My Little Pony: Primordial Attractions

Chapters

Prologue: The Mark of a Dinosaur
Chapter One: Meet Autumn
Chapter Two: Dancing Like a Pro
Chapter Three: The Dapper Dance

Prologue: The Mark of a Dinosaur

Author's Note

This chapter is REALLY going to contradict a lot that is discussed in Jurassic Park... But PLEASE, try not to look into it too much. This story was written for fun, bear in mind, and will raise several questions about the canon story of Jurassic Park and The Lost World.

Blade Dancer belongs to Mlp_BladeDancer. on FIMfiction, and no, she is not the Blade Dancer from Tarbtano's The Bridge.

Prologue: The Mark of a Dinosaur

-Terra, 1996, 120 Miles West of Costa Rica-

A tropical storm was brewing, claps of thunder and flashes of lightning flaring above as hurricane worthy gales of wind violently lashed at the ground and trees. Large flying animals, some with 30 foot wingspans, shrieked and cawed as they shielded their young from the rain and wind.

Below, in the large valley, massive animals long thought to be extinct bellowed into the night, long necks peering out above the canopies of tall trees. Other animals, bipedal monsters with slashing claws or tremendously sized jaws, roared out in panic as lightning struck the wet grass that grew upon the valley floor.

Amidst this panic, a mother crouched low over her two hatchlings, a rumbling groan leaking from her throat as she flexed miniscule arms in anticipation. Her young squeaked in fear, though the calls were barely audible over the sounds of shifting foliage and a throaty bellow. The mother Tyrannosaurus rex shifted her head up and stared into the darkness of the forest. Growling slightly, she ducked her large skull and nudged the babies, beckoning them to remain quiet.

Rising to her full height, the mother tyrannosaur peeled back her lips to expose long teeth that glinted in the light of each lightning flash, a menacing growl escaping her throat.

A similar growl emerged from the forest growth before an animal shrouded in shadow trudged forward. Another flash of lightning exposed not one, but two animals, each 25 feet long and armed with jaws lined with serrated teeth. The pair of Metriacanthosaurus stomped forward, circling around the mother tyrannosaur with predatory intent visible in their eye and actions.

The Tyrannosaurus growled lowly, instantly shifting into a battle stance with her head low, legs apart, and back hunched slightly. Her young, fully aware of the danger present, fell dead silent as the two metriacanthosaurids circled her, claws splayed and jaws wide.

It was in that moment that the mother was aware that one of her foes had trained its eyes on her hatchlings, seemingly ignoring the larger theropod protecting them.

Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as the tyrannosaur whipped around and lurched forward, jaws wide as her adversary reeled back with an alarmed shriek. In an act of instinctive self defense, the Metriacanthosaurus swung its talons at its foe, three long claws raking across her face and spilling deep crimson ichors. The mother howled in pain as she fell back, only to feel a vice packed with teeth slam down on her thigh.

Not keen on giving in to defeat, she swung around and slammed her heavily built jaws down on the dinosaur's top jaw, crushing the brow ridges and brain under the force. Though one foe was now dead, the other was still in perfect health.

Using the tyrannosaur's victim as a distraction, the remaining Metriacanthosaurus clambered up onto the theropod's spine before its jaws crunched down on her neck, spilling more blood.

Bellowing in pain, anger, and panic, the Tyrannosaurus swung her head in an attempt to escape the dinosaur's grasp. She had just managed to do so, stomping down on the dazed animal's skull and crushing it under her multi-ton weight, when the crack of lightning bellowed above and struck the animal's body, sending a jolt of energy that overwhelmed her senses into the tyrannosaur's body and instantly killing her.

As the body of a tyrant queen collapsed, another flash of light rang from overhead before a swirling funnel cloud materialized in the sky, neon hues of red, blue, and green enveloping its form as the twister traveled across the landscape. In that instant, the small tyrannosaur hatchlings were pulled into the vortex of wind and energy alongside a medium sized theropod with meat hooks caping each finger and a long, bird-like neck. The animal shrieked and squaked in fear as it was tossed around like a ragdoll before promptly slamming into the two small tyrannosaur's and knocking them unconscious...

-Ponyville, Equestria-

The rain had been pounding against the slated roofs of Ponyville's homes for hours now, the power having long since gone dead as a result. Wind eerily howled as earth stallion and pegasus mare Flame and Frost Dancer huddled together in front of the living room fireplace, simply enjoying each other's company until the storm had passed.

"Damn weather," Flame grumbled, running a hoof through his fiery red and orange mane as his eye twitched in annoyance. It had been the boom of thunder that woke the couple in the middle of the night. And it would seem, at least at the time, that it showed no sign of letting up either, as the thunder only continued to clash through the night.

Frost Dancer was, more or less, feeling the same, though not as heavily affected by it as her husband was. She was an actress, so her sleep hours were fairly irregular anyhow. "It could be worse," the pegasus murmured, leaning closer to the earth pony with a sheepish smile. "You did say it would be nice if we could spend more time together... Think of this as an opportunity."

Flame was about to acknowledge, a smile on his face at her reassuring words, when a loud thud on the roof interrupted his train of thought. Both ponies shared a look of confusion before the loud booming roar of thunder gave its opinion. "Stay here," Flame Dancer muttered, rising to his hooves to retrieve a flashlight and umbrella.

Frost remained in her seat for a moment as the front door swung open and slammed shut, the beam of a light visible through a window before it vanished. About ten minutes later, multiple bangs on the door startled her. With a gasp, the mare leaped from her seat and approached the front door before she reopened it.

In stumbled Flame Dancer, carrying a small figure in the crook of both arms. Frost Dancer swifty moved out of his way as Flame tossed his flashlight aside. "Grab a couple towels, please!" Flame ordered. "Before they catch a cold."

Frost was unable to respond as she rapidly moved to the bathroom and retrieved said towels.

Upon returning, Flame Dancer grabbed a towel and quickly wrapped one shape into a bundle whilst gingery moving the other to his wife. "Hold her," he said softly, gingerly working to dry off the shape he held.

At receiving the filly, Frost's face morphed from shock to a motherly joy. The filly was an earth colored unicorn, with a light brown coat and a darker brown mane and tail. As the tiny foal blinked, Frost could see that her eyes were a beautiful shade of aquamarine. Oddly, though, the filly's chest was a darker shade of brown as were a set of stripes that ran down her spinal column and a bony nasal ridge. Looking to her husband, Frost noticed an equally befuddled look across Flame's face.

"Flame, Dear?"

The earth stallion didn't answer immediately, too busy looking over the yawning foal in his arms. "Her teeth... They're... sharp," he exclaimed with surprise evident in the way he spoke. Looking down at the small unicorn he held, Frost did indeed notice that her teeth were caped with a tiny point.

The pegasus mare cocked a confused brow, looking down at the filly that she was currently holding. Gently, as not to harm the child, she pulled back part of her lip to see that her teeth were also minuscule, recurved isosceles triangles.

In a small fit at the contact, the filly uttered a tiny, high pitched growl and bared said teeth, eliciting a flabbergasted expression from the mare holding her.

"Whose kids are these and why are they out in the middle of a storm?" Frost asked, more to herself than anypony, her surprise at the 'attack' waning as she spoke. Hardly a second had passed after the question was asked when Flame Dancer uttered a surprised yelp.

Whipping to face her husband, Frost had to withhold a laugh at the sight for a moment before realizing what was happening. Dangling from his outstretched arm was the broken-horned filly. What caught Frost's attention was the way that she was positioned. Rather than holding onto the stallion's arm for dear life, the foal was holding his arm in her jaws, a small vice packed with teeth that thrashed her body like a fish out of water occasionally.

Uttering a gasp, the pegasus gingerly placed her bundle on the couch before diligently working to pry the filly off of him. It wasn't easy, for her grip was strong. Eventually, Frost the mare managed to pull the jaws apart and free Flame's arm, though it didn't go without bloodshed on the stallion's part.

"Damn!" Flame exclaimed, noticing the puncture marks that lined his arm, blood weakly dribbling from the bite as Frost placed the filly beside her less aggressive counterpart.

"Oh my gosh!" Frost gasped, trotting to the bathroom to retrieve a washcloth and hydrogen peroxide. Upon returning, she pulled her spouse closer and let a small amount of the disinfectant soak into the cloth before dabbing at the bite marks with said cloth. The healing remedy fizzled slightly on contact, drawing out a slight grimace from Flame, before it died down and the bleeding stopped.

After all was said and done, husband and wife turned to face the fillies, smiles crossing their faces at the sight of two foals snuggled up beside each other.

"What're we going to do? we don't know whose kids these are," Frost noted, looking up to Flame with slight concern etched across her muzzle.

The earth pony sighed. "I dunno," he replied with a shrug, putting his good arm across Frost's shoulders. "Suppose we put up a few signs around the neighbourhood, see if anypony's missing a couple of fillies. If we don't find anything in a month or so, we could claim the rights to keep them, I guess," Flame assured her, noticing the tear developing in her eye. With their only child, Blade Dancer, already having moved out and gaining a job as a royal guard for Princess Celestia, Frost had been wanting another child for years. The stallion knew that much, at least. "Hey... I'll see what I can do, okay?"

"Okay," Frost murmured with a slightly forced smile, wiping the tear away with a light hearted chuckle.

-Seven Weeks Later-

Frost and Flame Dancer walked down the streets towards their home in Ponyville, a pair of fillies asleep in the wagon pulled behind the stallion of the duo. Warm smiles were shared and the couple were now the foster parents parents of Autumn and Rexy. As it had turned out, the two foals weren't even initially ponies. It was noted during a blood test, in order to find their parents, that amphibian DNA filled in the presumed holes of an unknown gene sequence.

At the time, it was written off as an impossibility, and that the pair were simply a hybrid of a unicorn and kirin. But as the behavior of a predator became visible, several theories were being worked on.

One theory was not far from The Fly. A teleportation mishap resulted in the mutation of fillies to make a dragon-pony. This was written off as absurd and soon made way for the idea that extinct animals were revived, where amphibian DNA was used to fill in the gaps in each strand. The cause of a transformation from animal to equine was still in the works, but this theory seemed the best explanation at the time of its reveal.

Regardless, parents Frost and Flame weren't about to let a couple silly hypothesis ruin the joy of adopting.

If only the scientists in question knew how close they were to discovering the truth of these otherworldy siblings.

Nonetheless, as time went on, the theories were forgotten as Autumn and Rexy grew.

As Autumn grew, so did her success and personality... Autumn was successful, humorous, and beautiful. Almost every good quality, it would seem, was apparent in her personality. She was smart, unafraid of showing her feelings, and, though popular, very kind to nearly anypony she meets. She was, however, completely intolerant of bullies and those who wanted to be with her for sex. She is highly sought after by many stallions and mares alike, much like her older adoptive sister, Blade Dancer. Though beautiful, here weight is purely muscle, making her stronger than even some of Celestia's guard in terms of muscle.

