Shut Up And Dance

by TheVClaw

Chapter Seventeen: The Third Round - The Disco

Even with the countless activities and events that were happening all over the city, the Las Pegasus Grand Stadium was packed with ponies from all over Equestria who came to see their main event. It may have only been the Quarter-Finals of the Equestrian National Dance Competition, but the crowds were still abuzz with activity in anticipation for the event. Of course, the added spice of gambling thrown into the mix was probably the biggest reason why so many ponies were here. From the highest elite of the casino districts to the lowly ticket-scalpers in the cheapest seats, it was clear that Las Pegasus knew how to spice up a dancing competition to its highest caliber.

The lights began to dim over the packed stadium, and the loud murmuring from the audience died down as the remaining lights illuminated the dance-floor of the stage below. Off to the sides and away from the lights, the first four groups of dancers were seated in nervousness while hearing the announcement over the loud speakers: “Fillies and Gentlecolts! Welcome to the Quarter-Final round of the Equestrian National Dance Competition!”

While the excited roars of the audience echoed throughout the massive domed space, Apple Buck took a shaky breath while latched to his seat. Even though he didn’t want to be seen so openly worried, it was fairly hard not to be freaked out with the knowledge that he and Twinkle Toes were the first couple to perform. Plus, the fact that he was wearing suspenders over some weird “trendy” t-shirt, combined with super tight pants and a ridiculous old-man cap, just made him feel like a complete goofball. He looked over at his partner, who had a thick pair of empty eyeglass frames over her face, and a lacey pink sundress that looked like something straight out of Clawchella. But despite the odd clothing choices her Dads made for her, Apple Buck blushed a little at how cute the filly still looked.

Regardless, the colt coughed apprehensively while looking away from her, hoping the darkness would help conceal his red cheeks. Luckily, it seemed that the filly was looking downright giddy while bobbing up and down in her chair in anxious wait, completely unaware of her partner’s bashfulness. Meanwhile, an older grey stallion with a nice tuxedo and an eyepatch appeared in the middle of the stage, holding a microphone in his magic while addressing the crowd. “Alright, everypony! Who’s ready to see our first dance?”

The crowd applauded loudly in response, clearly getting antsy due to their bets. After motioning for Apple Buck and Twinkle Toes to step forward, the announcer spoke back to the crowds while introducing the couple. “Okay, just as a recap, the highest scores our dancers can receive is a ten from each of our three judges. So to start things off, let’s see how our first couple will do with their Charleston. Here’s Apple Buck, with his partner Twinkle Toes!”

Apple Buck gulped while walking forward onto the lit stage with his dance partner. Since the lights were only on them, the colt had no idea where his friends or family were. But after looking back at Twinkle, who still had a smile as wide as ever, the colt was able to take a breath to help get himself settled. Since they already practiced their dance a dozen times over, Buck exhaled smoothly and got his lucky red bandana tied around his neck. And with the announcer quickly leaving the stage, the two kids got into position in wait for their song to start playing.

Meanwhile, Elusive was fidgeting uncomfortably as he shoved his hind legs into his faux-leather leggings. Even though the garment itself wasn’t constricting, it was still a massive pain due its immense tightness. Fortunately, the aid of the unicorn’s magic was just barely enough to slide the remainder of his legs through the tight fabric after a strained groan. Rainbow Blitz, who already had his black and metal-spiked vest over his torso, just sat and watched his friend with a flat stare. “Jeeze,” said the pegasus with a raised brow, “and you complain about me eating too much.”

“Blitz!” snapped Elusive with a warning growl, “leggings are meant to be tight! And if you try to insinuate that I gained weight, I will not hesitate to throw away all of your energy drinks!”

Rainbow scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I’m sponsored by Red Manticore,” the stallion pointed out. “I get cases of their drinks for free! That’s not much of a threat, dude.”

Elusive groaned strongly while his cheeks grew a hint of red. “Rainbow, I really do not need any more frustrations today! And while I can understand why you’re acting so bitter, I don’t appreciate it one bit! Especially after I apologized profusely!”

“Well, how do you expect me to act?!” Even though he accepted Elusive’s apology, the pegasus was still clearly upset when he replied, “If you remembered to lock the damn door, Dusk Shine wouldn’t have walked in on us in full makeup looking like we were about to kiss! That doesn’t really help all the assumptions we’re already getting from ponies!”

“Okay, did you just forget the first ten times I said I was sorry?! It’s not like I meant to make them see that!”

After a brief sigh, Blitz looked away with a brooding pout still on his face. While Elusive groaned and went to pick up his own vest, he heard his friend mutter to himself, “He probably thinks we’re into clown-sex or something.”

“Oh, I do not think he’s assuming that!” chided the unicorn strongly while shooting a disgusted look at Blitz. “In fact, why were you thinking that?! Is that really a thing?!?”

“Actually, yeah,” answered Rainbow with a weirded-out scoff. “Bubble Berry showed me a clown porn video he had. I swear, that guy has every weird-ass dirty movie you can think of in his party cave!”

Elusive’s jaw was agape while gawking at his friend, unsure whether or not to ask if he was joking. It took a couple seconds before he decided against pressing that subject as he looked away. “You know what? I’d rather not know.”

