Apple Bloom was in shock. She had expected this to be some kind of big dance contest. What she had not expected, however, was for it to a nationally televised competition.

“Why didn’t ya tell me this thing was for a TV show?” Apple Bloom whispered harshly.

“I didn’t? I could have sworn I did.” Tender Taps whispered back.

“Ya didn’t! You just said it was a big dance competition.”

“Well, what bigger is there than one shown on TV?”

Apple Bloom was clearly still annoyed that he hadn’t mentioned anything about being on camera. But after a long, tense moment, the farm girl released a long exhale.

“Well, Ah’m already here, and Ah already agreed to go along with it. So let’s just get on with it. But Ah meant what Ah said the other day. Ah don’t think Ah'm good enough to dance in a fancy competition. Much less one that’s gonna be on TV.” Apple Bloom commented.

“Me neither, but someone told me the other day that I need to take a few risks, even if it won’t work out. That If I stay locked in my own self-doubt, I’ll always be unhappy.”

Apple Bloom couldn’t help it when the corners of her mouth started turning upwards.

“No fair usin’ my own words against me.”

Tender Taps took her smile as a victory and turned his attention back to the host of the show, Sea Crest.

“Listen up, kiddies, this is how it’s gonna work. Once all of you have signed in, you and your dance partner are going to pass through those doors and wait for your names to be called. When they are, you’re going to do whatever kind of dance you have prepared for our judges. After everyone has been judged and the scores have been tallied up, the twelve best pairs will get to strut their stuff on national television for the chance at fabulous prizes. As for the rest of you, well, try harder next time.” Sea Crest explained. “Any questions?”

A few of the hopeful dancers raised their hands.

“None? Cool. Now get signed in and head for the green room. I’ll see you there. Sea Crest, out!”

With that, the host disappeared behind doors leading deeper into the studio. Since they had no further instructions, everyone wrote their names on the sign in sheet before heading to the designated green room. Once there, all the potential dancers began making conversation amongst themselves.

“So, what kinda dance you reckon we should do for the judges?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I was thinking we could just do the tap dance routine we’ve been doing in dance club. We did pretty good last time, and with all the practice we’ve been doing in dance club and in gym class, I think we’re in a good spot.” Tender Taps answered.

“Ain’t like we got anything else prepared.”

Every so often, a pair of names would get called, and the two that those names belonged to would disappear into another room for a few minutes. When they came back, another pair of names would get called. It took well over an hour, but eventually, the farm girl and aspiring dancer heard their names.

“Tender Taps and Apple Bloom. Your turn.” A studio page called out.

The pair stood up and entered a room with a large stage on it. After making their way to the center of the stage, they saw Sea Crest sitting in the front row. Sitting on the ground floor behind an ornate table were three individuals.

“Welcome, you two. It’s your turn to show us what you got.” Sea Crest said. “But first, let me introduce you to our judges. First up is Boogie Woogie.”

The two hopeful contestants saw a woman on the older side of middle age with tan brown skin and light purple hair.

“Next, we have Foxtrot.”

A man in his late twenties with light orangish-red skin and blood red hair nodded at them.

“And last but not least, Line Dancer.”

The final judge, a young woman with dark pink skin and sun yellow hair greeted the pair.

“And now, it’s time for you two to introduce yourselves and show us what you’ve got on the dance floor.”

“H-hello there. My name is Tender Taps. It’s always been a dream of mine to be on this show. So when I found out they were doing a kids edition, I was excited to try and sign up. But I had a few problems. One was that I was always s-scared of dancing in front of others. The other was that I had no partner. But both were solved when I made a new friend at school last week. She helped me get the confidence to sign up and agreed to be my partner. I admit, I-I’m still a little nervous to dance for all of you, but I feel like I’m ready to show you what I can do.”

“Alright, cool. And what’s your story, little lady?” Sea Crest asked.

“Howdy, y’all. Ah’m Apple Bloom. Ah come from the city of Canterlot, where my family works runnin’ an apple orchard and farm. Ah came up here as part of a student exchange program my school was runnin’. After makin’ friends with Tender Taps here, he asked me to be his partner in this here contest, and…well, here Ah am.”

