//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Party Time! // Story: Piece of Chaos // by TheGuyWithTheFace //------------------------------// Looking Glass wasn't really a partier. It wasn't that he was asocial; he just didn’t like big crowds too much. Unfortunately for him, a small crowd for Pinkie meant about three dozen people and she did not consider this a small crowd. Despite this, Looking Glass still made sure to attend; the party was in his favor after all. Looking Glass arrived at 7:54 to find the party was already in full swing without him. There were ponies as far as his eye could see with only a handful of decent sized gaps spread throughout and almost all of them were engaged in dancing to the very loud music, provided free of charge by DJ-PON3 (she owed Pinkie a favor or two). Wow, there’s a lot of people here. Maybe nopony will notice if I just slip back out… This hope, as appealing as it was for Looking Glass, was crushed by pink hoof appearing around his neck. “Hey there Glass, what took you so long? I was beginning to think you shattered, hehe, under the pressure. Of course the party wasn't supposed to start till 8 but it’s never too early to start partying…” Pinkie Pie guided Looking Glass deeper into the crowd as she rambled on about Celestia knows what. He cast one mournful looked to the door that was slowly disappearing behind the throng of ponies and resigned himself to going where Pinkie was taking him. After numerous stops to greet ponies and for ponies to express their relief at Looking Glass’s new-found control, they arrived at their destination: a small area where the music wasn’t quiet as loud near the refreshments table that the elements of Harmony had commandeered for themselves. “Look who’s here!” Pinkie announced theatrically. All five head turned towards him with smiles and waves to greet him. Rarity was the first to speak, “Ah, there’s the man of the hour. I’m simply ecstatic that you’re problem is solved dear.” Rainbow dash pretended to stifle her laughed for a moment before interjecting, “Too bad you’ve got to wear that stupid ring though.” This comment invoked a particularly nasty glare from Rarity. “Don’t listen to that brute Looking Glass. Horn rings are absolutely in style this season.” “For mares maybe, but stallions just shouldn’t wear rings. It makes them look like sissies… No offense.” “None taken” Looking Glass said sarcastically. “Umm… I kind of like them… a bit” Fluttershy meekly said from behind her mane. Rarity smiled triumphantly as it seemed that she had the majority on her side. “AJ, you gonna back me up on this or what” the cyan pegusus asked, hoping to level the debate again. “Ah don’t know much about fancy fashion an’ whatnot, but a stallion just shouldn't wear jewelry ‘sides a wedding ring” Applejack said, bringing the argument back to 2 vs 2. “Ha, see AJ on my side too” Rainbow said as she lifted her head in victory. “Yes, what a colossal surprise” said Rarity with an eye roll. “Girls!” Looking Glass shouted to quiet the group. “Can we please talk about something besides my latest accessory?” “Oh, I do apologize dear, I suppose we got a bit caught up in our discussion that we forgot about you. How is it to be back to using magic?” Rarity asked sincerely. “I can’t tell you how much of a relief it is to use it again. I almost forgot how useful it was to be able to pick things up without my mouth or hooves. And with the ring I can actually enjoy the extra magic I’ve got.” “I for one can’t imagine what would happen if I lost my magic” Twilight added, “I use it for just about everything. Even the sort time discord,” Twilight’s face twisted in hatred just at the mention of the draconequus, “had taken them away was far too long for me.” At brief silence befell the group at the mention of those chaotic days. “Hey, do any of you know if Crimson has gotten here yet? I didn’t see him on my way over.” Twilight sighed deeply in annoyance and pointed her hoof over to the red Pegasus currently gorging himself on the many treats Pinkie had made for the party. As Looking Glass looked over, Crimson happened to stop eating long enough to make eye contact. He lifted his head away from his latest cupcake and enthusiastically waved at his buddy before consuming the rest in one bite and making his way over to the rest of the group. “Glassy, good to see you showed up! Part of me expected you to see the crowd and bail.” Looking Glass blushed and laughed nervously at Crimson’s joke, hoping nobody would catch on to the fact that that was exactly what he almost did. “Aw, come on Crimson, you know me, I’d never do something like that” he lied through a very forced