21 - Duet (Twilight)
“Eyes On You”
Chapter twenty-one: Duet
“What are you looking at?”
Twilight shook herself out of her daydream and pretended to have just noticed Trixie, who was glaring at her from beside a bookshelf across the room. Rain was pattering down against the windows of Ponyville library, so, naturally, Twilight had retreated to a magical studies book to pass the time. Not that she'd really been reading it...
“Well?” said Trixie impatiently.
“O-oh, it's nothing.”
The showmare rolled her eyes. “Trixie will rephrase. Why are you staring at Trixie? Is there something on her face? Ugh, Trixie knew that dragonling was up to something with that marker...”
“No, there's nothing on your face, Trixie,” Twilight assured her. “I was just... lost in thought.”
“You were thinking?” Trixie repeated. “About what?”
“I don't know... nothing,” said Twilight, for the third time.
Trixie raised a brow. “You were thinking about nothing?”
Twilight felt her face grow red, and she dropped her gaze to the table in front of her. “Well, yes. Haven't you ever just stared at somepony and thought about... nothing?”
It wasn't really a question, more of a defensive gesture. Trixie regarded her with a befuddled look all the same.
“No, Trixie can't say that she has,” the showmare said bluntly.
Twilight let out a hopeless sigh. “No, me neither...”
* * *
“Twilight?”
The sound of Trixie's voice dragged Twilight back to the present, where she found herself bombarded by the sights and sounds of the crowded stadium around her. Rain spattered down upon the roof of the competitors' box in which she sat, onto the canopies erected over the stands to protect the crowd, and down into the uncovered arena itself.
Beside her sat the other eight competitors, along with Trixie. She was giving Twilight a concerned and impatient look.
“What's wrong with you?” the showmare asked.
Twilight shook her head to refocus. “N-nothing! And you don't have to say it like that...” she added in an undertone.
Trixie let out an apologetic huff. “Sorry, but this event is really important. It could mean the difference between winning the Display and being beaten by Flaire. We can't afford to let ourselves get distracted.”
“I know, you're right,” said Twilight, nodding to herself more than to her partner. All their work this far would be for nothing if they didn't win this last event. And Twilight was determined to make sure they didn't fail, for Trixie's sake.
The lavender unicorn flashed her partner a reassuring smile. “I won't let you down.”
There was a long moment in which the showmare just stared at Twilight in consideration. And then she blinked, and smiled too. “I know,” she muttered.
“Fillies and gentlecolts, your attention please!” came the announcer's echoing voice at last.
'Here we go,' Twilight thought to herself.
“Everypony is present and accounted for, so I'd say it's about time for us to get this event underway. What do you say, folks?”
His answer was a roar of approval from the gathered crowd. Apparently, the Manehattanites weren't going to let the rain dampen their spirits today.
“I'm glad we're in agreement!” the announcer chuckled. “Then, without further ado, I give you the third and final event of this year's Manehattan Display!”
The ground shook slightly and a muffled rumbling sound met Twilight's ears. Peeking out, she saw the long stone slabs sliding out from the arena wall, forming a staircase all the way down from the box to the floor of the ring, just as they'd done after the first event.
“Our first performance will be graciously given by our pair of powerful stallions themselves – Earth Twister and Sandstorm!”
“Alright!” cried Twister from beside Twilight, thrusting a hoof up into the air as the audience let out another cheer. “Let's do this!”
* * *
The performance that the brothers gave was splendid, as were those of Bay Dasher, Cherry Blossom, Nightshade and Violet. But Twilight was forcing herself not to focus too much on what they were doing, besides clapping along with the the rest of the crowd at the more impressive feats. What was important right then was their own performance, which could well have been coming up next, each time.
It didn't though. Once Nightshade and Violet – the third act – had taken their bows and started their return to the box, the announcer called out the next pair...
“Flaire and Rose, please make your way down into the arena!”
Trixie let out an obvious, weary groan. Twilight knew that her partner was eager to show off the 'genius' performance they'd spent all night planning, so it was understandable that she'd be put out to be going last again.
“Wish us luck,” Flaire muttered as he brushed past Twilight, heading for the staircase.
Twilight opened her mouth to do so, by reflex, but she hesitated. She managed to stop the words and shut her mouth, matching Trixie's silence and trying not to feel too bad about it. 'He probably didn't expect a reply anyway,' she reasoned.
