Doing the Double Shuffle

Chapters

Diamond in the Rough
A Wonderful Evening
A Fuller Picture
No Going Back
A New Beginning
Crashing Down

Diamond in the Rough

Doing the Double Shuffle.

Chapter 1; Diamond in the Rough

Tender Taps stood in the wing of the stage. Even though Apple Bloom had helped him overcome his near paralyzing fear of stage fright, that didn’t mean he still didn’t have any butterflies in his stomach. “Come on, you can do this.” He said to himself, trying to calm his nerves. Tender went through a mental checklist. Tuxedo, check. Tap shoes, check. Hair, check. Everything was ready, or at least everything he could control.

On stage, a group of musicians were playing jazz music. It was the night of the Ponyville annual jazz festival, and musicians from all over Equestria were there to share their music. Hoofer Steps, Tender Taps’ dance teacher, had suggested that he should perform in the festival, given his skill and musicality. Despite some objections, Tender eventually decided to perform, largely thanks to some prodding from Apple Bloom. So there he was, one Ponyville’s best dancers, ready to do what he did best.

As the band finished their song, some slow tune that sounded like it was from Saddle Arabia, the MC, Zecora, said, “And now, to dance with the band, like a pen on a map, it’s our favorite dancer Tender Taps.” Feeling confident from the cheer of the crowds, Tender took a deep breath and made his way onto the stage. As he stepped onto a special 5x5 wooden mat (So he wouldn’t damage the stage floor), he could hear a certain filly call out, “You got this Tendy!” At least he knew Apple Bloom was here, cheering him on like always.

After a few moments, the band’s drummer began to beat, *Rat-tat-rat-tat. Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat.* Tender then did the same with his hooves, repeating the rhythm, only sounding much cleaner and crisp. The drummer continued, *Rat-tat-tat. Rat-tat-tat. Rat-tat-tatta-rat-tat-tat.* Tender Taps repeated the same rhythm, the colt noticing the gasps of amazement from the crowd. The rest of the band joined in, performing a quick ragtime melody. Tender went along with the group, acting as a second percussionist. As the song continued, the tempo increased, and Tender had to speed up his tapping, and in the process he could pick out a few ponies crying out, clearly unable to comprehend how skilled he was. As the end of the song arrived, Tender finished his choreography with a series of wings, followed by a “Shave and a haircut.”

The Applause was thunderous. Tender Taps gave a bow, sporting a very wide grin. Zecora called out, “Let us give a round of claps, for our fantastic tapper Tender Taps!” as the crowd erupted again, Tender Taps took another bow. With that, He exited stage right. As he descended down the stairs leading to a waiting area for other performers, he heard a familiar voice call out, “Vell done Tender!” he turned to see Ms. Hoofer Steps, his dance teacher. He replied, “Thanks Ms. Steps.” “Oh no my friend.” Hoofer Steps replied. “Zis Vas your making. You vere ze vone who vorked vith ze band and choreographed your own routine. Zis vas your moment.” Tender Taps blushed a little bit and replied, “Well I wouldn’t have known about it if you hadn’t told me about it.”

“TENDER TAPS!” another familiar voice shouted from behind him. Tender Taps turned to see a very specific yellow earth pony filly with a red mane and a bright pink bow running right towards him. Before he could react, Apple Bloom pounced him and wrapped him in a massive hug. “Apple Bloom. You’re crushing me.” Tender Taps managed to gasp out before his friend managed to loosen her grasp. “Heh heh. Sorry.” Apple Bloom apologized before continuing. “But you were still amazin’.” “Thanks.” Tender Taps replied. “You know I could hear you from on stage.” Apple Bloom just shrugged and cheekily replied, “Heh, It’s only ‘cause Ah’m your biggest fan.” “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Tender replied as he and Apple Bloom rubbed their cheeks together.

Once the show ended, Apple Bloom and Tender Taps made their way to two very specific ponies, his parents. After a bit of searching, they found them, two earth ponies. “Hey mom. Hey dad.” Tender Said, catching their attention. His father, a green earth pony with a red mane and tail named Hornpipe, happily called out, “There ya are me boy. That was some real fancy footwork.” His mother, a yellow earth pony with purple mane and tail named Soft Shoe, said, “Oh, and you were just so adorable.” “Mom,” Tender Taps said as his mother pinched his cheek. “You’re embarrassing me.” As he said this, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but let out a mischievous giggle. “Well ya are kinda cute.” Apple Bloom added. Tender Taps replied, “Well so are you.” Now it was Apple Bloom’s turn to blush.

Soon the four ponies had seated themselves down and also gotten some dinner. Apple Bloom asked her friend, “Hey Tender Taps, what made ya wanna focus on tap dancin’?” Tender answered, “Well, for one, it’s the most fun style, at least in my opinion. Second, I love being able to be a musician as well as a dancer, and finally,” He gave a dramatic pause, “Well my name is Tender TAPS. Guess it’s just kinda part of me.” Apple Bloom giggled at the last part as Soft Shoe added, “Its cause our family has been dancing for as long as any of us have been around.” Hornpipe then added, “Oi, I forgot to say thank you for helping our son here get over his stage fright.” Apple Bloom replied, “It was nothin.’ Helpin’ Ponies find their special talent is what mah friends and ah do.”

As the group continued, Tender Taps suddenly got the feeling he was being watched. Tender began to look around, trying to see if he could find whoever was spying on him. “Honey, something wrong?” asked Soft Shoe. “Sorry mom. Just got the feeling that some pony is watching us.” Tender Taps replied. Apple Bloom nudged his shoulder and said, “Maybe it’s her.” She pointed to the source of the feeling. Needless to say, it wasn’t the kind of pony Tender Taps expected to give him an unsettling feeling.

Standing at the edge of the dining area, there stood a small filly. She had a coat of medium blue fur with a golden yellow tail and hair, which was up into a set of braided pig tails with two crimson bows, one on each tail. She had blue eyes, to everyone’s surprise; she wore a crimson bowtie around her neck. The filly was just standing there, pawing at the ground. Clearly she wanted Tender’s attention, but she seemed too nervous to walk up to her. “Hey guys.” Tender Taps said Apple Bloom and his Parents. “I’ll be back in a moment.” He then got up from the table and made his way towards the filly.

As Tender Taps made his way towards the nervous filly, he called out to her, “Hi there. You wanted my attention?” the filly didn’t move for a moment, but she eventually responded. “I…I just wanted to say you did a really great job performing.” “Thanks.” Tender replied. “I do aim to please.” He then said, “I’m Tender Taps. What’s your name?” the filly, seemingly gaining a little more confidence, extended her hoof and said, “I’m Double Shuffle.” Tender extended his own hoof, causing Double Shuffle to laugh. “What’s so funny?” Tender Taps asked. “You’re still wearing your tap shoes.” Double Shuffle answered. True to her word, Tender Taps was still wearing his shoes, black lace up shoes with metal plates on the bottom of each shoe. “Sorry. Guess sometimes I just don’t feel complete without them.”

Double Shuffle then said, “I know what you mean.” She then turned to show her flank, displaying a cutie mark of a pair of tap shoes. “Cool, so you’re a dancer?” Tender Taps asked. “Yup.” Double Shuffle answered. “My favorite style is tap.” “Same here.” Tender continued. He then got an idea. “Wait here.” Tender said as he turned to his family. A few minutes later, Tender returned with Apple Bloom and his parents. “Guys, this is Double Shuffle.” Double Shuffle then nervously waived to the group and said, “Hello there. It’s nice to meet you.” Apple Bloom walked up to her and introduced herself. “Howdy. Mah name is Apple Bloom. Ah’m a friend of Tender Taps.” “Nice to meet you Apple Bloom.” Double Shuffle said as she and Apple Bloom shook hooves. “Ooh, nice cutie mark.” Apple Bloom remarked upon noticing Double Shuffle’s cutie mark.

Double Shuffle then looked down, seemingly appearing to be a bit glum. “Did Ah say somethin’ bad?” “No.” Double Shuffle replied. “It’s just my dad and brothers don’t like my cutie mark.” “What?” Asked Soft shoe. “Why wouldn’t they like your cutie mark?” Double Shuffle meekly answered, “I don’t want to talk about it.” “Are you sure?” Tender Taps asked.

Before any pony could ask, a gruff stallion’s voice called out, “Double Shuffle! Where are you?” Double Shuffle suddenly started panicking. Tender Taps and Apple Bloom quickly found the source of the voice. From behind Double Shuffle emerged Pegasus stallion with a stoic expression on his face. His fur was a dark green, his tail and mane were olive khaki, and his eyes were a dark blood red. Around him were three colts. One was olive khaki with a dark green tail and mane and blue eyes. Another was dark blue with a white tail and mane and gold eyes, and the third was light green with a blue mane and tail and gray eyes. All four of them had buzz cut manes.

“There you are.” The Stallion said. “Sorry dad.” Double Shuffle said somewhat defeated. “I just wanted to meet Tender Taps.” Her father sternly answered. “Well now you met him. But now it’s time to go home.” Double Shuffle then turned to Tender Taps and said, “Guess this is goodbye. I hope we can meet again.” As she then walked over to the colts, whom Tender Taps figured were her brothers, the olive khaki one glanced at Tender and remarked, “Wow, What a dork.” The gray one added, “Yeah, Tap dancing is for wussies.” “Hey, I know plenty of colts who dance.” Tender Taps called out to the other colts. The green colt simply remarked, “Guess they’re a bunch of wimps. Not tough colts like us.” Their father called out, “Hey! Stop that squabbling and fall in line!” The three colts quickly organized themselves into a row. Their father then turned to Double Shuffle and remarked, “That’s an order young lady.” Double Shuffle then moved to the back of the line as her father started chanting, “Hup, two, three, four. Hup, two, three, four.” All four young ponies began marching away as their father continued, leaving Tender Taps, Apple Bloom, and his parents stunned.

“Wow, that was kinda scary.” Tender Taps remarked. “Yeah.” Remarked Hornpipe. “That stallion was treating his kids like a platoon.” Soft Shoe asked, “I mean, they’re just kids. Why drill them like they’re in the guard?” Apple Bloom asked, “Uh, was it me or did Double Shuffle seem kinda scared of her dad?” “I know” Remarked Tender Taps. Unfortunately, it had gotten somewhat late and soon every pony headed home.

Later that night, Tender Taps, having taken off his tuxedo and showered, was laying in bed thinking about Double Shuffle. Sure, she seemed friendly and somewhat enthusiastic about dance, but in general seemed to be somewhat shy and reclusive, almost like he was not too long ago. Before he fell asleep, Tender thought to himself, ‘I do hope I run into her again.’

Two Days Later

“And five, six, seven, eight!” Hoofer Steps called out. Tender Taps and the rest of class began their warm ups. Each pony would rotate their hooves in circles to help make the intensive dance class slightly less straining. Tender Taps went through the motions in an almost drone-like manner, still thinking about Double Shuffle. “You alright?” Apple Bloom asked, having noticed how surprisingly glum her friend was. “Huh?” asked Tender, snapping out of his trance. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking about filly at the jazz festival.” Before, either could continue, Hoofer Steps called out, “Tender Taps, Apple Bloom. Stay focused.”

Class continued as usual. Most of class was a sampler of most styles; Ballet, Street, Ballroom, Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Tap. Around the half way mark, Hoofer Steps said to the class, “Alvight everyone, take ten minutes break. Vhen ve come back, ve shall start ze Specific styles. Any pony who doesn’t do vone shall vait in ze spare studio. And any pony who doesn’t specialize any stule permission to leave for the day.” A few of the fillies and all of the colts (Excluding Tender) exited the dance school, while Tender, Apple Bloom, and the rest of the fillies left to refill their water bottles.

As Apple Bloom refilled her water bottle, Tender Taps asked, “So Apple Bloom, What styles are you specializing?” Apple Bloom replied, “Ah’m doin’ ballet and tap. What about you?” Tender Taps replied, “Tap. I would have done ballet as well, but my parents said they could only pay for one.” “Ah know the feelin’.” Replied Apple Bloom. “Honestly Ah wanted to try everythin’, but Applejack said ah could only pick two. Ah thought ballet sounded graceful.” She finished filling her bottle and continued. “And Ah’ve always wanted to tap since I had the cutie pox.”

“Huh?” asked Tender Taps as he approached the water fountain with his now empty bottle. “What’s the cutie pox?” Apple Bloom explained, “Well, not so long ago, before ah got mah cutie mark, I tried to get it by drinkin’ this potion Zecora made. At first ah had a cutie mark in hoola hoopin’, then one in weight liftin’. That night, Ah started dancin’, and suddenly there was a cutie mark of a tap shoe on mah flank.” Tender Taps was surprised, a potion that granted you more than one cutie mark? Apple Bloom continued, “Then ah started talkin’ fancy. Eventually Twilight and Zecora were able to help me by findin’ the cure.” “Wow,” Tender Taps remarked. “Guess you didn’t use a potion to find your cutie mark after that.”

As both filly and colt laughed at the remark, Tender Taps heard the sound of the door opening. As he turned around, Tender Taps was surprised at what he saw. Standing in the doorway, sporting a dance bag slung on her back and a nervous look on her face, was Double Shuffle. “Uh,” she said somewhat unsure, “Is this Hoofer Step’s dance school?” “Yes.” Replied Tender Taps. “We’re about to start the specialized classes.” Double Shuffle’s eyes lit up and she asked, “Oh, they start tap yet?” as she asked, Hoofer Steps called out, “Apple Bloom, ve are starting ze ballet session.” “Commin.” Apple Bloom called back and made her way to the primary studio.

Tender Taps and Double Shuffle soon found themselves alone in the lobby of the dance school. “So…” Tender Taps said before Double Shuffle interrupted him. “Sorry about the sudden departure. My dad only brought my brothers because I wanted to go.” “Yeah, I kinda noticed.” Tender Taps replied. “I don’t mean to sound rude but your brothers came off as jerks.” Double Shuffle simply shrugged and replied, “Yeah, they kinda are.” She then asked, “So, if it’s not too much, wanna practice?” Tender Taps thought for a few moments until he simply replied, “Sure.”

Both ponies made their way to the spare studio, and set down their bags. Tender Taps was somewhat surprised to see double shuffle pulled out her own pair of tap shoes. They were a set of four black oxfords, and from the looks of them, they had seen better days. The area around the toes were incredibly scratched, with the black having given way to a dusty gray. One of the shoes had red laces rather than black ones like the others, and at least two of them had black duct tape on the soles. It was as if her shoes were falling apart at the seams.

As both ponies finished tying up their laces, Double Shuffle said, “So, show me what you got.” Tender Taps turned to face his new friend, and was surprised to see her with a confident smile and a front hoof crossed against the other. “Huh?” Tender asked, now genuinely confused. Double Shuffle then nervously backed up a bit and said, “Sorry, I guess I just wondered if we could do a cutting contest.” Tender Taps thought about it for a moment, and then replied, “Well, ladies first.” Double Shuffle took that as the opportunity to start.

Tender Taps was surprised with what he saw. Double Shuffle was certainly living up to her name. She certainly had very good technique, most of her taps were clear and audible, though a few blended together here and there. Once she finished her current combo, she struck a pose, her confidence having returned, and playfully said, “Your move.” Tender Taps took that as the opportunity and began with a triple time step. As he continued, he sped up, figuring he could show off, and finished with a maxi ford. “Your turn.” He said to Double Shuffle.

After about thirty minutes, both ponies began to wear themselves out a bit. “Hey, maybe we should stop. Don’t want to be too worn out now.” Double Shuffle replied, “Ok.” Both ponies soon made returned to their bags and pulled out towels to wipe their brows of sweat. Tender Taps turned to Double Shuffle and said, “You’re pretty good. Where’d you learn to dance?” “Well, my mom was a dancer, and she taught me just about everything I know.” “She must be amazing.” Double Shuffle then started to move her hoof in circles on the studio floor and solemnly said, “She was.” “Oh.” Tender Taps said, realizing he unintentionally struck a nerve. Double Shuffle simply answered, “It’s fine.”

