Why Should I Worry?by dramatic_spoonChaptersAnd On and onSo it GoesIsn't it a ThrillAnd On and on“This is ridiculous,” Trixie grumbled. “You promised,” Flash countered. “I wasn’t aware that it was going to be in the air,” Trixie countered. “It’s the Junior Wonderbolt’s Flying competition, where else would it be?” Flash snarked back, “Now get on my back.” “Can’t we rent a balloon or something?” “You saw the prices, it’s only a day.” Flash countered, “You said we have to save money if we’re going to take her to…” “Take me to where, daddy?” the voice of a younger filly cut in. Trixie and Flash glanced towards the speaker: An azure pegasus filly with her mane tied back in a ponytail. “It’s nothing, Curtain Call. Your father’s just being stubborn.” Trixie responded. “I’m not being stubborn, your mother wants to take a Balloon to Cloudsdale.” “Balloons are fun,” Curtain Call continued, “We got to ride one on a field trip and it was fun.” “I know, sweetie,” Flash tussled his daughter’s mane, “But they’re expensive.” “They’re comfortable.” “They’re going to take a huge chunk out of our budget.” “I make enough to replace it.” “Yeah, but you haven’t been paid yet,” Flash countered, “They’re going to take it out of my money.” “...I just don’t like flying on the back of others,” Trixie grumbled, “Your father nearly dropped me.” “It was an accident, how many times do we have to go over this?” He grumbled, “The flock came out of nowhere.” “If we don’t hurry up, we’re gonna be late,” Curtain Call cut off her mother’s response. “...She’s right,” Trixie admitted, “This is her day and I promised.” Trixie reluctantly climbed onto Flash’s back and tightened her grip around his neck. “Don’t crash into any birds,’ she muttered. “Did you cast the cloudwalking spell already?” “I did. I’m not that stupid.” “Then let’s go.” Flash lifted off the ground as Curtain Call followed after him. “After can we go to visit Aunty Headdress?” Curtain asked. “Probably not, sweetie,” Flash responded, “We’re only staying for the day.” “Awww.” Curtain Call pouted. After a moment she flittered higher, above her father’s head. “Race me!” the filly challenged. “NO!” Trixie yelled, tightening her grip around Flash’s neck. The pegasus’ eyes bulged out as he sputtered. “...Sorry,” Trixie’s grip slackened. “Not when I have your mother on my back,” Flash coughed, “Besides, you need to save your energy for the competition.” “Fine….If I win can we get ice cream?” “Maybe,” Flash shrugged. Trixie’s grip tightened and she glared at him. “Sorry.” “And you wonder why I hate this,” she muttered. “We’re here.” Flash touched down on the clouds. Trixie scrambled off of her husband’s back, landing in an ungraceful pile on the clouds. After a moment, she got back onto her hooves, dusting herself off. Curtain Call continued to flitter around her parents. “Alright, we better get you checked in,” Flash chuckled, “No more flying until the competition.” “...Do I have to walk?” “Yep.” Flash responded. “Mom, do I have to walk?” she turned her attention to her mother. Flash frowned as Trixie stifled a chuckle. “Listen to your father,” “Aww…” Curtain Call pouted as she landed. The three made their way into the city, passing shops and homes. Curtain Call paused and stared at one of the buildings. “Dad, what’s that?” she asked as she pointed at it. “That’s the Rainbow Factory.” “Do they put the bad pegasi in the rainbows?” “What? Of course not, who told you that?” Flash demanded. “Crasher’s big brother did. When she had her birthday sleepover, we stayed up late and told scary stories. He said that pegasi that failed their first flight test were made into rainbows.” Trixie stared at her daughter, “Who comes up with this nonsense?” “It’s a urban legend in the pegasus community,” Flash sighed, “You know, like the boogiemare or the Lost spellbook of Catrina.” “...I’ve never heard it,” she muttered. “So what do they do with the pegasi that fail their first flight test?” Curtain call asked. “Hm? Oh, they make them into pies.” Flash chuckled. He looked at his wife and daughter, with a grin on his face: Trixie looked back at him with an unamused look of disgust, while Curtain Call’s expression was one of horror. “...I was joking,” He meekly apologize. “It wasn’t funny,” Trixie crossly replied before walking away from her husband. “...I don’t want pie any more,” Curtain Call muttered as she quickly followed. “...Alright, I guess that joke was in poor taste,” Flash admitted as he trailed behind them. The family continued down the street before heading towards a stadium. Trixie and Curtain Call trotted past a sign reading “CHECK IN” and stopped at a desk. An overly chipper pegasus mare beamed at the two of them. “Hi there! Here to sign in?” “Yep!” Curtain Call fluttered upwards, into view. “Aren’t you adorable. Name?” “Curtain Call,” Trixie answered. “Hmmm…” the mare flipped through a few of the sheets in front of her, “Curtain Call...Curtain Call...Ah!” she pulled out a paper, “Here it is. Just sign on the line and have her sign as well.” Trixie’s aura flared up as she picked up one of the pencils. With flair, she signed her own name and set the paper down so that her daughter could sign. The filly quickly jotted down her name and passed the paper back up to the clerk. “Everything looks good, she’s free to enter the waiting room.” “By herself?” “Well, parents are allowed in, but they might not be able to get seats,” the receptionist responded, “But we do have some volunteers back there to keep them calm, and we will call for parents if there’s a problem.” “...Very