Twinkle/TOCP's Thirty Minute Ponies Stories

by Twinkletail

Prompt #8: Dancing So It's Free

The prompt:

They danced
until rivers of sweat
poured down their sides
until their muscles
trembled
until they panted for air.
They danced
with all that they had and
all that they were.
They danced
because it was when
they danced
that they were
free.

(Write a story about ponies dancing. The above is offered to help inspire you as to determining these ponies’ motivations, feelings about dancing, etc.)

"Come on, Flutters!" Pinkie shouted over the music. "Shake that groove thang!" The yellow pegasus whimpered slightly as her partner went nuts on the dance floor, performing moves that she could never even imagine performing. She wasn't taken by surprise; Pinkie's dance moves were the stuff of legend, given her status as Ponyville's Premiere Party Pony and all. It was more that she felt embarrassed, because her dance moves, if one could even call them that, were not quite up to that level. She could bob her head just fine, although she didn't want to bob it too much because then ponies would notice how much she was bobbing her head and they would all turn and stare at her, and if she lost the rhythm for a moment all the ponies would surely laugh at her and she could never show her face here again and...

"Oh my..." Fluttershy squeaked. "Um...I'm trying..." She couldn't get the imagery of all the ponies on the dance floor belittling her out of her head, but she powered through and kept her little headbob going.

"That's more like it!" Pinkie exclaimed, even though Fluttershy hadn't changed a single thing about what she had been doing. "We've gotta keep this going if we wanna win!" It had been a very long night, and the dance floor was down to four couples. Every couple in Ponyville had come out that night for this dance-off. A big Ponyville event like this always drew big crowds, as the ponies loved getting together and enjoying themselves, but tonight's event was even more packed than usual, likely due to the prize being given out; an all-expense-paid week-long vacation for two to Las Pegasus for the last couple standing on the dance floor. Pinkie wanted this so badly. Las Pegasus really was her kind of city; flashing lights, constant music, and parties at every turn. It certainly wasn't the kind of thing Fluttershy normally would have gone for, but she loved Pinkie and wanted her to be happy, and if that meant spending a week in a big, loud, scary city with her, then it was worth it.

Lyra and Bon-Bon were the first of the final four to drop out. Lyra slipped during an otherwise-graceful spin, taking both herself and Bon-Bon down to the floor. As per the rules of the contest, if both members of a couple were knocked down, they were eliminated. Bon-Bon sighed and glared at Lyra, who offered a guilty "I'm sorry" smile.

Applejack and Rarity were the next to fall. AJ had been frustrating her fancy partner all night, as their dance styles, to say the least, clashed. Rarity had been trying to bring the rustic farm pony into a more sophisticated waltz, but AJ had other ideas, trying to convince the prissy pony to square dance. Somehow, despite all of this, it had worked for a while, but a misstep in a do-si-do collided with a fanciful sashay, and the two were floored. This would surely cause yet another argument between the odd couple, but their arguments usually didn't last very long, and the other ponies were convinced by this point that they only had so many arguments because they enjoyed making up.

Pinkie and Fluttershy looked across the dance floor at their only remaining competition; Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. This was a tough one, as Rainbow's energy nearly matched Pinkie's, while Twilight had been studying proper muscle care and made sure to pace herself with her less-than-graceful dancing. Plus, the blue pegasus was the competitive sort, and it wasn't exactly beneath her to do whatever it took to win a competition. Fluttershy whimpered again, as her neck muscles trembled from so much head-bobbing. Rivers of sweat poured down her forehead as she tried to keep her rhythm. Pinkie, on the other hand, was tireless, and continued on with impossible energy. Things started looking up for the pink baker and her nervous love, as Twilight was forced to bow out due to exhaustion. She was eliminated, but Rainbow's exuberant dancing was keeping them in the game. Fluttershy was too exhausted to go on. Still bobbing her head for the moment, she leaned over to whisper to Pinkie that she would have to go on without her. The yellow pegasus made a critical error, though, as Pinkie had to swing out of the way to avoid hitting her with an errant hoof while spinning. The pink baker lost her balance and spun out of control. She whizzed along the dance floor for a bit, finally crashing headlong into Rainbow Dash. The two most energetic ponies on the dance floor had been eliminated.

"Great!" Rainbow groaned. "A tie! What happens now?!" Pinkie shook her head out, then poked Rainbow and grinned.

"Nopey dopey!" Pinkie giggled. "No tie here!" She pointed a hoof towards Fluttershy, whose head was still bobbing. Rainbow facehooved as judges swarmed the poor, timid pegasus and congratulated her on her victory. Fluttershy managed a small smile in Pinkie's direction, and the pink baker jumped for joy over their success. "Great job, Fluttershy!" she bubbled as she bounced over for one of her patented biiiiiiiiiiig hugs. Fluttershy smiled meekly. In the back of her mind, she was panicking over the idea of a week in Equestria's busiest city, but the smile on Pinkie's face made it all worth it.

Comments

[Makokam]

Oh poor Flutershy.
But Whoo! Fluttershy won!

Very interesting take on the prompt.

[Focusphobia]

Where are these prompts coming from?