After twenty more minutes, Apple Bloom entered the spare studio and said, “Tender, Double Shuffle, Ms. Steps is ready to begin the tap session.” Tender turned to Double Shuffle and asked, “You ready?” the blue filly gleefully replied, “You bet.” As the three young ponies made their way to the other, Double Shuffle couldn’t help but start giggling. “What’s so funny?” Asked Apple Bloom. Double Shuffle simply pointed to her and Tender Taps’ feet. Apple Bloom realized it was because they were still wearing their tap shoes.

As the group entered the studio, Hoofer Steps saw the unfamiliar filly and asked, “Uh, Tender Taps, who is zis?” “This is Double Shuffle.” He replied. “She’s a dancer I met at the jazz festival, and she’s pretty good.” He turned to Double Shuffle and said, “Show her.” Double Shuffle then demonstrated some of her skill, especially when she reared up on her hind legs and demonstrated her ability to pull of the scissors step. Hoofer Steps, somewhat impressed with the filly’s skill, said, “Impressive. You certainly have ze talent.” She then pondered for a moment and said, “Vell, ve usually don’t allow students to join classes zis suddenly, but I sink ve can make an exception for today.” Double Shuffle then began jumping up and down excitedly, repeating, “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

As the class began to line up, Hoofer turned to Apple Bloom and asked, “Apple Bloom, vhere are your tap shoes?” Apple Bloom meekly answered, “Uh, ah don’t have any?” Hoofer Steps took a deep breath and said, “Very vell. Alvight everyone. Let’s start from ze top. And a five, six, seven….”

As the session proceeded, Hoofer Steps was amazed by Double Shuffle’s dancing. To say the young filly was a natural was an understatement. Just as her cutie mark demonstrated, it seemed she was born to tap dance. Eventually, the class ended, and Tender Taps said, “Alvight everyone. I am very proud of each and every vone of you. I shall see you all next veek.” As the young ponies began to take their tap shoes off and leave the studio, Hoofer Steps called out, “Double Shuffle, can I speak to you for a moment?” Double Shuffle made her way to the teacher and said, “I’m sorry I came into your class uninvited.” Hoofer Steps placed a hoof on her shoulder and said, “Don’t vorry about it. I vanted to say zat I am very impressed. You certainly have a very special gift.” Double Shuffle suddenly hugged the older dancer, replying with a quiet, “Thank you Ms. Steps.” Hoofer Steps then asked, “I vould like to speak vith your parents, I sink ve can improve your skills, but I vill need zeir permission.”

Suddenly Double Shuffle nervously asked, “Are you sure?” Hoofer Steps replied, “I’m afraid so.” Double Shuffle then let out a sigh and replied, “Ok. But I’ll have to go get my dad.” Double Shuffle began to walk towards the door, but she turned around and said, “You will be here later right?” Hoofer Steps nodded yes, and the young filly left.

Roughly an hour later, Hoofer Steps was still waiting for Double Shuffle. She was thankful her partner, Jimmy Slide, had taken over the jazz and hip hop classes. “Ms. Steps? You alright?” From behind her, Tender Taps walked up to her. “Tender, shouldn’t you have gone home by now?” Tender replied, “I wanted to practice a little bit. That and Apple Bloom asked if I could help with her wings.” Hoofer then answered, “Ah, vell, I’m waiting for Double Shuffle’s father.” “Ooh. You mind if I wait with you?” Hoofer smiled and answered, “Of course. A second opinion could alvays help.” So both ponies waited for Double Shuffle to return.

They didn’t have to wait too much longer. After a few more minutes, Double Shuffle returned with her father. As Tender Taps figured, it was the same green Pegasus from the jazz festival. And he certainly seemed to be unhappy about having to be dragged down to the studio.

“I take it you are Miss Hoofer Steps?” the large stallion asked. “Yes. You are Double Shuffle’s fazer I take it?” replied Hoofer Steps. The stallion answered, “Yes. I am Sergeant Semper Fi of the royal guard.” He then said, “I am sorry my daughter here disrupted your dance class. I promise she will not be a problem anymore.” Tender Taps replied, “Actually she was really great. She’s a natural.” Semper Fi coldly retorted, “Maybe, but I raised my daughter to follow the family tradition of entering the guard.” He then eyed Tender Taps, giving the colt a cold glare and said, “Not to prance around like a wimp.”

Both Tender Taps and Hoofer Steps were stunned by Semper Fi’s coldness. Hoofer Steps said, “It seems you have forgotten vhat your daughter found her cutie mark in.” Semper Fi observed his daughter’s cutie mark and said, “A slight oversight. One I shall deal with soon enough.” Tender Taps couldn’t help but shout back, “Hey, You can’t just change a pony’s cutie mark.” However, he was surprised when Semper Fi shouted, “YOU DO NOT TAKE THAT TONE WITH ME YOU LITTLE WORM!”

Hoofer Steps stepped in between the colt and stallion and said, “Zat is enough.” She turned to Semper Fi and very sternly said, “You do not take zat tone vith my students.” She then moved her head so she could eye Double Shuffle directly and continued, “Any of zem.” Semper Fi simply said, “Then she won’t be one of your students.” He then took his wing and told his daughter, “No daughter of mine will stoop as low as to become some performer.” He then nudged his daughter away, and eventually out of sight.

Hoofer Steps turned to Tender Taps and said, “I have a very bad gut feeling about zis.” Tender Taps replied, “So do I. Sorry about yelling at him.” Hoofer Steps then let out a relieved sigh and said, “Don’t vorry about it. But can I ask you to do something?” “Sure, what is it?” asked the young colt. Hoofer Steps said, “If you can, could you keep your eyes open for Double Shuffle? I have a very bad feeling zat she might be in trouble.” Tender Taps nodded yes, only to notice the time on the clock. “Uh oh. I gotta head home. See you later Ms. Steps.” With that, Tender Taps grabbed his bag and left for home.

Hoofer Steps sat in the lobby of the studio, taking in what she had witnessed. Double Shuffle’s father seemed to be almost disgusted with his daughter’s talent. She knew she had to do something. Because she had seen it before, and she wouldn’t let it happen again. At least if she could help it.

A Wonderful Evening

Doing the Double Shuffle

Chapter 2; A Wonderful Evening

“And that’s when they left.” Tender Taps said to Apple Bloom. He had gone to Sweet Apple Acres that morning to talk with Apple Bloom about his encounter with Semper Fi. “Ah don’t know what to say.” Apple Bloom answered, shocked by what she heard. “Did he really say he’d try to get rid of her cutie mark?” “Yeah.” Tender Taps answered. “But what baffles me is that, well, isn’t it impossible to remove a cutie mark?” Apple Bloom thought about that for a moment, before called out, “Hey Applejack!”

After a few moments, Applejack entered the living room from the kitchen, asking, “What is it sugar cube?” She then noticed her guest and said, “Well howdy there Tender Taps. What brings you out here?” Tender Taps asked, “Miss Applejack is it possible to remove a pony’s cutie mark?” Applejack remarked, “Well now, Ah do know Starlight Glimmer found a way, but she promised she’d never do so again.” She then asked, “Why do you wanna know? You’re cutie mark perfect.” Before Tender Taps could reply, Apple Bloom blurted, “We met this filly named Double Shuffle, and her father isn’t so nice. He said he was gonna take away her cutie mark because it has two tap shoes on it.”

Applejack was shocked. “What?” Tender Taps continued. “I know. She’s an amazing dancer, but from what I saw, you’d think her dad was ashamed of it.” Applejack didn’t know how to respond to it. She just shook her head and said, “Ah can’t say much about this fella, but ah can say one thing. Any father who would want to change any part of his child is not the kinda pony ah would invite to mah farm.” Tender Taps then said, “Well, I mean, I just don’t want to jump to conclusions.” Applejack replied, “Neither would Ah.”

A few hours later, Tender Taps was wondering around Ponyville, running some errands for his parents. As he made his way to one of the vendors, he heard a now very familiar voice call out, “Excuse me, does anyone here know where I could find a cobbler?” Looking around for a moment, Tender eventually found who it was.

There was Double Shuffle, carrying her dance bag. For the most part, she was exactly the way Tender Taps remembered, except that now she wore a black vest, not unlike the kind ponies wore during Winter Wrap-Up, and she wore a red straight tie instead of a bowtie. She went up to another pony, a DJ with thick glasses, and asked, “Excuse me ma’am, do you know where I could find a cobbler?” the pony she asked simply continued on her way, leaving Double Shuffle behind. Tender Taps wondered for a moment why she would need a cobbler until he remembered her shoes.

“Hey Double Shuffle!” Tender Taps called out. Double Shuffle looked around for a moment before spotting her friend and replying back. “Hey Tender.” She ran up to him and, to Tender Taps’ surprise, wrapped her hooves around him in a massive hug. “Whoa.” Tender replied as he found himself slightly crushed. “Did you think I’d disappear last night?” he asked somewhat playfully. Double Shuffle, letting her friend go, simply replied, “Sorry.” Tender then said, “It’s nothing. So, what do you need a cobbler for?”

Double Shuffle sat her bag on the ground and opened it, pulling out one of her tap shoes. The sole was dangling from the rest of the shoe and was actually somewhat splintered. “Whoa. What happened?” Tender Taps asked. “Well, after dance last night, I was practicing in my room, and I guess they just began to fall apart.” Double Shuffle explained. “They?” asked Tender Taps. Double Shuffle pulled out another shoe, this one sporting a sole that was cracked at the seams. “Ouch. I think you need a new pair.” Tender Taps replied. Double Shuffle simply lowered her head and said, “I know.”

At that moment, Tender Taps had an idea. “Hey, I think I know how to get you a new pair. Or at least one that’s not falling apart.” “You do?” asked Double Shuffle. “Of course, though would you mind helping with a few errands first?” Tender Taps asked. Double Shuffle thought for a second, before smiling and answering, “Of course.” Tender then set his saddle bag down and pulled out a list. “Let’s see, I have the fire wood, the fruit, and….” He said as he continued down the list. “Ah. Just have to stop at the bakery.” He then set the list back in his saddle bag and set the bag on his back, then turned to Double Shuffle and said, “Come on.”

Both young ponies made their way to the bakery. As Tender Taps approached the door, a pony, specifically a dusty unicorn stallion with a cutie mark of a rising loaf of bread, opened the door and said, “Right this way kids.” Tender Taps replied, “Thank you sir.” Followed by a small bow. Double Shuffle gave a curtsy, following her friend’s example. Tender approached the counter on the inside, and asked, “Mr. Sourdough?” A male voice from the back of the shop called out, “There in a sec.” A few moments later, an off-white unicorn stallion with a dark brown tail and mane arrived and said, “Ah, we seem to have a celebrity here today.” “Huh?” Tender Taps and Double Shuffle asked in confusion. Mr. Sourdough continued, “Sorry for the confusion Tender Taps. I was just commenting on how well you did at the jazz festival.” “Thanks, I was just doing what I love.” Tender Taps replied before he continued, “Anyway I need a loaf of sourdough.”

“Ah. One loaf of Sourdough coming right up.” Mr. Sourdough went back to the back room, and returned a few minutes later with a fresh loaf of sourdough bread. “Here you go kid. One fresh loaf of bread. Give my regards to your parents.” “Thank you Mr. Sourdough.” Tender Taps said as he took the loaf and handed Mr. Sourdough a few bits. Mr. Sourdough then noticed Double Shuffle and asked, “Well, who are you young lady?” “Double Shuffle replied, “My name is Double Shuffle.” “Well it is nice to meet you.” He then asked, “You new in town?” Double Shuffle answered, “Yes. My family moved here about two weeks ago.” “Ooh.” Replied Mr. Sourdough. “Well, I do hope to meet them sometime.”

As Tender Taps and Double Shuffle left the bakery, he asked, “By the way, what are your brothers’ names anyway?” Before she could answer, a somewhat familiar voice called out, “Double Shuffle!” Both ponies turned to their right to see a familiar earth pony. It was one of Double Shuffle’s brothers, specifically the one with the olive-khaki fur and the green mane and tail. Double Shuffle looked at the pony and asked, “What do you want Shell Shock?” “Dad wants to tell you that he’ll be doing a training mission tonight so he’ll be gone until tomorrow morning.”

Shell Shock then noticed Tender Taps and said, “So there’s the wimp from that stupid festival.” “Hey!” Tender Taps called out. “I am not a wimp.” Shell Shock simply scoffed and said, “Yeah right. I bet I could take you on with one hoof tied behind my back.” Double Shuffle stepped in between the two colts and nervously asked, “Shell Shock, can you please not do this here?” Shell shock then glared his sister and asked, “Don’t you remember what dad always says? Family is the squad, and the squad stands together.” Double Shuffle then asked, “But what does that have to do with being a bully?” Shell Shock simply replied, “I’m not a bully. I have to look out for you, Buck Shot, and Nine Tails.” Tender Taps spoke up, asking, “I take it they’re your other two brothers?”

Shell Shock suddenly darted forward and, before any pony could react, pinned Tender Taps to the ground, and shouted, “This doesn’t concern you, you weak little sissy!” Double Shuffle tried to pry her brother off of Tender Taps, but couldn’t. However, he was surprised when Tender Taps was able to use his hind legs to kick the olive-khaki colt off of him. Shocked at what happened, Shell Shock shouted, “I’ll get you for this you little sissy! Payback!” and ran off. Tender Taps, getting back to his hooves, turned to Double Shuffle and said, “For a tough guy, he sure seems to be a bit of a coward.”

Double Shuffle, however, was anything but relieved. She started hyperventilating. “Oh no, this isn’t good. This is bad, this is bad!” “Double Shuffle, what’s wrong?” Tender Taps asked. Double Shuffle answered, “Shell Shock is going to get our brothers. And when they find you they’re gonna beat you to a pulp.” She then began to look around, quickly saying, “We gotta find a place to hide you.” Tender Taps then said, “I think I have an idea.”

Tender Taps’ Home

“Mom. Dad. I’m home.” Tender Taps called out as he and Double Shuffle entered the door. Both ponies could hear the sound of rhythmic clacking from elsewhere in the house.” Double Shuffle said, “Sounds like dancing.” Tender Taps shook his head and let out a small laugh before saying, “Sounds like they’re in the studio.” “Studio?” asked Double Shuffle. Tender Taps replied, “As in dance Studio.” Double Shuffle began to form a massive smile on her face, before suddenly inquiring, “Dance studio? Where?” Tender Taps began, “Oh, Down the hall then to the….” He didn’t get to finish before Double Shuffle darted down the hall and turned to the left, only to find a room of a laundry room. “….To the right.” Tender Taps finished, as Double Shuffle blushed with embarrassment.

When Double Shuffle opened the door to the dance studio, she was amazed at what she found. True enough, it was a wide open studio with a hardwood floor, a mirror that ran all along the front side of the room, and a few assorted pieces of exercise equipment. But what she found even more surprising was who she found already there. It Was Tender Taps’ parents, and they seemed to be doing a tap duet. Or rather they would have. What she found odd was that while his mother wore tap shoes and seemed to be using traditional tap steps; his father wore shoes that were still black, but appeared bulkier and didn’t seem to have any taps on the bottom. He also had a straighter posture, and Double Shuffle couldn’t recognize his steps.

“Hey mom. Hey dad. I got everything from the market.” Tender Taps called out to his parents, who quickly stopped dancing and noticed their son and his friend. “Thank you Tender. And I see you brought along your friend.” Said Soft Shoe. She extended her hoof to Double Shuffle before continuing, “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Soft Shoe.” Double Shuffle responded by shaking her hoof and continued, “I’m Double Shuffle, and that was some pretty cool dancing.” Tender’s Father then walked up and said, “Well she certainly has good tastes. The name’s Hornpipe.” Double Shuffle asked, “If you don’t mind me asking, where’d you learn to dance like that? I’ve never seen dancing like that.” Hornpipe replied, “Me mum taught me to dance like that. It’s called step dancing, and we invented it back home.” Double Shuffle simply oohed at the story.