smile. “Well you’re half right; I do know you, and that’s exactly why I know that’s what you’d try and do” Crimson said as he playfully punched Looking Glass in the shoulder. “Aye crimson,” Rainbow dash said from across the circle, “I was gonna to some speed flights tomorrow, you wanna join in, I could use someone to beat.” Crimson’s eyes narrowed and a competitive smirk appeared on his face. “Then you may want to ask someone else. If you need someone to show you how a REAL pegasus flies, then I’d be more than happy to help” he responded smugly. Rainbow put on her own determined face at that comment. “That sounds an awful lot like a challenge.” “Can’t really be called a challenge without there being any challenge involved.” At this point the friendly banter was beginning to visibly wear on Rainbow, whose face was now starting to show signs of hostility at Crimson Skies’ confidence. Conveniently it was around this time Ponyville’s resident DJ decided to put on a lively dance song that was comprised of more than various wubs and booms. Pinkie Pie gasped loudly and excitedly said, “This is my JAM! Come on everypony, LET’S DANCE!!” It was much more of a command than a question, but everypony present seemed more than happy to oblige the pink enigma, with however, one notable exception. Looking Glass worked his way towards the back of the group as they began heading towards the dance floor. Unfortunately for him, his backpedaling sent him flank first into Twilight. After the impact he quickly turned himself around with a bright red blush across his brown cheeks. “Oh, heh, sorry Twilight, guess I should watch were I’m going right” Looking Glass said with a nervous smile and laugh. Twilight looked at him with a friendly smile. “Don’t worry about it Looking Glass, but I think the dance floors that way” she said with a giggle as she pointed towards the dense crowd. “Oh, um, yeah, I” Looking Glass stammered, looking for the right thing to say. “You see the thing is that I…” “Have four left hooves” Crimson Skies finished, flying just over Looking Glass so that he couldn’t see him without craning his head up awkwardly. Looking Glass glared at his rude friend. “Thank you, Crimson” He said with bitter sarcasm. Crimson simply smiled and floated his way over to the dance floor with the rest of the elements of harmony. “but yeah, I can’t really dance… at all.” Twilight just continued to smile and said, “Perfect, neither can I!“ without another word Twilight Grabbed Looking Glass’s hoof and forcibly dragged him into the crowd. Once inside the throng of ponies, Looking Glass just stood awkwardly as ponies occasionally bumped into him or unintentionally shoved him with a wayward hoof. Twilight on the other hand was having a blast. That’s not to say she was dancing well. In truth all she was doing was randomly hopping around and throwing her hooves in every direction, though she did have quite a bit of fun doing it. Noticing his evident discomfort, Twilight took it upon herself to make Looking Glass have some fun. She bounced over to the wary unicorn and quickly took both his front hooves in her own. The quick and unexpected movement threw Looking Glass off balance for a moment but he regained it with Twilight helping to support him. Now that Looking Glass was in control over his weight Twilight began guiding him in a rather uncoordinated jump while they swung each other’s hooves. At first it felt weird to Looking Glass but after only a few seconds he began to enjoy himself, (after already having checked that nopony in the immediate vicinity seem to care at all what he was doing), and soon he was actually dancing independently, in a somehow even more clumsy and embarrassing way than Twilight was. The two continued to dance spaztacularly (it’s the only word that could do justice to the spectacle they had just preformed) for the next four songs until most of the other dancer had worn themselves out and the DJ had switched to some more calming music. Huffing in exhaustion the pair both returned to the refreshments table for some punch. “Well that was… interesting” Looking Glass casually joked. Giggling at the comment, Twilight purposefully bumped Looking Glass as a punishment. “Shut up, you had fun and you know it.” Looking Glass’s eye roll was more than enough of an answer for Twilight as she grinned in satisfaction. “At any rate, thanks Twilight. I wouldn’t have gone out there without your, albeit pushy, support.” Twilight’s grin somehow managed to grow to almost Pinkie sized proportions. “Think nothing of it Looking Glass. That’s what friends are for after all. They the one’s that push you to do the things that you’re too