Author's Note

Thanks a ton to Brasta Septim for helping with primary SGL editing on this chapter! I've been waiting on releasing this for a while, so i figure i might as well drop chapter 5, which was split up from it's original 20k length. this is still a larger chapter, but it's probably not gonna be the longest by the time this fic is over ;3

Chapter 5

They hadn’t even arrived at the party proper yet, but the group already had the air of a celebration. Everypony spoke as if they’d long since known one another. What baffled Diamond is that same camaraderie even extended to him. On the walk, he’d been hugged no less than a dozen times, complimented twice as often, and one stallion even offered to take him home if Party didn’t.

They were almost off the boardwalk when the group heard the sound of the dock bell. By the time it stopped, so had the conversations. Then, to Diamond’s surprise, more than a few ponies started cheering.

It had started out as a few excited whistles, but by the time this new, seemingly random sentiment had a chance to permeate through the crowd, almost everyone had expressed some form of excitement. A thousand possible reasons for what just happened mulled through Diamond’s head, but none of them made sense. He glanced over to his part of the group, but mainly to Party.

“I know, it’s weird, but there’s a reason. If you still want to know tomorrow…” Party paused, shaking his head. “Well, if you haven’t already figured it out, chances are I can give you all the answers you’ll ever want. So if nopony lets it slip, you don’t have to take time out of your fun trying to piece things together.”

Diamond wanted to say something in response, or ask what difference half a day would make, but he simply let it slide. Party hadn’t misled him yet. If he wanted, or needed to keep him in the dark, then there was a legitimate reason.

The venue finally crested the skyline, the tarps and scaffolding of the construction site making it stand out from its surroundings. There were a few ponies milling about, but the ones that wanted entrance seemed to just walk right in. As they approached, Diamond actually started to feel intimidated. A few flashes of movement out of the corner of his eyes, and the goggle wearing ponies patrolling the facade moved from invisible to obvious. The athlete tried to ignore them, and the powerful looking bows slung across their backs. The place was on lockdown. Whoever CTS was, they certainly weren’t up to pulling any punches assuring the safety of their events..

Then Diamond heard it. He could’ve easily mistook it for the terrible roar of some ancient sea beast if it didn’t rattle the supports of the unfinished slalom. First one, then another, and several others in rapid succession. They were blocks from the venue, but Diamond realized that they were probably calibrating the speakers. If it hadn’t registered before how much power was at the disposal of the various DJs set to play, it was at that moment that it fully sunk in. These ponies planned to party hard.

The majority of the group that they were with was simply waved through, disappearing under one of the tarps into what looked like a shadowy void. Diamond expected to simply walk past too, but scrunched up against the hoof placed to his chest.

“Hey there frosty, I’m going to have to ask what you’re here for!” the stallion barked, his hoof coming back to the ground when Diamond stopped.

“For the party, would I be here for anything else?” Diamond questioned as he tilted his head, trying not to get too standoffish. As far as he was concerned, all that was going to do was delay this for longer. He’d have to maneuver, not break through.

“Of course you are, but I don’t think I’ve seen you at a single party around San Franciscolt. How’d you hear about this one?” the bouncer growled, taking a step in front of the athlete.

“Did you not see the group I’m in? Party wanted to bring me, my boss wanted us to go, and out of the group of three dozen stallions that you just waved through, you decide to pick me, of all ponies, out of the crowd?!” The bouncer’s comment had made Diamond lose his cool, but he was quick to back down. He saw the cold, anonymous gaze of a few archers turn his way, one even starting to toy with how his bow sat between his wings. But the moment the larger stallion stepped forward, the unicorn accompanying him stepped between them.

“Yes, I did want to bring Double Diamond to this party, and the only reason I let you stop him is because I thought you just wanted to give him a hard time. Come on Brick, you’re better than this. Now, you know not to stop two stallions on a date, badge or not, and I’m going to be taking mine in,” Party announced.

It was almost as if the unicorn had stepped in and popped the bouncer with his horn. He took a sweeping step aside, almost looking ashamed of his actions. The authoritative voice Party had spoken in seemed perfectly natural, and went totally unchecked by the rest of the environment. Even the guards on the scaffolding went back to searching for active threats. He expected to simply be led in by his friend, but nopony was budging in their part of the queue.

“Why don’t you say you’re sorry for hassling my friend, Brick,” the unicorn stated flatly, almost as if a commanding officer speaking to an inferior.

“Hey, you’re right. I shouldn’t have done that… My name’s Brick Wall, and I’m…” the earth pony halted his concession to glance between the stallions in front of him. “Site security. Friend of Party’s actually. There was a nasty rumor going around about some Sol Invictus sleeper trying to get in, but that’s no excuse for me to raise a ruckus at the first fresh face. You picked a hell of a party to start at, kid.”

“Double Diamond,” the athlete smiled, offering a hoof to shake, which was gladly returned. “And so I’ve been told. Though hearing something about sleepers makes me think I’m walking into one of those old spy movies.”

“I ain’t talking about how nasty those prudes can get. You’re supposed to be having fun, and I think if you’re still on that train of thought later, your buddy can fill you in.” Diamond’s reflexive glance to his friend was somewhere in the middle of expectant and disingenuous. Even if he did figure the situation out by night’s end, he almost felt like lying about it, simply to watch how Party planned to lay it all bare for him.

Speaking of which, the blue stallion was waving him through.

“Hey D, Fire and everyone already got waved inside. I’m not sure if we’ll be able to catch up with them, but I’m certainly not above trying, especially because I think we’ll have a lot of fun doing it.`` The stallion’s steps were already synchronized to the low thump of the music that was audible through the building.