“That’s probably for the best.” Remembering some of the other film reels his pink friend owned, Rainbow shuddered as he tried not to be reminded of some of them. Berry might have found his friend’s reactions to be hilarious, but the pegasus never needed to have known that a mare could do something so vile with a trumpet. Luckily, the dressing room’s walls were thin enough that they could overhear the cheerful music that began to blast from the main stadium.

Realizing what indie song it was, Blitz’s ears raised in pleasant surprise. “Oh, hey. I know that song!”

“Me too…” Elusive grew an impressed smirk as he shrugged and put on his padded vest. “I have to admit, that song actually would work fairly well for a Charleston.”

“Yeah, maybe,” said Blitz in reluctant agreement. He could also overhear the faint clapping from the crowd alongside the beat of the song as he added, “It definitely fits that ‘Hipster’ thing Applejack was talking about too.”

After zipping his vest up, revealing the intricate jeweled design that was embroidered on his chest, Elusive noticed the uncomfortable look Blitz had on his face while listening through the wall. He put out a hoof to grab his attention as he asked, “Ummm, is everything alright, Rainbow?”

“Hm? Oh! Ummm…” Blitz shook his head clear and sighed shamefully. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just, uhhh… is it bad that I don’t know whether or not I should root for them?”

Elusive’s head reeled back in confusion. “Wait, what?!”

“You know what I mean!” despite the flustered tone he had in his voice, Blitz tried to explain while looking away with an uneasy skew of his muzzle. “Like, I really do want those two to kick ass and all, but… well, with that blackmail we have…”

Elusive sighed and walked up towards the makeuped pegasus. “Blitz, it’s okay,” he assured calmly. “This is a competition after all. I mean, I certainly don’t want them to fail either. But then again…”

After taking a moment to think it over, the unicorn meagerly shrugged and said in addition, “If we were to not get the top placement this round, I… honestly wouldn’t be too upset if it was by them. I mean, they are our friends, and they--”

Before he could finish his statement, Elusive was interrupted when he and Blitz overheard a low and collective groan from the crowd through the wall. The music was still playing cheerfully, but neither of them could hear clapping anymore. Elusive gasped with a hoof over his mouth as he realized what may have happened. “Oh no! Did… did they…”

Blitz didn’t want to say anything, but he heard enough crowd reactions to know when a routine messed up. And from the sound of that groan, it seemed like Apple Buck and his partner did something bad. The pegasus tried his hardest not to wince while looking back at the worried Elusive. “I’m not gonna lie, that didn’t sound good.”

“Ugh!” Elusive covered his face with both hooves, being careful not to mess up his makeup as he exhaled with a strong cringe. Blitz was still listening to the music through the walls, and could hear some of the clapping returning at a slightly lighter volume. Meanwhile, Elusive finally dropped his hooves and said insistently to his partner, “Rainbow, we can NOT tell Applejack what we were discussing just now!”

Blitz stared back at the unicorn like he was an idiot. “What, you think I actually would?! Besides, it not like we jinxed them or something!”

“Perhaps not, but I don’t want HIM to think that!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t say anything!” Blitz shook his head as he rolled his eyes. “Seriously, I’m not that stupid.”

“I’m not saying you are. I just don’t want him to think we don’t feel bad.” Noting the sounds of clapping through the walls as well, Elusive then added with a more optimistic shrug. “But then again, maybe they didn’t make that big of a mistake.”

“Who knows?” asked Blitz with a worried-sounding huff. “That reaction sounded really bad though.”

After the song concluded, Rainbow Blitz leaned his head in closely against the wall, but not touching it due to the makeup still drying on his face. The announcer’s voice was very muffled and hard to make out, but the pegasus was able to determine the scores announced as his eyes narrowed in concentration. After hearing the applause from the crowd, Blitz sucked some air through his teeth and backed away. Elusive wasn’t too keen on seeing his friend react that way, but he still asked hesitantly, “S-So… what’s their score?”

Blitz sighed and said worriedly, “Twenty two. Two sevens and an eight.”

Despite that score not being horrible by any means, Elusive still cringed. “Oh dear,” said the unicorn fretfully. “I really hope it wasn’t that bad.”

Unfortunately, the unmistakable sound of a filly wailing from the distance seemed to have proven the unicorn wrong. By the time the two opened their door to look out into the hallway, Twinkle Toes was already rushing back to her dressing room while bawling. Blitz and Elusive managed to catch a quick glimpse of the filly when she ran past them, tears running down her eyes and the bottom of her dress ripped quite noticeably. However, Elusive seemed to catch one more detail as he popped his head from the doorway and saw Twinkle run to her dressing room. “Was… was she bleeding?!”

“What?!” Rainbow looked out into the now empty hallway as well. “Where?!”

“I think it was her nose,” answered the unicorn, who had to hold a hoof to his chest while breathing out painfully. If that image of the crying filly wasn’t enough to break his heart, her audible sobs from her dressing room was certainly enough. “Oh! I hope she’s okay.”

