//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: The Very Thought of You [part 2] // Story: The Totally Tubular and Tremendously Tenacious and Turbulent Transplanted Teen // by Sparkle Fire //------------------------------// Sept. 30, 1988. Fall Formal Dance; on the courtyard outside. Ryder's point of view. As we approached the school, the slightly chilled air surrounding the carriage we rode in was getting to me. It was practically freezing my nose and ears solid. We came to a halt right outside the courtyard, where a mass of ponies awaited their turn to enter the gym, where the dance was being held. Ponies of all races and classes were dressed in their finest, from sharp sport-coats and tuxedos, to elegant and ostentatious gowns. There had to be at least four hundred there, all congregated on the courtyard, chatting amongst themselves and showing off their styles and taking photos. Gems and I almost immediately ran into Cheerilee upon our arrival. She stood there, mouth agape, gasping in awe. "You two look amazing," she praised. The purple filly then beckoned her mates over, who adored us even more. One of them had an instant-film camera in hoof, taking photos. We broke from that crowd afterwards, and then proceeded to meet up with Diamond Rose, Gems's best mate. Rose was hesitant to make eye contact with me at first, freshly remembering how she was rejected. As a sign of reconciliation, I stroked her silky mane, which was done up with a boatload of styling creme and brush-in glitter and complemented with a small pink bow near the top. She turned around to face me before kissing me on the cheek and putting her hoof around my neck. "You look cute," she complimented. "And so do you, Gems. You're quite sexy tonight." "Thanks," Gems said. "You look pretty yourself, what with your pink dress and all." Rose giggled for a second. "I thought you'd like it." "Where's your date?" "He's inside, getting everything ready. I'll introduce him to you once we get in." "Wanna tag along with us until then?" I proposed. "Sure." We then met up with the boys -- Shining Armour, Gaffer, 8-Bit, Poindexter, and the rest -- looking handsome and studly. We were serenaded with whistles and catcalls (perhaps it was because of Gems's dress) and all sort of stallion-like greetings and salutations. I responded with obligatory fist-bumps (or brohoofs, as it were) all the way round. "Hey, is that Gemmy's flank I see?" Gaffer flirted, noticing her cutie mark being exposed through her dress. "Wanna see more?" Gems taunted him some. I held him off by snaking my hand into her dress and teasing her round the base of her tail, pressing down and around, teasing Gaffer like a schoolboy: "All mine... all mine... all mine!" before slapping her arse, making her cheeks visibly flushed. I pecked her on the lips once to make up for it. "Don't try that around the jocks, unless you want to be kicked in the crotch once or twice..." she mouthed at me as a playful threat. Rose was standing right next to me, blushing like a pair of electric stovetop coils as well. I calmed her down as well, kissing her face and stroking her back, admiring her wings and how she'd done them up. "You look nice in that hat," Rose said. "Thanks." The time came to line up at the door. We had tickets that would be presented at the door and stamped on our way in. The mass of Fall Formal-goers were then instructed to wait in the cramped corridor leading into the gym, where final preparations were being made for the evening’s festivities. After about five minutes, I could hear the record player whirred to life causing music to sound from the speakers accompanying it alongside. We were one of the first couples to cross the threshold into the gymnasium, which was bedecked in balloons, streamers, glitter, and a gigantic glistening disco ball hanging from the rafters. There was a punch bowl in a far corner, beckoning partiers and revelers to partake in its contents. A few ponies were already congregated around it, taking some punch in fancy glasses usually reserved for wine and brandy. I took two full glasses from the table, one for me and one for Gems. We met up with some of our mates who had already made it through the ticket line and gathered along a wall. “How’re you doing?” I shouted over the music. As I knew it, Gaffer would scouse a reply. “Ah’m fooooine, mate.” “I know, right? It’s been a really awesome day.” “Like, how?” Poindexter wondered. “There was a big pep rally today. The whole bloody stadium was packed, everyone was enthusiastic… screamed my lungs out into my windpipe. Great fun.” “Glad to hear.” “There’s a big issue that I have, though.” “Really?” “There was a handful of them flying Cosararan flags. Why fly Cosararan flags at an Equestrian school, and at a pep rally, no less?” “Maybe it’s because of your Cosararan heritage,” 8-Bit chimed in. “Or maybe it’s a flag of communism, false hopes, and broken promises,” I shot back. I was rather disgusted with the red rag, in my humble opinion, and because of it, I wasn’t in the mood to hear any mention of it. I had to change the subject. “So, what about all those parade floats? They seemed impressive…” “I know, a lot of work goes into the floats. They’re always fantastic,” Poindexter commented the laudable effort put forward each year. “Now, you see, I didn’t know you guys even had a parade the week of the Fall Formal. Is it, like, a major occasion?” “Yes, it is,” Gems told me. “Always a real hoot, I’ll tell ya.” “You should see the parades they put on back home… May Day’s a blast, so is Victory Day, Armed Forces Day, 25th of April… Liberation Day and Midsummer Day aren’t as big from what I can tell…” “I’ve always heard that they were big celebrations an’ such,” Gaffer said. “But who really gives a fuck now,” I told him off. “I don’t live there anymore.” “There was also a big polo game afterwards… I heard we won by one point,” Gems said. “I don’t understand polo anyways… I just don’t understand it.” I downed the rest of my punch and ran over to the punch table to put the glass back where it belongs. To the dance floor! We practically burned the joint down with