Set In Stone

by kudzuhaiku

Chapter 18

Applebloom struggled to keep pace with the others, but she did not stop trying. Scootaloo was the pacesetter, leading them all on, Sweetie Belle was humming with concentration, and Applebloom merely struggled to keep up.

Sandow gently ran a wing along Applebloom’s back, urging her on. He danced beside her, his hooves easily picking out the rhythm and adding their own flourishes.

His wing was free from the bandage now, and it wobbled a bit as he danced. Sandow winced occasionally when his wing unfolded, but he did not break pace.

“Very good girls.” Flickershine said approvingly. “And very good Sandow.” Flickershine added, her tone silky. “I like what I am seeing.”

Sandow blushed, and kept dancing, trying to urge Applebloom on.

“I’m gonna drop!” Applebloom protested.

“Endurance!” Scootaloo shouted, her hooves flashing and kicking. “We started off in few minutes bursts and now we go for almost fifteen or twenty minutes at a time.” Scootaloo started to pant after she spoke. The little pegasus was getting tired.

Sweetie Belle was dripping sweat. The unicorn had become a little leaner, a little less jiggly. And she knew it. She beamed, sweat trickling, still dancing, keeping up with Scootaloo. Applebloom kicked it into gear and gave it a good old fashioned Apple try. She had lots of endurance when it came for farm work, but dancing was different. Dancing exhausted her mentally, trying to keep track of her hooves and their placement.

“Girls, you’ve actually moved past the twenty minute mark. Today, you broke the thirty minute mark.” Flickershine said, smiling radiantly.

Rarity, down in the audience, let out a cheer hearing those words, encouraging Sweetie Belle to keep going.

“I’m pushing for forty” Sweetie Belle grunted, her tongue now hanging out. Scootaloo nodded, now panting.

“I could keep going all afternoon if I had too.” Sandow said.

Applebloom stumbled, but recovered, a look of grim determination now upon her face, her little barrel flexing with each breath.

“Dontcha let me down ‘Bloom!” Applejack shouted, sitting next to Rarity.

“Show ‘em how it is done Scoots!” Rainbow Dash cheered, waving a hoof in the air, hovering and bouncing around mid-air with excitement.

“The girls are getting really good.” Twilight Sparkle agreed.

“Yay!” Fluttershy cheered, her voice completely unheard over the clattering of tap dancing hooves. She waved a hoof in encouragement.

Pinkie Pie was dancing on the grass, mimicking the movements on stage, her long tongue bobbing up and down with her movements. She had been dancing in place the entire time and hadn’t slowed down once. Her excitement peaked and she took off, doing cartwheels around the crowd and making woo woo noises.

Applejack shook her head at her cousin and let out a chuckle.

“That’s enough for today girls!” Flickershine shouted. “Forty one minutes.”

Scootaloo was the first to topple over, Sweetie Belle fell on top of her with a grunt, and Applebloom continued to stumble out a few more taps. She took a deep breath and then collapsed on the stage.

“Ugh, I am covered in a hot sweaty pony.” Scootaloo protested.

Rainbow Dash’s face turned an odd shade of purple-blue and then she exploded with laughter, slapping her sides with a foreleg.

“What’s so funny?” Scootaloo said, blinking, confused.

“Mmm. Hot sweaty pony.” Flickershine said, glancing at Sandow.

“I don’t get it.” Sweetie Belle panted.

Scootaloo managed to kick Sweetie Belle off of her with some effort. She rolled over on to her back, kicking out her legs, stretching, and then rolled over onto her stomach and regained her hooves. She trotted from the stage, got down into the grass, and rolled. “Ugh, Sweatie Belle.”

“I gotta go find Soarin’!” Rainbow Dash said, taking off suddenly, rainbooming off in the distance, once outside of town.

“Poor Soarin’.” Applejack said, taking off her hat and holding it over her barrel. “He’s in for quite a spell. Dashie looks flustered.”

“Getting to be about that time.” Twilight said, scowling. “Makes it impossible to study.”

“What time is it?” Sweetie Belle said, standing up on her hooves.

“Time for ice cream.” Rarity said, her voice at a near panic, her eyes glaring daggers at Twilight Sparkle. “My treat. For everypony.”

Rarity took off, fillies now in tow, her friends eventually falling in behind her.

“And that just leaves us.” Flickershine said.

“Aw, I was hoping for ice cream.” Sandow said.

“Nothing stopping us. I’d like to watch you licking something.” Flickershine said.

Sandow fell silent. Something twitched in his wings. Something about Flickershine’s raised eyebrow was alluring. “Please don’t spring my wings. One is still kinda sore.”

Flickershine smiled. “I’ll go easy on you. Amazing dancing by the way. The last few lessons where you have stepped in with the girls, you put on an impressive display. I have to tell you, I like what I’m looking at.”

Sandow nodded. “I know.” He said shyly. “And you tell me every chance you get.”

“Let’s go get ice cream.” Flickershine said. “And I’ll behave. If I feel like it.”

---

“Aw, look at those two.” Pinkie Pie said to Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight nodded and continued to sip her milkshake ferociously.

“I’m happy for him.” Applejack said, leaning on Pinkie Pie.

“Love never seems to come for us.” Pinkie Pie said sadly.