Fortunately, Twinkle Toes was alone in the dressing room for only another moment before Apple Buck rushed down the hallway. He was still wearing his clothes, looking fairly untouched aside from the small scuff on the bottom of his chin. Both of Twinkle’s parents ran in as well, with Curtain Call carrying a pained scowl with tears building up in his eyes. By the time Elusive and Blitz exited their dressing room to see what was going on, Apple Buck was frantically trying to open the door while Curtain Call was cursing himself through sobs. “I should’ve shortened that dress, I KNEW I should’ve shortened that dress!”

Press Bar looked disheveled as well, but he still wrapped a hoof around his husband affectionately for support. “Honey, no! It wasn’t your fault, okay? It was an accident! Do not blame yourself for this!”

“Twinkle Toes, please open the door!” pleaded Apple Buck with a couple bangs of his hoof against it. Unfortunately, the only response he got from the other side was Twinkle’s voice wailing even louder.

Elusive tried his hardest not to start tearing up, not wanting to mess up his makeup so soon to their own performance. While the unicorn looked away and focused on his breathing, Blitz stepped in towards the group to ask, “Guys, what the hay happened?!”

Press Bar was holding Curtain Call close against his shoulder, but he still said with a breath before looking towards Rainbow, “Right before the chorus, Twinkle’s hoof caught onto the bottom of her--GAAAHHH!”

Upon seeing Rainbow Blitz’s garishly detailed costume and makeup, the yellow stallion reeled back like it was a horror movie monster. Apple Buck paused his banging as well upon noticing Blitz and Elusive’s costumes, although his reaction was nothing more than a couple seconds of keeping his lips shut to keep from laughing.

“Shut up, it’s glam rock!” chided the pegasus towards Apple Buck before he could say anything about their look. Rainbow then turned back to Press Bar and said after a breath, “So… did she fall or something?”

“On her face,” muttered Curtain Call with strong guilt while latched against his husband’s shoulder. “Apple Buck was pulled down too. H-Her nose was bleeding the whole time, and by the time it was over she just…” He had to sniff a couple times, but it was clear it’d be a losing battle to try and stop crying while hearing his daughter continue to bawl behind that dressing room door.

Blitz winced painfully at seeing how badly Twinkle’s parents were handling this, not to mention from knowing what occurred. He looked back at Apple Buck with a bit lip and asked him, “Are you okay, Buck?”

“Yeah,” he quickly said while trying to pull the door knob with all his might. “I just got my chin a little scuffed. Nuthin’ too bad.” He tried to shove all his body weight against the door with a couple of string pushes before yelling, “Twinkle, PLEASE! We’re gonna be fine!”

Twinkle Toes’ sobbing stopped for a brief second, but only for her to collect her breath before wailing out, “GO AWAYYYYY!!!”

Apple Buck cringed at hearing that, but stopped trying to break down the door as he stepped back and heard her continue to sob. In an effort to lighten the mood a little, Rainbow glanced back at his friend, who was currently looking away with his side leaned against the wall, before saying, “Honestly, getting a twenty-two out of thirty is pretty damn impressive after a fall like that!”

“That’s what I was saying!” said Press Bar in response, making sure to give the pegasus a thankful nod. The unicorn then went back to stroke his husband’s salt-and-pepper mane while saying, “They still have a chance! This is the hat-draw round, remember?”

“Th-That’s right!” shouted Apple Buck before rushing back to the door. He didn’t try to break it down, but he still spoke through for Twinkle Toes to hear, “Twinkle, we might not lose this round! You saw what some of the other dancers are doin’, right? Maybe some of ‘em will stink!”

Elusive managed to collect his breath enough to maintain composure before turning around. “I have to agree with Apple Buck,” he said optimistically towards Twinkle’s parents. “I mean, the Ballet alone would be a hard dance for any novice to learn in a week! Same with the Bhangra.”

“You heard that, right?” asked Buck through the door while motioning towards Elusive. “We still might win this! Heck, we got a twenty-two!”

Even though Twinkle wasn’t bawling at the top of her lungs anymore, her sobbing was still clearly audible between her shaky-sounding words. “P-Please… Just… Just leave me aloooooooone!!!”

That was when Twinkle Toes’ sobbing returned just as painfully as before. Apple Buck looked like he wanted to cry from how badly his muzzle wrinkled, but nothing was able to come out when he clenched his eyes shut momentarily. When he reopened them, the colt glanced back at her Dads for a brief moment, noting how worried both of them looked before saying back through the door, “Twinkle, it wasn’t yer fault what happened! Heck, it wasn’t nopony’s fault! Accidents like this happen! It was just a wardrobe… confusion?”

“Malfunction,” Elusive corrected.

“Yeah, that’s it! It was just a wardrobe malfunction! And honestly, it ain’t even that bad!”

“Buck, please just SHUT UP!!”

The colt winced from that outburst she gave, but he knew it was more emotional than anything else. Apple Buck breathed out deeply before restarting his assurance. “Twinkle, just… Just think about if it was me, alright? Like, imagine if it was me out there dancin’ in a big, frilly dress! How’d ya think I’d look doin that?”

Twinkle’s crying died down momentarily, and her Dads moved in a little closer to the door to try and overhear her. Eventually, her sniffles were faint enough that the sounds of the foreign-sounding song from the stadium could be heard softly from a distance. Of course, the group heard Twinkle Toes make a small giggle from inside the room, clearly having thought about Apple Buck’s suggested mental image.