Desert Rose swept elegantly after him, wearing a sparkling, teal dress that would've made Rarity proud. Its shortish tail trailed just behind her hooves, and Twilight was hard pressed not to stare. None of the other competitors – save Cherry Blossom and her flower garland – had dressed for the event, but Twilight began to question whether she should have done so herself...
When Flaire and Rose had stepped out into the rain and started making their way down into the arena, Twilight turned to Trixie. Despite her earlier words, the showmare looked nothing short of utterly distracted, glaring at Flaire's smiling image on the water screen across the way.
“I'm sure his performance won't be all that amazing,” Twilight lied, trying to cheer her partner up. “Not compared to ours, at least.”
“Of course it won't,” said Trixie haughtily. “The two of them are no match for us...”
How wrong they were...
A gentle but quickly-paced music began to sound throughout the stadium as soon as Flaire and Rose had taken their positions. At first, they just stood there – either waiting or mentally preparing their spells – but as soon as the music picked up, they closed in on one another. And, in perfect time with the euphony, they literally began to dance across the arena floor.
Magical spotlights followed their movements from an impossible source within the clouds – changing colour along with the tempo and mood of the music – and each and every one of their twirls or flourishes was emphasised by a unique, eye-catching spellcast. They were small at first, like a wave of colourful sparks or a flash of light, but before long they began combining their magic to affect even the rain – weaving the droplets around themselves such that they looked as thousands of tiny, sparkling fireflies.
For her part, Twilight couldn't take her eyes off of them the entire time, and she was just as silent as the rest of the audience as she watched the fantastic routine play out flawlessly, as if it had been rehearsed a thousand times before. It wasn't until after the music came to a steady end and the two finished with a flowing bow that the dams of silence finally broke.
The applause was unlike anything Twilight had ever heard. She had to fight to keep herself to a polite clap as everypony else in the stands rose to their hooves and stomped the ground or yelled, cheering their approval for what felt like minutes as the pair remained where they were, soaking it all up with proud smiles. The water screen across the way showed that even Princess Celestia herself was clapping her hooves and smiling, and it was obvious that it wasn't just out of politeness.
Twilight felt a sudden lurch in her stomach as she realised how much pressure was on her now. Flaire and Rose had impressed not only the entire crowd, but the Princess as well... She wished that she and Trixie had gone first and gotten it over with...
Trixie got abruptly to her hooves, though clearly not to applaud, and Twilight gave a start. The showmare glowered firmly down at Flaire, determination set on her face. For one, very frightening moment, Twilight Sparkle worried that her partner meant to jump down into the arena and tackle him, in front of their thousand pony audience.
But, mercifully, she didn't – she just stood there in silence, waiting for the applause to die down and for Flaire and Rose to start making their way back up the stairs.
“Are you okay?” said Twilight, trying to focus on Trixie and not on the funny looks the other competitors were giving her.
“Just fine,” Trixie muttered darkly, though she didn't sit down.
“...And now it's time for our final pair to take the stage and grace us with their performance...”
Already on her hooves, Trixie turned to stride along the row towards the stairs, not even waiting for her name to be called. Twilight almost tripped over herself to catch up with her.
“...I know you're all as excited as I am, folks! So I'll waste no more time in giving you our two lovely, title-worthy mares, the Educated and Well-read Twilight Sparkle, and the Great and Powerful Trixie!”
The roaring applause fell on deaf ears as Trixie approached Flaire and his partner, who'd just crested the top of the stairs. She seemed resolute as to not to look directly at him, despite – or perhaps because of – the look he was giving her. This time, at least, it was definitely a crowing smirk... though Twilight couldn't really fault him. He was probably just really proud of himself, and rightfully so.
Positioning herself between the two of them, Twilight pressed up against Trixie's side - half to keep Trixie from going for him should he say something, and half to keep herself from accidentally complimenting his performance. As yesterday, she was determined to show Trixie 'whose side she was on', if it really had to come to that.
The two pairs passed one another in silence, for which Twilight was unspeakably grateful. As she and Trixie stepped down onto the stairs and started their descent, she felt the rain falling on her mane and coat. It was a gentle sort of rain, not stormy or uncomfortable by normal standards. Maybe a little chilly... but it wouldn't be a problem.
