> Pony Prom
>  by Moxypony
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Streaks of sunshine broke through prevalent cloud coverage over the Everfree Forest. Even in late Spring, the forest was all but perpetually covered by clouds. The forest floor existed in a nearly constant state of night time, which was just perfect for the ponies of Luneria; the Village of Night Ponies. Set deep in the Everfree Forest on the junction of the Everfree River, Princess Luna’s pet project of a town rarely had a light level outside of the dichotomous “Night and Shade.” The river trickled gently through Luneria, its glassy surface just still enough to provide an ideal skipping surface for the mare sitting at its banks, throwing stones. 
Moxi’s glasses slid down her muzzle slightly, but she ignored them, instead using her hoof to scoop up new stone and toss it out over the water. “Who needs prom anyway,” she muttered unconvincingly to herself, trying to ignore the blush she could feel creeping onto her face and to push away the mistiness forming in her vision.
As Moxi sat, stewing at the bank of the river, another pegasus flying overhead caught sight of her, goggles over her eyes to deter wind shear, Voltage was using one hoof to hold a brown paper package against her chest and the other to keep a black top hat with a green band pinned to her head so it wouldn’t tumble down into the river below. A spark of recognition shot through the electric blue pegasus as she saw Moxi curled up on the ground below her and she immediately went into a dive, alighting on the ground beside the white coated mare.
“Hey Mox,” she said, shooting her a toothy grin before pulling the goggles away from her scarlet eyes and offering Moxi a hoof.
Moxi was taken by surprise and quickly turned away, wiping at her eyes with a forehoof before looking back and returning the hoof bump. “Oh hey, Volty, what’s up?” she said, steadying her voice and standing up before noticing Volty’s hat “and what’s with the hat?”
“You like it?” Volty smirked, pretending not to have noticed the puffiness around Moxi’s eyes, “I just bought it, along with the rest of my outfit for prom!”
Moxi felt a dagger of ice go through her heart and winced, “So I take it you’ve got a date then?”
“Nnnnope,” Voltage said, elongating the ‘n’ sound and beaming at Moxi, “I’m going stag.” She paused to think for a moment. “Stag-ette?” she tried, “Filly? …Solo, I’m going solo. What about you, Mox? You got all your stuff ready?”
Moxi shook her head, eyeing Volty with considerable respect, “No, I don’t have anypony to go with, so I don’t even have a dress.”
Volty’s jaw dropped comically. “You’re kidding me,” she said in an exasperated tone, “you don’t have a date? And adorable little filly like you couldn’t get somepony to go with you!?”
Moxi blushed at the compliment but shook her head. “No, I asked Candy Apple and Tree Roots this morning, they both turned me down,” she said, shrugging, “I’ve had a colt or two ask me, but… well… you know…”
Voltage chuckled, she obviously knew Moxi was never one to accept the advances of a buck. “What about Dreamcatcher?” She suggested, but at the glaring look from Moxi she put up her hooves defensively, “I don’t mean as a romantic date, but it seems like the idea of going with a friend would have occurred to you.”
“Even if that was an option,” Moxi sighed, “Dreamcatcher’s going with Snowdrift.”
“Really?” Voltage was taken aback, “Our little bachelor pony has a date? Well, good on him. Well then, what’re you gonna do? Go it solo?”
“I’m not going, Volty,” Moxi shook her head, looking back at the river.
“Well we can’t have that,” Volty wrapped a hoof around her, Moxi was sure to keep her flank a safe distance from Volty’s tail, she’d learned their first day together on weather patrol that the crackling electric tail wasn’t just for show, “I guess you’ll just have to settle for me, then. Sorry, Mox.” 
Moxi’s entire face went red and she buried her muzzle in her scarf, as Volty took to the air. “Better get on finding a dress,” she called before flying off, “it’s bad luck to see each other before prom, or something, so I’ll see you at the train station in two days! You’d better be there, I’m counting on you!”
With that, she was gone, leaving Moxi with her face burning hotter than she would have imagined possible. “Did… did Voltage just ask me out?” Moxi said, dumbstruck. After a long pause, she jerked her head up in terror and rushed off into town. Oh horseapples! She thought, I gotta buy a dress!

Steam flooded the platform of the Luneria train station and Voltage found herself caught in the midst of an opaque cloud of white. She tugged at the collar of her suit, a tailed vest of black and green pinstripes with a green ruff over a white collared shirt with black slacks. Ponies bustled around her, most of those boarding the train to Canterlot dressed in similarly extravagant clothing, clearly en route to the prom just as she was, but where was her date?
“Where are you, Moxi?” she asked, turning to the nearby station clock, the train was just minutes from departure and she’d seen neither hide nor hair of the filly since she’d asked her to go to prom. Was something holding her up? Or had she just decided to decline Volty’s offer?
She felt her heart sink into a tub of ice water even as her face began to burn in embarrassment. “Volty?” she heard a voice call from behind her, and she turned to see Dreamcatcher, dressed in simple Navapony finery accented with a dream catcher bolo tie, boarding the train, “What are you waiting for? The train’s gonna leave! Get on board!” 
“Yeah,” she muttered, giving the doorway to the village one last glance before starting a slow trot to the train car, “I guess I’m not waiting for anypony…”
She stepped up onto the passenger car just as the train jerked to life beneath her hooves. A fresh plume of steam and they were off, the engine chugging its way into the path cut for train tracks into the Everfree Forest.
Just before the train could turn the corner and disappear into the forest, a pegasus pony flew into the station and rocketed toward the passenger car which Voltage and Dreamcatcher sat. Moxi flew alongside the train long enough for them to open the door and let her aboard. She slumped into the nearest seat, panting and clasping her wings tightly against the ruffled fabric of… of one of the most adorable dresses Voltage had ever seen!
“Mox,” she said, looking the filly up and down in stunned approval, “I know I told you to find a dress, but this is…” She searched for the right words.
Moxi looked up at her, eyeing the dress, a simple design of silver and violet with a layering effect over her flank, complete with a silver clasp at the neckline in the shape of her biohazard cutie mark. Volty had never seen Moxi’s neck before, this being the first time she’d ever seen the mare without her patchwork scarf, it was slender and decorated with a violet choker with a larger version of the biohazard clasp as a pendent. Her ears were decorated with a matching pair of earrings, each one comprised of an upper clasp and lower clasp, connected by a silver chain and dangling yet another pair of the emerald and silver biohazard symbols. She’d polished her glasses to a mirror sheen and her hair was styled for once, not sticking up in random directions, but laid off in one with a slight curl, tapering off just at the tip of her chin.
“Is it ugly?” She asked, turning worried eyes to meet Volty’s, “I don’t know much about fashion…” Her face went pink and Volty beamed at her, wrapping the mare in a tight hug. “You look beautiful,” she said, leaning back to look the dress over once more, “absolutely perfect!”
“I gotta say,” Dreamcatcher spoke up from behind Volty, “your tailor does good work. Even you look good in that dress, Mox.” The inky black alicorn standing beside Dreamcatcher, and clad in a flowing dress the color and style of a summer night sky, stomped hard enough on the tan earth pony’s hoof that he recoiled and fell flat on his back.
“How was the trip, Catch?” Moxi said to the sprawled pony before turning to his date, “Thanks, Snowy, wouldn’t want to wrinkle the dress kicking your date’s flank before we’ve even arrived at Canterlot.”
“Oh it was my pleasure, Moxi,” she replied, chuckling and helping a laughing Dreamcatcher back to his hooves.
Moxi turned to look out the window, watching the trees of the Everfree Forest whip past as the sun began its descent to make way for the night. The passenger car bustled around them, everypony so excited to reach Canterlot and begin what they all knew was going to be the best night ever!

> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The train pulled in to Canterlot station just as the sun crested over the horizon, leaving the city to bathe in the orange glow of twilight as the moon crawled to the center of the sky. The cobblestone street outside the station was lined with carriages pulled by ponies dressed in the shining gold armor of the Royal Guard. 
Voltage, Moxi, Snowdrift and Dreamcatcher all made for the nearest carriage, all the mares climbing aboard as Dreamcatcher hung back to peer into the crowd behind them. Something caught the earth pony’s eye and he whistled loudly. “Hey Blue,” he called out, waving a hoof at somepony just out of view from within the carriage, “I didn’t know you were coming!”
The azure unicorn pony who stepped up to the carriage dressed in a formal Neighponese hakama of gold and blue with a slit to display his cutie mark had a remarkably stoic, but easily recognizable face. He gave Dreamcatcher and the others a small nod before gesturing to a puff of pink mane which was all that was visible from within the carriage of … “Miss Cherrybloom wished to go to the prom,” Blue said, looking as though he did not support the decision, “I am here to accompany her.”
“You’re her date!?” Volty called from beside Moxi, a devious grin on her face.
“Of course not,” Blue growled, helping Cherry Bloom, wrapped in a layered dress of semi-translucent rainbow colored fabric, her mane accented with spring flowers,  into the carriage where she immediately set about bouncing around and ogling at everypony’s outfits, “I am here with Kimono, Cherry Bloom has brought Zest.” 
As he said this he helped Zest, dressed in a red pinstriped suit and matching fedora into the carriage where he immediately found a seat and stuck to it, his head down in embarrassment. Blue stepped aside to let his wife past him, Kimono was dressed in her namesake, a beautiful violet silk kimono decorated with sakura petals and paper lanterns and bound with a yellow sash with a large bow at her back, her hair was held up in a traditional Neighponese shimada style and held in place with a yellow pin. She stepped into the carriage and sat down. Only after everypony else had taken their seats did Blue enter the carriage himself, but he did not sit, opting instead to stand beside the door, his eyes wary. 
The door of the carriage closed and it sprung into motion, knocking everypony but Blue and Cherry Bloom momentarily off balance. Moxi stared at the unicorn in disbelief.
“Honey,” Kimono piped up from beside him, tugging at the shoulder of his hakama, “sit down, you’re making everypony tense.” 
“Constant vigilance, my dear,” he replied, “I don’t trust this city.”
“Miss Moxi,” Cherry Bloom said, rushing up to Moxi, “your dress is really pretty! Who are you going to prom with?”
Moxi blinked in surprise, but then softened and smiled at the little alicorn, “Thank you, Cherry, and I’m going with Voltage.”
“Oooh,” she said, looking from Volty to Moxi, “Volty, you’re dressed like a colt! Are you Moxi’s filly-friend now?”
Moxi’s heart leapt into her throat and Voltage sputtered before both mares looked away from each other. Dreamcatcher burst into laughter and even Snowy and Kimono had to stifle giggles as Cherry watched the pair with innocent confusion.
Cherry Bloom opened her mouth as if to push the matter further but Blue spoke up. “Miss Bloom,” he said fixing her with a stern look, “you shouldn’t press matters that make other ponies uncomfortable.”
“Why would it make them uncomfortable?” she asked, looking crestfallen, “Miss Moxi, Miss Volty, you’re not uncomfortable are you?” 
“Umm…” groaned Moxi.
“Well…” Volty stammered.
Blue gave Cherry Bloom another stern look and she huffed out a breath before sitting down beside Zest. Blue gave a nod of approval before returning to his stoic guard stance. He maintained it for nearly a whole thirty seconds before his wife seized advantage of a bump in the road to pull him onto the carriage seat beside her.
“I’m confused,” Snowdrift said, turning to regard Blue as he desperately tried to put himself into a more dignified position than being splayed across the seat and his wife’s lap alike, “why is Cherry Bloom going to the prom? She seems… a bit young.”
“A bit nothing!” Dreamcatcher barked a laugh, “The silly filly is tiny!” 
“Am not!” Cherry Bloom huffed, her cheeks reddening.
“Miss Bloom is in the right, there, I’m afraid,” Blue growled, finally righting himself into a sitting position, “while she may be small in stature, she is, unfortunately for me, old enough to attend the prom. Zest is underage, but as he’s coming as her guest, he’s allowed.”
Moxi and Volty joined the other two in shooting Cherry Bloom looks of shock. “Doesn’t get much weirder than that, I guess,” Moxi said, deciding not to press the matter.