Tender Taps then asked, “So, you guys working on a new routine?” “You bet boyo.” Hornpipe answered. “Just a little experimentation.” Double Shuffle then asked, “So you’re whole family dances?” Tender Taps replied, “Yup. I learned most of what I know from mom.” Soft Shoe then added, “Though I did recommend he take lessons so he could help find his own style, and not just copy mine.” Double Shuffle then said, “Wow. That’s pretty cool.” Soft Shoe then asked, “But what about you? How did you start dancing?”

Double Shuffle looked away for a few seconds, before she faced Soft Shoe again and explained, “My mom introduced me. Her name was Maxi Ford, and…” She was suddenly interrupted by the Soft Shoe cutting her off and excitedly asking, “Your mom was Maxi Ford?” Double Shuffle meekly nodded, leading to Soft Shoe excitedly prancing around the studio. Hornpipe walked up to Double Shuffle and said, “Sorry about that. But me wife here was a big fan of your mother’s it seems.” “Just a fan?” Soft Shoe asked with faux indignance. “She was perhaps the greatest tap dancer in all of Equestria! She was my idol!” However, Soft Shoe quickly noticed Double Shuffle staring at the floor, her eyes beginning to water a bit. Soft Shoe then walked up to her and said, “I’m very sorry about what happened to her.” Double Shuffle simply leaped forward and wrapped her hooves around Soft Shoe and began to sniffle. Hornpipe turned to Tender Taps and said, “I think they need some alone time.” Both stallion and colt left the studio as Double Shuffle began to break down into a heartfelt sob.

After an hour, Soft Shoe and Double Shuffle exited the studio, with the young filly’s eyes and hair showing that she had been crying. Tender Taps asked, “So, everything alright?” Soft Shoe answered, “I think so. Guess we just needed a little girl time.” Double Shuffle nodded in agreement. Soft Shoe then playfully asked, “So I saw you need some new tap shoes?” Double Shuffle nodded yes. Tender Taps added, “Actually that’s why I brought her here. I figured since we have a few older pairs we could….” Soft Shoe interrupted and said, “Well, I think we can find something.” She then took Double Shuffle to another room in the house, and said, “And this is one of our favorite rooms in the house.”

After opening the door, Double Shuffle was surprised. The room had several wooden drawers. Soft Shoe then asked, “So what size hoof are you?” Double Shuffle thought for a moment before answering, “Uh, size 5 I think.” Soft Shoe then walked over to one of the drawers, opened it and pulled out a pair of black, lace up tap shoes. “I think these should fit.” Double Shuffle observed the pair for a moment before insisting, “No, I can’t take these.” Soft Shoe replied, “Listen, Tender Taps told me last night that you are an amazing dancer, and to be honest, I can’t fit into those anymore. You’ll be able to make use of these a lot more than I can.” Double Shuffle hesitated for a moment before taking her saddle bag and placed the “new” shoes in her bag and saying, “Thank you Miss Soft Shoe.” Soft Shoe answered, “You’re most welcome dear.”

As Double Shuffle and Soft Shoe left the room, they heard the unmistakable sound of crashing thunder. “Oh my.” Said Soft Shoe. “Sounds like it’s gonna be raining pretty soon.” Double Shuffle gulped and nervously said, “Uh oh. I gotta get home.” Before either could react, they heard the rattle of heavy rain. “Oh dear.” Soft Shoe continued. Both ponies made their way to the kitchen, where Tender Taps was helping Hornpipe prepare dinner. “Honey, how long is it gonna be raining?” Hornpipe answered, “All night dear.” Soft Shoe, without changing beat, simply continued, “Then I think we should prepare for a guest for dinner tonight.”

Double Shuffle was shocked. “But ma’am, are you sure? I don’t want to be a burden.” Soft Shoe replied, “Well we can’t just let you go hungry or get a cold in this weather, at least if we can help it.” Tender Taps then excitedly blurted out, “Aright, sleep over!” Hornpipe and Soft Shoe both looked at their son with a cross of faux annoyance and humor at his outburst. “Heh heh. Sorry.” Tender said before Hornpipe answered, “’Tis alright lad.” He then said, “Dinner should be ready in a wee bit, so you two kids go and wash up.” Tender Taps and Double Shuffle walked out the kitchen, with Tender saying, “C’mon, I’ll show you where the restroom is.”

As soon as both young ponies were out of the kitchen, Soft Shoe turned to her husband and said, “I’m glad Tender Taps found her.” Hornpipe asked, “You think he’s developing feelings for her?” “Of course not.” Soft Shoe answered. “You know how he feels about Apple Bloom. Besides, I don’t think he sees her the same way he does to Double Shuffle.” Hornpipe then asked, “Then how?” Soft Shoe answered, “I think he’s beginning to see her as a sister.” She then paused for a moment before continuing, “There’s something else.” She leaned in and whispered something into her husband’s ear.

Hornpipe was shocked with what he heard. “Are you sure?” he asked. Soft Shoe answered, “I am.” Hornpipe thought for a moment, before he asked, “What are we gonna do?” Soft Shoe answered, “I have a plan.”

A few minutes later, Double Shuffle and Tender Taps returned. Soft Shoe said, “Ok Double Shuffle, you will sit next to Tender Taps.” Double Shuffle said, “Thank you ma’am.” As the family and Double Shuffle sat down to at the table, Hornpipe asked, “So if you don’t mind me askin’, what’s your favorite dance style?” Double Shuffle, her mouth full, muffled something unintelligible. Soft Shoe cleared her throat, and when Double Shuffle noticed, Soft Shoe said, “Don’t speak with your mouth full.”

Double Shuffle swallowed her mouthful and gave off a nervous laugh. “Sorry.” She said in response. “It’s all right sweetie.” Soft Shoe answered. Double Shuffle continued, “To answer your question Mr. Hornpipe, my favorite style is tap.” Double Shuffle then motioned to her cutie mark. “When I was two years old my mom was holding a guest class at a dance school, so I got to try all the styles. I wasn’t super interested or good at most of them, but when I tried tap, I fell in love almost instantly. I managed to pull off a few wings and next thing I knew…” she paused for a few moments before continuing, “I had my cutie mark.”

Tender Taps was shocked. “Wow, I didn’t know you could get a cutie mark that early.” Double Shuffle replied, “Guess I was just a prodigy.” She then asked, “So how did you get yours?” Tender Taps explained, “Well, I actually used to be really terrified of performing in front of other ponies.” Double Shuffle was shocked (and lucky she hadn’t taken a sip of water that moment). “Wow. After seeing you perform I wouldn’t believe it.” Tender Taps continued, “But then I met Apple Bloom and her friends, and they helped me get over my fear. And it was then that I learned how much I love dancing and performing.”

Double Shuffle then said, “I loved to perform, but my dad and brothers aren’t exactly big fans of performing.” Hornpipe then asked, “Yeah, when we saw them at the festival they seemed kinda…. What’s the word I was thinking of?” “Militant?” Double Shuffle answered. “My dad is a drill sergeant in the EUP. He wants my brothers and I to follow his hoofsteps.” Tender Taps asked, “Is that what your dad meant when he called your cutie mark was a ‘slight oversight?’” Double Shuffle simply nodded.

Hornpipe and Soft Shoe were surprised to say the least. “Huh?” Double Shuffle responded, “Yeah, my dad has convinced himself he’ll find a way to change my cutie mark. Honestly I think he’s a bit crazy.” Tender Taps and his parents were slightly stunned to hear her say this so mundanely. “But honestly I’d rather dance then be a guard like him.” She continued. Soft Shoe added, “I just want you to know that you decide what you do with your life, not your dad.” Hornpipe then added, “And if I may, you seem to have a rather sophisticated style.” Double Shuffle replied, “Thank you. I kinda always like to be ready in case I find the opportunity to dance.” She then turned to Soft Shoe and asked, “If it’s not too much, can I use your studio after dinner? I kinda want to try out my new tap shoes.” Soft Shoe answered, “Of course you may.”

After the group finished eating and cleaned up the kitchen, Tender Taps and Double Shuffle went into the studio and began to place on their tap shoes. “Oh my.” Double Shuffle said in amazement as she slipped on her new pair. Tender Taps asked, “Something wrong?” Double Shuffle, Smiling, answered, “Oh no. It’s just these shoes feel like they were made for my hooves.” She got up and began to perform a few paradiddles. As she continued, she sped up, until she finished with a “shave and a haircut”. She then continued to dance, Tender Taps began to take in just how much of a different pony Double Shuffle was when she danced. Normally she was a somewhat timid and reclusive filly, but once she had her tap shoes on, she moved with confidence and strength.

After a few hours, both young ponies were worn out and sweating. Tender Taps made a silent motion towards the mirror, and Double Shuffle noticed one of her braided pigtails had come undone. “Heh. Guess I got a little carried away.” Tender Taps replied, “Yeah, it’s like you just zoned out while you were dancing.” Double Shuffle simply shrugged and answered, “My mom always taught me that if you give a filly the right shoes, she can conquer Equestria.” Tender Taps dryly asked, “I guess that means your tools of conquest are tap shoes?” Double Shuffle simply said, “That’s about the size of it.” Both young ponies found themselves rolling on the floor in fits of laughter.

As both ponies got back up, Soft Shoe entered the studio and said, “It’s getting a bit late, so I think it’s time to get ready for bed.” Double Shuffle pouted, “Awh. Can’t we have just a few more minutes?” Tender Taps, on the other hand, said, “C’mon. I think my legs are starting to feel a bit sore.” Soft Shoe then said, “Besides, there’s always tomorrow.” Double Shuffle, realizing that she wasn’t going to win this argument, simply sighed. “Alright. But I get to shower first.” She said with a playfully smug smile. Tender Taps bowed and replied, “As you wish.” Both young ponies left the studio, with Soft Shoe making sure there weren’t any stains or marks on the wooden floor.

While Double Shuffle was in the shower, Tender Taps heard a knock on the front door. His mother called out, “Tender, Could you get that.” “Got it mom.” Tender Taps approached the door and opened it only to be surprised by seeing that it was Hoofer Step. “Good evening Tender.” She said to her pupil. “Uh, good evening.” Tender replied. Before he could say anything else, Soft Shoe asked, “Who is it?” “It’s Ms. Hoofer Steps. My dance teacher.” Replied Tender Taps.

Soft Shoe made her way to the door and asked, “Oh my, what brings you here this late at night?” Hoofer Steps answered, “Vell, I vanted to ask Tender Taps if he had seen Double Shuffle today.” Tender Taps replied, “Actually, she’s spending the night here.” Soft Shoe added, “Yeah, I didn’t want her to risk getting a cold or hurting herself in this weather.” She then pointed outside to the still raging thunderstorm. “I can see zat.” Replied Hoofer Steps. “Vell, I vas just vorried about her. You see I….” Soft Shoe interrupted her, saying, “I understand.” As she gave Hoofer Steps a knowing look, Tender Taps asked, “Uh, is there something that’s going on?” Hoofer Steps just said, “Nossing. I just vanted to make sure zat she vas alvight.” She then said, “I hope zat you all have a good evening.” With that, Hoofer Steps whispered something into Soft Shoe’s ear, turned around and left.

Soft Shoe then turned to Tender Taps and asked, “Tender, Can you promise me something?” Tender Taps nodded yes. “Promise me that you won’t ever hurt Double Shuffle.” Tender asked, “Why would I ever want to hurt her?” Soft Shoe said, “I know you wouldn’t, but…” she took a deep breath in and continued, “Her family isn’t exactly the nicest in the world. And right now, she needs a friend.” Tender Taps was surprised to hear this, and asked, “Was that what you two were talking about earlier?” Soft Shoe answered, “A bit. However, the rest stays between me and her, at least for now.”

At that moment, they could hear the shower stop, meaning Double Shuffle had finished in the shower. “Guess it’s time for some young colt to go clean himself.” Tender Taps blushed a little bit and said, “I’m not that young.” “Well you’re still a colt.” Soft Shoe said as she booped her son’s muzzle. “Alright.” Tender Taps said as he left to head towards the shower.

Double Shuffle came out of the bathroom and approached Soft Shoe, asking, “Miss Soft Shoe, I heard someone at the door. Who was it?” Soft Shoe answered, “It’s just Soft Shoe, and Hoofer Steps stopped by to make sure you were alright.” Double Shuffle asked, “Wait, how did she know I was here?” “She didn’t. She asked if we knew where she was and well….” Double Shuffle put the two pieces together and said, “Oh. I see.” Soft Shoe then said, “She also said that if you want, you can join Tender Taps’ tap class. She also said not to worry about money, she’ll cover for it?” Double Shuffle was stunned. “She did?” Soft Shoe replied, “She sure did sweetie.”

After almost twenty minutes of trying to catch the energetic little filly, Soft Shoe brought Double Shuffle to the guest room. “I know it’s not much, but I think this should do for the night.” Double Shuffle stood beside the older pony for a moment, before she hugged the older pony. Soon the young tap dancer filly was nestled comfortably into the bed. Soft Shoe made sure the filly was tucked in and left her to enjoy her hopefully good dreams. Soft Shoe then decided that as soon as she could, she would go see Princess Twilight. After all, Twilight had the answers to anything, didn’t she?

A Fuller Picture

Doing the Double Shuffle

Chapter 3; A Fuller Picture

“Und a five, six, seven, eight!” Hoofer Steps called out to the class. A week had passed since the “Sleepover,” and Tender Taps hadn’t seen hide or hair of Double Shuffle. However, once dance class had rolled around, she was there, in fact she had been the first one to arrive. And sure enough, Double Shuffle tapped her way through the class, giving her all.

After a few minutes, Tender Taps heard some pony panting behind her. “Sorry Ah’m late.” Apple Bloom called out, the small farm filly still out of breath. “Apple Bloom, vhere vere you?” Apple Bloom set down her bag and pulled out four small gum boots. “Ah figured since I couldn’t get mah own tap shoes, I’d just make mah own.” She then showed off one of the soles of her boots, displaying several small nails that were set on the soles. As she slipped her boots on, Apple Bloom demonstrated her boots’ effectiveness, which while not producing as good of a sound as the other pony’s tap shoes, could still produce an audible clacking sound. “Hm…” Hoofer Steps thought out loud. “A bit unorthodox, but certainly effective. Most impressive.”

Apple Bloom made her way towards the rest of the class, placing herself in between Tender Taps and Double Shuffle. “Nice shoes.” Double Shuffle commented to the farm filly. “Thanks.” Apple Bloom replied. Hoofer Steps then called out, “Alvight every pony. From ze top!”

Class continued as normal. As it continued, Tender Taps noticed two Specific details. One was how beautiful Apple Bloom was as she danced. True, compared to every pony else she was somewhat amateurish and a bit flat footed, but there was still full of enthusiasm, which was all anyone could ask for. And the fact she was rather cute didn’t hurt either.

After shaking that somewhat awkward thought out of his head, Tender Taps noticed the other odd fact; Hoofer Steps was focusing a lot more on Double Shuffle than she did on the other students. Sure, she offered compliments or simple pieces of criticism to the class, but with Double Shuffle, she wasn’t just enthralled by her dancing, but never seemed to take her eyes off of her. Tender Taps was so puzzled by this that he didn’t notice Apple Bloom poking him, trying to get her attention. “Huh?” Tender Taps asked, surprised. “Ah was tryin’ to say class is over. You wanna head down to Sugar cube Corner?” Apple Bloom asked. Tender Taps then replied, “Sure, just give me a moment.”

Tender Taps walked over to Double Shuffle and Hoofer Steps. “You showed excellent skill zis veek.” Hoofer Steps said to the young filly. Double Shuffle replied, “Thank you Miss Steps.” Tender Taps added, “Yeah, you were amazing!” Double Shuffle then began to scuff the floor a bit and asked, “I was asking Miss Steps if I could use one of the studios a little longer. You want to practice with me?” Tender Taps replied, “That does sound fun, but I promised Apple Bloom I’d hang out with her after class. See you next week?” “Sure.” Double Shuffle answered before pulling off the shave-and-a-haircut, leaving Tender Taps to depart with Apple Bloom.

