With unicorns, it was called making the magic happen. With pegasi, it was called cloud seeding. With earth ponies, it was called giving them a good plowing. And at some point tonight, or perhaps in the wee hours of morning, Tarnish planned to give Maud’s back forty the plowing of a lifetime. With alicorns, it was the great unknown…

But that would have to come later; right now, he was having the time of his life dancing with her. The first dance of the evening was a simple affair, something that Maud called a foxtrot as they had swept each other around the floor.

The Stiff Upper Lip Society had a well populated dance floor, but the event wasn’t too crowded. Tarnish had learned that the big dances happened around the winter holidays and this was just a warm up affair for the big balls that came in the winter.

The band slowed down and the dancers shuffled off of the dance floor. Tarnish found himself led to a corner where Maud kissed his neck a few times, causing little chilly tingles to run up and down his spine. He sat down upon a bench, glad for a little break, and drank in Maud’s beauty. She was an amazing creature and Tarnish had trouble believing that she was his.

“She’s going to ask for a dance,” Maud said as she sat down beside Tarnish.

Breathless, Tarnish looked over and saw Octavia. His heart lept up into his throat as Octavia drew nearer, with Vinyl Scratch at her side. Octavia was also stunning in her own way, and Tarnish was quite entranced by her. She was famous. Tarnish quite liked her music. He began to feel a little sweaty and nervous as she approached and he worried about his dancing performance with her.

“Brace yourself,” Maud said in a low deadpan.

Tarnish gulped, his throat dry, and wondered what it would be like to slow dance with Octavia. What were the rules when dancing with another pony that wasn’t your wife? Was there some protocol he wasn’t aware of? His frogs felt sweaty and his dock twitched, which caused his tail to swish.

“Might I have this dance?” Octavia asked.

It took Tarnish several seconds to realise that Octavia had asked for a dance, but she had not asked him. No… she had asked Maud for a dance. Stunned, Tarnish sat there on the bench, not sure how he was feeling. He was a little angered, a bit jealous, a bit miffed, Octavia was stealing his wife away for a dance.

“Mister Teapot, I leave my beloved Vinyl in your care. Do see that she stays out of trouble and whatever you do, do not let her near the band. She was born mute, so she is not one for conversation.” Octavia bowed her head. “Thank you, Sir, for being gracious enough to allow me this privilege of dancing with your gorgeous wife.”

And with that, Octavia whisked Maud away, leaving Tarnish sitting there flabbergasted. Vinyl sat down beside him on the bench and gave him a leering grin, which Tarnish did not see, as his eyes were glued upon the two mares walking away.

As Tarnish began sulking, the back of his mind began to sort through everything that had just taken place. He had been eager to dance when he thought he had a chance to dance with Octavia—but when Maud was the one being asked to dance, things had gone wrong. After a long moment of thoughtful reflection, Tarnish realised he felt disappointed with himself. He knew he was a better pony than this. He felt shame, hot creeping shame that made the back of his neck burn like the sun was bearing down upon it without mercy. He had never once given a single thought to if Maud would be jealous or upset by him dancing with somepony else.

He had blundered and he knew it. He planned to make it up to Maud later. He was a better pony than this. Feeling guilty and a bit disappointed with himself, he turned to look at Vinyl. Much to his surprise, he noticed that under direct lighting, the unicorn was actually a pale shade of yellow, not white. Her eyelids were almost translucent and after looking at her for a while, he noticed that her mane colour was dyed in. He could see pale white roots.

Vinyl Scratch was an albino; he was certain of it. She was also rather pretty, in her own way. She was bobbing up and down in time to the music, her ears were twitching in time to the tempo. She seemed to be enjoying herself.

Tarnish watched as Maud and Octavia danced together, both mares had balance and poise. He wasn’t sure who was leading. Maud and Octavia had their forelegs around one another and Tarnish felt a sigh escaping his mouth.

He turned to look Vinyl in the eye and Tarnish gave the mute mare a smile. “They’re pretty, aren’t they?”

Vinyl nodded and her grin became something infectious.

