//------------------------------//
// Flags and Floats 
// Story: Pride 
// by Vivid Syntax 
//------------------------------//

A tan earth pony stallion paced along the Whinnyapolis Pride Parade staging area as the floats lined up, one by one. He ran a hoof through his spiky brown-and-gold mane, then wiped the sweat off on his stylish, purple button-up shirt. He read over his show notes for the fifth time in as many minutes, and he spoke faster than anypony should have been able to. "Okay. The Pansexual float is up and running again, and the kink group finally showed up, but the geeks needed to make a Mountain Dew run, and now they'll be delayed, and there'll be a gap unless we move up the storytellers to–"

A bottle of chocolate stout popped into his mouth. It was held by a dark blue unicorn with a preposterously beautiful beard. "There there, Syn," he said in a flat but comforting tone. "Drink your medicine." 

Syn chugged. His eyes glazed over a bit, and he pushed the bottle away once it was empty. "Thanks, Lucky Hops." He wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "I have no idea how you do this all the time."

Lucky Hops grinned. "Having a fantastic team helps, and you've got the best in the biz."

"You've got that right. Thanks for coming out, so to speak." Syn turned to a massive, yellow earth pony with stubble who was helping load up a float. "You, too, Hoof Work."

"Heh heh. Wouldn't miss it," laughed Hoof Work. He wore a construction worker vest, and his bown-and-blonde mane was tucked under a hard hat. "Just try to relax. First time's always a little rough, and it isn't easy managing something this big."

Syn snickered.

"Hm?"

Lucky Hops nodded. "Right. All you can do is plan and put out the fires as they come up." He surveyed the area. "Looks like about a dozen floats. No problem, right?"

Syn gulped. "I was expecting about three." 

"...Oh."

Syn chewed his lower lip and groaned. "I just hope it'll be worth it."

Hoof Work smiled, turned back to his compatriots, and jerked his head towards the crowd gathering at the start of the parade route. "Oh, I think it will be."

The three stallions looked towards the start of the route, and their eyes caught an adolescent colt. He wore a black t-shirt and had sunken eyes that looked like they'd been crying for years. But as the music started and the floats lurched into motion, the colt's eyes grew brighter, and he smiled a broken smile.

Syn took a big, shuddering breath and wiped his face with his sleeve. "Yeah. You're right." He signaled the first group to start the parade. "Let's do this."



* * * * *



Creatures of all types cheered on the sidewalks of downtown Whinnyapolis. Zack flicked his white horn and magically conjured another burst of rainbow sparkles. "Happy Pride, everyone!" He marched at the head of the parade, just behind the giant banner welcoming everyone to the celebration. Crowds of ponies five or more deep bunched up along the walkways, many of them waving flags in myriad patterns and colors. As Zack flared his wings, the sparkles shimmered to match his pink-and-white mottled coat. "Is everyone having–"

"A great time!?" Midnight Oil shouted as she swooped above the crowd. Her pink mane and tail flashed across the sky, contrasting her charcoal coat and bat wings. "Because Midnight's here to take good care of–"

"Of all of you!" Zack shouted, teleporting just in front of her in a hail of glitter. 

"Hey!" Midnight shoved him aside. "It's my job to lead the parade!"

"Dream on, sweetie!" Zack cast a ray of dazzling magic, mystifying the crowds.

Midnight swooped into it and twisted in the light, earning her a wave of loud praise. "Yeah! Thanks for the assist, pal." She stuck his tongue out at Zack.

Zack glided down to her level and shouted at her. "Oh heck no. We need to put our best face forward, and I'm much more fabulous than you!"

"And I'm sexier than you!"

"Fabulous!"

"Sexy!"

"Fabulous!"

"Se–"

"ENOUGH!" The audience gasped as a fireball burned through the sky. Zack and Midnight clutched each other tightly as the red and orange alicorn, Starry Flame, appeared before them, wreathed in fire. "We're here to kick off the festivities. Are you two gonna play nice and stick to the plan?" The fireball flared larger. "Or do I have to get angry?"