well.” Trixie looked down at her daughter, “Do you want one of us to stay behind with you?” “Nuh-uh.” Curtain Call shook her head, “I can do it.” “Very well. But before you go…” Trixie’s aura flared up. Her saddlebag opened up, and she pulled something out. She smiled as she held out a small cape, made out of the same sparkling cloth as Trixie’s. She smiled as she fastened it around the awestruck filly’s neck. “A little good luck charm for my little magician,” Trixie leaned down and kissed Curtain Call’s forehead. “Thanks mom,” the filly hugged Trixie before trotting off into the waiting room. So it GoesFlash flew forward holding two cups in his hooves. He paused, looking around. “Where’d she go?” he muttered to himself, “She shouldn’t wander around like th…” “There you are,” Trixie appeared in front of him, scowling, “Why didn’t you come and see her off?” “See her off? Trix, this is a competition, not sending her off to boarding school,” Flash countered, “We’re going to see her.” “Where did you get that?” Trixie asked, pointing at the drink cups. “Concession stand.” --- Curtain Call paused in the doorway, looking around the waiting room. Others stood around the room, some stretching, others talking and trying not to panic. In one corner a dark grey pegasus colt sat, listening to music. Both of his eyes remained hidden behind his long, light grey mane with a streak of red, yellow and blue running down the left side of it. An azure blurr zipped through the room and knocked the grey pegasus over. He shook his head, pushing the hair out of his eyes and looked down: Curtain Call beamed at him as she hugged him. “HI AIRWAVE!” The colt stared at her for a moment before breaking out into a big smile and returning the hug. “C.C.! I didn’t know you were gonna be here.” “Yeah, I wanted to try.” the two separated and sat next to each other, “How come you’re here?” “Mom,” Airwave rolled his eyes. “...Oh yeah,” Curtain Call frowned, “...Does she think you’re gonna win?” “I don’t know,” he shrugged, “I don’t really care.” “...So what stunts are you gonna try do?” “I don’t know,” Airwave stretched his wings, “What about you? Any magic tricks?” Curtain Call shook her head, “All mom taught me was sleight of hoof stuff. I snuck in some streamers and things that I could use.” “We’re not supposed to bring too much stuff. It’s about how well we do.” “Oh.” the filly paused as she tossed several paper cones to the floor. Two of them exploded, scattering confetti everywhere. “I thought that would be cool.” she shrugged, “I’m keeping the streamers and the glitter bomb.” Airwave spat a mouthful of confetti on the floor. “I guess.” --- “No one told me we were supposed to reserve seating,” Trixie muttered. “It’s sort of a given, We’re just lucky that there was seats left.” “Yes, well…” Trixie trailed off. “Well what?” Flash ask as he stopped next to his wife, “...Ah.” Next to their seats was a family of four. Closest to them was a grey earth mare and a light grey earth filly with her rainbow mane tied back. Another head poked out from behind the grey mare: an older grey-blue pegasus filly with a black mane. Finally, the last member of the family, a blue pegasus mare, glanced at Trixie and Flash. After a moment, the pegasus did a double take and frowned. “Trixie.” the blue pegasus acknowledged her. “Rainbow Dash.” the showmare icily responded. “Maybe I should sit here…” Flash glided past his wife and took the seat next to the grey mare and filly, “Mrs. Octavia. Miss Sonata.” “Hi Mister Sentry!” the grey filly, Sonata, beamed, “Is Curtain Call participating in the competition too?” “She is. I guess this means Airwave’s in there too, isn’t he?” “Uh-huh,” Sonata nodded, “Mom was showing him stuff to do, but I don’t think he was really paying attention.” “Well, I’m sure he’ll do fine,” Flash chuckled. “I’m certain our daughter will do even better,” Trixie icily responded. “Yeah?” Dash shot back, “Treble won when she was in the competition.” “Pfft. Surely there is no competition as great as Curtain Call.” “You ju…” “That’s quite enough,” Octavia interrupted, “There’s no need to be unnecessarily antagonistic.” “...She started it,” Dash muttered. “That’s no reason to escalate it,” Octavia scolded her wife. “Yeah, there’s no reason to argue about this, Trix.” Trixie said nothing as she turned away. “I’m sorry about that,” Flash apologize to Octavia. “I don’t think you need to apologize,” Octavia glanced at Trixie before motioning towards Rainbow Dash. “Ah.” Awkward silence continued as the two argumental mares refused to look at the other. Nearly simultaneous, Octavia and Flash josted their wives. “Ahem.” Octavia coughed. “C’mon Trix….” Flash nudged her again. “....Sorry.” Both mares simultaneously apologized. “It...It was rude of me,” Trixie continued. “...Yeah, I shouldn’t have...Y’know.” Dash trailed off. Any more conversation was cut off as trumpets sounded. “Oh good, it’s starting,” Octavia shifted in her seat. --- The two friends sat, watching as other colts and fillies paced and waited for their turns. “What number did you get?” Airwave asked. “Twenty seven. What about you?” “Twenty six.” The two looked around the room. “...Could we go at the same time?” Curtain Call asked. “...Dunno. We could ask.” “You think we’d get in trouble?” “My mom went at the same time as Mrs. Rarity during the Best Young Fliers thing.” Airwave pointed out. “...Huh.” The two continued to watch as other foals had their numbers called out. “Wait…” Curtain Call frowned, “Isn’t Mrs. Rarity a unicorn?” “Uh-huh.” “And she was