The tremendous drone of synthesisers flooded Caramel's ears the instant he stepped into the club. He looked around, bedazzled by the busyness of it. Compared to the Drunken Dragon, this place was a beehive. Strangely twisted panes of glass formed abstract sculptures surrounding the dance floor, which was filled with local ponies dancing their cares away. Bright red and blue lights reflected off of the many reflective surfaces. It was a lot to take in at once.
Oh Celestia.
He followed Cloud Kicker to a small table in the bar area of the club, slightly further away from the source of the blaring music.
"When you said a concert, I didn't think you meant a rave!" Caramel shouted at Cloud Kicker.
"Oh relax, what's the difference?"
"What!?" Caramel asked, unable to hear her. He leant over the table so he could hear his date better.
"I said, you're going to have a great time!" With that, Cloud Kicker waved her hoof for a waitpony to come to their table.
From their slightly elevated position, Caramel had a clear view of the dance floor, where ponies moved their hoofs and bounced their heads in rhythm with the thunderous bass. Caramel could see a mare with a brilliant two-tone blue mane standing on a raised platform across the room, adjusting knobs and sliders and hoof pumping to the crowd.
He turned back to find his partner chatting with an attractive pegasus waitress, presumably ordering drinks. When the waitress left the table, Cloud turned back to Caramel with an enthusiastic grin on her face.
“Look, Cloud, I said I would come to a concert... I don’t even... I really can’t dance...”
“Hey, I’ll let you in on a little secret, but you have to promise not tell anypony, alright?”
Caramel rolled his eyes and promised not to.
“Neither can I. Neither can any of those ponies out there,” she said, gesturing to the crowd, “they just go out there and move their bodies, and we all pretend that they’re doing a good job.”
Caramel looked back at the crowd with a distinctly unconvinced look on his features. He truly had no experience with things like this. His father would surely think it was unbecoming of a gentlecolt.
“That’s it? I don’t believe you, it sounds too easy.”
“Oh, well, there is one other thing they do.” Cloud Kicker grinned at him as the waitress fluttered over to their table with two shots of a suspicious clear liquid.
“And that is...?” Caramel pressed.
“They drink!”
Cloud Kicker slid a glass across the table to Caramel, giggling at his unamused expression. She paid the serveuse a few bits, then directed her attention back to Caramel.
“Are you serious, Cloud?” he asked, with a discernible measure of protest in his voice.
“Deadly, I’m afraid,” she replied in a flutey and formal Canterlot accent.
“Your accent is awful... Bottoms up, I think.” If there was one thing that Caramel could do as well as the next stallion, it was drinking.
“Mmm, yes, quite,” agreed Cloud Kicker in her fancy voice, barely able to contain a fit of laughter.
The two raised their small glasses and simultaneously poured the contents down their throats. Caramel coughed and sputtered, his throat angrily protesting whatever it was he had just put back.
“Celestia, was that straight vodka?” he choked.
“Stalliongrad, one hundred proof!” she replied with an amiable smile, as if she had just told him what sort of tea she served at her house.
“Sweet Celestia...” he said again, “I think we both need another one.”
“That’s the spirit, old chap!”
“And would you stop that?! Goddess... To think that you only got me to go on this date by putting me on the spot in front of my boss.”
Cloud Kicker wasn’t paying attention, she had once again summoned their pegasus barmaid and was ordering another round.
After downing another three drinks in quick succession, Caramel was feeling a huge buzz coming on. Cloud giggled at him.
“I think you’re ready, big boy.” Cloud Kicker pulled him out of his seat, and he followed her over to the dance floor with newfound confidence.
Alright... Dancing! Let’s DO this...
The pair parted a sea of sweaty, swaying stallions and mares who had probably had as much drink as Caramel and Cloud. You could smell the sex in the air.
Caramel looked up in fascination at the system of floodlights and lasers that hung from the ceiling; flashing, blinking, peppering the clubgoers with bright red and purple lights.