Midnight and Zack meekly chirped, "We'll be good."

"Excellent," Starry Flame replied. Her horn flared to life, and the fire shot out in every direction, turning to brilliant fireworks in all colors of the rainbow. The crowds cheered again, and Starry Flame smiled smugly. "Now that's how you start a show!"



* * * * *



Angel Cattleya huddled next to her friend Eclipse on the Pansexual Pride float, an intricately-crafted display of flowers in pink, gold, and light blue. She scratched at her brown mane with a purple hoof as Starry Flame wrapped up her display a few floats ahead of them. Softly, she said, "Do you… think this parade will really change all that much? Ponies' minds, I mean."

Eclipse put a black foreleg around her. "You're out here showing everyone who you are. That's enough."

Angel looked around at the crowds. Each creature seemed to have their own flare, something to make them stand out. "But what if it's not?" she asked timidly. "It doesn't feel like enough."

Eclipse shook his head. "Being here is all it takes, I think, and you're not alone. See?"

He pointed to a large, gray, solidly-built earth pony stallion on the opposite side of the float. The stallion's smart-looking glasses fit well with his black mane and tail, each with blue highlights. He waved gently to the crowd, and his attention turned to Angel. He smiled and asked, "You alright?"

After an encouraging nudge from Eclipse, Angel stepped over to the other stallion. "Just trying to figure out how to be more visible, I guess. I'm Angel, by the way."

"Alex," he said back, sitting up straighter. "And if you want to be more visible…" He lay down and jerked his head towards his back. "Hop aboard."

Eyes wide, Angel looked back at Eclipse, who gave her a reassuring nod. She paused and lifted a hoof. Slowly at first, she climbed on Alex's back, and she let out a small "Eep!" when Alex stood back up.

Alex reached down to pick up a small Pansexual pride flag from the float and passed to it to her. "There you go, Angel. Be as proud as you want to be."

Angel smiled, stood tall on Alex's back, and waved her flag for everypony to see.



* * * * *



Four stallions huddled around a table on a mostly flat float. The float was decked out with large, paper sculptures of dragons, spaceships, and polyhedral dice, and on the side hung the words "QUEER GEEKS" in an offensively large number of fonts. 

Wireframe sat behind the dungeon master's screen. His flight goggles reflected the bright sun, and beads of sweat had begun to form on his off-white coat and under his black mane. He rolled a twenty-sided dice, glanced at the result, and said, "The dragon roars at you and flashes his teeth. He breathes in deeply and–"

An orange pegasus with a bright blue mane and small moustache interrupted him. "Is fighting this dragon really the lawful good thing to do?"

Wireframe blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Griffin's right," BlueStreak said. He tossed his blue-and-white mane and flicked some wayward confetti from his light gray coat. "I've been volunteering with a few inter-species outreach groups these days, and the stereotypical pony-on-dragon violence trope does more harm than good."

Wireframe paused and then shuffled through a few pages of his notes. "I'm using a premade module."

Griffin perked up. "Well, that's worse! We're supporting institutionalized separation of species." He turned to BlueStreak. "When does your group meet? I'd like to learn more about it."

Wireframe tapped a hoof on the table. "Hello? The dragon is about to attack you."

BlueStreak ignored him and turned to Griffin. "We'd love to have you! We meet on the first Sunday of every month."

Wireframe slapped his face and turned to the third party member, a dark blue unicorn with a moon-and-stars cutie mark. "Bright Sight, what does your wizard do?"

Bright Sight continued studying the star charts in front of him. "Can I see any of the stars from where I am?"

Wireframe's face twitched. "It's daytime."

Bright Sight shrugged. "Well, yeah, but maybe I can catch one of the planets."

"You're in a cave."

Bright Sight stroked his chin. "Hm… I'll set up my telescope anyway."

Wireframe groaned. "Everypony roll for initiative."