Right then, she was much more concerned about the bitter glare on her partner's face.
“Don't let it get to you,” Twilight whispered, loudly enough for only Trixie to hear. “I know we'll do even better than them.”
“I said I'm fine,” Trixie repeated. “There's no doubt in my mind that we'll beat Flaire. Our magic will put his to shame.”
Twilight frowned. It sounded like Trixie was trying to convince herself, more than anypony else...
“Right,” said Twilight. “You know, it's okay to be a little bit nervous. This is a really important event--”
“Trixie doesn't get nervous,” said the showmare darkly.
Twilight let out a sigh. 'There she goes again...'
“Fine, then put a smile on, for me at least,” said Twilight. “I can't focus if you're all sour-faced.”
There was a peculiar sort of pause as Trixie's face went blank and her determined trot slowed into a walk. Twilight slowed down too, keeping a close eye on her partner. Amidst the rain, it was almost impossible to make out the blush in Trixie's cheeks. Almost.
Realising what she must've been thinking about, Twilight snapped her eyes front as heat rose to her own cheeks. “I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up now--”
“It's fine,” said Trixie quietly.
Another moment passed in silence as they neared the bottom of the stairs. Twilight silently scolded herself for making Trixie think about the mirror again, when they were both supposed to be focusing on the task before them.
But when she turned to say as much to Trixie, she found the showmare smiling at her – just smiling – and the words died on her tongue. She felt warm.
They spoke no more as they stepped down onto the rain-slick arena floor, and Twilight felt the eyes of everypony in the stands upon them. But somehow, her nerves didn't seem fain to get the best of her today. That smile didn't necessarily mean anything, but even still...
They got into position – a good dozen strides apart and facing each other in the centre of the arena – and the place fell silent but for the rain patter and the quiet mutterings of the crowd. Trixie's smile had vanished now, replaced by a cool readiness.
Twilight took a deep breath through her nose, released it, and cleared her mind, mimicking her partner's expression. From here, the act was planned. They'd had nowhere to rehearse the more dramatic spells, but the way that Trixie had explained what she wanted to do was so perfectly clear that there was no doubt in Twilight's mind that she understood.
'I'm ready, Trixie,' she willed. 'Just give me a signal.'
No time was wasted. Trixie lowered her head, rainwater tumbling from her mane as she did, and lit up her horn.
Twilight let out another breath and copied her, focusing on a particular image in her mind. She let her spell charge, waiting for a five count as planned, before then raising her horn towards the sky.
A blue, magical firework shot from her horn, just as a purple one launched from Trixie's, each of them leaving sparkling trails in their wake as they soared into the air. Their paths crossed just above the height of the stands. A second more, and they detonated.
The ensuing burst of colour from Twilight's firework took the shape of the image she'd been focusing on, painting a picture of Trixie's cutie mark in the sky – a luminescent wand over an elegant flick of magic dust. Beside it, Trixie's firework burst into an image of Twilight's own cutie mark – picture perfect, and with a flattering sparkle added for extra effect.
The crowd made quiet sounds of awe as they stared upwards, watching the spectacle before them. Twilight dragged her eyes away to begin the next spellcast whilst they were distracted.
Across from her, Trixie nodded by way of a signal, and together they lit up their horns and magically reached out across the arena floor. It was a spell that Twilight had seen Trixie use many times before, but this time with something of a twist, to make it more versatile.
Twilight felt a coolness around her hooves as white mist began to rise from the ground. As expected, the moisture on the stone floor – and in the air above it – was easy to manipulate. It took surprisingly little energy to form a solid fog that rose up high enough to cover their knees, ready for the next stage. But that was the easy part.
The last sparkles from the fireworks in the sky were fading now, and gazes were turning back to the centre ring, expectant of the next trick.
Twilight waited until she was sure they had everypony's attention, then let go of the spell and raised her horn towards the sky. An exaggerated, bright light began to emanate from it, and as Trixie continued to sustain the mist, Twilight began to channel a wind spell.
A breeze picked up, gently at first, only enough to brush her mane ever so slightly with its current. She poured a bit more magic into it, and smiled beside herself as the mist began to lift up from the ground.
She had to close her eyes to focus now – controlling the currents to such pinpoint effect was no everyday task. The wind began to flow in a spiral around the arena, forming a vortex as more and more energy was put into the spell. She felt her mane flowing out to one side, and heard the roar of the whirling wind past her ears. She just needed to hold it here for a few seconds...
