A Royal Outing

by Mod On Death

Dance Dance Monarchy!

Dance dance Monarchy!

It was about three in the afternoon at this point, and the unicorns that were left in charge of moving the sun were obviously doing their job well with the daylight becoming duller as twilight was going to set in within a few hours. The two sisters set off into the town center where a commotion was brewing. Ponies were gathering around what looked like a presentation performed by traveling showponies.

“Welcome mares and gentlecolts of Canterlot! Flim here, presenting you with a wonderful opportunity for each and every one of you to see! What we’ve done here is created a game that should provide endless hours of entertainment!”

Another pony came out of there locomotive machine, rolling onto the ground a two separate pads with nine hoof-sized buttons on each pad. Then there was a large screen that appeared which was connected to the pads by wires. “Flam here, presenting you with the newest game craze, the Competitive Dance Device! Have you ever wanted to challenge a pony in a way that would prove your superiority in athletics and dancing without having to deal with the arbitrary dealings of pony judges which was better? Have no fear! The Competitive Dance Device operates by presenting a series of directional arrows on this screen adjusted to be in sync with some of the most hip and jiggy songs out there and ponies get points by stepping on the corresponding panels at the proper moment when the arrow hit the marker. Points are calculated by how correct the timing is when you hit the panel with the correct button, how long you can go without making a mistake while dancing, and whether you hit a button at all. With the use of points, nopony will be able to argue with the objective evidence that you are the superior dancer! Now, who wants a go?”

Several ponies raised their hooves into the air, eager to try out this new game and boast about their scores to others. Two were selected to go up first, with the rest of the crowd sighing in resignation.

“Now no need to worry folks! Each of you will have the chance to play for the honor of earning high score. Just get ready to raise your hands and show us your most serious game face and you and another can be chosen!” As Flim finished his speech, Flam started up the device. A list of songs was given to the two ponies to decide what they would dance to with a chart listing the difficulty of each song. Soon a song was chosen and the game began.

As the royal sisters saw the two mares dancing against each other they became amazed at the game. A music box played the song and the arrows descended down the screen with the two competitors struggling to hit the buttons on time. At the end of the song the points were tabulated for each dancer and a winner was chosen. The two sisters gained the same idea at the same time.

“My dearest sister,” started Luna in a regal tone, “care to join me in this competition of dance with me?”

“Why, I would be most delighted to accept your offer,” Celestia said, copying her sister’s tone.

“Now, who has the most serious game face here?” Flim then scanned the crowd, looking at the faces of the ponies and trying to judge who would go up. While he looked through the crowd he came across two faces that had such expressions on them that he feared they would eat him if possible. “I choose you two!” he said as he pointed to the sisters. Their morbid expressions were soon replaced with faces of delight as they pranced up to the pads and looked over the songs on the list.

“Now let’s see. I think we should try something that’s not too difficult. What do you think Luna? Which song would you like?”

“I think I’d like ‘Parasprite Bite’ by Uncouth Elite. I personally like that song.”

“Alright then, let’s do it!”

As Celestia put in the song request, the music box started and the arrows started appearing on the screen. Luna was giddy at the chance to hear one of her favorite rock songs and be able to school her sister in a competition at the same time. As the arrows reached the indicator to let them know to step on that button, the lyrics started:

Mare you got me right in the heart

Got me right in the mind

Got me right in the soul

I’ve lost all control

It’s tearing me apart

You’ve got a really good grip

I can’t make a small slip

Nor do I think I want to

Slip away from you

This love is like a toxic poison (poison poison poison)

I feel like you’ve infected me

I can’t find the words for this (for this for this for this)

There’s only one thing this could be-e-e-e-e

Parasprite Bite! Parasprite Bite!

Got me calling you up at the night!

Parasprite Bite! Parasprite Bite!

It’s got me so down I can’t put up a fight!

This thing I need to get out of me right now (right now right now right now)

I don’t think I can take it anymore

I need to find a sure cure for me (for me for me for me)

Before this thing can stop my heart

Parasprite Bite! Parasprite Bite!

Trying to fight with all of my might

Parasprite Bite! Parasprite Bite!

Feels like flying high while on a ki-i-i-ite

I think I found a cure for this bite (this bite this bite this bite)

This antidote should work

But when I have it you will leave me (leave me leave me leave me)

Should you really go or stay?

Parasprite Bite! Parasprite Bite!

I’ll take your poison over my own cure

Parasprite Bite! Parasprite Bite!

How could I ask for any more?

Parasprite Bite! Parsprite Bite!

I’ll let you take over my head

Parasprite Bite! Parasprite Bite!

You’re the mare I want to make me dead!

As the song ended and Luna stopped singing to the lyrics, she realized that she had completely forgotten to pay attention to the arrows and had a score of five.

“Well, that was hardly a challenge at all,” Flim pointed out. “Uh, how about you try it again, this time with a song that doesn’t have lyrics? I’d feel bad if you couldn’t experience the full joy of the device.”

“Alright,” the singing mare eked out, embarrassed that not only had she done so badly at the game, but that she had sung the song in front of everyone to hear. “I guess this victory goes to you sis. Best two out of three?” Without a single word the older sister accepted the challenge, selecting the next song.

