//------------------------------// // Chapter Twenty-Three: The Bachelor Parties (Part Two) // Story: Brushed Away 3: Hearts Entwined // by TheVClaw //------------------------------// Despite Canvas’ odd behavior, the bachelorette party that Lyra and Bon-Bon threw was quickly getting into full swing. Fortunately, the stallion was kept occupied enough by the food to appear somewhat normal, mostly because he couldn’t say many stupid things with his muzzle full of cake. Bon-Bon was especially happy that she decided to make so many snacks to go along with Pinkie’s baked goods, since they seemed to occupy Canvas and Lyra’s time nicely. However, the mare did regret making a large crockpot of nacho cheese, since the two stoned ponies were using it as a condiment for nearly everything they could get their hooves on. Canvas was dipping some apple slices into a little bowl of cheese he made for himself, not seeming to notice how Applejack was staring at him like he was committing pure blasphemy. Rarity and Twilight both looked apprehensive as well, but it was a more pleasing sight than Lyra dipping chocolate chip cookies into her bowl. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie had an impressed smile while chewing on the combinations both the baked ponies created. “Mmmm!” she piped happily after swallowing. “That’s actually pretty good!” “Ugh!” groaned Rarity as she turned her head away from the eating habits her friends were displaying. “I seriously do not want to know what would possess you ponies to do such a thing to your bodies!” Twilight peered over at Bon-Bon with narrowed eyes, clearly suspicious of what was going on. The Earth Pony returned the glance with a very worried-looking smile which was way wider than it needed to be. “Uhhh…” After darting her eyes around desperately, Bon-Bon quickly went to the kitchen counter to find something to use. “Party game!! L-let’s play a party game!” “Yeah!” shouted Lyra enthusiastically while her mouth was still full of cheese and cookie. Pinkie added in a cheerful voice of her own, “OOH! We should play ‘Never Have I Ever!’” “Uhh, Pinkie?” piped Applejack while staring at her with a raised brow. She pointed a hoof towards Canvas as she asked, “Do ya really think a drinkin’ game is appropriate with a dry pony in the house?” Pinkie paused for a second, and blinked two times before shrugging. “Well, he doesn’t have to drink alcohol to play it, does he?” Applejack took a moment to think that over, realizing that Pinkie had a fair point. Canvas swallowed a muzzle full of food as he asked, “Ummm… what game are you talking about?” Pinkie looked towards him in surprise. “What?! You mean you never played it?” she asked in a tone that suggested he said something completely unorthodox. After Canvas shook his head, Bon-Bon returned to the table with several red plastic cups, as well as a couple bottles of alcohol. “Well,” began Bon-Bon as she decided to set up the game early, “the point of ‘Never Have I Ever’ is kinda like Truth or Dare. Each pony starts off by saying ‘Never have I ever,’ followed by something they never did. Then, any ponies who have done it have to take a drink.” As she prepared the cups for everypony (including one with just soda for the stallion), Canvas’ brows raised in understanding as he nodded slowly. “Ohhhh! I think I heard of that game before.” “Don’t worry, it’s super easy,” said Lyra as she leaned over to give him an encouraging nudge from the side. “So, whaddya say? You wanna try the game out?” Even though he wasn’t exactly keen on a drinking game, the artist lazily shrugged as a smirk grew across his muzzle. “Oh, what the heck?” said Canvas as he took his cup of soda. “It sounds kinda fun.” “Excellent!” chimed Rarity as she lifted her cup of what looked to be vodka and cranberry juice with her magic. When she looked around, it seemed that everypony was on board. Even Twilight took her cup without much protest, although it was clear she was still looking at Lyra and Canvas suspiciously. Rarity took a preliminary sip of her drink before nodding in acceptance. “Mmm! Alright, who wants to start?” “OOH!” Pinkie Pie threw her hoof up like an excited school-filly who has the answer for a big question. “Pick me! Pick me!” Rarity just sighed and silently motioned for the mare to continue. Pinkie’s smile widened greatly, and she stood on top of her chair before clearing her throat. “A’hem! Never have I ever…” Pinkie then grew a devilish grin while looking around the room. “... Got caught reading Fifty Shades of Hay!” Canvas covered his mouth with a hoof to try not to laugh. Of course, that move turned out to be futile when he saw Rarity, Twilight and Bon-Bon all reluctantly take sips from their cups. Applejack chuckled as she glanced at the three in surprise. “Jeez Louise! Why the hay were ya readin’ that for?!” Rarity’s face was a deep shade of red as she looked down at her lap embarrassingly. “I… I heard good things from ponies about it…” Twilight seemed more annoyed than anything while putting her cup down. “I was just curious since it was a top-seller at the bookstore.” Bon-Bon just giggled and replied with a shrug, “I just wanted to read something that would make me laugh!” “Surrrre ya did,” chimed Lyra cheekily while leaning in towards her. Bon-Bon’s smirk quickly soured while everypony else giggled at her reaction. “Okay, okay,” began Applejack as she raised her cup. “Ah got somethin…” Applejack looked around the room while her muzzle grew a smirk of her own. “Never have Ah ever… got caught wearin’ panties.” Pinkie Pie shrugged and took a drink casually. Rarity scoffed and took another drink, “Okay, now I’m feeling singled out righ--PTOO!!!” The fashionista violently spat out her drink as soon as she saw that Canvas was meekly taking a drink too. Everypony else saw and gasped in surprise as well. “Well, Ah’ll be!” shouted Applejack while blinking a couple