“Maybe later. You had some pretty high expectations for this little shindig, and I’d say we should at least try to enjoy it a little bit before we try to find anypony else,” Diamond commented as he slipped under the tarp.

His eyes started to adjust in short order, and he began glancing around to get his bearings. They were passing through the incomplete box office, several of the facings still unfinished. The smell of raw concrete hung in the air, but it was mixed with a hint of something else wafting in from ahead. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant, sweet but musky, and mixed with the slight ozone tinge of a magically charged environment. A small hoof-full of ponies were milling about in the area, each seeming like they were trying to cool off from some unseen heat source.

The row of green doors that lined the wall in front of them hung loosely on their hinges, none of them apparently locked. As the pair approached, a trio of stallions headed the other way with somewhat mischievous looks in their eyes. Things really did seem to be heating up. But what Diamond saw when he opened the door was far beyond anything in the scope of his imagination.

The center of the room was dominated by a writhing tower of speakers, curling up into the central DJ’s plinth. The booth was currently empty, but a small set of underlights gave it the apparent glory of a high throne. It’s dominion was the dance floor, glowing under the gaze of roving lights and rainbows of lasers. It was a place of control, the next to ascend would stir the hundreds of ponies below into a living gyre. To rule the dance floor with an iron hoof.

And that sea of bodies was something else entirely. The veneer of secrecy observed outside the walls was almost entirely cast off. Collars of all styles and colors were exposed, and several of the raised hooves had leashes tied around them like an armband, matched with just as many masks. Those few that kept their peculiar accessories didn’t seem out of place though. They simply blended into the kaleidoscope of styles on vivid display, dancing and swirling like a muster of peacocks. Each and every pony stood out, and in doing so, they became a singular yet incoherent entity of joyous motion.

The rest of the stage before them was filled with set pieces that only matched the intensity of the central blocking. Neon lights flowed out from under each and every booth. The twin bars had diadems of ornate bottles just a hair out of reach of the patron, plucked and mixed by stallions as neon streaked as the beautiful miniature world they occupied.

Diamond could barely find words to describe his thoughts. The living tableau before him was impossible. It was fiction given form. His only point of reference for a party on such a grand scale were the ones in his books.

For a brief moment, he entertained the idea that he’d somehow stepped through the door between fiction and reality. That a scene this grandiose must mark the beginning of some epic journey that would take him to white satin parapets, and black steel dungeons. That he’d finally get to live a Love Song novel, instead of desperately running away into one every time he couldn’t stand the world he lived in. That he’d get the happily ever after they all seemed to have.

He felt he had to snuff the idea there though. That would be ridiculous, wouldn’t it?

The stallion followed his friend into the thick of the party, already having a little bit of fun matching his steps to the beat of the music. He wasn’t quite ready to start dancing yet, but he was absolutely ready to let the music move him. The atmosphere was projected by everypony already lost in the beat, and it was utterly infectious.

Only a few steps in, the stallion was flank-checked by a pegasus who was, of all things, rollerskating by holding a tray. He looked like a carthop plucked from one of those vintage themed pull-ins and infused with neon, with the lithe, effeminate body to match. Diamond turned his head to catch the offending pony, but all he really glimpsed was a swathe of motion, and what he could swear was the outline of a thin, cocksure, and even flirtatious smile.

“Liking your first glimpse of the so-called Ultralife, D?” Party laughed, poking the athlete in the shoulder the moment he turned back for confirmation.

“It really is a lot to take in, but I’m liking everything I’ve seen so far. Who knows how that’ll change the moment somepony gets up on that booth,” Diamond responded, now paying attention to the path they were on as they were starting to weave between groups of ponies.

“Well if that’s what you’re waiting for, then I don’t think you know how much you already love it,” Party retorted, steering them towards the bar. “You drink? They’ve got everything under the moon here, and the only thing your bits are good for is a tip.”

“Not often,” Diamond confessed. “I used to before… Nevermind, I have once or twice in San Fran, so I’m not against it, they have some good cocktail places here.” The pause came from a need to shake a thought out of his head. This wasn’t the place for reflecting on bad times.

“Then you need to get at least one,” the stallion raved. “They’ve got some crazy good bartenders, and the food to go with it!” The closer they got to the bar, the livelier the local atmosphere seemed to become. There were ponies sipping on tumblers and highballs filled with a whole spectrum of ornate looking drinks and openly conversing lewd plans for later in the evening. Some of the rowdier guests had even taken to using the table as an impromptu dance platform.

“I mean, I can see the baskets and stuff,” Diamond paused to catch a sweaty overshirt which he placed on a chair next to it’s currently gyrating owner. “But I didn’t really take this as a food sort of place. I’m guessing that’s what the roller derby is out here for.”

“Yup, It’s kind of hard to keep a party going at its peak without something fueling it, especially when you’ve got ponies moving like that. Nopony would deliver here, and CTS doesn’t want ponies to feel like they want to bounce before they’re ready. So, you can make a request at the bar, and they’ll do their best to get something worked out for you,” Party responded.

They’d arrived at the bar, and it was an absolute blur of activity. Lines of ponies downing bombs, bottles flying between the barkeeps, and excited partygoers flying up to make a request, only to disappear back to the dance floor moments later. The pair found two open stools, taking a seat and flagging down anypony that cared to notice.

A rather sultry looking stallion finally answered their call, rearing up over the bar before resting his head on his hooves between the two ponies. Diamond couldn’t quite place it, but something about the mere glance of those bright blue eyes made his stomach do a backflip.

“Well then, you two lovebirds look pretty fresh. Looking to get in some early indulgence, or did you forget to grab a bite on the way here? Either way, I’ve got whatever you need” The particular stress on the last few words would’ve been off putting if it weren’t for the surreal environment they were in. Diamond didn’t even get a chance to think of clarifying before Party jumped in.

