Dreams and Disasters

by Quillery

Chapter Twenty-One

Twilight was confused. No, confusion would mean a lack of understanding of the circumstances. She was in St. Poniesburg, there was no confusion there. Rainbow Dash was fluent in Trostky. That was jarring, but not completely implausible, considering her newly discovered family history. But, she also knew Rainbow Dash had a distinct dislike of things Twilight would consider high art or intellectual. So why in Equus would Rainbow Dash of all ponies be taking her to the Stalliongrad Ballet? Nevermind, then, she thought, confusion is a perfectly appropriate term.

Dash had a fondness of the country’s culture, perhaps it was from a familial sense of pride? Still, it was a performance of singing, dancing and fancy costumes. Twilight assumed that even Dash would find some reason to resist. She had been truthful, if blunt, about her lack of enjoyment of the art galleries of Prance, and Twilight had made a note to not accidentally subject her to more.

Regardless of all Twilight’s expectations, here Dash was of all ponies, leading her through the crowds of the theater towards their seats. She was grateful for her bright colors, or else navigating through the packed auditorium would have been impossible. She squeezed through the well dressed locals as they took their places, and Twilight found herself rushing what apologies she could as she tried to keep up with Dash in the aisles.

“Here we are, Twi,” Dash said. She stopped at a pair of seats in the middle of an aisle near the back of the room and sat down. Twilight eyed Dash and her seat cautiously.

Dash turned to her and frowned. “Something wrong, Twi?”

Twilight shook her head. “Um...no! Not at all.”

Dash patted the seat beside her. “Then sit down. The show’s about to start.”

Twilight blinked and slowly took her seat beside Dash. The lights of the room began to dim, followed by light applause drifting through the air. Twilight’s confusion grew as she heard Dash’s hooves joining in beside her.

The lights were nearly completely gone as the curtains began to climb and the applause faded. The humming of strings overtook the sounds of the crowd from the front of the theater as mist drifted from underneath the floor of the stage.

The rising curtain revealed a shimmering backdrop of painted glass and gems that brought fresh light to the room. Twilight’s ear twitched as she heard Dash’s chair squeak. She was leaning forward, resting her forelegs on the seat in front of her and propping up her chin. Her grin was growing.

The music was climbing in volume. It was a familiar song, one Twilight had heard years ago from her time in Canterlot. As the music became distinct against the echo of the hall, the curtains of the stage began to flutter aside. Earth ponies and unicorns began to prance into view, dancing spinning and twirling in perfect sync to the music.

Pegasi flew above them in formation, swinging around in the air. Each beat of the wings left sparkles in their wake as they dove to and fro above the stage. The unicorns below them snatched the glittering lights from the air in perfect timing, not interrupting their rhythm for a moment, and scattered them back with a burst of their magic which brought new life the the slivers of light.

Twilight’s eyes forced themselves shut as she began to blink. Her chest heaved suddenly as air chased down into her chest. She panted and shook her head and turned to the sound of Dash chuckling quietly beside her.

“They’re pretty amazing, aren’t they?” Dash whispered.

Twilight nodded, but said nothing.

“Well, don’t forget to breathe anymore, Twi. Cause they’re just getting started.”

Twilight found herself having trouble staying balanced on the edge of her seat the longer the show went on. After the first few acts, she lost all awareness around her. Her attention was completely focused on the stage and the dancers.

Oh, dancers is hardly the appropriate term, she thought. They are artists of rhythm.

She was unable to look away from their hypnotic routines. The moments in between the acts were torturous as she waited impatiently for the show to resume. Those seconds drifted on for what seemed like hours as she tapped her hooves together to mimic the flow of time.

Something tapped her shoulder. “Are you okay, Twi?”

She spun her head to Dash, who reared back. “Okay? I’m better than okay. These dancers are amazing!”

Dash smirked. “I figured you would like it.”

Twilight shook her head and gathered her thoughts. “Why, though?”

Dash frowned. “Why what?”

“Why did you bring me here? I’m enjoying myself, yes, but I’m so confused as to why you wanted to do this. This is so unlike you, Dash.”

Dash raised an eyebrow. “So I can’t enjoy the ballet, when it’s performers are required to have a high level of skill, speed, grace and agility to maintain their routines, much like a certain aeronautics team I’ve been trying to get into my entire life?”

Twilight blinked. “That’s… That makes sense, I suppose.”

Dash chuckled. “You suppose? I’ve been to these shows before when I was little. There’s plenty of reasons I enjoy it.”

The lights of the stage began to brighten again and the orchestra began to return to life. The curtains parted, revealing a single pegasus performer, balancing on a rope hanging down from the ceiling. Her mane flowed like a river of diamonds in the sky, almost alive like Celestia’s own mane. It wrapped around her ebon coat, and fluttered softly in the breeze caused by her gentle wing beats.

A tide of whispers and gasps rushed across the audience as the performer slid from the rope and drifted down. She hovered in the air, keeping herself afloat with the littlest of effort. Her movements her slow and fluid, deliberate and practiced, and each one captivating.

She was accompanied by her fellow dancers on the ground and in the air, all moving around her like water flowing around a stone in a roaring river. Her movements were silent commands to the group as a whole. It reminded Twilight of a time when she hid in the castle courtyard with her brother to watch the guardsponies train. Somehow, this one dancer controlled the moments of her kin without words, only movements. Twilight could only describe it as magical.