times at him. “Ah wasn’t expectin’ ta know that!” Canvas grew a deeply embarrassed blush on his face, and he giggled while hiding his face with his cup. “Hehehehe… It was surprise for Troy one day when he came home. But he left the door open, and… D-Derpy came by and saw us…” The stallion then erupted into a giggle fit while the rest of the girls laughed in surprise and second-hoof embarrassment. “Oh my goodness!” shouted Rarity while gawking at Canvas. “I hope it wasn’t anything too revealing!” Canvas’ face grew even redder as he curled up in his seat and giggled. “Idon’twannasayanymore!” “Okay, okay,” said Twilight in an understanding tone as she raised her glass, “let me do the next one.” After thinking it over briefly, the Princess’ eyes widened as an idea sprouted. She smiled and decided to say, “Never have I ever… slept-walked into somepony else’s bed!” “Aw, great!” Applejack groaned grumpily before taking a sip and looking away from Twilight. “Ya ain’t never gonna let that go, are ya?” Twilight chuckled as she shook her head. Bon-Bon took a sip as well, and gave a cheery glance over at Lyra as she giggled. “Our first weekend vacation.” Lyra giggled and bent in towards the table to whisper loudly, “That was also when she licked my horn!” “LYRA!” shouted Bon-Bon in shock. While the rest of the mares laughed, Lyra realized her mistake with a blush. “Oops! I didn’t mean to do that!” She then tried to rectify the situation by raising her cup to bring up that point properly. “I mean… Never have I ever licked somepony else's horn!” “No, Lyra! That’s not what I meant!” The laughter around the table grew louder, and Bon-Bon just groaned in aggravation while taking a big sip from her cup. Pinkie drank too. Applejack waited until no eyes were on her (besides Twilight’s knowing glance towards her) before taking the quickest sip she possibly could. “Ummm…” Lyra stared at her wife meekly and said in a sad voice, “I’m sorry, Bonnie…” Bon-Bon knew that Lyra didn’t mean to give out that detail (especially while high), and just sighed before looking back at her. “It’s alright, honey. I forgive you.” The two then bent in to give a small nose-nuzzle to one another, leaving Canvas’ smile to lessen at seeing them like that. All he could think about was being with his fiancè, and he imagined what Troy was doing at that moment. He missed him. He wanted to see him. He wanted to hold him down and hug him and nuzzle those soft pillow-feathers while-- “Canvas?” asked Applejack loudly enough to jolt the pony out of a stupor he was unaware he was even in. “Ya’ll okay there?” Canvas blinked a couple times and looked around, realizing that he must’ve been in thought for a while. All the girls were looking at him worriedly, which made him quickly smile and nod. “Oh yeah, yeah,” replied the stallion as he rubbed the back of his head and looked around. “I was just thinking about things, and Troy, and…” His words trailed off as he looked up at the top of the refrigerator, and he giggled when he saw a rubber duck up there. “H-Hey, Canvas!” Lyra nudged his side strongly as a means to get him back to reality. “How about you say something?” “Hm? Oh!” Canvas picked up his cup and cleared his throat, trying his hardest to appear “normal” while thinking of a good suggestion. “Let’s see, uhhh… Never have I ever…” Due to his body and mind process feeling rather soft and loosely-hinged, it was fairly tough to think of a good suggestion. Fortunately, a sudden thought crossed the pony’s mind that made him smirk and say: “... kissed a stallion!” Bon-Bon made an impressive “Oooh” while glancing around the room. “This might be interesting.” “Wait a minute,” said Applejack confusingly. “Whad’ya mean ya…” After pausing, the mare blinked before her eyes widened in realization. “Oh yeah. Ah guess Troy ain’t a stallion.” Pinkie was the first to take a sip, once again not caring who saw it. Lyra also took a sip before saying nonchalantly, “Well, I did have a coltfriend before meeting Bon-Bon.” Applejack took a drink and answered with her face pointed away from them, “Family reunion when Ah was a kid. Don’t ask. It was just practice.” Rarity tried not to guffaw to that statement, and merely shrugged as she took her own sip. However, her focus immediately changed when she saw Twilight pick up her cup for a moment, and then quickly put it down with a blush. “Oh my word!” shouted the unicorn, prompting Twilight to illicit a worried “Eep!” when she saw Rarity’s eyes on her. “Who was it?!” “N-NOPONY!” shouted Twilight as she leaned back in her seat in apprehension. “S-Seriously! It wasn’t any pony!” Applejack’s muzzle slowly opened when she let out a long, knowing gasp. “Was… was it that human guy ya met in that mirror world?” Lyra shot out of her chair. “THE WHAT?!” Bon-Bon got out of her seat to try and restrain her wife from pouncing on Twilight. “P-PLEASE SAY IT WASN’T!” yelled the mare in a desperate voice while staring at the Princess wide-eyed. “Please! Don’t give her that ide--” “I BUCKING KNEW THAT HUMANS EXISTED!!! I KNEW IT--MMF!!!” Bon-Bon promptly shoved her hoof in Lyra’s mouth as she tried thrashing out of the mare’s grip. Canvas was staring at Lyra in horror while clutching his bowl of nacho cheese tightly against his chest. Applejack was looking just as worried as she blurted out, “A-Ah meant ducks!!! Ah… Ah didn’t mean ta say humans! It was the duck world! Heh heh… where did that come from?” Lyra was frozen while her wife kept her restrained, and her eyes narrowed squarely on Twilight. While the Alicorn sat in worry, she watched as Lyra slowly settled back in her seat. When Bon-Bon finally pulled away from her, the unicorn pointed at her eyes before pointing her hoof straight at Twilight. “I’m gonna remember that…” Twilight gulped while squirming in her chair uncomfortably. Rarity leaned in towards her as she kept her curious grin. “Soooo…” Her brows pointed