She flinched as she felt what could only be described as a magical prod – as if somepony was trying to get her attention. She chanced an eye open to investigate, then opened the other as she beheld the massive, swirling twister before her. It already rose higher than the stands themselves, and if not for its colour, it might've been confused for a real tornado.
Catching Trixie's eye, Twilight hurriedly stayed her spell, realising that she'd overdone it a little. With her partner's magic still sustaining the mist, the vortex didn't dissipate, though it spun slower now that the wind guiding it had stopped.
Twilight forced herself to keep her focus, as she didn't want to miss her opportunity. She was admittedly a little downtrodden from the quick succession of the spells, but she'd have a moment to rest after this next one.
She flicked her head to one side, calling forth a wisp of illusory flame atop her horn. She glanced around at the audience, once more making sure that she had their attention, before touching the flame to the still swirling mist at her hooves.
The very second that the two spells made contact, there was an incredible rush of magic. All at once, Twilight jumped back, the crowd gasped, and the entire vortex became a flaming inferno as the fire spread up from the base to the very top, bathing the stadium in a brilliant orange light.
When they'd recovered from their shock, the audience broke into applause.
Even to Twilight, it was very impressive – a hurricane of flame roaring and dancing in the centre of the arena. She suddenly felt doubly glad that she'd managed to talk Trixie out of using real fire for this trick. The heat alone would've been enough to singe the hair of everypony in the stands...
Twilight's part was over now though. The climax of this trick belonged to Trixie.
Walking backwards, Twilight got herself into a position where she could see the showmare around the torrent of flame that was beginning to burn away. She meant to give Trixie a signal, but it seemed there was no need – she already had her head low, charging the spell.
'Make it a good one, Trixie!'
A few seconds later, the showmare flicked her head upwards with a grunt, and a ghostly figure launched itself from her horn. The figure twisted in midair and let out a caw, throwing forth its limbs to reveal itself as a bluish, spectral eagle. It flew straight up with lightning speed, and the crowd followed it with their eyes until it was higher than the inferno itself.
It hung there, proudly holding its beak to the sky to revel in the attention – very much how Twilight would expect Trixie to act if she were an eagle. And then it fell into a dive.
Twilight braced herself as the bird plummeted into the centre of the vortex, vanishing into flame to more gasps from the audience. For the tensest moment, there was only silence. Until...
With a satisfying crack, the vortex exploded outwards, sending wisps of flame soaring across the stadium. Twilight's jaw edged open as she watched the spectacle unfold before her...
Instead of vanishing into the air with the rest of the vortex, the little flaming wisps – of which there must've been at least a hundred – began to dance through the air. There was a gentle flash as one of them collided with another, and in their place was left a tiny, fiery bird, which chirped loudly as it fluttered along with the wisps.
Another flash, another bird, another chirp. Then another, and another. The wisps began joining together faster and faster, and before long, a veritable bird song resounded through the stadium. The rain didn't hinder the little critters as they danced and sang together in the air.
A sudden, thunderous applause kicked up across the stands. Apparently, the trick looked just as amazing from up there as it did from Twilight's point of view. Trixie had really outdone herself...
Twilight snatched her gaze away from the singing fire birds, in favour of checking on her partner. Trixie was still looking up at the sky, regarding her spellwork with a proud smile on her face. But when she noticed Twilight looking, she seemed all too happy to meet her eyes, and the smile melted into the same, gentle one that she'd given before the act.
Twilight couldn't help but smile back, her eyes a little heavy with pride for herself and Trixie both, at producing such beautiful magic.
From there, the act took on a much less dramatic – though certainly more energetic – form. Keeping with the theme of fire and light, the two unicorns filled the dark, rainy sky with brilliant fireworks and more illusory creatures. The crowd cheered and applauded at all the right moments...
And each time they did, it seemed to spark an even further increased confidence in Twilight Sparkle, though she couldn't believe that was possible. There, weaving her spells with Trixie's in a graceful dance of magic, she couldn't remember ever feeling more confident in all of her life.
At long last, it came time to draw the act to a close. The shining orb that was their last spell descended from its spot above the stands, and its purple and blue rays of light slowly faded away, to another wave of appreciative clapping and stomping of hooves.