“I actually remember this piece from a long time ago. Did they really turn a classical music piece into a dubstep song?” Celestia mused this possibility as the song was selected for the machine to play. The song was titled ‘Nightmare Moon Sonata: RE’ with the original selection created by Octavius Trembo with the remix performed by Daft Foal.

The song began slowly enough, utilizing slow and ominous violins. Trumpets started to groan and violins started to screech louder. Luna was wondering about the title of the song and how the music in it related to each other when the remix started to kick in. The violins and trumpets were suddenly accompanied by quick and vicious bass blasts, assaulting not only ponies’ ears but also their hooves as they tried to keep up with the arrows. Throughout the song Luna couldn’t shake the heavy feeling and despair she felt while listening to the song. Had there been an entire symphony created to memorialize her fall from grace? Is this what ponies thought when they thought of Nightmare Moon and, indirectly, Luna? The bass was getting faster and faster and she couldn’t keep her mind off of the subject when it finally ended. Both ponies were panting from that song and exhausted. Luna had accepted that she lost the song from her deep thinking when she was surprised by either Flim of Flam’s announcement.

“Point goes to the lovely blue mare!” Luna heard from either of the two as she wondered how she won. Perhaps she went into a dancing trance where no thought was required anymore and the hooves moved themselves to the beat of the song. Whatever had caused her victory left Celestia surprised and looking determined.

“Give us your most difficult song!” the determined sister said, not wanting to go down without a fight. She didn’t know how her younger sister had gone from hitting only one arrow to hitting ninety-five percent, but she wasn’t going to let that keep her from winning.

Flim and Flam cautiously prepared the final song to be played out, warning the crowd to avert their eyes from the screen if their heads started to hurt in case the amount of arrows shown would drive them mad. The crowd laughed at the statement while the two brothers looked at each other with worries on their faces at the cruel fate that might bestow those who decried their warnings. They let everypony know that the song they were about to play was actually a completely new genre, composed of the pure speed of Eurobeat and vicious bass of Dubstep and the complexity of a hundred-piece orchestra. It was to be called “Deathdrop”.

The two sisters, now considering each other a blood rival, prepared their hooves for the pain they were about to experience. The music box was prepped and activated, starting the madness. At first everyone in the crowd thought that the screen was having technical difficulties since where there should be direction arrows was just a series of blobs.

“Excuse me sir,” a dapper gentlecolt exclaimed, “but I believe that there is an issue with your screen. The arrows seem to have turned into a series of blobs.

“Oh, those aren’t blobs,” explained Flim. “Those are actually the arrows. There are just so many of them that they appear to be stuck together.” At this news, the royal competitors’ eyes went wide at the task they were challenged with. Nothing would hold them back. The moment of truth occurred, and the music and dancing started.

“OH MY GOODNESS I ALREADY REGRET THIS DECISION,” both the dancing mares said as they assaulted the buttons with all their strength and dexterity. They looked upon the screen and saw that where once there were arrows was now only madness and pain. The audience saw what was going on and several of them shrieked in horror. Maybe it was the visions of insanity that appeared upon the screen, or maybe it was the unholy abomination of music that had been produced that was causing ears to bleed, or maybe it was the unnatural laugh the two prancing ponies uttered as they performed the dance that would end the world that made people run in horror. It was your choice of poison. Those who endured the song would remember that day for the rest of their lives, forever changed by what had been seen and become not mere mortals anymore, but masters of the Art of Madness.

“So…you ready to give up Little Lulu?”

“I’d rather my hooves became paste while dancing this dance Tiny Tia!”

“THEN LET IT BE!”

Each of their hooves had become one with the pad, pouncing away at each button without a single thought in their head to distract them. They had become one with the song, one with insanity. Before they knew it, the insanity had ended, and harmony had returned to the plaza. With sweat and tears pouring down them, the two insane siblings plopped down on the ground, unable to feel anything.

“It’s a tie!” declared Flam as he came out of hiding to read the scores. Too tired to react, the two tired mares just sat there, accepting the madness and futility of their actions. They both looked at each other and just started laughing.

“Tia, why do we do these things? Why do we compete with each other so much?” Luna whispered, using all the strength she had.

“Isn’t it obvious Lulu? It’s because we’re siblings.” The older sister’s answer explained so much that she had wondered why she had never realized it before. It was simply something that family members did with each other in the silly attempt to see who was better. After resting for five minutes, the sisters looked around at the destruction their competition caused and realized they should get out before a mob formed or something. Once the two had left the area people had started to come out again and check out the Competitive Dancing Device. Slowly the crowd started to clap their hooves in applause at the sight they had seen, each of them starting to beg for a chance to dance. It was at that moment that Flim and Flam realized they had a hit on their hands.

Author's Note:

We all remember the first time we played DDR and failed horribly at it, don't we? If you liked my song and have any musical expertise when it comes to rock, please let me know and I'll tell you what kind of beat the song was gonna have (and if you wouldn't mind making it a reality, well, that wouldn't be so bad either :P). Stay tuned for our next chapter when loose ends between these two sisters attempt to get resolved in "Of Moons and Letters"!

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