//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Quick Escape (revised) // Story: The Binding Contract // by Mani-Roar //------------------------------// Sundance's house was down a private stretch of road and through a large metal gate that had been conveniently left open. Her parents were rich investors who were staying in Manehattan for a week to take care of some business deal of theirs. Or maybe they were just on a short trip. Sundance wasn't very good at elaborating. The point was that they were gone and she had invited everypony she knew to party at her house. Night Light had decided to wear a red bowtie to the party. It didn’t exactly fit the scene we were hitting up tonight. I think he was wearing it for me since I made such a big deal about it at the restaurant. He can be unintentionally adorable at times. We approached the giant double doors to the front foyer which were both wide open. We could hear the music and loud chatter from quite a distance away. Celestia had lowered the sun a few hours ago and it looked like the place was in full swing. I never liked being early to parties. Night Light had been quiet for pretty much the entire walk over and seemed even more standoff-ish than usual. Who knew how awkward he’d be inside if I couldn't even get him to talk to me. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. The last thing I wanted to do was babysit this kid while at a party. Mercifully, Sundance saw me as soon as we walked inside. “Twilight!” she ran over and gave me a huge hug with a drink in her hoof. She almost knocked me down with the force of her hug attack. I felt a little bit of her drink splash on my shoulder. “Party foul,” I tried to sound stern as I said that but I couldn’t stop grinning. This semester was kicking my flank and I never had any time for myself. It had been way too long since I could just chill out and relax. “Tell you what,” Sundance’s words were a little slurred, “I’ll make it up to you by getting both a drink. I’m so glad you could make it Night Light!” Before he could back away from her she grabbed him and squeezed him into her chest. He flailed his hooves and looked over at me. I’d never seen him more uncomfortable than right then. I almost felt bad for him. “H-hello Sundance. Thank you for the generous invitation.” He finally got free of her death embrace and wiped himself off. It looked like she spilled some drink on him too. “Oh my Celestia, like, it’s my pleasure.” Sundance took a healthy swig from her plastic cup. “We are going to have so much fun.” She led us into the kitchen where scores of ponies were pouring drinks and talking. At least five mares were being hit on by colts that were trying way too hard. I think maybe two of them were into it. I turned to look at what booze were on the table and almost bumped into Night Light. “Woah bro, you’re kinda close to me.” I put my hoof up between us. “My apologies. Despite the size of this house, space appears to be a limited resource.” I could barely hear him over the sound of the music. He seemed to have trouble figuring out what to focus his attention on in the room. He kept looking around abruptly as if somepony was going to attack him. “Yeah, it can get a little tight. Just grab a drink and relax.” “How is a pony expected to relax when this environment is virtually engineered to keep my brain in a constant state of maximum sensory perception?” His breathing got heavier. I swore if this kid had an asthma attack or something... I'm not sure what I would have done. “Ok, ok, don’t relax. But at least have fun. Just enjoy yourself. I know everypony here and they’re all cool kids... well… most of them.” He just stared at me for a few good seconds. “How do I have fun?” I slapped my face with my hoof. I really needed to get away from this kid. To be honest, I just wanted to see how he would react to a big party. I thought it would be funny to knock him off of his pedestal and see him at a disadvantage for once. But it looked like my joke may have been going too far. “Well, lets start by getting a drink.” I pointed to the large liquor spread on the table. “Is all of this alcohol?” He eyed the bottles like they were specimen in an experiment. “Yeah, it’s alcohol. Is that a problem for you? You think we’re a bunch of irresponsible kids?” I didn’t mean to give him a ton of attitude. I just don’t like being judged for having a little fun. “I have no moral objection I just… I have never tried any.” He picked up a bottle of Vodka and inspected the label. I rolled my eyes. “Ugh, look I don’t have time for this. Just try some stuff 'till you get something you like and then drink that.” “Twilight, come here. You have to hear Rose Petal’s story, oh my Celestia, you will not even believe it.” Sundance waved to me from the next room. “I gotta go. I’m sure you’ll find something you like. Just mix it with