Body Language

by Chaospaladin

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Flash Sentry, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 4309

Flash Sentry experiences an unforgettable encounter on the dance floor

Flash Sentry is invited to a party he didn’t plan to be a part of, abandoned by the squadmate who roped him into coming to the dance club in the first place. The night was turning out to be like the last few times he was invited into a ‘guy’s night’, him sulking at a table and drinking alone.

The night took an unexpected turn the moment his gaze met hers…

Proofreaders: Midnight Quill and Setokaiva

I do not own the cover art, and I will take it down if the artist requests it.

Published 2017-08-01 06:30:10 UTC
Last updated 2017-08-01 06:30:10 UTC

I wanna hear your love speak

‘This will be fun’, he said.

‘Don’t worry Flash, this won’t be like the last time’, he said.

Yet here I was, on one of the few days off I had as a Royal Guard in service to Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, sulking alone at my half moon-shaped booth in a nightclub during the weekend. I was still kicking myself for letting Private Storm Wind talk me out of getting a good night’s rest for this.

To be fair, I had nothing against going to nightclubs or bars. Spending time with my mates, sharing laughs and stories over some good food and drink, I was always game for that. Giving credit where it was due, the strawberry lettuce and bottle of Sweet Apple hard cider were more than worth the price of admission, and the selection of music was right up my alley.

The problem was whenever said squadmate got the wandering eye and thought he found his ‘soulmate’, pulling disappearing acts for the next few hours. I drank from my tall glass of hard cider and groaned, glaring at the empty space in my booth where my ‘best pal’ had sat half an hour ago. As the responsible adult of the both of us, I had to play the role ‘designated flyer’, which meant he got to go out, have fun, and make a fool of himself while I had to be on standby to pull his flank out of the fire and get him home. Not what I would consider having a ‘good time’.

It also didn’t help that the music was so deafening, the only thing that could match how hard the bass was blasting through those stereos was the headache it gave me. The club patrons around me were almost just as loud, excited for the big time DJ Vinyl Scratch. She was making a grand appearance tonight, which explained why this place was so packed. Hay, it was part of the reason Storm was able to convince me to come here in the first place, even knowing there was a high chance of him ditching me.

With a sigh, I decided to stop being what Storm would call a ‘negative Nancy’ and spend what was likely the next hour doing something positive. I didn’t want to leave our spot to go outside just in case he ended his tail-chasing adventures earlier than usual, nor did I want to start talking to a bunch of strangers for the sake of killing time, as I was probably the only sucker here who didn’t have a reason to be here other than playing support. I wasn’t unfriendly by any means, but far from a social butterfly like the majority of my squadmates. Instead, I chose to take a gander at the rather impressive locale Storm brought me to.

It's odd how they always say that the first thing you notice walking into a club is the lights. For me, it was more accurate to say I noticed the floor. It was like polished glass, reflecting everything and everypony in the place back up at me as I stared down the lane towards the dance floor. They must have really done a good waxing job on this place, I mused.

The bar was some ways off to the side, tucked against the wall lean-to style, with a backlit surface that illuminated the faces of some of the other patrons. A few, I could hear grumbling, though that was mostly coming from the line; the queue today was apparently a bit longer than normal. But that's what I get for coming here on such a busy weekend.

That’s when I saw her, and she saw me.

On the other side of the club, through the dancing ponies and flashing lights, was a unicorn mare who looked roughly my age. I didn’t think she was looking at me first, perhaps somepony next to me or in my general direction. But the longer our gaze held, the more apparent it was she noticed me, and knew that I noticed her.

She was seated alone on a half-moon suede booth on the other side of the club. The dimmed lighting hid some details of her form, but the glow of the soft lighting on her table made her lavender coat shimmer. Her dark purple mane was accented with complimentary pink highlights, giving her a clean, striking style.

The biggest draw were those big, bright purple eyes, pulling me in like quicksand. Something about the way the light hit her, how those eyes so full of wonder and curiosity struck me, the way her calm and demure demeanor set me at ease, made my heart skip a beat.