Rexy, on the other hoof, more or less remained consistent in terms of personality, though her weight and muscle mass increased. She was intolerant of... nearly everypony. She was also slightly aggressive and highly sarcastic, having developed a chip on her shoulder as a result of living in her sister's shadow. Rexy can be incredibly dense at times, confused as to why somepony would even try to seek her, as rare as it is. Unlike her sister, who's muscle is more stealthy and inconspicuous, Rexy's muscle is knotted and clearly visible, making her feared by some. Rightfully so, considering her matching, foreboding personality.

Chapter One: Meet Autumn

-Canterlot High School, Three Days Before the Mane Event-

Dapper Alan Jolt walked alongside his friends, Falcon Wing and Wolf Heart, on their way to class as they jested and laughed at the jokes that they shared with each other. “Ey!” Dapper laughed at a particularly clever pun involving Darth Vader asking a dog jedi to join the ‘Bark Side.’

Falcon Wing deadpanned and shook his head, joining Wolf Heart in his actions. “Dapper! This is why I have some drink in my caffeine instead of the other way around!” he joked with his friend, throwing a hoof to the sky above as Dapper Jolt clapped his hooves and pointed at his friend with a wink.

“Oof,” Wolf Heart laughed, her lips curled up in a joyful smile as another mare gently pushed by the trio.

“Scuse me,” she muttered, looking over her shoulder as she made her way to a locker, brushing her tail up against the blue maned pegasus stallion’s legs in the process.

Dapper Jolt’s eyes popped out and his jaw dropped, his view trailing along her well toned form. One could practically see the hearts flying from his head before popping a few feet above him. This was only exaggerated when the unicorn in question winked at the white and blue pegasus.

Falcon Wing stifled back a burst of laughter as Wolf Heart deadpanned upon seeing her friend’s starry eyed expression. With a chuckle, the hat-bearing teenager lifted a hoof and clapped Dapper Jolt’s jaw shut. “C’mon, Dapper, she’s way outta your league. Let’s go find somepony pathetic for you to flirt with.”

The pegasus leaned back on his haunches and crossed his arms, glaring at his friend. “I gotta go say something to her!” Lowering his voice, he spoke again. “She winked at me,” he said. “Besides, who would say no to dheese guns,” Dapper finished, flexing a bicep.

“What guns?” Falcon Wing grinned, drawing another laugh out of Wolf Heart.

Dapper Jolt, on the other hoof, feigned a hurt expression, his wings dropping by his sides. “STUPID, BABY!” he shouted in a russian accent akin to a heavily-armed character in Falcon Wing’s favorite game, throwing his hooves and motioning the stallion. This drew a few confused glances to the trio that caused a nervous smile to cross Falcon Wing’s face. Dropping the accent, he continued. “I’m going to talk to her,” he said, boldly stumping towards the mare with a determined look upon his face.

“HOLD IT!!” Wolf Heart blurted, snatching Dapper Jolt by the wing and yanking him back. “Before you go off bragging what a good artist you are to somepony you hardly know, you need to know a couple things about the art of flirting,” the winged unicorn said, staring firmly into his eyes.

“What?! Why?”

“Do you want a marefriend, or not?” Wolf Heart flatlined, adjusting her glasses.

The pegasus sighed. “Yes,” he groaned, rolling his eyes.

“Then listen,” she said, playfully whapping her friend’s snout with a wing. “Mare’s don’t want a guy just for his muscles and dick… Well, unless the mare’s a slut… But that doesn’t matter. They want a stallion who’ll emote, show some emotion, show her that you’re a funny guy,” she chuckled. “I know you’re capable of that considering all of the puns that you know.”

Dapper Jolt puffed his chest in a prideful manner.

Wolf Heart rolled her eyes. “Try to talk about something that she might be interested in. Godzilla’s cool and all, but how many mare’s do you know that like Godzilla like you do? Excluding your grandmother!”

“Well… I… know… a lot, actually," he answered in an unsure manner.

Wolf Heart shot the stallion a skeptical glance.

“OKAY, so I don’t know any mares that like Godzilla like I do, so what?!” he barked, scrunching his nose and crossing his arms in a pout.

“If that’s the case, ask her a few questions, see what she’s interested in. If you think she’s into you, then you can ask one or two questions about what her favorite dinosaur is or what if she’s ever seen a lot of the Godzilla movies. If she tells you she likes to draw, show her a couple of her drawings in a way that won’t seem overly prideful or braggish,” the mare explained.

“Roasted,” Falcon Wing whispered into Dapper’s ear, eliciting a flat expression from his friend.

“You, shut up,” he grumbled.

Wolf Heart looked up at the stallion with reflective yellow feathers. “You’re not helping his case,” she said before looking to Dapper and putting a hoof onto his shoulder. “Kick gum and chew ass, okay?” she grinned before turning and pushing the stallion towards the busy unicorn.

The pegasus looked over his shoulder skeptically, receiving a waving hoof to beckon him forward from Wolf Heart and a inquisitive grin from Falcon.

Sighing, the weird stallion pushed himself forward, his heart pounding in his ears. He had never once tried to get a marefriend, though lots of ponies, namely his family, were shocked that he’d never had one. Brushing up the courage, the stallion approached the striped unicorn and replaced his worried frown with a kind smile, oblivious to how shaky his steps were.

When he had finally gotten within ten feet of the mare, he froze and found himself staring at her flank, though hating himself for doing it.

His musings were cut off by a feminine voice. “Enjoying the view,” the unicorn said, swiveling her head slightly and casting the stallion a cursory smile.

“Huh? What?! I… You… N-no, I mean, yes? I… RGH!!” Dapper Jolt blurted as he jerked to attention, babbling like an idiot in an attempt to formulate an intelligent response. His wings stuck up in a rigid stance and his eyes were the size of dinner plates in embarrassment. The stallion laughed nervously, cheeks bright red as he waved a dismissive hoof.

The unicorn giggled before lifting a hoof to hush the stallion. “Don’t worry about it, you’re not the first, and you won’t be the last,” she assured him, closing her eyes and dipping her head. Opening her eyes, she paused at the familiarity of the pegasi’s blue mane and tail, and similarly colored wing feathers, his gun-metal rimmed glasses glinting slightly in the light of the canopy window above them. “You’re in one of my classes, aren’t you?” she asked, lifting a quizzical brow.

“I don’t know,” Dapper Jolt grimaced. “I don’t usually pay attention to the other students of my class.”

“Well… Name’s Autumn Dancer… And your’s iiiiiis, Dapp-er Jolt, right?” she queried, extending a hoof for the stallion.

Regaining his composure, the stallion grinned anxiously. “That’s me, Weirdo Extraordinaire!” Dapper Jolt chuckled, taking her hoof as he gave her features a once over.

Aside from the aforementioned, attractive hips, Autumn was of quite a large build compared to other mares of the same age, though her weight looked more like dense, evenly distributed muscle than it did ‘chub’. Her medium length, well groomed mane and tail were an additionally medium shade of brown, where the fringes were tinged with violet. This purple seemed to be her preferred color theme, as her eyelids and hooves were painted with that same shade. Her horn was robust like her form, and she possessed a bony nasal ridge unlike any pony short of a kirin. Another oddity was her dark brown chest and belly, which looked like scales, and her similarly shaded stripes. The rest of her body was brown too, though it was a lighter shade than her stripes. Autumn’s face was freckled slightly and her eyes were a beautiful shade of aquamarine, a short fang sticking out of her top lip. Her cutie mark was the most baffling part of her, being what looked like a backwards, lowercase ‘q’ with a thin red line being encompassed by the letter’s outline.

As he looked her over, Dapper Jolt almost didn’t hear her clear her throat. “Huh, what?” he spluttered, blinking in rapid succession before looking up.

“You okay? You kinda zoned out,” Autumn said quizzically, cocking a brow asymmetrically as he released her hoof.

“Fine! I’m fine, just kinda… confused,” he replied finally.

“It’s the scales and cutie-mark, isn’t it,” the unicorn mare said flatly.

The stallion nodded. “You remind me of some kind of kirin, sans the kirin tail and hooves,” he said thoughtfully, rubbing the stubble of his chin deep in though.

“I get that a lot. As for the cutie-mark, I don’t know what that is. Always wondered how I got it, considering it’s kind of common knowledge that the letter ‘q’ is in the alphabet. Nothing special about that,” she said with a chuckle, rolling her eyes slightly. Looking at the stallion and remembering his name, she also remembered an attribute she heard often about the pegasus with a top hat and mustache cutie-mark. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but aren’t you that stallion in the drawing class who’s always drawing Godzilla and dinosaurs?” she questioned.

Dapper Jolt grimaced. “You know about that?”

“Yeah, so what? I think that your art style is quite nice. Could you expand? Sure, everypony can improve. But it’s nice to know that somepony out there still cares about the dinosaurs,” Autumn smiled softly, giving the stallion a playful punch on the shoulder.

Dapper grinned at her words, used to receiving criticism for his interests from not only acquaintances, but occasionally friends and family. “You think so?”

The unicorn smirked at his demeanor. “Yeah. Nice quality to not just be interested in sports and sex, right?”

“Tell me about it. I sit at a lunch table where all I hear is somepony bragging about how big their dick is or something retarded like that,” Dapper grumbled flatly, rolling his eyes with hint of disgust lacing his tone. “I really wish that I could freaking eat my lunch without hearing BS like that, y’know what I mean?” he said, his voice hinting at a bit of animosity towards the subject.

Autumn sighed and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, that would be nice. I’ll let you in on a little secret, it can be a bit of a curse to look like I do. It’d be real nice to be with a stallion who wanted me for me and not my ass,” she said whilst shaking her head in disappointment.

“I feel the same way. I’ve never been in a relationship, but I want to be in one with somepony who doesn’t mind how weird I am or my interests in Godzilla,” Dapper muttered, dipping his head. None-too-pleasant memories of being made fun of for that exact reason swam in his vision as he spoke.

“I’m sure you’ll find that ‘special somepony’, being as cute as you are,” she smiled softly before closing her locker door with a metallic click.

The stallion felt his cheeks warming slightly as Autumn hefted a saddlebag with a smile. “Thanks… I can only hope that you’re right,” Dapper Jolt said with a shrug before a stray piece of advice from a friend crossed his mind. “Hey, Autumn… What did Darth Vader say to the jedi dog?” he asked her with a grin.

The unicorn mulled over the thought for a moment before replying. “I don’t know, what did he say?”