“I’ve already got an order brewing in my head. You might have to lead my plus one by the hoof though, I decided to make our first date his first party.” The stallion chuckled, watching the new unicorn tilt his head towards Diamond.

“A total newbie? I didn’t think we got those anymore. Welcome to the temporary homestead of the Lunarch Lounge, and to the party proper if nopony’s done that yet. The name’s Silver Julep, and I’d normally be flirting with somepony as flawlessly toned as you, but I’ll respect that you’re another unicorn’s hoof candy tonight… whoops,” the unicorn purred, sticking out his tongue once he was finished and floating a halo of bottles around his head. “Now what do you want to start off with? Wait, before you ask, the answer to “what have we got” is everything. We can make a liquid rainboom, but I assume you’ll want to remember your first party.”

“Double Diamond.” The athlete extended his hoof for a bump, but flinched from surprise when Silver decided to kiss it instead. Before he spoke, he moved it back slightly, but something in him ultimately decided against it, leaving it to rest on the table. “Um, what do you think would be a good party starter? I-i kinda think we’ll try to do everything on offer as long as we’re here.”

“Well, I’d give you a Partystarter, but it’s a Pinkie drink, and those knock you on your flank faster than the sum of their parts. In fact, if you chance by a menu, try avoiding anything written in pink.” the stallion cautioned, pausing and rolling his eyes before returning to his hooves and stretching. “Buck me. You want to get schwifty, and all I’m telling you is what to avoid. Diamond. Doubles. D. What do you like? Candy, cake, fruit? All I need is a place to start from and you’ll have a drink.”

Diamond actually took a moment to consider, put more at ease by the unicorn’s antics. While he waited, the stallion had taken up doing rather intricate bottle tricks, simply passing the time with a little bit of visual flair. “Well, I like tropical stuff, but I think I need something different... maybe something a bit more off the beaten path than a piña colada?”

Silver smiled, letting the bottle he’d just released spin in the air while he grabbed a shaker from under the bar, letting it fall in and fill. “Well well well, it seems like we’ve got a tourist looking for something off the resort. Unlike those killjoys at the Velvet Courtesan across the way, I’ve got just the thing. By the time the show starts, you’ll be ready to sway like a palm tree in a hurricane.”

It felt like the unicorn added a million things into the shaker by the time the cap came on, but when the drink finally flowed into the cup, it was glowing the same neon hues of the surrounding festivities. Of course, martini glass or no, Silver couldn’t resist capping it off with a cheesy little umbrella and a shit eating grin, pushing the green cocktail towards the stallion.

“I call it a Category four. I’d tell you what all went into it, but that would ruin the surprise, wouldn’t it? All you need to hear from me is that it’s everything you’ll need for the festivities.” the athlete nervously picked up the drink, swirling it slightly and taking a soft sniff. It had a sweet, fruity smell, but there was something unique to it. It had a pleasant, vaguely herbal top note that seemed to make the world hang for a moment as he tried to focus in on it.

“It smells really good,” Diamond muttered just above the level of the music, which was taking a slight dip in volume. The bartender nodded in response with a knowing look.

“I’ve got a little bit of everything behind the counter. There's some special bitters in it, based off an old zebrican potion that’s supposed to help with self reflection, but it should have the magic sucked out, not that I ever bother to check. I’d say it’s not the same drink without it,” the encouraging smile from both the unicorns in present company was more than enough to encourage Diamond to take the first big gulp.

The first thing to wash across his tongue was the distinct flavor of melon and coconut, tinted with a fruit that he wasn’t sure if he’d ever tasted before, but was far rounder than the strong acidic blast of pineapple. The bite of the herbs made the earth pony’s tongue tingle, bringing what could be an otherwise cloyingly sweet drink down to something he could keep sipping on, or knock back in one gulp.

All the embarrassment he felt earlier felt so silly in retrospect. This was supposed to be some sort of Ur-party, but if the music and drinks were even a tenth as good as they were here, the stallion realized his sheepishness in attending other parties was only hurting him. He hadn’t really indulged in the company yet, but the small preview he’d gotten earlier in the day was giving him high hopes.

“Wow, this is amazing!” the stallion exclaimed, taking another long sip.

“Never had a disappointed customer, even when they call for a little improv.” the unicorn set down the shaker, dumping what little remained into two shot glasses, finishing one himself and offering the other to Party.

“No way did you just make this on the spot,” Diamond swirled the glass, looking at it with befuddlement as if it was going to answer his question.

“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. A bartender’s like a magician D, giving away all our secrets just lets somepony else steal our act.” The bottles were once again stashed, with the silver coated unicorn scanning the bar for other patrons trying to flag down a bartender. Just before he seemed ready to duck out, Diamond simply knocked back the rest of his drink, slamming the glass back down on the bar.

“Hey! I’ve never been to a big party like this before, but I know how clubs tend to work. Why don’t you make double whatever Party’s going to get. I want him to have a drink as good as I just had, and I’ll gladly keep you mixing right here” Diamond slurred his words ever so slightly. Even if the actual liquor hadn’t entered his system yet, the headrush had already hit.

“That is a losing proposition dude, I think you might want to get something else, but I am not a pony you should try to keep pace with,” Party advised, turning towards Julep. “But if you’re up to it, I’d like to see you make a Black Satin Tie-Down.”

“Well I’m glad my raw animal magnetism is working on somepony tonight, though I’d heed your friend’s warning sweetheart, you seem to hold your liquor about as well as a snow cone!” Silver playfully taunted, grabbing a few bottles without looking.

Just as Diamond was about to make his infinitely clever retort, before the first drop of liquor entered the shaker, a rather excited looking pony practically jumped up to the bar, seemingly from nowhere, like he’d phased through the floor.