something sweet.” I trotted over to where Sundance was talking to a few other girls. “Ok, so what’s so great about this story that I had to hear it right away?” Sundance, Rose Petal, Fantasia, and Cherry Blossom were huddled up together like they didn’t want anypony else to hear. I started squeezing myself into the circle. “Night Light, what are you doing? This is girl talk.” Cherry Blossomed suddenly chided over my shoulder. I turned and saw Night Light standing directly behind me. Why couldn't he take a hint? Was I his freakin’ mom? I pulled him aside for a moment which caused the other girls to giggle. “What are you doing? I thought you were mixing a drink.” I made sure that only Night Light could hear me and let the music hide my voice from anypony else who may be listening. “I thought we were heading over here.” “So you’re just gonna follow me around the whole night?” I was so mad at myself for inviting him. Why did he even agree to come in the first place? “I thought we were attending the party together.” I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “Well, yes, but it’s a big party. We’re not going to be together every second.” He looked around the room and then back to me again. “What should I do?” I could hear the girls saying something about us behind me but I couldn’t quite make it out. “I don’t know. go talk to ponies. Expand your boundaries. Just go somewhere else.” That might have been a bit harsh. He was clearly hurt that I had said that and quickly tried to hide the expression on his face. “So, you do not wish for me to be here?” He looked down at the ground. “No, no, I didn’t say that. Just maybe, for now, be somewhere else. We’ll meet up later, ok?” Please, please couldn't I just have this? I promised to myself and Celestia never to do anything to make him upset again. “Very well. I will leave.” Oh thank Celestia. “Cool, see you later then.” I went back over and joined the girl’s circle. “Sorry about that. So what’s the big story?” The other four gave me these strange looks. “What? Why are you all looking at me like that?” **** The party was proceeding approximately in the manner I expected but less enjoyable than I had hoped. The only activities available, to my knowledge, were consuming alcohol and consorting with classmates. Engaging in a conversation seemed easy enough but it appeared as if everypony had already selected topics and conversation partners. I listened in on a few discussions involving various groups of ponies, but none of the subject matters that were being discussed interested in me. Perhaps it is the act of engaging in conversation that is supposed to be the fun aspect and not necessarily the discussion topic. However, I could not even think of a contributing statement in which to feign interest. I was uncertain why I agreed to attend this function to begin with. I was merely humoring Twilight’s absurd assertion that I was incapable of asserting myself in a social environment. Her current behavior suggested that she did not even desire my presence at this event. Yet she was the one who insisted I came here in the first place. What sort of flawed circular logic could possibly be governing her thoughts? It was clear to me now that she was a master of deception and manipulation. I refused to remain here and participate in her asinine social enigmas. As I turned swiftly toward the entrance of this rather spacious abode, I ran into the backside of another pony. I did not have time to brace myself for the impact and fell to the floor in a sitting position. Fortunately, my gluteal region did not feel damaged. I looked up from the kitchen floor to see the rather sizable stallion that I had collided with. “The hell’s your problem, dude?” The gentlecolt had at least 40% more body mass than myself and was wearing a lettercolt jacket from Canterlot University. I assumed Sundance had older acquaintances whom attended school on the other side of town. “My sincerest apologies. I carelessly turned without noticing where I was going. I am at fault.” I pulled myself up on my hooves just in time to see the wily stallion now centimeters from my face. “Damn right it’s your fault. You frickin’ prep school colts think you own Equestria or somethin’.” The breath of this stallion smelled like bourbon. He pushed his forehead into my horn causing me to take a step back. For a pegasus, his muscle structure was incredibly toned. “I make no such assertions of ownership. Even if I did, I do not believe our Princess would be willing to yield executive power to me anytime soon.” My neck was retracted all the way back to my shoulders in order to keep his head from touching mine. Invading personal space seemed to be a method of establishing dominance. An awkwardly effective one as it was making me very uncomfortable. "What are you, some kind of funny guy now?" He tapped my chest with his