//------------------------------// // Finding Your Footing // Story: To Dance A Dream // by Poet Knight //------------------------------// Glamdancer was smiling as she approached her her apartment building. Her time instructing Opal in dance hadn't been to bad, that mare had been given some athletic training before. She knew most of the stretch routines, and hadn't complained too much with the footwork of the actual dancing. Sometimes even asking Glam to hoof-correct her form or assist with a flip. Opalescence had even agreed to come by again in a couple of weeks. Opal's coat had been so soft. So soft...maybe.... Glam steered her mind away from that line of thought by remembering the bits Opal had paid her. It wasn't enough to cover her rent, but it would help regardless. Glamdancer saw that Dusty's office light was off but paid little heed as she climbed up the stairs. She paused when she got to her door, another note was attached to it as well as all the other doors on her floor. ATTENTION RESIDENT It has come to my attention that resident: Glamdancer is past due on rent payment of Three Months. If resident does not make payment of Full Payment by month's end, resident will be subject to penalty of Eviction. Also please note: Dusty Broom has been re-leaved of his post and will no longer be supervising the Blissful Glen Apartments. A new site manager will be appointed shortly. Sincerely, Swift Pinch, Owner Tears welled up in her eyes as the message sank in. She might have been able to scrap together enough for one month's payment, but all three? She thought about just leaving the city, but she knew the owner would just send collection ponies to harass her where ever she went. No, her mind told her, there's only one choice. Tears fell from her eyes as galloped out of the building into the night. /-\ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \-/ Opalescence smiled to herself as she lay down for the night. The tennis lessons her mother had made her take as a filly had helped with her dance lessons. Oh yes, she was certain she would be sore in the morning, but that wasn't anything a trip to the spa wouldn't cure. She had found that she enjoyed the presence of the other mare. The closeness of the other mare when she was correcting Opal's positioning had almost made her giggle with filly-ish glee. When had she felt that last? "And her hooves when she helped me with the flips...." Oh Celestia! Am I a filly-fooler now? "If I am, that's going to be murder in the social circles." She frowned for a little, before letting a grin reform on her lips. Well, she had agreed to see the other mare for some more practice in a couple of weeks. "We'll see if things change this time." /-\ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \-/ A couple of weeks later... Opalescence was upset! No she wasn't furious, this did not warrant that level of emotion. But yes, she was upset. Glamdancer had agreed to meet with her today to go over more dance moves, but Opal had been left waiting at the studio-building all day! She even had her hoof smacked by a mare with a wild blue mane and purple shades, when she tried to ask if the mare had seen Glamdancer. The move had shocked Opal by it's unorthodox function that she had forgotten to ask the mare her question. Opalescence approached Glamdancer's apartment building and asked the burly stallion standing by the front door, "Excuse me, but does a mare by the name of Glamdancer live here?" The stallion glared down at her. "What's it to ya? You a friend of hers or somethin'?" Opal decided on a round-a-bout course for the stallion's rudeness, "No, we had a business arrangement and she has failed to show. I am simply looking for her." "Yeah? Well, I aint seen her and her name's only on her door till the end of the month." "Oh? And why only till the end of the month?" That was only four days away, Opal quandered. "Look lady, I don't see how it's any of concern of yours. But, since it probably don't matter, I'll tell ya. She's past due on her rent and the owner's gonna evict her if she don't pay up, just like most of the lazy mooks here." "Well seeing as that is the case, I'll be off. Thank you for your time." Opal turned around and wondered where Glamdancer could have gone. "No problem, toots!" Holding back a growl, Opal picked her pace up to a trot away from the stallion. Toots? Someponies have no class what so ever!! /-\ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \-/ The following night... Opalescence stood outside a downtown nightclub with Precious Bits and Silver Fan. Her two 'friends' were garishly dressed with too much makeup and clothes at least a decade out of style. The two had jumped at the idea of 'slumming' with the night crowd here, but were oblivious to Opal's real reason for picking this seedy nightspot. Her investigation had found that Glamdancer was working here now, apparently trying to make enough bits for her rent. A few bits and a smile had helped the three cut in line, the bouncers being more concerned with fillies and colts trying to sneak in than mares and stallions. The pulsing lights and pounding music made Opal appreciated whichever unicorn was up-keeping the soundproofing spell, as she didn't get the full effect until