Twilight met Trixie's eye. The showmare nodded and took the first step forwards.
'Grand finale...' Twilight thought to herself, trying to contain her excitement as she followed suit.
The two mares began to close the distance between one another, keeping their eyes locked and their postures steady. Every hoofstep seemed to echo across the stadium, and the sound of the rain's ambient patter lessened ever more.
Finally, they stood before one another, a hoof's breadth apart. Twilight tried and failed to hide an amused smirk as she looked over Trixie's features – her coat was matted with the rainwater, and strands of her mane were stuck to her face. But Trixie was smirking too, and Twilight knew she didn't look any tidier herself.
Trixie closed her eyes, and her horn enkindled a purplish light.
Twilight closed her eyes, and drew on the same spell.
Together, they leant forwards and touched their horns together, sending a powerful, electric prickle through the air around them. The low hum of shared magic sent a warm feeling through Twilight's whole body, as she and Trixie began to channel together.
The spell was charged, and no signal was needed. They launched the spell as one, sending a brilliant beam of purple-blue light up into the sky. In a split second, it had pierced the cloud cover, and from there, it only intensified.
Twilight could no longer feel the rain on her back, nor hear the gasps and cries of the crowd. The only thing she felt was the warmth.
After seconds or minutes of the spell's blazing light, she finally pulled back and opened her eyes, just as Trixie did the same. A yellow glow draped over the azure mare that smiled back at her, highlighting the wetness of her coat and the faint glisten in her eyes.
They looked up together, squinting in the sunlight as they beheld the results of their spell. The dark clouds that had been hanging over the stadium were gone. Over the entire ring, the rain had stopped, and now the sun was shining through to make the moisture of the arena glint like gold dust.
And to top it all off, a glorious, magical rainbow had taken the clouds' place, giving the sky a multichrome finish.
The stadium was silent. Too silent.
Twilight suddenly found herself glancing about at those ponies in the stands, who were steadily all turning their eyes to her and Trixie. She licked her lips nervously.
“...I think we might have overdone it,” she whispered out of the corner of her mouth.
“Just bow,” Trixie hissed. “Trust me.”
With a hefty gulp, Twilight nodded and turned, along with Trixie, to face Princess Celestia's box atop the stands. She hesitated for a moment more, before lowering herself into a generous bow.
She kept her eyes shut tight as the silence dragged on, hoping that they hadn't upset anyone by breaking the weather... Even the normally vocal announcer didn't seem to have anything to say.
And then a single, echoing clap broke the veil. Exactly who it belonged to was mystery, but it was soon joined by another, then another, and the infectious clap spread through the stands like wildfire.
Twilight chanced a look up. In her box, high above, the Princess was clapping too. And though Twilight couldn't make out the look on her face from this far away, she knew that Celestia was smiling down on her.
“Told you,” Trixie muttered happily, drawing herself upright to revel in the applause.
Twilight smiled beside herself once again. She, too, stood up and looked over the crowd, many of whom were on their hooves, cheering loudly. Whether or not they'd gotten a bigger applause than Flaire and Rose was difficult to tell, but she had a good feeling.
With their performance now ended, they didn't wait for the announcer to say anything – they headed straight for the stairs leading back up to their box. As they began their ascent, Twilight conjured up a heat spell to dry herself off, and Trixie did the same.
“You were incredible, Trixie,” said Twilight, smiling across at her. “But I'm sure you knew that already.”
“Of course I did,” said Trixie proudly. “I'll admit that it would've been a little difficult for Trixie to get that kind of response alone though. You deserve some of the credit.”
Twilight let out a giggle. “Oh, how generous of you.”
Trixie simply flicked back her mane and smiled at the sky with closed eyes.
“Did you really come up with all of that in the bazaar?” said Twilight, narrowing a mock suspicious brow.
“No,” Trixie admitted brightly. “Just the opener and the finale. The rest just flowed from there.”
Twilight giggled quietly again. “You're really in your element. It's nice to watch.”
“You mean 'amazing to watch',” said Trixie. “But I'll forgive you, this time.”
By the time they reached the top of the stairs, they'd completely dried themselves off. Their fellow competitors offered no comment as the pair squeezed past to get to their seats, except for Flaire, who smirked and bowed his head.
Twilight simply smiled and flushed, whilst Trixie paid him no mind at all.