“I need a bomb or something quick like… yesterday. I was just downstairs and Type X is here, and he’s heading up! I wanna have something in me before he grabs the booth.” The pony chirped in excitement… or at least, Diamond swore it had to be.

The longer he looked, the more something seemed off, the edges of the stallion’s coat seemed to be more blending into the space around it than stopping at a hard point, and the eyes had a fiery, jubilant glow that seemed to cast its own light. His mane almost seemed to be imagined into some perfect idea of a style, but that didn’t seem to be quite right either.

After a little bit of thought, it finally dawned on him.

“That pony’s on fire.” Diamond stated flatly, looking at his own hooves, then back to the new arrival’s, who was unique in the smoke trailing from the edges of his hooves.

“I mean, it’s a bit early in the night, but I’m sure he’ll get into it before vinyl hits the boards” Silver observed, pouring some Absinthe into the shaker.

“Dude, what the buck did you put in my drink?” The athlete snapped

“Mangosteen Juice?” the bartender responded, dropping in a little bit of orgeat.

“Does that make it look like the pony five seats down has smoke coming out of his hooves like he’s an applebucking power plant?” Diamond yelped in response, now looking between the ponies in front of him and the mystery pony, who’s attention he’d briefly caught.

“I mean, I guess? It’s supposed to be one of those superfood things, so in the strictest terms, improving your eyesight makes you see reality better. So yes, if you hadn’t drank it he’d still be there, it’s just you could have marginally better definition.” Silver noticed the stallion hadn’t gotten too much of a response from the other occupied staff, tossing him a bottle of Mead and trying to nod him over. However, it seemed like he had other plans, traipsing off towards the crowd.

“So there’s actually a pony over there leaking vapor like the Manehattan red line on double boiler?” Diamond inquired.

“Wait a second, you’re being legit. You’ve never actually seen a Sparkling before tonight, have you?” Silver’s slight guilt at his snark towards at his legitimate inquiry was tempered with legitimate surprise.

“Considering the next question I was going to ask was what the hell is a Sparkling, you’re going to have to be a bit easier on me,” Diamond snarked right back, watching as the twin drinks were poured, skillfully separated in midair by a simple bar knife held on a tilt.

“Well, I’m not exactly some high concept magical theorist, but as far as I know, Sparklings are what happen when you get a city like San Fran using a whole bunch of magic, and give them some sort of passionate catalyst, like a huge party, or even something like an orgy. Give them that spark, and bam, they’re a thing. As long as they have a stable flow of magic, they’re around forever as far as I know. Buck, there may even be a sparkling born tonight, as is with how much Aether and party we’re throwing around,” Silver explained, pushing the beverages towards the two stallions present.

“And the whole being on fire thing?” the athlete questioned, taking an experimental sniff of the new drink.

“They’re not on fire, being made of magic just kinda makes them a hair unstable. You’re basically watching them return to the air they kinda came from. I’d compare it to dry ice, but I don’t have any blocks of that stuff in my little black book”, Silver chuckled, starting to clean out the shaker he’d used.

Diamond nodded as he took the first sip of the drink. When he was younger, he was almost similarly surprised to learn something like griffons exist. Something that wasn’t a pony just seemed so alien to him at the time. He’d long since come to terms with the world being full of so many more sentient races than ponies. Sparklings deserved that same courtesy.

And if one was simply going to walk up, he’d certainly be in the mood to socialize by the bottom of the glass. The solitary sip took a sledgehammer to his senses, mixing the strong bite of black licorice with the inherent sweetness of cherry, making the spot of almond seem almost creamy by comparison. That complexity also served to distract from the fact that the huge amount of booze in the drink was liable to send your average pony sprawling. This was the libation of someone who knew how to party with ruthless efficiency, and extract the maximum amount of fun.

That was the portrait of Party, to Diamond. Currently the unicorn was sitting on his stool, taking a long, satisfied pull of a drink he clearly hadn’t had in some time. The neon lights cast a multichromatic sheen through his frizzy mane, and cast off-colored shadows to highlight the curves of his muzzle. A Luna-sent avenger of fun and excitement, happily reclining with his neon halo and 100 proof eucharist.

“What the buck is up everypony!” the wall of sound projected from the speakers almost knocked Diamond muzzle first into his drink. “We haven’t even gotten started yet, and I already see an army of faces, all off duty and ready to party!” The whole bar had turned around to face the stage, watching the pre-show unfold in front of them.

It was the sparkling from only moments earlier, already whipping the crowd into a frenzy. “You’re all still sober enough to count to Five, right? Well we only just learned how! Yesterday, we had the top four artists on the Electronic charts, but a special somepony dropped in, and we’re starting a countdown! I want you all to lose your bucking minds! Give it up for the King of Dubstep, second only to her lordship Vinyl, your boy, Type X!”

A cocksure stallion in a militia-style flat top and hoodie strutted up to the boards from some unseen passage. The moment he appeared, a few ponies in the crowd moved up to their hind legs, crossing their forehooves above their head. Not only did he have fans in the audience, Diamond noted, but they seemed to be totally die-hard.

“Before I even touch this bucking setup, I want you to do me one big favor San Fran.” The musician purred into the microphone, “I want you to scream”

And scream they did. Hundreds of ponies, cheering on the musician with his name proceeding him. They cheered for a party that let them looser than some had the capacity to imagine. Mostly though, they just seemed to like cheering.

“Now get ready to top yourself four more times. Hit it!”

The deafeningly loud sound of a klaxon set the beat to the first song in the set. Diamond almost couldn’t believe the power of the setup in person, the music ringing in his ears with such intensity that he could barely hear his own thoughts. He saw that Party was shouting something, but it was inaudible over the din. If he was going to hear a word, the athlete was going to have to start leaning intimately close.