upward a couple times before she asked, “Was it that guy?” Twilight immediately blushed and looked away from her. “U-Uhhhh… W-Well… It wasn’t a kiss on the lips. Just… on the cheek. Close to the lips, but not exactly on it, a-a-and he wasn’t a stallion! S-So… it doesn’t count.” Twilight then looked around the table with a highly exaggerated smile in hopes that the party wouldn’t ask any further about Brad. It was clear that both Rarity and Applejack wanted more details, but decided to let it slide with a unified roll of their eyes after looking at each other. Rarity then took the moment to raise her own glass to ask the next question. “Since I haven’t gone yet, never have I ever…” She gave a sly grin over in Twilight’s direction and finished her statement with, “... fantasized about someone of a different species?” Twilight groaned and lowered her head in shame. Meanwhile, Canvas, Lyra, and Pinkie Pie were already taking sips. After the others finished, Twilight sighed deeply and made a reluctant sip herself. Rarity and Applejack didn’t hide their snickering one bit while watching her. However, the focus changed when Lyra nudged her wife and said, “C’moooonnnn… Take a drink too!” Bon-Bon jolted and tried to reply in a sputtered, “Wh-What do you mean? I-I… I don’t know what you’re talking about…” The mare obviously looked worried, but that didn’t explain why her blushed expression was accompanied with her glancing over at Canvas a couple times worriedly. Of course, that just made Lyra’s grin grow wider. “Oh?” she asked pertly with her brows raised. “Are you saying you forgot whose name you yelled out in bed one night?” “SSHHH!!!” Bon-Bon promptly tried to shush her stoned wife, but everypony else was staring at the two curiously. The mare angrily leaned in close to Lyra’s ears and tried to whisper as subtly and firmly as she could, “Lyra, you are not going to make me tell them about that! It was one time!” “Oh, don’t be such a prude!” replied Lyra in a more carefree tone. “I’ve shouted out a lot of names before! Plus, it’s hard to blame ya for thinking of Angela while--MMPH!!” Despite how quickly Bon-Bon tried plugging her wife’s mouth, the dropped jaws from everypony else made it clear that they all heard that statement. Canvas brought his hooves up to his face and blurted out, “You fantasized about my Mother-in-law?!” Bon-Bon made a long, pregnant pause while in her seat, and was only stopped so she could pick up her cup and take a meager drink. That made the entire table burst out into laughter, all while Bon-Bon slumped in her chair with a venomous glare towards Lyra. The mint unicorn seemed especially giggly as she convulsed with her eyes nearly glued shut, so she wasn’t able to notice Bon-Bon keep her glass up and make her contribution: “Never have I ever fantasized about Shining Armor!” Lyra instantly stopped laughing and gasped in shock towards her wife. However, her gasp wasn’t nearly as loud as Twilight’s was. The Princess sat with her jaw almost touching the table, which wasn’t helped when she watched Lyra’s next action. After a few seconds frozen and stunned, the mare huffed and took a drink… Along with everypony else else at the table. “WHAT?!” screamed Twilight as she saw everypony except Bon-Bon take a drink. Pinkie was the first to put down her cup and shrug. “What? Your brother’s a hunk!” Canvas silently nodded, but didn’t dare say anything to risk facing the Princess’ wrath. Twilight glared in Rarity and Applejack’s direction. Rarity was rubbing along the outside of her cup timidly with a hoof while her muzzle was pointed away from her friend. When Twilight’s sights went to Applejack, the orange mare’s shoulders shrugged similar to Pinkie’s. “Well, he is,” admitted Applejack honesty. “Cadance is a lucky lady!” “I can't believe you girls!” yelled Twilight in an appalled and disappointed tone. “Oh, come on now!” responded Applejack with a roll of her eyes. “Are ya really gonna get all worked up about that? It’s just a game, Twi! Ya need to loosen up about that sorta thing.” Twilight paused for a brief second, and huffed before settling back in her seat. “Well, I suppose you have a point…” After a split-second decision, the Princess raised her glass again and said while pinning her eyes straight at Applejack, “Never have I ever fantasized about Big Macintosh!” Applejack’s muzzle hung open in an instant. Unfortunately, it stayed there for quite a while after seeing everypony else take a drink silently. Twilight just smirked as she looked around the room before turning back to see Applejack’s reaction. “WHAT THE BUCK?!” shouted the farm pony in a fit of rage. Bon-Bon avoided eye contact with her and answered meekly, “Your… your brother’s really hot, okay?” Lyra just giggled and added, “Yeah! Heck, one time we even considered asking him--” Luckily, one dangerously strong glare from her wife was enough to shut her up before saying anything too revealing. Instead, Applejack’s sights went towards Canvas, making the stallion shrink in his seat while she narrowed her eyes on him. “... You too?” Canvas cringed and tried to turn her head away from her in growing unease. “Uhhh… well, he…” He quickly shut his muzzle before he could utter anything else while still baked. Applejack’s head tilted to the side as her sights narrowed on him even more. “Canvas.... When we were helpin’ fixin’ up yer house, were ya purposely droppin’ all those nails just to watch him pick ‘em up!?” Canvas stared at the mare wide-eyed, unable to fathom how she came to that seemingly random (and very correct) question so quickly. His face became a very deep shade of red, and his muzzle shakily opened as he tried to give his answer. “I-I-I… I want to play a different game now…” While the rest of the table cracked up, Applejack just kept staring daggers at the baked stallion. By the time the pig was fully devoured and the bonfire was