she had taken a couple of steps in. She quickly got separated from her companions by the crowd, but she didn't mind. They were on course to the bar, but a quick glance told Opal that neither of the stallions tending there were her target of intrest. Instead her attention was drawn towards the center of the club. Most of the club, and where most of the ponies were, was a dance-floor with a sound-stage of to one side. The pony apparently in charge of the tunes tonight was a pegasus who apparently was a few bottles in himself given he's expression and antics. As she approached the dance-floor Opal noticed that scattered around the floor were cages, and in these cages were ponies dancing. Correction, she told herself, there were only mares in the cages dancing. And some of that dancing was raunchy enough to make Opal's face burn with blush at the sight. Hearing a series of loud cat-calls near one cage prompted Opal to take a closer look. The unicorn dancing inside had a red coat and black mane with electric blue and green highlights and a cutie mark of double horseshoes. The mare's eyes were closed as it appeared she was trying to ignore the crowd and concentrate on her dancing. That dancing.... Opal found herself mesmerized by the mare's movements, some of them seemed so familiar. And, assumed Opal, she thought she detected a hint of something under the horseshoes in the cutie mark. An enchantment maybe? Such things weren't unheard of in her gossip groups, an enchantment to confuse one's identity was a known way for celebrities to try and hide their day-to-day activities or their vacations from nosy news ponies. While she was contemplating this mare, Opal found herself with a glass of cider in her hoof. Acting on trained social instincts she took a sip and kept watching the dancer. After taking her fourth sip, Opal body started letting her know that something was off as sounds started becoming blurred and she was swaying slightly a unsure smile on her face. /-\ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \-/ Glamdancer was trying to ignore the crowd around her cage, as she had tried to do every night since she started working at the club. She was supposed to be paid for every hour she danced in the cage, and so she had taken to dancing for as many hours as she could each night with as few breaks as possible. There was two buttons hidden in the top of the cage, one to signal a break request and the other to let security know if there was a problem. Most nights were never a problem, sometimes a stallion tried to get too frisky or would start throwing things into the cage, but tonight wasn't starting out so bad. A sense of disturbance caused Glam to open her eyes a little and focus on a group of stallions surrounding a mare, one with a pearl colored coat and a mane that was streaked with fiery orange, bright green, and pale blue. Opal.... Just as she noticed this, she also noticed the mare swaying uneasily while trying to push the stallions around her away. Oh no.... Reaching up like it was part of her routine, Glam hit the alarm button, but noticed the light didn't change to red. Of course I'd get the cage with the busted connection tonight... Grimacing inside for what she was about to do, Glamdancer reached for her magic. A strobe of white lights blinded the six predatory stallion friends just as quickly as their heads registered the impacts of hooves to their heads. The crowd around the cage and the group of stallions watched in shock as the red coated mare in the cage disappeared in a flash and was quickly replaced by a pair of white mares after another flash. Most gave no heed to the six now unconscious stallions lying on the dance-floor. Ow, teleporting two ponies is a lot harder than just myself. Glamdancer grimaced as she twirled herself and Opal around like it was all part of the act. Oh Opal, you silly socialite pony, to get rooffied on you first night here. Opal looked up at the mare holding her close, not remembering how she got in the mare's embrace, just knowing that she liked it. "Hey you," she whispered sluggishly, "Your beautiful!" She then pulled the mare in question into a deep kiss. At first Glamdancer let herself lean into the kiss, ignoring the encouraging cheers from around them or the flash of a camera bulb, before breaking it off abruptly. Looking around frantically, with tears in her eyes, only one thought graced her mind. Oh sweet Princesses! Not here, not like this. Acting on impulse, Glamdancer hefted Opal onto her back as she teleported them as close to the doors as possible. Charging through the crowd and out the door, Glam galloped the two of them into the night. /-\ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \-/ Glamdancer unlocked her apartment door and deposited Opalescence on the bed. She was glad she had always missed running into the new building supervisor, she really didn't want to explain tonight. She latched the door and turned to the mare passed out on her bed. Sighing with a smile, she covered Opal with the blanket and kissed her on the cheek. Laying down beside her, Glam whispered, "Your beautiful too." Knowing that tomorrow was going to be disastrous couldn't keep the smile off Glamdancer's lips as she too drifted off to sleep.