“Awwwwwwww, yeah!!!” roared Rainbow Blitz in tipsy delight as he stuck his head out from the sunroof of the deluxe carriage. Since night had fallen in Manehattan, the cityscape of downtown was ablaze with countless neon signs and billboards to light up the streets. Even though it was the millions of ponies who occupied the island which made the city so jubilant and active, one could argue that the place itself felt alive as soon as the sun set. And judging by the way Blitz was shouting out in gleeful victory, it seemed that he felt that same way. “You better get ready for us, Manehattan! ‘Cause Elusive and I are gonna BUCK!! SHIT!! UP!!! WOOOOOO!!!”
“Rainbow, get down from there!” chided Elusive’s voice from inside the carriage, as he used a strong aura of his magic to grip Bitz by the ear and yank him back down. Rainbow may have not been the rowdiest pony in the city by any means (especially compared to Bubble Berry’s escapades the night prior), but the unicorn didn’t want him to make a scene so soon after their Semi-Final victory. Plus, given whom else was in the carriage with them, the Element was dreading how their impressions might change at seeing his friend this way.
Fortunately, Derek and Julianne Hoofington merely giggled as they sat across from the other duo. While Blitz scowled at his partner and rubbed his ear, the mare waved a hoof at Elusive and spoke up before he could. “Oh, don’t be so worried,” she said in a surprisingly carefree tone of assurance. “Believe me, ponies get away with a loooooot worse in cities like this!”
“Yeah, no kidding!” added Derek with a huffed shrug of his head. He then gasped and said towards his sister. “Ooh! Remember that one time in the Crystal Empire when those three gryphons put a pony in a firecracker suit?!”
“Ohmigosh, YES! I almost forgot about that! Those cops didn’t even bat an eye until the fuse was lit!”
The couple couldn’t help laughing in nostalgia after that remark, clearly having a few stories of their own to counteract the Elements’. Elusive may have been a little confused as to why Blitz was so keen on spending the night out with them (especially when Dusk Shine had plans for them to celebrate their win), but he would’ve been lying if he said he didn’t appreciate befriending some new faces. Even though they were competition, he and Rainbow were having surprisingly swimming chemistry with the Hoofingtons.
“Oh, you think that’s bad?” jeered Rainbow Blitz as he eyed Julianne with a coy-looking grin. “I could probably write a book of all the crazy stuff Bubble Berry pulled! And I wouldn’t even need to count last night’s Ostrich Incident.”
“Well, that’s not too surprising to hear,” retorted the mare as she narrowed her eyes back on him. “I mean, you’re also friends with that Draconequus of Chaos, right? I’d be shocked if you didn’t have a novel’s worth of stories involving her!”
While she and Derek laughed after that addition, Rainbow shrugged his shoulders playfully. Meanwhile, Elusive felt like it was important to point out, “Well, to be fair, Eris is a much closer friend to Butterscotch than either of us.”
“Yeah, that’s right,” said Blitz with a small nod in agreement, although he still kept his eyes on Julianne instead of his own partner. He and the mare seemed to have identically cheeky smirks as he added, “Although, making new friends is kinda how we roll. Whether it’s by our Elements, or my Wonderbolt status, it’s just sorta natural for ponies to gravitate towards us.”
After chuckling under her breath with a sidening grin, Julianne lit her horn to float out two champagne glasses. She gave one to the stunt-pony before floating her own out for a toast. “I couldn’t agree more, Mister Wonderbolt~”
Rainbow Blitz’s eyes narrowed on hers as the two clinked their glasses. Meanwhile, Elusive glanced over at the two in confusion, needing to blink a couple times to ascertain a possible connection between them. His muzzle wrinkled a bit as he looked away from the ponies, not wanting to make any assumptions too hastily. Even though it seemed like the two were beginning to bond, the unicorn knew he couldn’t grow jealous of such a thing; after all, he just realized earlier that day how he felt about Blitz, and being possessive so soon would only make those feelings grow worse.
Fortunately, the Element’s qualms were temporarily muted when Derek floated a champagne glass towards him. “You know,” he began as he decided to add alongside Blitz’s claim, “the fact that you guys are so generous is a pretty good reason you’re so approachable as well! I mean, most of the other competitors kinda saw us as bad-luck charms or something! But when it came to you two, you didn’t even hesitate to invite us out to your dinner with your friends. That really meant a lot.”
Elusive sighed with a smile as he accepted the glass, and nodded thankfully back at him. Shortly after the Semi-Finals were concluded, Dusk Shine was able to reserve an entire restaurant section on short notice to seat everyone in their group. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like the wait staff seemed to mind suddenly accompanying the Prince of Friendship and his Elements, and the Wonderbolts at the same time. And due to the open seating, the Hoofingtons were able to join the group alongside the Apple family and Twinkle’s parents, which prompted the Prince to leave a rather exemplary tip in advance.
“Well, you two certainly deserved an audience with Royalty after that dazzling display,” he replied with a genuine smile as he clinked Derek’s glass with his own. After taking a sip and raising a brow approvingly, he said with a shrug, “Plus, I guess it helps that we’re both rather… controversial competitors this year. I don’t think many other dancers were too keen on sharing the stage with either of us. But despite that, you two were nothing but kind towards everypony, including us. I will say though, I think you should thank Dusk Shine for welcoming you both to our little soirè.”