* * * * *



The Bisexual Pride float crested the biggest hill on the parade route. It was decked out in pink, lavender, and blue stripes, and in the middle of it was a stage absolutely brimming with ponies, dragons, and creatures of all types waving flags great and small.

Near the edge of the group, a gray donkey rapidly waved the largest flag of all. Her mane was black with blue highlights, and she practically bounced on the crowded stage. "It's happening! It's finally happening!" She turned to her new friend, who was squished next to her. "You ready, Shadow Dancer?"

The black pegasus next to her shared a flank-bump. "Ready, Tara. Let's initiate plan B-1 Takeover!"

A white pegasus stallion with the black mane stood next to them. After a moment, he spoke up slightly. "Uh… what are you two talking about?"

Tara's eyes lit up. "Didn't you hear, Golden Note? It's time to finally be done with Bisexual erasure forever! It's time to initiate The Plan!"

Golden Note gulped. "P-plan?"

A burly, yellow earth pony with a black mane rumbled with laughter behind them. "Yeah. You should have gotten it with your yearly Bisexual Agenda. Aren't you on the mailing list?"

"Uh… no?"

The earth pony smiled broadly and wrapped a foreleg around a gray pegasus who was rapidly scribbling some notes. "Well, just stick with me and Zenfox here. We'll keep you on track."

Zenfox looked up from his notepad. "Moon Lancer's right." He tucked his pencil behind his ear and looked over his notes. "And actually, we could really use another pegasus on the squad next to Shadow Dancer. You got room for one more, SD?"

Shadow Dancer puffed up. "We'd be happy to have him! Give him the rundown."

Zenfox passed the notepad to Golden Note, who looked it over once, twice, three times, and smiled deviously. "Okay, yeah. I'm in."



* * * * *



Squall Line straightened his tie and laughed nervously. "Now, colts, there's no reason to fight." He flicked his mutli-hued blue tail against his gray coat and looked over the edge of the Queer Professional Society float. "There are a lot of ponies here, and we wouldn't want to tarnish our reputation."

Nurse Haywick nodded at the two reporters. Her brown coat and black mane and tail were mostly covered by her uniform. "We're happy to give interviews to both of you." She batted her eyes. "Though I suppose we don't know who'll get the best pictures."

Tom Ink perked up. His light blue horn flared to life, and he levitated his camera to his face. "The St. Paul Bridle, of course!" The wind whipped through his powder-blue mane as he snapped a photo of Squall Line and Nurse Haywick, who'd suddenly struck poses.

But then, Tom was butted out of the way by a grey unicorn with a dark blue mane, thin glasses, and a green vest. "No way!" Loose Leaf shouted. "The Whinnyapolis Daily Star is getting the scoop!" He snapped an equally impressive picture.

With a grunt, Tom used his magic to stick the cap back on Loose Leaf's camera. 

"Hey!" Loose Leaf magically unscrewed the flash bulb on Tom's.

"Why you little–"

"Little? I'm half again bigger than you!"

The two reporters began to brawl on the float. Squall Line opened his mouth and lifted a hoof, but after a pause, he set it down again. "You know what? I'm just going to let them get it out of their systems."

Nurse Haywick chuckled. "That's usually for the best. I'll get my med kit."



* * * * *



Two earth ponies marched down the center of the street, saddled with a large banner that read "Celebrating Queer Relationships." Behind them, dozens of creatures of all kinds marched with their partners, sharing kisses, hugs, and more than a few sneaky touches.

A light green earth pony named Canvas walked beside his gray-and-white griffon husband, Troy. They shared a quick nuzzle, and Canvas turned to the unicorn couple next to them. "Great day to feel loved, right?"

The first stallion, pink with an even brighter pink mane and tail, cuddled his husband. "Every day is. Are you enjoying the parade?"

Troy nodded back as the group marched along. "Of course! It's nice to meet you, by the way. I'm Troy, and this is my husband, Canvas."