The carriage doors opened to blinding lights pouring in from the entryway to the palace banquet hall. Streamers and other party decorations lined the walls and a seemingly never-ending cascade of confetti fell in a continuous downpour from unseen dispensers, somehow managing to flutter all about the gathered ponies without ever becoming entangled in anypony’s mane or clothing.
As they unloaded from the carriage, Snowy stuck out a hoof to catch one of the falling pieces of confetti, only for the colorful piece of tissue paper to pass right through her hoof on its way to the floor where it faded out of existence seconds after touching the ground.
“They’re using magic,” Snowy said with a wide smile back to her friends, “they’re projecting holographic confetti, that’s adorable!”
Everypony laughed as Cherry Bloom and Zest immediately set about scrambling to look at everything, wide grins plastered on their childish faces. “Wooooow,” Cherry said, looking at the magnificent decorations, “it’s so pretty! Come on, Zest, let’s go see the rest!” 
A stream of nonsense words pouring from her lips, Cherry grabbed Zest’s hoof and dragged him away, weaving in and out of the crowd of ponies making their way to the entrance. 
“Sakura-chan!” Blue called out in surprise, his shock making him revert to his native Neighponese, “Matteo!” He groaned and took off after her, having a much harder time of weaving through the crowd of ponies so that Cherry was able to gain more of a lead with each passing second.
Kimono turned back and gave the others a shrug and a small smile, “Well, I’ll see you all inside.” With that, she trotted off after her husband leaving everypony with a fit of giggles.
Up ahead, Moxi saw Blue brush past a familiar trio of ponies, they gave him a surprised look before turning back to see where he’d come from and spotting their fellow Lunerians. “Willow!” Dreamcatcher called out starting forward without a thought to hoof bump the earth pony stallion. 
The gray and white stallion was dressed in a black suit jacket, accented with white stripes and topped off with a blue sting tie, as usual, a lantern burning with the same eerie purple flame as his cutie mark floated beside him. He returned Catcher’s hoof with a smile, turning to wave at Moxi, Volty, and Snowy as they caught up, “Hey you lot, glad we ran into each other, I assume it’s gonna be pretty packed in there!” 
“Hey Willow,” Moxi smiled at the stallion before turning to regard his date, a black alicorn, her mane simply a deeper shade than her coat, wearing a matching dress of dark fabric, accented with lines of gleaming jewels and a shawl of mostly translucent purple fabric. She wore shoes made of gleaming ebony and set with large rubies, matching the small ring on her horn which was further connected to a headdress of shining diamonds on her mane. The whole outfit was completed with a lace choker bearing a design of wrought silver and ruby which brought out the shining red color of her eyes. 
“Hi Middy,” Moxi spoke up after giving herself a moment to take the outfit in, “you look amazing tonight.”
“I look amazing every night, my dear,” she retorted, giving Moxi a playful smile, “you’re looking lovely as well.”
Moxi turned to regard the third member of their party and instantly her smile turned to a grimace. 
“Hey Clair,” Volty said, smiling and waving an enthusiastic hoof at the earth pony stallion, dressed in an elegant, if simple, suit coat and ruffled shirt, likely an heirloom from his familial homeland of Prance, “didn’t expect to see you here.”
Clair returned Moxi’s look of distaste before turning to give Volty a small smile, “Well I’m planning to sell some of my spirits to the bartenders here, I figure even if I have to sell on the cheap, the publicity would be great for my business.”
Moxi and Clair continued to stare daggers at one another for a pregnant moment. Voltage caught Snowy’s eye and tilted her head in a “we should probably do something" kind of way. 
Snowy nodded in agreement, stepping between the two ponies and striking up a conversation with the BarBuck, “So, Clair, that’s a nice little outfit you’re wearing there, very simple.”
“It wasn’t my first choice,” he commented, his features softening as soon as Moxi was out of sight and turning down to regard his outfit, “this was my father’s, the style’s a bit outdated, but I had to pick an outfit last-minute. I’d had something made special for tonight, but unfortunately, I mistimed and was unable to use it.”
Snowy began asking what he meant when Volty wrapped a wing around Moxi and hurried her off into the crowd, “C’mon, Mox, I’m hungry, let’s grab a bite before we hit the dance floor.” 
Moxi blushed and felt her stomach rumble at the prospect of food, “yeah, sounds great!”

> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Clair watched Moxi through narrowed eyes until she’d passed through the palace doors and out of his line of sight. “So what do we want to do,” Middy said, cutting the tense atmosphere, “should we head inside or wait out here to see if anyone else from Luneria is coming?”
“I have work to do,” Clair muttered, bowing to the ponies before him, “so here is where I take my leave of you all. I’m sure I shall see you later in the evening.” With that, the stallion trotted off leaving everypony else behind.
“Well,” said Willow after a moment’s pause, “I suppose it’s just as likely they’ve beaten us inside as it is we should find them out here, let’s get inside and just keep an eye open for familiar faces, eh?”
Everypony nodded their agreement and trotted through the flurry of illusory confetti to the magnificently adorned doors of Canterlot Palace’s banquet hall.

“When you said food,” Moxi said, watching Voltage scarf down an entire plate of chocolate-chip cookies, “I can’t say this is what I had in mind, Volty.”
“Whuh,” Volty said, speaking through a mouth stuffed to bursting with crumbling cookies, “s’goo’”
“Look,” Moxi sighed, gesturing at the room around them, Volty had stumbled on a table of cookies and punch right in the entry hall, the room was mostly deserted, save for the ponies who were passing through to get to the dance hall or the dining hall, “in about twenty seconds, Clair is going to walk through that door, and unless I’ve got a good, stiff drink in me, I am not going to be prepared for that!”
Volty turned to regard Moxi with that would have been an understanding and sympathetic face… were it not for the puffed cheeks filled with cookies and the crumbs scattered about her muzzle. “Okay, okay,” she muttered, pocketing a few more for later, “if I ask what happened between you two, are you going to answer?”
“No.”
“If I ask why, will you answer that?”
“No.”
Volty huffed out a breath as she followed Moxi into the dining hall, “Spoil sport.”

