Intermission
Applejack took a seat in the participant section next to Pinkie and Maud. Fluttershy sat on the other side of the row, trying to take deep breaths, but each inhale and exhale was shaky.
“Don’t let Sunny intimidate you, Fluttershy!” Pinkie cheered. “I know you can give her a heck of a fight!”
“Th-that’s not all I’m w-worried about,” said Fluttershy.
“I’m sure Twilight and Rainbow Dash will be fine too,” said Applejack. “Dash just seems to get in a competitive spirit and I can’t fault her for that.”
“Plus, Twilight can handle herself,” Spike added.
Fluttershy bowed her head and whimpered.
“Trixie understands her concern.” Trixie grinned down at them from a few rows back. “When you face our class head on, it will be quite the show.”
“I’d hold your tongue if I were y—” Applejack’s eyes glazed over, and her lower jaw went limp.
Starlight marched up to join Trixie. “What was that about holding tongues?”
“Hey-hey!” Pinkie called out. She flailed her legs drawing Starlight’s attention. “No need to get grouchy-wouchy.”
Starlight snorted and took a seat while Applejack’s eyes cleared. “I suppose I’ll agree with a fellow class president. Besides, I wouldn’t want to ruin the entertainment.”
Everyone felt their skin crawl from Starlight’s words.
“Oooh!” Rarity called out. Her shout drew everyone’s attention to the center ring where a massive circus-like tent had appeared. “I can’t wait to see what costumes they have!”
“It was quite a start to the day’s activities,” said Vinyl, “but let’s take a chance to catch our breaths with some sweet jams!”
The tent fell away, revealing a large stage had appeared on top of the ring. The audience cheered at the sight of a light gold mare bedecked in a shimmering white dress and a matching top hat. The outfit blurred the line between haute fashion and practicality.
Rarity’s eyes went wide, and a smile spread across her face. “Oh my! The frills! The trim! The gems! And, an impeccable posture to keep it looking perfect! Amazing!”
“It’s the Pony of Pop!” Vinyl declared. “Let’s hear it for Sapphire Shores!”
~~~
The roar of the crowd reverberated down the halls underneath the stand. It muffled the blow Lightning delivered to the wall. Bits of plaster flicked off her hoof. She growled, “I’ll show them. I could have handled that without Starlight mucking things up.”
“Now, no reason to get so upset.” Lightning turned and froze. A sharp grin that was matched by its owner’s blade-like feathers greeted her. “You’re about the get the chance of a lifetime, kid.”
~~~
Ponies sashayed across the stage. Their movements and the lighting accentuated the contours of their costumes and made the gems on them glisten. Sapphire Shores waltzed around in the center of the dazzling display, filling the colosseum with her enchanting voice. All the dancers matched her pace, creating a show for both the eyes and the ears.
Spike drank it all in. His memory from before being rescued by Twilight was foggy at best, but he was certain he had experienced nothing like this.
“Huh, so ponies catch your interest, eh?”
Spike nearly jumped out of his seat. He was so caught up in watching Sapphire perform that he had not noticed Thunderlane bend his head right next to his. Spike furrowed his brow at him.
“Sorry,” Thunderlane chuckled. “Didn’t mean to spook you.”
“If you’re thinking of pulling any tricks before the match…” Spike grumbled.
“Well, that wouldn’t be very heroic.” Thunderlane turned his attention to the stage. “Seeing how interested you are in the dancers got me thinking though…”
“About what?”
Thunderlane grinned. “Well, I needed another guy to back me up on this, but…”
~~~
“Ah, Shadowbolt, it’s quite a surprise to see you here,” Celestia called out. Shadowbolt had just rounded a flight of stairs when she came into view above him. She couldn’t see his eyes behind his goggles but noticed his muscles twitch for a split-second. Even if it had been brief, Shadowbolt went into a bow to hide his surprise.
“Princess Celestia. I didn’t expect you to leave your box.”
“Oh, I usually don’t, but when I noticed you and your eyes on the students I couldn’t resist checking up on you.” Celestia smiled while Shadowbolt rose up but kept his lips in a straight line. His somber disposition remaindered her of Luna. “Plus, I so rarely get the opportunity to talk with other heroes in a less formal setting. I’m quite pleased that you’ve taken an interest in the first years.”
Shadowbolt stiffened. The stairs led straight down to the green rooms. His credibility could get him anywhere in the Colosseum, but he feared even it had its limits with Celestia. Still, he kept his breathing normal and his face straight. “I assume it isn’t a problem giving them a little pep talk?”
“Of course not,” Celestia chuckled. “I’ve actually been hoping you’d start taking on students again. It’s been what five? Six years?”
“Well, you can’t be the only one with prodigies,” Shadowbolt grinned. “It is a little discouraging knowing the number one spot will always be occupied though.”
“That has been a bit troubling.” Celestia’s smile did not waver. “I’ve actually been considering stepping back from hero work for a little to focus on governing.”
“Is that so?” Shadowbolt’s grin sharpened. “Then I’m guessing your next student will be your last for a bit. Anypony catch your eye?”