extinguished, Troy’s bachelor party took to the skies. As the group reached Cloudsdale’s city limits, it seemed that three of the gryphons (more specifically, one gryphon and two gryphonesses) were more occupied with each other than the rest of the party. It was unclear what Gilda and Greta whispered to Blade on their way to the cloud city, but it was apparently enough to make him give Troy an early goodbye for the night. While Blaze and Blane weren’t exactly happy that their brother would flake out so early during Troy’s bachelor party, they also knew better than to try to keep him from knowing the catering girls a little better. When the remaining group reached the club, they were surprised to find that there wasn’t much of a line out front like expected. Unfortunately, it seemed that the triplets’ party plans weren’t exactly thought thoroughly. If they had talked with Rainbow Dash beforehoof (or any pony for that matter), they would’ve found out that Cloudsdale had a rather strict curfew when it came to their bars. Unlike other cities in Equestria, Cloudsdale’s night clubs shut down at ten PM instead of one AM. Because of that, a rather heated fight was brewing outside Cloudsdale’s Wyngs establishment between the triplets and the club bouncer. “What the buck do you MEAN we only have fifteen minutes left?!” yelled Blaze in a tone that sounded distinctly like his Father’s. “Are you aware how much money we paid to reserve the VIP room?!” The muscled Pegasus only shrugged, not seeming to mind too much that a huge gryphon was staring him down murderously. Of course, perhaps the thick beard and sunglasses covering his face helped a bit. “Sorry, it’s city policy,” said the stallion, not caring that Blaze’s face was growing redder by the second. “If you want, you can talk with the manager for a possible partial refund, but I can’t--” “A PARTIAL REFUND?!” screamed Blaze before lunging towards the guard. Blane was lucky to pull his brother back at the nick of time, saving the stallion from nearly getting his face slashed by Blaze’s claws. Even though his reaction appeared nothing more than a slight raise of his brows, the bodyguard was still peeved enough to point his hoof away from the club. “Okay, that’s it!” yelled the guard firmly enough to make his tone apparent. “Your group can leave right now!” “Wait, wait!” Rainbow Dash was quick enough to swoop in towards the pony, choosing not to stand at the sidelines like Troy and Lyle were. While the guard let out a brief and almost unheard groan, the mare sighed before trying to rectify the situation. “Okay, I’m sorry about my friends back there,” she said while pointing back at Blaze (with Blane still trying to keep him restrained). “They weren’t aware about Cloudsdale’s curfew, alright? They just wanted to celebrate their brother getting married.” Before the bodyguard could say anything in opposition, Dash put her hoof out and added, “Plus, the guys went through one and half barrels of hard cider. They’re not exactly in the best state of mind.” After a small huff through his nostrils, the guard took off his sunglasses and began with, “Listen, I know for a fact that it would take more than a barrel of Equestrian alcohol for gryphons to--” About halfway through his spiel, the stallion froze as his eyes widened. “Wait a minute! Are… are you Rainbow Dash!?” Due to the stallion wearing sunglasses at night, it was hard to recognize the Element of Loyalty before taking his shades off. While Blaze settled down and watched from the side, Dash quickly took the opportunity to nod and say in a friendlier tone, “Yeah! And believe me, I’d be just as upset as you if they did that to me. But they’re just trying to have a good bachelor party. We’re not wanting to cause any trouble, I swear.” The bodyguard peered between Dash and her entourage, his muzzle skewing as he weighed the options. After a few seconds of silence, he looked back at the club and sighed before saying towards Rainbow, “Listen, I’ll see if I can talk with the manager, but like I said, a partial refund is all we can do here. If you want, there’s a good club outside Canterlot that stays open until two am. It’s called the Allure. Can’t miss it.” Dash smiled and nodded at the stallion’s suggestion. “That sounds good, dude. Thanks.” After nodding back at her, the pony retreated into the club. As she turned back to her friends, Dash’s smirk was quite evident. Troy and Lyle clapped lightly at her impressive display. “Wow!” blurted Troy with a thankful tone of voice. “I gotta say, I didn’t think you could schmooze ponies like that!” “Oh, it was nothing,” she replied humbly with a light shrug. “I don’t like using my royal status all the time, but I may have used it to get a free drink or two around town.” Blaze still seemed upset, and looked away from Dash as he muttered a brief, “Yeah, thanks.” He then let out a low and bitter growl in frustration before adding, “I still think that curfew thing is gay as shit-- Oh, dammit!” Blane pointed at his brother with accompanying “Aaahhh!!” while grinning. While Troy stared at him in slight disbelief, Blaze groaned and rolled his eyes. “Alright, alright!” he said annoyedly. “You don’t need to remind me, I’ll put a bit in the jar when we get back!” Troy tilted his head with his eyes narrowed. “Ummm, what jar?” Lyle stared at Troy with a confused look of his own. “What, you didn’t know? The triplets have this ‘Swear Jar’ thing back home, but it’s for whenever they use the word ‘Gay’ like that.” “Yeah,” said Blane in addition while looking towards Troy. “Where’d ya think we got the money for your Hearth’s Warming gifts?” Troy’s eyes widened in surprise, unsure whether or not to find that statement to be touching. “Umm… huh.” The bodyguard came back out from the club’s front doors, holding a small bag of bits in one hoof. “Here ya go,” said the stallion as he handed Dash the partial refund. “That should