The pink stallion hoof-bumped his new friends. "Pleasure. My name is Basura Rosa Sin Vida."

Canvas' eyes lit up. "That might be the most beautiful name I've ever heard!" He turned to the other pony, a dark blue unicorn with a silvery mane and tail. "And what's your name?"

"Night," he replied.

Troy blinked. "That's great, too!" 

Night chuckled and kissed Basura on the cheek. "It's okay. Basura is a beautiful name. It might be different from mine." His eyes became dreamy as he looked at his husband. "But love transcends differences." He turned back to Troy and Canvas. "I'm sure you know that better than anyone."

Before Troy could respond, he heard, "You've got that right!" The four of them looked behind them to see two other creatures: a gray and black bird that looked like he walked on two legs was being carried by an orange lizard that stood over eight feet tall. The bird waved. "Wait up, guys!"

Canvas gasped. "Wow! Are they friends of yours, Basura?"

Basura nodded. "They sure are."

The lizard chuckled with a low rumble. "We met 'em back a ways. I'm Ethan, and this cutie here is Jakob." He leaned down and kissed the bird-man in his arms. "And yeah, despite our differences, we make it work."

Jakob waved at the crowds. "Love conquers all, right?"

The other couples hugged their partners, and Basura smiled in agreement. "Love conquers all."



* * * * *



Daffodil Delight hummed a tune as she and Baratone affixed more paper chain links to their float. For all the excitement at the parade, their float radiated a peaceful, soothing aura. Daffodil ran a purple hoof through her mane and absentmindedly played with her green-and-white tail and said, "I just wish they'd understand that love isn't a zero-sum game. Oh!" she said as another pony ran up to their float and gave her another link.

Baratone stretched his gray-blue wings and pushed up his glasses. His short, curly mane was beginning to frizz in the heat. "Right. Just because I love one partner more doesn't mean I love my other partner less." Another pony ran up from the crowd and passed him a paper strip to interlock with all the others, this one with a secret message on one side. Baratone looped the paper through their paper tapestry and taped it in place. "Know what I mean?"

"Absolutely," Daffodil replied. "Head-up: it looks like we're just about full over on the main display."

The two of them backed up and admired their work: a paper lattice of love and acceptance that spelled out the word "POLY" in bright letters. It looked very complete, but soon, more ponies from the crowd rushed up to add their own pieces.

Baratone smiled. "I don't think it's quite full yet. There's always room for more, and I'm happy to see the poly community get some love." He sighed. "Heaven knows the Trans community could use some more love, too."

Daffodil set a comforting hoof on his shoulder. "I hope you get it soon."

"I'm sure we will." To himself, he mumbled, "The bisexuals aren't the only ones with an agenda."

"What was that, Baratone?"

"Nothing, Daffodil," he said sweetly. "Here, pass me that yellow one. I think we can make space."



* * * * *



The fetish group walked down Hennepin Avenue, waving and smiling to the crowd in all their gear.

One unicorn stallion, Moral Quandary, flexed in his leather harness, feeling its tight tug against his chest. His bright pink mane drew plenty of attention, and it blended very naturally with his tan coat and white muzzle (with just a little pink), all wrapped up in leather from horn to hoof. He took a deep breath and got a little thrill at the wide eyes that followed him wherever he went.

From beside him, he heard a unicorn named Dusklight asked, "Not to be too judgmental, but… I've never really understood leather on horses. Isn't it just a little strange?"

Moral Quandary gave him a flat look. "You're a unicorn wearing a pegasus fursuit. You tell me."

Dusklight's usual golden coat was covered in a full-sized, cartoony fursuit of a dark blue pegasus. He shrugged from inside. "Well, yeah, but I'm not being weird about it or anything."

Moral Quandary snickered. "You're right. Think I could try that suit on after the parade?"

Dusklight responded with, "Only if you let me give that leather a go. You know, to see what the fuss is all about."

"Deal!"