Hot damn she was gorgeous.

I knew I shouldn’t have kept staring at her like an idiot, but I couldn’t bring myself to tear my eyes away. Call me crazy, but I could swear she was also checking me out. That she'd been staring, too, even before I saw her. There was something about the look she was giving me that spoke to me. A question, whispered through her gaze. Those eyes of hers were searching for the same answers my azure ones did: Who are you? What brought you here? Do you feel as out of place and lonely as I do?

A blur of colors and swerving bodies broke our eye contact. I blinked and shook my head, the noise, hustle and bustle of reality around me rushing back to assault my senses.

Wow, that was… I’m not even sure what that was. I couldn’t remember the last time a simple look from a mare made my heart race this fast. I had to pour myself a new glass just to calm myself down. While a few sips helped me relax, I couldn’t get her out of my head. What was her story? What was her name?

Was she… available?

There was no denying how much I wanted to talk to her, learn as much about this mysterious mare as I could. Yet at the same time, I couldn’t shake the doubts creeping into my mind. Would I be bothering her? Was it just a passing interest, nothing more? Did the alcohol twist my interpretations to make me see things I only wanted to see? I had no idea, and I was torn with indecision and, admittedly, cowardice.

I took a shot of my drink.

No, I told myself. I’m not much of a smooth talker, and would likely be troubling her by invading her privacy out of selfish intrigue. I’m sure she was with a coltfriend or spending time with her friends. There was no reason for me to go looking for her.

I took another shot.

But… what if I wasn’t bothering her? She was clearly curious. I was curious. There was no harm in simple conversation, was there?

Another shot.

What was I thinking? She wouldn’t want anything to do with me. I’m sure she has better things to do than to deal with my lonesome self.

An additional shot.

What was I being scared about? It’s just simple conversation. Nothing more than a friendly hello. There was nothing wrong with a friendly hello, right?

I went to take another shot, only to find my glass empty.

I smirked wryly to myself, finding my answer at the bottom of my glass. They don’t call it ‘liquid courage’ for nothing. Besides, if things went horribly awry or awkward, I could just blame the liquor and pretend this night never happened. Easy.

Slipping off my seat, I took a few seconds to make sure my stability was on point, ignoring the amused stares I could feel boring into the back of my head as I paced back and forth. I could still walk in a straight line and think relatively clearly, not counting making this bold move to go find the pretty mare at the club.

With a deep breath, I steeled my nerves and moved into the center stage where the greatest concentration of the dancing ponies was. The stage took up the majority of the building’s space, and was almost bursting with ponies, most of which were either drunk with alcohol or riding an emotional high as the sound of the bass boomed and shook the walls. Yet, if I was going to find that mare, I didn’t have much of a choice other than to slip my way through.

Play it cool, Flash. This is no big deal. Nothing to stress out over. Just going to find her, say hello, and get out once—no, if—things got weird. No pressure.

A few minutes into my search, I realized I'd made a horrible mistake.

The bouncing ponies dancing to the bombastic beat of the song jostled me left and right, making me lose direction and awareness faster than my nerve. How in Equestria would I be able to find anypony in this mess of a dance floor? Before I knew it, I lost track of what was north and south, let alone figuring out where that mare might have went, as she was no longer in the booth.

After getting shoved and bumped all over the place for almost ten minutes, I made the one smart decision of the night and decided I was not going to find her. It was disappointing, for sure, but on the bright side, at least I didn't have to worry about embarrassing myself. I tried, failed, and could now put this missed opportunity behind me.

Speaking of bright sides, it was pure luck that I caught sight of a familiar red pegasus with a green mane dancing in the distance with a pink-coated mare with balloons for a cutie mark. I hated the idea of interrupting Storm Wind’s fun, but I was ready to head home and call this night a wash.

Until somepony bumped—more like crashed—against my side.

Trained reflexes reacted before my mind did, catching her forehoof before she fell. I turned to apologize, cursing myself for bumbling about so blindly.