“Yeah, see?” said Apple Buck with a more optimistic smile on his face. “Ah’d look mighty silly if Ah did that, right? And Ah’d probably fall on my butt a dozen times too! But you only fell once.”

Rainbow Blitz stepped in to add, “And you know what? You still got an applause after that dance! Elusive and I both heard it! I’ve seen guys in flight routines mess up one trick, and it completely threw them off for the rest of the round. I’ve even seen a couple flyers quit after one mistake, but you didn’t! You kept going, brought the crowd back, and even got an eight at the end. That’s pretty badass in my book!”

Even though Twinkle Toes’ parents usually disapproved of that kind of language around their daughter, the two still smiled at hearing those optimistic words. Apple Buck gave him a thankful nod as well. After taking a moment to collect his thoughts, the colt took a breath and knocked on the door softly. “Twinkle, can ya at least let me come in? Ah don’t want ya to be completely alone right now, and yer Dads wanna make sure yer okay.”

Press Bar went up to the door as well and added lovingly, “Honey, please. I know you’re upset, but we all love you. And we couldn’t be prouder of you if we tried. It’s not the end of the world, I promise.”

Twinkle could still be heard crying, but it was a lot softer than before. However, the filly didn’t say anything in response to her Dad’s statement. Several seconds passed, with nothing being heard but the announcer’s muffled voice during the judging of the second dance of the competition. By the time another round of applause could be heard, the door finally unlocked. Twinkle Toes slowly reopened the dressing room door, tears matted on her cheeks as she looked out to see Apple Buck’s warm smile. Even though there was a noticeably large amount of dried blood on her snout from that fall, the colt couldn’t have cared less as he lunged forward and gave her a strong hug. Twinkle was taken aback for a moment, but her reddened eyes soon began to tear up once more before hugging him back just as tightly.

Her Dads rushed in to join in on the hug as well, and Rainbow Blitz stepped back with a touched smile at seeing that kind of resolution. Elusive was happy as well, but his response was to rush back to their own dressing room while bawling, “Oh no, I need to reapply my makeuuuuupppp!”

If it wasn’t for the overflow of emotions that happened in the past few minutes, Rainbow Blitz probably wouldn’t have been the only one to laugh at the unicorn’s dramatic exit.

However, two more ponies came rushing down the hallway before Apple Buck or the other two stallions could let go of Twinkle Toes. “Twinkle Toes! Apple Buck!” shouted the Hoofingtons, who were already in their baggy “thuggish” attire as they ran up with optimistic smiles on their faces. After Twinkle rubbed her eyes with a foreleg to look up at them, Julianne spoke up first. “Guys, you’re not the only ones to fall! We just saw the Bhangra performance, and they got straight sixes!”

“WHAT?!” shouted all the others at the same time in shock. Rainbow Blitz scoffed with his jaw gaped before asking, “How did that happen?!”

Derek made an uneasy shrug with a raise of his foreleg. “Weeellllll… It seemed like they didn’t exactly get their timing nailed down. Plus, the girl kept hitting her partner by accident during their flailing movements. It was pretty awkward to watch.”

“But still,” added Julianne as she kept her focus on the kids, “they ended up with a score lower than you guys! I know it isn’t exactly great news to hear, but we figured it’d be something for you two to know.”

While Twinkle Toes nodded her head faintly and smiled with a sniffle, Apple Buck wrapped a hoof around her shoulder as he said up to the Hoofingtons, “Well, we really appreciate hearin’ that. Thanks.”

While Twinkle was hugged by her parents and her partner again, the Hoofingtons soon had their eyes pinned on the lone pegasus in the hallway, who was still dressed up in his full-glam metal attire with his makeup unblemished. It seemed like the unicorns both wanted to say something in question to Rainbow Blitz’s outfit choice, but neither of them opened their muzzles. Of course, given the fact that the two were wearing matching green hoodies with purposely baggy pants and ridiculous-looking beanies (along with a couple checkered bandanas hanging from their necks), perhaps they knew neither of them could really talk about fashion choices. Alas, Derek was the first to make a reply as he narrowed his eyes on Blitz and asked, “So… glam rock disco?”

“YES!” shouted Blitz in sweet relief. “THANK YOU!”

---

By the time the competition came to the last three dancers, there was faint but still noticeable aura of unrest emanating among the crowds and competitors. Like the signs to an oncoming apocalypse, it seemed that Apple Buck and Twinkle Toes’ blunder was only the tip of the iceburg when it came to dancing mishaps. After the disastrous Bhangra that got a score of eighteen, quite a few ponies in the crowds were starting to wonder if a curse was going on. And with each flawed dance that occurred afterward, that rumor just seemed to grow more and more feasible.