* * * * *



"Oooh, my heeeeeeart skips a beat!" Atop the Artists' float, Vocal Score played his guitar and sang out, "When he saaaaaays…" He held a white hoof theatrically under his ear and leaned out towards the audience.

Right on time, they shouted back, "EEEEEYUP!" 

Vocal rapidly strummed the last few chords and shouted, "Thank you everypony, and Happy Pride!" With one last chord, the audience stomped and roared with approval, and he smiled wide for them all. He wiped the sweat from under his bold blue mane and motioned to a unicorn and a bat pony who moved to the float's center platform. "You're on, guys!"

The unicorn, a tall, dark green stallion with a chartreuse, windswept mane and tail, smiled wickedly and extended his hoof towards his friend. "Ready, Lazlo?"

Lazlo, a bat pony stallion with an amethyst mane and tail, took his hoof and stepped onto the platform. "I suppose we can give them all a show, Derecho." 

Vocal Score's horn flared to life, and he set a massive sound system into motion. Rich, upbeat samba music blasted out towards the crowd. Derecho yanked Lazlo into the middle of the dance floor, and the two ponies twirled and danced in a crisp, tight rhythm. Derecho took the lead, and they spun and stomped and rocked their bodies as the crowed cheered them on.

Derecho smiled through slightly pointy teeth. "Is it weird that two straight guys are dancing all sexy in the middle of a Pride parade?"

Lazlo smirked. "Not at all, my friend." With a quick shuffle of his hooves, he grabbed a surprised Derecho and suddenly took the lead. "What would be weird is letting you steal the spotlight."

To the side of the dance floor, in front of two easels and surrounded by paints, sat two more unicorns, furiously painting the scene. One of them, a deep red stallion with a brown mane and magnificent sideburns, chuckled to himself.

The other, a blue stallion with a black-and-white mane and sharp-looking glasses, looked up from his painting. "Something amusing, Zinn?"

Zinnabar Arthem snickered. "Oh, just those two. I can't imagine myself putting on a show like that." He turned to his companion. "Do you dance, Ebony?"

Ebony Inkstone shook his head. "Oh, not really. I prefer quiet hobbies, like tabletop gaming." He drew his brush across the canvas, capturing the abstract form of Derecho in just a few bold strokes. "Actually, Sojourner and I are going over to the Geek float once he's done with his readings. You know, assuming The Plan hasn't started."

Zinnabar cocked his head to the side. "Plan? What plaaAAAHH!!!" He was pulled from his seat suddenly.

And smiling in his face was Derecho. "May I have this dance?"

Zinnabar stammered and looked back to Ebony. 

"Go on," Ebony said. "I'll paint you."

Zinnabar chuckled. "But what about Laz?" He looked over Derecho's shoulder. Lazlo was already dancing with Vocal Score, who was keeping up with his fast hoofwork. Finally, Zinn looked back at Derecho, who raised his eyebrows twice, and he said, "Oh, why not?"

The four stallions danced wildly on the float, and Ebony smiled as the scene came to life on his canvas.



* * * * *



Cocoa Print, a large, barrel-chested stallion, stomped his hoof as two pegasi (one gold with a brown and red mane and the other an almost ghostly white) hovered into position at the parade's staging area. "No, NO, NO!!!" Cocoa Print sat down and tugged on his creamy yellow mane in frustration. "Ace Swift! You're supposed to be on Dodj's left! What part of that don't you get?"

The gold pegasus, Ace Swift, adjusted his hoodie and saluted. "You got it, boss!" With a few flaps of his wings he flitted over to Dodj's other side. "Like this?"

Cocoa Print shook his head. "It would be fine if Dodj was in the right place! We're not trying to be askew here. Balance it out!"

Dodj whipped his fluffy tail and forced a smile. "You got it." He hovered slightly to his right. "These bags are pretty heavy, though." He pointed at the gigantic sacks that hung from his and Ace Swift's shoulders.

Cocoa Print snorted and shouted back. "It's just confetti! It can't be that bad."