“Aw come on, what are you, some kind of sleepy drunk? Don’t go spacing out on me here!”
“Oh, right. Yeah, sorry Cloud. Let’s... DO IT!”
Caramel looked up to the platform where the DJ pony was putting on a new record.
“ALRIGHT, Ponyville!” her voice boomed through the room, and the crowd cheered and whooped and stomped.
“I’m really excited, I know you’re excited, we’re all pretty pumped ‘cause this night is just getting started!”
The clubbers seemed to agree with her. They gave up a thunderous cheer as another thumping beat filled the room. Caramel and Cloud turned to each other and shrugged. Cloud Kicker began stepping in an embarrassing disco move, and Caramel laughed.
“Come on, you gonna let me look like an idiot all by myself?” she said, beckoning him over.
Caramel obligingly assumed a position facing her, and cautiously began to try and imitate her movements.
“Look, the most important part is that you just put OOMPH into it!” she explained, accentuating her expletive with a kick of her hind leg.
“Alright, alright,” Caramel acknowledged, starting to get into the groove, “I was just warming up.”
Then he started to shuffle.
Ponies around him gasped and dropped everything to watch. Caramel saw this and felt extremely empowered, alcohol flowing through his veins and filling him with confidence. He doubled his pace and shot a grin at Cloud Kicker, who gave him a thumbs up... Albeit in with a suspiciously large grin on her face...
Wait a minute.
Caramel looked back at the ponies around him, and saw that they weren’t holding back astonishment, but amusement! Caramel’s concentration broke and he slipped on the glossy floor, falling flat on his face.
Ah, buck it. I don’t think I’m drunk enough for this yet.
Several hours and innumerous drinks later, Caramel found himself bursting through the door of Cloud Kicker’s house. Cloud stumbled in after him and slammed the door shut. Caramel examined his surroundings - a small but modestly furnished home in an average part of Ponyville.
“Uhhh... Cloud?” he began, confused.
“Yeaaa?” she replied, smiling as she walked over to him and took him by the hoof.
“Wha... Why don’t you live in a... shky house?” he slurred as he was led over to the stairs leading, presumably, to her sleeping quarters.
“Be-cause, you silly pony, those are * hic * eck-shpensive! I’ve only been a weatherpony fooor... Uhm, a year. I think... Aaaanyways, not long enough to be able to afford a fancy cloudhome.”
“Ohhh... Right.”
Cloud Kicker giggled to herself as she pulled Caramel up the stairs and into her bedroom.
“Hey, nice room you got here, yeah?” Caramel said, looking around at Cloud Kicker’s bedroom. Actually, it could hardly be described as nice - it looked as if Cloud probably hadn’t cleaned her room since she had bought the house - but the still partially inebriated stallion failed to notice.
“Sure is!” she said with a giggle, shutting the door behind them.
While Caramel absentmindedly examined his surroundings, Cloud led him over to her bed and shoved him onto it. Caramel found himself staring at the wall, upside down. Awkwardly enough, it was the exact same colour as Cloud Kicker’s coat. She clearly either had terrible interior decorating taste, or just couldn’t be bothered to actually spend time thinking about what colour her room should be.
“I like the, uh... Colour... You... pick it out... Yourself...?” Caramel’s speech stuttered to a halt as he looked back at Cloud to find her on top of him, straddling him with a gleam of amusement in her eye. She giggled again.
“Eeyupp,” she admitted casually. She had other things on her mind besides the paint on her walls.
“Wait,” Caramel said in a suddenly very serious voice, sounding almost panicked. “Oh Celestia... Mac...”
“What?”
Caramel never knew a buzz could disappear so quickly. He looked up at Cloud Kicker, whose face was showing confusion as well as annoyance.
“Cloud...” he began - a little groggily, as if just waking up. “Cloud, I need you to get off me... We need to talk.”