Derek smiled and nodded respectfully to Elusive. “Well if that’s the case, we’ll be sure to send him one of our prime bottles of Merlot as a thank-you.”
“Ooh, maybe a Shiraz would be more appropriate,” noted Elusive with a raise of his hoof. “I noticed he prefers the darker varieties when it comes to wine.”
“Pbbbt!” Rainbow Blitz couldn’t help scoffing the instant he heard his partner start talking about wines. “Oh, come on, Lucy! We both know your ‘expertise’ on wines is a bunch of hub-bub!”
Elusive wanted to spend a nice evening with Blitz and the other dancers, but his face instantly soured up as he shot his friend a deathly glare. “Rainbow…”
Even without context, the Hoofingtons could practically taste the venom that was seething from Elusive’s warning tone. But even with how notably pissed the unicorn looked, Blitz just huffed and rolled his eyes like his partner was some bratty toddler. “C’mon, don’t look at me like that! I’m just sayin--”
“Blitz!” snapped Elusive with an iron-clad scowl on him. “If you don’t stop talking right this instant, I will put you in the most embarrassing outfit imaginable for our Canterlot performance!”
Despite how over-emotional the unicorn could get at times, even Blitz could tell when he was being serious. Without another word, Rainbow's smirk was immediately erased as he looked away and bit his lip. Meanwhile, both Derek and Julianne stared at the two with a mix of confusion and slight concern. “Ummm… should we not ask?”
Elusive wanted to just say that they shouldn’t, but he managed to control his anger after a sharp whinny in response. While Blitz looked away from them and scratched the back of his mane, Elusive stated sternly, “Let’s just say that... Blitz and the others organized a very inappropriate prank to contradict all those wine-tasting courses I took in Canterlot.”
“Oh, for the last time,” blurted Blitz as he groaned and looked over at his partner with a flat stare, “it was not a prank! It was a Social Experiment!”
“Nevertheless, it was still mean!” After that final retort, Elusive crossed his hooves and turned his muzzle away from the pegasus while pouting. While he could say in retrospect that their “experiment” was a little eye-opening in regards to his eyes judging a wine more than his tongue, it still made him feel awful afterward. After spending thousands of bits to learn about the distinct differences between various wines and developing his taste-buds, Blitz was somehow able to trick him into believing a ten-bit box of zinfandel was a rare bottle of Crystal Empire merlot after a few drops of food-coloring were added to the glass. Of course, the fact that he and Applejack laughed at the unicorn so openly after that reveal was the bigger reason for his distaste on the matter.
“Dude, I already apologized like, fifty times since that!” groaned Blitz in exasperation. “You even admitted yourself that you were acting too uppity about us buying cheap wine before we did that!”
“That may be true, but you admitted that you acted too immaturely after that reveal!”
“I did, but come on! Your face when you saw that box was bucking priceless!” Even though he tried to say that addition coyly, Blitz only received an even nastier glare from Elusive for it. Fortunately, Rainbow was able to roll his eyes and say with a sigh, “Okay, that doesn’t help my point, BUT! If I can look past that Superhero stunt you guys did, AND that fake Zombie apocalypse prank, I think you can be a bit more forgiving about that damn wine thing. At least I didn’t bring the whole friggin town in on it!”
That point was more than enough to promptly shut the unicorn up. Despite still feeling a little peeved, Elusive understood Blitz’s perspective enough to shrug his shoulders apprehensively. “Well… alright, that’s fair. But I still don’t want you bragging about what you did to them!” he said while pointing a hoof at the Hoofingtons.
“Alright, fine. Deal.” With that, he and Elusive made a quick and surprisingly flawless hoof-bump in agreement. The action may have been fairly casual for the two due to their history, but both of the siblings raised their brows at seeing how quickly that matter was resolved.
“Wow,” stated Julianne with an impressed huff. “I gotta say, you two settle arguments way quicker than we usually do.”
“Well, what do you expect?” blurted Derek with a coy smirk on his sister. “I mean, they are Elements, Julie. You can’t exactly save Equestria dozens of times without getting along really well.”
Elusive sighed and waved his hoof in dismissal to their banter. “Oh, you two don’t have to be so over-gracious. We may be Elements, but we’re still just regular ponies overall.”
“Exactly!” added Blitz with a prideful smile as he leaned over and pulled Elusive in with his hoof. While the unicorn squeaked a little as he blushed, Rainbow didn’t seem to notice while keeping a foreleg wrapped around his shoulders. “I mean yeah, we did come together to save Prince Solaris and Artemis. And… okay Dusk and a few others may have theorized we came together by prophecy or something. Which, ummm…”
Even though he was trying to bring up a point, Blitz had to pause and tap his chin in thought with his free hoof. While he and the others tried not to think too hard about the significance of their bonds, it was clear that they were definitely way closer to each other than most regular ponies. Regardless, it didn’t take long before the pegasus shook his head clear and strengthened his grip on Elusive. “You know what, that doesn’t matter to us! All that’s important is that Elusive and I are friends, alright? Just like any other ponies who know each other for a long time. Some ponies might try to say there’s something deeper of whatever, but… honestly, I just see Elusive and the others like a bunch of buds. Right, Lucy?”
