My Little Pony: Primordial Attractions

-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.