//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Cutting Loose // Story: Lucky Break // by Ferris the 1st //------------------------------// Landing with a grunt, I shook the impact out of my various limbs and shook a hoof at the retreating form of Corium, “Not what I meant by 'drop me off!'” I doubted he heard me over the steady rhythm shaking the sidewalk outside of the Veil. Night time colors bathed the surrounding street and line of ponies waiting to get in and I had to blink against the vibrant assault. A quick glance at the position of the setting sun made me wince; I was late. Flicking my eyes over the crowd, I tried in vain to pick out my date only to come up short one Dawn Breeze. My heart sank into my hooves. I'd blown it. Great way to make a first impression, Lucky! Not only did you spend most of the day trying to figure out more about the mare, but now you'd stood her up. She was probably going to be absolutely furious that I'd- “Lucky!” My heart skipped a beat as that musical voice resonated in my ears, drawing my attention upwards. The fading rays of sunlight caught her pristine, alabaster coat and made her glow brightly. A light wind stirred by her momentum caught the bubblegum mane and lifted it in an ethereal way that left me feeling weak at the knees. I was not worthy! Dawn Breeze landed in a rush, panting softly as she cantered to me and launched into an apology, “Lucky, I'm so sorry! I was in the middle of a report for the princess and lost track of time! I hope you haven't been waiting for too long?” The way she danced from hoof to hoof nervously was unnaturally adorable. She was still staring at me, most likely getting more anxious with every moment that I was drinking in the wonderful sight of her. Amazingly, my brain managed to restart before it got too awkward, “Uh, no, not too long,” I rushed out hurriedly, “was just about to come looking for you.” It wasn't exactly a lie, but now it just had less grovelling and apologizing on my part. Her smile was more radiant that Celestia's charge behind her and I felt some internal part of me melt like butter to it. I wasn't exactly sure what to say at that point, so I gestured to the line, “I guess we should get in line. Apparently there's an event going on, so it seems like they're busy.” Dawn's eyes brightened as we made our way to the end of the crowd, “Yeah, the annual Battle of the DJ's! Have you never been to one,” I shook my head and she gasped, “oh you are in for a treat! The Battle of the DJ's is one of the biggest musical events among the newer musics! DJ Pon-3 has been the reigning champion for seven years running, but her opponent has been making waves in the lower Manehatten area!” I found myself smiling at her enthusiasm, “Don't take this the wrong way, but I didn't take you for a techno fan. Considering where you work, I figured classical would be more your style?” That drew an exasperated groan from the pegasus, “It's the exact opposite, really. There's only so many times that you can listen to the same fifteen songs before you start wanting something new. I'm pretty sure that I could hum all fifteen on key!” I whistled, “That would be a talent. More so that you can stay awake long enough to listen to them long enough. I tried listening to a classical song once and I woke up a few hours later!” We shared a laugh at that before our conversation became a back and forth. Growing up in a small town, I'd been subject to a number of country tunes that Dawn was all too eager to ask me to sing, but we agreed that would be a later thing. The bouncer at the door barely gave us a second glance before admitting us with a grunt. The steady beat from outside became a roar of sound waves breaking across the club. A second floor balcony looked down toward the massive dance floor already packed with ponies cutting loose to the automated tunes preceding the event later. A single, permanent DJ booth was raised above the main floor, but what seemed like two quickly assembled booths stood against the wall to either side. Dawn was all too eager to explain the set-up to me. The two finalists would take their places at the smaller booths for the competition with the winner getting to take over the main booth for the night. The winner was determined by how many ponies they could get to dance on their side of the club within a time limit. I was grateful that my date decided she wanted to save her energy for the main event because it gave me time to consider how I was going to tell her that I couldn't dance. Making our way to the open bar, we took up a pair of seats. I wasn't much of a drinker, so Dawn ended up ordering me something “for lightweights.” I let that jab slide considering that I would rather be able to make it back to my room without passing out in a street somewhere. For her part, Dawn ordered something that I couldn't even begin to pronounce. With our drinks in hoof, she smiled over the rim of her glass at me, “Thank you, Lucky. I don't often get to have time off. Most of the time leaving the castle is done for business reasons.” We clinked our glasses together and I watched in wonder as the mare downed her drink before I could do much more than sip at mine. As she ordered another, I rallied what little courage I had, “Yeah, you're definitely a difficult mare to get a hold of. I wanted to ask you out here personally, but the princess always seemed eager to get messages to you. I hope that doesn't make me seem too shallow.” I swirled my drink a bit, gagging a bit at the burning sensation of it but pride kept me from stopping. Dawn chuckled nervously, “Y-yeah, Princess Celestia has a bit of reputation for being motherly, so I don't doubt that she would play the part. Speaking of which,” she turned her gaze to me, “not to make this weird or anything, but she did ask me something that made me curious. Considering your... recent contact with