When Rainbow glanced back at his friend with an innocently warm smile, it was fortunate that any signs of a bush were quickly extinguished from Elusive’s blank expression. However, that was mostly because the stallion’s face paled-up the instant he heard those words coming from Blitz’s mouth. He blinked a couple times as his face twitched and contorted a little, like his brain was haywiring while struggling not to show how hurt he looked. As his heart convulsed painfully in his chest, it was almost a miracle that Elusive was able to contort his muzzle into a faux-innocent smile while nodding faintly.
“Y… yeah…Th-That’s true...”
Elusive knew that Rainbow wasn’t intending for his statement to come out as hurtful in any way. Unfortunately, hearing him say such a thing so casually stabbed into the unicorn’s heart like a red-hot dagger. The two have spent weeks together as dancers, learning so much from each other and growing ever so closer than Elusive could’ve ever realized. But according to his… his friend, it was almost like nothing really changed. He wanted to trick himself into believing it was just Rainbow building up his machismo bravado for the sake of being humble for the Hoofingtons, but even the love-stricken pony could tell that was beyond wishful thinking.
In the split-second after that momentary pause, Elusive breathed out quickly enough to hide how shaky it should’ve sounded. His lips were tightly pursed in an internal struggle, like the last barriers that were able to keep that dam of tears from breaking out into the open. The unicorn didn’t want to hide how he felt from such a statement, even though he knew how foolish it would be to open up so soon after realizing the truth himself. But while his muzzle stayed in a faint, albeit jaded-looking smile, Elusive was miraculously able to keep from welling up as the topic went back to the Hoofingtons.
“Well… I guess that makes sense,” admitted Derek with a light shrug. “We remember how you guys mentioned that fact when we first met.” Upon recalling that interaction, the stallion scratched the back of his blonde mane awkwardly. “Man… I still feel like a goof for that.”
While Elusive silently whinnied to himself at that now-dated reminder, he didn’t seem to notice how Julianne was smirking at Rainbow Blitz. “Honestly,” she said with a light giggle as she swirled her glass with her magic, “I’m a little relieved that you two are still single. Either one of you would be a great catch for somepony special~”
Rainbow Blitz grinned wide at hearing her unsubtle tone, and leaned away from Elusive so both hooves could be freed. Meanwhile, Elusive was too confounded by her display to even register his partner’s movements. He could see how her eyes were narrowing on the pegasus, giving off a very similar vibe to what he overheard Blitz describing to his Wonderbolt friends cockily. Elusive assumed that Rainbow was just exaggerating those claims, but now all he could do was stare at the mare blankly with a looming feeling of dread.
“Well,” replied Rainbow Blitz as he blatantly eyed her, “hopefully you can find somepony special very soon~”
Even Derek could feel the flirting energy those two ponies were giving off, leaving him too distracted with his own annoyed scowl to notice Elusive’s uneasy expression. Unfortunately, neither of the stallions’ looks seemed to be noticed by Blitz or Julianne. After the mare replied with a cheeky, “Likewise~,” the two leaned in and tapped their glasses again.
‘Cling!’
By that point, Elusive face had dropped more than a couple inches. Like the timer to some bomb in an action movie, the unicorn could’ve sworn that clink of their glasses triggered his own heart to crack like fine porcelain. Even when he tried to bite his lip, he knew he couldn’t keep his face from showing too much of the painful truth within. While Derek stared out the window to focus on the Manehattan cityscapes, and Julianne continued to openly flirt with the pony Elusive cared so much about, there was nothing much else for the stallion to do but stare up at the open sunroof.
The flashing lights of the lamp-posts and neon signs flashed by at quick and random intervals, eventually starting to blend together like some epileptics’ nightmare. He wanted to feel happy for a lot of things in that moment: their victory earlier that day, the opportunity to celebrate with a couple new friends, even… even the fact that his friend was acting so happy after all he went through the week before. However, as the lights continued to flash and his mind grew more weary, the pain from Elusive’s fragile heart prompted him to close his eyes with a silent wince, and hope to Solaris that nopony would see how much sorrow was within.
Manehattan may have been a fairly small island in comparison to other cities in Equestria (except for Canterlot, which was somehow erected on the side of a mountain), but that didn’t mean it had any limitations when it came to entertainment. Much like the eternally-active city of Las Pegasus, Manehattan really seemed to live up to its name as the ‘City That Never Sleeps.’ And much like any living being, it seemed to have its own heartbeat as judged by the thumping bass that vibrated the sidewalk of a particular city block.
The carriage pulled up in front of massively sleek and pitch-black building, which had its windows blacked out to further stand out as a modern spot. Fortunately, the venue had more than enough lighting for the massive line of ponies outside the entrance by the neon blue and white sign that hung above them. When Elusive, Rainbow Blitz, and the Hoofingtons stepped out of their ride, all of them were able to read the bold sign of ‘Electro’ clear as day.
Even with all the things both he and Elusive witnessed over the years, Rainbow still whistled with an impressed look in response to that building. “Damn… You don’t see many clubs like that in Cloudsdale!”
“No, you certainly don’t,” muttered Elusive flatly as he walked past his friend with his head hung low. Despite how high his spirits should’ve felt, that carriage ride left him feeling a bitter combination of nausea and heartache. Rainbow finally raised a brow in confusion, not having been able to notice his partner’s behavior until just then. He looked between Elusive and the carriage a couple times, seemingly wondering whether or not the pony just drank too much on the ride to the club.
