Dining is only half of the 'eating-out' experience. Indeed, you leave your home and go to a restaurant for food your mom will burn, or take out your dad will mess up on picking up. Eating-out is a way to take make sure your dining experience is out of your care and in someone else's. No mess you need to clean up; no caution when you say something tastes bad. To eat out is to take all your cares away. But... it is only half of the experience as said before. Think to any restaurant, even the most stuffy and elite ones there are. There's always one thing in common that puts different faces on, but is always the same under it.
Childish entertainment. From a playground in the back, to an arcade to the side, or even a menu that the young ones can do little games on. Even the most elite diners in Canterlot like 'Café Canter' or 'Le Noir D'hiver Café' have a colts and fillies menu with a crossword on the back... Granted the crossword words are fancy words that no colt or filly could ever spell, but it's still fun. And places like 'Pony Joe's' and 'Neigh the Hay' have arcade machines against the walls. It's common place to have a little fun for the young ones.
But, it's rare to find a restaurant that doesn't bring ponies to it with their food. One example of such a place is the local, bustling restaurant in Ponyville called 'Flanky's'. The place has alright food, nothing to boast about... But for whatever reason, by whatever chance, it is the only restaurant in Equestria -the only place in Equestria- that owns a Dance, Dance, Revolution Machine...
"Welcome to 'Flanky's'! How many are we serving today?" The very enthusiastic stallion jumped up from behind his podium to welcome the newest guests to the diner.
Standing as the picture of strangeness in the welcoming hall before the restaurant, the lord of chaos along with his 'wife' and son made a casual gesture as he stood a great deal over the welcoming host. "Three, my good sir. And, don't worry..." before anypony could react, Discord flashed three menus into his paw along with making one of the tables further into the diner be emptied of dishes, "We'll seat ourselves..."
The stallion didn't protest and let the trio pass. Chrysalis shook her head with a crimson tone striking across her dark face. "We couldn't just eat at home...?" she groaned her loathing but followed Discord in all the same.
"We 'ad ta' go 'ear!" Pip skipped along behind his parents with the most cheerful of smiles, "Ya' can't find a better place for fun!"
"Besides..." Discord swung out a chair as he reached the table and took a slinking seat into it, "I have to see this..." Discord blatantly shot glances over to Chrysalis, purposely bulging his yellow eyes out to give her un-denied attention.
Chrysalis could not avoid it. They came here for two reasons, one blatant, and one manipulated. By 'family code' Pipsqueak was granted one day out of the week to eat anything for dinner he wanted. The rule was set by Discord after watching the young colt eat two weeks of just 'changeling upchuck' as he put it. Chrysalis knew that some day, some how, some way, Discord would twist that rule to his own evil advantage... And today was that day. It wasn't a secret that for some weeks now Discord was dropping 'subtle' hints to Pip about this place and what they had. It had only been a matter of time.
"Yes... Let us be rid of this trivial tripe before we eat..." Chrysalis hissed lowly, still getting looks of expectation from Discord.
Pipsqueak hopped from his chair and scampered around the table to take hold of one of Chrysalis' hooves with his own. "Come on! Lets go!" Curse the colt, what power had he over Chrysalis that made her never deny him?!
The menus were left to the table along with a tab saying 'back in a bit' while the three made their way to a blanketed off part of the diner. Discord pealed the blanket back for Pip and Chrysalis, showing to them a neon lit room with a single double platform machine standing in it. The lights of it flashed to their eyes and Pip exploded with joy, darting to see it closer. "Lets... just get this over with..." Chrysalis moved past Discord and joined the young colt inside beside the machine.
The screen glowed brightly against their three different faces while Discord eyed it up for a moment. In a second, he made a stack of bits appear beside the machine and in front of Pip. "Just pop one in and pick a song... From the way this pad looks, it looks like two can dance at a time."
"Alright!" Pip happily took a bit into his mouth and jumped onto the game pad, moving to slide the coin in.