Princess Twilight’s Castle

Soft Shoe hadn’t ever thought she would ever get to visit Twilight Sparkle, or any of the Princesses’ Castles. And yet here she was. She just didn’t like the circumstances that brought her here. After her chat with Double Shuffle, she suddenly found herself worried for the young filly’s safety. Still, she felt if any pony, or at least any pony she could easily get to, had the answers, it would be Twilight.

A few moments after she knocked the doors to the castle, Soft Shoe was greeted by a small purple and green dragon. “Excuse me, but is Princess Twilight busy?” Soft Shoe asked before unconsciously gulping. The little dragon happily answered, “Of course. Just let me get her. Follow me.” Soft Shoe let out a sigh of relief and followed the small dragon.

Soft Shoe couldn’t have imagined somewhere as beautiful as Twilight’s castle. From what she had heard, the space where it stood had once been the golden oaks library, at least until the building had been destroyed during Lord Tirek’s rampage and near conquest of Equestria. The castle itself had magically grown on the same site not long afterwards. Soft Shoe wasn’t entirely certain exactly how it happened, but she had lived in Ponyville (and in the close proximity of Pinkie Pie) long enough that there were some things that one simply shouldn’t try to understand and just roll with.

Needless to say, the castle was still amazing. Soft Shoe had never seen a building made of such crystals, let alone so seamlessly. She had grown up around carpenters and architects, as her own father, Wrecking Ball, had been one of the most renowned construction for-ponies in the Equestrian construction business. Though she had never really taken a major interest in construction and the occasional demolition, she did remember one important saying he liked to live by; “Sometimes to build a skyscraper, you have to tear the old one down.” That phrase was dancing circles around in her mind every time she thought of Double Shuffle.

After being led through the grand crystal hallways, the dragon stopped and pointed to two large doors. “Hold on a sec.” he said, a somewhat cheeky smile noticeable on his face. He then took a deep breath, opened the door, and called out, “Hey Twilight! You have a visitor!” he then turned to Soft Shoe and said, “She’ll be with you in a second.” He then departed, leaving Soft Shoe alone and somewhat baffled for a few moments.

She didn’t have to wait long. As soon as the dragon was out of sight, Twilight approached the door and greeted the yellow earth pony. “Oh, hello there.” Twilight greeted. “Hello. I’m Soft Shoe.” Soft Shoe replied as she extended her hoof. Twilight reciprocated the gesture before asking, “So, what was it you wanted to talk about?” Soft Shoe glanced around for a moment, before asking, “Um, are you sure this place is safe?” Twilight gave the yellow mare a comforting smile and said, “Trust me, it is.”

Once Soft Shoe and Twilight were seated in the castle library, Soft Shoe began to recount her tale. “Well, about a week ago, my son Tender Taps made friends with this filly named Double Shuffle.” Twilight then asked, “Well, if your son is having troubles with a bully then I would suggest….” Soft Shoe cut her off. “Oh no, if anything they’ve become really good friends. They both love to dance.” Twilight then asked, “Wait a second, isn’t Tender Taps the colt who tap danced at the jazz festival?” “He is.” Soft Shoe replied. “Both Double Shuffle and Tender Taps are really amazing tappers.”

Soft Shoe took a deep breath and said, “However that’s not what I wanted to talk about. You see, I think she has trouble at home.” She then began to recount what had she had learned from the young filly.

The Tappers’ private studio, one week earlier

“So your dad is in the EUP?” Soft Shoe asked Double Shuffle. The young filly had calmed down after letting a few tears loose upon meeting some pony who had known of her mother, and was now telling her a bit of her family life. “Yup. Dad is a drill sergeant in the Canterlot Guard. At least he was until a few weeks ago. Dad said that he got transferred here.” Soft Shoe then asked, “Well, do you know why?” “I don’t know. Whenever he’s home he tries to drill me and my brothers like we’re his squad.” The mention of this seemed to agitate Double Shuffle a bit, and the young filly began to tense up.

Double Shuffle then asked, “Miss Soft Shoe, can I ask you a question?” “Of course you may.” Soft Shoe answered. Double Shuffle took a deep breath and asked, “Has there ever been a time where you felt you knew what your purpose was in life, but every pony you know didn’t like that and tried to change you?” “What do you mean?” Soft Shoe asked the filly. “Well, ever since I got my cutie mark, my dad has been saying that I need to follow the family tradition, and that he doesn’t raise weaklings.” That statement shocked Soft Shoe to the core. “Oh my goodness. Are you sure he said that?” Double Shuffle nodded and said, “He says it so much he complains about sounding like a broken record.” The young filly said this last piece of information whilst trying to suppress her anger.

Double Shuffle continued. “And it’s not like having Shell Shock, Nine Tails, and Buck Shot constantly picking on me about it helps at all.” “Who are they?” Soft Shoe asked. “They’re my brothers. Dad calls them his “Perfect Little Soldiers.”” The filly then looked up to Soft Shoe, her eyes starting to water again, and said, “Sorry if I’m venting.” Soft Shoe simply wrapped the filly in a warm hug, prompting the Double Shuffle to break into tears again. “I just….” the filly struggled to get out, her voice cracking. “Whenever I’m around my brothers or dad, I just feel like I have to nod and do what they say, otherwise it’s anything from staying up late cleaning the house or, in worst cases, going to bed hungry.”

This last bit shocked Soft Shoe. “You mean your dad doesn’t feed you?” Double Shuffle suddenly began to act very defensively. “I mean…. He doesn’t do it often. And he only does it when I do something wrong like doing a poor job during drill practice or mess up when cleaning or when I talk back to him. He especially hates that one.” Before Soft Shoe could ask the question on her mind, Double Shuffle quickly reassured her, “Don’t worry, he doesn’t hit or strike us.” Soft Shoe immediately insisted, “Just because he doesn’t physically hurt you doesn’t mean he doesn’t abuse you guys.” “He doesn’t abuse us!” Double Shuffle suddenly found herself saying very angrily, only to immediately and quietly say, “Uh, Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to get so angry.” Soft Shoe then gently said, “It’s alright dear.”

Double Shuffle then began to tremble again, this time seemingly unable to control her emotions. Soft Shoe then wrapped her hooves around the filly and gently said, “It’s ok sweetie. Just let everything out.” Double Shuffle didn’t speak a word, simply letting out her tears into the older mare’s shoulder. As the filly cried, Soft Shoe suddenly realized that something was very wrong with the young filly; no normal pony has this much emotional baggage. Whatever was happening to her was affecting her to the core. “I just…..” Double Shuffle managed to choke out. “Why do I have to be so different from them?”

What she said next certainly shocked Soft Shoe.

“What’s wrong with me?” This statement elicited a somewhat stern response from Soft Shoe. “Don’t you ever say something like that.” Unfortunately, Double Shuffle wrestled her way out of Soft Shoe’s embrace and began to cower. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” The filly began to back away. Soft Shoe immediately changed tactics and said, “I didn’t mean to snap like that. I was just surprised by what you said.” She then placed her hooves around one of Double Shuffle’s hooves and said, “What I’m trying to say is that from what I’ve seen and heard about you, you are a very polite and sweet filly.” Double Shuffle managed to sniffle whilst wiping a tear away from her eyes and asked, “Really?” Soft Shoe nodded.

The older mare continued, “I also see that you seem to be a filly determined to follow your mother’s hoof steps.” She them pointed towards the filly’s cutie mark. Double Shuffle then blushed a bit before replying, “Yeah. Sometimes I think it’s all I’m good at.” The filly took a deep breath and continued, “Dad and the others, especially Shell Shock, always poke at me or snap at me because I can’t do a lot of what they do.” She then looked down to her hooves and took a wistful breath. “But once I hit the dance floor, when I have a pair of tap shoes on, I feel like I can do anything. I feel like I actually have control over my life.”

Soft Shoe then said, “I take it you can guess my talent then.” She turned so her flank was visible to Double Shuffle. Her cutie mark was a single black shoe with two metal plates on the soles. “You know, my family, or at least the stallions, were very good at construction. My father, an earth pony stallion named Wrecking Ball, was a very skilled foreman, and my brothers wanted to follow in his hoof steps.” “But what about you?” Double Shuffle asked. “Well,” Soft Shoe continued, “You see, when I was about your age I saw a group of ponies dancing on the street corner. One of them was a blue earth filly, probably a few years older than I was at the time, with a brown mane. She had these really cool shoes on her hooves, and she made a really cool sound. I asked her what she was doing, and she said it was called tap dancing. I asked if she could teach me a step or two, and she did. I fell in love with it that moment.” She then said,

“And do you know who that filly was?” Double Shuffle shook her head. “She was this dancer named Maxi Ford.” Double Shuffle suddenly jumped in the air, asking, “You mean you started dancing because of….” Soft Shoe gave the filly a playful look, signaling to her to calm down. “As I was saying, after that day, I convinced dad to let me try dancing. Not too long later, I got my cutie mark.” Soft Shoe’s voice then began to lower in tone. “Well, my own brothers weren’t entirely thrilled about it. Said I was the “Odd one out” or something like that. However, my dad gave me one piece of advice. You want to know what he said?” Double Shuffle answered, “Yes.” Soft Shoe then pointed a hoof to the filly and said, “Your destiny is your choice, not your brothers or mine. Only you can decide what you do in life.”

Double Shuffle then leapt onto the older mare, and said, “Thanks. I guess around my family it can get kinda hard to remember that.” Soft Shoe noticed that the filly was tearing up again. “Well, if you don’t mind me asking, would you care to show me some of what you can do on the floor?” Double Shuffle then slinked away towards her dance bag and said, “Well…” she then pulled out one of her tap shoes, only to see the sole finally break off from the shoe. “Uh, I can still show you, it just might not be as loud.”

Soft Shoe then said, “Oh no dear. I won’t allow a fellow tapper allow herself to risk damaging her hooves needlessly.” She then said, “I think I have an idea…”

Twilight’s castle

“Oh my goodness.” Twilight said as Soft Shoe finished the story. “You see, I was somewhat horrified by how she described what she told me, but I didn’t know what to do or say. I figured if there was any pony that could help me regarding what to do next, it was probably you.” Soft Shoe said to the princess. Twilight pondered for a moment, letting everything sink in, before asking her own question. “You said that she said her father was transferred to Ponyville?” Soft Shoe nodded. “Well then…” Twilight said with determination. “I can send a letter to Princess Celestia and Shining Armor. Hopefully they can offer some advice on what to do next.” Soft Shoe replied, “Well, it should be better than nothing.” Twilight reassured the earth pony mare and said, “Don’t worry; I have a feeling we should be able to help.”

Soft Shoe then got up from her seat and said, “Thank you princess. Promise you’ll let me know if there’s anything else I can do.” Twilight answered, “Of course.” Soft Shoe then left the castle, and Twilight began to write a letter to the Princesses.

Sugar Cube Corner

Tender Taps and Apple Bloom were enjoying a snack at Sugar Cube Corner. “Come on Apple Bloom, I think the boots idea is actually pretty clever.” Tender Taps complimented his friend. “Ah guess. Still didn’t sound quite right.” Apple Bloom replied as she took a bite from her cupcake. “Ah mean, why do we gotta wear such funny shoes anyway?” “Well for one, they make better sounds than just using your hooves.” Tender Taps answered. “And secondly, apparently not too long ago some pony in a class somewhere split a hoof open.” This statement made Apple Bloom feel kinda queasy.” “Ya could have waited until after Ah finished mah cupcake to tell me that part.” Tender Taps continued, “Sorry about that. Anyway, all fillies and colts need to wear some kind of hoof wear in dance class. It’s kinda why Hoofer Steps is so adamant about you getting a pair of tap shoes for yourself.”

“Ah know.” Apple Bloom replied. “Apple Jack and Granny Smith just don’t feel too kindly about spendin’ bits on somethin’ as expensive as tap shoes. Ah mean, almost two hundred and fifty bits?” Tender Taps then had an idea, “You know, my mom has more than a few pairs. She’d be more than willing to give you a pair, or at least sell you one. Should at least be cheaper than others.”

Before either Apple Bloom or Tender Taps could say another word, a vaguely familiar voice caught their attention. “Well, what do we have here?” the two friends turned to see three earth pony colts. One was light green with a blue mane, another was dark blue with a white mane, and the third was, at least to Tender Taps, a very familiar olive khaki colt with a dark green mane. The dark blue one turned to the olive one and asked, “So Shell Shock, is this the sissy who handed your flank to you?” “Yeah, that’s the one Buck Shot.” Shell Shock replied, his face glowing with anger.

Apple Bloom turned towards Tender Taps and asked, “What’s going on?” Tender Taps answered, “These guys are Double Shuffle’s brothers.” The dark blue one, Buck Shot if he heard correctly, walked up to Tender Taps and asked, “So, you the colt our sis has been blabbing about?” “I take it you want to know if we’re friends?”

The blue colt continued, “Well, I guess it’s not surprising she’d befriend a weirdo like you.” The light green colt then added, “I bet I could take this wimp with a hoof tied behind my back.” Tender Taps began to back down and said, “Luckily I’m not a fighter, so I think I’ll just…” Shell Shock stepped behind him and said, “You aren’t going anywhere.” Before any pony could react, Shell Shock grabbed Tender Taps and held him restrained as Buck Shot began to punch Tender Taps. Apple Bloom tried to intervene, but Nine Tails pounced in front of her and said, “You keep your hooves out of this!”

Unsurprisingly, the sound of punching caught the attention of the Cakes. Mr. Cake was the first to arrive on the scene. “Alright, what’s going on?” the three colts quickly bolted out of the restaurant. “Tendy!!” Apple Bloom cried out as she wrapped her hooves around her friend. Mr. Cake walked over to the two young ponies and asked, “You mind telling me what that was all about?” Tender Taps, staggering to his feet and unaware of his new black eye, answered, “Well, I know they don’t seem to like me being friends for their sister.” Mr. Cake then said, “Well, you just stay here for a sec. I’ll go get some ice.”

About thirty minutes later, Soft Shoe entered Sugar Cube Corner, only to be horrified at the sight of her son with a black eye. “Oh my goodness! Tender Taps are you alright?” She called out to her son. “Hey mom.” Tender Taps said to his mother. As she approached her son, Soft Shoe noticed her son’s black eye. “What happened? Who did this?” Tender Taps answered, “Double Shuffle’s brothers. Turns out their names are Shell Shock, Nine Tails, and Buck Shot.” Mr. Cake walked into the room carrying a glass of ginger ale and said, “Ah, ma’am. Don’t worry, you’re son didn’t start the fight. If anything he didn’t swing any punches.” Soft Shoe sighed and said, “I’m just glad he’s alright.”

Apple Bloom then asked, “Ah don’t get it. Why would they wanna beat Tender up just because he’s friends with their sister?” Tender Taps then said, “Well, that day she came over, Double Shuffle and I had a run in with Shell Shock, the olive guy. He talked about standing up for her and her brothers while calling me a wimp.” Mr. Cake then said, “Wow, talking about standing up for some pony but picking on another. Talk about hypocrisy.”

However, Soft Shoe started to worry. Considering what Double Shuffle had said about her brothers (Which was relatively little), they sounded pretty nasty. She just hoped that Double Shuffle was alright.”

Double Shuffle’s home

Double Shuffle had made it home, even if it was only because it was where she returned eventually every night. As soon as she closed the door, she could hear her father call out, “Double Shuffle, report to me at once.” “Sir yes sir.” She found herself repeating almost instinctually. Marching to her father, she stated, “Double Shuffle reporting sir.” Semper Fi approached his daughter and very coldly said, “You’re late. I expected you hear at least forty five minutes ago.”

Double Shuffle began to scuff the floor in front of her and answered, “Sorry dad, I was staying late at the dance studio practicing and I guess I lost track of time.” At the mention of the dance studio, Semper Fi groaned and said, “I thought I ordered you to not go there anymore. I won’t allow a promising future guard lower herself by wasting her time at some namby pamby dance studio.” Double Shuffle tried to protest. “But dad, I don’t want to be a guard.” This statement attracted Semper Fi’s ire. “Listen to me young filly, the guard not only pays well, but provides the opportunity to acquire many life skills. Why can’t you see that?” “Because I want to be a dancer.” Double Shuffle answered somewhat defiantly.