“We’re all the right ages, we all durn good lookin’, and we all have a lot to offer. And nuttin’.” Applejack replied.

“Maybe we should date each other.” Twilight Sparkle said nonchalantly.

“What?” Asked Applejack.

“Twilight Sparkle, have you been awake for days studying something?” Rarity said, eyeing three fillies and hoping they were out of earshot.

“Yes, the solution to not being able to find a date.” Twilight said in humdrum tones. “The book said to ask out your friends. And based on the description in the book, we all go out on dates all the time. We’re doing it right now.”

Rarity and Applejack squirmed in unison.

“This is why I don’t leave the house.” Fluttershy said. “Life outside my front door is complicated.” Fluttershy began to fret. “Ooh, I don’t want to break up with anypony and hurt their feelings.” She began to look around the room at her friends. Tears began to fill her eyes and she ran out of Sugarcube Corner, crying and squeaking.

“Excellent work Miss Sparkle.” Rarity commented, raising her eyebrow, causing Twilight to snort in frustration.

“Rarity, we went to the Grand Galloping Gala together, had a terrible time apart, and then had a wonderful time afterwards once we were together again.” Twilight snarked in logical and straightforward tones. “On my birthday, we all danced together in a conga line with one another instead of other ponies.”

“Twilight Sparkle you’re scaring me.” Pinkie Pie said, her eyes wide with fear.

Twilight ignored Pinkie and instead stared at Sandow and Flickershine. “It isn’t fair.” She said, waving a hoof in an annoyed gesture. “The one stallion I was sort of interested in is up in the Crystal Empire, far, far away. Rarity, you and Applejack bickered over Tenderhoof. Pinkie Pie, has Cheese Sandwich even written you back yet?”

Every head around the table drooped. “Wow Twilight,” said Pinkie, “you’re a lot of fun today, you know that?”

Twilight’s scowl intensified. “I am going to eat chocolate until my backside explodes with plot pimples.”

“Twilight Sparkle!” Rarity cried. “You can’t mean that!”

“Try me.” Twilight Sparkle said.

Comments

[Trent Roogna]

"This is why I don’t leave the house.” Fluttershy said. “Life outside my front door is complicated.”

My dear Flutters, I know exactly how you feel.

[Wellwater]

Uhhhhh.

What?

There's an awful lot of do not want in this chapter. Please go back to fun stuff with Sandow, and not all this random unrelated innuendo and dubious shipping.

[kudzuhaiku]

4230939

Relax, stay calm, and take a deep breath.

Now pay attention to these words:

"No actual ponies were shipped in the making of this story."

Take another deep breath. Feel better?

It is intended as exposition for Applejack to do a little bit of character reflection in the next chapter, which will, in turn, lead her a little closer to Sandow, understand herself a bit more, and cause some reflection on what it means to be an Apple.

And now, I shall repeat:

"No actual ponies were shipped during the making of this story."

And you, you there, in the back, pipe down. I hear your comments about Rainbow Dash. She never found Soarin'. She ran into those funky cloud gremlins again instead.

[Gyro Pony]

Twilight? A stallion far, far away in the Crystal Empire??
wtf?!
I thought only Apples did that stuff......

[kudzuhaiku]

4232116

I very bravely referenced Flash Sentry.

And I think I got a downvote for it. Yikes. Everypony hates Flash.

[NobleValor]

4232164 Don't see why. I mean there's barely enough character in Flash Sentry to hate.

[Hearnishere123]

4555558
For the very reason we hate him. They tried to ship a one layered character meant to be a stand in for a strong male stereotype that comes in to save the day. Many can agree that Twilight does not need a stereotype knight to protect her, but some above average intellect pony that he can have deep conversations with. She does not "need" somepony like this, but she deserves it. Add in the fact that you can throw away all Flash`s scenes and he literally serves no point but to add upon the already padded run time.

He could have been used as a tool to clean up the pointless arcs here and there, but wasn't. Ask me if you want an example.

[Scarheart]

Sexually frustrated Twilight is frustrated sexually.

[Daemon_Spectre]

i.ytimg.com/vi/K8_ad8b1ziw/maxresdefault.jpg 5129293

[Science-Mare]

5282116 stahp....I haven't stopped laughing at that pic for 15 minutes, and I go to close it and I crack up again

[Emperor]

Sweetie Belle was dripping sweat. The unicorn had become a little leaner, a little less jiggly.

Don't worry. You'll always be the fanbase's little marshmallow.

Pinkie Pie was dancing on the grass, mimicking the movements on stage, her long tongue bobbing up and down with her movements. She had been dancing in place the entire time and hadn’t slowed down once. Her excitement peaked and she took off, doing cartwheels around the crowd and making woo woo noises.

That mare's a girl of many talents, a polymath of physical pursuits I tell you.

Twilight snarked in logical and straightforward tones. “On my birthday, we all danced together in a conga line with one another instead of other ponies.”

Yes Twilight, but that's the key word, danced. With you, it's less a dance than some sort of horrifying ritual movement that will summon Death, Destroyer of Worlds.

But Rainbow Dash doesn't seem to have much problem with finding a (male) special somepony...not sure how Scoot's comment about a hot sweaty pony would set her off like that, though

[DragonMaus]

6348438
From the sound of it, they're heading into eustrus season, so Rainbow Dash is probably on a bit of a hair trigger.