in a flying contest?” “Yep.” “How?” Curtain Call wiggled her wings, “Don’t you need wi-” A scream interrupted her. Everypony turned to look at the source of the outcry: a young turquoise colored colt huddled on the floor, surrounded by a growing puddle. An older light turquoise mare sat next to him, stroking his hair and speaking to him in a low voice. After a few more moments, the colt bolted up and latched onto the mare’s leg. With a sigh, the pegasus took off, gliding out of the room. “....” The two foals stared at where the incident took place. After a moment, the two held the other’s hoof. “...Did Treble say anything about that?” “Nope. Treble didn’t say anything.” The two continued to hold hooves and wait. Isn't it a ThrillTrixie stifled a yawn. “This is boring.” “Trix, be nice.” Flash nudged her. “What’s to be nice about?” the mare motioned towards the scene in front of them: a young pegasus performed a loop de loop and corkscrew. “They’re kids, what were you expecting? Wonderbolt level material?” “If you listen to what Rainbow Dash claims about Treble, yes.” Octavia stifled a laugh as the pegasus glared at her. Treble rolled her eyes, while Sonata continued to snore. “Trixie…” “What? Are you paying attention to what she’s saying?” “You say the same thing about Curtain Call.” “That’s different.” “Hardly. It’s a pair of mothers who think their child is the best and brightest,” Octavia interrupted. “Yes, Exac…” Trixie trailed off, realizing what had been said. The show mare huffed and pouted. “Savage, Tavia.” Dash muttered. “One has to be to live with you.” “Yea...wait a minute” Dash paused midsentence, “...Not cool.” “She got you good, mom.” Treble snickered. --- Curtain Call and Airwave sat, still waiting for their turn. The room remained empty save for the two of them. “...Nervous?” the colt asked. “Not really.” “How come?” “It’s like when I was in the talent show at school,” Curtain Call scratched her neck, “It’s the same as that, just go out and perform.” “...Yeah.” “Didn’t Treble say anything to you?” “...No.” Airwave sulked, “Nothing helpful, anyway.” “Alright, kids.” A middle-aged mare appeared in front of the two, “One of you’s gotta go next.” “Can we go at the same time?” The two asked in unison. The mare paused, pursing her lips in thought, “Let me go ask if it’s alright.” She trotted off as the two began to prepare. Curtain Call got up and extended her wings, checking the hidden streamers and little paper globes hidden in her feathers. Airwave put away his music player as he also got to his hooves. The two continued to stretch and warm up. “What if she says no?” “Can we squeeze past her and both go anyway?” Curtain Call’s eyes lit up, “I could throw a glitter bomb in her face and we could sneak by.” “...That might just get you disqualified.” “...Not if I do awesomely.” “No, that would still get you disqualified.” The two jumped as another voice responded. They spun around as the mare smiled back. “However, the other judges have discussed it, and agreed. But, this means that you’re technically sabotaging yourselves.” She paused and closed her eyes, “Because not only are you two trying to outshine the other, but you’ll have to do better than all the previous competitors. Do you two still want to go at the same time?” She opened her eyes, only to find an empty room. “....Pfft. Little daredevils, wish we had more like them in this.” --- “Shhh, they’re announcing the next competitor,” Octavia interrupted. “Fillies and Gentlecolts! For the last round, we have not one, but TWO performers at the same time! For our final contestants, Curtain Call and Airwave!” “WHAT?!?” Dash and Trixie jolted up. “....We probably should have seen this coming,” Octavia sighed. “...Well, how bad can it be?” Flash responded, “They’re both….” “PRESENTING THE MOST MAGNIFICENT FLIER THAT YOU HAVE EVER LAID EYES ON! COMING FROM THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE, IT IS...THE MAGNIFICENT, THE ILLUSTRIOUS, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL CURTAIN CALL!” With the last statement, a cloud of glitter and colored smoke erupted from the starting line. Trixie turned bright red with embarrassment as the ponies seated around her all stared at her. Flash slumped down, putting his face in his hooves. After a moment, the smoke dispersed revealing Curtain Call and Airwave, sputtering, coughing and shaking off the glitter. “That could have gone better.” Airwave blew the glitter off his wings. “Sorry.” With a shrug, Airwave launched into the air, with a burst of speed and sound. A blast of musical tones hung in the air after him. As he swooped, spun, twisted, accelerated and slowed, the tones shifted. “How’s he doing that?” Flash turned to Octavia. “It’s apparently part of his special talent. Sound manipulation depending on what he does when he speeds up.” “...So he always makes noise when he flies?” “No, only at higher speeds,” Dash added, “It’s kinda cool actually.” “Does he know any songs?” Trixie asked, “He’s not very harmonic.” “He’s learning. I’ve tried, but…” “But he runs out in the middle of the lessons,” Treble adds. “..Yes. He does.” “It’s still not bad,” Flash admitted. “Hmph,” Curtain Call checked her wings and took off, leaving a trail of glitter colored smoke behind her. “Where is all the smoke coming from?” Dash frowned. “Smoke Bomb.” Flash responded. “Under her wings?” “They’re stage smoke bombs. Specially designed so that it’s more of a chemical reaction that leaves out the need for fire.” “So you let her hid them in her wings?” Octavia