“So, a shy dancer and a farm girl. Quite an interesting pair you two make. But interest alone won’t get you far here. All that matters is how good your dancing is. So show us what you got.” Sea Crest said.

After putting some music on his smartphone, Tender Taps joined Apple Bloom in doing their practiced tap-dancing routine. When the music ended and the dance finished, the duo saw the judges writing something down on a stack of papers in front of them.

“Alright then, thank you. Head back to where you were, and we’ll let you know if you made the cut after everyone else has had their turn.” Sea Crest said.

After returning to the green room, Tender Taps and Apple Bloom sat down with some of the others.

“I wonder if we’ll make it in.” Tender said.

“We’ll just have ta wait and find out.” Apple Bloom replied.

“Not that it will matter much.”

Tender Taps and Apple Bloom looked up and saw a girl roughly their own age looking down on them. This girl had glimmering golden skin and shining silver hair. She also had a smug air of superiority around her.

“The name’s Star Power. But you two can call me the future winner of this competition. I just came by to tell you what I’ve been telling everyone else. That you should quit now while you’re ahead. You two don’t strike me as the type to make it far in a contest like this. Even if you do, you’ll never make it past me. So why bother?”

“Because we’re here to have fun and dance. That’s all. We just came here because it’s something we wanted to do. Not because we want to win that badly.” Tender Taps answered.

“Not to mention we ain’t actin’ like the whole world revolves around us. Ah never could stand folks like that. Drove me nuts.” Apple Bloom added.

Star Power stood there aghast. She couldn’t believe that these two would dare talk to her like that.

“I already hate the two of you. You best hope you don’t make it into the contest. If you do, I will make your experience the worst it can possibly be.” Star Power sneered before walking away.

“I take it you know people like that?” Tender asked.

“Back in Canterlot, there was this pair of girls, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Thick as thieves, they were. But they liked to bully others somethin’ awful back in middle school. They ain’t been botherin’ us so much in recent years, thankfully. But still, Ah never could stand the smug, superior type like that.” Apple Bloom explained.

“Let’s hope we don’t have to deal with her much. Especially since…oh no.”

“What’s wrong?”

“That bag she has. It has the logo of Diamond Placement Academy on it.”

“Huh?”

“Another high school. A fancy one. And CMHS’s primary rival. The school has had a mutual grudge with them for years. And it always seems like they one up us at every turn. Sports, academics, club competitions, you name it. It’s gotten even worse when they got a new leader, Principal Neighsay. I swear, that guy hates us more than what’s reasonable. I don’t get what his problem is.”

Apple Boom knew a little of what that was like. She remembered hearing all the tales of the annual competition Canterlot High held with Crystal Prep. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure why they were called the ‘Friendship Games’, when Crystal Prep beat them into the dirt each year and then rubbed their faces in it. Maybe the next games would be different. But that wasn’t important right now.

“Let’s not worry ‘bout that right now. Let’s just try and get through this competition. Y’know, assumin’ we get in.”

Another hour later, the last of the aspiring dancers had gone and had their turn in front of the judges. A short while later, all the dancers were called to the stage.

“Ok, listen up, ankle biters. I’ve got the final results right here in my hand.” Sea Crest said, gesturing to a clipboard he was holding. “On this clipboard are twelve pairs of names. When your name gets called, come up. That means you get to be on television and show a nationwide audience you can bust a move on the dance floor. Let’s get started, shall we?”

Everyone held their breath, wondering if they would get into the contest and who would be getting in with them. They all waited for Sea Crest to start reading off the names.

“The first pair that will be making it in are…Star Power and Gleaming Gem.”

“As if there was any doubt.” Star Power scoffed as she and her dance partner stepped forward.

“Next up… Rosey Cheeks and Budding Daffodil.”

A pair of 13-year-olds gave a whoop and stepped forward.

“Peach Cobbler and Custard Tart.”

Two five-year-olds squealed loudly and came forward.

“Sweet Cream and Sour Cream.”

Identical twin sisters stepped forward.

“Willow and Oak.”

Two guys that looked to be 17 came up.

“Our sixth pair is… Split Hair and Loose End.”

Two people who looked to be in desperate need of a haircut came forward.

“Red Ruby and Radiant Emerald.”