My mouth went dry as my heart leapt into my throat.

Those big, beautiful eyes I’d been searching for stared back at a me, just as speechless. Her muzzle curled into an awkward, apologetic smile, face flushed almost as much as mine. Maybe she had something to drink too. What were the odds?

Thankfully, she was the first to say something. Unfortunately, whatever she said got drowned out by the rowdy crowd and deafening bass.

I tried to speak over the noise, practically yelling, but I couldn’t hear my own voice, let alone expect this mare to register what I said. She tilted her head, saying what I interpreted as what did you say?

The next couple of seconds were spent with both of us experiencing a major breakdown of communication, unable to hear each other. Just great. At least I couldn’t embarrass myself verbally. But now came the bigger problem; now what?

We stood at an awkward stance, eyes averted from each other in embarrassment. Think, Flash, think! You finally got to meet her, and this is your one chance to make a decent first impression. Don’t blow it!

Whether it was due to the alcohol flooding my system, the music, the energy of the crowd, or pure desperation, I extended a hoof to her and smiled, appearing as inviting as I could.

It was a simple and terrifying offer: would you like to dance?

I gulped nervously when her eyes went wide. This had to be a silly idea. There was no way she would actually—oh, wait, she took my hoof and nodded, smiling awkwardly back at me.

She actually wanted to dance with me. Holy crap.

That increased my confidence severalfold as we slowly eased our way into the groove of the music. Storm Wind always droned on about how dancing was its own language and a good way to get to know a mare, and I usually just rolled my eyes or didn’t pay much attention. But as we swayed and move to the sound of the beat, I started to truly believe the hype in what dancing could teach you about a mare. Her feelings, thoughts, and body language were communicated to me clear as day.

This mare couldn’t dance to save her life.

What started as a promising romantic rendezvous turned into a chaotic struggle for survival. Her hooves swung around completely out of sync with the music, striking out like she was in a martial arts music video. Half of my attempts to dance were dodges to avoid getting my lights knocked out. The poor thing did her damndest to imitate those around her, but I could tell the panic rising in her didn’t cooperate with her desire to coordinate her moves with mine. I also tried my best to play the nice colt and work with her, earning myself a bruised cheek and forehoof as reward for my chivalrous spirit.

When the music ended and began to transition to a different song, this filly finally stopped her crazed flailing and gasped, noticing the bruise on my cheek. Her face flushed, her eyes watered and she looked away, towards the exit. I felt almost as terrible as she probably did. She rubbed one of her forelegs and bit her lip, muttering to herself. I didn’t need to hear her to know what she was thinking: I knew this was a bad idea.

Great job, genius. You wanted to show her a good time. Instead, you messed up her evening. Horseapples.

I attempted to console her, only for her to move my hoof away and shake her head. Oh crap, this was bad. Any second now, she was going to leave. It was tearing me up that I couldn’t think of anything to help make things right with her. She didn’t deserve to have her night messed up because I wasn’t being a proper enough gentlecolt. I needed to make this right for her. But what could I do?

That was when the thrumming bass all around us paused for a breath, just until the next song started playing. A smile instantly broke out on my face; it was one of my all-time favorites. This exotic love song was upbeat in rhythm, inspiring energetic and daring movements. Whenever I heard this song, the urge to swing my body to the groove was almost unbearable. While I couldn't quite make out the lyrics, I didn't need to; the message behind the song resonated with my movements, calling me to action, bringing to light something that I'd been missing up until then.

I didn’t need to use flowery words to convey what I wanted. The flow of the song, the sway of our bodies, the look in our eyes, simply being daring in what we did to show how we felt. That’s when the answer hit me.

If the trouble was communication, it was just a matter of showing her the way.

My body instinctively moved to the beat as I boldly grabbed her forehoof. The move surprised her, and she looked at me with eyes filled with questions. I winked and smiled at her, guiding her hooves to move with me while making sure I wasn’t being too forceful.

My message was clear: Trust me. Give me another chance.