“Once we finish with our drinks, why don’t we go hit the floor for a bit?” Party asked.

“Dude, I have no idea how to dance to this. I barely know how to dance to Vinyl’s stuff, and that’s because I’ve seen her videos,” Diamond responded.

“You really can’t do it wrong D. As long as you can keep a rhythm and move, you can basically do anything you want. I’ve been to his concerts before, and it’s all about getting what’s inside you out.” The unicorn leaned back, taking another long drink as he admired the crowd. There were far more lights than there were even moments earlier, even a few sparse lasers cut through the thick atmosphere.

Against the fair warning, Diamond matched Party’s pace drink for drink. He was definitely enjoying the beverage, but he didn’t want to make his friend wait when they were finally going to make a move to the dance floor. That moment came two songs into the set, and now three drinks into the evening. With a pair of empty glasses lingering at the bar, they were off.

As Diamond scanned along, the unicorn’s statement proved itself true. He couldn’t seem to spot two different ponies dancing with the same style. Many didn’t seem to even be using any style at all, simply allowing the music to move them. Without even realizing it, Diamond was starting to do the same, his hoofsteps synchronizing to the beat of the music, which helped him keep pace with the upcoming crowd.

“Getting into it D?” Party gently elbowed his friend, giving him an eyebrow raise. “Just keep on moving to the music, and you’ll be having more fun than you ever thought was possible”

“I’ll get my flank kicked if I keep moving for the entire night. I’d gone out dancing before we met, and if I was out on the floor for more than an hour, I could barely roll out of bed the next day.” Diamond did occasionally check where they were going, but the majority of the time, his eyes were fixated on Party.

The stallion seemed so at home. While granted, Party was both part of his name and the specialty of his cutie mark, he seemed to exude a totally natural comfort with all the chaos around him. Conversely, the bounce in his step and swagger in his hips gave his minor serenity the aire that he could launch into wild, exuberant motion at any possible moment. Even with all that, the unicorn certainly wanted to make sure his date was having a good time too. Diamond had caught him looking back half a dozen times already.

Their eyes locked, but before either of them said a word, Party hip-checked Diamond. It wasn’t a light hit either, knocking him off the path they were on by a few steps. The athlete returned to Party’s side with a mischievous grin, bumping his flank right back with a chuckle.

“Two can play at that game,” the stallion taunted, watching his friend saunter back carefully. He wanted to make sure he was poised to make the first strike, or at least hop out of the way. But instead of taking an expected action, Party just moved up side to side with his date, moving in lockstep so they wouldn’t trip over one another.

The smile on Party’s face hadn’t changed one bit, broadcasting conflicting, but equally positive emotions. It was an expression of serene playfulness, or maybe something else, like relaxed energy. Beyond anything else, it seemed like the unicorn was having a good time specifically because the athlete was, and was there to share that with him.

“I’d say if you keep playing around like that, you won’t be the only one trying to kick your flank into motion.” The stallion openly swung his front hoof over the athlete's shoulder, “Though I’d still like dibs on that if you’re still offering.”

“I-i’m liking my new scarf,” Diamond stammered, the small amount of bravado the back and forth had mustered draining in an instant as he caught a glimpse of the unicorn’s hoof dangling over his chest.

Throughout his life, Double Diamond had done very little flirting. It was something he wanted to do more often, but he could rarely bring himself to do. This meant he was even less prepared to respond to somepony flirting with him, especially a stallion. What few compliments he’d received earlier in life were praising him as the big stud he wanted to project himself as, usually from mares with a more delicate disposition. But now, as far as the athlete was concerned, he was the mare in the situation. And slowly, he started to come around to the thought that tonight might just end up the same way.

“And I’m liking my hoof candy. So, are you ready to start moving, or would you want me to take a little bit more time trotting along the edge of the dance floor?” The unicorn carefully wove the two of them between smaller groups of dancing, or moshing, ponies, taking the lead with every step. Party no longer had to act a part, and leading his date along by the hoof was something he’d been wanting to do all day.

“I know this sounds dumb, but it’s really just as easy as moving to the music?” Diamond watched the crowd as they traced around it. The further in he tried to look, the more the crowd seemed to look like a singular mass. The athlete couldn’t even see the stage without actively craning his neck up.

“It’s not dumb, you’re just nervous. How’d you learn to dance to all the standard club stuff?” Party shouted over the music.

“I dunno, I sorta just watched the crowd, then just watching my partner and how other ponies would react to those kinds of moves” Diamond yelled in response. “I never took a class or anything. I never got many compliments, but nobody said i sucked.”

“Perfect, then you can learn in no time at all. Just do whatever feels right, watch the stage, and just keep apprised of the ponies around you.” Party stopped near a small dip in the crowd where the floor itself was visible, “Ready?”

“I’m not sure, what if I don’t feel like I’m fitting in?” the athlete asked.

“Then we go wherever you want. I’m not going to try and force you to do something you don’t like. I’ll just walk towards some stuff I know you’ll love, and hope you’ll follow,” the unicorn purred in response, slowly trotting towards the dance floor. Diamond sighed, composing himself, and rejoining his date atop the neon tiles.

“Glad you decided to join me,” Party taunted, already starting to move his flanks to the beat of the song. Diamond started to circle around, with Party then matching him step for step. Their hooves landed on the downbeat, and as the song went on, they both started to add in some small moves to their flow.

The set went on and so did their little dance, their eyes locked on one another nearly the whole time. It was a lot more fun than what Diamond had expected, but that was possibly because the whole time he found himself looking straight into Party’s eyes. The unicorn was the more experienced dancer of the two, so it was only natural that he took the lead. Simply by following his friend’s prompts, Diamond started to feel like he was really dancing with his date.