A red skinned girl and green skinned boy, both around 10, stepped up.

“Minty Fresh and Mouthwash.”

A brother and sister pair came up.

“Piano Keys and Violin Strings, would you come forward, please?”

The aforementioned pair did just that.

“Ice Cube and Heat Wave.”

A blue boy and orange girl stepped up.

“Gentle Breeze and Mellow Wind.”

Two kind looking males came up quietly.

“Everyone, I only have one pair left. Only one more pair that will be getting into this show. Only one more pair that will get the honor of dancing for thousands, if not millions, of adoring fans, not to mention getting a chance at the grand prize. And that pair is…”

Everyone waited with bated breath to hear the final names. Several tense moments passed before Sea Crest finally spoke again.

“…Tender Taps and Apple Bloom.”

As soon as their names were called, the farm girl and her partner were in so much shock that they couldn’t even make a sound. All they could do is numbly walk forward with the rest of those who had their names called.

“As for the rest of you, begone. Sorry, but you didn’t make the cut. Better luck next time. You know, if there ever is a next time. Well, what are you waiting for? I said beat it. I need to talk to the real winners here.”

With a combination of grumbles, whines, irritated remarks, and even a few tears, all those who didn’t get called on walked off the stage and out of the building. Once they were gone, Sea Crest turned towards the twelve pairs.

“Congrats to all of you for making it in. You’re well on your way to winning the country’s greatest dancing competition show. But in the end, only one of you pairs will get to truly claim that win. Only one pair will win the grand prize: A stylized six-foot trophy with your likenesses placed on top, and a check for $100,000!”

Sea Crest gestured to his right, where a large trophy and even larger check were being displayed. Everyone imagined statues of themselves on top of that trophy and their names on that check.

“To do that, though, you have to survive around three months of dancing against those around you. How does that work? I’ll tell you how: Every Monday through Friday, you will report here at 5pm sharp and stay until 8pm. In that time, you will be teamed up with a professional dance coach, who will be in charge of helping you execute whatever routine you want to do for our judges. Come Saturday, you will come here at 3 so you can make any last minute changes and get into your dance clothes. Once you’re ready, you’ll go and perform your routine. How you do will depend on how well you do in rehearsals, how well you chose your music and routine, and how well you listen to your coach. At the end of each routine, the judges will score you. Whoever gets the lowest score that week will be eliminated from the competition. They will not get the big trophy or the big check.”

“What about Sunday?” Red Ruby asked.

“Since you’re all underage, the network seems to think that you’ll need at least one day to take a break. That making you dance seven days a week will wear you out too fast. So, I don’t care what you do that day. But that is also the day each new episode will air. Our crack team of studio editors will work round the clock to combine footage of your rehearsals with the final product shown on Saturday and make it TV ready by 8pm Sunday night. Anyway, that’s all the boring information that you need to know. Now we just have a couple more things to do. First up, we need a group shot and some preliminary footage for all the promos. Everyone get together, smile, and pretend you can at least tolerate each other.”

The next hour was spent posing for various group and individual shots, as well as getting footage of all the dancers. Once Sea Crest decided that there was enough to make a few decent commercials and press releases, he stated there was only one thing left to do.

“Sign the standard studio contract so that you can legally be allowed to compete and do all that other fun stuff, like not sue if things go wrong. Once you sign it, head home and be prepared to come back on Monday. See you little Munchkins then. Sea Crest, out!”

The host then made a flashy exit, leaving the 24 dancers alone. Their only other companions were the studio lawyers waiting with the contract and a handful of pens for the kids to sign it with. Once there were 24 signatures on that contract, everyone bid their partner farewell and went their separate ways.

“You’re going to WHAT?!” Aunt and Uncle Orange shouted.

As soon as she got back to their penthouse, Apple Bloom explained to her aunt and uncle what had happened, what she had signed up for, and what she had been accepted into.

“And why didn’t you think to tell us that you were aiming to be on a television program?” Uncle Orange chided.

“Like Ah said, Ah didn’t know until Ah got there. Tender Taps never told me. And either way, we already made it on the show and signed the contract.” Apple Bloom replied.

The Manehattan couple thought this over for a moment before addressing their niece again.