“W-well! That was something alright!” came the announcer's voice, as the mares took their seats. “Thank you, Twilight and Trixie, for that amazing show – a nod to our lovely Princess herself. I'm sure the weather team won't mind too much that we let a bit of sunshine in!”
A short chuckling rolled through those of the audience that got the joke, though Twilight managed naught but a sheepish grin. She really hoped that she hadn't made too much work for anypony...
“That marks the end of our third and final event of this year, fillies and gentlecolts, and what a way to finish things off! I'm sure you'll all join me in thanking our competitors with one more round of applause!”
And join him they did.
The ten competitors all got to their hooves and accepted the gracious applause, waving, bowing, or blowing kisses to the crowd, as was expected of them. Twilight herself only waved, thoughtfully taking in the audience for one last time.
'That's it, then,' she mused. 'No more events, no more performances. It's all up to the judges now.'
Of course, it wasn't technically the last time the audience would be cheering for them. There was still the closing ceremony to come, after all – where the winners would be announced. But still, things felt as if they were drawing to a close...
“Thank you all, thank you all,” said the announcer, hushing everypony. “Now, if you'll all please take your seats, we have something of a special announcement for everyone.”
Twilight made an inquisitive sort of noise and glanced at Trixie as they sat down again. Trixie just shrugged.
“Normally, the closing ceremony would take place tomorrow – at noon on the day following the final event,” the announcer explained. “But this year, it will be postponed to the next day, in order to give everypony a chance to prepare for tomorrow's celebration...”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. She didn't remember hearing anything about a celebration.
“As the history buffs among you may already know, this year marks the hundredth annual Display here in Manehattan. And, in honour of a hundred years of fantastic magical talent, our benefactors have very generously funded and organised a social event for tomorrow evening...
“The details will be given to you on your way out, but to put it simply, all of you – competitors included – are hereby invited to join us from seven PM tomorrow in the Mane Event Ballroom, for a dance!”
This time, it was cheering and excited murmuring that spread through the gathered crowd. Some of the other competitors made noises of appreciative surprise. Twilight and Trixie just looked at one another with wide eyes.
“Dance?” they chorused.
* * *
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...*remembers what Twilight's dancing looks like*
This is gonna be good!
...*speculates what Trixie's dancing must look like to spark that reaction*
...
Dance your cares away,
Worries for another day
Let the fillies play
at Mane Event Ballroom
But Twilight cant even dance for her life
This has to be one of my favourite fics.
didn't seem fain
You know, I was really expecting them to cast that video-feed spell on the rain or the mist and create some sort of amazing 3d holographic scene and such.
But the actual performance was much more imaginative than that, so props. I'm actually glad the performances are done, because you were doing a good job making me nervous during them and now I feel a huge relief 
2688742 Apparently she's decent when she's caught up in a musical like in Magical Mystery Cure or The Best Night Ever. Maybe.
I'm guessing that the brothers are going to ask them out because they don't have dates.
Awesome!!! Trixie and Twi totally won that...right? RIGHT!?
2688920 Well, she mostly just trots around in those songs, even though she did perform a step dance in "Morning in Ponyville" so maybe she has improved during the seasons ;)
Dang it, Twilight and Trixie, just kiss already
!
2688815
Did someone say PARTY!
Dance!? I'm gonna need popcorn...
A dance?!
Oh, this is going to be good.
I hope Twilight and Trixie know how to waltz. Or at least tango. Congratulations to our favorite duo on an amazing performance.
A dance? That can't be good.....for Twilight.
2689088 Maybe?
In any case, I expect adorkableness from her!
Have I mentioned how awesome you all are? Thank you all twice more for taking the time and thought to leave a comment, I appreciate every one of them!
Roundup! Replies from earlier chapters at the top, as per usual!
2689272 Thanks very much for your comment, and for checking the story out even though you aren't drawn in by the romance. The steady changing/evolution of the relationship - as opposed to jumping straight into romance - is a very big deal in this story, so hopefully you won't be disappointed.
This has certainly been a learning experience for me thus far, and if you can learn anything for use in your own writing, then I'll be doubly pleased.
2688791 Oh goodness, I only vaguely remember "Him", but the thought still made me shudder
2688559
There is much fun ahead, I guarantee it!
2688578 I'm now having to fight the urge to go back and change the name to "The Dancing Fraggle Ballroom"
Damn fraggles!