As his blood started to pump, the smile on his face grew. For once, past all the doubt he’d piled onto himself over the course of the day, he felt like he was having fun. His anxieties didn’t seem like they could ever catch up to him. Diamond was overjoyed to be able to just lose himself in the moment. Lose himself to the rhythm and the atmosphere, and just go wherever it would take him, especially if Party was going there too.

So when the unicorn finally went in for a kiss, it didn’t feel right to do anything but accept. He didn’t feel a need to lean in, if Party was going to take the lead in the dance, then he wanted his date to take the lead in the romance too. It certainly wasn’t a playful, bubbly kiss either, even with the minor threat of bumping into somepony else as their eyes had fallen shut.

It felt more intense than any kiss Diamond had shared with another pony. He wanted it to keep going, to have it go further. He licked at the unicorn’s lips to beg for it to go deeper, but was instead met with a slow, almost coy withdrawal of the muzzle pressed against his.

“There’s time for that later D, I think you’ll have a bit more fun taking things as they come. Besides, I don’t think you’d be happy if we walked off now, this baby’s barely even started!” Party guided his date along by the hoof, bringing them back into rhythm with the new track blasting over the amps.

The temptation to simply join with the crowd was always there, but Party insisted that was an experience best saved for the headline act. So the two ponies simply spent their time dancing to the remainder of the set, daring to skirt ever closer to one another until their moves started to bring their flanks up against one another, brushing gently together with their eyes locked.

It wasn’t terribly much longer after that the set ended, leaving the two stallions panting and leaning up against one another in a sea of celebration. Once the house mix returned, the crowd blossomed out around them with plenty of room to walk. Party gave Diamond a peck on the cheek, which earned a somewhat embarrassed nuzzle in response.

“For somepony who’s never danced to dubstep before, I’d say you’re a pretty fast learner,” the unicorn praised his dance partner, tugging him in close with a hoof like before. It was certainly much warmer than when they were walking to the floor, but sharing body heat wasn’t necessarily something the athlete was against at the moment. They nestled up against one another just like they did on the way onto the dance floor, but this time, wandering along towards the other side of the festivities.

Diamond usually didn’t have an eye for it, but he began to notice how well the whole affair was brought together. They had no issue navigating to the opposite bar despite the dancers
now crowding around the tables. He started to spot the skating ponies from earlier again, ferrying drinks and food between tables when they weren’t flirting with the patrons. They were able to simply glide through the apparent chaos with little effort.

It really was perfect, every little detail came together to make something too amazing to exist anywhere else in the world. They were less at a party, and more the ideal of one.

It took a moment to hear over the noise of the crowd, but Diamond heard a familiar sounding set of voices calling both Party and himself. The corner of the bar was filled by Firewire’s herd, their bandanas seemingly long forgotten, and their collars on proud display. As the pair got closer, Diamond could see that while their neckwear seemed to have different colors and styles, each of them, save for Fridis’, bore a lock with the Dom’s cutie mark on them.

“I hope you’ve been enjoying the party! I’m glad you stopped over, you can get something from the best bar so they can win the night,” Coco glanced between them, smiling knowingly. Even as they walked up to take a stool, he’d noticed Diamond seemed to be hovering just a hair closer to his date.

“It’s been interesting. Party taught me how to move to a whole new genre of music, and I learned that a new kind of pony exists.” The athlete scanned between the femcolt and the bar, looking for a server. He was actually starting to get peckish.

“Ooh, Saw your first Sparkling on stage, huh? They really look like something else if you’re not ready. They have the same kinda sparkly weirdness as changeling fire, so I’d thought that’s what they looked like when they molted,” Coco chuckled to himself, apparently a few drinks down into the evening.

“Well, he was at the bar before, but yeah… speaking of bars, what did you mean by win the night? I think the bartender at the other one mentioned they were run by two different places.”

“Yup, This fine establishment is the Velvet Courtesan, and you were at that little pitstop calling itself the Lunarch Lounge. Whichever one serves more ponies by the end of the night gets bragging rights until the next time CTS throws a party big enough for two bars. Some ponies don’t like to take sides, but some ponies are also wrong.”

The conversation simply evolved from there, branching to every little thing they could think to bring to the table. They barely even noticed the new artist taking the stage, only that they had to talk louder to continue. Not only was everypony present becoming fast friends, but the friendships already formed only got stronger by the moment.

But for Diamond, the real experience was just watching Party be himself, and just how amazing that was. There was just something about how he laughed that seemed so warm and genuine. He always leaned in when he was talking to somepony like he was utterly invested in the most minute details of what they had to say. He always seemed to care so much that everyone else was having a good time, but it never seemed like it strained him.

Even when he was talking to other ponies though, it always felt like the unicorn’s gaze stayed mainly on him. He never needed to say something twice to get Party’s attention. If he wanted something from the bar, there was always one more hoof helping him flag down the bartender. He hadn’t even realized his date had ordered food, and yet there was a steaming hot basket of pizza sticks in front of him the moment his stomach grumbled. He could barely recall mentioning his favorite snack to Party, a dumb little concoction that barely existed outside of Manehattan. But he remembered. He would probably memorize the number of hairs on his tail if it mattered enough to him.

As the party slipped by, Diamond could feel his chest rise when he laid eyes on his friend, and a gentle flutter in his heart whenever their gazes met. The longer they spent together, the harder he was falling for the unicorn. And, surprising himself, he was okay with that.

Another artist had come and gone from the podium, but Double Diamond was utterly wrapped up in the company he had. The bar had proved nice, but as the conversation went on it almost seemed a hair stifled by the distance of all parties involved, an issue only amplified by the volume of the music. He could hear Party just as well as he wanted to, but shouting across the bar was starting to get annoying.