hoof. My number one priority at this point was to avoid physical confrontation, but I feared that may have been virtually impossible. "Look, we seem to have had a misunderstanding of intentions here. How about I apologize and accept all wrongdoing and we both go our separate ways peacefully?" I held up my hoof with the sincerest hope that he would accept it. "And how about I throw your flank through this table and see if your skull is as thick as I think it is?" He swatted my hoof down. I did not believe he made a very cohesive metaphor. He wanted to throw my flank into the table to test the girth of my skull, even though my hind quarters would take the full force of impact in that scenario. Perhaps he was intending to suggest that my brain was in fact located in my flank thus creating an allegory for the term "head up your ass" as it were. However, I did not believe him to be clever enough to come up with such a subtle reference on the spot. "I do not believe Sundance would appreciate it if all of these expensive alcoholic products were dumped onto the floor because you forcibly threw my body into the table." An incredible feeling of apprehension was threatening to consume me as I began to realize that this impossibly proportioned pegasus may very well follow through on his threat. It was imperative that I kept my wits intact if I was to diffuse the situation. I started calculating the approximate market value of all of the various commercial liquors on the table in order to distract myself from calculating the approximate force required for an object of my size and weight to compromise the integrity of the table such that it breaks in half on impact. "Who the hell is Sundance?" I noticed that my aggressor had two friends standing on either side of him. Both of them were also wearing lettercolt jackets from the same university as him. It was then clear to me that these students were not invited to the party at all. One of his friends said something to him that I couldn't hear over the music. Whatever it was, apparently they found it humorous. "Since you're so worried about the precious drinks, how about we have a little contest instead?" While I was certain that I was going to be less than enthusiastic about whatever contest he was prepared to propose, it was still a significant improvement on my situation. "What contest? To what end?” The two stallions on either side of him laughed. “If you can out drink me shot for shot, I won’t beat you to a pulp. But if I win…” He reared back and smashed his front hooves together making a loud smacking sound. I was unable to prevent myself from jumping a little at his sudden action. The trio of stallions laughed at that as well. Everything seemed to amuse them at this point. “I have never sampled an alcoholic beverage before this evening. I do not believe I will provide much sport in such a challenge.” Now they were outright cackling. They patted each other on the back and gave knowing elbow jabs as if suggesting an innuendo was shared. It felt as if I had been left out of the punchline to a great joke. However, I was pretty sure I understood it with great clarity. “Oh you’ll provide plenty of sport, pal. Mostly as a punching bag.” That one was the funniest joke to them yet. They nearly keeled over each other with giggles. Clearly I could not escape through them as they were blocking my exit from the kitchen. I could turn and run through the house, but navigating through the dense crowd would be troublesome. They would most likely have caught up to me. I could have tried calling for help, but the ponies in the immediate vicinity seemed to have been aware of what was transpiring but chose to do nothing about it. I had a suspicion that nopony would be willing to physically risk themselves on my behalf. Perhaps Twilight or Sundance would, but we would have still been greatly out matched. Additionally, I had no desire to see them injure themselves for my sake. No, running and/or appealing for assistance were not viable options. I had an idea but the probability of its success was low. Nevertheless, it was my best chance. “I will accept your challenge with some conditions.” I attempted to straighten my posture and stick my chest out a little bit. My hope was to look strong and defiant, but I probably just looked ridiculous. “Conditions? Do you hear this guy?” His associates shook their heads. “Alright tough guy, what conditions? This I gotta hear.” He leaned himself against the kitchen counter. He seemed to be sufficiently amused by my suggestion. Very good. “We will drink exactly one shot of bourbon each. Whoever is the least visibly affected by the alcohol once consumed will be the victor.” I was about to continue when he interrupted me. “One shot? What’s even the point?” He gave his buddies a confused look and shook his head. “However,” I returned with more volume to