"Said the earth pony," Dodj mumbled with a twitch of his eye.

Ace Swift chuckled next to him. "Aw, don't be like that, Dodj! We've got an important job to do, and everypony's going to love the big finale."

Tension releasing from his wings, Dodj nodded. "If you believe in us, then I believe in us." 

Ace Swift threw his forelegs above his head. "There you go! That's the–"

Cocoa Print roared, "I said positions!" With a quick flap, the pegasi snapped into perfect formation, and Cocoa Print said sweetly, "There! Just like that."



* * * * *



Two creatures – a batpony stallion with dark blue hair and a dark grey griffon in a stetson and glasses – waved gracefully but slowly to the crowd. Their smiles were slightly forced, and they sat atop an ornate float covered in symbols of unity, images of creatures great and small embracing, and the word "Allies" on the side written in flowers.

The batpony, Knight Shade, mumbled sideways to the griffon. "So, Grundy, was it? How'd you find yourself here?"

The crowds shouted thank-yous and words of encouragement as the float passed by them, and Grundy Glavel waved awkwardly back at them. "Just… trying to be supportive, I suppose." He scratched at his neck. "Parades aren't usually my thing."

Knight Shade sighed. "Same here. I feel naked without my armor."

"At least you're not as naked as that guy." Grundy pointed a claw at a very, very drunk stallion dancing on the sidewalk, wearing tiny shorts that somehow seemed more scandalous than the nudity most ponies were used to.

The head of a white pegasus mare with a black mane with popped over one of the displays. "Hey, some of us like seeing stallions like that." She looked comfortably warm in her maroon-and-dark-gray sweater, and she narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice to say, "It's even better if you can get a few of them together and they start to..."

Knight Shade winced and drew in a sharp breath, his pupils constricting.

Grundy chuckled and said, "Aw, leave him be, Lightning Twister."

Lightning Twister snickered, and another pegasus, a yellow stallion, peeked over as well and said. "Oh, let her have her fun. It's Pride!"

Lightning Twister, smiled at him. "Thanks, 'Dad.'"

Grundy cocked an eyebrow. "He's your dad?"

The yellow stallion smiled back. "I'm everyone's dad. Name's Heat Wave." He looked over to Knight Shade. "It'll be alright, buddy. Remember why we're here?"

Knight Shade relaxed a bit and said, still waving to the crowd, "To support our friends."

Grundy ribbed him. "Right. It's worth a little discomfort to let our friends know we're here for them."

Knight Shade paused and let Grundy's words sink in. Finally, he smiled and nodded back. "Right. And we'll support them to our last breaths."

Lightning Twister gave him a wink. "There you go. Now, you wanna see my secret drawings?"



* * * * *



Panting, Cliff Hanger dashed to the next pony holding out a scrap of paper. "Thank you for the suggestion!" he said as the pony deposited the paper into the basket on his back. "We really– Oh, thank you for the suggestion!" His tan coat glistened with sweat, and he whipped his brown tail in an attempt to cool himself even a little. Through it all, he smiled as more and more ponies poured papers into his basket. "I'll be right back, all! I just need to drop this off at the float!"

With a heavy breath and a set jaw, he dashed back to the Storyteller float, which was decorated with pony-sized books, shiny microphones, and fantastical depictions of famous stories. In the middle were two ponies. A yellowish unicorn with an orange mane furiously scribbled sentence after sentence onto a paper, using a pile of suggestions for guidance. When he filled a page, he passed it over to a deep red unicorn with a brown mane (that some would swear looked ashy pink in the sunlight). The second stallion read these impromptu stories to the whole crowd in a bold voice that boomed from a professional-grade sound system.

Cliff Hanger leapt onto the float and cantered to the yellow unicorn's side. "Got another load for you, Proton! How's your hoof doing?"

Proton shook out his fetlock. "Heh heh. Doing fine as long as I don't think about it." His eyes went wide as he saw the basket brimming with suggestions. "Holy cow! Sojouner's gonna be here all day!"