In the middle of one of those shouting sessions though, he’d noticed something. A group of ponies about the size of their own had left a booth, and were making their way down to the dance floor. The only issue was, he didn’t want to try corralling the group into something. It just felt… off. Something Party should be doing. As it turned out, it was something he was more than happy to do once it was suggested.

“Hey, if you guys don’t plan on hitting the floor until Neon Lights is up, why don’t we grab that booth before ponies start coming back in?” The unicorn proposed to unanimous approval. He left a small note for the bartender on a napkin, nodding them towards the empty booth with their beverages in tow.

The walk served as an opportunity to mingle a bit better, but Diamond didn’t expect Coco’s cocktail glass to be hovering in front of his face, seemingly containing some sort of reflection of the cosmos in it.

“I saw you eyeing it up after I ordered, so try it. It’s a Zap-Apple Cosmo with Silklead.” Diamond eyed the drink, exchanging the beverage in his hoof with Coco’s.

“Certainly smells good. Is Silklead one of those flavored vodkas everyone likes to advertise?” The athlete inquired, inspecting the cocktail over the sound of the femcolt’s giggling.

“I forget this is your first CTS party with how cute you and Party looked out there. It’s a Zebrican cocktail mixer that’s supposed to help you feel more in tune with whoever’s best suited to hold your leash as it were.” Diamond almost couldn’t stand to meet his eyes with all the eyebrow wiggling he was seeing in his peripheral vision.

“Huh, is Zebrican stuff common at CTS parties? The Lunarch lounge had some bitters that were supposed to be based on a truth potion or whatever.”

“Oooh, you tasted some Acclarion. You’re not getting the effects though, all the stuff at the lounge doesn’t go through the distillation that makes it magical. Shame though, Acclarion and Silklead work crazy well together. I’d get a drink with some here, but I think they might’ve gotten a bad batch. My last Old fashioned was just that,” the femcolt joked.

It only took the stallion one last swirl of the drink before he took a sip, and a sizeable one at that. He wasn’t always the biggest fan of Zap-apple’s fruit punch profile, but it was balanced out by the tartness of the cranberry, and what he could only assume was the perfume of the Silklead. It was a sensation the stallion hadn’t quite felt before, but not an unwelcome one. The scent almost flowed into an indescribable emotion. He couldn’t place it at first, but the familiarity as it floated up through his head brought him somewhere. Warm and sensual, as if his steps were all predetermined by the playful tug of gossamer puppet strings.

Then something snapped him into a realization. This is where he went when he lost himself in his Love Song novels. This was Chrys being lead along on a golden chain to a velvet pillory. This was hanging off of Bitter Root’s shoulder like an evening cape, smiling in clandestine pleasure as if he was daring to get caught with his tail plug in. This was Waveform hanging onto Skytracer as he was pounded into a cloud he could fall through just as easily as his partner could stand on it. That dreamy, half-lucid state where he wanted to follow the world through to it’s inevitable conclusion.

“Wow, you must’ve really liked it to down half a glass that quickly,” Coco taunted, taking his drink back. “Liking Silklead so far?’

Diamond nodded as they headed to the table, “More than I know how to say.”

He could feel the strings pull him along, and he was happy to follow. The moment Party began scooching into the booth, he was hot on his hooves. When the stallion was finally sitting still, Diamond felt a small chill across his skin despite the heat of the room. In the moment, the only logical option was to cuddle into Party’s side, and accept the hoof that was gently draped across his shoulders.

Moments later, he started to feel it. It was like a soft glow, emanating out from his date, and warming him from the core as opposed to just the gentle heat seeping into his side from the unicorn’s body. The sparkle in the stallion’s eyes made his heart skip a beat, and it seemed as if he could tell. The smile that crossed Party’s lips was as warm as the rest of him, and seemed to be just as radiant. It lept right back to Diamond, drawing his gaze away, and making him cool down with a giggle. The moment he felt he was finished they came right back as he felt a nuzzle against his mane.

“Somepony took a sip of somepony else’s drink,” Party cooed, drawing his date in closer to snuggle more intensely.

“Mmh, not telling.” Diamond didn’t even think that his tongue sticking out couldn’t be seen, but it was even audible in the pouting tone of his voice. “And even still, so what if I did? I can handle my liquor.”

“Debatable, but something tells me that the sip you totally didn’t take may not have been of a certain other beverage?” The unicorn glanced across to the rest of the group, that was very visibly enjoying how cuddly the previously rather tense stallion had become after such a small drink.

“Mmh, news to me I guess, maybe if you hug me a little bit tighter, I’ll figure it out,” the athlete sighed, resting his hooves on the planner’s, scooching their flanks up against one another’s.

“Wow, Silklead’s certainly helping you calm down, isn’t it?” Party asked. The two stallions were now leaning against one another, propped into an equilibrium that let them relax against the other’s weight. They’d all but shifted into a spooning position, one of Diamond’s hooves propped up on the booth as the other hung lazily down onto the floor below.

“Who said anything about Silklead? I never did, and I can’t imagine anypony else had your ear,” the stallion cooed, leaning his head back against the nape of the other stallion’s neck. His muscles were relaxed for a mere moment, then a single nip on the ear left him nearly curled up into a ball.

“Well first, if anything is saying you had a nice big drink of Silklead, it’s the fact that you’re crawling all over me. You walked in here nervous about going hoof in hoof, and if it was the booze, you would’ve been all over me on the dancefloor,” the unicorn prattled off idly

“Mmhff, maybe don’t get too nippy and I’ll consider that when the next DJ starts,” Diamond’s voice held a slightly annoyed tone. Even the gentle nibble was still radiating sensation through the whole of his head. The athlete spent a few moments rubbing his ear in an attempt to relax it, but it didn’t quite seem to sort itself out. However, the moment Party’s hoof met his mane and started to rub, he absolutely melted back onto the unicorn. He felt almost no embarrassment as one of his back hooves thumped against the booth.