“Honey,” Kimono said, calling after Blue as he began scouring the palace garden. The gardens were sparsely populated by earlybirds walking the empty garden path and taking advantage of the private setting and sparse lighting the gardens offered, “Blue, Cherry can take care of herself for a little while, why don’t you take a night off? Relax, have some punch, dance a little.”
“I can’t,” Blue muttered, scanning the flora with a wary eye, “I have to find her before-” Kimono put a hoof on his arm and his features softened as he turned to her face.
“Please?” She said, and Blue could feel his eyes melt as her eyes sparkled in the starlight, “Come dance with me, let’s have dinner and some fun. I’m sure she’ll come find you soon.”
“Maybe you’re right, my love,” he said, smiling back at her, “I suppose Miss Bloom is old enough to care for herself for a short time, even if she doesn’t look it. Let’s go enjoy the festivities for—”
A high pitched, yet distinctly masculine screech arose from deeper in the garden and while it was nearly buried in the sound, Blue could hear Cherry Bloom’s voice hidden under the scream, “Hi Mister Graphite! What’re you and that colt doing?” and at a moment’s notice, True Blue tore off through the garden path after the sound.
Kimono heaved a heavy sigh, shaking her head as she slowly trotted off after Blue once again, “So close…”

“In public, Graphite?” Blue said, as he caught up with Cherry who immediately squee’d and leapt onto his back, “Really?”
"What?" Said Star Seams. The grey unicorn was draped over Graphite's lap, his coat and shirt unbuttoned and he tugged at the collar of Graphite's dress. "Everything we were doing was perfectly street legal," he said before turning with a sly wink to trace a hoof across the underside of Graphite's muzzle, sending a shiver of pleasure through the blue unicorn, “for now, at least.”
“What’s he mean, Onii-chan?” Cherry asked from atop the bodyguard pony.
“Nothing,” Blue shot back immediately, placing one hoof over her ears and nudging Zest into motion, “He means nothing. Now come on, let’s get back to the prom.”
“Take me with you,” Graphite called from the grassy patch where he lay, but Blue ignored him and trotted the two foals off down the garden path. Star Seams turned back to regard his date with a raised brow. 
“Now,” he said, tracing a hoof along Graphite’s chest, “where were we? Ah yes, I remember.”

“Yeah, baby!” Dreamweaver shouted from the dance floor over blaring electronic music as another mare wearing a black and white dress and a pair of round spectacles danced up a storm beside her, “Rock it, Magpie!”
“Dreamie!” she heard a voice from just off the dance floor call out to her, turning to search for its source, her eyes fell on Dreamcatcher, she waved a hoof at him before wrapping it around Magpie’s and grabbing onto the coat of a nearby stallion and tugging them off the dance floor to greet her friends.
“Hey Catch, Snowy, Middy, Willow,” She said, giving each of them a hug, her gaze lingering on Willow long enough to say, “I saw Clair come in, figured if he was here you couldn’t be far behind.”
“We’re not attached at the hip, you know,” Willow groaned, “besides, I came here with Midnight.”
“Well if you decide to abandon me midway through the night for him,” Middy smirked, turning a gaze on the BarBuck talking with the night guardsmen tending the wet bar, “I wouldn’t blame you. Just bring back lots of pictures will you?”
Willow growled in annoyance, “Big fan of incest, are you, Middy?”
“Only when it looks good, Willow,” she laughed in return.
“Anyway,” Dreamie rolled her eyes, pushing her companions forward to greet them, “this is Magpie, my date, and Inks, he’s here with Chesh!”
“They know who I am,” muttered the yellow pegasus stallion dressed in simple finery, putting out a hoof in greeting, “Chesh has disappeared off somewhere so Dreamie and Magpie were keeping me company.”
“Speaking of,” Magpie said, massaging her hooves, “I’m beat, so you should conscript some of these ponies to occupy the dance floor in our place.”
“Alright,” Inks grinned deviously, grabbing Middy and Willow, “now come on, what do you say you two show me how light you are on your feet?” Amid sputtered protests, he tugged them off onto the dance floor where the trio immediately vanished into the crowd of ponies.
“Well they’re in for an interesting night,” Snowy chuckled before wrapping a hoof around Dreamcatcher’s, “what do you think we should do first? Some dancing? A bite of dinner? Maybe a nice, romantic walk through the garden.”
Dreamcatcher eyed the mare warily, swallowing heavily before blushing and looking around, his eyes finally landing on the bar. “Umm….” He stammered, “How about we grab a drink and then decide from there?”
Snowy eyed Dreamcatcher’s reaction warily. He’s getting awfully fidgety, she thought, oh Celestia, does he not get that I’m kidding? Is he taking me seriously!?
“Does that sound good to you?” he shot her his award-winning smile, a touch of color still lingering in his cheeks. 
Oh crap, OH CRAP! She thought, terrified, He thinks I’m serious, and he’s HAPPY ABOUT IT!
“Yeah,” she smiled warily back at him, “sounds good, lets grab some drinks.”
Magpie turned to Dream Weaver as the pair trotted off to the bar, “Did I just see what I think I just saw?” 
“Oh yes,” Dreamie said, barely containing a fit of the giggles, “This is gonna be a fun night!”
“Well shouldn’t we follow them?”
“Nah,” Dreamie shook her head, watching the pair retreat, both simultaneously trying to be closer to one another and to keep their distance, “Let it stew a bit. Trust me, this is the sort of thing that only gets funnier with age.”

> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Mox!” Moxi groaned, set down the glass of punch she’d been about to down as Dreamcatcher came tearing into the dining hall. The earth pony stallion slammed his hooves down on the table between Moxi and Volty, the latter of whom continued eating the banquet food as though this interruption hadn’t even occurred.
“Moxi,” he said, panting and looking desperate, before pausing and eyeing her drink, “Have you had anything to drink?”
“No,” Moxi growled back at him, “They don’t serve anything alcoholic in here, I have to wait to get a proper drink until I get to the dance hall. For now, I’ve got this punch.”
“I wouldn’t suggest drinking that,” came the voice of a passing stallion, “I’ve seen at least three of the ponies who drank the punch come down with peculiar ailments so far tonight. I think somepony may have spiked it with Poison Joke.”
Moxi groaned and poured the glass out into a nearby potted plant, whose leaves turned orange with pink polka dots moments later, “What is it, Dreamcatcher?”
Catcher watched the plant for a few moments with a befuddled expression before seeming to remember the urgency of his situation. “It’s Snowy,” he shouted, running a hoof through his mane nervously, “I think she’s into me!”
Moxi eyed Dreamcatcher in surprise before raising her empty glass to him, “Well, good on you.”
“You don’t get it!” He shouted desperately, “Snowy and I came here as friends! I’m not interested in starting a relationship or anything! I don’t have much time, she’s in the bathroom right now, but she could come out at any minute! You’re a mare, right? How do I fix this!?”
“I’m going to ignore that,” Moxi said, clamping here eyes shut in annoyance, “but don’t you tell me you’re actually considering breaking that poor filly’s heart at prom!”
“Err…” Catcher stammered, “Well, better sooner than later, right?”
Moxi scooped up the soup spoon from the table in front of her and whacked Dreamcatcher on the head with it. “No,” she said, whacking him again, “bad Dreamcatcher! You do not break a filly’s heart on what’s supposed to be one of the best nights of her life! You will be a proper gentlecolt and treat that filly like a princess then find a way to gently let her down at a later date!”
“But I—”
“No excuses!” Moxi shouted, whacking him a third time with the spoon, “Now go find your date and show her the night of her life!”
Dreamcatcher nodded with a sigh and trotted back out of the dining hall.
“You know there’s like, literally no chance at all that Snowy’s romantically into him,” Volty spoke through a mouthful of potato,  “right?”
“Oh of course,” Moxi murmured, watching Dreamcatcher leave the room as she took a bite of carrot, “this is payback for that question about me being a mare. Plus I’m curious how far he takes this before Snowy lays some truth on him.”
“Nah,” Volty shook her head, “Snowy might not be into him, but she’s a sweet filly, I bet she plays along until Catch gets too uncomfortable and spills the beans.”
There was a pause between the two as they each looked one another over  before breaking into devious smirks. “20 bits to whoever called it right?” Moxi said, extending a hoof to Voltage.
“You’re on.”

True Blue shooed Zest and Cherry Bloom toward the dining hall, wrangling in the eccentric little filly each time she attempted to wander off. As he passed the mare’s powder room, the door swung open and Snowdrift emerged, peering around the corner and looking nervous. When she caught sight of Blue here eyes lit up in relief.
“Blue,” she sighed, “thank Celestia, a level-headed pony I can talk to.”
Blue grabbed Cherry who was once again attempting to wander off, scooting her back to his side before looking back to Snowy with a nod, “Snowdrift.”
“We’ve known each other long enough that you can call me Snowy, Blue,” she shook her head with a smile, “but I’ve got a problem. I’m getting the distinct feeling that Dreamcatcher doesn’t get that we were just coming to prom as friends… I mean, he’s a sweet colt and all, and I won’t deny that he’s handsome, but I’m just not interested in dating him. I don’t wanna break the poor buck’s heart, what do I do?”
Blue paused to consider for a moment before responding. “You may not have a choice in the matter,” he spoke in a well-reasoned tone, “if Dreamcatcher’s feelings are not going to abate, you may be forced to break his heart sooner or later, but if I may be so bold, I don’t think it would be appropriate to do so tonight.”
“Huh?” Snowy said in shock, “You mean I have to lead him on all night? Why!?”
“Romance, or even the lack-thereof is a personal matter,” he said directly, “it is not something meant to be shared with the public as a whole. It should be kept personal, between two ponies and perhaps their most intimate of friends and family. If you should break Dreamcatcher’s heart here, it would become a public spectacle and do more harm to the colt than the act itself could ever do alone.”
“Great,” Snowy groaned sarcastically, “oh well, thanks Blue.” After a pause she said, “Hey, weren’t you watching Cherry Bloom?”
True Blue blinked at her for a moment before turning to regard the hall around him, now distinctly bereft of Cherry Bloom. “Oh damn it all,” he growled, tearing off down the hall again, passing through the door to the dining hall just as Dreamcatcher emerged from it. 
Catcher watched Blue gallop into the dining hall with a bemused expression, then trotted back down the hallway, nodding at Kimono as he passed her on his way to Snowy. She gave in a smile that felt a little strained, which he returned before offering his hoof and leading her back towards the dance hall. This is going to be a long night…

> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Come on, you guys,” Inks called over the music blaring across the dance floor, “shake those flanks! I wanna see what you can do!”
“You’re seeing what I can do right now,” Willow groaned, standing like a statue beside Middy as she began bobbing gently back and forth to the music in front of him, “I don’t dance.” He paused to throw a dirty glance at the lantern floating behind him, “You stay out of this.”
“Why not?” Middy asked with a smirk, “I think you’d make a great dancer.”
“You used to dance,” came a voice from nowhere, it would have been more eerie were it not for the fact that Cheshire Grin had to yell to be heard over the pounding bass line of the music, “back when we were foals.” The unicorn mare appeared from thin air beside the couple, watching them with a relaxed grin as she wrapped a hoof around Inks.
“Yeah well we all did stupid things when we were young,” Willow snapped back in annoyance, his cheeks going pink, “didn’t we?”
“Aww, dancing’s not stupid, Willow,” Chesh said with a devious smirk, “it’s fun! If you loosen up a bit I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!”
Middy shrugged her shoulders, offering a hoof to Willow with a slightly defeated-looking smile, “She’s not going to leave us alone until we do it, so we might as well get it over with. Heck, maybe it’ll even be fun, y’know, with the right partner…”
“Yeah,” Willow turned on the spot and trotted back to the edge of the dance floor, “I’m not so sure. I’m going to find a drink.”
Midnight Estelle heaved a resigned sigh and turned to Chesh. The unicorn smiled somewhat apologetically. “Sorry,” Cheshire said, “he’s just kinda shy, always has been.”