all our sick dance moves. We walked like Egyptians, we hustled, we jumped on it, hell, we even did the whole Thriller thing. And it was a blast. But here's where it began to get serious. After a while, this wicked song comes on, and Lyra asks me to dance. I took my jacket off and swung it around, getting into the groove. But then, she turned around and began gyrating her hips on me, while a bunch of ponies cheered. It wasn't long before several other couples began to 'dirty dance' - that is, the stallion rears up onto his dance partner (usually a mare), who is grinding into his crotch. It was quite a surprising sight to see. My, erm, "gentleman's area" began to rise, and so were those of the other stallions involved. I was beginning to enjoy it - I really was. However, our festivities were cut short by one of the teachers. She took the microphone, made sure that it was working. I could recognise who she was from her physique and her violet fur... Wait a minute... that's Miss Violet! "I've been hearing about a great deal of inappropriate dancing on the floor..." There was a great din of cheering. "No way," she shouted. "Not happening. If you're caught doing that again, I will personally have you thrown out!" Some of the stallions in the crowd bowed their heads, disappointed of themselves for their behaviour. A few others went to the punch bowl to drink their sorrows away. The DJ regained control of the microphone. "Let's take this a little slower," she calmly suggested, laying the needle down onto a record. At that moment, a slow, romantic song began to play. "May I have this dance?" I said. "Of course," Lemony Gems replied. She leapt up and placed her front hooves around my neck, clasping my shoulders; I put my arms around her chest. I was almost able to look right into her eyes. Considering that she only came up to my own chest at her normal height, this was slightly surprising. We then swayed back and forth to the music. Unaccustomed to standing only on her hind legs, she hobbled about and turned on the spot. I helped her up whenever she would lose her balance. Our eyes lulled shut. We could each feel the pattern of our breathing as we drifted even further towards paradise. I kissed her sweet face several times, nibbled her ears, and leaned into her to smell her captivating scent; she responded in kind. Towards the end of the song, we hugged tightly right then and there, and longingly kissed each other on the lips. We felt like the only couple around, a delicious feeling that we soaked up. I could feel a single tear drip onto my shoulder as I continued to tenderly hold her. “I’ve got to have you,” she suddenly told me. In that moment, I knew that I had to comfort her, and to let her take comfort in me. Following this revelation, we said goodbye to all of my friends, as well as hers, before exiting. Lemony Gems and I walked out of the building in each others' embrace. We passed a gaggle of Fall Formal-goers who were waiting for carriages to arrive; they either decided to leave of their own accord or were kicked out for dirty dancing. Who knows? I was still wiping wet spots from my face when a carriage finally arrived. Gems gave her home address to the driver and off we went. We arrived at an apartment building in the very far south reaches of Canterlot's suburbs, a stately yellow building with a chain-link fence surrounding it. "Follow me," Gems said. I followed her every move, up two flights of concrete stairs and down a long pathway to her family's apartment building. She dug her spare key out of the flowerpot on the windowsill to unlock the door, and we went inside. The apartment itself was quite modest indeed; there was a Victorian air to it, with ancient wallpaper that was peeling in places, and the furniture smelled strongly of cigar smoke. I took a second to acclimate myself to the air, and laid out my suit jacket and set my fedora on the aged leather armchair. She opened the door to her bedroom to let me inside. Her room had roughly the same feel as the rest of the apartment; the flowery wallpaper was getting ready to peel off the walls. Posters of her favourite bands were strategically placed where the original wall was already exposed. The modern world was somehow imported into this room, with a fancy lamp from a Canterlot department store gracing her simple wooden nightstand. A record player and a small portable cassette player sat on top of her dresser, along with a picture of me from this past summer that she had kissed with lipstick and placed in a picture frame (my name was written in gold glitter on the frame). She magically slid out of her sexy dress and laid it on her bed. And she finally spoke to me in that sweet, gentle voice of hers... "I'm so glad that I have you," she softly said to me. Tears began to well up in my eyes and stain her mane as we embraced each other in the security of her private quarters. I began to take my shirt, tie, and shoes off and lay them on top of her dress. We laid on the bed and looked into each others' eyes, my hand holding her hoof. We slowly moved closer into each other, a loving feeling of closeness and intimacy coursing through us. As our lips touched, we became intoxicated; stroking her mane and the occasional light touch sent even more tingling sensations rippling through our bodies and adding to the moment. She nuzzled her body up against mine, spooning me - I was the big spoon, she was the little one. My arm and one of my legs was draped over her body as the moon shone brightly through the window. "I wish we could be like this forever," Gems professed. "I agree," I replied, "but I have to start making my way home soon. So would it kill you to give me a goodnight kiss?" "Totally..." We untangled ourselves from our web, while I got dressed. I tucked my shirt back into my pants, adjusted my tie back into place, and slid my shoes back on. "Goodnight, my love." We kissed passionately one last time before I set out the door. I made sure to grab my jacket and fedora on my way out. I made it back into town at almost midnight. That blissful experience was still in my mind as I drifted to sleep.