probably be enough to pay the cover charge over there.” “Awesome,” said Dash as she shook the bodyguard’s hoof, while also subtly pulling his sights away from the two older gryphons making mocking gestures of the guy behind his back. Before she could give the two a quick glare to stop them, she said to the stallion, “Thanks for understanding.” Blaze and Blane instantly appeared “casual” when the stallion turned back around to keep watch outside the club again. Troy sighed briefly as he looked up at the club. While Blaze and Blane took to the skies, Dash paused and asked Troy, “Hey, what’s up?” “Nothing. Just…” Troy’s beak skewed a little before he exhaled faintly. “I’m just kinda wondering what Canvas is up to, that’s all.” “Oh, don’t worry about him,” assured Dash with a nudge against his side. “Believe me, Pinkie’s bachelorette parties are usually just them playing games and eating a cake shaped like a stallion’s dingus. He’s fine!” “I know, I know,” replied Troy with a shrug. Lyle came up beside him to see what was up, and saw his brother blush a little and admit, “I just kinda… wanted to see him again, that’s all.” Rainbow scoffed with a jeer. “Jeeze, dude! One night on your own, and you already miss him?” “Yeah,” added Lyle as he opened his wings, “that’s kinda overdependent, dude.” “Oh, shut up!” said Troy, keeping an angered look as he soared up into the skies with Dash and Lyle. He refrained from saying much else, and the gryphon’s beak was clenched as he thought to himself: Man… I hope he’s going to be okay... The Allure, which was notorious for being one of the most popular clubs for Canterlot ponies, had no problems attracting lots of prospective clientele despite being outside the city limits. In fact, due to being outside city ordinances, the nightclub didn’t have to adhere to most of the standards that most clubs in Equestrian cities had to follow. So because of that, it was no surprise that it became the hot spot for multiple big gatherings that night. In fact, while Rainbow Dash and the remaining four gryphons took flight towards the nightclub, it seemed that they weren’t the only party headed to that location. On the ground, a pony-drawn carriage was on the road towards the Allure with Canvas’ bachelor party inside laughing it up. Due to the copious amounts of alcohol consumed by the mares in attendance, Canvas and Lyra no longer seemed like the odd ponies out. Even Twilight Sparkle had an evident blush on her cheeks after having one too many mimosas during the ride. While most of the group laughed and exchanged stories, each one being raunchier than the last, Canvas was occupied with a sketchpad and a pencil strapped to his hoof. He was still feeling the effects of Lyra’s stash, and was taking advantage of the moment as he gained a sudden bout of artistic inspiration. Even though Lyra was worried he was acting like too much of a wallflower, none of the others seemed to mind that Canvas was more focused on his art than the story of Rarity’s Nightmare Night incident. Applejack couldn’t stop giggling as she tried to tell the story. Rarity constantly tried to shush her friend, but it was to no avail as the tipsy farm pony reached to the conclusion of it. “N-Now, that’s… that’s when Rare here started ta get really grabby wit’ me, so Ah tried ta get her away from the cider before she tried flirtin’ with anypony else! But as soon as Ah l-looked away for one second, she ran off and started whisperin’ a bunch of dirty stuff into Zecora’s ear!” That was when Rarity tried to cover Applejack’s muzzle with her hooves, ignoring the uproar of laughter from everypony else in the carriage. “Applejaaaaaack!” moaned Rarity in a slurred voice. “I told you, I didn’t say anything to her! I was just…. Just complimenting her mane!” Applejack pulled Rarity’s hooves from her mouth and replied with a smirk, “So why was her face redder than my brother’s?” Rarity didn’t have a valid response in a timely enough manner before hearing more laughter from her friends. Her embarrassed blush deepened as she looked away from Applejack with an upset pout. “Oh, whatever,” muttered the unicorn bitterly. “You have no proof.” “Ah got enough proof from past experience,” stated Applejack confidently. “Whenever ya get drunk, ya either start cryin a bunch, or ya get hornier than a cage full of rhinos!” “Shut UUUPPPP!” whined Rarity pleadingly. In an attempt to get the target off of her own back, the fashionista turned over to Canvas and tried to peer into his sketch pad. “Sooooo, what are you--MY WORD!” Rarity’s outburst caused everypony to glance over at Canvas, whose blush was accompanied by a guilty smile on his face. He giggled to himself before turning the sketchbook around for the girls to see. “I wanted to make something special for myself…” The group of mares peered in, and all of them seemed confused at Canvas’ choice of artistic inspiration: A very well-detailed sketch of Troy’s butt. “Oooohhh!” Pinkie had a wide smile as she pointed a hoof at the sketch. “That’s a good-looking tooshie!” “Ummm…” Lyra tilted her head confoundedly and asked, “Was that what you were drawing this whole ride?” “That’s not it!” After he closed the sketchbook to go back to the first page, Canvas held it out while flipping the pages for them to see. “I was doing this!” All of the pictures in Canvas’ sketchbook were of Troy’s butt, each one just as detailed as the last. And as the pages were being flipped through, it revealed Canvas’ animation skills as he showed the gryphon’s rump shaking around and swishing his tail. Despite how surprising that was to see, the entire party was cracking up wildly at Canvas’ surprisingly impressive artwork. While giggling like mad, the stallion went to the last page before beginning to flip the pages in the opposite direction. “Hehehehe… I also made one of him from the front stroking his--” “HO-KAYYY!” Bon-Bon quickly stopped