get his attention back, “I will drink my shot the normal way, but you must drink yours in exactly the method I specify.” He looked at me for a few seconds. It seemed he was considering his next action. “And exactly how am I supposed to drink my shot?” Curiosity crippled the colt I suppose. “It will be poured into into a dish and placed on the floor where you will ingest the contents by licking it up with your tongue.” “And why in all of Equestria would I agree to something like that?” This was the part I was afraid of. He had absolutely no reason to accept my conditions. Just as I had no reason to come to this party in the first place. “Well, I suppose that if you feel this makes the contest unfair for you, I understand if you choose to withdraw. I can empathize with submitting in the face of certain defeat.” I had never been more terrified in my entire life. If he called my bluff… well I hoped my hospital bed would be comfortable. Maybe Twilight could bring me my reading materials. She would owe me a few favors. “Forget this kid, just waste him bro…” The associate on my would be attacker’s right started to move toward me but was stopped when the stallion who had confronted me put his hoof up. Clearly, he was the leader of his group of friends. “Woah, woah, everypony just shut the hell up already.” His friend backed off. The leader looked me straight in the eyes. It felt as if he could see through me. That he could see how terrified I was and that I was completely helpless to his whims. I held his gaze the best that I could; afraid that looking away would somehow trigger his assault. He paused for a few seconds. The room felt as if it were frozen in time. My heart was beating at an unhealthy rate for standing still. He smiled. “Alright, I’ll do it.” His friends looked surprised. “I’ll lick the frickin’ whisky up like a cat, just for you, you little punk. But when I win, I’m not just throwing you through a table. I’m gonna break every piece of glass in this house with your face. How does that sound?” It sounded approximately as awful as he described it. “I accept.” His friend poured some bourbon into a small glass and handed it to me. Then he took a dish that was holding some wrapped candy set out for guests and dumped them out on the floor. He poured some more bourbon into the container and set it on the ground in front of his friend, the leader. At this point, quite a crowd had gathered to witness the event. Ponies were murmuring things to each other and pointing at the dish on the ground. He started licking the alcohol. I just stared into my glass. The smell was quite strong but not unpleasant. I gave it a small taste. The sensation was overwhelming. I barely managed to swallow the tiny sip I took. My mouth felt like it was on fire from the feeling of it on my tongue. How did anypony drink this and enjoy it? Then the flavors started hitting me. They were complex, pronounced, intense, and intriguing. The drink nearly hurt to sample but there was so much more to it than just the bitterness of alcohol. “Come on loser, you gotta finish it.” One of the lackeys pointed out that my glass was still mostly full. The stallion on the ground was nearly done lapping up his drink. I thought I heard somepony say my name. I turned around and was astonished to find several ponies were chanting my name together. “Night Light! Night Light! Night Light!” The chatter became infectious as the chant spread to seemingly everypony at the party save the three I was in conflict with. It became so loud that it drowned out the music. My breath was quickening again, but this time it was different. I was neither anxious nor afraid. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins and I felt as if no obstacle was insurmountable at that precise moment. It was an illogical, flawed, and emotional response; yet I could not convince myself to ignore it. I allowed those feelings to wash over me in a wave of excitement. I held the glass out ceremoniously so that everypony could see it in my hoof. I then brought the glass to my lips and tilted my head as far back as it would go as I poured the remainder of the bourbon into my mouth. The difficulty I had previously experienced did not stop me this time. Before my body could have an adverse reaction to the drink, I swallowed the contents in its entirety. This action was met with great approval as the crowd of ponies surrounding me cheered. This was the loudest that the room had been so far this evening. I worried, for a moment, that my hearing might have been damaged as a result. Then the feeling hit me. I convulsed from the taste of the bourbon. I opened my mouth and exclaimed in discomfort. Someone smacked me on the back. “Nice shot, bro. You took that down like a champ.” I heard from behind me. I assumed it was the pony who had touched me. “That’s it punk; I’m taking you down!” My