“‘You do not know the power of the Bark Side.’ Eh, eeeh… Y-you get it?” he jested, nudging her shoulder with his elbow and wagging his eyebrows.

Autumn managed to keep composure for a whole three seconds before starting to laugh, holding a hoof to her snout to keep from snorting. After another moment, she acknowledged him. “That’s a good one. Where’d you hear that?” she chuckled, lifting a brow.

The pegasus stallion tapped his temple with a hoof before he motioned to ask another question. “Hey... Um uh, Autumn? I was curious to know if… if maybe you wanted to sit with me for lunch sometime?” Dapper stammered, a tinge of hope visible upon his face.

“Hmm… I’ll think about it. You seem nice enough and it would give me the chance to know the the school’s quote unquote ‘weirdo’,” the unicorn told him, putting emphasis on the last part with her hooves. “But I don’t know how my SSP would respond,” Autumn said with a grimace. “If not, we could still be friends though, right?”

“Oh… Sure,” Dapper Jolt shrugged, his ears falling slightly. Another day, another mare the stallion liked who was already in a relationship. Dapper turned as the bell rang for students to get to class, his friends having patiently waited to see how things would go.

Autumn stopped the pegasus. “Hey, hold on,” she said, grabbing him by the shoulder.

Dapper Jolt swung around, taken by surprise when the mare pressed her lips to his cheek.

“Keep in touch, okay?” the unicorn mare said, tapping Jolt’s snout with her hoof in a manner not far removed from what Wolf Heart would do.

“Okay,” the stallion smiled as a trio of mare’s and a stallion approached the unicorn and beckoned her to them, looking like a classic example of the stereotypical popular. It didn’t take long for Dapper Jolt to put two and two together and realize that all of Autumn’s friends were probably snobs.

Autumn glanced over her shoulder to see the stallion returning to his own friends, a strongly built pegasus stallion and blue, winged unicorn mare. A soft smile crossed her lips and her cheeks flushed slightly before she turned back to her own friends.

“How’d it go?” Wolf Heart practically blurted as Dapper Jolt advanced towards her and Falcon Wing, a wide grin upon her face.

Dapper deadpanned. “One, she’s a popular, and two, she’s already seeing somepony,” the stallion answered disappointedly. Before either of his friends could utter words of sympathy, Dapper spoke again. “But hey, it’s all hunky dory because she wants to be my friend,” he said sarcastically.

“Well, it’s a start, at least, right?” Wolf said in an attempt to reassure him.

“Yeah, sure,” Dapper said, shrugging it off like nothing and making an attempt at returning to his classic joking manner. “Besides,” he said with a grin. “I got a friend in me!” the pegasus continued in a sing-songy voice before squatting down, crossing his forearms, and kicking his back legs forward in a dance Falcon Wing recognized as the Kazotsky Kick.

The gold winged pegasus started laughing before pulling out his phone and playing the music that was supposed to correspond with Dapper’s dance moves. Before long, he had joined his friend laughing… well, as best he could considering he didn’t practice dancing like a russian in his spare time.

“You guys are so weird,” Wolf Heart laughed whilst shaking her head before moving off towards her class so that she wouldn’t be considered tardy.

-Later that Day, Lunch-

Dapper Jolt was dealing with it again. He was sitting at a lunch table gritting his teeth as he listened to a bunch of assholes obsessing over some of the last topics that should be spoken of during a time when ponies are supposed to be enjoying a meal with their friends.

Oh, these ‘friends’ of mine, he thought to himself, unzipping his lazily discarded saddlebag and pulling his drawing binder from the largest pocket. With a silent growl, he pulled a pencil out of his sweatshirt pocket and began to doodle the outline of a Tyrannosaurus rex in motion. The stallion mulled over his thoughts for a moment, chewing his eraser before putting the lead to the paper and sketching out the arms and legs of the dinosaur. A smile began to cross his face as he transitioned to the tail and hips, images of a fierce predator moving through prehistoric underbrush crossing his vision.

Artwork was one of Dapper Jolt’s few ways to get away from it all, his responsibilities, socialization, everything that he wasn’t feeling up to. It was his fantasy world, where he could draw what he wanted without criticism for how he illustrated or what he illustrated.

As one of the tyrannosaur’s feet became discernible amongst the sea of white, Dapper Jolt’s thoughts transitioned to Autumn, his brows furrowing of their own accord and his smile disappearing. He hardly knew this mare, and yet he felt like he did. He felt as though they had connected.

Lifting his head from the dinosaur, Dapper Jolt scanned the lunchroom in the hopes of finding who he was looking for amongst the ponies. A smile crossed his face as another’s became visible. Rising to his hooves, Dapper approached Autumn with a smile.

The broken horned mare looked over her work as she chewed a fish stick, a sigh leaking from her nose in despair. None of this algebra bull crap was understandable to Rexy. If anything, the only thing she was good at around math was getting angry at how she didn’t understand it. The high school junior grumbled to herself as she furiously ran an eraser over the page she had been working on before tossing said eraser aside and chomping down on another fish stick, slumping back in her seat with a deep exhale.

Rexy was often referred to as ‘Autumn’s twin sister gone wrong’. Autumn was known for a gorgeous, yet muscular form that was a desire to most stallions. She was smart, successful, and beautiful. Rexy was the other side of the coin. Though slightly more muscular than her sibling, this muscle wasn’t what stallion’s looked for. They wanted something delicate, and Rexy was most definitely not delicate. She was also aggressive, and at times a little dense.

Upon hearing approaching hoofsteps, the mare looked up from her work to see a blue maned pegasus approaching her with a smile. Upon seeing the foreboding expresion upon Rexy’s face, the stallion shied away slightly. “What do you want?” she growled in hostility.

“I’m sorry, I thought you were Autumn,” he said, his cheeks flushing as he took a step back. “Do you know where she is?”

Rexy rolled her eyes. “Of course you want Autumn, every stallion wants Autumn. Nobody cares about her sister, do they?” she grumbled before pointing at a table across the cafeteria.

“Thanks, I guess… Have a good one?” the pegasus replied, unsure how to react. He’d never seen this mare before… That said, he’d never really paid any attention to Autumn in the classes that they shared.

The mare in question rolled her eyes with an irritated snort before taking another crack at continuing her school work.

Upon nearly reaching the table directed to him, Dapper Jolt froze in his tracks with a frown as he beheld the sight. Autumn was sitting beside a heavily built earth stallion, boasting whilst placing an arm around the unicorn, who seemed a tad irritated at his demeanor. The stallion, Dapper could instantly recognize as one that he’d had to deal with since elementary school; Base Runner.

Base Runner and Dapper Jolt had never gotten along in the past. In a ‘friendly’ game of recess soccer, Dapper Jolt managed to get the ball, where Base Runner promptly acquainted his hoof with Dapper’s face. Needless to say, the pegasus tried to avoid the stallion best he could. In a situation such as this, he typically would’ve walked away, but Dapper noticed how unamused Autumn appeared and gathered the courage to stand up to his life-long bully.

Upon his approach, Autumn turned her head and swiveled an ear, a soft smile crossing her face at his ideal timing in the situation.

Unfortunately, Base Runner also turned, a glare upon his face at seeing the blue maned pegasus. His glare soon transitioned into something a bit ‘friendlier.’ A smile replaced foreboding and for a moment, Dapper actually thought that Runner might lighten up. His mistake, for when the pegasus mustered the bravery to walk up to him and try a polite smile, the earth stallion spoke. “LOOK! It’s Godzilla!” he laughed with wide eyes, feigning shock as he pointed across the cafeteria.

Dapper Jolt’s expression dropped like a fly, his wings sagging by his sides as a leer crossed his face. “Good to see you too Base,” he grumbled.

“I never said it was good to see you,” the athletic student barked back, crossing his arms and leaning back on his haunches.

Autumn interjected, stepping between the two stallions as they seemingly squared off against one another. She turned to Base Runner, jabbing a hoof at his chest with a glare that demanded his respect. “Knock it off,” she snapped in his face. “Learn a bit of respect, not just towards him but others as well. I, for one, don’t appreciate being bragged about like I’m some kind of possession of yours,” the unicorn mare growled, standing eye level with the taller stallion.

Base Runner glared at the mare momentarily before fixing his eyes on Dapper Jolt. “You be careful,” he said, his voice low and threatening. “She’s mine.” With that, the earth stallion took a seat at the table he had been and returning to his conversation with his friends.

Dapper Jolt grimaced as Autumn approached him, not wanting to hurt her feelings with unleashing his opinion of her SSP. Unable to constrain himself, the words just came out. “Seriously?! Why him?! He’s an asshat!” he chastised, gesturing towards the stallion in question.

“I know he is. But try getting out of a relationship involving a whole lot of guilt tripping,” she explained while retaining a flat expression. “And abuse.”

The pegasi’s ears fell flat at the words. “Oh… I didn’t realize,” he said guiltily, dropping his gaze away from Autumn’s eyes with a frown. “Hence the whole ‘winking at me’ thing?” Dapper Jolt asked hesitantly, lifting his view slightly. A disappointed sigh leaked from his nose, both in sympathy for Autumn’s current predicament, and guilt for his jumping to conclusions.

“Always on the look-out for somepony to step into that cocky prick’s horseshoes,” the unicorn said with a shrug. “So… where were you sitting?” she then asked, her view roving over the cafeteria’s many tables.

“Over there,” Dapper acknowledged, pointing at the table that seated Falcon Wing, Wolf Heart, and a few of his other friends.

Autumn smiled at the sight, seeing the ponies at the table laughing and sharing each other’s company. “Lead the way.”

“Alright,” the pegasus shrugged, his mood lifting at her words. Upon reaching the table, Falcon Wing dropped what he was saying and turned to face the duo, a wide grin crossing his face as Dapper Jolt pulled up a seat for the heavily built unicorn that was with him.

Another pony, a unicorn stallion inhaled sharply at the sight and reeled back. “Oh my GOD!! Dapper Jolt has a real-life sentient marefriend!” Jackpot Ace blurted as Wolf Heart jabbed an elbow at his torso. The stallion yelped in slight pain before looking up and noticing just how flushed the two in question were.

“She’s dating,” Dapper Jolt grimaced as Autumn cocked a brow. “Sort of?”

“Why is she here then?!” the pony hollered, throwing his hooves to the sky above. “She isn’t cheating, is she?”

“JACKPOT!” Wolf snapped, grabbing the stallion by the ear. “Stahp… You’re clearly embarrassing both of them,” she scolded, pointing at the wide eyed expressions that Autumn and Dapper Jolt wore. “And no, she’s not cheating… That I know of… But regardless!”

The unicorn stallion winced before patting his friend’s arm in a submissive manner. “Okay, okay! Uncle!” he cringed before Wolf Heart released his ear.