frowned. “They’re child friendly,” I wouldn’t have given them to her if they weren’t.” Trixie huffed, “I’m not going to give her anything I wouldn’t personally trust myself.” “Did you test them?” Flash asked. “I did.” “....That explains why the fire department showed up.” He muttered. The two foals continued to loop, dive and perform stunts independent of each other. After performing a corkscrew, the two moved next to each other. “Should we try to do something together?” Airwave asked. “Like what?” Curtain Call asked “Well, Mom said two ponies working together can make a tornado.” “Yeah, but…” “It’ll be a small tornado. And you can open the glitter bombs in it.” “Let’s do it!” The two began to circle each other in the middle of the arena. “What are they doing?” Trixie frowned. “...I’m not su-” Octavia was cut off as Dash slammed both hooves on the cloud. “ARE THEY STUPID?” She snapped. “...What are you talking about?” “Those two are trying to make a tornado.” Dash stood up, “I’m going to stop them before they do something st-” “Hold on, Dash,” Flash interrupted. “What do you mean, ‘Hold on’?” She snapped back, “They don’t have the experience to do-” “Dash, think about it. Do you really think anypony here would let it get out of control?” “...Probably not.” Dash sulked as she sat down again. “Somepony will intervene, especially if it looks like they’re going to lose control,” Flash grinned, “Until then, let’s see if they can pull it off.” Curtain Call gritted her teeth as she continued to pick up speed. “I think we got it!” Airwave yelled back. “You think so?” “Yeah!” The audience watched in nervous silence as the beginnings of a funnel cloud began to form. As the two picked up speed, the funnel cloud began to grow larger and larger. “...They’ve got it under control,” Flash chuckled, “Good synergy and teamwork.” “...Yeah,” Dash admitted, “Better than some of the knuckleheads on the Canterlot weather teams.” “OK!” Airwave yelled at Curtain Call, “Let’s finish this off!” “With what?” “You still got your glitter bombs?” “Yeah.” “Let’m rip!” The filly fumbled around a bit, looking for something. After a moment, she nabbed a string and yanked it. From beneath her wings, a flurry of glitter erupted, mixing into the tornado winds. From outside, the crowd oohed and ahhed as the multicolored glitter began to mix into the tornado. “Is that….Glitter?” Octavia frowned. “...Trixie, I thought we agreed that we weren’t giving her any more glitter bombs.” “For Hearth’s Warming and her birthday.” “You know what I meant.” Flash firmly replied. “...I thought it would add some flair to her performance,” Trixie huffed. “How come she’s not supposed to have glitter bombs, Mr. Sentry?” Sonata asked. “Trixie gave her a set of Thirty for Heart’s Warming. By the end of that day she used Twenty-Seven of them,” Flash shook his head at the memory, “We were still cleaning glitter out of the house for weeks.” “Oh,” Sonata looked back at the glittering tornado, and back up to her parents, “Can…” “No.” Octavia and Rainbow Dash replied in unison. “I didn’t even get t-” “Still no.” Curtain Call and Airwave shot out of the center of the tornado, forcing it to dissipate in a burst of sound, wind and glitter. The two zipped up and looked around at the crowds: silent and covered in glitter. After a moment the crowd began to cheer and applaud for the two. Flash shook off the glitter, “That went well.” Dash coughed, spitting out a mouthful of glitter. “Could have gone better.” --- A horde of colts and fillies sat in front of the announcement stand as the entire stadium waited. “Can we go yet, I’m bored,” Sonata grumbled to her mothers. “Almost, let them announce the winners,” After another minute, a quartet of ponies trotted out and took their seats behind a table. Another pony trotted up to the microphone and cleared her throat. “Fillies and Gentlecolts, the judges have made their decisions! In third place…” she glanced down at the piece of paper, “Solar Flare!” An orange colt, jumped up, yelling excitedly. He quickly flittered forward, landing in front of one of the judges who placed a medal over his neck. “In second place…” the mare looked up, smiling, “We have a tie! Second place is Curtain Call and Airwave!” “YES!” Trixie and Rainbow Dash yelled in unison, jumping up to their hooves. Flash shook his head and sighed, while Octavia rolled her eyes. The two fillies flittered out of the crowd and took their place at the front. Two judges leaned over and placed their medals over their necks. “Convenient that they had an extra,” Octavia noted. “They make extras,” Dash shrugged, “They made the mistake of not having enough before.” “And finally, the moment you all have been waiting for…” the announcer glanced down at her paper, “In first place, Cinder Cone!” A nonchalant looking gray filly trotted forward and took her place next to Curtain Call and Airwave. She bowed slightly and accepted her medal. After a moment she turned to look at Airwave and Curtain Call. “I liked your performance better,” she stated in a nearly monotone voice. “Thanks!” The two beamed. “Fillies and Gentlecolts, here are your winners for this year’s competition!” Applause and cheers erupted from throughout the stadium as the audience and participants celebrated. “YEAH!” A buff white pegasus stallion yelled and clapped his hooves together, “My little girl did it!” “Yay.” the Gray earth mare seated next to him clapped, her face locked into a neutral expression. “C’mon!” The stallion nudged her, “I wanna hear you really cheer for her!” “Darling, can’t you see that I’m overwhelmed with excitement?”