worried or embarrassed to do alone, and in the end those can be some of the most fun a pony can have. Oh, that will make a great letter to the princess; I’ll have to make sure to remember that one.” Looking Glass hadn’t been listening to most of that. The conversation had ended for him at the first mention of that dreaded 6 letter word. All in all, he knew that was the way she felt and how she would continue to feel about him. Unfortunately this knowledge did very little to soften the blow that the word carried with it. Looking Glass quickly recovered and hid away the frown that had found its way onto his face before Twilight could notice it. Both unicorns turned to see the other 5 members of the group walking over with tired, but happy, faces. “whoo, that sure was fun.” Applejack said as she wiped some sweat from her brow. Everyone nodded in agreement and soon conversations within the group began to pick up again: AppleJack and Rainbow Dash trying to up each other, Rarity gossiping to Fluttershy and Twilight, Pinkie Pie eating cupcakes by the dozen a few feet away. Crimson came over to Looking Glass with a smirk that instantly told the unicorn that this wasn’t a conversation we would particularly enjoy. “So Glassy, I happened to catch some of your moves out there and…” “Don’t say it” Looking Glass interrupted, giving Crimson a look that told him he was not in a joking mood at the moment. “Calm down Glass,” Crimson say defensively with a laugh, “as much as I enjoy making fun of your nonexistent dance skills, I still have to give you points just for dancing with her.” As he said this he gave Looking Glass a congratulatory slap on the back. “So… make any progress?” “I gave her a friendship report to write” he responded bluntly. “Ouch, still stuck in the friendzone I see. Well cheer up buddy, there are dozens of mares here, one’s bound to get your attention.” “Would any of them happen to be identical twins to Twilight?” Crimson sighed while bringing a hoof to his forehead in frustration. “Look, I’m all for going after a crush; it takes a lot of guts. But you’ve got to realize this is a lost cause at some point. The best advice I can give you is to cut your losses and find someone who doesn’t need a 20 foot billboard to finally figure out when someone likes them.“ “Hmm, that may not be a bad idea.” This thought was answered swiftly with a hit upside Looking Glass’s head. “Calm down, I was kidding.” Crimson didn’t believe that for a second. “But in all seriousness, it’s much easier said than done. And I don’t want to just give up. I know I can get her to love me back, I just need to figure out how.” Crimson sighed heavily in disappointment, he had known he probably wouldn’t have convinced him, but still it was worth the try, and maybe his next failure would finally make it clear to him. Suddenly there was a commotion from the middle of the large group of ponies on the dance floor. They were all gathered around a small clearing in the center, the contents of which were blocked by the thick swarm of bodies. Based on the cheering coming from within, it was worth checking out. All seven ponies stopped what they were doing and decided to investigate whatever was happening over there. Making their way through the herd the cheering got a bit louder until they discovered the source of all the ruckus. There, it was revealed, was a silver pegaus with jet black hair sporting a cutie mark of three balls in a circle, holding his entire weight on only his wings. Normally this wouldn’t be too impressive at all, most pegasi could do push up with them, so balancing on them wasn’t unheard of. This Pegasus however was also juggling a total of 16 small green balls between all four of his hooves. The audience was enthralled but his effortlessly skillful tosses as he completed this task while still holding short conversations with the first row of ponies. One magenta mare even more so that the others. Twilight was simply astounded by the deft maneuvers made completely without the help of any magic whatsoever. Her attention did not go unnoticed and brought up a sizable amount of envy in a certain unicorn. Look at him, acting like he’s so great, juggling like that. Who even like’s juggling anyway? He thought bitterly to himself. Twilight does evidently, another portion of his brain quickly responded. Shut the hell up! he responded to himself in an effort to block out those unwanted thoughts. I wonder if he’d be considered a friend or maybe a… Crimson didn’t allow this though to finish itself but he still knew exactly what it would say. You know, I wonder how amazed Twilight would be if he made a mistake. …Go on Well it’s as simple as