Another mare, fairly short and wearing a pair of glasses looked to Dapper Jolt’s newfound friend with a smile. “You’re so gorgeous!” the wavy haired earth mare cooed, eliciting a blush from Autumn. Smiling, Flute Melody continued. “He’s a lucky stallion to know you.”

“Um, did you just assume his gender?” Jackpot interjected, gesturing towards Dapper Jolt.

Autumn turned to Dapper with a baffled expression as to what was happening. The pegasus responded with a shrug. “Ya get used to it after a while,” he said with a grin before turning to his other friends. “Anywho, this is Autumn,” Dapper said whilst clearing his throat. “Autumn, you haven’t been formally introduced, but this is Wolf Heart, Falcon Wing, Flute Melody, Shadow Blade, and… Jackpot,” the pegasus said as he gestured to them, his expression flatlining as he gestured to the unicorn stallion.

A stray thought crossed Wolf Heart’s mind as she ushered a kind smile and wave to Autumn. “Wait,” she said, furrowing a brow. “What do you mean she’s ‘sort of’ dating? I thought that you said she was dating earlier?” the winged unicorn queried, a frown crossing her lips.

Before Dapper Jolt could answer Wolf Heart’s question, the unicorn mare acknowledged. “It’s a bit complicated, but the stallion that I’m with… He’s more than a little abusive,” Autumn said with a grimace, her ears swiveling back slightly. She didn’t know why she was telling these ponies that she’d just met everything about her personal life, but doing so seemed to chip away at the emotional mountain off of her back. Base Runner had seemed a nice stallion when she’d first met him, but as she got to see his true colors and wanted to leave him, he wouldn’t stand for it.

“Abusive?” Jackpot frowned, calming to a slightly more sympathetic manner than Autumn had seen earlier. The mare that he was currently crushing on was in a similar predicament as Autumn. “That’s not cool.”

“He only wants me for… this,” the unicorn clarified, gesturing towards herself. “He’s not interested in personality.”

In spite of the situation, Falcon Wing nudged Dapper Jolt’s shoulder and wiggled his eyebrows. Apparently, Jackpot shared Falcon’s sentiment, for he looked back and forth between Autumn and the blue maned pegasus with a grin.

“No! Stop it,” Dapper Jolt said with a nervous laugh.

“Yeah… Stop. You should know better,” Shadow Blade chastised hesitantly before coughing into his arm and saying something incoherent amongst his feigned hacking.

Autumn looked to Dapper Jolt and cocked a brow, her lips flat. “Y’know what… You seemed like a nice guy, but I’m not so sure about some of the ponies that you call ‘friend,’” the mare said before rising to her hooves to move away from the table.

“What?! No! Hold on, please!” the pegasus called after her, jumping from his seat and putting a hoof to her shoulder.

Autumn whipped around with a glare that murdered any protests that had been developing in Dapper Jolt’s throat.

The stallion shied away from her with a guilt-ridden frown before he returned to his seat, the table having gone silent. “Fantastic,” he muttered, resting his chin on the tabletop and letting his wings drop.

Wolf Heart frowned as she shifted her gaze from the pegasus to Autumn, that frown soon turning into a glare. “I’ll be right back,” the teenage mare said sternly, pushing her chair back as she rose to her hooves. Flute Melody elected not to follow her, seeing as Dapper Jolt wasn’t as close a friend to herself as Wolf was. And this matter, for whatever reason, seemed to concern Dapper.

Wolf Heart, meanwhile, stumped off towards Autumn with a firm expression that belied her typically chipper and jesting demeanor. Upon seeing her reproaching the table that she was presumed to have been originally sitting at, Wolf leapt forward and snatched the unicorn by the arm.

Base Runner didn’t have the chance to react before, with surprising strength, the sky blue mare pulled Autumn away from him and the cafeteria, dragging the unicorn mare all the way to the mare’s bathroom.

“Okay… What’s the deal?” Autumn snapped as she yanked away from the winged unicorn with a growl.

Wolf Heart leaned back on her haunches and impatiently tapped a hoof, crossing her arms. “What’s the deal?! Do you have any idea how long he’s been looking for the right mare?! Every… Single… One… that he’s ever had his eyes on already has that Special Somepony in their life. I, of all ponies, would know… I was one of ‘em! You know how I know that?! Because he told me,” she snapped, stabbing a hoof at Autumn’s chest to annunciate the fact.

“What’s your point?” the unicorn growled in a manner very unlady-like, especially for her.

“My point?” Wolf Heart wore a hurt expression on her face. “Is your head lodged where it is for warmth? He clearly likes you. And if you’re not going to give him a chance because of the company that he keeps, then there is something severely wrong with you.” Having let her anger out, Wolf Heart sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head. “At least give him a chance. If things between you and that stallion really aren’t working out like you say, than I’m sure you can afford to do at least that,” the mare said.

Wolf Heart looked upon her handiwork for a moment, seeing Autumn’s surprise, before rising to her hooves and exiting the bathroom to return to her friends.

Autumn was frozen in place by Wolf Heart’s words for a moment, feeling touched by what she had been told, save for the part about her head. After another minute, she sighed, regaining her composure before also leaving the mare’s room and returning to the cafeteria.

Wolf Heart took a seat next to Dapper Jolt with a huff, brushing a lock of her long mane out of her eyes before smiling at the pegasus, electing to ignore the confused expression swiftly materializing across his muzzle. “What… did you say?” he asked with wide eyes whilst tucking his drawing binder back into his green and black saddlebag.

“Ask her,” Falcon Wing interjected, pointing to the cafeteria doorway towards a striped unicorn as she made her way to a lone table.

“Enough to make her see,” Wolf acknowledged with a nod. “Now then, this Friday is the Mane Event, and from what I understand, Autumn is probably not going to want to go to the dance with that asshole that she’s already seeing,” she explained.

Dapper Jolt didn’t have to take long to put two and two together. “What? No, no, HELL no!! No! I… No! I can’t dance to save my life, or my sister’s! Let alone dance with a mare!”

Almost everypony, namely Falcon, Wolf, and Shadow, deadpanned at his words.

“Kazotsky Kick and Take On Me don’t count in this situation! How would a dance partner feel if her date just squatted down and started kicking his legs like some psycho maniac?!” he blurted. “Probably she’d get up and ditch ‘im! Besides, who would want to dance with me?!”

Jackpot Ace shrugged. “Well, you’re not wrong.”

Dapper Jolt deadpanned and stared at the unicorn. “You’re not helping.”

“Well… If that’s how you feel, show up to the dance to break her fall if she decides to go with her SSP and things don’t work out… Wouldn’t that work out? You don’t have to straight up ask,” Falcon Wing suggested, earning a nod of approval from a couple of the surrounding ponies. “But first, get some help,” he laughed, putting on a joyful expression to lift the mood. “Easy as that magic that Obi Wan Dorogi is teaching us in ‘Foreign Magic’ class.”

Dapper Jolt couldn’t help but crack a grin at the words and roll his eyes. “Heavy hates magic,” he sighed in a champion russian accent.

Author's Note

Artwork by Evergreen-Gemdust

Chapter Two: Dancing Like a Pro

-Canterlot High, Two Days Before the Mane Event-

To Dapper Jolt's unbridled horror, the Mane Event, one of Canterlot High School's largest dances, was rapidly closing in, the fear of rejection and Base Runner ever-present upon his mind. The pegasus stallion had anxiously walked into school that morning, having shown up a tad later than usual as a result of a lack of sleep up until two o'clock that morning. Bags were visible under his eyes as he ran a tired hoof through his messy mane with a sigh. Adjusting his saddlebag, Dapper Jolt entered the school's commons and approached his usual location at the beginning of each day, where he could see Falcon Wing, Jackpot, and Wolf Heart talking amongst themselves.

The stallion paused, confusion quick to take hold in his mind. Wolf Heart was usually at the opposite end of the cafeteria talking to Flute Melody when she showed up prior to himself... Not down where he usually hung while waiting for the first bell.

Cocking a brow whilst pushing the thoughts into the back of his mind, Dapper Jolt pushed himself forward. He was stopped dead in his tracks, again, upon seeing the all too familiar appearance of a violet fringed mane, aquamarine eyes, and deep brown stripes.

The stallion was readying himself to about-face his way out of there when he had the misfortune of catching Jackpot Ace's eye. The unicorn sprinted towards his friend in a surprising burst of speed, only for the pegasus to drop his saddlebag and turn tail to run. "NooooOOOO!" he shouted, pushing by a small crowd of ponies in an attempt to shake his friend off of him.

"RRREEEEEEEET!!" Jackpot screeched as he pursued his target, slowly, but surely gaining on the panic-stricken pegasus.

Before Dapper Jolt knew what was happening, he had circled around the school and accidentally entering the cafeteria's other entrance, which just happened to be right smack where his other friends were. One could almost here the sound of burning rubber fill the air as the pegasus came to a shrieking halt, almost crashing into Falcon Wing in the process.

Wolf Heart and Autumn swiveled to face the oncoming 'threat' whilst Falcon leapt away to avoid being the wall that would stop Dapper Jolt's momentum. Wolf Heart chuckled at Dapper Jolt and Falcon's wide eyes expressions as Jackpot slowed his chase to a trot, his mission having been completed.

When Dapper had finally slowed enough to not be a blur, Falcon dropped his saddlebag back onto his back and patted his shoulder. "Stop it! Get some help!" he commanded the blue maned pegasus.

"Nope! No! I gotta... Pick my nose hairs," Dapper Jolt spluttered, turning to march off.

He made it a whole two feet before Jackpot lurched forward and snapped his mouth shut on his friend's tail, jerking back to pull Dapper Jolt towards his friends.

"C'MON, GUYS!! Lemme GO!" Dapper shouted, beating his hooves on the tile floor in a pathetic manner as he was dragged towards Autumn. Upon seeing this, his panic increased tenfold, his eyes as big around as wagon-wheels. "ACK!! NONONONONONO... NOOOO!" he yelped, kicking to free himself of Jackpot Ace's iron grip on his tail. "Puh-LEASE!!"

When Jackpot had finally released his tail, Wolf Heart approached and firmly tapped a hoof to Dapper Jolt's snout. "Calm yourself," she ordered.

The reaction was almost instant. Dapper Jolt halted any attempts to get away as his cheeks turned bright red with embarrassment, feeling that he had perhaps looked a little ridiculous in front of basically the whole school, let alone the unicorn mare that he was nervously sitting beside. The stallion dipped his head with an almost guilty expression, grimacing as he looked up at Wolf Heart and Falcon Wing. He didn't have the courage to bring himself to look at Autumn though. "Sorry," Dapper Jolt muttered.

"No, it's fine. Don't worry about it," Wolf Heart laughed, holding up a hoof to hush the pegasus stallion.