And On and on“This is ridiculous,” Trixie grumbled. “You promised,” Flash countered. “I wasn’t aware that it was going to be in the air,” Trixie countered. “It’s the Junior Wonderbolt’s Flying competition, where else would it be?” Flash snarked back, “Now get on my back.” “Can’t we rent a balloon or something?” “You saw the prices, it’s only a day.” Flash countered, “You said we have to save money if we’re going to take her to…” “Take me to where, daddy?” the voice of a younger filly cut in. Trixie and Flash glanced towards the speaker: An azure pegasus filly with her mane tied back in a ponytail. “It’s nothing, Curtain Call. Your father’s just being stubborn.” Trixie responded. “I’m not being stubborn, your mother wants to take a Balloon to Cloudsdale.” “Balloons are fun,” Curtain Call continued, “We got to ride one on a field trip and it was fun.” “I know, sweetie,” Flash tussled his daughter’s mane, “But they’re expensive.” “They’re comfortable.” “They’re going to take a huge chunk out of our budget.” “I make enough to replace it.” “Yeah, but you haven’t been paid yet,” Flash countered, “They’re going to take it out of my money.” “...I just don’t like flying on the back of others,” Trixie grumbled, “Your father nearly dropped me.” “It was an accident, how many times do we have to go over this?” He grumbled, “The flock came out of nowhere.” “If we don’t hurry up, we’re gonna be late,” Curtain Call cut off her mother’s response. “...She’s right,” Trixie admitted, “This is her day and I promised.” Trixie reluctantly climbed onto Flash’s back and tightened her grip around his neck. “Don’t crash into any birds,’ she muttered. “Did you cast the cloudwalking spell already?” “I did. I’m not that stupid.” “Then let’s go.” Flash lifted off the ground as Curtain Call followed after him. “After can we go to visit Aunty Headdress?” Curtain asked. “Probably not, sweetie,” Flash responded, “We’re only staying for the day.” “Awww.” Curtain Call pouted. After a moment she flittered higher, above her father’s head. “Race me!” the filly challenged. “NO!” Trixie yelled, tightening her grip around Flash’s neck. The pegasus’ eyes bulged out as he sputtered. “...Sorry,” Trixie’s grip slackened. “Not when I have your mother on my back,” Flash coughed, “Besides, you need to save your energy for the competition.” “Fine….If I win can we get ice cream?” “Maybe,” Flash shrugged. Trixie’s grip tightened and she glared at him. “Sorry.” “And you wonder why I hate this,” she muttered. “We’re here.” Flash touched down on the clouds. Trixie scrambled off of her husband’s back, landing in an ungraceful pile on the clouds. After a moment, she got back onto her hooves, dusting herself off. Curtain Call continued to flitter around her parents. “Alright, we better get you checked in,” Flash chuckled, “No more flying until the competition.” “...Do I have to walk?” “Yep.” Flash responded. “Mom, do I have to walk?” she turned her attention to her mother. Flash frowned as Trixie stifled a chuckle. “Listen to your father,” “Aww…” Curtain Call pouted as she landed. The three made their way into the city, passing shops and homes. Curtain Call paused and stared at one of the buildings. “Dad, what’s that?” she asked as she pointed at it. “That’s the Rainbow Factory.” “Do they put the bad pegasi in the rainbows?” “What? Of course not, who told you that?” Flash demanded. “Crasher’s big brother did. When she had her birthday sleepover, we stayed up late and told scary stories. He said that pegasi that failed their first flight test were made into rainbows.” Trixie stared at her daughter, “Who comes up with this nonsense?” “It’s a urban legend in the pegasus community,” Flash sighed, “You know, like the boogiemare or the Lost spellbook of Catrina.” “...I’ve never heard it,” she muttered. “So what do they do with the pegasi that fail their first flight test?” Curtain call asked. “Hm? Oh, they make them into pies.” Flash chuckled. He looked at his wife and daughter, with a grin on his face: Trixie looked back at him with an unamused look of disgust, while Curtain Call’s expression was one of horror. “...I was joking,” He meekly apologize. “It wasn’t funny,” Trixie crossly replied before walking away from her husband. “...I don’t want pie any more,” Curtain Call muttered as she quickly followed. “...Alright, I guess that joke was in poor taste,” Flash admitted as he trailed behind them. The family continued down the street before heading towards a stadium. Trixie and Curtain Call trotted past a sign reading “CHECK IN” and stopped at a desk. An overly chipper pegasus mare beamed at the two of them. “Hi there! Here to sign in?” “Yep!” Curtain Call fluttered upwards, into view. “Aren’t you adorable. Name?” “Curtain Call,” Trixie answered. “Hmmm…” the mare flipped through a few of the sheets in front of her, “Curtain Call...Curtain Call...Ah!” she pulled out a paper, “Here it is. Just sign on the line and have her sign as well.” Trixie’s aura flared up as she picked up one of the pencils. With flair, she signed her own name and set the paper down so that her daughter could sign. The filly quickly jotted down her name and passed the paper back up to the clerk. “Everything looks good, she’s free to enter the waiting room.” “By herself?” “Well, parents are allowed in, but they might not be able to get seats,” the receptionist responded, “But we do have some volunteers back there to keep them calm, and we will call for parents if there’s a problem.” “...Very well.” Trixie looked down at her daughter, “Do you want one of us to stay behind with you?” “Nuh-uh.” Curtain Call shook her head, “I can do it.” “Very well. But before you go…” Trixie’s aura flared up. Her saddlebag opened up, and she pulled something out. She smiled as she held out a small cape, made out of the same sparkling cloth as Trixie’s. She smiled as she fastened it around the awestruck filly’s neck. “A little good luck charm for my little magician,” Trixie leaned down and kissed Curtain Call’s forehead. “Thanks mom,” the filly hugged Trixie before trotting off into the waiting room.