Unfortunately, the pegasus’ focus was quickly deterred when the Hoofingtons walked past and motioned him to follow. “C’mon, Blitzie~” cooed the mare with a cheeky glance back at him. “Derek and I know the owner, so we’ll be good.”
True to her word, it seemed like the twins had absolutely no issues when they walked up to the head bouncer. Despite the fact that the brown stallion was nearly the size of the doorway he was standing in front of, his face lit up the instant the two unicorns walked up to him. “Hey, there you guys are! Congrats on the high scores tonight! V.C. sends his regards.”
“Oh, it was nothing,” jeered Julianne with a bashful smile as she looked away and waved her hoof. However, she still motioned her head towards Blitz and Elusive before adding, “We just wanted to give the other ‘Perfect Tens’ a proper night out.”
“Ooh, nice!” The bouncer raised a brow at seeing the two stallions, and quickly pulled the red velvet rope aside for the group. “It’s not every night we get Royalty in here! Have fun, guys!”
The combined groans from the entire line were loud enough to almost make the ground beneath their hooves vibrate. But unlike the Hoofingtons, who winced a bit and shuffled inside to avoid their glares, Blitz just shrugged with a smirk while following suit. Elusive, who was already looking rather downtrodden, just kept silent as he casually walked past the doorway with his head hunched down. But before he could enter the dark and bass-thumping space, the unicorn felt the bouncer’s hoof press against his chest sternly.
“Hey, you shouldn’t be looking so down! It’s Electro, not the sad house!” The bouncer kept a surprisingly warm smile as he reached into his security belt, and pulled out two drink tickets for the stallion. “Just try to have a nice night, alright?” he said with a kind expression and a small wink.
Elusive was taken a little aback by such an unexpected gesture, but was able to smile and nod while taking the tickets. He then walked back down the dark entryway, which only had the faintest white lights leading the way to a thick blue curtain. The unicorn had no idea what kind of sound-barrier magic was encasing this space, but he almost felt like the Dubstep music punched him in the mouth the instant he pulled that curtain aside.
Elusive thought the flashing lights he saw from that carriage’s sunroof was a bit much, but that would’ve been downright pleasant compared to the flashing strobe-lights that assaulted his senses as he walked into the massive space. Even though it took him a long moment to adjust to the erratic and bright lights, the unicorn was able to see just how massive the multi-leveled ballroom was as opposed to the outside. The black-lighted dance-floor was crowded with hundreds of ponies, who were constantly hopping and thumping along to the bass-laden dubstep beats rocking every square inch. And above all of the ponies stood a massive DJ booth along the back wall, which was lit up brightly to show the white stallion with an electric blue mane and his matching trademark goggles.
DJ COL7 didn’t say a word as he performed his set, using his utmost focus and precision to work his turntables and levels with the professionalism seen from any other talented musician. But despite how brightly his horn was lit, and how much sweat was beading down his fur, the pony was still pumping his hoof along with the beat to keep the ponies below riled-up. Elusive had no idea where Blitz or the siblings went off to, but he wouldn’t have been surprised if they were as amped as the ponies below the DJ booth; alas, the lone stallion tried to ignore the throbbing assault to his eardrums as he made a beeline to the pristine bar at the side of the ballroom.
“BUCK YEEEEAAAAHHHHH!!!” Bubble Berry may have been the official ‘Party Animal’ of the Elements of Harmony, but Rainbow Blitz was certainly a close second when it came to the club scene. As soon as he entered the club, he went out into the dance-floor like he owned the place. While Julianne went out to follow the Wonderbolt, Derek stayed back and tried to look for Elusive. Considering Blitz’s technicolor mane, it was doubtful that he’d be easy to lose in even the thickest crowds of multicolored partiers.
Meanwhile, Elusive had managed to find a vacant stool among the rows of tipsy ponies. However, despite the fact that he had two drink-tickets, the unicorn wasn’t too keen on following Rainbow’s borderline-alcoholic tendencies just yet. He may have been upset, but he knew that sort of mindset would be begging for some dire consequences if he went to such measures; plus, the fact that he already drank a bit back at the stadium (as well as on the carriage ride) prompted him to understand his limitations. So instead, the unicorn settled for a regular soda (accompanied by a raised brow from the bartender) while seated among the pounding music and rowdy crowds.
Elusive, you… you can’t be too upset about this, he thought to himself as he tried to focus on anything other than those overbearing wubs. Yes, it’s troubling, but… but you had to see something like this happening. I mean… this is Rainbow we’re talking about…
Elusive winced hard after thinking such a blunt reminder, despite how badly he wanted to ignore those things while in his own mind. However, he was able to think a little more optimistically after a brief sigh. Buuuut… it’s not like he and Julianne have done anything yet. And given Blitz’s history, there… there really hasn’t been many mares in his life before her, has there? I mean… I know a lot has happened over the years, but that doesn’t mean he had no reason to ignore seeking somepony before, right?
The unicorn then whinnied with a frustrated scowl before taking another sip of his drink. Oh, stop it with that wishful thinking! He hasn’t been seeing anypony, but that goes for ALL of us! Including you! Well… okay, Dusk Shine may have had that weird thing in the Mirror World, but that shouldn’t count! We’ve ALL been busy with our duties and careers! That shouldn’t be a reason to assume Rainbow's orientation, you dolt!