Semper Fi immediately shouted back, “You do not talk back to a commanding officer! Am I clear?” Double Shuffle nervously backed away and nodded. “Y-y-yes sir.” She answered very worriedly. “Very good.” Semper Fi said before continuing. “You will return to your room until I call for you. Am I clear” “Sir Yes sir.” Double Shuffle answered nervously. “You are dismissed.”Semper Fi said, and Double Shuffle made no haste in dashing up the stairs to her room.

Double Shuffle’s room was very different compared to every other room in her father’s house. Though it was simple and rather Spartan (much like the rest of the house) Double Shuffle had used everything she could to make it a makeshift studio. She set her saddle bag on two large dumbbells that she used as a barre, and took a good look at herself through the series of mirrors she had set up on the side of her room opposite her bed.

Double Shuffle certainly looked and felt exhausted. Her mane was frizzy and a bit messy, she had clearly been sweating, her bow tie was now crooked, and she even had a bag or two under her eyes. But despite that, she felt amazing. Sure, her father wasn’t happy with her, but she had been able to get extra practice time at a dance studio, a REAL studio and not her room like most days.

But most of all, Double Shuffle loved having friends she could dance with. Tender Taps was a phenomenal tap dancer, his sounds were clean, and he was almost as graceful as he was precise. And while she hadn’t seen that much of Apple Bloom, she could tell that she was an incredibly earnest filly and certainly enjoyed dancing. Double Shuffle also noticed the way Tender Taps and Apple Bloom looked at each other, she could tell they liked each other.

Luckily Double Shuffle didn’t mind. While she couldn’t deny she had a certain feeling about him, she didn’t see him as a colt friend. If anything she, she saw him as a….., no she didn’t want to say it. But it was true, in the very short time she had known Tender Taps, he almost seemed like a, a brother. Double Shuffle thought back to that day Tender and his family welcomed her in, and treated her as one of her own. She couldn’t even remember the last time her father or brothers treated any pony with even half as much respect as Soft Shoe and Hornpipe had shown her.

Double Shuffle was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice Shell Shock trying to call to her. “Hey metal hoof! Dad called for inspection five minutes ago.” “Oh, Sorry.” Double Shuffle nervously responded. Shell Shock gave his sister a cheeky grin. “You thinking about that little wimp?” Double Shuffle angrily shot back, “Hey, Tender Taps is not a wimp.” Before either could react, Semper Fi shouted, “Shell Shock, Double Shuffle, get your flanks down here on the double!” “Yes sir.” Both foals said in unison as they dashed for the living room.

Double Shuffle and Shell Shock fell in line next to Buck Shot and Nine Tails. Their father then approached the group, and began to speak. “It has come to my attention that there was a little scuffle between you and a colt earlier today.” Double Shuffle gulped. She really hoped that it wasn’t who she thought it was. Semper Fi continued, “So it seems that three of you are now forbidden from returning to Sugar Cube Corner.” Double Shuffle let out a sigh of relief, clearly forgetting that she was still standing before her father. “Is there something you would like to say?”

Double Shuffle gulped again and said, “I guess it seems that some pony is finally willing to stand up to them?” Clearly she had made a terrible mistake. Semper Fi stomped forward and shouted, “HOW DARE YOU STAND AGAINST YOUR FAMILY!” Double Shuffle backed up a bit, raising a hoof to cover her face. Semper Fi sighed and asked, “Do you really think I would ever strike one of my children?” Double Shuffle quickly shook her head no, while Buck Shot snarkily remarked, “You’re such a coward. Maybe if you spent all that time prancing around and spent it training to be a guard like us you wouldn’t be such a wimp like that Tender fella.” Double Shuffle angrily replied, “At least he’s polite.”

“That’s enough!” Semper Fi shouted, quieting the room. He turned to Double Shuffle and said, “Your brother is right. Starting tomorrow you will cease dancing immediately. You will train with your brothers to follow the family tradition. Am I clear?” Double Shuffle tried to protest, “But dad, I already told you, I don’t want to join the guard.” Semper Fi walked over to his daughter, and said, “That is my will. And I will find a way of doing something about that embarrassment of a cutie mark on your flank. Am I clear?” Double Shuffle nodded yes. “Very well.” Semper Fi said, a smile growing on his face. “You are dismissed. You will each return to your rooms and get some sleep. We all have a long day tomorrow.” The foals each nodded and departed for their rooms. As Double Shuffle left, Shell Shock roughly bumped into her and remarked, “You’re almost as weak as that loser.”

Double Shuffle quickly bumped back into her brother, only to have him leap on her and held her down on the ground. Luckily, she was able to kick him off, sending him to the wall. Semper Fi saw this and belted, “Return to your rooms now!!” Double Shuffle darted up towards her room.

Semper Fi approached Shell Shock and coldly said, “I heard you also allowed that dancer to do that to you as well. I did not train you to have you beaten by some prancing fool.” He then departed for his room, leaving Shell Shock alone, who angrily growled, “I’ll get you for this Tender Taps, even if only one of us walks away from it.”

Double Shuffle couldn’t help but begin to weep. She knew dancing was her calling, not joining the guard like her father. She loved tap dancing, it made her feel free and strong. And why did he have to hold her to the same standards as her brothers? She couldn’t stand not being able to dance, but she knew she couldn’t stay. Her father wouldn’t allow it, and she didn’t exactly feel her brothers would stand up for her.

Feeling Desperate, Double Shuffle did the only thing she could think of; she packed her dance bag with whatever trinkets and supplies she could, and managed to leap out of the window. She then made a desperate dash towards Tender Taps’ home, but she suddenly remembered, ‘If I go there, I’ll put Tender and his family in danger.’ Now worried on where to go, as well as knowing her dad would be furious if he caught her outside, made a mad dash to the only place she could think of; Hoofer Steps’ dance studio.

Author's Note

Author's note; I know that with this chapter Semper Fi seems rather unreasonable, but I will simply say that in due time, his actions will have clear, if misguided reasons.

No Going Back

Doing the Double Shuffle

Chapter 4; No Going Back

Hoofer Steps awoke from her slumber that morning the same she did every morning. She lived in a loft at her dance studio, making it easy for her to keep the studio in, as she liked to say to herself, “Tip top tap shape.” After washing up, styling her mane into a ballerina’s bun, and slipping on her leotard, Hoofer Steps made her way to her kitchen to prepare breakfast.

After a delightful breakfast of Trottingham muffins and a glass of orange juice, Hoofer Steps pulled out her class schedule to see who she would be teaching. “Vell, let’s see vhat ve have today.” She said to herself. She had a ballroom class at noon, a ballet/tap combo for very young foals, and…… of course, Double Shuffle would be coming over for a solo intensive. Hoofer Steps remembered the night before, when the young filly vehemently refused to leave the studio the night before……

Hoofer Steps’ Studio, the Night Before

“Double sweetie, I ssink zat it is time for you to go home.” Hoofer Steps said to Double Shuffle as the filly continued to practice her scissors. Hoofer took a glance at the clock on the far wall; it was almost Eight-Thirty. “Are you sure? I mean I think I’m still having trouble on my scissors.” The young filly replied, a hint of desperation creeping into her voice. Hoofer Steps let out a sigh. While it was true she was fascinated by the filly’s passion for tap dancing, she couldn’t help but feel that her worst suspicions were coming true.

Unsure of what she could do, Hoofer Steps decided to make a bluff. “If you don’t leave my studio in ze next five minutes, I shall summon your father.” Immediately, Double Shuffle panicked. She dashed to her dance bag and slipped it on before she began to run towards the door, sputtering, “Ok, I’m going I’m going. Please don’t tell my dad. Please don’t tell my dad.”

Hoofer Steps placed herself in front of the door, blocking the filly. “Sweetie…” Hoofer Steps said softly as she placed a hoof on the Double Shuffle’s shoulder and said, “After vhat I saw last veek, I am very vorried about your father.” Double Shuffle began to back away a bit, and nervously said, “Don’t worry, he doesn’t hit me, he feeds me and my brothers, and he…” Hoofer Steps interrupted the filly. “I take it he vants to decide your future?”

Double Shuffle was stunned by this statement. “How did you know?” Hoofer Steps answered, “Vell, vhen he showed up last veek he vasn’t exactly subtle.” Double Shuffle couldn’t help but let out a slight giggle. Hoofer Steps continued. “Have you ever heard of ze insult “takes vone to know vone?” Double Shuffle nodded and asked, “What does that have to do with dad?” Hoofer Steps let out a somewhat pained sigh and asked, “Can you promise to keep a secret for me?” Double Shuffle replied, “Sure. It’s the least I can do for letting me stay late.”

Hoofer Steps gave the filly a smile and revealed her little secret. “You see, my family vasn’t super supportive of me vanting to be a dancer, especially my mother. She constantly tried to get me to follow ze family tradition of being merchants, talking about how I vouldn’t be able to make a solid living as a dancer.” Double Shuffle was amazed by what her teacher had revealed. “I know the feeling.” Double Shuffle said somewhat defeatedly. “Ever since mom died my dad has been pushing for me and my brothers to join the Royal Guard. My brothers are all gung ho into it but…” “You aren’t I take it?” Hoofer Steps asked. Double Shuffle answered, “No, I always wanted to be a dancer like mom. I don’t think he likes the idea.”

“Neizer did my mother vhen I told her I vanted to be a dance teacher.” Hoofer then closed her eyes as she took another deep breath. “Eventually, she threw me out of ze house.” “WHAT?” Double Shuffle shouted in shock. “Your mom kicked you out of the house?” “Yes. Not only zat, but she and father disowned me. Luckily I moved in vith my aunt, Four Steps.” Hoofer Steps replied. “Luckily she vas far more sympathetic to me.” Double Shuffle then asked, “Wait, isn’t Four Steps that famous teacher in Canterlot?” Hoofer Steps nodded and replied, “Yes. And if I’m correct, Your mother vas quite ze tapper.”

“You knew my mom?” Double Shuffle asked. Hoofer Steps replied, “Not personally, but I did know zat she was famous throughout Equestria. Ze mare vith ze blazing hoofs” if I remember.” Double Shuffle then felt a pang in her heart and said, “Sometimes I miss her.” Hoofer Steps wrapped her hooves around the filly for a moment. Double Shuffle then continued, “But when I dance, I feel like I have a part of her with me.” She then looked down to her hooves, her “new” tap shoes still fastened to her hooves, and continued, “I mean, no matter how much I try to tell my family my calling is dance, they just shrug it off and try to drill me like I’m just some toy soldier.”

Hoofer Steps then said, “Look, If you vant, you can come over tomorrow arvound Three and ve can do a solo intensive.” “Really?” Double Shuffle asked. “Of course.” Hoofer Steps replied before continuing, “Now take zose tap shoes off and head home. I don’t vant you to get into too much trouble or damage your shoes.” Double Shuffle nodded and began to undo her shoes, gently placing them in her bag. Soon enough, both ponies bid their farewells and Double Shuffle went home, and Hoofer Steps went upstairs to prepare for bed.

Hoofer Step’s Studio, that morning

Hoofer Steps remembered the previous night as she saw the somewhat hastily scribbled addition to her schedule. Sure, she wasn’t too sure about the filly spending too much time at the studio, but she felt that if anything, Double Shuffle needed some time away from her father. Still, she had a few errands to run that morning, so she got up from her kitchen table, stretched her legs, and descended the stairs to the studios and opened the front door to the studio.

As Hoofer Steps opened the front door, she heard the sound of some pony quickly scurrying into one of the bushes in the studio yard. “Who’s zere?” the elder earth pony called out. She was hoping that it was just some colts who were planning some sort of prank. However, she was instead shocked to see none other than Double Shuffle hiding in the bush. “Double Shuffle, is zat you?” Hoofer Steps asked. Out from the bush emerged a frightened Double Shuffle, the filly covered in twigs and mud, her dance bag covered in scuffs, and bags surrounded her eyes, clearly indicating she hadn’t slept much the previous night.

Double Shuffle tried to speak, “I didn’t want to disturb you last night, so I tried to sleep on the porch.” Before she could react, Hoofer Steps wrapped the filly in her front hooves and rushed her inside. “Vhat vere you thinking?” the older mare asked the filly as she dashed up the stairs. “Dad started going on again last night, saying he didn’t want me to dance anymore.” Hoofer Steps didn’t say anything, simply making a mental note of what she heard. Clearly her father had terrified her to the point of making her want to run away.

Once they were upstairs, Hoofer Steps set Double Shuffle on her sofa and said, “Now, I am going to prepare a bath for you. Can you sit here until it’s veady?” Double Shuffle nodded, not saying a word. With that, Hoofer Steps returned to her restroom so she could prepare a bath for the young filly. After that, she had no idea what the next step would be.

“Alvight now, ze bath is veady.” Hoofer Steps called out to Double Shuffle. The young filly made her way from the couch to the bathroom, and began to undo her vest and bowtie. As she began to undo her braided pig tails, Hoofer Steps asked, “You sink you can clean yourself up?” “I think so.” Double Shuffle answered. “Very vell.” Hoofer Steps replied. “I need to vun a few ervands. I’m going to lock ze door. Until I come back, do not let anyone in. Am I clear?” The filly nodded, a somewhat scared look on her face. Hoofer Steps softened her face to a warm yet concerned smile, and said, “Don’t vorry. I’m just going to be doing a few errands, und I’ll be vight back. Now vash up, I sink I can smell my lilacs in your mane.” Double Shuffle couldn’t help but let out a brief giggle as she replied, “Yes ma’am.” With that, Hoofer Steps departed the studio (not without locking the door) and departed. She would have to skip her errands for later; she had a few ponies she needed to see.

Ponyville Square

If there was one thing Tender Taps loved doing during his off days, it was busking for the crowds of shoppers. After Apple Bloom helped him get over his stage fright, as well as earning his cutie mark in the process, He felt a sense of not only joy, but what could almost feel like an adrenaline rush when he danced for ponies. Of course, it also helped that he was able to make a few bits whenever he could perform.

As he wrapped up, Tender Taps heard a very angry voice from right behind him. “Where is she?” confused, Tender Taps turned around to find none other than Semper Fi, and the look on his face made it clear that he was furious. “What do you mean?” Tender Taps asked, confused. “My daughter you drama foul!” the elder Pegasus shouted as he used his wings to close the distance. “She deserted her post last night I know you have been a bad influence on her, so she most likely ran off with you, so where is she?” Tender Taps backed away from the angry stallion and nervously answered, “I haven’t seen her since dance class last night. I swear.”

That gave Semper Fi a horrible idea. The militant Pegasus very roughly pushed Tender Taps aside and took to the sky, dashing towards the dance studio. Tender Taps stood there for a brief moment, trying to comprehend what he had just heard and witnessed. Then, when everything clicked in his head, He dashed off towards the only ponies he knew he could go to for help; Applejack and Big Macintosh.

Twilight’s Castle

Twilight sat in her library, reading a book about the history of the Sarian-Griffin conflict when Spike came running in, calling out, “Twilight, Shining Armor sent you a message!” Twilight looked at Spike with confusion and asked, “Huh?” Spike answered, “Shining Armor sent this response to Princess Celestia, and she sent it to me.” Good old Shining Armor, Twilight knew she could always trust her B.B.B.F.F.. “Well, what did he say?” Twilight asked her assistant. Spike gave Twilight the letter, and she read it out loud.

“Dear Twilight,

Though I am no longer Captain of the Guard, I am still in contact with many in the Guard, and am indeed familiar with Semper Fi. Apparently he was a drill sergeant who started not long after I completed training. He developed a nasty reputation of being unnecessarily harsh, cruel, and often over stepped his bounds. Then, a few years ago, his wife died, and he became even more prone to breaking protocol and even bullied some of his cadets.

Unfortunately, he was to be dishonorably discharged about a month ago due to him pushing a recruit to the point he had an emotional and mental breakdown, causing the recruit to be declared permanently unfit for duty. Before he could be dealt his punishment, Semper Fi deserted, and disappeared. From what I heard, he had three colts and a filly, and it seems there were more than a few concerned ponies looking into them, especially the filly.