“Well, I suppose there’s nothing to be done about it now. And now that I think on it, having a niece on television does sound rather exciting.” Aunt Orange said.

“Oh, very well. But I want to be there on the nights of your competition. I need to make sure you’ll be alright in an environment like that. A television studio is much different than Manehattanite culture. Or even the quaint farm you grew up on. I just want to make sure you’re comfortable in a new environment.” Uncle Orange conceded.

“No problem. Ah was gonna ask y’all to come, anyways. Ah want ya there when Ah’m on stage.”

“Very good. Now then, about your extended use of the word ‘y’all’…”

Sunday passed uneventfully. Come Monday, Apple Bloom was mentally preparing herself for her first dance rehearsal after school. But before she and Tender got to that rehearsal, they had to get through the school day. The one subject Apple Bloom struggled with was math. She vented these frustrations to Tender Taps when she sat down next to him during lunch.

“Why the heck does all this trigonometry stuff hafta be so complicated? Why are there even so many letters in it? Ah thought math was all ‘bout numbers. Who thought it was a good idea to put the alphabet inside math?” Apple Bloom whined.

“Oh, come on. It’s not that hard when you really think on it. If we ever get enough free time between school time and our rehearsals, I’ll help you with it. Besides, it could be worse. It could be having to sit through history class.” Tender Taps retorted.

“Ya ain’t fond of history?”

“Not really. Why do I have to know so much about what happened hundreds of years ago? I’m honestly surprised you care so much.”

“Well, the Apple family goes back a long way. Family history’s a big deal for us. And it turns out we was there for lots of big events, in one way or ‘nother. From a sailor on the first ships t’ settle this here continent, to a worker on the Transcontinental Railroad, and everythin’ in between. So we care an awful lot about history. Ah could help ya out when Ah can.”

“I’d appreciate that. But let’s take care of that later. What I’m wondering right now is what our first rehearsal will be like. Who our dance coach will be, how we’ll compare to the other dancers, things like that.”

“Ah guess we’ll find out soon enough. Personally, Ah’m just hopin’ that we can make our tap routine better than it was back durin’ the audition.”

“You and me both. But that’s why they’re giving us a coach. So we can do the best we can with the help of a master.”

“Ah guess. By the way, how’d yer folks react when ya told ‘em you were gonna be on TV? When Ah told my aunt and uncle, they were mighty shocked. My uncle was awful worried, but my aunt was real excited.”

“Oh, well, my parents knew that I wanted to do this show for a while. So when I told them I made it, they were very happy for me.”

“Oh, that’s nice. Ah was just curious.”

Right then, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. The rest of the school day passed by quickly, as did the time following it until the two students met up again at the studio to begin their first official rehearsal. They were led to an individual practice room where they could work with their coach in peace, without the other dancers distracting them. The only other presence were cameramen getting footage of their rehearsals to put in the final episode.

As soon as Tender Taps and Apple Bloom entered their designated practice room, they saw a middle-aged woman with purplish-grey skin and pale blonde hair.

“Good day to you two. My name is Hoofer Steps, and I vill be your coach for zis competition.” The woman said in a thick accent.

“Nice to meet ya.” Apple Bloom greeted.

“Hello.” Tender Taps added.

“It vill be my job to coach you to do the best possible dance you can. To help you pull off the routine you vant. So then, vhat dance do you two vant to do?” Hoofer Steps asked.

“We have this tap dance routine prepared. We just want to improve it in any way we can.”

“Vell then, show me vhat you have so far, and then ve vill see vhat can be improved upon.”

After starting the same music from their audition on his smartphone, Tender Taps joined Apple Bloom and together, they repeated the same routine they did for the judges. When they were done, Hoofer Step looked at them in contemplation.

“Not too bad. But I can see much that can be made better. Let us start vith the beginning. Knowing vhat I do of the culture that music and dance came from, I must ask you: How familiar are you two vith vhat is called a ‘jig’?”

The next three hours were spent going over each step possible in the time allotted, improving on what they could. With much more advanced steps involved, Apple Bloom fell down more times than she cared to admit, but always got right back up. When time ran out, everyone went their separate ways for the day.