However, it was fairly clear that string of poor routines during the Las Pegasus round was more a result of bad luck than anything else. The couple who had a Lindy Hop routine ended up getting the highest score of twenty-four, even though the stallion faltered a little with his steps near the end of their dance. Another couple managed to get a twenty-three for a burlesque routine, but the fact that the stallion was performing the more sensual moves was probably a big reason for their scores not being higher. The team who had Bridleway tried to have backup dancers in their rendition of a song from Hair Gel, but their constant bumping into each other resulted in the duo getting a dismal nineteen. And as for the Jitterbug couple, the two decided to wear shoes that were apparently a size too large for both of them; even though their poor timing could be blamed for getting a twenty, it was more likely that the judge who got hit in the head with a shoe had a different vendetta when he gave them a five. While watching from their seats at the side, Elusive and Blitz had to look around occasionally to make sure the Shim Sham Sisters weren’t sabotaging things.

By the time the end of the competition came looming in, the two stallions were seated next to the Hoofingtons in wait. But due to their equally silly-looking costumes, the fact that they had to be the final two acts of such a dismal night made their stoic positions in wait look that much more awkward. Both couples watched as the Ballet routine was happening on stage, with a beautiful orchestral melody playing over the speakers. The dancers actually seemed to be doing alright, at least in comparison to some of the earlier acts, but their choice of wearing skin-tight grey leotards made any of their synchronized moves a bit difficult to focus on.

Rainbow Blitz was carrying an uneasy skew on his muzzle when he leaned in towards Elusive and whispered, “Dude… please tell me I’m not the only one wondering if he stuffed his crotch with an eggplant.”

Elusive, who took notice to the stallion’s massive bulge as well, winced with a strong blush while watching the two twirl around the stage in unison. “I was going to guess a butternut squash.”

Blitz stifled a snicker from escaping his closed lips, but his head was still convulsing while staring at the couple. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until the stallion picked up his partner with her legs wrapped around his head that laughter began to erupt, and not just from Blitz either. Due to the mare’s close proximity of her groin to her partner’s face while being spun around the stage, it wasn’t hard to guess why the stallion’s crotch began to… become more noticeable. By the time the mare was dropped back down with her hind legs clinging around his waist, there were more than a few notes of laughter from the audience when it became clear the stallion had an erection.

Of course, it seemed that the mare herself found out the worst way possible while around his waist. Upon realizing the pony spinning her had his package prodding her rump, the mare threw herself off in disgust and shouted, “EWWWW!!!” Even though the two had a solid chance throughout most of their routine, it was obvious they weren’t moving forward as the mare ran off the stage from her… excited partner. Before the song was even finished, the stallion ran away as well with a hoof covering his crotch. But despite that ending, their routine created the loudest round of applause by a landslide.

Even Elusive and Blitz were clapping alongside the Hoofingtons, all of whom laughing guiltily at what they just witnessed. Since the dancers were long gone from embarrassment, the announcer was left alone as he trotted back on the stage and tried to calm down the audience’s hysterics. “Okay, okay guys. Let’s not go too hard on those two.”

That just made the crowd laugh even harder, and the stallion had to huff with a blush at the realization of how poorly-worded that statement sounded. After sighing with a hoof over his face, the announcer pointed towards the judge’s table and said, “You know what, let’s just hear the scores from the judges.”

Elusive and Blitz were the first to get themselves to stop laughing, and sat in wait to hear their scores. If the couple managed to get a score lower than twenty-two, then Apple Buck and Twinkle Toes would technically have the third-highest score of the round so far, and automatically move forward despite their fall. Most of the audience died down as well as the judges individually brought up their scorecards.

“... Seven!”

“... Seven!”

Despite it being a dancing competition, Rainbow Blitz was actually at the edge of his seat with his bottom lip bit tightly. In fact, the stallion’s tension was so high that he didn’t even realize he was holding his partner’s hoof in anticipation. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like Elusive noticed as he repeatedly muttered under his breath, “Seven or lower, seven or lower, seven or lower…”

With the crowd now dead silent in wait, the stallion took a second before pulling up his scorecard to give his score. “... SIX!”

There was a mix of applause and groans from the audience, but very few of them were as loud or obvious as Blitz and Elusive cheering happily. Since the dancers who just lost were nowhere to be seen, neither of them felt too bad for applauding in celebration of their friends staying in the competition. Across the stage, some especially strong whoops and hollers could be heard from the Apple family, who were cheering and hugging Twinkle Toes’ parents in relief. Meanwhile, Buck and Twinkle themselves were hugging strongly in the backstage area while struggling not to cry in joy.

After almost a minute of applause and reaction from the audience, the announcer cleared his throat and continued with the show. “Alright, guys! We have two more acts to go, so who knows what’ll happen! Will either of them make it to the Semi Finals in Manehattan as well? Or will our top three couples be joined by somepony else?”

Carrying an excited smile on his muzzle to keep the audience pumped, the grey stallion pointed a hoof towards the remaining two couples and introduced the second-last act. “Performing a Hip-Hop routine for this round, here are the Five-Time ENDC champions, Derek and Julianne Hoofington!”