By the time you get this letter, some guards should already be on their way to apprehend him, but if things go south let me know, and I’ll be there as quickly as possible.

Love,

Your B.B.B.F.F.

Twilight was horrified at the information she had been given. Shining had often jokingly complained about drill sergeants when he was in training, but he knew that they were only tough because their job demanded it. But it seemed that this Semper Fi pony had something seriously wrong with him, and she suddenly felt incredibly nervous knowing that he had four foals. Children of abusive parents would more often than not repeat the cycle when they had foals of their own.

“Spike! I’m going out for a bit.” Twilight called out as she darted out of the library, and soon out of the castle. She knew she had to do something, and since she heard that Double Shuffle was a dancer, figured the best place to start looking was Hoofer Step’s Dance School.

Sweet Apple Acres

“Applejack! Big Macintosh!” a young voice called out from the road leading to the farm. Applejack, taking a moment to catch her breath for a moment from bucking apples, turned to see Tender Taps, a close friend of her little sister, running towards the farm. Tender Taps noticed the older farm mare and began to dash towards her. “Applejack…… Semper Fi…….. Double Shuffle…… Trouble……” The colt said, worn out and out of breath. “Hold ya horses sugar cube.” Applejack said, trying to help the colt catch his breath. “Now, tell me what’s going on.”

Having caught his breath, Tender Taps began to explain. “Double Shuffle ran away last night, and her father is furious. When he found me, he started shouting about how I was somehow involved, and that I was a bad influence on her. He then flew off, and I’m worried he’s going to do something bad.” Applejack was stunned with what she just heard. Worse still, she could tell Tender Taps wasn’t lying, or at the very least believed what he saw was true. “You have any idea where he could’ve gone?” Applejack asked. Tender Taps answered, “I don’t know.”

“What’s goin’ on?” Applejack and Tender Taps turned to see Apple Bloom, who had a broom in her front hooves. Tender Taps blurted out, “Double Shuffle ran away!” “WHAT?” Apple Bloom couldn’t help but shout in horror. “Apple Bloom, go inside right now.” Applejack sternly ordered her sister, but Apple Bloom quickly countered her sister. “Sis, Double Shuffle is mah friend, and if somethin’ bad is goin’ on, Ah need to be there for her.”

“Come on!” Tender Taps cried out. “We have to hurry. She could be anywhere in town by now!” Both he and Apple Bloom darted off towards Ponyville, leaving Applejack both speechless and yet also a bit proud of her sister taking the initiative of something serious. Guess she really was growing up after all.

Outside Hoofer Steps’ Dance Studio

After nearly getting herself stuck in the wall at Sugar Cube Corner, Twilight had decided that flying would be a safer way to find the dance studio than randomly teleporting all over town. ‘Note to self’ she thought to herself. ‘Do a few fly-byes to get reacquainted with the town layout.’ Even though she knew she would soon inherit the Princesses’ throne didn’t mean she should grow lax in her knowledge of Ponyville….. Twilight shook her head. “Gotta stay focused.” She had to be focused; there was no way of telling how Semper Fi would react.

Twilight found out very quickly. Not too far in front of her stood both the dance school, and a very angry green Pegasus. “Get your flank out of there this instant young lady!” the stallion furiously called out, every few moments ramming his body into the doors of the building. “Hey!” Twilight called out to the stallion, who she figured was Semper Fi. “What’s going on?” “Ah, your majesty.” Semper Fi answered, putting on a mask of civility. He continued, “My daughter has deserted her post and is hiding inside this wretched facility. I request your assistance in apprehending her.”

Twilight was surprised with what she heard the unicorn. “Well, why did she “desert” you anyway?” Though she wasn’t entirely sure if this was the best idea, but at least it would stop him from damaging the building. The large Pegasus answered Twilight’s question. “She defied my wishes by continuing to attend this pathetic little facility. I told her she would follow my hoof steps and join the royal guard like her brothers.” Twilight then asked, “But what if she doesn’t want to do that?”

“She is my daughter, and she will do what I tell her!” Semper Fi shouted, startling Twilight. “So once again, I politely request that you help me apprehend her.” He then resumed bucking the front door. At that moment, Twilight felt she wouldn’t be able to reason with this stallion, and did the only thing she could think of; she used her magic to ensnare Semper Fi and pulled him away from the building.

“Put me down this instant!” Semper Fi shouted. Twilight replied, “I don’t think so. I’ve heard a few complaints about how you’ve been treating your daughter, and what I have just witnessed has confirmed my fears. I am going to keep you here until the guards arrive to place you under arrest.”

“What’s goin’ on?” Twilight turned to see that Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Tender Taps were running towards her, with Tender Taps appearing to be incredibly winded. Twilight answered her friend, “This guy was trying to break into the studio.” Tender Taps walked over to the door, which was now buckled inwards, and gently tapped the door, only to see it come to pieces. “I think he just about succeeded. Looks like you got here just in time.”

Unfortunately, while every pony was distracted, Semper Fi, who was drifting closer towards Twilight, managed to buck her right in the face. This blow halted her concentration, thus releasing the Pegasus. “Twilight!” Applejack shouted as she lept forwards, quickly rotating herself to buck the malicious Pegasus. Before he could react, Semper Fi’s face was met with the blunt impact of two farm pony rear hooves.

Tender Taps then spoke up. “I’ll go see if I can find Double Shuffle.” “Very well. Applejack and I will stay here and keep an eye on her father.” Twilight answered as she turned her head towards Semper Fi, who was now lying unconscious on the ground. Tender Taps and Apple Bloom wasted no time in making their way through the destroyed door. “Alright.” Tender Taps began. “You check the studios, I’ll head up to Hoofer Step’s loft.” “You got it Tender.” Apple Bloom answered, giving Tender a brief hug. Tender Taps then made his way to the stairs that led to Hoofer’s loft.

Tender Taps was indeed familiar with Hoofer Steps’ loft, having been spent the night during a few sleep-overs with his dance class over the years. “Double Shuffle? You in here?” he called out, not hearing anything from the living room or kitchen. He then decided to check the bathroom. Tender Taps didn’t see any pony, but he did notice the bath tub was full of soapy water, and that there was a trail that led out of the tub back into the living room. “That’s odd. Hoofer Steps should have cleaned up after herself.” Tender Taps said to himself.

Tender Taps began to follow the trail of water into Hoofer Steps’ bedroom. “Double Shuffle? You here?” he called out. His call was met with a brief wimper. Tender Taps noticed the water ended just under Hoofer Steps’ bed. Walking over and hunching down, Tender Taps noticed two red eyes under the bed, only to quickly see them turn away, followed by what sounded like light crying. “Wait!” Tender Taps said, trying to be as gentle as possible. “Double Shuffle, it’s me, Tender Taps.”

Before he could say anything else, Double Shuffle lept out from under the bed and wrapped her hooves around Tender Taps, letting her tears flow freely and crying her little heart out. “I….h-heard my d-d-d-d-dad-d-d…. a-a-and-d-d-d….. I w-w-w-was-s-s-s-s s-s-s-s-s-o-o-o-o-o-…….” The filly managed to struggle out before she continued crying, with Tender simply holding her close, stroking her back.

“Tender, you find her?” Apple Bloom called out from the living room. “She’s in here.” Tender Taps said, trying to not disrupt Double Shuffle. Apple Bloom entered the bedroom, the sight of her entering startling Double Shuffle, who tried to back away. “It’s ok Double Shuffle.” Tender Taps said cautiously and sweetly, trying to calm the young filly down. Apple Bloom tried to reassure her friend. “Ah’m sure things are gonna be alright.”

“Alright?” Double Shuffle asked Apple Bloom, anger starting to build up in the filly. “My dad tried to attack me, and this is something I have to put up with on a daily basis from my brothers, and all you can say is “Things will be alright?”” Double Shuffle was now starting to shake furiously, tears streaming down her eyes. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to have your family treat you like dirt?!” Double Shuffle could barely contain anything in, with Tender Taps only really able to wrap his hooves around her to try and calm her down.

“Hey Apple Bloom, I think Double Shuffle just needs some alone time.” Apple Bloom silently nodded and exited the room, leaving Double Shuffle and Tender Taps alone together in the room.

Hoofer Steps, Soft Shoe, and Hornpipe were stunned by the sight that they were witnessing. Hoofer had run to Soft Shoe’s residence to fetch her and her husband, with them being the only ones who she felt she could trust, at least outside of the elements of harmony. And now here the trio was; surprised that royal guards were surrounding Hoofer Steps’ studio, and Twilight Sparkle herself was there, directing them.

“Vhat is going on?” Hoofer Steps asked Twilight. “Oh, Forgive me Ms. Steps, but Double Shuffle’s father tried to break into your studio. We were able to subdue him.” “Oh my goodness!” Soft Shoe responded. “Is she alright?” Twilight answered, “I think so. Tender Taps should be with her right now.” Hornpipe spoke up, “Oh dear. I hope the wee dear is alright.” Twilight noticed something in the corner of her eye towards the studio, and turned around. “I think you guys won’t need to worry.” Right behind everyone was Tender Taps leading Double Shuffle, the filly having tear stains around her eyes and wearing her signature vest and bowtie.

“Oh my Goodness!” Soft Shoe cried out as she ran towards the filly, wrapping her hooves around her. Hornpipe followed his wife, asking, “You alright there little lass?” Double Shuffle plainly answered, “Honestly, not really.” Twilight walked over to the group and asked, “I’m glad that she is safe. Now we have to find her brothers.” “Uh…” Double Shuffle spoke up. “Knowing them, they’re probably running all around town.” Twilight replied, “Thanks, now about you and your father.”

Double Shuffle immediately tightened her hold on Soft Shoe, starting to sniffle. “Oh don’t worry.” Twilight reassured the filly. “You won’t be going back to him.” Soft Shoe then asked, “What will happen to her?” Twilight pondered for a moment before she answered, “I guess Double Shuffle will be sent to an orphanage or foster home.” Soft Shoe turned to her husband, who gave her a knowing look, before she turned back to Twilight and firmly stated, “Then if those are the only other choices, she comes with us.”

“What?” Tender Taps, Double Shuffle, and Apple Bloom were stunned. “Mom, are you sure?” Tender Taps asked. “I am.” Soft Shoe answered, a look of determination on her face. “I’ve had a bad feeling about Double Shuffle here, and I want to help her.” Twilight then continued, “Then for the time being, I place Double Shuffle in your care. I and my brother will take over finding the brothers and prosecuting her father.”

Double Shuffle was stunned by what she heard. “You… you want to take me in?” Soft Shoe gave the filly a warm smile and answered, “Yes. I think it’s a shame for such a talented dancer as you to deal with such a dysfunctional family.” Double Shuffle couldn’t do much else other than wrap her hooves continue her incredibly tight hug as Tender Taps joined in. “Guess this makes me your new brother now doesn’t it?” he joked as he hugged the young filly.

“I guess it does.” Double Shuffle answered back, suddenly feeling a warmth in her that she hadn’t felt in several years.

Author's Note

Next Time;
Double Shuffle begins to adapt to her new life, and her brothers begin a devious plan fo revenge

A New Beginning

Doing the Double Shuffle

Chapter 5; A new Beginning.

“Good Morning!” Tender Taps called out into the guest room, or rather, Double Shuffle’s new room. The filly was, however, dead asleep. “Double Shuffle?” Tender Taps asked, still receiving no response. Tender Taps thought of what to do, and then he got a very mischievous idea. Tip toeing towards the sleeping filly, Tender very quickly shouted, “WAKE UP!”

Double Shuffle immediately leapt out of the bed and stood at attention. “Double Shuffle reporting for duty sir!” She said very sternly, as if she were speaking to a drill sergeant. “Whoa, calm down.” Tender Taps said reassuringly. “Huh?” Double Shuffle asked as she managed to snap out of her trance. Tender Taps replied, “Yeah, you wouldn’t wake up and when I managed to do so you snapped to attention like you were greeting a……”

At that moment a new thought entered Tender Taps’s mind. “What happened when you slept in?” Double Shuffle began to scuff the floor as she meekly answered, “Well it didn’t happen often. But whenever I wore myself out too much and slept in then dad or one of my brothers would shout in my ear and scare me awake.” Tender Taps felt a rather unpleasant feeling in his feeling, a mixture of sorrow and guilt.

“Sorry about waking you like that.” Tender Taps apologized as he wrapped Double Shuffle in a hug. “Huh? You’re sorry?” Double Shuffle asked, having a little trouble processing what was going on. “I take it they never really apologized for much?” Tender Taps asked. Double Shuffle simply shook her head. Tender Taps then said, “Well, as long as you’re part of our family then if any of us screw up, we’ll apologize and make it up to you.” This statement made Double Shuffle incredibly happy, and she returned the hug and gleefully replied, “Thanks Tender.” Tender Taps then playfully asked, “So, you hungry for breakfast?”

The Tappers’ kitchen

“You don’t think there’s somethin’ wrong goin’ on is there?” Hornpipe asked as he took a sip of coffee. Soft Shoe, who was preparing scrambled eggs and toast, replied, “I’m not sure, but if they aren’t down here in a few minutes I’ll go check on them.” “I don’t think that will be necessary ma’am.” Double Shuffle’s voice said as she and Tender Taps entered the kitchen. “Sorry for the delay.” Tender Taps apologized. “Found out the hard way that it’s not the best idea to wake her up suddenly.” Double Shuffle then added, “It was my fault. Guess I was just too worn out by yesterday.”

The mere mention of the previous day placed a somber mood over the room. They had found Semper Fi, Double Shuffle’s father trying to get his hooves on her after she ran away, resorting to trying to break into Hoofer Step’s studio. Though every pony had wanted to give Semper Fi the benefit of the doubt, but once they witnessed what he had done, it was clear that he was unfit to be a parent. Luckily, Soft Shoe had decided they would take Double Shuffle in, and hoped they could provide the family that the filly desperately needed.

Regaining her composure, Soft Shoe walked over to Double Shuffle and said, “I take it that you’re hungry dear?” Double Shuffle was about to answer, but stopped when she felt and heard her stomach rumble. “Maybe a little bit.” Double Shuffle answered, a meek and slightly nervous smile growing on the filly’s face. “Well don’t you worry, I’ve made enough for all of us.” Soft Shoe said. Double Shuffle then said, “Thank you ma’am.” Soft Shoe replied, “You don’t have to be that formal. Just Ms. Shoe will do.”

Soon the four ponies were seated at the table and eating breakfast. “Whoa there lass.” Hornpipe said to Double Shuffle, who seemed to be wolfing down her breakfast. “Sorry, guess I’m just used to not having too much time to eat.” “Well we have plenty of time.” Soft Shoe cut in. she then asked, “So, do you have any plans for today?”

It was at that moment that Double Shuffle realized that she didn’t know what to do. “Well…” Double Shuffle began. “If it’s alright with you guys, I’d like to practice my technique in the studio.” Hornpipe then asked the filly, “Well now, if that’s all you were thinking of why don’t I teach you a bit of step dancing?” “Really?” Double Shuffle asked, ecstatic at the prospect of learning a new dance style. “Of course.” Hornpipe replied, “Besides, It’ll be nice to have a new student.” He then turned to his wife and playfully said, “Because this fine mare here is always a good learner, but I need to a new challenge.” Soft Shoe rolled her eyes playfully and replied, “Oh please. Maybe it’s because you’re a soft teacher.” Double Shuffle then added, “Don’t worry. I promise I’ll do whatever you say.”

Tender Taps then spoke up. “I’d love to join you guys, but I already promised to help Apple Bloom today.” “Oh my.” Hornpipe answered cheekily. “She wouldn’t happen to need help with something like kissin’ would it?” “DAD?” Tender Taps answered, both embarrassed and a tiny bit shocked. “Nothing like that. They’re clearing out their barn and need an extra pair of hooves.” Soft Shoe then added, “Either way it’s very nice of you to help the Apples.” As she took a sip of orange juice, Soft Shoe then continued, “As for me, Princess Twilight asked for my help. She said I needed to give an “official report” concerning….”