So it GoesFlash flew forward holding two cups in his hooves. He paused, looking around. “Where’d she go?” he muttered to himself, “She shouldn’t wander around like th…” “There you are,” Trixie appeared in front of him, scowling, “Why didn’t you come and see her off?” “See her off? Trix, this is a competition, not sending her off to boarding school,” Flash countered, “We’re going to see her.” “Where did you get that?” Trixie asked, pointing at the drink cups. “Concession stand.” --- Curtain Call paused in the doorway, looking around the waiting room. Others stood around the room, some stretching, others talking and trying not to panic. In one corner a dark grey pegasus colt sat, listening to music. Both of his eyes remained hidden behind his long, light grey mane with a streak of red, yellow and blue running down the left side of it. An azure blurr zipped through the room and knocked the grey pegasus over. He shook his head, pushing the hair out of his eyes and looked down: Curtain Call beamed at him as she hugged him. “HI AIRWAVE!” The colt stared at her for a moment before breaking out into a big smile and returning the hug. “C.C.! I didn’t know you were gonna be here.” “Yeah, I wanted to try.” the two separated and sat next to each other, “How come you’re here?” “Mom,” Airwave rolled his eyes. “...Oh yeah,” Curtain Call frowned, “...Does she think you’re gonna win?” “I don’t know,” he shrugged, “I don’t really care.” “...So what stunts are you gonna try do?” “I don’t know,” Airwave stretched his wings, “What about you? Any magic tricks?” Curtain Call shook her head, “All mom taught me was sleight of hoof stuff. I snuck in some streamers and things that I could use.” “We’re not supposed to bring too much stuff. It’s about how well we do.” “Oh.” the filly paused as she tossed several paper cones to the floor. Two of them exploded, scattering confetti everywhere. “I thought that would be cool.” she shrugged, “I’m keeping the streamers and the glitter bomb.” Airwave spat a mouthful of confetti on the floor. “I guess.” --- “No one told me we were supposed to reserve seating,” Trixie muttered. “It’s sort of a given, We’re just lucky that there was seats left.” “Yes, well…” Trixie trailed off. “Well what?” Flash ask as he stopped next to his wife, “...Ah.” Next to their seats was a family of four. Closest to them was a grey earth mare and a light grey earth filly with her rainbow mane tied back. Another head poked out from behind the grey mare: an older grey-blue pegasus filly with a black mane. Finally, the last member of the family, a blue pegasus mare, glanced at Trixie and Flash. After a moment, the pegasus did a double take and frowned. “Trixie.” the blue pegasus acknowledged her. “Rainbow Dash.” the showmare icily responded. “Maybe I should sit here…” Flash glided past his wife and took the seat next to the grey mare and filly, “Mrs. Octavia. Miss Sonata.” “Hi Mister Sentry!” the grey filly, Sonata, beamed, “Is Curtain Call participating in the competition too?” “She is. I guess this means Airwave’s in there too, isn’t he?” “Uh-huh,” Sonata nodded, “Mom was showing him stuff to do, but I don’t think he was really paying attention.” “Well, I’m sure he’ll do fine,” Flash chuckled. “I’m certain our daughter will do even better,” Trixie icily responded. “Yeah?” Dash shot back, “Treble won when she was in the competition.” “Pfft. Surely there is no competition as great as Curtain Call.” “You ju…” “That’s quite enough,” Octavia interrupted, “There’s no need to be unnecessarily antagonistic.” “...She started it,” Dash muttered. “That’s no reason to escalate it,” Octavia scolded her wife. “Yeah, there’s no reason to argue about this, Trix.” Trixie said nothing as she turned away. “I’m sorry about that,” Flash apologize to Octavia. “I don’t think you need to apologize,” Octavia glanced at Trixie before motioning towards Rainbow Dash. “Ah.” Awkward silence continued as the two argumental mares refused to look at the other. Nearly simultaneous, Octavia and Flash josted their wives. “Ahem.” Octavia coughed. “C’mon Trix….” Flash nudged her again. “....Sorry.” Both mares simultaneously apologized. “It...It was rude of me,” Trixie continued. “...Yeah, I shouldn’t have...Y’know.” Dash trailed off. Any more conversation was cut off as trumpets sounded. “Oh good, it’s starting,” Octavia shifted in her seat. --- The two friends sat, watching as other colts and fillies paced and waited for their turns. “What number did you get?” Airwave asked. “Twenty seven. What about you?” “Twenty six.” The two looked around the room. “...Could we go at the same time?” Curtain Call asked. “...Dunno. We could ask.” “You think we’d get in trouble?” “My mom went at the same time as Mrs. Rarity during the Best Young Fliers thing.” Airwave pointed out. “...Huh.” The two continued to watch as other foals had their numbers called out. “Wait…” Curtain Call frowned, “Isn’t Mrs. Rarity a unicorn?” “Uh-huh.” “And she was in a flying contest?” “Yep.” “How?” Curtain Call wiggled her wings, “Don’t you need wi-” A scream interrupted her. Everypony turned to look at the source of the outcry: a young turquoise colored colt huddled on the floor, surrounded by a growing puddle. An older light turquoise mare sat next to him, stroking his hair and speaking to him in a low voice. After a few more moments, the colt bolted up and latched onto the mare’s leg. With a sigh, the pegasus took off, gliding out of the room. “....” The two foals stared at where the incident took place. After a moment, the two held the other’s hoof. “...Did Treble say anything about that?” “Nope. Treble didn’t say anything.” The two continued to hold hooves and wait.