this… It was a nasty plan, a borderline evil plan, but it was also a damn good one too. With a devilish smile Looking Glass gently channeled a bit of energy into his horn, activating the ring just enough to produce a soft glow on its markings. While everyone’s eyes were on the ball flying through the air nopony noticed as a faint blue aura wrapped around the pegasus’s left wing. With a light tug, the wing slipped out from underneath him causing him to hit the ground hard. Then, with just a tad more magic to make a light breeze, all 16 of the previously well behaved balls turned on their master, hitting him on the head one by one, effectively breaking any remnant of the spell the showpony had had the crowd under a moment ago. What followed was a burst of mean spirited laughter as the silver Pegasus ran out of the door as fast as possible. For a brief moment Looking Glass felt incredibly proud, defending his crush against a rival suitor, but that was quickly replaced by the guilt of realizing that he just humiliated complete stranger just for using their talent. Looking Glass wasn’t given much time to think this over as Crimson lowered himself from his vantage point a bit above the crowd, laughing hysterically as he did. “Did you guy see that! He was doing great and then… Bam! He goes down along with whatever dignity and pride he had brought with him.” Looking Glass just laughed nervously with his high spirited friend, hoping he didn’t have any thoughts on while he failed so suddenly. Twilight glared at Crimson for acting so insensitively. “You’re horrible you know that” she accused venomously. “He was doing nothing wrong and you help run him out of here just because he made a little mistake.” the anger in her voice was unmistakable and even managed to stop Crimson’s laughter. “Relax, he’s a showpony, he has to learn to deal with unwelcoming audiences eventually, and maybe next time he’ll make sure not to mess up.” Twilight only got angrier as he said this. “So that gives us the right to humiliate him! How would you feel if that had been you?” Crimsoned rolled his eyes a bit but still lowered his head in defeat. “Alright you’re right I guess. It was a pretty jerkish thing to do” he admitted, rubbing the back if his head. “Still, it’s not like I cause him to fall or anything. That would be just horrible.” Looking Glass swallowed nervously, but luckily nopony was paying him much attention to notice. “For once, you exactly right Crimson” Twilight replied, “I’d want nothing to do with anypony who would have done that on purpose.” Outside, Looking Glass managed to maintain a fairly calm appearance. Inside, he was in an agonizing mix of guilt, shame, and nervousness. Then and there, he decided the best course of action was to get out fast. “As much fun as this parties been. I think I’m gonna start heading home now.” He said somewhat abruptly. “Oh alright,” Twilight said in surprise. “Well it was really fun dancing with you Looking Glass. I’ll see you later!” “Yeah, see ya Glassy” Crimson said. With a wave and a couple more goodbyes to various ponies, Looking Glass had finally made it to the door that had been taken from him earlier in the night. He took a deep breath of chilled air and set off towards home. It had gotten very late since he had first came to the party and by now the streets of Ponyville were virtually deserted, and without any distractions, Looking Glass allowed his mind to wonder during his short walk home. I-I can’t believe I just did that. I’ve never been a bully before. Maybe, but you have to admit it felt good. Only for a minute until I realized what I had just did! Alright fine, it was mean. I’ll admit that, but you have to admit that it was also funny as hell. That’s not the point. Of course that’s the point. If something like that was funny, which it was, then imagine how funny it will be if we do it without any of the guilt. What are you getting at? *sigh* Okay, let me walk you through this, what’s one of Pinkie’s favorite hobbies? Partying? No Baking? No …Pranking? And we have a winner! Now Pinkie can get a lot of laughs with her simple pranks without magic right… And I have a ton of magic! Now you’re getting it. With the kind of power you’re toting, who know what we can do. Yeah you’re right! Thanks… Me? I guess. Don’t mention it; it’s what I’m here for. *Author’s note: Once again, I’d just like to ask anyone reading this to PLEASE post a comment about their opinion on the story so far. At least one of you (besides you StapleCactus, you’ve been very helpful) must have something to say about how I’m doing or what I’m not doing. Honestly, I’ll take just about anything* -TheGuyWithTheFace