Soft Shoe stopped herself as she noticed Double Shuffle starting to shrink into herself. Soft Shoe then began again. “I just need to do a brief errand for Princess Twilight.” The rest of the family ate in silence, and eventually went their separate ways to fulfill their activities for the day.

Elsewhere, the streets of Ponyville

“I think we lost ‘em.” Shell Shock said to Buck Shot and Nine Tails, letting out a deep breath in relief. “Yeah…..” Buck Shot answered, annoyed as he began to curl up in his blanket as water began to drip down on his muzzle. “I can’t believe Double Shuffle just up and deserted us!”

Though their father left to “rescue their sister from her own ignorance,” only for him to not come back. Worse still, ponies from Foal Protective Services showed up at their home and tried to “Rescue” them, as they put it. Instead, the siblings managed to escape, and now found themselves hiding in one of Ponyville’s alleyways.

A low rumbling began to echo throughout the alleyway. “What’s that?” Buck Shot inquired. Shell Shock meekly answered, “Sorry, I didn’t get a bite to eat before those punks showed up.” Nine Tails rudely spoke up, “Sheesh, can’t you do anything right?” “What do you mean by that?” Shell Shock asked. “Well you got your flank handed to you by Double Shuffle and that wussy dancer. And now you couldn’t even eat anything before they showed up.” Buck Shot then spoke up, “Hey, I know a place we can get you something to eat.” “Better not be that Sugar Cube place.” Nine Tails said, well aware wouldn’t be welcome back at the Cakes’ establishment. Buck Shot gave his brothers a wicked grin and replied, “Even better.”

Twilight’s Castle

Both Soft Shoe and Hoofer Steps found themselves sitting next to each other in silence in the library. Spike had asked them to wait for a brief moment while she got some supplies ready. After a few awkward minutes, Hoofer Steps turned to Soft Shoe and asked, “How is she?” “Huh?” Soft Shoe asked in confusion. “Double Shuffle. How is she fairing?” Soft Shoe then began, “Well I think she’s doing alright. She slept pretty well and is actually learning a bit of step dance from Hornpipe.” “Oh my. I vemember ze time he offered to teach ze tap students. I still get nightmares about vhat happened.” The dance teacher said in mock horror. “Oh come on, I’m sure it wasn’t that strenuous.” Soft Shoe replied. “Besides, Tender Taps didn’t seem too affected.” Hoofer Steps then deadpanned, “Zat is because he is a prodigy vith hard shoe dancing.” Both mares couldn’t help but let out a light giggle.

After a few more minutes, Twilight entered the Library. “Sorry I’m late.” Said the Princess. “Semper Fi tried bashing his way out of the holding cell, so I had to cast a sedation spell.” “Oh my goodness. You have holding cells?” Soft Shoe asked. Twilight replied, “Well, it’s only one. I’m just holding him until Shining Armor gets here.” “Vait, shouldn’t he be here by now?” Hoofer Steps asked. “I thought so too.” Twilight replied. “Turns out he felt it would be a good idea if Flash Magnus helped as well, what with Semper Fi being part of the guard.”

“Your wish is my command.” Turning around, Twilight, Soft Shoe, and Hoofer Steps found Shining Armor and Flash Magnus had suddenly teleported into the library. “Shiny!” Twilight said gleefully as she ran towards her B.B.B.F.F. and wrapped her hooves around him. “Good to see you too Twily.” As they finished their hug, Flash Magnus asked, “So, where is this guy?”

Sweet Apple Acres

Tender Taps was thankful that the years of dance had built up his endurance, because he was starting to sweat rather profusely. He had been helping the Apple Family (more specifically Apple Bloom) with cleaning out their barn, as they now once again required it to store their harvest. Needless to say, even with the colt’s help, the Apple Siblings had only managed to clear about half of the barn out.

“Come on sugar cube.” Applejack said to the young colt. “You’ve been working for more than a few hot minutes.” “I might be able to get a few more boxes.” Tender Taps tried to reassure the older mare, but Applejack was persistent. “Come on now. Last thing we need is you gettin’ Dehydrated.” Apple Bloom then exited from the barn and said, “Come on Tender.” “Fine.” Tender Taps said in a faux defeated tone but a smile on his face.

Apple Bloom and Tender Taps were soon seated in the Apple Family’s kitchen sipping from large glasses of apple juice. However, Apple Bloom noticed something was bugging Tender Taps. “Everythin’ ok?” The young filly asked her friend. “Huh?” Tender Taps asked. “Somethin’s buggin’ you. What’s up?” “Nothing’s wrong.” Tender Taps replied, obviously failing to hide his concern. Apple Bloom gave him a look that let him know she wasn’t buying his bluff.

Sighing, Tender Taps admitted, “I’m worried about Double Shuffle. I mean, we took her in, but I think she still has something bugging her.” Apple Bloom realized that the situation with their friend was still going on. However, they didn’t have long to ponder it for much longer.

A crashing was heard from the cellar bellow their hooves. “What’s that?” Tender Taps asked. “Ah dunno. Let’s go check it out.” Both young ponies quickly made their outside the house and towards the cellar. As they approached the door to the cellar, they heard what seemed to be colts’ voices coming from inside. “We gotta get out of here.” One of them said nervously. Another voice cried out, “Wait, I’m still stuck.” Another voice, one far more familiar to Apple Bloom and Tender Taps, said in desperation. “Is that Shell Shock?” Tender Taps asked Apple Bloom. Before she could respond, the cellar door burst open, and two other colts, Whom Tender Taps recognized were Double Shuffle’s other brothers, speeding out of the cellar and off to Celestia knows where.

Shell Shock cried out, “Buck Shot? Nine Tails?” Tender Taps and Apple Bloom had taken a few steps back, but were still no less curious. Why would Shell Shock and his brothers be at Sweet Apple Acres unless…. “Wait an apple pickin’ minute!” Apple Bloom said out loud. “Didn’t you say Double Shuffle’s father was arrested yesterday?” Tender Taps remembered seeing Semper Fi being arrested the day before, but then realized he hadn’t seen or heard anything regarding her brothers. “Tender?” Apple Bloom said, snapping Tender Taps back to reality. “Ah think Shell Shock needs help?”

Recalling the beating he and his brothers had given him as well as their treatment of Double Shuffle, Tender Taps skeptically asked, “Why should we help him?” Apple Bloom defiantly answered, “Because it sounds lahk he needs help.” Tender Taps remembered that not only had Apple Bloom come back to help him because with his cutie mark, but also remembered hearing that she had been willing to help Diamond Tiara, the filly who had made her life a living Tartarus. If she could forgive her, then Tender Taps figured he could at least momentarily move past his anger against Shell Shock. “Alright, let’s not keep him waiting.” Tender Taps said as he and Apple Bloom began to descend down the stairs into the cellar.

It was abundantly clear that the three colts had been scrounging inside the cellar. Wherever Apple Bloom and Tender Taps looked, it seems dried apples had been munched, barrels of cider had their lids removed and seemed less full, and bread loves had multiple pieces missing. Yet the most shocking part was at the far end of the cellar. Shell Shock was pinned down under several heavy crates. “Who’s there?” Shell Shock asked, not entirely able to see who it was. “Ah’m Apple Bloom, and this is mah friend Tender Taps. Seems to me that you need a bit o’ help.”

At that moment, Shell Shock realized who the ponies talking to him were, and angrily responded, “I don’t need help from the likes of some farm filly or a wimpy dancer!” he then tried to get up, but the box was far heavier than he could possibly lift up, at least on his own. To make matters worse, the more Shell Shock struggled to get himself out of his situation, the more he found himself more worn out and stuck. “Ugh.” He groaned to himself, almost seemingly defeated.

Apple Bloom walked up to the pinned colt and asked, “Now you ready for a little help?” This only received an angry grunt from Shell Shock. “Never!” He bellowed, once again trying in vain to get up. “I don’t need help from the likes of you!” “Certainly looks that way.” Tender Taps answered bluntly. As Shell Shock continued to struggle, both Apple Bloom and Tender Taps began to notice that Shell Shock was… tearing up?

At that moment, Apple Bloom couldn’t take it anymore. “Oh, doggon it! Why aren’t you listening to us? We could’ve had ya out of there by now!” this statement triggered a full blown melt-down in Shell Shock, who now tried even harder to escape from the boxes pinning him down, shouting and struggling even more. He cried out, “I will not be the weakling! I am a future guard! I AM STRONG!” Shell Shock was now an emotional mess, his tears and nose running like a fire hose as he began to slow down as he finally collapsed into a sobbing mess.

Applejack eventually made her way down the cellar, curious as to why an unfamiliar colt’s voice was crying in the cellar. “Apple Bloom, what’s goin’ on?” She called out before noticing the olive colt pinned under several large crates. “Who’s this?” she asked. Tender Taps answered, “This is Shell Shock. He’s one of Double Shuffle’s brothers.” This certainly got Applejack’s attention. “Wait, ain’t this feller one of those colts who beat you up a few days ago?” Tender Taps nodded as Apple Bloom spoke up. “He and his brothers must ‘ave snuck in here. Apparently they were rummaging everything in here.”

“You know I’m still here.” Shell Shock said rather bluntly, still trying to maintain a tough exterior. Applejack made her way over to the pinned colt, who suddenly found himself starting with fear. “You and your brothers cause this?” Applejack sternly asked. Shell Shock nervously nodded yes. Applejack then turned around and very forcefully bucked the crates, shattering them like a tower of blocks. She then lowered herself down to the colt and said, “Ah think you should wait upstairs.” She then turned to Tender Taps and Apple Bloom and asked, “Ah gotta go out and speak to Twilight. You two make sure this little varmint doesn’t run off anywhere, ok?”

“You got it Applejack.” Apple Bloom replied enthusiastically. Tender Taps simply shrugged and replied, “Sure.” Applejack then departed the cellar. She would have to tell Big Macintosh that he would have to take over on his own for a while; she had to visit Twilight for a moment.

Twilight’s Castle, concurrently to previous events

Shining Armor was certainly surprised by the outward professionalism of Semper Fi. “Sergeant Semper Fi reporting for duty sir!” the stallion said as he snapped to attention. Clearly he was trying to set up a better image of himself. Shining Armor wasn’t buying it for a moment. “Stow it Semper Fi!” Shining replied, putting on his own “military commander” persona as well as refusing to address Semper Fi by his now former rank.

“But sir, I am a sergeant in the…” Semper Fi tried to defend himself. “BELAY THAT!” Shining Armor shouted, making Semper Fi recoil in fear. Shining then continued, “Listen to me very carefully. You are no longer a member of the Royal Guard. You abused your recruits, pushing one of them to the breaking point. You then deserted your post while pending court martial. If anything you are a disgrace to the guard!” Shining’s words began to affect Semper Fi, who was stepping back a bit. Shining then continued, “We could continue listing your crimes against the guard, but there’s another charge I want to address.” “What do you mean?” Semper Fi asked.

Shining took a deep breath and stated, “Four counts of foal abuse.” Semper Fi was stunned for a brief moment, until he realized what Shining Armor was referring to. “I’ll have you know I take great care of my children.” Semper Fi answered defiantly. “Then why did your daughter run away?” Shining asked, a sliver of a hint of sass in his voice. “What do you mean?” Semper Fi asked. “She deserted her post.” A new voice then said, “Gee, isn’t that rich?”

Semper Fi was shocked to see that it was none other than Flash Magnus himself. He began to try and salute him, but Flash interrupted him and sternly said, “Save it Semper Fi. I know exactly what kind of stallion you are.” Stumped, Semper Fi asked, “What do you mean?” Flash explained, “You’re the kind of stallion who demands control over every aspect of their life.” Semper Fi was still confused, but then replied, “If you refer to my foals, they are my foals, and I train them to continue my family tradition.” Flash then gave Semper Fi a cocky grin and asked, “Is that why there aren’t any records of them in school?”

“What?” Shining Armor asked. “Yeah, I did some research into you Semper Fi. You kept your foals from school, drilled and trained them endlessly, and pushed them to the point of breaking. I’m honestly surprised your daughter found something else to occupy her time.” This certainly irked Semper Fi, who snapped back, “I’ve tried to get her to embrace her destiny, but she just keeps disappointing me. Why does she want to waste her life as some namby-pamby dancer?” Flash simply answered, “Because she’d rather follow her mother’s hoof steps than yours?”

This certainly ticked Semper Fi off. “Of course, everyone loves my wife. She was the one everyone was adored with! I did my best to do my duty, but everyone preferred the little dancer over me! And once she….” Semper Fi couldn’t control himself anymore and collapsed to the ground, weeping uncontrollably. Shining looked at Flash Magnus and asked, “I’m not exactly fond of this guy, but what was that about?” Flash answered, “This guy has been suppressing his grief over his wife’s death. In turn, he’s been trying to control his foals to feel like he can control his life.”

This shocked Shining Armor. He was certainly surprised at this revelation. “You sure?” he asked Flash Magnus. Flash replied, “Yeah. I had to do some research before I could regain my position as drill instructor. So I began to research what to look for when a recruit begins to snap. As such when I heard about this guy I looked him up, and realized he had more than a few issues.” Looking down on Semper Fi, Flash pointed to him and said, “This guy snapped years ago. It just took some pony like us pointing it out that he finally realized it.”

Shining Armor then said, “Keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid. I’ll tell Twilight what we’ve found out. And ask if he knows where his colts are.” Flash Magnus nodded, and walked over to the crying stallion. Shining ascended the stairwell, returning to the main part of his sister’s castle. He had information that Twilight might find helpful.

Sweet Apple Acres homestead

Double Shuffle pranced her way down to the dirt road towards the Apple Family’s house. After her impromptu dance lesson with Hornpipe, she had decided to join Tender Taps in helping the Apple Family. Naturally, she figured Sweet Apple Acres had been the primary place to start. As she approached, she noticed Applejack leaving the house, something surprising since she was supposed to be there all day. “Why howdy there Double Shuffle. What brings you over?” Applejack asked the filly. Double Shuffle answered, “I was wondering if I could help you guys.”

“Why that’s mighty thoughtful of you, but Ah’m afraid we’re gonna have to stop for now.” This certainly surprised Double Shuffle. “Huh? But Tender Taps said this would take all day.” Applejack sighed and said, “Well, there’s a very good reason.” She then ushered the young filly towards the farm house. As they approached the door, Double Shuffle asked, “What’s going on?” Applejack replied, “Seems we had a few visitors earlier. Three of ‘em to be exact.” Using the number three, it was apparent that Double Shuffle knew exactly who they were.

Once they entered the house, Apple Bloom showed up from around the corner and asked, “Applejack? What are you doin’ back so early?” It was only then that she noticed Double Shuffle was there as well. Applejack said, “Seems to me Double Shuffle here wanted to come and help. Shame her brothers decided to cause a bit of trouble.” Double Shuffle asked, “What did they do?” Apple Bloom replied, “They broke into the cellar and started eatin’ everythin’. When Tender Taps and I found ‘em, one of ‘em, Shell Shock, got himself stuck and the other two deserted him.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Double Shuffle answered. Applejack asked, “What do ya mean sugar cube?” Double Shuffle replied, “Dad apparently taught them to “live off the land”. It’s pretty much how they didn’t go hungry.” “Wait, you mean they steal food?” Applejack worriedly inquired. Double Shuffle nervously nodded and quickly replied, “The only reason I didn’t is because I’d go busking to…..” She was quickly ensnared in a big hug from Apple Bloom. Applejack then asked, “So your pa made you work for your food? That’s horrible!”

Double Shuffle managed to gently wrestle her way out of Apple Bloom’s grasp and said, “Where are they?” Applejack answered, “Shell Shock is here with us, but the others ran off. Ah was on my way to Twilight to get help in finding ‘em.” Double Shuffle then asked, “Where is Shell Shock?”

The Kitchen

Tender Taps sat at one end of the kitchen table, glaring at Shell Shock, who sat at the other end. Shell’s eyes were puffy and damp, and he was nursing a mug of cocoa. He would look up every few moments at Tender Taps, and then look down again. After a few more minutes, Tender Taps asked, “So why do bully your sister?” “Huh?” Shell Shock asked in confusion. “You heard me. I remember how you acted when we met you in the market, not including that little incident at Sugar Cube Corner.” Shell Shock just continued to look down, unable to say anything.