the stallion from revealing too much as she closed his sketchbook for him. “Canvas, I think we’re almost at the club now, okay?” “Ooh! We are?” Canvas turned around to look out the window of the carriage along with everypony else, seeing the nightclub’s neon-colored spotlights just up the road. Despite the fact that the road itself was on a fairly desolate and empty-looking stretch, there was still a long line of ponies that could be seen leading to the place. As the carriage passed a thick line of trees, the surprisingly modern-looking club stood alone in the Equestrian wilderness like some odd sort of mirage. The marble walls and matching columns boasted a flawlessly bright white, which made the multicolored neon lights bounce off of it to give the building a wild and unrelentless vibe. Canvas and Lyra’s eyes widened as they made a unified, “Whoooaaaa,” at the sight. Bon-Bon groaned worriedly at the two. As the carriage made a stop right in front of the club, Twilight winced as she saw how long the line outside the club was. “Urgh… maybe we should’ve made a reservation or something.” “Oh, pish-posh!” stated Rarity with a confident wave of her hoof. “You’re a Princess, Twilight! Do you really think we have to wait in line?” Even though she wasn’t as enthused about the idea, Applejack shrugged in reluctant agreement. “Rare kinda has a point. Ah mean, half of us are Guardians of Equestria. Seems like VIP status right there.” Twilight sighed pertly and looked away from them. “Well, perhaps.” After using her magic to open the carriage door, the Princess stepped out first as she said, “But I don’t want to use my royal status to inconfier, uh… inconvenience others.” Even with that slurred correction, Twilight was able to make herself look relatively sober as she appeared in front of the club, creating a lot of attention from ponies who seemed surprised and thrilled by her presence. The Princess nervously walked to the front of the club where the bodyguard was, hoping she wasn’t taking unfair advantage of her status as her party followed suit. Fortunately, before Twilight could even say a word, the pure-white unicorn lowered his shades as he peered at the Alicorn and her group. “Wow!” he said in an impressed voice as a smirk grew on his face. “I gotta say, I wasn’t expecting the other Elements to be here tonight too!” Twilight tilted her head with a baffled look. “Wait, what?” Meanwhile, the interior of the Allure was throbbing with excitement as the dance floor was flooded with dozens, if not hundreds of dancing ponies. With the strobes and multicolored lights spinning around the ceiling of the grand building, it made the sea of multicolored ponies below look even more vibrant and sensual than before. On one of the massive balconies along the back wall of the establishment, the award-winning DJ Vinyl Scratch (or as she’s more commonly known on stage, DJ PON3) could be seen behind her turntable, flawlessly putting her talent to use as she spun the records of her track with only her hooves. The bass of the dubstep sent the entirety of the club into constant vibration, making the building feel just as alive as the ponies inhabiting it. Troy’s group was already in the club on the second floor, with all of them perched within a booth table soaking in the club’s energy. Blaze looked around the crowded space with a grin, and pulled out a black bottle from underneath his wing. “Alright guys!” he shouted loudly enough for the others to hear over the music’s thunderous bass. “Let’s get some shots!” While Blane got the shot glasses he swiped from the bar ready, Rainbow Dash peered in at the bottle Blaze brought, which she immediately recognized as a Gryphonian liquor. Even though she never had it before, she knew that Gryphon booze was supposed to be MUCH stronger than any Equestrian alcohol. However, her eyes still shot wide-open when she saw the number listed for its alcohol content. “Three hundred proof?!” “Yep!” chirped Blaze as he popped the bottle and poured the shots. The liquid that came out was as black as tar, and smelled like paint-thinner. “This is one of the Gryphon Kingdom’s finest liquors on the market: Black Death!” Dash blinked a couple times in shock before glancing up at Blaze. “Ummm… it’s literally impossible for alcohol to be three hundred proof! That’s like, one hundred fifty percent alcohol!” “Well well well,” said Blane mockingly with a roll of his eyes, “Who invited Little Miss Math-Head to the party?” While Rainbow shot an annoyed stare towards the massive gryphon, Blaze added with a smirk of his own, “Hey, you ponies aren’t the only ones with magic, you know!” After the four shots were prepped, he pushed the other three towards his brothers. “Alright, look alive, boys!” “WHOA!” Dash put her hoof out in protest before pointing at Lyle. “What the hey, man?! Lyle’s a kid!” “Teenager,” corrected Lyle as he picked up his shot glass. “Besides,” added Blane while planting a claw on Lyle’s shoulder, “he’s only having one shot. We made that clear with the little bucker.” After sighing with a roll of her eyes, Dash blinked as she realized they only made four shots. “Wait a minute!” shouted the Pegasus angrily. “How come I don’t have one?!” All four gryphons cracked up like Rainbow Dash just told a great dirty limerick at the table. “Dash,” said Troy with an amused smile and a firm shake of his head, “believe me, you can not have a shot of Gryphon liquor.” “Yeah,” said Blane in addition, “like, ponies have died from just one shot of his stuff!” “Oh, come on! I’m not a friggin’ lightweight! Ask Troy!” Troy openly scoffed and shook his head again. “Noooooo! You are totally a lightweight!” “Oh, BUCK YOU!” In a poorly thought-out means to prove her point, Rainbow Dash snatched Blaze’s shot glass before any of them could stop her, and downed the shot in one second flat. The booze tasted just as much like paint thinner as it