Without breaking his stride, Sojourner shot them a quick glance as he continued to read Proton's story. His voice rang through downtown. "But Spike couldn't have known what was around the corner! It was… a chocolate beehive!" The crowds at the sides of the streets laughed at the seemingly limitless well of absurdity that was being heaved at them.

Cliff Hanger caught his breath and said to Proton. "Is he doing okay? Need water or anything?"

Proton waved a hoof. "He's doing really well!" He narrowed his eyes. "Maybe a little too well. What have you got for me?"

Cliff Hanger snickered and reached into a pouch of very, very special suggestions he'd managed to pick out. "Oh, I have just the thing." 

Proton took the paper, glanced at it, and smiled wickedly. "Perfect."

Within a minute, Proton passed another paper to Sojouner, who read aloud, "Scootaloo was cornered by the werewolves, but luckily, So–" He cocked an eyebrow at the paper. "Sojourner stepped around a corner, saying 'Ooh la la!' He wore a French maid outfit that showed off his shapely–" His eyes widened, and he whipped his head back around at Cliff Hanger and Proton. "Oh I am not saying that out loud!"

And as out of breath as they were, they all laughed together.



* * * * *



As the last float reached Loring Park and the end of the parade, the crowds lining the streets gave their last, exhausted stomps of approval. They began to file into the park, ready to take in all the booths, music, and food of the festival, and they were content that they'd had enough excitement for one day.

And then Tara appeared on a roof with a megaphone. "Attention, everycreature!"

The crowds stopped their migration and squinted up to the restaurant rooftop that Tara had commandeered. They saw that she was flanked by Ebony Inkstone, Ace Swift, and Starry Flame, and she waved the largest Bisexual pride flag they'd ever seen. 

Starry Flame took the megaphone and boomed, "The Whinnyapolis Bisexuals Coalition has taken over this portion of the festivities. No longer will we be erased!"

She passed the megaphone to Ebony, and the audience stood at rapt attention as he began. "We are artists, and businessponies, and creatures who just want to forget our troubles and have a good time. And we–"

"And we are so much more!" interrupted Baratone from another rooftop. The crowd turned to him to see a contingent of ponies rallied under the Trans pride flag. "Our identities are important to us, and we're here to be visible!"

"And can't we all just be cool?" The audience cranked their heads around to see Angel Cattleya under the Pansexual flag with Troy Clawston and dozens of others.

Ace Swift, with a giant bag slung over his shoulder, yelled from the rooftop full of bisexuals, "Hey! This is our hostile takeover!"

Troy yelled back, "Well, we're taking over your takeover!"

"Not if we take it over first!" 	The crowd – whose necks were getting really sore by this point – turned to see Daffodil Delight in an elegant, expertly-made evening gown with the double-female symbol on the flank. Her cadre of stunning lesbians lined up behind her. "And we'll look spectacular doing it!"

Tara took the megaphone back. "Well, there's clearly only one way we're going to settle this."

The was a pregnant pause.

"DANCE PARTY!!!"

From seemingly nowhere, Vocal Score appeared at street level with a full audio setup, and Squall Line plugged in his guitar. They nodded at each other, and all at once, they each flipped a switch, and a beat thumped throughout the street and poured into the park as Vocal began to sing.

"Kick the bass line in, but keep the mood down low."

In no time at all, ponies all across the city danced to the heavy beats. Basura and Night stomped in time together, laughing and inviting Shadow Dancer and Bright Sight to join them. Troy swooped down to meet Canvas, and the two of them jammed with Golden Note and Knight Shade, who loosened up with some encouragement and wore the biggest smiles of all.

From high in the air, Dodj and Ace Swift dropped their payload, raining magical, shimmering confetti down on everyone in attendance. Lightning Twister took the sky, and she was soon joined by Wireframe as they spun and twirled above the crowd. Their white coats shone in a rainbow of colors as light shot out from Zack's horn, accompanied by constant shouts of "Fabulous!"