Elusive looked around briefly, not wanting to get any weirded-out stares from ponies if his expressions were coming through as he was thinking to himself. Of course, considering how rrowdy the place was, it was ludicrous to even assume he’d make such a scene while silent at the bar. He breathed in deeply before looking down at his half-finished drink.
Plus… it was obvious he liked her. I mean… you saw how he was smiling at her, right? It was so warm, and carefree, and… and just…
His thoughts paused briefly as he focused more on that glass, rubbing at the drops of condensation that were beading along the outside. His lips pursed in as he tried to think of how to finish his mental ramblings, not having the time to even blush as a sudden blurb entered his mind.
He was looking at her like he did with me.
Elusive’s eyes widened immensely, which seemed to go along well with the blush that grew across his cheeks. Even though he didn’t want to try and confirm such a brash thought that seemingly wandered into his head, his mind soon went back to all those moments they shared recently.
The way Rainbow was smiling at him in that construction site in Las Pegasus…
The way he hugged Elusive after his breakdown…
That look of intensity and apprehension in his eyes just the previous night during their foxtrot…
Can… Can I really ignore all of that? Especially when he’s so close?
He was temporarily frozen in his stool, not even able to flinch when a massive drop from DJ COL7’s bass shook the ground. Instead, Elusive could only blink a few times as he continued to think to himself.
It’s… It’s not foolish to think such a thing, is it? He… He’s done so much over the past week alone. And through it all, I… I can’t remember a time when he seemed so content with another pony before. Even with that Julianne pony tonight, this can’t…
After another brief pause, Elusive’s eyes began to widen as a more determined scowl grew on his face. His hoof gripped his glass a little tighter, and his heart started to race more steadily.
No… This WON’T be the end! Elusive, you can not let this end tonight! You love him, and… and it’s pretty damn obvious that he can feel the same way for you! But that WON’T happen if you keep yourself hunched at this bar while he’s out with that mare! After… After ALL the things you two have been through, are you going to let him slip away now?!
“Hmph!” Elusive huffed to expel the last of his trepidation, and downed the remainder of his virgin drink. However, even though he wanted to storm back out onto that dance floor before his partner could go too far, the unicorn knew that he needed more than his own confidence to keep him on track. As soon as he slid his empty glass towards the end of the bar for the bartender to pick up, he laid his two drink-tickets beside it.
“Hey there, Elusive!” chirped Derek cheerfully as he finally found the unicorn, and trotted up to sit in the stool beside him. Due to the pounding music in the club, he had to lean in close and shout, “How’s the bar treating you!?”
“Two tequila shots!” yelled the unicorn as soon as the bartender took notice of him, as well as his tickets. “The strongest you have!”
Derek, who clearly assumed Elusive got those shots for both of them, beamed rather excitedly with an impressed smile. “Alright, now we’re talking!”
Unfortunately, the tan unicorn couldn’t even get his horn lit up before Elusive floated both shots (as well as a saltshaker and a slice of lime) into his own aura. And with the technique Rainbow taught him fresh on his mind, the white stallion downed both shots back-to-back in perfect precision between chasers of the citrus and salt. Meanwhile, Derek’s eyes widened quite a bit at seeing such a display from the posh pony, and could only shrug as he watched Elusive leave the bar with a generous tip. “Ummm… okay then… Nice talking to you...”
Up in the DJ booth, COL7 was coming close to the end of his current track while his horn was lit. As his blue magic oversaw his equipment with experienced precision, he used a free hoof to down a can of Red Manticore thirstily. The thick goggles he wore over his eyes made it easy for him to look like he was entirely focused on his music, even though he was actually scanning the crowds like a hawk. When it came to clubs venues like this, it wasn’t just the music selection that was important. If the mood of the crowd didn’t feel right, the stallion had to be prepared to improvise and move things back into order (or more appropriately, disorder) for the sake of a successful and unforgettable night.
As he looked out at the seemingly indistinguishable blob of multicolored ponies beneath the vibrant lights, his brows rose when he caught sight of something a bit unexpected. Even though the crowd was thicker than his preference of ponies in the bedroom, he managed to notice an open space a bit larger than usual. Within that small circle of dancing ponies, a stallion and a mare could be seen in the middle moving to the beat; and judging by the amount of space they had, COL7 had an inkling that they were either very well-known, or possibly radioactive.
Fortunately, the DJ smiled the instant he recognized the stallion’s trademark rainbow mane. Even though he heard that the Elements of Harmony were in Manehattan for the weekend, he didn’t expect to see Rainbow Blitz himself at this place. But since he also knew about that dancing competition he and the other guy were doing, it didn’t take long for him to recognize Julianne Hoofington dancing up close with him. COL7 didn’t expect those two to be a couple, but from the way that their bodies were moving against one another alongside the beat of the music, it would’ve been surprising if he learned they weren’t.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Blitz was keeping a wide and carefree grin while dancing with somepony who was supposed to be his competition. Instead of any over-complicated moves or synchronizations, the stallion was just moving about at a more relaxed tempo as he was nestled in closely against Julianne. Both of them were on their hind-legs, and their forelegs were holding onto each other during their improvised steps. They bumped into each other a couple times, but the two were giggling with warm smiles while in each other’s hooves. Even when the pegasus accidentally stepped on her hoof, the mare didn’t look to have cared too much.