smelled, and the pony nearly gagged while coughing afterward. While the four gryphons stared at her with their beaks gaped in shock, the mare mustered a tiny smirk after regaining her breath, and slammed the glass back on the table in front of them. “See?!” she said with a cocky grin with her hooves up in the air. “What did I tell you? Totally--” WHUMP!!! Just as quickly as she took that shot, Dash was out like a light as she fell face-first into the table. Blane instinctively leaned forward and put his talons against her neck to find a pulse. After a brief moment of worry from the others, Blane smiled and pulled his claw away. “She’s fine!” he said in surprising assurance. “She’ll wake up in about twelve hours!” Blane may have not been the brightest bulb in the pack, but he was always strangely right about estimations like that. So, after Blaze refilled his glass, the four decided to get the party going with a unified shot. Even Lyle, who rarely drank booze before that night, was able to down the shot in the same time as the others, even though he coughed sporadically because of it. Blaze and Blane cackled at Lyle’s sputtering, but Troy patted his back firmly and said, “Hey, don’t worry! You downed it better than my first time!” After Lyle nodded with a thankful smile, Troy and the other two made follow-up shots of the infamous Black Death. The taste may have lived up to its name, but Troy took it like a trooper as the booze began to take effect. He could his head spinning after the second shot, and he wasn’t able to keep up while his older brothers took their third. Even with how loud the club was, the group still overheard Pinkie Pie’s distinct voice shout out, “Oh my gosh, you guys ARE here!!!” None of the group could even turn their heads to the source of her voice before they were pulled into a massive hug from her hooves. “This is so amazing!” yelled Pinkie with overwhelming glee as she sat in the middle of the booth, nearly strangling the four gryphons with her grip. “We didn’t know you guys would be here too! This is so unexpected and--Wait, why do you guys smell like pulled pork?” “Wait a minute!” shouted Troy as he managed to pull himself from Pinkie’s hug. His mind was getting hazy, but he still tried to ask in an increasingly slurred-sounding, “Are… are you saying that Canvas is here too?!” “Well, duh!” stated Pinkie like that was a stupid question to ask. “Of COURSE he is! This is only the most happening club within carriage distance! He’s down on the dance floor right now!” Troy whipped his head around to look down from the balcony and see for himself. But because of the vast crowd accumulating the space, it would’ve been impossible for Troy to find Canvas down there while sober. So clearly, he was in no shape to try that while the alcohol continued to surge through his bloodstream. “Uhhhh…” Troy was feeling dizzy as he turned back to Pinkie and asked, “D-Doyou… do you know where he could be?” “Hey, hey, hey!” Blaze was starting to sound drunker too, and quickly grabbed Troy’s foreleg so he wouldn’t leave the booth. “Come on, man! W-We’re supposed to have the night away from your colt-toy, remember?!” “I don’t care!” slurred Troy as he pulled himself away from Blaze’s claw. “I want to see my stallion!” Before any of them could protest, Troy bursted from the booth and went to lumber his way down to the dancefloor. Pinkie looked back at his brothers and said, “Just wait here! I’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything silly!” Of course, before Pinkie could disappear to help Troy, she paused as she saw the unconscious Rainbow Dash. She blinked a couple times in thought, and decided to place a party hat on her head before leaving. Unfortunately, that prompted Blaze and Blane to have the same idea at the same time. They glanced over at Lyle before Blane asked, “Hey, you got your markers on you?” Instead of answering, Lyle lunged his head from the booth and vomited on the floor. Down on the dancefloor, Canvas felt like electricity was flowing through his brain as he danced among the varying lights and colors. He may have not been dancing as fast as the other ponies, but he couldn’t have cared less while wearing several glow-stick rings around his neck. Right now, all that the stallion could feel was an immensive force of... immersion. Yeah, that’s the word! Canvas felt immersive among this crowd of ponies dancing. He didn’t feel like an outcast, or like some freak who was destined to be completely different from everypony else. Instead, he was actually one within the crowd. Able to entangle himself within the group and help contribute to it, like he was helping to make a single living being of dance and pure happiness. A being which happens to be made of hundreds of other dancing ponies. Canvas froze in the middle of the dance floor for a second, realizing that could make for an amazing painting if he could remember that detail. He pulled out his sketch pad among the dancing crowd and tried to scribble that detail down, not seeming to notice the other various words and symbols he already jotted down every ten minutes or so. If he did, he not only would’ve realized he already wrote this idea down, but he also sketched ideas ranging from a “Dog army” (literally what he wrote) to a city being attacked by Troy’s butt. After Canvas stuffed the sketch pad back in his bag, he looked to see Pinkie Pie hopping through the crowd like a rabbit through a tall patch of grass. Without even touching a single other pony, Pinkie landed in front of Canvas with perfect precision. She had an especially giddy smile as she asked him, “Guess whaaaaat?”  