The next day at school, Tender Taps and Apple Bloom met in homeroom. Tender moved to greet his friend.

“Hi, Apple Bloom.”

“Hey there, Tender Taps.”

“Listen, I have a question to ask you. Do you think we should ask Hoofer Steps if we should incorporate more movement into our routine. I remember her saying most step dancing is done in place, but I want to try something different.”

“No offense, but my mind ain’t on dancin’ right now. Ah didn’t have much time to do my homework last night. And Ah ain’t doin’ much better in science than Ah am in math. Ah still ain’t answered half the questions on Mr. Stethoscope’s worksheet. How the heck am Ah supposed to know how many bones are in the human body?” Apple Bloom grumbled.

“Oh, I have trouble in that class too. But I managed to get all the questions answered.”

“Ya mind if Ah copy you? Just this once?”

“Sure. I can’t promise you they’re right, though.” Tender Taps said as he pulled out his homework.

Just as Apple Bloom began copying down Tender Taps homework answers, a shadow loomed over them. Both students looked up and saw their homeroom teacher staring down at them menacingly.

“And what is going on here?” Timely Manner sneered.

“Uh…nothing?” Tender Taps and Apple Bloom chorused.

“Really? So you didn’t just ask Mr. Taps if you could copy off his homework exactly 15.84 seconds ago, Miss Bloom? Rather than do it yourself on your own time like you were supposed to?”

“Well…um…ya see…”

Just then, the homeroom bell rang, signaling the start of the school day. But a few seconds after the bell stopped ringing, one of the students walked through the door. Timely Manner turned to look at this student before walking up to him, anger evident on his face.

“And just what do you mean by coming in exactly 3.29 seconds late for class?”

As the student began sputtering out excuses for why he was late, Tender Taps leaned towards Apple Bloom.

“If you’re going to get my answers, you better do it now. Trust me, he’ll be at this until it’s time for next period. Better to do it now while he’s distracted, then slip out of class without letting him see you when the next bell rings.” Tender Taps whispered.

“Has this happened with him before?” Apple Bloom whispered back.

“At least 11 times last year.”

“Yikes. Anyway, thanks fer lettin’ me borrow your answers. Ah promise Ah won’t do this a lot. Just ‘til Ah can figure out this whole biology mumbo jumbo. If Ah ever do. Hopefully the next lecture will be less confusin’.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“As for the dancin’ question, let’s talk more at lunch, alright?” Apple Bloom said as she finished her homework and put it back in her bag.

Tender Taps agreed to this and put his own homework away. Once the bell rang, the two managed to slip past Timely Manner, who was still lecturing the tardy student.

At the end of the school day, Apple Bloom and Tender Taps met up once again.

"So, you ready to go practice dancing again?" Tender asked.

"Ah sure am. Ah wonder how the club members will react when we tell 'em we're gonna be on a fancy dancin' show." Apple Bloom replied.

"Club? I was talking about going to the studio to practice for the show."

"Well, ain't we gonna go to the club first? It is Tuesday, and we can't just up and drop 'em like a hot baked apple pie. Wouldn't feel right."

"Oh my gosh! You're right! We never told them we were going to be on TV! What should we do? We can't do both! I'd rather be in the TV show, but I don't want to make them think that we're not interested in them anymore and have them get angry with us!" Tender Taps shrieked.

"...You alright?" Apple Bloom said in bewilderment.

"Sorry. It's just...I've always been afraid of disappointing others, or confronting them, for that matter. I think that played into why I was always so afraid to go out and pursue dancing until you came along."

"Listen, if it means that much to ya, why don't Ah be the one that tells 'em we can't be in the club no more?"

"...Alright. If you're sure."

Apple Bloom then made her way to where the dance club was being held, Tender Taps following closely behind. When they got there, the teacher greeted them.

"Welcome back, you two. Are you ready for your next club meeting?"

"About that. We're awful sorry to have to tell y'all this, but something's come up, and we ain't got the time be in the club."

"...I see. I'm sorry to hear that. Everyone really enjoyed having you two around last week. May I ask what prompted this decision? Did you two just decide dancing just isn't for you?" The teacher asked.

"Oh no! That ain't it at all! Just the opposite, actually. Here, Ah wanna show y'all something."