Looking at Vinyl, Tarnish had an idea. He could show Vinyl a nice time and maybe get Maud back in the process. In the back of his mind, a plan was forming. He was going to strut his stuff and rule the dance floor.

Reaching out, he took Vinyl’s fetlock in his own and gave it a soft, gentle squeeze. “Would you dance with me? We can’t let them have all the fun… we need to get our wives back.”

Vinyl, wearing a tuxedo, smoothed out her collar with her magic, squinted at Tarnish, and then lept from the bench, pulling Tarnish along with her. In seconds, Tarnish found himself holding Vinyl in his forelegs, and the two of them balanced together on their hind legs.

The mare, who now had a crazed glare in her eye, was holding him close. Almost too close. This was almost too close and too intimate. He saw Vinyl give a sidelong glance to Octavia and then Tarnish understood what was going on here. He also understood what he had to do.

Brows furrowing into an aggressive crease, Tarnish almost lifted Vinyl off of the floor as he took off in the most smouldering rumba box step he could muster. Vinyl, who was quick on her hooves, fell into step with him right away. She was small, light, and delicate, the opposite of Maud. He found he could toss her around with effortless ease and it occurred to him how heavy Maud was.

As they danced, the music changed into something else entirely. The slow music, something like a waltz, vanished, and some kind of sexually charged tango music with long, sassy horn notes began playing.

Tarnish held his head high and kept his eyes narrowed in concentration as his hooves stomped upon the wooden floor. Vinyl, who was getting into this, clung to his middle and made exaggerated motions with her hips, which rang back and forth like a bell, and then, much to Tarnish’s surprise, Vinyl made a very suggestive hip wiggle against his leg just as a trumpet blew a sultry blat.

The dance floor went still, the dancers stopping and staring as Octavia walked towards Tarnish. She walked on two legs, bipedal, doing so with ease. She spent a lot of time standing up to play her cello and she had a fine sense of balance. Maud stood a short distance away on all fours, staring with wide eyes at the drama about to unfold.

When Octavia was close, Tarnish felt Vinyl pull away a bit; then, much to his shock and surprise, Octavia slapped him across the muzzle, getting him twice, coming and going. It was a soft slap, gentle even, something done more for theatre or drama, but the slap suggested there was a lot of muscle behind it.

Octavia let out a snort and tried to pull Vinyl away, but Tarnish wasn’t having it. Vinyl was a good dancer and he planned to finish their dance so he could show her a good time. Tossing his head back, Tarnish let out a cocky snort and with a yank, he pulled Vinyl closer, waggled his eyebrows at Octavia in the sauciest manner he could muster, and then took off with Vinyl, leaving behind a very flustered Octavia, who stood on two legs, staring.

“Ooooh!” Octavia breathed as her mouth hung open in a perfect ‘O’ of frustration.

Once again, in time to the music, Vinyl Scratch did a smouldering, sultry hip wiggle against Tarnish and then waggled her eyebrows at Octavia. Still “Ooooh-ing,” Octavia did the only thing she could do. She grabbed Maud, lifted her up on two legs, and made ready to strut her stuff.

Tarnish was unaware that the other dancers had retreated from the dance floor so that they could watch the show. He floated Vinyl around, moving in a near perfect rumba box step that had a lot of fancy flourishes and stutter steps. Vinyl clung to him like a second skin, her teeth visible in her wide, ear to ear grin.

When the music presented the opportunity, Tarnish, moving on the fly, switched into a tango. As Tarnish changed his dance to the music, so to did the music change to his dancing. As he strutted across the dance floor, his head bobbing, and Vinyl held in his embrace, he realised that Octavia was doing the same with Maud, but Octavia still looked a little miffed.

Perhaps it was the saucy eyebrow waggle.

Tarnish felt Vinyl taking the lead and he found himself dancing a mambo mixed with disco dancing. He did his best to keep up, he could do the mambo, but Vinyl’s own flourishes were unique and something he had not encountered. Vinyl broke away for a moment and did a little dance, a cross between the mash potato and the bat pony-tusi, which made ponies watching cheer, hoot, and holler. She then grabbed Tarnish once more and began trying to get him to follow her lead with her funky improvised disco moves. Back and forth they went, with Vinyl pushing and pulling on him, strutting together, and Tarnish took note of everything he was doing so he could try it with Maud later.