Canvas’ eyes were slightly glazed as he giggled. “What?” “No, I want you to guess!” The smile Canvas had slowly melted, making him look confused and slightly worried while thinking of a guess. “Uhhhh… wait…” Pinkie just laughed and covered her mouth with a hoof. “Oh, never mind, silly filly!” She then turned around pointed her hoof towards the figure stumbling through the dance floor less than gracefully. “I found the best kind of surprise you could’ve asked for!” Canvas’ eyes widened as he gasped, “You found pretzels?!” While Pinkie glanced back at him with a confused “What?”, Troy came into Canvas’ view as soon as he pushed through the last pony to find him. Canvas gawked up up him silently, his glazed eyes brightening at the sight of the beautiful gryphon underneath the neon lights. Time began to slow down for the artist, and his vision turned clouded at the sides while peering up at Troy. His silver feathers bounced the colors of the technicolor lights off of him, making his fiancè’s heart start racing with overwhelming feelings. To the pony, Troy looked just as amazing as that painting Canvas made of him so long ago… The painting he showed Troy on the night they fell in love. Troy’s eyes widened as well, staring in awe at the pony in front of him. The stallion looked so tranquil and happy among the wild dancing ponies around them, like the one boat that was somehow still afloat among a blistering storm. Troy had no idea why he was even thinking of that right now, but he didn’t care either. All he knew was that Canvas looked absolutely perfect. However, Pinkie Pie started to look confused as she stared at both of them. Troy looked absolutely lovestruck at the sight of his stallion, which was super-duper cute to see. But when Pinkie glanced at Canvas’ reaction, his face started to change slowly. While looking up at his Teddy Gryphon, the pony’s wide eyes began to sadden a bit, like he remembered something really sad. His breathing started to turn rapid and panicky before he quickly tried to bolt away from him. Pinkie and Troy both looked surprised when the stallion tried to push his way past the dancing ponies behind him to leave. Troy immediately made chase, which just made Canvas try to push through the crowd faster. Unfortunately, as soon as he broke free of the dance floor, the stoned stallion accidentally ran into a unicorn’s aura which was carrying a tray full of drinks. Canvas crashed head-first into the tray, spilling various mixed drinks all over himself before falling to the floor. “HEY!” yelled the stallion that Canvas ran into. The yellow unicorn’s face became as red as his mane as he turned absolutely livid. “What the buck is your problem, man?!” Despite the thundering club music, the stallion’s outburst caused a few ponies nearby to take notice while Canvas tried to get back on his hooves. “I-I’m sorry!” blurted the artist sincerely while wiping some vodka-based drink off his face with a hoof, “I didn’t mean to--” Canvas was pushed to the ground by the stallion in a fit of rage. “You think this is a bucking joke?!” he yelled down at him. Canvas was starting to look scared as his mind tried to desperately process what was going on. “You know how much those drinks costed me?!” “I-I-I said I was sorry!” Canvas reached a hoof into his art bag, hoping to find some bits inside for compensation. Just as Troy managed to lumber through the dance floor, he caught sight of Canvas just as he was being knocked to the ground again. The unicorn used his magic to snatch Canvas’ art bag, which instantly set the artist off. “HEY!!!” screamed the pony as he lunged after him. “GIVE THAT BA--” The unicorn may have been just as small as Canvas was, but that didn’t keep him from delivering a surprisingly strong punch towards the artist’s face to shut him up. As the pony fell to the floor, the unicorn’s horn lit even brighter. The aura around Canvas’ bag intensified, and the bag’s sides began to stretch apart. Even though the bag was made of a fairly durable canvas, it wouldn’t take much effort for the stallion to tear it in half like tissue pap-- SMASH!!! The stallion couldn’t even get a single seam of the art bag broken before Canvas gave a returning blow to the unicorn’s face. Canvas didn’t even know how he got hold of a beer bottle so quickly, but it was effective enough to explode across the pony’s face and make his horn stop glowing in a second. While the stallion screamed and gripped his now bloodied face, Canvas snatched his bag that fell to the floor and tried to run for it. Unfortunately, he could only get a couple steps before the unicorn gripped Canvas’ tail with his magic and reeled him back in. “YOU MOTHERBUCKER!!!” Canvas felt like the next three seconds went by in super slow motion. First, he saw the unicorn lunge in towards him, his drunken eyes seething with rage while his bloodied hooves went out to grab him. The unicorn was in midair during that lunge, and it was clear he was going to make Canvas bleed just as badly as he was. Just as the unicorn was less than a foot from from, Canvas saw something come into view in front of his face. A large, familiar claw barreled its way towards the unicorn’s face, colliding with it perfectly from the side. From the look on his face, he didn’t even realize he was hit until his muzzle was knocked several inches to the left. By the time Canvas saw time move at a normal pace again, the unicorn was thrown across the room from that single punch that Troy delivered. After a massive crash against the wall, breaking a neon sign in the process, the stallion fell limply to the floor like a bag of potatoes. But before Canvas could even process what just happened, he felt Troy wrap his forelegs around him for a strong hug. Due to his inebriated state, the artist had no idea how long that hug felt, but it was more than long enough to make his heart warm up while hugging him back. Unfortunately, that hug was realistically only a few seconds long before several auras of magic pulled both of them apart and restrained them. Even though it was obviously too late, several security ponies were on the two as they were pushed to the ground and cuffed.