"Okay... But why would you do this to me?!" he blurted, throwing his hooves up and gesturing towards Autumn without taking his eyes off of the others.

The mare in question cocked a brow and pulled her head back slightly, a frown upon her lips. "Because I asked them to," Autumn snorted, rolling her eyes and forcing back a smile.

Dapper shot her a questioning glance.

"I came down here this morning as appose to hanging around with my own friends and asked yours to keep you nearby so that I could apologize for the way that I reacted yesterday," the unicorn mare explained, pointing a hoof and motioning towards the smiling trio before the not-so-dynamic-duo.

"Oh," Dapper Jolt said guiltily, clenching his teeth and fidgeting nervously in his position. "I... didn't know."

Autumn shook her head with a sigh. "I don't expect that you would, considering you weren't here to listen in on the conversation."

"Would you two kiss and make up, already?" Falcon chuckled, though in a manner that made Dapper Jolt wonder if the golden winged pegasus was being fully serious about the first part. It was then that he noticed a relatively taller earth stallion approaching with a stern glare lining his face. "Incoming," he said, nodding towards the advancing pony.

On cue, Autumn and Dapper Jolt turned to face Base Runner, a lack of amusement upon Autumn's face and unconfined fear upon Dapper's.

"What did I tell you?" Base growled at the pegasus, looming over him, given the height difference between the two. Not giving Dapper the chance to acknowledge, the jock answered his own question. "I distinctly remember telling you that she was mine."

As if to answer the earth stallion, Autumn lunged towards him and planted a firm hoof to Base Runner's chest, a growl leaking our of her throat as she instinctively bared her sharp teeth. Base recoiled slightly as she stood to her full height. "You... fuck off... now," she snarled in a soft, and yet terrifyingly demanding tone of voice. "I'm this close to kicking your ass into next week. Do you understand that?!" Autumn snapped, putting her hooves together whilst leaving about an inch of open space between them.

Base Runner leaned back slightly, his glare melting into that of mild bemusement. "Sure, Baby. Course I understand," he said in a jovial manner before shrugging his shoulders. With that, he stood up and turned to walk away, but not before firing a brief glare at Dapper Jolt.

When all was said and done, Jackpot Ace broke the silence. "I take it that was your SSP?" he asked with a grimace.

"He's not special," Autumn snorted as she and Dapper Jolt turned to face the others.

"Perfect!" Falcon Wing said, clapping his hooves together and approaching the duo. Looking to Autumn, the golden feathered stallion spoke again. "Dapper would like to ask you something, then," he grinned deviously before an evil laugh leaked from his throat.

The blue maned stallion in question nearly keeled over at the words, his eyes popping wide and lips tight as Autumn looked to him with a lifted brow. "Really?" she asked with a slight smile.

"NO!" Dapper Jolt blurted after an awkward moment of silence.

Falcon Wing, Jackpot, and Wolf Heart all shared an eye-roll before Jackpot said something. "Yes you do," the unicorn said.

The pegasus stallion groaned and looked at Autumn's curious expression. With an exasperated sigh, Dapper mulled over his thoughts for a moment before finally acknowledging. "I... I was... curious to know if yooouuu wanted to come to the Mane Event with me?" he said slowly, as to not seem like some jabbering, starry-eyed fool.

Autumn looked at the stallion for a moment, her gaze momentarily shifting to Jolt's friends.

Wolf Heart looked at her with a slow nod.

Falcon Wing and Jackpot grinned.

Dapper Jolt was shaking like a bowl of jelly while he waited for a response.

Autumn turned back to the pegasus teenager and ushered a reassuring smile. "Yeah... That'd be cool," she said with a slight shrug to her words, her smile of assurance soon bearing hints of a feigned pride. "If you think you could handle it."

"Well shit," Dapper deadpanned whilst reigning in the miniature heart attack at the fact that she said yes, eliciting a slight smirk from Autumn. "There goes that plan," he muttered under his breath as Falcon put a hoof on his shoulder.

"I've said it once and I'll say it again... Stahp it, get some help," the golden feathered pegasus smirked.

His friend contemplated for a moment before Jackpot Ace interjected. "Sounds like sage advise to me," he noted with a serious expression. "If you can't slow dance, than perhaps you should get some help. There anypony you know that could help with that?"

Dapper Jolt exhaled deeply. The only pony he could think of was his mother, and he certainly didn't want to partake in a lesson like that. Rubbing his chin, the pegasus stallion contemplated the thought with such vigor that those around him legitimately worried that his head might explode under the strain. After another moment, Dapper flopped down in a seat, defeat nearly upon him.

Able to tell that the dinosaur fanatic was nearing the brink of giving up, Wolf Heart rolled her eyes and beckoned the stallion to her. "C'mere... You're not going to learn to dance doing that," she stated.

Dapper barely had time to get out a "-What?! ICH!-" before the winged unicorn grabbed one of his forehooves and pulled him to all fours. After brief stumbling, the pegasus stallion nervously looked to his friends for support as Wolf Heart placed her right hoof on his shoulder and took his right hoof with her left.

Jackpot teased a whistle as Autumn lifted a slightly curious brow. "Dapper, Wolfie's just helping you out here. Try not to do anything weird, alright?" Jackpot grinned as Falcon Wing leaned back to watch the dance practice.

Dapper Jolt deadpanned as the mare redirected his left hoof to her waist and gently sidestepped. Fighting back the fearful leaf-legs he typically developed around mares that he was crushing on, the pegasus played along, albeit in a terrified demeanor.

This is what earth pony Gaming Oak saw when he arrived to school, lugging a gaming controller, his saddlebags, and a pair of binders. With a huff, he dropped his things onto the closest table and made his way to the small group comprised of his oddball group of friends, only to see Dapper Jolt and Wolf Heart slow dancing.

Thinking only the best for his friend, Oak trotted up to the small group and began clapping. "Niiice job, Dapper! Ya finally got her," he exclaimed before noticing Jackpot and Falcon Wing making swiping motions at their neck and pointing at a larger mare leaning against a cafeteria table. Oak cocked a brow before swiveling his head to see the mare and the well toned muscle she possessed. Eyes wide, Gaming Oak looked at the duo who redirected him, pointing first at Dapper and then to the striped unicorn.

Falcon and Jackpot gave an affirmative nod.

Holy FAUST, Dapper! he thought, blinking a few times before closing his mouth. Turning to look at Dapper Jolt, who had just now broken off from the slow dance with a grin on his face, Gaming Oak approached him with a slow, impressed clap.

The pegasus in question was sharing a laugh with Wolf Heart when he noticed, turning to the gamer with a goofy grin still stenciled upon his face. "Hey, Oak," Dapper grinned as he approached, swinging around and putting an arm across Oak's shoulder. "I did it! I saved the world," he laughed.

"Not quite yet, you didn't," Autumn interjected with a soft smile. "You sure this is your first time slow dancing?" she asked.

"My thoughts exactly," Wolf Heart agreed with a laugh to her voice.

Dapper Jolt shrugged with a slight roll of the eyes before he acknowledged. "I deny, nor confess-" He was abruptly cut off by the ring of the bell in his ear. "Okaaay, to be continued!" the pegasus smirked as his friends gathered their things. Before Wolf Heart could leave though, Dapper Jolt tapped her shoulder. As the mare turned around, he gave her a big hug. "Thank you," he said.

At this, Wolf Heart's initial surprise morphed into a warm smile as she returned the gesture with a giggle. "You don't have to thank me," she said as she broke away, waving it off as a laugh took them both.

As she turned to leave, Dapper Jolt faced Autumn with a smile.

"I look forward to dancing with you," the strongly built unicorn mare said before trotting away with a wave.

A content sigh leaked from the pegasus stallion's snout before a hard tap to the shoulder pulled him back to reality.

"Gotta hoof it to ya, Dapper!" Falcon Wing grinned. "You just might have a chance..."

-Second Period, Chemistry-

Dapper Alan Jolt was listening, buuuut... No, actually he wasn't listening to what Mister Discord was saying in the least. His thoughts were roaming elsewhere. What he'd where to the Mane Event, dancing with Autumn, his practice dance with Wolf Heart (a mare who he'd been crushing on for quite some time), and a great many things. A bunch of gobbledygook involving the difference between chlorate and chloride were some of the last things on Dapper Jolt's mind right about now.

Unfortunately, chemistry was the first thing on Mister Discord's mind as he impatiently loomed over his student's desk and leered at his note sheet, which was covered in sketches of dinosaurs, the occasional kaiju, and dragons.

"What is this?" Discord barked, yanking the sheet out from under Dapper Jolt's pencil and snapping the pegasus back to the present.

"No-thing?" Dapper acknowledged with a nervous shrug, looking up at the bearded unicorn stallion in response.

Discord's expression flatlined as he held the paper like it was some kind of virus. "Mm. If this is nothing, I'd sure love to see the result of something," the teacher grunted sarcastically before slapping a fresh new sheet of paper down for Dapper to work on.

An ugly blank stared at Dapper Jolt as Discord returned to his desk to continue the lesson, stern eyes trained upon the artistic student as he spoke. Dapper loosed a long string of swears under his breath before, with the most bored expression possible, he scrawled down what was on the white board.

Just as Jolt was ready to put his head through a desk due to the extreme boredom he was feeling, the lunch bell rang, much to his relief. Quick to pack his things back into his saddlebag, the pegasus left before Mister Discord could drag him into a lecture about the importance of chemistry and good studying habits.

The bell had rang and Rexy was busying herself with packing up her algebra work with an audible grumble seeping out from the back of her throat, the discovery that she possessed a D- in the class not doing her any favors. She had just tossed on her saddlebag and left the room when a red and brown maned pegasus trotted after her.

"Hey! Rexy!" the stallion called, pushing by a small group of students to reach the mare in question.

On cue, Rexy impatiently swung around to face Obsidian, a sigh slithering from her nostrils as an unamused expression came upon her face. "What?" she grunted, tapping a hoof as the pegasus approached her.

Obsidian paused and mulled over his thoughts briefly before speaking. "I wanted to know if you'd like to go to the Mane Event with me?" he asked the mare with a slight smile.

One could almost hear the record scratch play in Rexy's mind as her hoof ceased to tap and her eyes widened. "Wut?" she said, devoid of any intelligence and only confusion. Needless to say, this was the first time anypony had ever shown interest in the temperamental, broken horned mare who lacked the desirable feminine charm and only knotted muscle.

"I wanted to know if you'd be my date to the Mane Event?" Obsidian repeated, his smile only growing by the second.

Completely flabbergasted, Rexy's cheeks flushed slightly as she finally stuttered a response. "I-I guess sooo?" the mare said, more as a question to herself than a definitive answer to the question she'd been on the receiving end of.