Isn't it a ThrillTrixie stifled a yawn. “This is boring.” “Trix, be nice.” Flash nudged her. “What’s to be nice about?” the mare motioned towards the scene in front of them: a young pegasus performed a loop de loop and corkscrew. “They’re kids, what were you expecting? Wonderbolt level material?” “If you listen to what Rainbow Dash claims about Treble, yes.” Octavia stifled a laugh as the pegasus glared at her. Treble rolled her eyes, while Sonata continued to snore. “Trixie…” “What? Are you paying attention to what she’s saying?” “You say the same thing about Curtain Call.” “That’s different.” “Hardly. It’s a pair of mothers who think their child is the best and brightest,” Octavia interrupted. “Yes, Exac…” Trixie trailed off, realizing what had been said. The show mare huffed and pouted. “Savage, Tavia.” Dash muttered. “One has to be to live with you.” “Yea...wait a minute” Dash paused midsentence, “...Not cool.” “She got you good, mom.” Treble snickered. --- Curtain Call and Airwave sat, still waiting for their turn. The room remained empty save for the two of them. “...Nervous?” the colt asked. “Not really.” “How come?” “It’s like when I was in the talent show at school,” Curtain Call scratched her neck, “It’s the same as that, just go out and perform.” “...Yeah.” “Didn’t Treble say anything to you?” “...No.” Airwave sulked, “Nothing helpful, anyway.” “Alright, kids.” A middle-aged mare appeared in front of the two, “One of you’s gotta go next.” “Can we go at the same time?” The two asked in unison. The mare paused, pursing her lips in thought, “Let me go ask if it’s alright.” She trotted off as the two began to prepare. Curtain Call got up and extended her wings, checking the hidden streamers and little paper globes hidden in her feathers. Airwave put away his music player as he also got to his hooves. The two continued to stretch and warm up. “What if she says no?” “Can we squeeze past her and both go anyway?” Curtain Call’s eyes lit up, “I could throw a glitter bomb in her face and we could sneak by.” “...That might just get you disqualified.” “...Not if I do awesomely.” “No, that would still get you disqualified.” The two jumped as another voice responded. They spun around as the mare smiled back. “However, the other judges have discussed it, and agreed. But, this means that you’re technically sabotaging yourselves.” She paused and closed her eyes, “Because not only are you two trying to outshine the other, but you’ll have to do better than all the previous competitors. Do you two still want to go at the same time?” She opened her eyes, only to find an empty room. “....Pfft. Little daredevils, wish we had more like them in this.” --- “Shhh, they’re announcing the next competitor,” Octavia interrupted. “Fillies and Gentlecolts! For the last round, we have not one, but TWO performers at the same time! For our final contestants, Curtain Call and Airwave!” “WHAT?!?” Dash and Trixie jolted up. “....We probably should have seen this coming,” Octavia sighed. “...Well, how bad can it be?” Flash responded, “They’re both….” “PRESENTING THE MOST MAGNIFICENT FLIER THAT YOU HAVE EVER LAID EYES ON! COMING FROM THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE, IT IS...THE MAGNIFICENT, THE ILLUSTRIOUS, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL CURTAIN CALL!” With the last statement, a cloud of glitter and colored smoke erupted from the starting line. Trixie turned bright red with embarrassment as the ponies seated around her all stared at her. Flash slumped down, putting his face in his hooves. After a moment, the smoke dispersed revealing Curtain Call and Airwave, sputtering, coughing and shaking off the glitter. “That could have gone better.” Airwave blew the glitter off his wings. “Sorry.” With a shrug, Airwave launched into the air, with a burst of speed and sound. A blast of musical tones hung in the air after him. As he swooped, spun, twisted, accelerated and slowed, the tones shifted. “How’s he doing that?” Flash turned to Octavia. “It’s apparently part of his special talent. Sound manipulation depending on what he does when he speeds up.” “...So he always makes noise when he flies?” “No, only at higher speeds,” Dash added, “It’s kinda cool actually.” “Does he know any songs?” Trixie asked, “He’s not very harmonic.” “He’s learning. I’ve tried, but…” “But he runs out in the middle of the lessons,” Treble adds. “..Yes. He does.” “It’s still not bad,” Flash admitted. “Hmph,” Curtain Call checked her wings and took off, leaving a trail of glitter colored smoke behind her. “Where is all the smoke coming from?” Dash frowned. “Smoke Bomb.” Flash responded. “Under her wings?” “They’re stage smoke bombs. Specially designed so that it’s more of a chemical reaction that leaves out the need for fire.” “So you let her hid them in her wings?” Octavia frowned. “They’re child friendly,” I wouldn’t have