There was hesitation in her steps, some small resistance. My smile never wavered as I drew a little closer, being just a little bolder with my moves. Each move was deliberate, careful, smoothly shifting from one step to another. When she made a proper move, my smile brightened and I nodded. If she messed up, my grin softened and I guided her some more. When she started smiling again, I knew I was doing something right.

Once her body started swaying in sync to the beat, I knew she was catching on. Quite the little natural.

Now that I didn’t have to worry about her, it gave me ample opportunity to take stock of what I was dealing with. The colorized lighting system still obscured some finer details about her frame, but there was no avoiding those glorious curves accommodating that flank which wiggled hypnotically to the music. Those were some damn good assets she was packing.

When I saw she was getting comfortable with the rhythm, I changed my movements to flow alongside hers. The gap between us began to close every few steps. Her grin grew as wide as mine, confidence radiating from her and reflecting on her moves growing bolder by the second.

Soon, I found myself forgetting there was anypony else but us on the dance floor. There was only us and the rhythm of the song that played for us. The charged atmosphere forming between us intensified.

As our moves grew bolder, we rose on our hind legs, her hooves slinking around the back of my neck to pull me closer. Mine gently grasped her hips, keeping her close as we spun around the dance floor, swept up in the moment. Something feathery brushed against my hooves, and I thought to question it until our eyes locked, an undeniable heat in her gaze that stole my breath.

A coy smirk danced on her lips as her moves grew more aggressive. I was thoroughly enjoying this side of her.

Show me what you've got, her eyes said.

My smirk said it all: you asked for it.

I slipped in closer, pressing my chest against hers as intimately as I dared, maneuvering her across the dance floor.

Her eyelids lowered halfway, giving me a look that made me melt. You showed me your moves. I’ll show you mine.

Control fell into her hooves as she pulled me into her groove, her muzzle treading close enough for me to catch the alluring scent of apricots. The dreamy look in her gaze told me she was as wrapped up in the moment as I was.

Not bad, filly, but you’re in my world now.

With a twist, I seized control and dipped her to the side, making her breath catch. I gave her a seductive stare as I leaned close, my muzzle a breath away from hers.I could see the gears turning in her head as she stared back, a daring smile playing on her lips.

I dare you.

Our position lingered for a beat before I pulled her upright and attempted to slip away. I tossed her a playful, teasing glance.

Come get me.

She didn’t relent, growing more aggressive as the music reached a climax. The gap closed again, her grip on me tightening.

I’m not letting you get away tonight.

For somepony who didn’t know how to dance at the start, she was growing surprisingly bold. I loved every minute of it.

Good. Neither am I.

Our bodies pressed against each other as we moved, my wings flaring as we battled for dominance. We never relented. Sparks flew in our gazes, a fiery blaze forming between us.

As the song ended, neither of us dared to move away first. We were breathless and tense, but the look in her eyes matched exactly how I felt.

I could do this all night.

So could I.

We held our stances, waiting for the next song to play to continue our battle as we caught our breath. During that moment, I found myself completely spellbound. Her smile. That body. The scent. Those eyes. Bold. Aggressive. Stunning. Even if she had a learning curve with some things such as dancing, there was nothing about her I found myself disliking. I was completely at her mercy. A prisoner of passion.

All sense of resistance shattered, I couldn’t wait any longer. I wanted to know everything about her. To hear her voice. Learn the mystery behind that addicting smile.

I opened my mouth to ask her name when I noticed her wings were also flared out, matching my aggressive stance. It took a second for my brain to catch up and point out one alarming fact: Unicorns don’t have wings.

Reality crashed into me, quite literally, when I suddenly felt myself being ripped away from the mare. The movement was so abrupt I found myself stumbling like a fool, struggling to discern what was happening. I caught a quick muddle of apologies and something about an emergency coming up before I found myself getting dragged away by the sudden intruder. The mare and I were both bewildered by this, but in my case, I was absolutely furious that the one good thing I found in this club was being taken away from me.