Apple Bloom pulled out her phone and pulled up the videos app. After searching for a specific video, she found it and showed it to the teacher and other dance club members. It was a promo video for the Dance the Night Away show. And the others saw her and Tender Taps in that ad plain as day.

"You're going to be on TV?!" One of the club members asked.

"We are. That's why we can't be here anymore. We have to spend a lot of time being there to practice for the show." Tender Taps admitted.

As much as he feared a negative reaction from his peers, Tender Taps couldn't say that he was displeased when everyone started talking about how cool it was that he and Apple Bloom were going to be on TV. Even the teacher seemed very interested.

"Well, I have always encouraged my pupils to pursue dancing outside this room. And you two have done just that. I'm quite impressed that you managed to secure a spot on that show. We all wish you the best of luck. I also want you to know that I will be watching out for you when new episodes air. One more thing. Should anything happen, you two are always welcome back. Our Tuesday door is always open to you."

With this blessing, Tender Taps and Apple Bloom left the room, ready to head to their show practice. They were both in much higher spirits now.

“Now, let us try to move around. It is vone thing to step in place, but it is another thing entirely to do so vhile moving about.” Hoofer Steps said.

Apple Bloom got into position as the music started. A few beats in, she tried to move to the left while still keeping up her dance steps. But she barely made it a foot before she tripped and fell down.

“Dagnabbit! Ah’m never gonna get this right!” Apple Bloom growled as she got to her feet.

“Don’t say that. We just have to think of a different way to make this work.” Tender Taps encouraged.

“Your friend is right. There is alvays another vay.” Hoofer said. “The question is: Vhat?”

The dance coach thought for a moment before an idea came to her.

“Vhat about this? You are from a farm, yes? Have you ever had to deal vith a stubborn animal? Vone that you had to chase around because it vould not cooperate?” Hoofer asked.

Apple Bloom thought for a moment before images of the family dog, Winona, came to mind. Winona was usually such a well behaved pup, except when it was bath time. When that dog knew she was bound for the tub, she would panic and run like there was no tomorrow. This forced the entire family to try and chase her down. But one of Winona’s favorite tactics to avoid her owners was to run between their legs and try to trip them up.

“Yeah, you could say that.” Apple Bloom answered.

“Vell, imagine that this animal is running around your legs and you must do your dance moves to avoid falling. At the same time, you must get the animal to vhere it must go, so try to guide it there vhile simultaneously avoiding it.”

With this mindset ready, Apple Bloom got into position and prepared to dance again. When the music started, she began her tap steps and did relatively well. Right then, she imagined Winona trying to trip her. But while Winona was trying to trip her, she was trying to guide the stubborn dog to the front door of the farmhouse so the rest of the family could catch her and get her in the tub. At least, that’s what Apple Bloom saw in her head.

When that section of music ended, Apple Bloom returned to reality and saw that she was on the opposite end of the room she started on.

“Hey! Ah did it!” Apple Bloom cheered.

“Vell done. Now let us build upon this. Let us move on to the next section of the routine. Tender Taps, go to the opposite end of the room and let us try to have the both of you move in step at the same time.”

“Very good, you two. You have improved much since ve began on Monday. But now, it is Friday, and you vill be on camera tomorrow. So now, ve must put the finishing touches on your routine. And there is vone more thing that I think needs to be addressed. And that is the section vhere you two dance together.” Hoofer stated.

Tender Taps and Apple Bloom nodded and got into position. They grasped hands as they waited for the music to start. Once it did, they began stepping together and moving from the corner of the room toward the center.

But about 15 seconds into their dance, Apple Bloom’s leg struck Tender Taps’, causing both to lose their balance and fall to the ground in a heap.

“Bozhe moy.” Hoofer sighed.

“That one was on me.” Tender Taps admitted. “I got a little too into it and my steps got too wide, which is why our legs hit each other.”

“I see. Normally, this vould call for you two to step as you must to avoid this, but I have a different idea in mind. Let’s try again, but this time, do the same steps you did near the beginning, vhen you mirror each other.”

“Darn. I was really excited to do my best steps there.” Tender sulked.

“Vhy not put those steps elsewhere? Like…oh! Put them in the section of the routine vhere Miss Bloom is going around you?”