given them to her if they weren’t.” Trixie huffed, “I’m not going to give her anything I wouldn’t personally trust myself.” “Did you test them?” Flash asked. “I did.” “....That explains why the fire department showed up.” He muttered. The two foals continued to loop, dive and perform stunts independent of each other. After performing a corkscrew, the two moved next to each other. “Should we try to do something together?” Airwave asked. “Like what?” Curtain Call asked “Well, Mom said two ponies working together can make a tornado.” “Yeah, but…” “It’ll be a small tornado. And you can open the glitter bombs in it.” “Let’s do it!” The two began to circle each other in the middle of the arena. “What are they doing?” Trixie frowned. “...I’m not su-” Octavia was cut off as Dash slammed both hooves on the cloud. “ARE THEY STUPID?” She snapped. “...What are you talking about?” “Those two are trying to make a tornado.” Dash stood up, “I’m going to stop them before they do something st-” “Hold on, Dash,” Flash interrupted. “What do you mean, ‘Hold on’?” She snapped back, “They don’t have the experience to do-” “Dash, think about it. Do you really think anypony here would let it get out of control?” “...Probably not.” Dash sulked as she sat down again. “Somepony will intervene, especially if it looks like they’re going to lose control,” Flash grinned, “Until then, let’s see if they can pull it off.” Curtain Call gritted her teeth as she continued to pick up speed. “I think we got it!” Airwave yelled back. “You think so?” “Yeah!” The audience watched in nervous silence as the beginnings of a funnel cloud began to form. As the two picked up speed, the funnel cloud began to grow larger and larger. “...They’ve got it under control,” Flash chuckled, “Good synergy and teamwork.” “...Yeah,” Dash admitted, “Better than some of the knuckleheads on the Canterlot weather teams.” “OK!” Airwave yelled at Curtain Call, “Let’s finish this off!” “With what?” “You still got your glitter bombs?” “Yeah.” “Let’m rip!” The filly fumbled around a bit, looking for something. After a moment, she nabbed a string and yanked it. From beneath her wings, a flurry of glitter erupted, mixing into the tornado winds. From outside, the crowd oohed and ahhed as the multicolored glitter began to mix into the tornado. “Is that….Glitter?” Octavia frowned. “...Trixie, I thought we agreed that we weren’t giving her any more glitter bombs.” “For Hearth’s Warming and her birthday.” “You know what I meant.” Flash firmly replied. “...I thought it would add some flair to her performance,” Trixie huffed. “How come she’s not supposed to have glitter bombs, Mr. Sentry?” Sonata asked. “Trixie gave her a set of Thirty for Heart’s Warming. By the end of that day she used Twenty-Seven of them,” Flash shook his head at the memory, “We were still cleaning glitter out of the house for weeks.” “Oh,” Sonata looked back at the glittering tornado, and back up to her parents, “Can…” “No.” Octavia and Rainbow Dash replied in unison. “I didn’t even get t-” “Still no.” Curtain Call and Airwave shot out of the center of the tornado, forcing it to dissipate in a burst of sound, wind and glitter. The two zipped up and looked around at the crowds: silent and covered in glitter. After a moment the crowd began to cheer and applaud for the two. Flash shook off the glitter, “That went well.” Dash coughed, spitting out a mouthful of glitter. “Could have gone better.” --- A horde of colts and fillies sat in front of the announcement stand as the entire stadium waited. “Can we go yet, I’m bored,” Sonata grumbled to her mothers. “Almost, let them announce the winners,” After another minute, a quartet of ponies trotted out and took their seats behind a table. Another pony trotted up to the microphone and cleared her throat. “Fillies and Gentlecolts, the judges have made their decisions! In third place…” she glanced down at the piece of paper, “Solar Flare!” An orange colt, jumped up, yelling excitedly. He quickly flittered forward, landing in front of one of the judges who placed a medal over his neck. “In second place…” the mare looked up, smiling, “We have a tie! Second place is Curtain Call and Airwave!” “YES!” Trixie and Rainbow Dash yelled in unison, jumping up to their hooves. Flash shook his head and sighed, while Octavia rolled her eyes. The two fillies flittered out of the crowd and took their place at the front. Two judges leaned over and placed their medals over their necks. “Convenient that they had an extra,” Octavia noted. “They make extras,” Dash shrugged, “They made the mistake of not having enough before.” “And finally, the moment you all have been waiting for…” the announcer glanced down at her paper, “In first place, Cinder Cone!” A nonchalant looking gray filly trotted forward and took her place next to Curtain Call and Airwave. She bowed slightly and accepted her medal. After a moment she turned to look at Airwave and Curtain Call. “I liked your performance better,” she stated in a nearly monotone voice. “Thanks!” The two beamed. “Fillies and Gentlecolts, here are your winners for this year’s competition!” Applause and cheers erupted from throughout the stadium as the audience and participants celebrated. “YEAH!” A buff white pegasus stallion yelled and clapped his hooves together, “My little girl did it!” “Yay.” the Gray earth mare seated next to him clapped, her face locked into a neutral expression. “C’mon!” The stallion nudged her, “I wanna hear you really cheer for her!” “Darling, can’t you see that I’m overwhelmed with excitement?”