Blitz looked fairly content in that moment, feeling like he had everything he’d usually want on a wild weekend night. A ton of ponies all around him like an adoring crowd, a beautiful babe in his hooves who was practically melting in affection, and the thundering bass of a hot dubstep track ringing in his ears. All in all, the moment felt pretty much perfect for Rainbow. But at the same time, the stallion couldn’t help but feel the slightest twinge of hesitance at the back of his mind, which caused his steps to feel much less coordinated than usual.
When he danced with Elusive, Blitz’s movements were usually clean and precise. Heck, one time Dusk joked that his hoof-work was becoming as skilled as his wing-work when flying with the Wonderbolts. Even though he tried to stay humble about it, the pegasus couldn’t falter his friend for pointing out such a thing. But as he tried to dance with Julianne, most of his movements felt fairly careless and flustered. He wanted to think that it was merely nerves of dancing with a mare for a change, or even the vast amount of alcohol he ingested; but alas, neither of those things felt like excuses Rainbow could realistically use.
It was unclear what prompted DJ COL7 to change his set to something so different that night. Maybe he saw those two dancers on the floor, and decided they’d be up for a proper display of their talents. Maybe he noticed Blitz’s apprehensions from afar (although that theory would’ve been hard to prove due to how far away he was from them), and wanted to change the tempo. Or maybe, he somehow noticed the determined stride that Elusive made through the back of the crowd, pushing and shuffling past ponies in a beeline straight for his partner.
But whatever it was, the white unicorn grew an enticed grin while his horn was lit. As soon as his song ended with wild applause, it took less than a second for the DJ to float on a new record and flawlessly transition to his next track:
More than a couple ponies in the crowd looked confused as the orchestral hook began to play, not expecting the DJ to have such a mainstream pop track in his collection. However, the unicorn seemingly ignored the befuddled murmurs overheard during those opening strings, and instead used his magic to take hold of a spotlight above the dance-floor. The heavy lens was moved downward with ease, with the island of white light traveling across the crowd and landing directly around Blitz and Julianne.
The two ponies were a little taken aback at being put on the spot, but their grins soon became evident as they realized what was expected to happen between them. And judging by number of ponies who excitedly moved back from them, thus giving the couple much more space on the dance-floor, all they needed was a silent nod to one another before getting in position. Just as the opening vocals began to play, Blitz held onto Julianne with a determined smile and took the lead.
Despite having no experience with Julianne before, nor any pre-planning with her in regards to the song, the melody of the track was slow enough to give Blitz some necessary leeway. His hooves moved in a precise and controlled rhythm against the dance-floor, and were simple enough for the experienced mare to easily follow without faltering. Their first coordinated steps may have been fairly basic, but it was still impressively cohesive given their situation. Even without any practice, it seemed that the two were able to improvise an impressive-looking, albeit simple series of movements. Blitz had no idea if it was supposed to be a tango or a samba (or more likely some fusion of multiple styles melded into one), but his hoof-work certainly felt a lot more natural as the beat of the song picked up.
Meanwhile, Elusive became more insistent with his pushing as he navigated himself through the crowds, moving towards the spotlight like a moth towards a wild flame. It wasn’t clear how he knew it was Blitz and Julianne within that light, but the unicorn was compelled to follow it with the hope that things haven’t progressed too far. With the way his heart was racing in his chest, the stallion’s mind was clearly clouded by the tequila flowing through his system, and the dire need to get his love back. He was so focused on finding that blasted pony, that he wasn’t even able to realize Derek had left the bar and tried to follow him into the crowd.
“Elusive!” he tried to shout out to the drunken unicorn, even though the thumping music and crowds made his words fall on deaf ears. “Elusive, where are you going?!”
Back within the circle that formed around Blitz and Julianne, their flowing movements started to look more like an impromptu tango, with elements of samba and foxtrot sprinkled here and there. Even though the style was much less strict or disciplined as what either would do in competition, their strong postures and unified steps went along well with the rhythm of the music and the growing stomps from ponies around them. As the song progressed, Blitz was starting to feel more in his element while dancing with such an experienced mare. Julianne may have been the professional dancer, but it would’ve been hard to tell how little Blitz had trained from how identical their hoof-work appeared.
As the smile on Blitz’s face grew, his hoof held on to Julianne’s before lifting it up high to motion her into a spin. Even without any practice or verbal prompting, the mare understood Rainbow's movements enough to let go and to move into a full-body spin away from him. After all the practice he had with Elusive, Blitz felt fairly content with how well he was dancing on his own. And as he moved himself forward towards the mare, Julianne strided towards him with a confident grin as they planned to intertwine once more.
However, just as Rainbow was about to make those last couple steps, he felt something grab one of his forelegs unexpectedly from behind. Elusive, who was able to break into the circle without warning, swooped in to take his partner with unplanned and unbridled finesse. Julianne faltered for a second in confusion, but her reaction was practically stoic compared to Blitz’s as he was pulled into a spin with the stallion. The crowd went wild with surprised applause, which was enough to cover Rainbow’s voice as he blurted in a heated hiss, “Lucy?! What are you--WHOAAA!!”