Obsidian's grin only widened at the words. "Awesome!" he blurted before gifting the unicorn with a swift hug and trotting off to his next period.

Rexy, on the other hoof, was frozen by the action and left aghast as her older sister came to her side and gave her a gentle nudge on the shoulder.

"Uh, Rexy?" Autumn queried with slight concern visible upon her muzzle, snapping the student from her trance. "You alright?" She hadn't seen Rexy like this since she thought she saw a small reptile with big white eyes and slim jaws hunting her.

"I'mmm not... sure. I mean, I think so?" she acknowledged, blinking a few times as she stared off in the direction Obsidian had gone.

It didn't take much for Autumn to realize what in the name of Celestia had caught her sister up like this. "DaaaaAAAWWW! Rexy!" the unicorn mare squealed with joy before throwing her hooves around Rexy's neck. "I'm so happy for you!" she giggled before her sibling pulled away with a grumble.

"Don't do that," she said flatly.

Practically ignoring her request, Autumn planted both hooves on Rexy's shoulder and began to ask questions. "First, what's his name? Two, what's he like?" she inquired sternly, looking directly into Rexy's eyes as though she might find the information she desired by sucking out her sister's soul.

The reaction was instant, for Rexy reeled back slightly with wide, disconcerted eyes. "Obsidian," she said slowly, beginning an attempt at intelligently formulating a response whilst staring down an overly-excited sister. "He's alright... I guess."

"No matter!" Autumn started, startling Rexy as she thrust a hoof into the air. "As your older sister, I will not rest until your first dance with a stallion is made perfect!"

Her strong demeanor was shot down almost instantly. "And what about you?" Rexy said, leaning back and crossing her arms with a deadpan expression as the bell rang for the start of period three and lunch. "I'm sure that you have your own date to worry about before you go off on me, hm?"

Autumn's ears flattened slightly at the words, her hoof dropping as she thought. "I don't know," she muttered.

"You don't know? I thought you and Base Sprinter had a good thing going?" Rexy acknowledged, asymmetrically cocking a brow.

"Okay, for starters, his name is Base RUNNER. Aaand, I'm not so sure things are working out anymore. He's kind of a jerk," the striped unicorn replied somberly, eliciting a slight eye roll from Rexy.

"You know I don't do sentimentalism, Autumn," she said. "And if he's really such an ass, than ditch him. Shouldn't be a problem for you, seeing as you're such a confident pony."

Autumn contemplated her next course of action for a moment. Between wanting to go to the Mane Event with Dapper Jolt and knowing Base Runner expects she go with him, her options were in slim pickings at the moment. "I dunno, I don't need to give another stallion a reason to call me whore or prostitute," she shrugged with a deep, prolonged sigh.

Rexy once again found her eyes in a cartwheel motion, knowing what was coming and wanting to stop the train before it could even start. "Another stallion who you presume is a nice pony using that poor judgement of yours?" she grunted before rising to her hooves at the growl of her stomach.

Autumn shot Rexy a momentary glare before said glare evaporated and she nodded. "You know Dapper Jolt, right?"

"Yeah, I had the misfortune of meeting him yesterday when he went looking for you," the unicorn grumbled before making her way to the cafeteria.

Autumn sighed, dipping her head slightly before following.

-Later that Evening, Dancer Residence-

"So," Flame Dancer started as he stabbed at a bit of dinner pancake with his fork, a smile upon his face. "How was school?"

His adoptive daughters, Rexy and Autumn, looked up from their own food in an almost comedic unison. Autumn was the first to speak. "A bit conflicting, I guess," she acknowledged, eliciting raised eyebrows from the duo's parents.

"How so?" Frost Dancer asked, resting her fork on the table with a slightly concerned frown crossing her muzzle.

The teenage unicorn sighed. Usually a very straight forward and open mare, she replied. "I was asked to the Mane Event by a nice pegasus, but Base Runner is still in the picture and he hasn't been treating me fairly lately," Autumn explained, her brows furrowed in disappointment. "I don't know what to do."

"Is this pegasus somepony who you could find yourself happy with?" Flame asked.

Autumn nodded.

"Okay, and when you say Base Runner hasn't been treating you fairly, what exactly do you mean by that?"

"He's one reason I wish I wasn't built the way I am," his daughter muttered, stabbing at her pancake in a mannerism that made evident her disdain towards the subject. "I don't want to be with somepony who likes me just for my body."

Frost, like her husband, entertained the thought for a moment before she formulated a response. "Than don't be with somepony like that," the pegasus mare said with a reassuring smile, laying her hoof upon Autumn's shoulder. "This new friend of yours, what's he like?"

"He's polite, kind hearted... He's somepony that I could see myself with," Autumn replied with a slight smile.

"My father once said to me, 'if you really want something, chase it down," Flame said, a smile of his own breaking the seams of his lips.

Autumn's worry began to seep away with the words, her emotions managing to reign themselves in as she took another bite of her pancakes. "Thank you... I needed to hear that," the unicorn mare sighed contently. If Base Runner was going to be an ass, then there wasn't any point in seeing him.

Frost smiled warmly before turning to her younger daughter. "How was your day?" she asked Rexy.

The mare shrugged as she ate. "Same story, different day," she grunted, eliciting a cockeyed expression from Autumn. "What?" she asked upon noticing this.

"Soooo, you mean to tell us that being asked out is a regular part of your day?" her sister said doubtfully, her expression flat.

The result was instantaneous, for the moment the words came out, Rexy sat straight up, her cheeks swiftly turning bright red as her parents perked up at this new knowledge with growing smiles. The teenager, noticing the ecstatic look on Frost and Flame's faces, didn't even bother trying to backpedal her way out of the situation... There was no going back now. "So I was asked to a little dance, big deal," Rexy grumbled.

"It is though!" Flame laughed. "Congrats... I knew someday you'd catch a few eyes!" he continued.

"More realistically, just a pair of eyes," Rexy corrected stubbornly and with a flat, glazed over expression.

Flame rolled his eyes. "Regardless, I'm proud of the mare that you're growing to be," the unicorn stallion said with a kindly smirk, eliciting a sweet smile from Rexy.

Chapter Three: The Dapper Dance

-Dapper Jolt's Home, Ponyville-

The blue maned, milky white pegasus was lost in thought as he ate his dinner, a blank stare upon his face as he fed. It was not uncommon for this to happen. It actually happened with relative frequence. It was the subject plaguing his mind that was causing his visible lack of focus. A lack of focus that his mother, Aerial Prayer, had picked up on as she ate her own food.

Finishing her mouthful, the pegasus mare spoke. "Thinking about Wolf Heart?" she asked, as Dapper had told her about his crush on the winged unicorn weeks earlier.

"Surprisingly, no... It's somepony else," the stallion acknowledged, quick to shake off his daze and realize that he was being spoken to. "Well, that and the Mane Event this Friday," Dapper Jolt shrugged, combing through his memory of the situation in order to answer without causing confusion.

Aerial Prayer's expression morphed into that of joy at the words, putting two and two together. "Shut up! Are you serious?!" she grinned, holding up a hoof and pointing it at her dinosaur enthusiast son. Dapper Jolt rolled his eyes and returned the smile, participating in the hoof bump that was his mother's form of praise.

Dapper Jolt's sister, Aqua Brush, perked up at the new knowledge, her ears flicking to attention. "And you asked her to the dance?!" the younger pegasus blurted with a goofy smile, dropping her fork and also holding up a hoof.

The stallion looked over at his sister like she had three heads before noticing her hoof. "No, stahp it," he ordered, pulling away from Aqua with an asymmetrically cocked brow. "You're only doing that because Mom did," Dapper exclaimed as she shook her hoof slightly to put emphasis on the fact that it was there.

"That-"

Aerial said something so quickly it almost wasn't heard. "Lies," she interjected before Aqua could say anything more, trying her darnedest to maintain a serious expression through it all. Aerial managed to keep her composure for a whole two seconds, her two kids staring firmly at the pegasus, before she burst out laughing.

Dapper Jolt was quick to join in on the laughter as Aqua Brush's expression melted into feigned hurt.

After having calmed down slightly, the pegasi's mother spoke again. "Anyway, how much does it cost to get into the dance?" she asked upon finishing off the last of her food, putting her fork down and looking to her son with a slightly serious expression, given her last words.

The pegasi's expression lit up at the hope that his mother would allow him to go to the Mane Event. "Five bits," Dapper grinned.

"I'll give you the bits, so long as you know what you're going to wear and when you'll be home," Aerial Prayer told him.

The stallion ran through his memory for a moment before he gave a response. "It ends at ten... And I just planned on going casual, I guess. I mean, I can't exactly go dapper without a mustache and going in with a fake one will make it seem like some kind of joke," Dapper Jolt acknowledged with a shrug.

Aerial's response was not what her son was looking for. "Okay."

"That's it?"

"Is it a semi-formal or a regular dance? If it's a semi, than dress up," she replied as though it was an obvious answer.

Dapper pushed aside his initial confusion to make way for a smile. "Okie dokie," he said in a manner not far removed from Nintendo's Mario as he rose from his seat. "I'd need a ride to the dance by eight," the pegasus continued. "Thank you for letting me go," he grinned, eliciting a smile from his mother.

"You're welcome."

-Dancer Residence, Ponyvile-

Rexy looked down at her regalia with no small amount of doubt and almost entirely unimpressed. True to her word, Autumn saw to it that Rexy's first high school dance was going to be perfect. Which, to Rexy's irritation, included her apparel. The dress was lean, complimenting the unicorn's strong build, where the violet collar flared up slightly. The dress, like the collar was a shade of violet, though towards the fringe it morphed to a deep, inky black. The mare wore elbow length gloves that possessed the same type of color blending, giving for a very royal appearance.

Unfortunately, while Autumn thought she pulled it off amazingly, Rexy didn't particularly think so. "Seriously, is this necessary, Autumn? It's just a dance," she grunted.

"Just a dance?!" her sister shouted in retort, throwing a hoof to the sky above. "This is your first dance, Rexy... You need to look your best."

"This is stupid," Rexy grumbled. "Putting me in a dress is like trying to blend oil and water," the broken-horned mare retorted.

"Obsidian won't think so," Autumn smiled, nudging her sister's shoulder.

Rexy rolled her eyes with a defeated sigh, realizing how pointless it was to argue with Autumn.

-That Friday, Canterlot High School-

Dapper Jolt hovered down to the sidewalk and acquainted his hooves with the concrete, a nervous, shaky exhale slithering from his nostrils as he adjusted the gold rimmed monocle that once belonged to his deceased grandfather, a local firefighting legend. Looking himself over, the pegasus stallion smiled, adjusting his black bowtie slightly and brushing down his tuxedo. Dapper Jolt nodded confidently and pushed his top hat forward slightly, stretching his limbs before marching towards the school's entrance, which was now festively decorated for the Mane event.