competitor had finished his bowl. He rose up on two legs and lunged at me with a right hook. His movements were very slow and exaggerated. I simply stepped to the right and watched his hoof fly past my face. He had thrown his entire weight into the swing and was unable to stop himself from losing his balance. He collapsed face first onto the floor of the kitchen. “I believe the alcohol is clearly affecting him more than I. I hereby declare myself the winner of this contest.” My statement resulted in another group cheer. Two stallions, whom I recognized as members of the hoofball team at CSGU, came over and picked my fallen opponent up off of the ground. He seemed barely coherent. They tossed him over to his friends who struggled to catch him before he fell down again. “I think it’s about time you guys got out of here.” One of the stallions who had picked him up spoke. His name was Fancy Pants. “And just who the hell is gonna make us?” The lackey protested while trying to hold his leader up. “We’ve got the whole starting line up for CSGU hoofball here. If you want a 20 on 3 fight, we’re ready to go.” Fancy Pants played the quarterback position and was considered the captain of the team. Although quite late, their assistance was much appreciated. The two University students left standing decided to drag their friend out of the party. I felt as if I might collapse onto the floor with relief. “That was quite a little trick you pulled there, Night Light.” Fancy Pants put his hoof on my shoulder. I was not not sure how I felt about the excessive touching that was involved in a party like this. “Thank you. I apologize if I contributed to a disturbance.” Fancy Pants chuckled. “Are you kidding? That was the best part of the party. Listen, why don’t you come hang out with us and tell me how you pulled that off?” I felt inclined to accept his offer. He led me over to where some of the other hoofball players were gathered. “Well, you see, it is a simple matter of basic pony biology. Instead of ingesting the alcohol into his stomach, he absorbed it through his tongue when he licked it up. This caused the alcohol to go directly into his bloodstream instead of being broken down by his digestive system and kidneys. Therefore, the usual impairment that the body experiences from alcohol was accelerated for him and more intense.” The other stallions nodded in approval. “Dude, that is genius. You should write up plays for our squad. I bet you could give some tactical advice to our coach.” One of the stallions suggested. he seemed incredibly intoxicated. “I have to agree. Your solution was both elegant and witty. Let’s toast to Night Light and his swift disposal of those university jerks.” He raised his glass and the others followed his lead. I was surprised by how well spoken Fancy Pants was. I knew he came from a wealthy family but I always assumed that sports jocks were mostly, well, meat headed jerks. “Hey, Night Light doesn’t have a drink.” They all started speaking in succession. “Someone go get this colt a drink.” “He’s gotta have a drink, man.” “Dude’s a champion.” “I’ll go get it. What would you like Night Light?” Fancy Pants offered. “Bourbon please.” Now I could finally taste it slowly and properly experience it. It stung my palette going down, but it had me curious. I had to admit that having an entire group of ponies cheering me on and celebrating with me was exhilarating. I was beginning to understand the appeal of these social gatherings. Although I could do without the threat of bodily harm. Fancy Pants returned with a cup. It had bourbon and two ice cubes in it. We lifted our glasses together to toast and celebrate the stunt I had managed to pull off. I was still somewhat apprehensive about the concept of consuming alcohol. The thought of losing any degree of control over my faculties was not appealing to me. I took a sip of the highly intense beverage. I was already feeling as if my senses were cloudy. The feeling was somewhat euphoric and gave me the sensation that I was somehow far away from myself. I started thinking about Twilight and how she did not want me to be around her just a few moments before. For some reason this caused an incredibly negative emotional response that I had not felt when I had first experienced her rejection. I was angry at her and wanted to tell her how she made me feel. Yet I also missed her and wanted to just be near her and talk to her. I wanted to hold her in my embrace and… No! I told myself. Surely these thoughts were not an accurate representation of what I desired. I was sure that it was merely a result of the alcohol and nothing more. “Yo Night Light, are you alright?” Somepony asked me. I’m not sure which of the stallions it was. “Cheer up man, you really wrecked that dude.” A giant smile came across my face. “Yes, yes I did. I really wrecked him didn’t I?” ****