Despite being rightfully confused at Elusive, Rainbow barely had any time to react accordingly as he struggled to stay on his hind-legs. Just as the main chorus of the track began to play on the dance-floor, Elusive had effortlessly taken Julianne’s position while keeping a confident glimmer in his eyes. As for Blitz, being put in a constant state of movement made it near-impossible to just stop his dance with the unicorn in that moment. Plus, with all the training and practice he had the unicorn up to that night (not to mention the thundering applause and clapping of encouragement around them), the pegasus’ hooves seemed to keep moving on their own alongside Elusive’s quickly-timed steps.
But even as he continued to dance instinctively with Elusive, Blitz’s expression kept a very evident scowl of frustration. “Dude, what the buck is this?!” he snarled through his gritted teeth. “Did you not see me dancing with her right now?!”
Elusive may have been more than a little tipsy, but he could still see how upset his friend was getting. Nevertheless, the stallion kept his coy smirk when he looked back at them during their steps. “I did see that, but she’s also our competition,” he noted as he tried to keep his tone of voice more professional than slurred. “Besides, don’t you think a head-to-head against them would be more intriguing?~”
The unicorn perked his brows a couple times with a wider grin on Rainbow, clearly trying to override his friend’s libido with his natural competitive instinct. Unfortunately, Blitz just narrowed his eyes on him with an even stronger glare. But just as he was about to pull away and stop his motions with Elusive, Rainbow’s eyes widened when he caught glance of Julianne from behind the stallion. In the brief moment that Elusive took the reins, it seemed that Derek swept in to do the same with his sister. And judging from how excited the crowd was getting around the four, it was doubtful that anyone was focusing on the disappointed looks Blitz and Julianne had when they looked at each other briefly.
Unlike Elusive, who was clearly trying to get back on Rainbow’s end for romantic reasons, Derek seemed to just slide in at the assumption that it was a competition between them. While Blitz’s leading steps remained fairly stoic and second-hoof alongside Elusive’s, the other stallion was already moving to the beat of the song like it was as natural as breathing. Much like Rainbow, Julianne couldn’t help moving instinctively to sync up with her brother’s motions. And due to the added encouragement from the crowd’s rowdy cheers and applause (as well as a few ponies who tried to be the first to yell out “Dance-Off!”), it seemed that the dance-floor became an impromptu battleground for the dueling couples.
Just as the second chorus played to really rile up the stage, Julianne worked flawlessly in tandem with Derek. Her movements with Blitz may have been surprisingly clean and precise, but her years of experience with her brother could clearly be seen from their tango-centric steps that stomped with the utmost discipline. Unfortunately, it was obvious that wasn’t enough to please the crowds, nor to outdo Blitz and Elusive in a head-to-head. Just as Juliane made a strong spin away from her brother, Derek’s hooves swept in just as her back was turned to him; his hooves wrapped around the mare’s torso, and he lifted her up with her back against his chest as they spun around with a stellar round of wild applause.
Rainbow may have been tempted to kick Elusive between the legs for cock-blocking him, but that added detail had just enough spark to set the tinders of his own competitive spirit aflame. Almost as if a switch had been flipped on without warning, Blitz sprang into action while holding onto the love-stricken Elusive tightly. Much like when he had a Wonderbolt routine to complete flawlessly before a crowd, the stunt-pony’s mind shut off so his body could work with utmost focus. Instead of a tango like the Hoofingtons, Blitz instinctively brought himself and Elusive in a more cha-cha-centric routine to compete with them. The unicorn was a little taken aback by his partner’s sudden impulsive move, but his own hooves quickly moved alongside him to work their magic.
Elusive couldn’t help but think back to their Baltimate routine as they danced with such dedication before the crowds, happy that they weren’t being seen as some publicity act after all they accomplished. However, even as they made their crossover breaks time perfectly alongside the tempo of the track, Elusive didn’t see that same look of elation on his partner’s face then they faced each-other between them. Instead, all he saw was the determined, but still very pissed-off expression that was practically welded on the pegasus’ focused face. With the way those magenta eyes tried to burn into his skull, Elusive could safely say that he didn’t feel that same racing of his heart like he did the last time they danced.
But alas, regardless of what or how Rainbow may have been feeling, it was clear that they couldn’t be outdone by the Hoofingtons. Even if it was for a crowd of rowdy and booze-soaked club-ponies, the Wonderbolt’s need to perform overrode his anger. With a quick, fell swoop of his foreleg, Blitz grabbed Elusive unexpectedly from between his legs to make the unicorn let out a surprised yelp. Fortunately, that auduble reaction couldn’t be heard over the music or the crowds; nor was the added shout Elusive made as he was lifted off his hooves, and laid out flat across the back of Rainbow’s back like a log in a weightlifting competition. And much like an inanimate object, the unicorn kept his body as still and flat as a board while Blitz spun around repeatedly, much to the audience’s excited approval.
Of course, as soon as the Hoofingtons saw that move, it was basically like receiving the first retaliation shot before an intense battle. The song was settling into its temporary break before the large finale, which both couples could feel coming up like the eye of the storm. The four ponies’ movements stayed lively and varied enough for the crowd’s sake, but it was clear that they were also mentally preparing for what to do next. Blitz’s muzzle was wrinkled in strained frustration, as if he was showing a bit of confliction about competing against the girl he was just dancing with, and with the aid of the “friend” who intervened. However, it seemed that Julianne looked a bit less discorded while dancing with her brother, which only made Rainbow more upset as the vocals picked up in the song.