2688742 It should be entertaining, to say the least
2688781 Awesome, thanks! Glad you're liking it so far!
2688794 Yes, but Google has just informed me that it's 'archaic'. The nerve!
It means... disposed. So "her nerves didn't seem disposed to get the best of her today". Fain is a way cooler word though (and more accurate, I think).
2688797 Now that would be awesome. I can picture it actually... I wonder what scene they'd create though. It'd have to be some sort of starry sky scene, right?
Oh, and thank you very much! I'm glad they're done with too - writing them was rather stressful in places. Not that I'm complaining, I loved it really.
2688815 Par-tay!
2688928 No spoilers, but that could totally happen. Awkwardness abound, I would imagine.
2689053 Thanks! And fingers crossed!
2689119 They're waiting for the opportune moment. The next one, I mean, after those other three
2689349 A sound plan. I think I'll get some too...
2689499 Let's hope so!
2689752 Oh man, I'm so excited to write that dance!
Glad you liked the performance, a lot went into it.
2689858 Well, what's the worst that could happen? ...
images.wikia.com/mlp/images/c/cf/Twilight_dancing_S2E9.png
2690254 Actually, maybe due to some existing similiar scenes in fiction (Fry's 3d flute thingy from a Futurama episode kept popping into my mind) I kept picturing huge holograms of Twilight and Trixie all dressed up and dancing together. Dunno why, that would've been hella corny and the spectators probably wouldn't care as much as we - the readers - would.
Finally I could sit down and read this!
You know you're nervous when you're reading and holding your breath, hoping nothing will go wrong. And now they just need to learn how to dance, especially Twilight.
Nice little show you have thought up for them there^^ I especially liked the part with the fire birds^^ Reminded me of Grandia 2. (There's a spell in that game that works similar^^)
Also, who's willing to bet with me that this dance was Celestias idea? Hehe^^
2692727
Heh, I've made that joke myself. I'm sure plenty of others have as well.
Going into this, I thought Duet meant that we'd see them sing and use their magic to conjure up pictures or emotions for the audience. Almost like a music video. This works too.
I'm calling it: Flair used a performance that he and Trixie used to do for his part.
Seeing as nothing went wrong, I don't see how Trixie and Twilight could lose. They won the first, came in respectable in the second, and probably tied for first in this one. I guess we'll see.
Till next time!
2692936 Yeah probably seeing how indignated Trixie was after his performance.
Also, I'm curious to see ow things go between her and Flaire during the dance. Hopefully we'll finally learn why she hates him so much. It can't possibly be just what she told Twilight.
2690319 Hehe, that would be kinda corny
But it has potential, for sure.
2691976 Thanks
Yup, Twilight could probably do with a few pointers.
2692727 Put the name down to lack of effort on my part
Ah, I loved Grandia 2, excellent game. And the original, for that matter. It's awesome to hear that you liked the show, thanks! I went through many drafts of different shows before finally settling for the one I published, and I'm glad the extra effort paid off.
2692936 Originally, there was going to be singing involved. But, although I tried, I couldn't come up with a song that fit the tone of the chapter the way I wanted. Somehow, a music video type thing never actually occurred to me
That's a clever observation. No spoilers of course. I'm going to do my best to give some closure on the Flaire front over the next few chapters.
Thank you once again for your comment!
2694576 YAY! Another Grandia fan! *brohoofs*
It certainly did.
I certainly did^^
Amazing story. I eagerly await the next update.
A dance huh? Why do I feel like Twilight "dancing" will be the least of Twixie's problems? //dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Octavia_O_O.png
When I was reading Flaire's routing, Pandora was playing:
Amusingly, when Twilight and Trixie's bit started, it was playing Kesha's "Blow". //dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Vinyl_Scratch_lolface.png
Don't judge me. //dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Lyra_dealwithit.png
2692839
...Really?
Was UnlicensedBrony's writing pretty dang good already? You bet your flank it was(/is). Could it be brought even a little bit closer to perfection? Well, that's what I'm good at. (Please take note of my custom avatar; it might provide some insight to my actions.)
A couple of things:
I made that comment very nearly four months ago. Furthermore, the author already replied to it, and thanked me for most of my suggestions. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you were aware of that.
As per me being a perfectionist: thank you!
