The last thing you see is Twilight sliding backwards into your embrace.