She touched down to the stage still standing on her hind legs. Her forelegs were lifted up around her head, her wings spread out. She towered over the earth ponies and unicorns on the ground with her. Her stature gave her an air of an intimidating individual, but her skill at dancing made her seem so fragile and delicate. She pranced across the stage on the tops of her hooves, using her wings for amazing leaps and bounds, her mane flowing behind her in a haze of twinkling lights.

Twilight could see the ripples in the audience shift their attention, rapt with her grace. She too felt it hard to look away. Her attention only broke when she felt herself being shaken.

“Twi?” Dash said.

Twilight shook her head. “Huh? Wha…?”

“The show’s over, Twi.”

Twilight’s heart gave a jump. “Wait, what? But it was just getting…” She looked to the stage, just as the curtain began to fall. The crowd started standing up and stomping its hooves in applause. Their cheers roared out across the room, and Twilight found herself lost in the moment. She glanced back at Dash, who was smirking.

“You kinda zoned out for a bit there, Twi. Almost twenty minutes.”

She blinked. “Really?”

“Yeah. That will happen with her. She’s another good reason I come to the ballet”

“Who was she? I’ve seen dancers before in Canterlot, but she… I can’t even begin to describe it.”

Dash smiled. ”Well, she is the best dancer in the world. She’s been performing since I was little, and I’ve seen a lot of her shows before.”

Twilight sighed. “I would love to meet her. I’ve never been so entranced by dancing before.” Twilight had little time to protest as Dash snatched her by the hooves and began leading her out of the theater, before the crowd surrounding them did the same.

Twilight followed Dash back out into the street’s of St. Poniesburg. Night had completely fallen, and the only light left were the twinkling stars above, and the candle lit lanterns lining the street.

“Dash, when I said I wanted to meet her, I was joking.”

Dash laughed. “Well, I’m not. You want to see her? So I’ll provide.”

Twilight snorted “Dash I highly doubt a renowned dancer of the Stalliongrad Ballet will have time for a couple of tourists. Even if we are well known.”

Dash scoffed. “Chillax, Twi. Just leave everything to me.”

Dash turned the corner into the alleys beside the theater. The exposed brick of the buildings gave a chill feeling to the air as Twilight stepped lightly into the darkened path. A steel door atop a stone staircase was the only feature, guarded by two gigantic stallions dressed in black.

Twilight froze. “U-um, Dash. I don’t think we’re supposed to be back here.”

Dash stopped and turned. “Relax, Twi. We don’t need to get any closer than we need to. We just need to sit and wait.”

And so they waited. Twilight could hear the sound of the crowd filing into the streets behind them. She turned to see them pass by the mouth of the alley, engrossed in excited conversation.

A groaning, metallic sound averted her attention to the steel door. Pairs of ponies exited the building, passing the guards with polite remarks. Many of them wore exquisite clothing and fluffy looking fur coats. Twilight frowned. “Since when do ponies wear furs?”

Dash laughed. “It’s something to do with the agreements with the dragons. Smaller ones have sharp claws good for skinning, so they skin most of their prey, and trade the pelts to ponies.” She shook her head. “It’s hardly something I would call “Fluttershy friendly,” but it’s how life is lived out here. It gets brutally cold in the winter. Even I would want a jacket or something in those times.”

A breeze blew through the alley, and Twilight drew herself as the cold overtook her. “I-I guess I can see that.” She snorted. “But it doesn’t mean I don’t have to like it.”

Dash smiled. “I’m not asking you to.”

Ponies continued to leave the theater. Some trotted past Dash and Twilight, others went deeper into the alley and vanished out the other side. Twilight started tapping her hooves on the ground as the sound of the audience had finally dispersed. The street behind her was nearly empty.

“I think we’ve stayed long enough, Dash. Maybe we should go?”

At that moment, the door swung open again. Much like the dance itself, the lead performer seemed to glide through the doors. She was bundled in a light coat and a white fur hat. Her eyes were trained forward in a stern, emotionless gaze as she strode down the stairs, and the guards bowed their heads low as she passed.

Twilight watched her as she descended, frozen still. The dancer turned away and began to trot slowly away down the alley. Dash, on the other hoof, charged forward. The guards turned their attention to her, and moved towards her.

“Dash!” Twilight said. “What are you doing!?”

Dash didn’t turn around. Instead, she started shouting in Trotsky. “Tetya!Tetya!!”

The dancer stopped and turned her head. Her eyes widened. “Prizma?” The guards nearly made it to Dash when the dancer shook her head and shouted. “Niet!” Her voice flew through the alley like a razor wind, halting the guards in their tracks. They turned to her and nodded, and slowly returned to their posts.

Twilight stood frozen as the pegasus approached Dash and stopped in front of her. A thousand thoughts went through her mind, most of them coinciding with how much trouble are we in? or how far can I teleport us away?

All of this planning fell apart the moment the dancer starting hugging Dash. The two of them started laughing and giggling, only further adding to Twilight’s confusion.

Dash finally broke away and beckoned Twilight over. “Twi, c’mere! I wanna introduce you to my auntie Aurora!”