“Quite a few, but I don’t want to discourage anypony by choosing this early.”
“Well…” Shadbolt stepped upwards. He swiftly passed by Celestia, so she only caught a hint of his grin giving way to a sneer. “… I have high hopes for the pony I’ve got eyes on. Thank you for the information, Princess. You’ve made this festival even more interesting than I was hoping.”
And I’ll finally have a student that surpasses what you’ve produced. The top rank will be ours. Now to just get Rainbow Dash out of her little tantrum.
~~~
Twilight walked up the stairs to the participants’ seats with her brow furrowed. Her lips still tingled from her declaration. When she got out of the stairway and into the stands, she was greeted with a large number of empty seats.
“Looks like you’ll be missing out on the fun,” Starlight snickered.
Twilight was about to ask Starlight what she was talking about when she saw the doors that led to her class’s green room fly open. Pinkie flipped out and landed with her hind legs in a split, showing off the skirt she had donned. In addition, she wore a scintillating uniform emblazoned with CSGP and clasped pompoms.
Rarity strutted out behind Pinkie, wearing the same cheerleading outfit. Derpy flew near her while Aloe and Lotus stepped in line with each other. Tree Hugger spun to her own tune, twirling her pompoms with no rhythm to her movements. Applejack marched with a slight blush on her cheeks. Fluttershy shambled along— her wings covered her scarlet face. Maud coaxed her from the back of the group and mechanically pumped a pompom in several directions.
“H-how did I get into this?” Fluttershy stuttered.
“Eh, good head clearing,” said Applejack. She glanced back at her flank and then at Rarity. “This ain’t too revealing, is it?”
“Oh, Applejack, Pinkie and I made sure these designs have just the right proportions for fillies our age,” Rarity chuckled.
“What a surprise!” Vinyl declared. “It looks like Class 1-A has decided to join in the festivities with a performance of their own!”
“It’s not how I would prepare for the next round, but there’s nothing wrong with it,” said Tantabus.
“Huh?” Pinkie looked up at the announcers’ box. She then twisted her head around toward the green room. Spike and Thunderlane lost the blushes on their faces. “Spike! You said Mr. Tantabus told you this was part of the break!”
“Jig’s up,” Thunderlane sighed. “Kinda amazed we got this far.”
A few of his classmates glared at Spike. His heart seized up when Rarity stared at him, but then chuckled, “Well, we’re already dressed up. May as well show them what we’ve got!”
“Good point, Rarity!” A smile returned to Pinkie’s face. She chucked a pompom into the air, did a cartwheel, and then caught it. “Come on, everypony! Let’s show them our Class 1-A spirit!”
BonBon intensified her glare at Spike and Thunderlane, but a nudge in her side from Lyra got her to relent. Aloe and Lotus grumbled, but soon joined Pinkie in twirling pompoms around.
Back in the seats, Twilight could not hear the conversation, but smiled at seeing her friends in what appeared to be a relaxed mood.
“Hey, why didn’t we think of something like that?” asked a purple pegasus with a spiky mane in a nearby seat.
The pegasus with a slightly lighter coat next to her said, “Looked like Thunderlane was the one that kickstarted things.”
“Huh.” Cloud Chaser leaned back in her seat. “Well, gives us something to watch for a bit.”
“Trixie would prefer to get on with it.” Trixie’s gaze fell on Twilight. “This is all just the opening act.”
~~~
A bit of sweat trickled down Rarity’s face. She had made sure the routine she and Pinkie had come up with was not too strenuous, but she still found herself in need of a drink after the performance. Her heart beat from a combination of the dancing and hearing the crowds cheer her.
It came to a halt when she neared a corner and heard Suri hiss from the other side, “Congrats Coco, failing me in the race is only the second biggest joke of the day now.”
“I… I don’t know, Suri. I thought it was pretty neat of Class 1-A,” Coco whimpered in reply.
“Bah, it’s just that mudbrain Rarity trying to get attention. Heh, she’ll never see what’s coming with me. Now, you just get through your matches, show off some designs, and try not to embarrass me anymore.”
“Y-yes, Suri.”
Behind the corner, Rarity clenched her teeth. Okay, Suri, if that’s your game then I’m dispensing with the pleasantries!
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FUCK HER UP RARES!
This was a nice little short chapter for sure. It looks like Rarity might have a clear rival even more so now and I think that will make her match alot more fun. I think seeing Rarity blush at Spike seeing her dressed up or something would have been nice but if this is following MHA it will be a while before any feelings are even thought of let alone shown clear signs externally lol. But one thing that made me very happy was that Spike's past was at LEAST referenced. Even if it did seem like a bit for a throw away line. But it also could very well me so much more than that,
This is shaping up nicely for MLP universe.
9381648
PLEASE do so, that... nag deserves it.
Quite the intermission. Really like how Shadowbolt was channeling Endeavor.
9381648 Took the words right out of my mouth.
Looking forward to the fights so much. XD
New chapter read, awaiting the next chapter again.
Ah, she's Mind Control guy.