Upon entering, the stallion, pulled his five bits out of a breast pocket and handed them to the desk mare who collected the entrance fees. The pegasus tipped his hat to the teacher politely before making his way towards the gymnasium, where he noticed a few eye-rolls as he passed a few ponies who hung outside the gym's entry point. While he was unbothered by this, Dapper Jolt did, indeed notice.

Dapper scanned his surroundings for a few moments before locating a small group of ponies with a smile. It would seem that the pegasus now had something to do whilst he waited for his date to show up.

As he approached, Dapper Jolt puffed his chest slightly and tilted his head up in an attempt to live up to his namesake. The first to notice was a formally dressed Falcon Wing, though he still wore the same black and grey baseball cap. Upon seeing his friend, the golden feathered pegasus slapped a hoof to his face with a groan.

Wolf Heart, noticing this, turned to face the cause of Falcon's cringe, seeing not the cringy, need a mustache wear that Dapper Jolt possessed, but a well dressed dinosaur and Godzilla enthusiast. "You made it," she smiled, causing the pegasus to look to his first real crush.

At seeing Wolf Heart's apparel, a night sky blue dress with her mane tied into a bun, save for two tendrils that curled slightly, Dapper dropped his prideful demeanor to make way for a wide eyed stare. The pegasus froze in place, his jaw lowering slightly as Wolf Heart giggled awkwardly.

Hearing this, the stallion snapped out of his stupor and gestured towards her. "And I thought that I looked good!" Dapper exclaimed.

"Aaw, thank you," Wolf Heart smiled with a slight flush to her cheeks as she dipped her head slightly. "You look good, too."

Returning to his classic self, Dapper Jolt curled an invisible handlebar mustache, squinting slightly to give himself a more wise look. "Mm, thank you, Wolf Heart. And if I do say so myself, I find that you look absolutely ravishing," the pegasus acknowledged in a deep voice that one might mistake him for a rich, well cared for gentlecolt.

Wolf Heart chuckled before the pegasus goofily bowed down... repeatedly.

Before long, Falcon Wing had put a halt to Dapper's attempts at impressing his crush and saved Wolf the awkwardness of knowing that he was doing it. "Okaaay, Dapper! That's enough of that. Why don't we all just relax for a short while. I mean, your date is coming, right?" he said, brow raised.

"Far as I know," Dapper Jolt shrugged, dropping the Royal Canterlot voice as he spoke.

Before anypony could say anything else, Jackpot Ace seemingly materialized from thin air, which, coincidentally, he had using a teleportation spell. After giving everypony within three feet of him a heart attack, the unicorn spoke. "Nah, she probably bailed out knowing that she had to dance with you if she came," he teased, where Wolf Heart bit down on his ear and pulled him back with a stern expression.

Upon releasing, the winged unicorn slapped the stallion's nose with a wing. "This is his first dance, so try not to put him down, alright? I understand that it was a joke, but regardless," Wolf asked.

"But, MA!!" Jackpot jested, throwing his hooves up with a wide eyed expression.

Wolf Heart merely tilted her head slightly with a confused look crossing her muzzle. "What?" she chuckled, more to clarify what she had heard than anything.

Jackpot wasn't given time to answer before his line of view trailed over the mare's shoulder, his eyes growing wide with disbelief.

Furrowing a brow, Wolf Heart looked over her shoulder at what the unicorn was staring at. The sight elicited a surprised expression from the mare as she almost clumsily tapped Dapper Jolt's shoulder to gain his attention, her view not moving from the approaching unicorn. "Dapper," she whispered, drawing his point of focus away from Falcon Wing and the topic of Team Fortress Two.

"Huh?" Dapper questioned, turning to look at what she'd been staring at. If seeing a formally dressed Wolf Heart had gotten a big reaction out of the pegasus, than seeing a formally dressed Autumn Dancer received a huge reaction. The effect was almost instant. Dapper's jaw, if possible, would've hit the floor and his eyes popped wide.

Rather than continue to envy the pegasi's date, Jackpot snapped out of his trance and shoved his friend forward. "Go on! She's your date," he ordered quietly.

"Keep conversation to a medium but interesting, get to know her, and don't say anything about Godzilla," Wolf Heart added.

Stumbling forward with the little advise provided from the duo of friends, Dapper Jolt came up to the mare with a nervous grin upon his face, having nearly bumped into her in the process. Fortunately, he managed to put himself to a stop, but not before he was inches from Autumn's face. "Hi," he hiccupped anxiously, unable to say anything remotely intelligent at the moment.

"Hello, Dapper," Autumn giggled, lifting a hoof to her snout at seeing his expression. "I can see why they call you Dapper Jolt," she continued upon seeing his monocle and top hat, her smile never waning.

"I-uh, frig, I can't talk to mares!" the pegasus spluttered, slapping his face with a hoof.

Autumn simply shrugged. "Meh, no biggie," the mare smiled warmly before grabbing his hoof and pulling Dapper onto the dance floor before he was able to react. As the duo danced to the Cha Cha Slide, Falcon Wing made his way over to Vinyl Scratch, the school's current DJ. A mischievous grin slipped across his muzzle as he came up beside her and made his request.

"I can probably do that after this song... And what is it? Karaoke Kick?" Vinyl asked after he gave his request, cocking a confused brow.

Falcon shook his head. "Kazotsky," he repeated.

"Alright," the unicorn mare shrugged as the pegasus made his way back to his location.

Meanwhile, as Dapper Jolt and Autumn stood facing each other, stomping their hooves and sliding left or sliding right, a laugh was shared as the stallion's friends made their way over to him and joined in on the dancing.

As the oddball (save for a popular Autumn) group of friends danced, an unfriendly sight came upon Dapper Jolt. Instantly, the stallion stopped dancing, his pupils the size of pinpricks as a furious earth stallion stomped towards him. Dapper couldn't get away before Base Runner, clad in a sky blue tuxedo, pushed by his friends and grabbed Dapper Jolt by the collar of his own suit, pulling him off of his hooves in an impressive show of strength.

"You... Are dead," he growled, face cherry red before everypony surrounding him had taken up defensive positions.

Autumn was the first to act in Dapper's defense, harshly jabbing a hoof at the slightly larger stallion with a menacing glare. On startled instinct, Base Runner dropped Dapper Jolt before the unicorn gave her 'SSP' a piece of her mind. "Go the FUCK away!" she shouted in his face, causing Base's ears to fall flat against his head.

The jock made a stab at appearing nonchalant, though he was cut off before he was able. "Bab-"

"I AM NOT YOUR BABY!!" Autumn roared, drawing all attention to her location. Vinyl Scratch even put a pause on the music to watch the scene unfold. Base Runner cowered slightly, his eyes wide with evident fear at the sight of the mare's sharp teeth exposing themselves. "You are NOT special, I am NOT yours, and you are just like every other fucking stallion I've dated! Sex is your ONLY interest!" With these words, Base Runner had lowered himself to about a dwarf pony's height, where Autumn threateningly loomed over him. "Now then, if I ever see your ugly ass mug near him again... I will tear out your lungs, stuff your stomach with them, and feed your eyes to crows," she whispered in a voice that defied her context.

Dapper Jolt, having watched after rising to his hooves, chuckled slightly, in spite of the situation. Never heard that one before... Jeez! She'd give Mom a run for her bits! While his expression was that of slight humor at the new threat and his foe's fear, the ponies around him wore a look of unconfined shock as Base Runner, having practically crapped his suit, quickly moved away from his now ex-special somepony.

"Wow," Dapper Jolt grinned with a slow clap, breaking the dead silence that had ensued seconds earlier. Before anypony could panic, the pegasus spoke again. "C'mon, everypony. We came here to dance! Besides, we can all come to the conclusion that he got what he deserved, right?!" With that, everything returned to normal.

Rexy, having showed up alongside her sister, stood with a shocked expression that Autumn, her popular, attractive sister, had acted out in a similar, albeit less violent, manner than she would have. Obsidian, she now noticed, looked like he'd just seen the ghost of King Sombra, for the skin under his fur was a ghostly pale. The broken horned mare snickered at his demeanor before she spoke up. "Care to join me for a dance?" she asked, the words of wisdom Autumn gifted her with fresh in her mind.

"Uh... Yeah, sure," he said before joining Rexy on the dance floor.

Just as everything had calmed to a more enjoyable pace, Vinyl Scratch tuned up the mic. "Now that that's settled, this song was a request from Falcon Wing... The Kazot-sky Kick? TF2 Theme?" Following this announcement, the DJ unicorn returned to her stand and tuned to the right song.

Upon hearing the title, Dapper Jolt slowly turned his head to face his friend, where he stared long and hard at a grinning Falcon Wing. But as the music came on, the pegasus couldn't help but drop down into a squat and began to kick his hind legs, forelimbs outstretched as he clapped his hooves together occasionally.

To his surprise, Autumn didn't up and leave, but stood by watching. Before long, she began to laugh at his goofball expression, her anger having waned at seeing his joyful attitude and carefree demeanor.

Out of the blue, another stallion, a black pegasus with red eyes joined Dapper Jolt. Shadow Blade, currently studying Russian, knew of the Kazotsky Kick and acted.

His date, Flute Melody, was not so impressed as she stood at her best friend's side. "There's always at least one, eh Wolfie?" she asked Wolf Heart with a sigh.

The blue mare merely giggled slightly as the song came to an end. "He's not my date."

Flute cocked a brow. "I thought he was all over you, though?" she queried. "At least that's what everypony is telling me anyway."

"As far as I know, he still is, but he's here with Autumn," Wolf clarified with a soft smile. She was happy for her friend. Just as he had been and still was happy for her that she's with somepony. Something Wolf Heart had noticed months ago was his caring for her. If she seemed upset, Dapper Jolt did what he could to cheer her up. If she was happy, so was he. And seeing the pegasus that she had met her freshman year of Canterlot High, two years ago, who stuck by her side, brought her own air of happiness.

Regardless, watching Autumn laugh as a result of Dapper Jolt's charm brought a smile to Wolf Heart's face.

Moving over to Autumn, the winged unicorn spoke. "Do you mind if I grab Dapper for a moment," she asked.

Seeing the good intent in the mare's eyes, Autumn nodded with a smile.

Upon grabbing the pegasus stallion and pulling him into the hallway, Wolf Heart wrapped her arms around his neck in the form of a strong hug. "I'm so happy for you!" she muttered as he returned the gesture.

"Not so hard, you squeeze my tears out," Dapper Jolt chuckled as his friend gently broke away, looking into his ocean blue eyes. "Crying like the little bitch baby that I am," he sniffed, moving his monocle so that he could wipe away a joyful tear. Looking over at her, Dapper smiled. "Took the chipper, reassuring kick in the tail that you provided to get me here, though."