The twins hopped out of their seats excitedly, looking quite hyped as the audience cheered them on. Elusive and Rainbow sat in their chairs with slight worry, both of them already knowing that a lot of ponies were rooting for them because of that gambling ring. But instead of trying to dwell on that unfortunate source of motivation, the two could only watch as Derek placed a fake boombox on the judge’s table while under a single spotlight. After clicking the Play button, the stage lit up as the loudspeakers above the couple blasted out an old-school rap track:

Unsurprisingly, the enthusiastic first steps of the dancers at the opposite ends of the stage, combined with the nostalgically catchy beat, got most of the audience clapping along before the Hoofingtons even began to move towards each other. Much like their outfits, the couple’s steps were near-identical as they worked in synchronicity with their Hip-Hop inspired moves on the dance floor. Even if it was just one of the unicorns performing out there, the sweeps of their legs and their flowing movements looked just as experienced as most professionals in the genre. When the siblings were finally in position side-by-side, their steps became full-body with some synchronized breakdance moves that drove the crowd wild.

Elusive looked especially surprised when he saw Derek rush out to the middle of the stage and perform a flawless breakdancing spin; meanwhile, Julianne was hopping around with a hoof out to the crowds to get them even more hyped up. But before Elusive could wince and worry about how well their act could go in comparison, Rainbow Blitz nudged him and whispered confidently, “We could’ve totally done that if we got Hip-Hop.”

Despite how intimidating Derek and Julianne’s moves looked as they continued their amazing routine, Elusive had to shrug in slight agreement to his friend’s claim. He may have been very impressed with the Hoofington’s skills, but their act definitely looked like something the unicorn would’ve planned out for himself and Blitz if they got that dance choice. Of course, Elusive shot a smirk back at Rainbow and replied, “Well, I wouldn’t have had us wear clothes like that.”

The pegasus scoffed with a smile back at him, but still nodded his head in response. Meanwhile, the Hoofingtons quickly pulled their bandannas off their necks and threw them up in air as a bongo beat played. While Julianne spun around to grab Derek’s bandanna, the stallion had to step out a little further than his sister to grab her’s. However, the two were still in perfect timing with the music while using their cloths as part of their act. Elusive thought he noticed something during their bandanna throws, but he couldn’t place his hoof on it while the ponies continued.

After a brief part where the Hoofingtons had their beanies over their eyes, performing several spinning moves in unison while blind, they pulled them off to do some more couple-based steps as their finale. From Derek pulling his sister’s body over his foreleg for a quick flip, to Julianne doing the spinning move with her hind legs wrapped around her partner’s waist (fortunately without the same issue the previous couple had), the unicorns ended their dance on a high-note by having the mare flip over his body flawlessly. Julianne then sat on top of the stallion’s shoulders for their final pose, both of them showing off their trademark pearly-whites when their song ended.

Needless to say, the audience was roaring in applause after that refreshingly impressive display. Even Blitz and Elusive clapped respectfully, happy to see at least one act before them not make any big mistakes. While Derek pulled his sister off his back and gave her a strong hug, the announcer came back out on stage as the crowd continued to cheer for them. “Alrighty then! That definitely looked like one of the finer-tuned dances tonight! But let’s see how our judges rated the two of you!”

Unsurprisingly, it seemed like the judges already had their scores ready without much thought. Even though Blitz wasn’t holding his partner’s hoof this time, the two still appeared rather apprehensive while seated together in wait. If the Hoofingtons were to get perfect tens, then it wouldn’t have mattered how well their own scores would be. With the looming threat of the Sim Sham Sisters’ blackmail running through their minds, they could only watch in dread as they saw the scores being presented.

“... Ten!”

“... Ten!”

Elusive sucked some air through his teeth, and Rainbow Blitz’s ears lowered when he saw the last stallion pull up his card.

“... TEN!”

The audience cheered loudly in support of the twins, who seemed quite happy while hugging each other and hopping in glee. Meanwhile, Rainbow groaned painfully with his hooves over his face, hating that they pretty much lost before even getting the chance to perform. However, Elusive was quick to give him a hard nudge from the side so that he could grab the pegasus’ attention. But before he could open his muzzle to give some sort of inspiring or optimistic speech, the unicorn was interrupted when the announcer shouted, “Wait, wait! Wait a minute, everypony…”

Elusive and Blitz, along with everyone else, turned their attention to the announcer when a mare in thick glasses came out to the stage and whispered something into his ear. Nopony could hear what she said, but it was enough to make his brows raise in an instant. He then looked back at the judges for a moment before addressing the crowd, “Ummm… just a moment, we just need to second-check something…”

As the announcer and mare rushed over to the judge’s table, with the unicorns lighting up their horns in a huddle, murmurs from the audience began to rise in suspicion. Julianne Hoofington seemed a bit confused while looking over at what the judges were talking about. Unfortunately, she didn’t notice how badly her brother was sweating with his pupils shrinking in worry. Meanwhile, Rainbow Blitz tilted his head as he and his partner tried to fathom what was going on. The pegasus looked over at Elusive and asked, “What do you think it is?”

“Hmmm…” After a few seconds of thought, the stallion shrugged with a skewed muzzle and replied honestly, “I haven’t the slightest idea…” His attention then focused on Derek with his eyes narrowing on him. “... but I have a slight suspicion that he knows more than I do.”

Before Derek Hoofington’s face could grow any redder, the announcer came back out on stage and spoke into the microphone. “Okay, everypony!” he shouted as his tone became more serious. “It seems as if we have a slight issue in regards to Derek and Julianne’s performance.”