"Great..." Chrysalis sighed and went to the other side of the machine, trying to piece together how the game actually worked.
When the coin Pip put in sounded, the screen sparked to life and started to play samples of music. Inside 'Flanky's', they know the DDR machine is their biggest attracting point; so whenever the machine is started, it tells the entirety of the restaurant right away. While Pip clapped his back hoof to the down arrow on the pad so he could cycle through songs, Chrysalis and Discord noticed the gathering crowd of ponies filling the room and outside curtain. "Who's playing the--Oh, Celestia, YES!" Rainbow Dash, peering over the collection of other ponies squealed with joy at the sight she was presented. "Guys! You gotta see this!"
"Hurry and pick a song, Pip...!" Chrysalis gritted her teeth, this situation growing more and more troubling.
"Trying to. But I don--'Ear we go! This is a good one!" Before Chrysalis could voice a rebuttal, Pip clapped his hoof down to the right and started the game.
The collection of ponies cheered as the game started to ready the musical selection. At the same time, Discord stood off to the side where six familiar ponies joined him with withheld laughs as they looked to the Changeling Queen. Chrysalis would have gone to strangle them, but a thought suddenly moved into her mind and she leaned over to ask Pipsqueak something as he seemed to be stretching his legs. "Sweetheart...? What level of difficult did to place the game on?"
"Difficulty? OH! Ya' mean the color things? I picked the purple one. Think it said 'maniac'. Ya' know? That word ya' call Cap'n." Chrysalis' heart dropped again and she looked back to the screen.
The music of the machine started to play out a rather quick tune, sparking the audience to start bobbing and tilting their heads as they 'danced' along with the prelude to the dance. The air felt heavy as the music started to reverberate with the echo of coming lyrics, making Chrysalis and Pip alike steal themselves and put their hooves against the metal rests around the game pad. When they both saw the first arrows, they kicked to action...
Stamp on the ground~~
The first section went to Pip, who surprisingly stomped his hooves rather quickly to hit a good section of the arrows. His tongue kept out as he focused his steps, looking between the game and the pad again and again to make sure he was stepping on the right ones.
Jump, Jump, Jump, Jump~~
Chrysalis on the other hand refused to look down at her hooves as she stamped two hooves together at each of the moves she was sent. Her movements weren't elegant or graceful, but no one could say she missed a beat or didn't look threatening doing it. In fact, with each of her well timed, angled, and forceful steps, it almost looked like she was stomping on someone's head.
Moving all around~~
Tep tep da dow~~
The two started to move alike, Pip deciding to follow Chrysalis' hoof work over just watching the screen and his own. Together, their legs twisted and strode in mirror with one another; granted a mirror that shrunk you given their sizes. The audience they gathered cheered and clapped their hooves, watching as their scores went up together steadily.
Stamp on the ground~~
For whatever reason, Discord snapped his fingers and made Pip and Chrysalis disappear and reappear off to the side of the machine, instead replaced by Discord himself who curled himself over the machine and patted his paw, talon, hoof, and feet against each coming dance move, randomly switching each limb around across his body as he twisted and turned on the dance floor.
Jump, Jump, Jump, Jump~~
Discord's paw and talon detached from his body, remaining in place to hit the other pads buttons as they came so he could stand. While he stood, his hoof and dragon foot shuffled awkwardly as if he was river-stomping next to a pair of disembodied limbs.
Moving all around~~
Discord rounded a few more steps against the pad before scouting a look around the room and having his talon fly off from the pad's attention to snap a finger and flash him away. However, the pad was quickly replaced by the pair Applejack and Rarity, leaving them stunned for a moment as they were made the center of attention.
We're jumping all around~~
The two exchanged a quick look to one another before shrugging and striking dance poses as a hold in the steps was taken.
Düp düp düp düp düp...
Rarity clacked with a fine grace as her hooves sounded against the game pad, smiling a great deal of smug joy as she moved along... Not noticing she wasn't hitting a single step on time, much less even the right pad. Regardless, her dance steps were elegant and brought a few cheers from the collective group.