As he and Vinyl sashayed back and forth, Tarnish was struck with an idea. Using his magic, he whipped Vinyl out and gave her a good spin. Dizzy, the flamboyant mare wobbled as Tarnish snatched her, pulled her close once more, and then took off with her.

Octavia’s mouth dropped open into an ‘O’ once more and Maud, being the helpful sort, reached up with one hoof, placed it on Octavia’s chin, and pushed upwards to close Octavia’s mouth before she could swallow a bug.

It could happen.

Having practiced his move, Tarnish did it again, flinging Vinyl around like a top, only this time, he launched her at Octavia. She went shooting off over the dance floor, spinning on her hind hooves, round and round she went, and as she spun near Octavia, Tarnish grabbed Maud in his magic, pulled her free of Octavia’s clutches, and with a strong jerk of magic, pulled her to him as Octavia caught a very dizzy Vinyl Scratch.

Wasting no time, Tarnish gave Maud a dip, ground his hips against her, lifted her up, and then set off with an odd mix of tango, mambo, and a few of Vinyl’s disco moves. He saw Maud’s eyebrow lift and his heart fluttered. She was reacting! Lifting his head, he looked over at Octavia, gave her a smug look, and waggled his eyebrows up and down in time to the funky beat of the music, doing so in perfect time to the horn section tempo.

So filled with self confidence, Tarnish began showing off, using his magic to assist him. He launched Maud up into the air, set her spinning, and her gown flew out from her as she soared overhead. He caught her, using his magic and his forelegs, gave her a saucy squeeze, and set her down upon the dance floor, where he sashayed away with her in a fancy stuttering box step tango.

But Tarnish wasn’t the only unicorn on the dance floor. Vinyl let go with a dazzling display of magical pyrotechnics as she and Octavia cut loose with a devastating dance that defied description. The two mares moved as one, their bodies pressed so tight together that it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. They danced with perfect trust and synchronisation.

A massive kettle drum had been wheeled into the ballroom and now, somepony was hammering away upon it in a musical frenzy, trying to keep up with the breathless tempo of the band.

Tarnish, having the time of his life, let out a steam whistle toot from his horn and gave Maud a spin followed by a dip. While he had her tilted over, he gave her a full body grind, rubbing himself against her, and he could hear the crinkle of her gown. Their eyes locked for a moment, and Tarnish was certain he saw something in their depths, but he didn’t have time to analyse it. He lifted her up, gave her a fling, and set her spinning like a top, causing the flared skirts of her gown to fly outwards, revealing Maud’s shapely legs and fishnet stockings.

Tarnish caught her mid spin and when he pulled her close, she had her back to him. He rubbed his hooves up and down her front and gave her a few friendly slow grinds from behind. There were gasps from those watching and Vinyl Scratch, who watched the shameless display, followed Tarnish’s lead.

Octavia was spun around like a top, caught, and then Vinyl too, gave Octavia a few slow grinds from behind as one of Vinyl’s hooves lingered near the base of Octavia’s crotch, which caused Octavia’s eyes to go wide as her cheeks took on a flustered pinkish hue.

The band was sweating while trying to keep up with the blistering pace.

There was a brilliant flash of light, which dazzled and confused Tarnish, and while blinded, he felt Maud being pulled from his embrace. Another pony took her place and when Tarnish could see again, he saw a very flustered Octavia looking up at him.

Tarnish spared no mercy. He was at the top of his game. Youthful confidence was on his side. He grinned down at Octavia, squeezed her close, and then, Tarnish gave her the business. She was heavier than Vinyl, more like Maud, but she was light on her hooves and reacted with speed and grace.

“Cheeky unicorns… why I never,” Octavia said in a heavily accented voice as Tarnish began to whisk her around the dance floor. “Be a good filly and marry a sensible earth pony, my mother said… harrumph!”