Bristling, I turned sharply, ready to sock whoever'd stolen me away.

I blinked at Storm Wind.

Dumbly, I glanced back at the mare I had been dancing with, noting that she too was getting swarmed by mares, one of them being the pink one Storm had been dancing with, and another being a rose-eyed pegasus with a bright rainbow mane. Even with my alcohol-addled mind, distracted by the beautiful mare I had danced with, the glaringly obvious clues were able to penetrate my brain enough to make me realize I knew this mare somehow.

It wasn’t until Storm Wind pointed ahead that it clicked.

I easily noticed the tall mare walking towards the dance floor. Bright pink coat and vibrant, multi-colored mane that stood out among the sea of patrons whose eyes snapped in her direction. No amount of alcohol could keep me from recognizing Princess Cadance.

But if that was Princess Cadance, then the unicorn stallion she had her wing draped around was no doubt my captain, Prince Shining Armor. The implications of this entire situation hit me all at once.

I realized with a start that had Storm not pulled me away, Shining Armor would have noticed me dancing with that mare. The horn and wings were a dead giveaway that only now I was able to process.

I’d been dancing with the captain’s sister, Twilight Sparkle.

Though I didn’t know whether to thank him or punch him, I had to respect that Storm saved me from what might have been a disastrous scenario. If I got caught getting intimately close with the captain’s sister, a terrible fate would have greeted me that I didn’t dare imagine.

Yet, as we made our swift exit to avoid detection, my gaze met the mysterious, bold, lovely mare who made my evening an experience I would never forget.

Twilight’s eyes were filled with concern and disappointment. I’ll miss you.

I gave an apologetic smile and nod. I’m sorry I have to go, but I had a good time.

Feeling bold, I gave her a wink as I waved. Let’s do this again sometime.

When she smiled back and nodded, I knew she got the message. Count on it.

The crowd flooded our line of sight again, Twilight Sparkle disappearing into the crowd as the next song played.

As I and Storm Wind left the bustling, noisy nightclub and made our way to the Canterlot train station to return to the Crystal Empire, the dopey smile on my face refused to leave. Storm was enthusiastically gushing something about my dance with Princess Twilight and how he knew I had it in me, but I was too distracted to pay attention. That dance with Twilight refused to get out of my head, playing over every move, every little flicker of confidence I saw in her eyes where there had been awkward fear before.

I knew she was an incredible mare from what I’d heard about her, but that moment, that little slice of paradise, really opened my eyes. It was disappointing that I had to leave so soon, especially knowing the chances of me seeing her again were not promising. I rarely had the time to go out to nightclubs with my friends thanks to my life as a member of the Royal Guard. The possibility this would be the first and last time I spent quality time with Twilight was all too real.

Putting aside the “negative Nancy” in me, and as Storm pointed out after seeing me sigh with disappointment, I did work closely with her brother, so the chance of seeing her again was not quite zero. A small chance was far better than zero, especially if I continued staying in Shining Armor’s good graces. That was enough to lift my spirits and look forward to the unknown future.

Who knows? One day, we could meet up again and hopefully picked up where we left off. I’m sure nopony would think much of it if I greeted the Princess and sparked a simple, hopefully private conversation.

After all, there was nothing wrong with a friendly hello, right?

Author's Note

What's up, my fellow paladins?

This is a story I've long wanted to write, but with a challenging twist I didn't consider until I actually started writing it; no dialogue. I wanted to practice utilizing body language, emotions and tension to tell a story. A simple concept, but a joy to execute.

As for Flash and Twilight's portrayals, I've sometimes imagined how they would act with caught up in the heat of the moment and not only liking what they saw in each other, but were able to bring out a bold side of each other. Safe to say, even writing it was a treat.

This idea was actually inspired by the song "Shhh" by Tarkan. Give it a listen sometime; you won't regret it.

But what do you guys think? Was it interesting seeing this sort of romance done without dialogue? Think it would have been better with dialogue? Whatever you think, let me know in the comment section.

Until next time, stay classy my paladins.