“What?!” shouted Julianne in surprise, but it only then that she began to notice how freaked-out her brother looked. While her gaze shot over at him with narrowed eyes, the mare from earlier came out with her horn lit and displayed a large projection recording of the Hoofington’s Hip-Hop routine in slow motion.

“Upon review,” continued the stallion as he pointed up to the routine, which was recorded at an angle that Elusive wasn’t able to see previously. The projection went in super-slow motion to show the two during their bandana-tossing moment. “We have found that Derek Hoofington performed an illegal usage of magic during their routine.”

Due to the perspective it was recorded from, the entire audience got a first-hoof look at Derek as he went to grab his sister’s bandana, and lit his horn for a split-second to pull it towards his hoof. The entire audience gasped in shock, and Julianne was staring major daggers at her brother while her muzzle was clenched shut. Elusive looked absolutely shocked, but Blitz just looked like he was about to burst out laughing.

“And according to the official ENDC rules,” said the announcer while pointing to the furious-looking Julianne and her brother, whose head was lowered with a deep blush, “the illegal use of magic by unicorn competitors during a dance means that the couple will receive an eight point penalty on their routine.”

Even though a score of twenty-two was still eligible for the next round, the couple winced from that detraction while hearing the audience react in shock and disappointment. Blitz’s ears perked up with a light gasp while gripping his partner with both hooves. And with the way Elusive’s eyes were wide-open as well, it looked like the two were stuck by divine intervention. The two stared at each other with a mix of surprise and awe, realizing that they still had a shot. Rainbow was the first to grin especially wide as he said between heavy breaths, “Dude… if we can get a twenty-five…”

Elusive beamed right back at him, no longer caring that the two were dressed like demonic party-clowns when he replied giddily, “Oh, I know we can!”

Before the Hoofingtons could even return to the seats with deflated expressions, Elusive and Blitz hopped out of theirs with confident and energetic smiles as they heard the announcer. “Okay, everypony. Now is the time for our final act of the Las Pegasus Quarter Final rounds…”

Dusk Shine and the others were already cheering loudly from their front-row seats, eager to see their friends kick some major butt. Scootaroll and Silver Bell were right beside them with their signs up in the air. Before the two could go out to the middle of the stage, Rainbow Blitz and Elusive noticed an eerie green glow from one of the sky-boxes above the crowd. Upon seeing the Shim Sham sisters in their luxurious seats, grinning down at the two with sarcastic waves of their hooves, the stallions’ hyped-up grins quickly turned to firm, brooding glares. Even though they felt like two gladiators having to perform for the entertainment for a couple of tyrants, Rainbow huffed before looking back at his partner. “You ready, dude?”

With a look as determined and bloodthirsty as his friend’s, Elusive had a burning intensity in his eyes as he nodded back at him. “I was born ready.”

After the two hoof-bumped with both hooves like a couple of athletes before a big game, the two rushed out to the middle of the stage and heard the announcer finish his intro. “... Performing a Disco routine, here are Rainbow Blitz, and his partner Elusive!”

Even though the applause wasn’t nearly as loud as the Hoofingtons, the two dancers were just glad they weren’t introduced as 'the first same-sex couple competing' again, After both of them took a deep breath, Rainbow motioned towards the sound-engineer to play their track:

Two spotlights of a light blue illuminated the dancers, who were standing back to back and pumping their hooves to the thundering bassline that rumbled throughout the stadium. But as soon as the guitar licks kicked in, the whole stage was lit up with a fiery yellow while the stallions spun around, with Blitz holding his partner for a flawless dip during the first chord. As soon as Elusive was pulled back up and spun around by the pegasus, the two were back on their hooves before the vocals picked up. And despite how out-of-place the artist or genre may have appeared for a Disco routine, the stallions’ first gyrating steps in unison looked perfectly natural to the song, even while spinning their hooves over their chest.

Blitz and Elusive had to stay close during the first section of lyrics of the song, mostly since it was too slow to try anything solo-based. Fortunately, the unicorn’s research paid off immensely as the two spun and held each other in tandem in something that almost looked like a tango. But with the kicks of Elusive and Blitz’s legs, combined with the flare they were able to exude during their joint spins, their disco-based steps were still clear as day despite the booming rock that guided their steps.

As soon as the energetic chorus picked up, most of the audience was in full swing while watching the stallions moving in tandem with their vibrantly fluid and well-rehearsed steps. Even when the two were holding each other during their spins or twists, neither of them felt the slightest bit uncomfortable while moving to the addictively catchy beat. In fact, Rainbow felt downright happy at actually moving so well to one of his favorite songs, even if his partner was a stallion. Of course, dressing up as two of the band members probably did a lot in making their routine look a lot less conspicuous to the crowd who were currently cheering and clapping along to their steps.

When Rainbow Blitz picked the unicorn up and raised him high for a spin in the middle of the stage, Elusive was more grateful about his wig not falling off than anything else. Even with all the gaudy additions to their forms with tacky clothing and makeup, the stallion was beyond pleased that it all came together without any major hiccups or malfunctions. Not a single step went out of line due to their garments, and their makeup wasn’t muddled or dripping in the slightest despite the sweat beading from their faces. To the audience watching, the dancers looked absolutely amazing while moving to the unexpectedly fitting beat; although if he were to ask Blitz how they may have looked, Elusive was sure that he would answer with a crass-sounding term like ‘badass’ or ‘totally lit.’