her, what do you think about our glorious princess?” There was a strange bite of sarcasm in her words and I felt like I was being backed into a corner. I decided to keep my reply short and sweet, “She does what she can to help, but I feel that sometimes her hooves are tied. What about you,” I asked, turning the tables, “you work for her, so what do you think of her? I bet it's more insightful than my observations.” My pegasus companion chewed on her lip slightly, a bang of her glorious mane falling down over one eye. The image made my heart skip a beat and I almost missed her reply, “Honestly... I think she's lonely, Lucky. Think about it, she's been around for over a thousand years and watched generations of us rise and fall while she alone stays on top.” I considered her words for a long moment, “I... I could see that, I suppose. Sadly, the list of immortal beings is a short one. For a long time, she didn't even have Luna either, so I can only guess how... crushing that was.” I took a moment to gulp down more of the drink in my hooves, grimacing at the taste. Dawn was quiet for a long moment before finally saying, “Yeah... I don't think any of us do,” she snorted and shook her head, “listen to me, I'm supposed to be here having fun with you and I'm bringing down the whole mood! Hopefully the DJ's come out soon and we can hit the dance floor!” She smiled at me and I cursed my lack of knowledge at that moment. Thankfully, I was spared making a fool of myself for several minutes, but Dawn wasn't content to sit there and let us drift into silence. Getting a hold on the bartender, she ordered an entire bottle of something and snagged a pair of shot glasses. I looked at her curiously and she giggled as she revealed her master plan. “I heard from the grapevine that you wanted to use this date to see if we were compatible. I purpose this to you, Lucky,” her eyes narrowed into a dangerous grin, “we'll play a little game. We each take turns saying something about ourselves and if the other would say something similar for the same situation, they drink.” I blinked, flattening my ears, “Err, Dawn, I'm not much of a drinker...” She flashed me a challenging grin, “Afraid that we're that different, Lucky? Or are you quitting on me already?” Damn, this mare really knew how to push my buttons. Against my better judgment, I found myself facing Dawn as she filled the shot glasses. Dawn went first, mulling it around in her head for a moment, “Mmmm, I have one sibling.” Well, I was off to a wonderful start. Grimacing, I quickly downed the shot and informed her that I was an only foal. My next shot was filled while I considered what to say. “I grew up on a farm.” Dawn giggled and tipped back her shot with a flourish. Adding more alcohol to her glass, she said, “Daughter of business-stallion; I grew up in a big house surrounded by old, snobby colts in suits. Okay... I was an adventurous filly and could normally be found getting in trouble.” “You,” I asked with a sly grin, “getting into trouble? You'd think it would be easier to find you then,” I downed the next shot, “I didn't really get out much. I was too busy hiding from my talent.” The game continued for a while and despite the number of differences between us, none of them felt overwhelming. Her personality was light and bubbly in contrast to her professional aura while she was on the clock. My brain was extremely buzzed when the DJ's finally made their appearance to the crowd's delight. The two were an interesting contrast with the famed DJ Pon-3 being minimalist in her appearance, wearing a simple set of headphones and rose glasses. Across from her, the stallion named Dark Vibes was in a full body suit and a helmet that covered all but his lower jaw. As the two took their places and an obnoxiously loud announcer started hyping up the ponies on the floor, Dawn grabbed my hoof. I was way too far gone to deny her as she half-lead, half-dragged me out onto the floor. I'd never really been a music pony, so I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I was certainly not prepared for what I got. As the challenger, Dark Vibes got to start things off as the base beat started. Stumbling drunkenly after Dawn, I felt the first strains of change as the larger DJ tuned his board to alter the flow into a dark, primal sound. Fear, desire, and anticipation filled the air as he made his play against the champ. I wasn't paying attention after that. My eyes fell firmly on the mare I'd brought to this place as she twirled and flashed me a playful look. If I wasn't certain of the wings on her back and the lack of horn on her head, I would have accused her of putting me under a spell as I followed her deeper into the mass of flailing limbs. She was starting to give me whiplash from the sudden shift in her stance, pulling me in with her eyes to the pulse of passion vibrating the room. A lighter set of notes began to bleed into the song as I finally came within hoof-reach of the wily pegasus. I met the deep pools of magenta staring back at me, feeling a sense of familiarity. It was gone with a blink as Dawn started to dance, the natural agility of her pegasus heritage turning her into a form of living art. I stood there numbly, watching her in awe until I felt her hooves on mine. With a confidence born of way too much alcohol in my system, I followed her movements as she naturally took the lead as if she knew I couldn't dance. She might have for all I knew; she'd probably read my file! It didn't matter to me in that moment, though. All that mattered was the fire that danced behind her gaze, pulling me in and burning all of my doubts away. As the rest of the world faded into background noise and all I could see was Dawn Breeze, I decided one thing. I was going to ask for a second date at the next opportunity. Even if it meant putting my life on the life to get another favor from Celestia!