Applejack on the other hand showed no grace in her steps... She showed skill. The cowpony refused to stick to one spot as she jumped from one hoof to the other, doing little twists and bucks as she moved from one pad to the other. Her front hooves would push off from one step so she would roll around and nail the exact same step with her back hoof. Her hooves were on fire, scoring perfect motions on every step with only a peak to the screen to know what was next.
Before the next sect could sound, the two mares were flashed off from the pad and replaced by Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash; instantly making the yellow pegasi suck her wings in against her body and go still while the other threw her main back and smirked.
Jumping all around~~
Rainbow Dash gave her confident look to Fluttershy before saying exact time with the machine--
"DROP THE BEAT"
As one would expect, Rainbow Dash owned the floor! Her hooves went a blur as she not only nailed all of her own, but even started knocking out a bunch of Fluttershy's as she pulled away to a safe spot on the metal surface. Rainbow Dash displayed pure, un-deluded speed and timing as she hung low against the game pad and pounced at every move that crossed the screen on her side or Fluttershy's. The audience hooted and pumped their hooves into the air as Rainbow Dash destroyed the score faster and faster in a blur of motion.
In the midst of owning the game and Fluttershy's careful watching from the side of the game, the two disappeared to be replaced by Twilight Sparkle and Spike, who looked less surprised than those before and looked to one another.
We're jumping all around~~
Their eyes narrowed and Spike's claws curled into fists as they nodded to one another. The audience itself started looking among each other, wondering who would be next and if they should get ready either way.
Düp düp düp düp düp... ~~
Spike held a disadvantage with the game meant to be played with four legs. His movements were scrambled and garbled as he waved his arms to his side, trying to stay on beat while his feet staggered to keep up with the double steps each move called for. He never once fell, but his score made up for that by falling all over the place.
Twilight, to the hate of Spike and laughter of most of the crowd, wasn't even moving. Instead, she opted to pushing each pad down in exact time with her magic while she stood with one hoof on each of the outlining plates. The floor pads lit up as if they were stepped on in perfect, clear time while Twilight kept her eyes to the screen, acting like it was a book she was reading.
Apparently, Discord wasn't having this display of nerd and vanished the two from the stage. And in their place appeared the princesses Luna and Celestia. While the crowd gasped and cheered, the two mares looked beyond any level of confusion when they looked at the vast contrasting area to their castle they were just at. "Luna? Where--"
"By the makers! Dance, Dance Revelation on maniac!? Spawn of madness, thy challenge hast been taken!" Luna cursed over to Discord with a single gesture of her hoof before she kicked all four of her shoes off.
We're sending out an invitation~~
To everyone in every nation~~!
Luna's long legs weaved against one another, switching along with one another this way and that as she moved in slow circles across her own pad. Each step that came, she made to attempt to look at the screen as she kept her eyes shut and stepped into every single pad that came. Without even looking, she perfected every last movement as ponies chanted her name and Pip jumped up and down, cheering over the rest. At the final bar, Luna stamped her hooves firmly together and pointed out to the crowd, throwing her mane back and holding her back to the screen.
But don't sleep get on the run~~
Hearing everypony cheer her sister on, Celestia tapped her hoof forward, clapping against the wrong pad and getting a red flash from the screen. Her face twisted to worry as the screen kept telling her of all the misses she was getting before she bent over to Luna. "Luna, I don't think--"
Celestia was quickly silenced as Luna's bare hoof pushed against her older sister's mouth. Slowly, Luna took in a deep breath and swung back over to her own side, speaking in time with the game.
"Stop thinkin' and have some fun!"
Celestia was forced to gasp at her sister while the stallions in the audience gave out loud catcalls. To them all, they saw Luna bend over and shake her flank in time with the words and beat of the song, still hitting down the arrows as they came.