But to be fair, Elusive probably wouldn’t have argued with either of those terms as he danced alongside his partner with a wide smile on his face.

The very real danger of failure may have been looming over both of their heads, but neither of the glammed-out stallions could even think of anything remotely negative as they kept in tune to their energetically funky steps. Each of their steps aligned perfectly with how they rehearsed them, hitting the wooden floor of the stage in time with the beat of the music. Their eyes may have carried a burning glow of determination and tenacity fueled by vendetta against their foes, but the audience was more moved their flowing movements and confident smiles. With each step they finished, and each move they performed either together or alongside one another, their hearts thundered harder in their chests from the building tension of reaching that finale.

Like the elusive mountain-tops that a climber would see as they crawled up to the peak, Elusive and Rainbow Blitz had their minds in utmost focus as the end of their song came in. The vocals and guitar began to repeat itself between claps, and the stallions certainly didn't want to end the last dance of this round on a low note. After Blitz gave his partner a confident nod, Elusive saw it as the permission to end their routine the way the pegasus would’ve normally refused. But with the goal of winning flashing in both of their minds, the unicorn didn’t hesitate to climb up his partner and flip his own body upward hind legs first. While Rainbow spun around the middle of the stage, albeit with a slightly discomforted skew of his muzzle, Elusive’s hind legs wrapped around the back of the stallion’s neck while he leaned back and rode the centrifugal forces his friend was giving. Very fortunately, the awkward-looking positioning of the two stallions didn’t seem to turn that many of the crowd’s heads as they cheered loudly at their impressive-looking display.

After swinging one of his legs off of the pegasus’ neck, Elusive managed to flip himself around with one well-rehearsed spin and land in his partner’s forelegs, just as the song ended with one last booming chord. As the two stood with heavy breaths, both of them smiling huge at the realization of how well their routine went, there was nothing left to do but stand triumphantly while hearing the audience roar in applause.

The two saw their friends cheering especially loud in response to their act, legitimately blown-away by their interpretation of such a dated dance choice. Many ponies in the crowd were whistling, but none of them seemed to be as loud as Barb with her claws in her mouth. At hearing the uproar of celebration, it was hard for Elusive and Blitz to not start blushing profusely. Of course, Elusive also took the opportunity to give his partner a strong hug, which was returned almost instantly by the smiling pegasus.

The announcer came back out as the applause began to die down, and said cheerfully, “Well I gotta say, that was definitely a great way to end this round! How about you guys?!”

The crowd cheered once again in unanimous agreement. However, Blitz turned his attention back to Elusive while carrying a cheeky smirk. “So, ummm… can I let you go now?”

“Oh!” Upon realizing he was still wrapped in Blitz’s hooves, the unicorn was quick to pull himself off of him with a heavy blush. Meanwhile, the announcer looked towards the judges as they pulled out their score cards.

Elusive and Blitz had their hooves over each other’s shoulders while hearing the results:

“Nine!”

The crowd cheered, and the couple smiled wide as they held each other a little tighter.

“... Nine!”

Elusive hugged his partner again, his smile practically welded on his muzzle. While Blitz held him tightly with his bottom lip bit in anticipation, the two were on the tips of their hooves when the stallion judge pulled out his card:

“... TEN!”

The audience went wild, but not nearly as much as Blitz and Elusive. The pegasus clamped his forelegs around Elusive’s back before picking him up and spinning him around the room. And as soon as he let the unicorn go, Blitz was pumping his hooves in victory like he scored a touchdown. “YES!!! YES!!! YES, WE GOT A TEN!!!”

Upon seeing his friend’s equally excited smile, Blitz put his hoof out high in front of him. “Come on, man!” he screamed enthusiastically, “Don’t leave me hanging!! DON’T LEAVE ME HANGING!!!”

The unicorn usually would’ve been against giving something as ‘low-tier’ as a hoof bump in front of a crowd; but at that moment, Elusive was just as hyped as his partner, and only needed a second of contemplation before giving in. The stallion’s smile was just as wide as Blitz’s as he slapped his cyan hoof hard while screaming alongside him. Upon later reflection, Elusive would admit that it was one of the most “Bro-ish” things he ever did in his life; but at the same time, he could also say without hesitation that was one of the most lively moments he spent with his Wonderbolt friend.

Comments

[Brasta Septim]

Finally, it lives!

[BroBpony]

noice so far

[BroBpony]

noice so far

[Necrogen Lord]

0/10

Didn't make out in the heat of the moment - IGN

[TheVClaw]

8191875
That'll happen later in the story.

[Necrogen Lord]

8191881

I can't wait for the inevitable song and dance number about who goes on top.

[fireflutterpony]

8191888
Complete with Bubble busting out of Elusive's bedroom closet with an accordion to provide the song!

He was already in there prepping the 'Blitz And 'Lucy Totally Banged' party, after all.

[EpicFluffy]

However, it was fairly clear that string of poor routines during the Lag Pegasus round was more a result of bad luck than anything else.

I think you mean Las Pegasus and not Lag Pegasus