As soon as the final chorus began to play, the Hoofingtons were the first to strike before the excited crowd. Since it was obvious they heard the song before, Derek used that vocal buildup as the setup to lift his sister with his hoof underneath her torso. With disturbingly impeccable timing, Julianne wrapped and flipped over her brother’s foreleg like it was nothing, and laid out flawlessly while her stomach was leveled against his shoulder. Meanwhile, Derek spun both of them around the circle while the audience cheered on, just before the stallion gave her body another flip-around across his chest and had her land on her hooves.
Elusive and Blitz would’ve been intimidated by such an impromptu move, but they were busy with their own to focus too much on the Hoofingtons. Since the stallions were holding both hooves during the buildup, Rainbow was quick to hold onto them tightly before pulling Elusive into a massive spinning motion. The circle widened up immensely as Rainbow twirled around the dance-floor, using his strength to lift the unicorn off the ground and spin him off the ground with centrifugal force. It may have been a move near identical to their contemporary performance earlier that day, but it was still flashy enough to get the crowd cheering even louder in response. Elusive almost felt like he was going to vomit by the time the spinning stopped, but he still felt content with the move he and his partner pulled off by the time it finished.
When the two couples finished with their more lavish displays, they went back onto their hooves to finish their dances alongside the remainder of the song. While the Hoofingtons concluded on a strong note with their tango-centric spins and unified steps, Elusive and Blitz made sure they weren’t too far behind with their own cha-cha-inspired movements. Since there weren’t any judges present, none of the four ponies were sure who actually won by the time the song concluded; but as soon as the track finished, and Derek and Blitz both gave their respective partners strong dips to end their routines, the club went absolutely wild in applause.
In that brief moment where he was laid back and held within Blitz’s hooves, Elusive tried to give a cheeky smirk to help extinguish the Wonderbolt’s ever-present glare. Without even thinking, the unicorn lifted his hoof up and booped Blitz’s snout for a split-second. Despite how strongly Rainbow's head reeled back from that move, his hooves kept his partner up long enough to have the unicorn say, “What’s the matter, Darling? Would you rather get a kiss?~”
That was when Blitz threw his hooves aside without warning, leaving Elusive to slip out of his grip and fall back on his hooves like a cat. With his face blushing hard over his frustrated and confused scowl, Rainbow pulled away just as Elusive shook his head absent-mindedly.
“Whooo!~” Elusive was the first to be pulled up onto his hooves, most likely since Blitz looked intent on not touching him after what he said. While the pegasus turned his head away from his partner with a pissed-off scowl, the Hoofingtons got back on their hooves while breathing heavily. “I must say!” exclaimed Elusive in a winded tone as he smiled at the couple. “You two certainly got into the spirit quickly!”
“Hey, I was just following you!” replied Derek with a a huffed chuckle while rubbing his forehead with a foreleg. He motioned over to his sister before adding cheekily, “Plus, what was I supposed to do? Leave Julie hanging like a wallflower?”
Elusive’s muzzle wrinkled up a bit, just now realizing how dickish his behavior may have came across. While he figured Rainbow would be mad, he almost completely forgot about how his actions may have been seen by the siblings. “O-Oh! Ummm… I…” He blinked a couple times as his eyes focused on Julianne, who was looking back at him with her muzzle and brows equally skewed. Elusive tried not to cringe as he scratched the back of his mane and said, “I… I didn’t mean to, ummm…”
After a pert sigh, Julianne just rolled her eyes with a forgiving-looking smirk as ponies began to move back into their space. “Hey, it’s alright,” she said assuredly as the club music began to pick back up around them. “I get it, Elusive. You had a bit to drink, and you got a little jealous of the competition. Happens more often than you think.”
Even though Elusive knew that at least half of her assumptions were correct, he still felt incredibly guilty for practically pushing her aside for his own drunken intrusion. However, before he could try to say anything more, he realized somepony was missing as he looked around. “W-Wait a minute, ummm… where did Rainbow Blitz go?”
Despite being near-impossible to miss due to his mane, it seemed that the pegasus stormed off very shortly after the dance-off concluded. Elusive’s ears dropped down worriedly, and he could barely overhear either of the Hoofingtons as they tried to say they didn’t know. It was also in that moment that his heart nearly shot up into his throat, quickly recalling his stupidly impulsive remark during that dip. His pupils shrank in shock as he looked down at his hoof, unable to fathom how he could actually have said such a thing instead of just thinking about it. His heart began to race in worry, but his body was already too wiped-out to contemplate running all over this club after him. But alas, his eyes widened in terror the instant he looked up, and saw one of the club windows near the ceiling being opened by Rainbow himself.
Like the end of a fight scene in some broody superhero film, Blitz managed to slip out of the club without being seen by anyone except his partner. Even though his hooves were burning as hotly as his lungs, Elusive bolted off before Derek or Julianne could say anything. “Rainbow?! RAINBOW!!”
The unicorn may have had no idea where Blitz was going (or why he decided leaving the club was the best plan after such a thing), but he was running on pure adrenaline and emotion as he bursted out of Electro. And as the streak of technicolor light began to disappear in the distance, Elusive galloped as quickly as he could down the cobblestone streets in pursuit of it.