And, since you drew my attention:
Replace the comma after 'correct' with a semicolon, replace 'right, also,' with 'also correct,' and replace the comma after 'accent' with either a semicolon or an em-dash, depending on your intent/preference.
You're welcome!
I really expected to be indifferent to the performance. I expected not to be able to form an opinion on whether they did better than Flaire, and I fully expected not to have any clue how they did until the judges said their piece. ....But Twilight and Trixie REALLY nailed it. I didn't expected to be excited by a performance that I have to read about in text and don't get to see for myself, but I was. Trixie and Twilight mopped the floor with the competition. They made Flaire and his mare's performance look so small and insignificant....a Mega-Flare (from Bahamut the dragon king, not to be confused with 'Flaire') being cast on an ant. maybe they did overdo it, but that's a good thing in my eyes.
K.O.
And neither one can dance!!!!!!!!!!
2690254 well, you've given me no reason to think you can't handle it before now, so, why would this be any different
WOw. Awesome descriptions of the performances. I had no trouble picturing it in my mind. I really hope Twilight and Trixie win this. Like 2692936 said, I don't see how they can lose.
...
Now I'm worried.
Was that a Star Wars reference...?
The description and attention to detail in this chapter was spot on.
I could very easily picture the whole event and their magical performance.
I like the subtle romantic glances you added in too, because I was hoping to see that their performance would meld each others emotions and skill together.
Wonderful end to the events challenges.
2694926 Thanks! Me too
2696245
At first I was like
Then I was like "Ah, gotcha
"
Indeed, the song you linked is the kind of music I imagined for Flaire's performance. Also, I love that movie
2696481
2696539 Yay
I was mostly expecting people to be indifferent to another performance at this point, seeing as it's essentially the third one in a row. It's great to hear otherwise, thank you!
2698363 I know!
2700289 Thank you very much
And yes, they did very well... what could possibly go wrong? 
2706663 Actually, no - I just thought it sounded appropriate. But I can see it now that you've pointed it out
If I were to put an intentional reference into one of my stories, I bet no-one would get it...
2722018 Thanks very much! Blending their emotions and skills with one another was very much an intention, and I'm so glad to hear that you noticed
With me being the person I am I proudly give this chapter the rateing of 8 whoopee goldbergs out of 10 cherish that rateingfrom me my friend only 1 story has ever gotten above 8 from me.:
"Trixie can dance if she wants to.
She can leave that Flaire behind
because ol flaire dont dance
and if he dont dance, well
Then her ain't no Bro of mine."
Now that was amazing! I loved the detail that went into Trixie's and Twilight's performance, I especially liked the grande finale, punching a hole in the clouds to have the sun come through it was exactly what I thought they would have done.
Awesome chapter and now to read the next one where I hope to see how both Trixie and Twilight get ready for there little number on the dance floor.
Also as a side note, every time i read what the announcer is saying I keep here the world martial arts tournament announcer guy form DBZ.
"What was important right then was their own performance, which could well have been coming up next, each time." That's incorrect. I specifically remember the letter that was given to Twilight told them that their performance was last. Which means they would have known when it was.
Loving this so far. My only qualm with the story is minor, if this was the hundreth display wouldnt they have made a much bigger deal out of it from the very beginning? I understand that it was probobly a "recent" plot device and not planned from the beginning of the story, im just being nit picky because i cant help myself. Seriously loving the story though. Twixie is best ship
nice story, i just fear that they confess their love only in the last chapter. I mean i like it that way too, i just don´t like the idea to not be able to read more about them as special someponys.
Good work on the acts. I could easily visualise Flaire + Desert Rose's and Trixie + Twilight's performances both, so it was pretty easy to follow along. Very entertaining, and the Display seems to have benefited Twilight as much as it does Trixie.
2696539
At least it wasn't an Exa-Flare.(Bahamut Fury's special move)
Yeah, a Moon Cannon would've been bad.....
At least Twilight got plenty of practice dancing during Trixie's therapy.
Yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah
And the mare in the back said everyone attack
And it turned into a ballroom blitz
And the filly in the corner said colt I want to warn you
It'll turn into a ballroom blitz
Ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz
Incredible performance!
I'm not exactly new to this story. Reading this again made my heart burst, and this was certainly my favourite chapter! The details and your amazing writing !!!!
simply beautiful uwu