Wolf Heart giggled at his words before taking his hoof and leading him back to Autumn, where a slow, soothing beat played over the speakers. Seeing the ponies in the gymnasium slow dancing drove him forward before a firm, yet gentle tug to the wing broke his focus. Swiveling his head, Dapper Jolt saw Wolf.

"Good luck," she assured him.

"Thank you." With that, Dapper Jolt quietly trotted over to Autumn's location and pulled her up from her current seat, taking her hoof with his own and following the instructions that Wolf Heart had given him on how to slow dance.

The mare watched in silence as her friend twirled Autumn by the hoof before feeling a tap on the shoulder.

"Will you dance with me?" Jackpot Ace asked with a wide grin.

Meanwhile, Dapper Jolt was successfully managing to slow dance with who was one of the most attractive mares in the school. His point of focus never moved away from her aquamarine eyes as they danced.

A small blush formed upon Autumn's face as she leaned forward slightly to kiss his nose. "Aside from drawing, what do you like to do?" she murmured through another twirl.

Dapper contemplated the question for a moment before he acknowledged. "Well, I like story writing and gaming," the blue maned pegasus replied. "But I'm trying to learn how to play piano."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I've learned a bit of Imagine Dragons, the FNaF theme, and the Godzilla theme," he said, combing through his memories for an exact recollection. "But what about you? You know lots about me, but I'm interested to get to know you a bit better," Dapper Jolt queried.

Autumn sighed and dipped her head slightly. "Well, for starters, I'm adopted." She paused and looked up to see that her dance partner's face remained that of a kind-hearted smile.

"I don't discriminate. A bit surprising, sure. But regardless... Go on."

The striped unicorn smiled at his acceptance before continuing. "I try not to be like all of those jocks or cheerleaders who need to be loved by everypony to be happy. Y'know, like Rainbow Dash?" Dapper nodded in understanding. "Anyway, some ponies love me, and those that can't have me are cruel. I get called all kinds of horrible slangs," Autumn murmured with a slightly depressed sigh.

The stallion furrowed a brow slightly as Autumn lowered her gaze. Before she could say anything more, Dapper took that extra step and gave the mare a slight hug. "I don't know exactly how you feel, but I can at least try to understand," he whispered.

"Thank you," the heavily built mare sighed contentedly, nuzzling his chin with her snout.

Dapper Jolt's cheeks flushed bright red, though nopony seemed to take notice as they were busy focusing on their own dance partners.

Nopony seemed to notice, but Falcon Wing has indeed noticed, a sizeable smirk forming on his lips as he uttered a quiet, evil laugh. "Bwahahahaha," he chuckled, rubbing his forehooves together before a pony tapped his shoulder. Whipping to face the newcomer, Falcon was surprised to see that Gaming Oak had managed to show up.

"What'd I miss?" he asked nervously, his view scanning over the ponies on the dancefloor.

Falcon merely pointed.

Noticing the fact that his friend held Autumn in his arms, cheeks cherry red, Oak allowed a wide grin to slip across his muzzle. The earth pony let a whistle escape his throat before slowly clapping his hooves with an impressed expression. "Weirdo extraordinaire dances with two time Homecoming Queen... That's a sight."

Falcon Wing turned his head to look at Gaming Oak with a surprised expression forming upon his face. "How did you know that?" he asked.

"I have my secrets, aside from the fact that she's probably this school's most popular mare," Oak said with an eye-roll. "With the exception of Rainbow Dash and Rarity," he went on to say.

Falcon chuckled slightly before noticing something else. "Where's your date?" he asked.

"Could say the same to you," the stallion quipped.

"Touche."

"Hey, where are they going?" Oak exclaimed before Falcon could say anything more, pointing at the sight of Autumn and Dapper Jolt leaving the gymnasium.

The pegasus cocked a brow and looked up, noticing that said ponies were indeed leaving the dance floor and making their way towards the exit. "I dunno," he shrugged. "Best leave them to whatever they plan on doing, though." With that declaration, Falcon made his way over to the food at the opposite end of the room to grab a bite.

Oak sighed before deciding to follow his friend.

In the time it had taken for the duo to reach said food, Autumn had already led Dapper Jolt across the school and to the music room, where she swung open the door to face a teacher. "Miss Octavia!" she exclaimed, pulling back slightly as the well dressed music teacher adjusted her glasses.

"Miss Dancer, Mister Jolt," she nodded. "What can I do for you two?" she asked, shifting her view back and forth between the duo of students.

Autumn smiled softly before acknowledging. "Could we use the piano, please?" the striped mare asked.

This elicited a smile from the earth pony as she stood aside for the two to enter the room. "You needn't ask. This room is for all to enjoy," Miss Octavia obliged, leading them in. "Piano, hm? Personally, I like the violin, but whatever suits your strengths."

"More realistically, his strengths... I was always a more vocal pony," Autumn smirked whilst nudging Dapper Jolt's shoulder.

Octavia turned to face the pegasus with a warm smile. "Mister Jolt. I was unaware that you played."

"I try to anyway," Dapper Jolt grimaced, not feeling like playing in front of the school's best musician like he suspected. His thoughts were well directed, for the teacher moved to her violin and took a seat, where she lifted the bow to the strings.

"Well then, let us see what you know," Octavia smiled.

The pegasus sighed before moving towards the piano positioned against the far wall. Taking a seat, the pegasus looked down at the keys before loosing a shrug. "Alright, here goes," he muttered as Autumn took a seat beside him. Rotating his wrists slightly and letting duel pop sounds carry out, the stallion hovered his hooves over the piano keys before gently playing out a familiar melody.

Octavia, well versed in music, instantly recognized the aggressive manner of the beat and began to play. The music played for a moment before a beat drop, eliciting a smile from Autumn as she began to sing.

"About time for anyone tellin' you off for all your deeds

No sign the roarin' thunder stopped in cold to read,"

"No time!" Dapper echoed.

"Get mine, and make no scuses, waist of precious breath."

"No time!"

"The sun shines on everyone, everyone, love yourself to death."

As the chorus rolled around, Dapper Jolt joined in on her singing, a smile on his face. "So ya gotta fire up, ya gotta let go! You'll never be loved 'till you make your own! Ya gotta face up, ya gotta get yours! Ya never know the top 'till ya get too low!"

"A son of a, stepfather! A son of a, I'm so sorry! A son of a, stepfather! A son of a, I'M SO SORRY!" And thus, the song was sung. As it was, Dapper Jolt let his voice fade to the point that is was only Autumn who sang, a look of admiration visible upon his face as he played the song, though his view was on his date more so than the piano keys.

-One Hour Later-

Autumn sat on the bench in front of the high school's entrance, sheepishly leaning against Dapper Jolt with a content smile upon her face. Looking up and over his shoulder at the sound of approaching hoofsteps, Dapper spotted a couple of his friends approaching, smiles upon their faces.

"Hi," the pegasus smiled as Falcon Wing trotted to meet him.

"Ey! You didn't fail!" Falcon laughed as he took a seat next to his friend.

With a grin, Dapper Jolt swiftly shot an arm out and covered his face with the other, careful not to jostle Autumn in the process.

Wolf Heart, having just now made it to the now trio with Oak in tow, let her mane down out of its tie.

"Wolf," Dapper said, catching her attention in the process. Looking down, she saw a gentle, warm look across her friend's face. "Thank you... I mean it. What this Godzilla loving weirdo would've done without your help, I can't imagine," he continued, expression soft and almost sympathetic.

"You're very welcome," she smiled with a slight blush on her cheeks as a mustache wearing unicorn and pegasus mare approached. Noticing this, Wolf Heart waved to her friends and trotted to meet her parents.

The next fifteen minutes went on relatively quietly, until only Dapper Jolt and Autumn remained out of his oddball group of friends. Shifting her gaze up slightly, Autumn gazed at her friend's face with a smile. This stallion, she could tell, was not going to be like the others that she had dated previously. He was different, charming, polite, even worrisome towards his friends.

As she thought of this, Autumn noticed that Rexy, leaning against Obsidian with a surreal smile upon her face, was sitting at the bench across from her. The unicorn giggled slightly at the sight before spotting a medium sized earth pony with a flaming orange and red mane approach. Her father, wearing a smile, came to a halt in front of the school before both mares rose from their seats in a comedic unison.

Dapper Jolt rose to his hooves and approached Flame with an outstretched hoof. "Mister Dancer," he smiled warmly. "My name is Dapper Jolt."

The stallion took his hoof, noticing the pegasi's firm grip with an impressed smile. "Strong for your size," he chuckled, shaking Dapper's hoof. "And please, no need for formalities. Name's Flame," the earth stallion said before noticing Obsidian nervously approaching.

"Sir," Obsidian said, lifting his hoof.

"Again, Flame works fine, Son."

"Okay. I'm Obsidian, the stallion that danced with Rexy tonight."

Flame looked to Rexy, who wore a joyful smile that he hadn't seen in a long time. "You did this?" he asked, feigning a serious, foreboding expression.

"Y-yeah," Obsidian stammered nervously.

The response he received was not a shout or angered "stay away from my daughter" like he'd been expecting. But rather, a chuckled and pat on the shoulder. "Then you have my thanks... It was never terribly easy to make Rexy happy and you seem to have done that just fine. You don't need to be nervous around me, so long as you can keep that up," he explained before waving his daughters over. "C'mon, girls... It's late and I expect that you're tired."

As his first real date left his line of sight, Dapper jolt spread his wings and made his way home, a smile on his face. Things had gone astonishingly better than the pegasus had hoped, and he wanted to sleep on that fact.

-Everfree Forest-

The moose cow fed quietly, head low as she grazed upon the succulent, low hanging fronds of a fern.

She hadn't been eating for long when the crack of tree limbs drew her attention away from her meal. Snorting slightly, the moose lazily scanned her surroundings, ears swiveling to and fro as she searched for the source of the noise. She found the source of the noise in the form of a large animal wielding recurved claws on each forelimb. The creature uttered a loud shriek before it charged forward, causing the cow to transition into a panic.

Lumbering away from the predator, the moose bellowed in panic as the creature closed in, underbrush shifting noisily as the two animals ran.

Before long, the scaly predator had caught up, swinging a clawed forelimb at the cow's flank in a spurt of blood.

The moose called out in pain and fear as she collapsed before the predator, a look of fear evident in her eyes. Her pursuer uttered an otherwordly scream before slashing violently at her belly and ripping out her intestines with one fel swoop. Triumphant, the creature ducked its bird-like skull and tore a chunk of ragged flesh from its victim's belly before swallowing it in a single gulp.