“Good evening, cousin mine,” Clair waved Willow over to where he’d sat himself down at a table with Dream Weaver and Magpie, who’s shoes lay strewn about the immediate area, “why don’t you join us for a spell.”
Willow shrugged and joined the trio, taking up a chair across from Clair and between Dreamie and Magpie, both of whom seemed extremely happy to be off their hooves. “Where’s that lovely date of yours?”
“Back on the dance floor,” Willow spoke into his drink, not meeting his cousin’s eyes.
“And she doesn’t want you out there with her?”
“No, they want me out there,” he said, grimacing up at Clair, “that’s the problem.”
“So you don’t want to dance with her?”
“Yes,” he paused, “well, no, it’s not… it’s more complicated than that.”
“It is?” Clair shot back with a raised brow, “The way I see it, you either want to be together with her or you don’t,” he shook his head slowly, “there shouldn’t be more to it than that, don’t you think?
“I,” Willow sputtered, “well, it’s just… I…”
“You’re shy,” Clair said simply, “but there’s a simple cure for that, just listen to le médecin de famille de Chevalier.” The stallion stuck out a hoof just as Willow went to take a drink and placed it on the bottom of his glass, before gently, but firmly, angling the glass up so Willow was forced to drink the entire thing in one pull.
Coughing and sputtering Willow turned a glare on Clair and was about to bark something at him when the alcohol content of what he’d just drank hit him. His face flushed and he swayed slightly on the spot.
“Let’s see what that does for your shyness, shall we?”
“Clair, you are a…” But Clair never found out just what he was, for at that very moment, a glow of pink unicorn magic wrapped around Willow’s coat sleeve, turning his attention down to the small figure standing beside him.
“Clair,” Willow said, turning back to face the other pony once again, “was there something else in that drink, or is Cherry Bloom pulling me towards the dance floor?”
Clair leaned out from behind the table to see Cherry Bloom indeed using her magic to tug Willow in the direction of the dance floor. “Huh,” he said with a smirk, “I hope Middy isn’t the jealous type.” Dreamie and Magpie laughed at the curious sight.
“Mister Willow Wisp,” Cherry said, continuing to tug at his coat with a wide grin, “come on! It’s a dance, you should be dancing!”
“They’re not dancing,” Willow said, gesturing to the other ponies gathered around the table, “why don’t you make them go dance?”
“Miss Dream Weaver and Miss Magpie already danced lots,” she expounded, bouncing on the spot to get a better look at Clair, “and Clair’s gonna have to dance too!”
“How come,” Clair chimed in, pausing just long enough to give Willow a sense of false hope, “I’m the only one you don’t call Mister?” Willow’s face sunk and he stood up to let Cherry lead him back to the dance floor.
“Because sometimes you’re a Miss,” Cherry said with a knowing and dignified expression which only served to make her face cuter, Dreamie and Magpie both squee’d in delight, “and Onii-chan says it’s not nice to point out uncomfortable things!”
Clair paused to consider this before nodding his head and giving Cherry a smirk and a short bow, “Fair enough, Miss Bloom, fair enough.”
Willow sighed and relinquished control to Cherry Bloom, who immediately pulled him deep onto the dance floor.
“Sometimes I get the creeping suspicion,” Clair smiled into his drink, “that that foal is wiser than any of us.”

Midnight Estelle bobbed gently beside Cheshire and Inks, the couple had been insistent that she stay on the dance floor and though she kept her face a mask of neutrality, she had to admit inwardly that she was having fun. She wouldn’t be in any risk of being without a dance partner until a slow song came up, leading to more intimate one-on-one dances, but she wouldn’t get the chance to see how that would play out because, when they were roughly a song and a half into their three-way dance-a-thon then she felt a tug at the back of her dress and turned around to see Zest standing behind her in his little pinstriped suit, shuffling his hooves. 
“Hi auntie Cheshire,” he said, smiling sheepishly at the three adult ponies, “I was wondering if I might be able to borrow Miss Midnight Estelle for a dance?”
Middy bit her lip to hide her expression of just how adorable she found this before she turned to regard Cheshire, who was desperately trying to hold back a smile while she put on a face of selfless generosity as she said, “Very well, I suppose I can let you have her for a dance or two.”
Zest nodded respectfully and offered Middy a hoof, she took it, shaking her head as she let a small smile play across her lips, and set about dancing with the foal. They held hooves and spun slowly, stepping about through the crowd in an awkward waltz. It didn’t fit the music at all, but Middy wasn’t going to knock the colt’s spirit, and everypony on the dance floor gave them a wide enough berth that they needn’t worry about running into anypony dancing in place as the music more likely called for. It seemed everypony around them was just as enamored with the little colt’s bravado as she and Cheshire were.
They spun through the crowd slowly for a few moments and Middy got so used to everypony stepping aside for them that she closed her eyes and was, for a spell, lost in the moment. She was brought back to reality, however, when she felt her flank, traveling backward through the crowded dance floor, crash into the flank of another pony!
Zest immediately let go of her and galloped off to grab the hoof of a filly who’d let go of the colt she’d just run into, it took Middy a moment to realize that it was Cherry Bloom and she watched as the pair took one another’s hooves and spun off into the crowd. She turned to see who she’d just run into and found Willow Wisp looking back at her. He scratched at his mane with a hoof, his face turning red as an apple before he reached out and offered his hoof to Middy. She lowered her eyes as she felt her face heat up, and after a moment of stunned silence she took his hoof, glancing up at him with a small smile, and the two ponies started to dance. She hadn’t even realized everypony was watching them until she felt the floor shaking with the thunderous sound of applauding hooves.

> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Moxi and Volty watched Snowy and Dreamcatcher eat subtly, stealing glances between bites of buffet food. The pair had come back into the dining hall shortly after Moxi had sent Dreamcatcher off and ever since they’d been seated at a table, avoiding each other’s eyes and blushing a lot.
“Better be careful,” Volty muttered, turning her attention back to her plate, “they might just catch fire if they move above a glacial pace.”
“Maybe we could find some way to encourage them to speed things up?”
“Like what,” Volty eyed her skeptically, “you wanna just walk over there and tell them to get their romance on?”
“No,” Moxi blushed in embarrassment, “but I’m sure there’s more subtle ways we could encourage them…”
Both mares paused for a moment, Moxi absently letting her spoon hang from her lips. After a short time, Voltage gave Moxi a look which momentarily set her about imagining a light igniting over the electric blue mare’s head. Without a word she took Moxi’s hoof.
The move was so sudden, so unexpected, that Moxi’s heart literally skipped a beat. She felt her cheeks heat up as she turned her eyes to regard the face of the mare opposite her, Volty’s expression was the same as ever, her mouth spread in a wide grin, Moxi hadn’t noticed before how the grin made her eyes crinkle. Such fascinating eyes, so uncommon, red irises set on a shining mass of yellow and touched with that special hint of the madness which lay beneath. As her cheeks began to burn even hotter, Moxi turned her eyes back to her plate, unable to hold Volty’s gaze. 
“Ooh,” Volty murmured, “that’s good, really sweet looking.” Moxi’s eyes widened and she looked up to Volty in confusion. Her back to Dreamcatcher and Snowy, she darted her eyes to one side to shift Moxi’s focus. “Did they notice? It’s only a matter of time,” she winked, “lead by example, yeah?”
Moxi felt as though her face was going to combust and she forced a smile, murmuring, “Good idea…”

They’re getting awfully friendly, Dreamcatcher thought, seeing Moxi’s face turning crimson over Snowy’s shoulder, Volty must move fast… I know Mox isn’t pushing anything near that fast.
“What’re you looking at?” Snowy said, turning to look behind her.
“Nothing,” Catcher said, “How’s the food?”
“Oh it’s good,” she muttered with a wary smile, “it’s good… I wish I had something to drink though…”
“Yeah,” Dreamcatcher muttered, looking over at the punch bowl where an earth pony was trying to get his date down from the ceiling, her horn seeming to have taken it upon itself to levitate her out of reach, “something tells me that it wouldn’t be a good idea to drink anything that’s been left out here though…”
Snowy giggled, taking a bite and smiling at the colt. Dreamcatcher chuckled himself and returned the smile, well, she is cute when she smiles.
He felt his mane tingle and peered around to see Moxi staring at him, she titled her head towards Snowy in a “go on” gesture.  He shot back the wide-eyed stare of “no way, I’m not doing that.” To which she mouthed the words, “she wants you to.”
Dreamcatcher rolled his eyes and once again, Snowy cocked her head, watching him. She turned around just late enough for Moxi to have turned her attention back to Volty. She watched the couple for a few moments before turning back to Dreamcatcher with a hint of pink touching her cheeks. “They seem to be hitting it off,” she muttered, peering at Dreamcatcher from under her brow, “don’t they?”
“Yeah,” Catch murmured. Snowy’s hoof was lying midway across the table beside her plate and Dreamcatcher felt as if it was staring at him… Sweat started to form on his brow and he felt a lump forming in his throat. Okay, Dreamcatcher, he thought, if this is what she wants, give it to her for tonight…
Dreamcatcher reached out slowly, measuring his movements as though he was walking through a minefield, when his hoof passed his own plate and utensils, he knew he’d passed the point of no return. With a heavy gulp, he reached out and took the mare’s hoof in his own. He felt his face start to burn as she blinked at him in surprise, chuffing out a single, breathy laugh and giving him a lopsided smile.
Well, he thought as he returned the smile, it could be worse…

“How could this possibly be worse!?” Blue roared, slamming a hoof into a nearby wall hard enough to grab the attention of several nearby ponies, Kimono smiled reassuringly at them, encouraging them to go about their own business.
“Dear,” she said, looking Blue dead in the eyes, “You are causing a scene. Perhaps you should take a few calming breaths?”
Blue scowled but at a look from his wife he stopped, took a few deep breaths and then continued at a more reasonable volume, “Celestia knows where Cherry has gotten off to, I have no trail to follow!”
“Cherry?” came a voice from down the hall, “As in Cherry Bloom? The little alicorn filly?”
Blue turned to see a grey, bespectacled pegasus pony, his shaggy mane and scruff of beard teal, melding into yellow at its tips. “She ran into my date and decided to start following her,” he said, with an annoyed look on his face, “and neither of them saw fit to wait for me while they did it.”
“And you are?” Blue said, eyeing the pegasus skeptically.
“Grimlock,” he said, offering Blue a hoof, “and if you’re tracking Cherry Bloom, I guess that’d make you True Blue. Tria’s mentioned you.”

“Here, take this,” Tria had barely shouted the words at Dream Weaver before she slammed the raggedy, patched teddy bear down on the table in front of her and took off at a gallop. It took Dreamweaver longer to recognize that Cherry Bloom was still wrapped around the toy than it took for Tria to be out the door from the dance hall.
“What in Celestia’s name?”
“Hey!” came a voice from the table and both Dreamie and Magpie jumped, the voice was very clearly not Cherry’s, “Get this foal off of me, would you!?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Dreamie said, plucking the toy from Cherry’s hooves, the filly refused let this dampen her mood and immediately began hopping about the table shouting something incomprehensible, “Despair? Why in Equestria would Tria bring you to prom!?”
“I didn’t give her much choice,” the teddy bear growled, “I stowed away in the luggage rack of the train, I knew she wouldn’t just leave me on there. Now take me back to her!”
“Forget it,” she groaned, “I don’t think I’m going to get up from this spot for the rest of the night.”
“Argh!” Despair shouted, “Move your flank, impudent mare! You’re talking to your spiritual better here!”
“No,” Dreamie bonked the doll on the head with a hoof, “bad Despair.” Despite whatever spiritual presence might exist within the doll, it was still physically a doll, the head was momentarily squashed under the force of her hoof.
She set the doll on the table where it immediately stood up and turned to face Clair. “You,” it shouted, “bar-creature!”
Clair leaned close and growled, “Ooh, you really know how to charm a girl.” He laid his chin on his hooves and eyed Despair with flat eyes, “Before you say anything, I’d like to point out my scientific curiosity. How do you think without a brain? I’d like to dissect you to find out.”
The bear watched Clair in silence for a moment before turning to regard Magpie, who appeared to have fallen asleep, it was about to speak when Clair cut it off, “Oh give it up, would you, they’re too tired to take you anywhere and I simply have no interest in doing so.”
“Very well,” Despair muttered, “then I shall go find Tria myself, I have to keep an eye on that colt she’s with, I don’t trust him…”
“Good luck keeping up with them, stubby legs,” Clair said, scooping up the bear and depositing it in Magpie’s hooves, she immediately wrapped around the bear and continued sleeping, “you wouldn’t be able to keep up with anypony anyway. Best you stay tucked away, eh?”
Clair felt Cherry Bloom tugging at his coat and turned to eye the filly, “my turn on the dance floor is it?”
Cherry nodded vigorously.
“Does Blue even know where you are?”
She paused for a moment before shaking her head and tugging harder on Clair’s coat.
“Fantastic,” Clair smirked, and then he trotted off with the little filly back onto the dance floor.

> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“And so,” Dreamcatcher said, trying to keep from laughing long enough to get the rest of the story out, “and so we’ve got all these fireworks, but we’ve used all the matches trying to get the fire going, so we’re talking about running back into town to find something to light them with and Chillwind just says, ‘Buck it,’ and dumps the whole box onto the fire and then just bolts!”
“Oh Celestia,” Snowy laughed, covering her mouth with a hoof to keep any food from spilling out before she swallowed and said, “no warning at all?”
“Nope, so Moxi looks at me and I swear you could have thrown a Frisbee in her mouth it was hanging so wide. She and I run for it and we just barely made it over the lip of the dune Chillwind had run to before the box explodes!” He ran a hoof through his shaggy black mane, “One of the damned things nearly caught me in the head. Thought my mane would never grow back right. Meanwhile Chillwind is just sitting in the ditch laughing her flank off, don’t think I’ve ever seen Moxi more steamed.”
“Sounds like you two have had a lot of adventures,” Snowy said, smiling at the colt as he chuckled wistfully at his memories.
“We’ve had our fair share,” he said smiling in the direction of the pegasus mare before a small frown crawled onto his face, “of course, most of those were back in the old days, she’s never been quite the same since Chillwind passed…”
“She never talks about that,” Snowy said, casting a glance at Moxi, who was smiling and laughing with Voltage, “but neither do you, what happened exactly?”
“Well you can understand why Moxi never talks about it,” he sighed, “as for me… Chillwind was a friend… a good one. She didn’t deserve the hand fate dealt her, but nopony ever does. I try not to think about it most days.”
Snowdrift reached out and placed her hoof over Dreamcatcher’s, the colt smiled up at her, wiping all traces of sorrow off his face, “Anyway, I’m pretty full up, wanna head to the dance hall for a couple of drinks before this night really kicks off?”
Taken aback by his abrupt shift in mood, Snowy blinked at him with a faint blush creeping across her cheeks before giving him a smile and a quick nod.

“They’re leaving,” Moxi muttered hurriedly to Volty.
“Where are they going?” Volty asked, turning to watch the pair leave.
“Yeah,” Moxi rolled her eyes, “because I was listening in on their conversation.”
Volty stared at Moxi through narrowed eyes for a moment before turning back to see the pair leaving through the door to the garden path, “Well, they’re either going to the garden or the dance hall, should we follow them?”
“That’d look too suspicious,” Moxi said, not taking her eyes from Volty as she watched them leave, “if anything, we should wait a bit and then take the long way around so they don’t see us following them.”
“Poo,” Volty said with a pout, “what if we miss something?”
“At the rate those two are moving?” Moxi shook her head and standing up from the table “We’re not going to miss anything. Come on, regardless of what those two are up to, I could use a drink.”

“I can’t believe you wore that thing,” Joyful Wings groaned, rubbing her muzzle with one hoof as her husband set about stretching in his suit of black on hot pink, accented with a white spotted, lime green tie.
“You’re just jealous because I look fabulous,” Glasgow retorted, cupping Joy’s jaw in his hoof.
She opened her mouth to retort but was cut off by the sudden arrival of a wintergreen pegasus with a vibrant red mane. “Is he following me?” Tria said, peeking out from behind Joy.
“Is who following you, Tria?” Joy growled not taking angry eyes off her husband.
“Despair,” she replied, sighing with relief as no teddy bear wobbled from the dance hall door, “I pawned him off on Clair and them, I can’t believe he followed me to prom!”
“You can’t?” Glasgow asked incredulously, arching an eyebrow at the mare and ignoring the daggers Joy continued to stare at him, “Honestly, I’d say it sounds exactly like the sort of thing the little sod would do.”
“Yeah, I can believe it,” she sighed, “I don’t know why I said that.”
“Ah well,” Glasgow threw his hooves in the air before grabbing Joy’s and tugging her off in the direction Tria had come, “come, milady, let us, as they say, shake our groove thangs!”
Joy tried valiantly to keep the smile off her face as Glasgow dragged her into the dance hall, failing spectacularly as Tria watched them vanish through the door.
“Those two are adorable,” she muttered to herself before turning to face the hallway behind her. The pegasus mare took one look at the hallway she was in and felt a lead weight drop into her stomach. “Oh shit!” she shouted, “I left through the wrong door!”

Grimlock walked out into the dance hall, True Blue and Kimono in tow. “Tria ran off in this direction,” he said, peering around the semi-darkened room, “hopefully they haven’t gotten too far ahead of us.”
Blue trotted off into the crowd of ponies, leaving Grimlock standing beside the door alone as Kimono shrugged and followed her husband out into the room. “No, that’s fine,” Grimlock muttered sarcastically, “don’t wait for me or anything. It’s not like we could look together or anything like that.”
“Oh, hey Grimlock,” he turned to see Glasgow approaching him, dragging Joyful Wings behind him, “we were just about to hit the dance floor. I was going to tell you something, but for the life of me, I can’t seem to remember what it was. Well, if it’s important I’ll probably remember it later. See you on the dance floor.”
“Wait, it was—” Joy started but was cut off by Glasgow dragging her into the crowd of ponies on the dance floor. Grimlock sighed and trotted off around the dance floor perimeter, peering in through gaps in the ponies thereabouts to look for Tria.
“This,” he groaned, “is gonna be a long night…”