Chrysalis stood off to the side, covering Pip's eyes with one of her legs, though the holes did not stop him from seeing much. Getting hateful glares from the queen, Discord snapped his fingers and made the two princesses join the rest of the group and replaced them with Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom. At the same time, he flashed other random ponies into the room, adding to the audience and picks for later.
Stamp on the ground~~
The three fillies clapped their hooves together and split the two pads up between the three.
Jump, Jump, Jump, Jump~~
Sweetie Belle hopped from pad to pad on the three pads she was given on the left side of the board. Dancing skills and timing seemed to run in the family... She looked overjoyed as she jumped from one pad to the next, never once hitting one right.
Moving all around~~
Between the two pads and given only the two pads next to each other, Apple Bloom kept in time with both sides of the screen, jumping from one to the other; back legs to front legs again and again.
Tep tep da dow~~
Finally, Scootaloo displayed actual talent compared to the other two. She may have only had three pads to use, but she swarmed those three without a miss in sight, even doing a twirl on top of the back one whenever she got to it.
Like every time before, the three were sent back to the audience; this time they were replaced by the pair Spitfire and Soarin'... Who for whatever reason were dressed in an evening gown and a tuxedo respectively and looking stunned as they were brought before an audience.
Stamp on the ground~~
"What do we do?" Spitfire whispered over to Soarin', both of them neglecting to hit any buttons.
"Dance like our lives depend on it...!"
"Great, it's Saddle Arabia all over again..."
Jump, Jump, Jump, Jump~~
Moving all around~~
In spite of how off put she was, Spitfire ripped open her dress and started blazing across the board along with Soarin'. The both of them kept switching side after side, back-flying one way then to the other to drill down another barrage of arrows on the screen before flipping back around one another in-sync to cover the other.
Between one of their aerial switches with the other, Spitfire and Soarin' blinked out and were placed among the rest of the group. Feeling the beat, Discord put to the center of both platforms Pinkie Pie, who was already thumping her back leg.
We're jumping all around~~
All eyes fell onto Pinkie as she stomped two hooves into the metal lining of the pads, cracking her joints a moment along with her neck. Her full tail sprang out, as if it was alive, curling and cracking along with the rest of her before the next bar.
Stamp on the ground~~
Jump, Jump, Jump, Jump~~
Pinkie became not even a blur, to the untrained eye she seemed to till be standing in the same spot despite the pad under her rattling and thumping around as each pad sounded and lit for being pressed. The screen itself kept throwing PERFECTS out again and again as Pinkie moved beyond comprehension, destroying the previous score into dust.
Moving all around~~
Tep tep da dow~~
Finally, she seemed to slow down enough for everyone to see her. Not only were her hooves completely in play on both pads, but so was her head and tail as they too bumped pads as they came; at times making Pinkie slip her entire body against the pads and whacking her head one way while her hooves strained to hit another pad on the opposite end. The other ponies were eating it up as they stomped their hooves in approval.
But, as entertaining as it was, Discord had to switch it up. When he did, Pinkie was switched out like those before in exchange for Octavia and Vinyl Scratch. Vinyl lowered her shades, looking from Octavia to the screen, then back to Octavia. "Awesome! Lets--"
"No...!" Octavia sat down on one of the pads, refusing to move.
Stamp on the ground~~
Jump, Jump, Jump, Jump~~
Vinyl heaved a sad sigh, but perked back up and started to move to the music. Much like Luna, Vinyl didn't need to look at the screen as her hooves shuffled along with each order the game sent her. However, due to her sliding her shades back up, her sight to her legs didn't seem to be that good, causing her to miss the pad completely and miss a few moves. Regardless, the white mare headbanged to the music, causing ponies to chant her out by her stage name.
Moving all around~~
Octavia frowned deeply and just tapped one hoof out before her, only hitting the up arrows as they came and refusing to stand up off the down arrow; sitting as a vast contrast to the electric movements Vinyl was doing beside her.