Tarnish paid her no attention but instead gave her a suggestive squeeze as they bounced around the floor. He tried some of Vinyl’s improvised disco moves and found that Octavia responded well. Of course she did, she had Vinyl as a dance partner. Glancing over, he saw that Maud also responded well to Vinyl’s improvised dance moves. He grinned as he gave Octavia a dip.

Without warning, the music shifted once again, and then with a clattering of hooves, Helianthus came clattering out on the dance floor as a funky variation of the Can Can played. She moved on two legs, a titan that towered over everypony else on the dance floor. She moved with amazing fluid grace and balance for one her size, her skirts swishing and flaring around her long, shapely legs, of which there were flashes as she whipped the flowing fabric of her gown around. Helianthus was a big, solid mare and her hooves thumped and thudded in time to the music, making their own funky beat.

Tarnish adapted, stomping in time to the music, and with a flourish, he flung Octavia to his side, his left foreleg locked with her right foreleg. They stood, side by side, forelegs locked together, hooves clattering, stomping and dancing in time to the music.

Not to be outdone, Vinyl came over and they formed an impromptu dance line when Vinyl looped her left foreleg around Tarnish’s right. The four now stood in a line, doing a funky Can Can dance, ears bouncing as they stomped their hooves together, kicked, and tried to mimic each each other's’ movements as much as possible.

Meanwhile, Helianthus was heating things up with a smouldering rendition of a Can Can dance, revealing tantalising flashes of muscular white legs. She moved with impossible grace for her size.

Just as things were heating up, a newcomer appeared. A pink pegasus burst into the ballroom wearing a dazzling sky blue gown covered in glittering rose coloured gems. Ponies gasped and the band played on.

“Helianthus! I’m sorry I’m late!”

“Dove! So glad to see you!”

The pink pegasus was much larger than the common pegasi, and she came sweeping across the dance floor on two legs, her sky blue gown flowing around her like water. She moved as if she was weightless.

Helianthus and Dove moved together on the floor, mirroring each other’s movements, causing all those in attendance to gasp with delight. The band was soaked with sweat and looked exhausted already.

“I just flew in from the frozen north, and hooo-weee, are my wings tired!” Dove cried as she danced.

“Dove, darling, you are terrible!” Helianthus whipped out her long, flowing skirts and slapped Dove with them.

Tarnish, who had Octavia on one side and Vinyl on the other, found that the positions were being changed. He found himself with Maud again. She was sweaty, damp even in places, and loose curls of her mane were plastered to her face and neck.

For a moment, she was the only pony in the room. He gazed into her eyes, transfixed, and then, overcome with amore, he kissed her. He didn’t care who might be watching, he never even thought about it, he went for the gusto and held nothing back.

A cacophony erupted as the music died. The musicians slumped down, breathless, unable to keep going, and the funky Can Can number ended. The kettle drummer fell down upon the floor, his barrel heaving. Tarnish and Maud kept smooching, oblivious to the fact that other ponies existed.

Helianthus, now on all fours, stood grinning and looking very pleased with herself.

Dove, late for the party, watched as Tarnish and Maud continued to engage in their noisy, sloppy, slurpy kiss, and her eyes glimmered with happy looking tears as her wings fluttered against her sides.

Vinyl Scratch, looking very pleased with herself, goosed Octavia and when Octavia opened her mouth to protest, Vinyl took the opportunity to follow Tarnish and Maud’s example. Octavia squealed in protest, but then melted and returned the passionate kiss to her mate, no longer caring about culture or sensibility.

“Well, I’d say the ball is off to a good start… once the band recovers, the fun can begin again… I think I need something to drink!” Having said what needed to be said, Helianthus sauntered over to the well stocked bar with her heart set on having a maretini.

For Tarnish and Maud, the night was just getting started…

Author's Notes:

This might need some editing and touching up. There will be an edited version later. Have fun, and leave a comment. I've never attempted anything quite like this before. Opinions and feedback appreciated. Funnily enough, it was a bit like writing equine erotica.