“Shell Shock?” a familiar voice asked. Shell Shock and Tender Taps turned around and were shocked to see Double Shuffle. The filly then said, “I came over to help with the clearing out, but it seems things changed, haven’t they?” Tender Taps answered, “Yeah.” She then faced her brother and asked, “Is it true you guys tried stealing from the Apples?” “Yes.” Shell Shock meekly answered, his voice cracking and eyes watering again.

“Tender, can I have a word with my brother?” Double Shuffle asked. “Huh?” Tender Taps asked. “But I mean, you sure that’s a good idea?” “I am.” the filly replied. Tender Taps then got out of his seat, hugged Double Shuffle, and said to her, “I’ll be right outside.” He then left the room, leaving Double Shuffle and Shell Shock alone.

“So….” Double Shuffle began, intending to figure out why her brothers tried to steal from the Apple Family.

Author's Note

Next Time: Double Shuffle has a heart to heart with Shell Shock

Author's Insight: this chapter was pretty hard to write. on top of a great deal of "nothing" happening, balancing this and Spitfire and Old Silver can get kinda taxing. this story will take a bit of a back seat, so progress won't be as fast here, but i should have a new one ready within a month.

Crashing Down

Doing the Double Shuffle

Chapter 6; Crashing Down

Double Shuffle sat at one end of the table in the Apple Family’s kitchen. At the other end of the table was her brother, Shell Shock. However, there was one thing that Double Shuffle knew was different though. His blood shot eyes, runny nose, and vain attempts to control his breathing made one thing clear; he had been crying. For all life, she had never seen Shell Shock, or any of her brothers cry or actually show weakness. Semper Fi often went on long-winded speeches about never showing weakness and always showing strength. In truth, Double Shuffle had often been the most emotional of the family, which she attributed to her being a girl, and having a passion that allowed her to express herself.

But she never expected Shell Shock to break down. Double Shuffle always knew that her father considered him his favorite. It was often why he was pushed the hardest by their father. That alone was almost certainly the reason he often felt he had to be the one who took charge or felt responsible for everything. If what she heard from Apple Bloom and Tender Taps was true, Shell Shock’s façade had finally snapped. She was just surprised that it happened here.

“So….” Double Shuffle began. “Save it.” Shell Shock interrupted. “I know where this will go, so let’s not waste time.” “What do you mean waste of time?” Double Shuffle asked her brother. Shell Shock continued, “They have dad, and I bet they have Buck Shot and Nine Tails. At this point we know what’s next. They’ll throw dad in some hole and send us off to some orphanage.” Double Shuffle didn’t know how to react to Shell Shock’s sudden pessimism. More often than not he’d try to assert himself as the one in charge, at least if the other two weren’t there. She wasn’t used to him having resignation in his voice.

She also didn’t know how to tell him that she had been “taken in” by Tender Taps and his family.

“So where have you been hiding?” Shell Shock asked his sister. “Huh?” Double Shuffle asked her brother. “You heard me.” He continued, “Since the cops took the house we’ve been hiding out. Where have you been hiding?” “For your information, I haven’t been hiding anywhere.” Double Shuffle indignantly answered. Shell Shock then asked, “I take it the dancer took you in?” Double Shuffle nodded yes. ‘well, seems he was able to figure it out himself.’ She thought to herself.

“Figures. Ponies always like you.” Shell Shock answered glumly. Double Shuffle then replied, “Well, considering how you treated Tender Taps it’s not like you set a good first impression.” This remark seemed to really irritate Shell Shock. “Oh, I’m sorry!” He sarcastically stated. “I was just following dad’s orders to protect you.” “What makes you think picking fights and being a bully will protect me?” Double Shuffle shouted, finding it difficult to understand her brother and father’s logic.

It was going to be a long conversation.

Twilight’s Castle

Applejack had to admit to herself that she had had a hectic week, but this still didn’t prepare her for the sight before her. Semper Fi was being escorted out of the castle by several guards led by Flash Magnus, and was escorted into a prison chariot. As Flash Magnus began to read the stallion his rights, Twilight, Shining Armor, Soft Shoe, and Hoofer Steps followed, the entire group appearing to be emotionally strained. Applejack didn’t want to wear them out any more, but it she knew what she had seen was too important to ignore.
“Howdy Twilight.” Applejack greeted her friend, putting on a friendly face. Twilight walked up to her friend and, to her surprise, wrapped her hooves around her. “Uh, Twi?” Applejack asked. Twilight managed to regain her composure and answered, “Oh, sorry.” Twilight answered as she released Applejack. “It’s been a hectic few hours. As you can see we’ve been dealing with Semper Fi and listening to him.” “Yeah, about that…” Applejack began. “We found one of his sons.”

Soft Shoe was the first to speak up. “Really?” “Yup.” Applejack answered. “Right now Apple Bloom and Tender Taps are keepin’ an eye on him.” This answer slightly startled the group. They knew that Semper Fi’s sons had had a nasty tussle with Tender Taps not much earlier, and the knowledge that he was watching over one of the siblings was troubling.

Shining Armor then ordered, “Applejack, please take me to this foal.” Applejack nodded and answered, “Ok, follow me.” As the two ponies departed, Soft Shoe made her way up to the two and asked, “Uh, Applejack, which one of Double Shuffle’s brothers did you guys find?” Applejack answered, “Shell Shock, Ah think.” This sent chills down Soft Shoe’s spine. “This isn’t good!” the mare panicked as she remembered that this was the colt that was most aggressive with her son.

“So where are they now?” Soft Shoe asked Applejack. The country mare replied, “Oh, they’re at the farmhouse. At least as long as they ain’t run off somewhere.” This made Soft Shoe feel somewhat secure. After all, the Apple family’s farm was a moderately safe location, and there should have been at least two grown ponies present, so it seemed that it was unlikely that Shell Shock could cause more problems. She just hoped that things wouldn’t take a downward spiral in the roughly ten minutes to go from Twilight’s castle to Sweet Apple Acres.

Sweet Apple Acres

The farm was quiet. In fact, it was far too quiet. Soft Shoe turned to Applejack and asked, “Isn’t your family busy cleaning out one of the barn?” from behind the group, a stallion’s voice answered, “Eeyup.” Every-pony turned to see an incredibly worn out Big Macintosh, sweat pouring from his brow. Applejack stepped up to her brother and asked, “You hear anything from ‘em?” Big Mac simply shook his head and answered, “Nope.” Applejack then turned back to the group and said, “Guess they’re still in the farm house. Follow me.” Twilight, Soft Shoe, Hoofer Steps, and Shining Armor made their way towards the house, only to hear a colt shouting.

It was a shrill, scratchy, colt’s voice that oozed pain and instability. And what hurt the most was that this voice said three words that no-pony ever wants to hear, not only said to them, but at all.

“I HATE YOU!”

“That’s not good!” Shining Armor nervously stated as he and Soft Shoe charged into the house. They were quickly greeted by an incredibly terrified Apple Bloom. “Apple Bloom, what’s going on?” Soft Shoe desperately asked. Apple Bloom answered, “Ah think Shell Shock said somethin’ nasty, an’ then…” She was interrupted by Shell Shock being shoved out of the kitchen with Double Shuffle leaping on top of him, unleashing her anger. As Tender Taps tried to pull her off her brother, the young filly shouted, “Take that back!” Shell Shock simply answered, “Never! You turned your back on us!”

As Tender Taps was pushed off Double Shuffle, Soft Shoe did the only thing she could. She raised her voice and commanded, “Double Shuffle, stop hitting your brother this instant!” This instantly got Double Shuffle’s attention. The filly immediately stepped off her brother and began to salute, only to realize that it wasn’t her father who had commanded her, but Soft Shoe. “Uh…. I… Uh….” The filly muttered as she began to tear up. She then darted back into the kitchen, and then out of the farmhouse.

As Shell Shock rose to his hooves, he said to himself, “Good riddance.” This only earned him several glares from the ponies who were now staring him down. Soft Shoe walked up to him, only to run into the kitchen, after Double Shuffle. Shining Armor then stepped forward and said, “Son, I need you to come with me.” Shell Shock hesitated for a moment, glaring at Apple Bloom and Tender Taps. Eventually, he said, “Fine. Anywhere is better than this dump.” The colt made his way towards Shining Armor, figuring that the stallion would simply escort him away.

Shell Shock was surprised to have Shining Armor, former captain of the guard and prince of the Crystal Empire, reach down and wrap the colt in a warm embrace. The colt couldn’t comprehend why the colt would hug him. Shining Armor then said, “It’s ok kid.” Something broke in Shell Shock, and he broke down again. As tears began to stream from his eyes and he started to sniffle and choke, Shining Armor began to stroke Shell Shock’s mane as Hoofer Steps made her way up to him. “Vhat’s going on?” The dance teacher asked. Shining Armor replied, “Sometimes all some-pony needs is a little love.”

Sweet Apple Acres Hilltop

Finding Double Shuffle wasn’t difficult. The young filly was crying her heart out on the hilltop, seemingly having given up on running any further. Though she had seen Double Shuffle upset and distraught before, this was a different kind of sadness. It was as if the filly was releasing a lifetime’s worth of pain and anguish.

“Double Shuffle?” Soft Shoe gently asked the young filly. The filly turned to face Soft Shoe and began to panic. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to get angry!” she then curled into a ball as she continued to cry. Soft Shoe simply sat down next to her and, for a few minutes, simply caressed the young filly’s mane as she let cried her heart out.

As Double Shuffle’s crying softened to a few sniffles, Soft Shoe asked, “So, what happened?” Double Shuffle immediately asked, “Promise you won’t get angry?” Soft Shoe then made the gestures of the Pinkie Pie promise. Double Shuffle then began to choke up again as she started to explain, “Well, Shell Shock and I were arguing about how I was staying with you guys. He started saying how you were just doing it because I was a dancer, and that you really didn’t like me.” Soft Shoe placed a hoof under Double Shuffle’s chin and said, “You know that’s not true. We took you in because you needed some-pony to look out for you.”

Double Shuffle started sniffling again as she continued, “I know. I told Shell Shock that I’d…” she started to tear up again as she admitted, “That I’d rather be with you guys than with him and dad and…” Double Shuffle immediately broke down again. This time, Soft Shoe wrapped the filly in a tight hug. “Shh, Shh. It’s ok. Just let it out.” The older mare reassured. Double Shuffle then managed to squeak out, “That was when he said he hated me. After that I, I just lost control.” Soft Shoe felt her heart melt. Sure, she hadn’t been the closest with her own brothers, but they had never said that they hated her.

Soft Shoe heard a few hoof steps behind her. She turned around to see Apple Bloom, Tender Taps, and Hoofer Steps. “Everything alright?” Tender Taps asked, concern evident on his face. “Not really.” Soft Shoe replied. “I think we just need a little time to let things out.” Hoofer Steps then said to the other two foals, “Come along you two.” The three of them turned and left.

Right now, Double Shuffle just needed someone to listen to her.

The Tappers’ Home, Later That Night

Soft Shoe and Double Shuffle made it home just as the sun began to slip below the west. The young filly had fallen asleep on Soft Shoe’s back, still sniffling in her slumber. As Soft Shoe opened the door, Hornpipe and Tender Taps, who had been waiting in the living room, began to quietly make their way towards her. As they got close, Soft Shoe raised a hoof towards her mouth, signaling them to stay quiet, and began to ascend the central stairwell. When she reached the top, Soft Shoe walked into Double Shuffle’s room and then placed the filly in her bed. As she tucked Double Shuffle in, Soft Shoe whispered, “Sleep tight sweetie. I love you.” She then gave her a kiss on the forehead and departed the room, leaving the filly to hopefully get a good night’s sleep.

Soft Shoe returned to the living room, smiling to see that her husband and son were still there. “How is she?” Hornpipe asked, concern for the Double Shuffle. Soft Shoe sighed and answered, “Not too good. She’s been carrying more weight than we thought.” Tender Taps then asked, “So, what’s going to happen to her now?” Neither Soft Shoe nor Hornpipe knew what to say. Sure, they had taken the filly in, but they hadn’t experienced anything like this. Tender Taps may have had the occasional issue with a bully, he never had to deal with anything like Double Shuffle had been through.

Hornpipe and Soft Shoe were so lost in thought that they didn’t hear the knocking at the door. “Guys?” Tender Taps asked as he managed to snap his parents out of their pondering. “What’s going on?” Hornpipe asked as he remembered where exactly he was. Tender Taps simply shook his head and walked over towards the front door. He opened it to see, to his surprise, both Twilight Sparkle and Hoofer Steps. “Oh, your majesty!” Tender Taps nervously answered as he began to bow. Twilight immediately replied, “Oh, don’t worry. I don’t ask any-pony to bow before me.”

Both of Tender Taps’ parents noticed their new guests, with Soft Shoe greeting, “Oh, your majesty. Please make yourself at home.” Twilight playfully rolled her eyes and followed Hornpipe into the living room. Once she and Hoofer Steps were seated, Twilight asked, “So, how is Double Shuffle dong?” Soft Shoe sighed and answered, “She cried herself to sleep, and I would prefer we not wake her up.” “Agreed.” Hoofer Steps quickly added. “From some-pony who knows vhat’s she’s going through, she has a lot to take in und comprehend.”

Tender Taps then asked, “So what happens now? Like, with Shell Shock and the others.” Twilight answered, “Semper Fi will be transported to Canterlot for court marshal, Shell Shock will be taken in by FPS and eventually to a foster family, and the same for the Buck Shot and Nine Tails.” This certainly shocked Tender Taps. “You mean they’re going to be separated?” Twilight continued, “With what we’ve witnessed, as well as evidence gathered from their home, this is an incredibly dangerous situation Double Shuffle and her brothers are in. Right now the best thing we can do is give each of them the help they need.” Hoofer Steps then added, “Und even if zeir father didn’t abuse zem, he abused his power und deserted his post, so he’s looking at, at least a few years in prison.”

Twilight immediately interrupted the other mare. “We’re getting a little distracted here.” She then returned her focus to Hornpipe and Soft Shoe. “I’ve decided that it is in Double Shuffle’s best interest to remain in your care.” Soft Shoe answered, “I agree. Besides, I’ve grown very fond of her.” Tender Taps added, “And if I may, it’s kind of nice to have a sister.” Hornpipe, however, asked, “So, does mean we need to fill out some paperwork?”

At that moment, the group heard screaming from above them. “Oh no.” Hornpipe said nervously as he got up and made his way up towards Double Shuffle’s room. Opening the door, he found Double Shuffle rolling in her bed, tears streaming from her eyes. “Sweetie, wake up!” Hornpipe said. Double Shuffle woke up and began to nervously eyeing her surroundings. Hornpipe then said, “I tink you were havin’ a nightmare.”

To his surprise, Double Shuffle immediately wrapped her hooves around Hornpipe, tearfully begging him, “Please don’t leave me! I don’t want to be alone again!” Hornpipe then asked, “Dream about your mum?” Double Shuffle nodded yes. “I was with her, before she…” she started sniffling again as Hornpipe continued to hug the young filly.

Downstairs, Twilight said to Soft Shoe, “That’s another thing. I would recommend that Double Shuffle begin therapy to work through her trauma. Luckily for you, I have the perfect pony in mind.” “You don’t mean Starlight, do you?” Soft Shoe nervously asked. Twilight replied, “Oh no, not her. This is way out of her league. I was thinking…” She then made her way to Soft Shoe and whispered something into her ear.

“Her?” Soft Shoe asked in surprise. “I know.” Twilight answered. “She found out about Double Shuffle’s situation and told me she wanted to help.” Tender taps asked, “Who is it?” Soft Shoe hesitated for a moment before she answered, “Princess Luna.”

Author's Note

Next Time, Double Shuffle has a chat with Princess Luna.

Author's note: I apologize for the delay in this story. I set it on hold because handling this AND Spitfire and Old Silver proved too difficult. luckily this story should finally get the love it needs. I also apologize for this chapter's lackluster length, but I felt the chat with Luna needed to be it's own thing, and not tacked on to another chapter.