Soon, Octavia and Vinyl found themselves in the crowd like everyone else while Braeburn and Little Strongheart appeared on the dance pad.
We're jumping all around~~
"Uhhhh..." Braeburn looked around his new surroundings along with his buffalo partner, "Y'all know what--?"
"I think we're supposed to dance, Braeburn..." Little Strongheart brought up.
When he looked at the screen and saw the arrows and ponies dancing in the background, he sprang his face to a smile. "Well, YEEHAW! Cut a rug!"
Düp düp düp düp düp...
Braeburn presented just as much style as his cousins; jumping back and around, following the arrows as he could. But, to everyone watching's dismay, while he did hit every arrow, he hit them after they passed. The stallion bucked his back hooves out, hooting out as he kept missing each arrow by just a moment; though, he looked nonetheless happy.
On the other side, Little Strongheart kept herself to modest side steps this way and that, missing out a great many steps, but perfecting every step she tried to get as her dainty legs and hooves pressed the pads. The two on the stage together looked out of place with their awkward movements and lack of timing, but the audience cheered and urged them on anyway. As those two were sent off of the stage by Discord again, all the audience said together--
"DROP THE BEAT"
At that exact moment, Discord summoned to the floor Cadance and Shining Armor... Who, by the rose clenched between Shining Armor's muzzle, were about in the same situation as Soarin' and Spitfire were in when they were brought here. Maybe even further.
"...Um..."
"JUST DANCE YOU FOOLS!" Discord yelled at them from off to the side.
So come and join our love foundation~~
Shining Armor awkwardly stepped around, turning an embarrassed red as he pushed one step after the other. He could've only imagined what his soldiers would think if they saw him trying to dance to a kid's game; not only that, but dancing horribly.
Go feel the heat, the sweet vibration~~
Cadance, however, was moving nimbly and without a moment's hesitation. Seeming to pick up on her aunt's own gaming skills in this regard, Cadance moved with as much style and grace as Luna did; however, she had to look to the screen to know what she was doing.
'Cause we are about to ignite~~
The two were banished from the stage, but were not replaced this time by someone new. To some surprise, the floor was taken by Discord to one side and Chrysalis to the other. When Chrysalis turned to yell protest at Discord, he mimicked the music and said...
"And we wanna go out tonight~~!"
"Why you piece of--!" Chrysalis dived at the lord of Chaos, who simply flashed behind her onto her once occupied pad, hitting the steps on that pad as they came and taking time to wave to the audience as they laughed.
Düp düp düp...
Chrysalis kept springing back up, shooting daggers at to Discord before lunging at him once again, only for him to flip over her and try a new dance style at every single pass, making sure to hit the pads to keep the score and game going.
Ram! Tap-dance!
Tackle! Break-dance!
Body-check! One-man Foxtrot!
Strangle! The robot!
The audience and Pip snickered and chuckled as they watched Chrysalis continue to try and hit Discord, only for him to move away again and again. Once the break hit, every pony cried together--
"Jumping all around"
At that, Pipsqueak hurried to the spot between Discord and Chrysalis and jumped up so the two could see him clearly.
"DROP THE BEAT!"
Düp düp düp düp düp...
Together, the three exchanged momentary looks before Discord bent down and lifted Pipsqueak up so he could stand on his back legs, guiding him to step on the inner pads one after the other. The outer pads were continued to be handled by Chrysalis and Discord, yet they never once looked away from Pip as he cleared out through the rest of the round.
Jumping all around...
Every pony exploded with cheers and praise, patting one another on the back and chatting it up as they all flowed back to their spots in the restaurant. Left as the only ones still in the room, Discord, Chrysalis, and Pip smiled at one another. "That was fun!" Pip chirped.
"It... It really was..." Chrysalis admitted.
"Cap'n!? What was out score!?" Pip asked.
Discord looked over his shoulder and brightened even more. "We got a 'D'!"
"WOO! We're gettin' better!"
Author's Note