Tom Ink and Loose Leaf, both bandaged on most of their bodies, managed to mostly avoid bumping into each other while they sneakily took a few more shots for their respective papers. Each time they got hot-headed with each other, Heat Wave cheerfully danced between them to get them back into the groove.

Griffin and BlueStreak bounced to the beat near Ethan and Jakob, all the while learning more about where they'd come from and inviting them to their inter-species summit the following month.

Cliff Hanger spun around with Zinnabar up and down the street as Lazlo and Proton schemed about how to rig up a karaoke microphone to the sound system. Not four hoofsteps away, Sojourner and Alex danced along with Baratone, Nurse Haywick, and a big, gay elk named Donovan that had wandered into the festivities and started thrashing happily about.

Near the entrance to the park, a dance circle formed with Tara, Ebony, Starry Flame, Angel, Daffodil, and all the others from the rooftops. They took turns busting their favorite moves, from delightfully cringe-worthy to genuinely impressive, all the while talking about outreach efforts and issues within the queer community.

And in the middle of the street stood an adolescent colt. He wore a black t-shirt and had sunken eyes that looked bright for the first time in years. Surrounded by a sea of dancing ponies, he shifted awkwardly in place, until a group of four ponies about his age waved him over. The first, and orange stallion, said, "Hey! I'm Citrus Rain. What's your name?"

The young stallion spoke softly. "M-my name's Rainbow Star."

The lavender mare gave him a hoof bump. "Nice to meet you, Rainbow! I'm Lilac Honey."

The minty green mare stepped up, too. "And I'm Grassroots." She flipped her mane. "But I'll probably go by Supple Spring once I'm done transitioning."

Finally, the young, gray stallion in the ascot bowed. "And I'm Misty Moon, darling. Charmed to meet you."

Rainbow Star tried to stand up straight. "Nice to meet you all."

Lilac booped his nose. "Looking a little stiff there, buddy. This your first Pride?"

Rainbow Star blushed. "Yeah." He looked up at the four of them. "Can I… dance with you all? It's all a little intimidating." He looked around. "And I… don't really have a group."

Without hesitating, Citrus Rain pulled him in for a hug and whispered in his ear, "You do now."

Rainbow Star sucked in a quick, choked breath, and he smiled. Within moments, he was dancing with his new friends, part of a community that he was only beginning to discover.

Cocoa Print offered some helpful tips to Zenfox and Grundy as they tried to work out some pony-gryphon dances. Cocoa joined in himself when Derecho snuck up behind him, spun him around, and dipped him deep.

Dusklight and Moon Lancer quipped about the dance moves and potentially single ponies on display as they swayed together, trying to decide who to ask out. They were interrupted, however, when Eclipse and Midnight Oil, bright smiles on their faces, brought them out to the middle to dance with everyone else.

And along the sidelines of the dance-off, Syn, Lucky Hops, and Hoof Work relaxed in lounge chairs, sipping craft beers and wearing sunglasses (and, in Syn's case, some fabulously tiny purple-and-pink shorts). 

Syn took a swig of his porter and spoke just above the roar of the music. "Pretty good show?"

Lucky Hops nodded. "Certainly. Now, there are a few things we'll want to improve on for next–"

Hoof Work's laugh cut him off. "Aw, let him have his moment." He motioned towards the dance-off. "Did you know things would get so crazy?"

Syn swallowed more of his drink. "Mm-hm."

Lucky Hops said, "Seems like the sort of thing you could have mentioned."

Syn smiled. "Aw, and ruin the surprise?" A waving hoof caught his attention, and he saw Alex and Donovan motioning the three of them over. "You know, we should probably get out there."

Lucky Hops drained his beer. "You got it."

Hoof Work laughed and stood up with the two of them. "Right behind you."

Syn reached into his pocket, pulled out a Bi Pride pin, and stuck it to his shorts, right on his hip. "Happy Pride, everyone. Let's dance!"


* * * * * *