“And you’re acting like it too. I’ve had a few sips of Silklead myself, and I know how good it feels to get a nice petting session while finishing a cocktail. I think I’m gonna spare you the belly rubs though. Nopony would mind, but I think I want some collateral to get you through the door of the next CTS party in the area.” It took the earth pony a few moments of whimpering and gasping as Party let up from the slow deliberate circles he was tracing in his mane to figure out how to put words together into a sentence.

“I already wanted to go to the next one of these. Buck, I’d pay for airfare to Ponyville if it got me through the door again.” Diamond rubbed back into Party again, if only because the friction of their coats felt so electric, and the unicorn seemed happy to apply. Even if he wasn’t aware, the table shared more than a few excited, knowing looks amongst themselves.

“Well I think if you’ll be willing to travel that far, you won’t have terribly much time to prepare. I’d say you’d even be better off trying to join them at that rate. That would mean a whole lot of new ponies, and a whole lot of the same stuff that made you all antsy when you walked in. You really think you’d be ready for that?” Party inquired, gently poking at the crown of the Earth pony’s head for emphasis. A gesture met with a half--hearted wave of the athlete's forehoof.

“Well, if all the parties are going to be like this…” Diamond’s sentence stopped in its tracks. A passing thought occurred to him; he was far more uncomfortable than he should’ve been walking in. He couldn’t even place his hoof on why in the moment. In retrospect, that was possibly the stupidest he’d been in quite some time given how much fun he was having now, doing something that probably would’ve sent him clamoring for the exit if he was told how the night would turn out on his way in. The biggest barrier to him having fun was, quite frankly, himself. He’d had so many preconceptions about just what everything was going to be. It had taken having Party toss him in face first in order to realize what he was missing by always hanging back. Something did need to change, and it wasn’t anypony else around the table.

“Then I think I need to get over myself and just go,” Diamond stated, his hoof waving idly in the air. Party chuckled and tousled the athlete's hair for good measure. The sudden, unexpected stimulus was enough to squeeze a moan out of Diamond.

“Being that open minded about things is liable to take you places. Keep it up for the rest of the night, and I might be able to show you the after party tomorrow.” Diamond wasn’t quite sure why the table seemed to light up with chatter after that statement, as mysterious as it seemed to be. But while Party seemed to have two new mysteries for every one that was answered, it was starting to feel a whole lot more fun than frustrating. If every answer brought him to some place like this, then he never wanted to stop asking.

“Sounds like a plan,” Diamond responded, turning to face Party in his seat, their muzzles only inches apart. He could smell the unicorn’s breath drift and eddy around the curves of his muzzle, smelling ever so slightly of liquor. He looked into Party’s eyes for a few moment before he felt a gentle, silken tug to draw his head ever so slightly forward.

Even if he’d motioned into it, the party planner was the one to complete the advance, landing a few light pecks before going in and committing to a deeper kiss, coupled with a rather tight embrace. Every second the kiss lasted, Diamond felt the beat of his heart grow in his chest. He could feel his date’s pulse just as easily as his own, and the rise in its tempo drove him to keep going, and forget the world around them. Anypony could watch as far as he cared, all they would get is jealousy.

One blissful eternity later, and the two split off from one another to take a short breather. Even though Diamond still couldn’t help but shy from his friend’s gaze, he didn’t feel the need to look anywhere but at the pair of shimmering blue eyes that admired him right back. A part of him wondered how everypony else at the table reacted, but the rest of the stallion was far too wrapped up in a certain wonderful colt to care.

He easily could’ve stayed there all night, just lying chest to chest with a frizzy-haired dreamboat, losing himself to the romantic gaze that was returned to him. But that same gentle tug returned, this time to his tail. The music that had provided a hazy neon atmosphere to the first make-out session he ever enjoyed came to an unexpected crescendo, followed by cheering. The booth’s enchantment made the conversation resonate far louder than the music, but it’s sudden absence was immediately noticeable. Against his immediate wishes, he followed Party’s gaze to survey the table and floor.

“Did Pegboard just end his set early?” Coco questioned, the dancers on the floor starting to blossom back out to the tables.

“Seems like it.” Shutter answered, “I’m pretty sure that means either Vinyl or Neon plans to go a bit longer. Or maybe they’re going to do something extra cool for the finale”

“Cooler than what Vinyl had planned for this little sock hop? Doubt it,” Firewire declared, starting to scoot out of the booth.

“Well then master, who let you in on this little dossier of insider information?” Scarlet responded as she landed on her hooves.

“Yours truly,” Fridis revealed. “I happened to mention to Fire that a few of the boys from AV nabbed the certain rock from the consulate, and he had it pegged to be brought here almost as soon as I’d shut my mouth.”

“A rock?’ Diamond inquired, heading for the dance floor.

“I’d love to answer… but if it really is here, something tells me you’d be more excited seeing it than hearing about it.” Fridis’ muzzle held a coy smile that made it clear nothing more would be divulged.

“Trust me D, if it’s what I think it is, it’s absolutely going to be worth the hype,” Party interjected, drawing the athlete's gaze in the other direction. Diamond was still curious, but the unicorn’s comment was just enough to make him wait. By the time the athlete bothered to scan his surroundings, the group was almost to the dance floor. He’d been so wrapped up in the company, that he hardly noticed time passing at all. He didn’t have to find something to do like he used to at clubs. Going along with the flow of events felt so much better.