“…That could work.” Tender Taps admitted.

“Splendid. Now then, let us try vonce more. Again, try to mirror each other’s steps this time, just as you did earlier on, like ve practiced yesterday.”

Once they were ready, the music started and the two dancers did as they were instructed. They tapped together in the same series of steps, almost perfectly mirroring each other. They kept this up for several seconds until the music suddenly cut out.

“Excellently done. Now, I just vant to do vone more thing. Let me see you two go through the whole thing vithout stopping. Are you ready?”

A pair of nods answered Hoofer Steps’ question.

“Very vell. Let us see it, then.”

After they got into position, the music Tender Taps and Apple Bloom selected began from the beginning. Using all their prior knowledge, in addition to all they had done with Hoofer Steps over the past week, they got through their dance routine with minimal problems. When it was done, Hoofer offered them a slow clap.

“Bravo, you two. Bravo indeed. I vould like to see it again, but it appears our time is up for today. Nevertheless, I believe you are ready for tomorrow. I vish you the best of luck out there. Or, as you say in this country, ‘Break a Leg’.”

“Thank ya kindly, Hoofer Steps. Ah hope we can keep workin’ with ya.” Apple Bloom said.

“I agree. I’ve already learned so much. I hope I can learn more from you.” Tender Taps added.

“Your comments are appreciated. But for that to happen, that is all on you now. Ve vill see chat happens tomorrow.”

With this goodbye, everyone left to go home, get a good nights rest, and go on stage for the cameras tomorrow.

“Are you ready for tomorrow, my dear?” Uncle Orange asked when he and Apple Bloom made it home.

“Ah surely hope so. We’ve been practicin’ all week.” Apple Bloom responded.

“You do seem to have worked very hard. I have high hopes for you tomorrow. But I’m not sure what I’m concerned with. You will do spectacularly. I can feel it in my bones.” Aunt Orange stated.

“But before you can go out on that stage, you need a plate of dinner tonight and then a full night’s rest. So why don’t we sit down for a meal?”

One meal later, Apple Bloom quickly found herself in bed, getting ready for sleep to claim her. As her mind began to drift, a few final thoughts about what tomorrow would bring lingered.

‘Ah hope we do good tomorrow. Ah’d hate to be the first ones to be kicked out. Ah wonder if Tender Taps feels the same way. Ah reckon so. He was always nervous about his dancin’. Ah wonder why he only managed to get over his nerves when Ah came along. Maybe Ah’ll ask him after we finish dancin’ tomorrow. But like Granny Smith always said, tomorrow ain’t gonna come any faster unless Ah get some shuteye.

With that, Apple Bloom succumbed to sleep.

Saturday came at last. As instructed, all the dancers came in earlier than their rehearsal days just so they could do some last-minute fine tuning before the cameras started rolling. And so everyone could get into whatever outfit they were going to wear for their dance.

After separating from her aunt and uncle, who went to sit in the audience and watch all the dancing live, Apple Bloom found her partner and together, they both started getting fitted for their dancing outfits. Tender Taps found himself wearing a dark green waistcoat over a white collared shirt with black pants. Apple Bloom was wearing a dress that was a similar shade of green. This dress went to around the mid-thigh. She also had black pants on. In addition, her usual pink bow had been temporarily swapped out for one that was the same green as her dress and Tender’s waistcoat. Both dancers also wore hard shoes that left a loud clank with each step they took.

It was decided that the order in which the dancers would perform would be the order they were called up at the end of the audition. This meant that Star Power and Gleaming Gen would go first, Rosey Cheeks and Budding Daffodil would go next, all the way until Tender Taps and Apple Bloom, who would go last. In each subsequent show, the order would be determined by whatever the scores of the judges gave the week before. Highest score goes first, lowest score without being eliminated would go last.

As they waited in the green room, all the other dancers gathered around a small television set left in there. This TV was showing whatever dance pair was currently on stage do their routine. Everyone wanted to know what they were up against. The only thing they didn’t see was the judges giving their scores. The producers didn’t want their dancers getting overconfident just because they saw one pair get a bad score.

All the dancers sat and watched as one by one, another pair went out as the last one came in. It took quite some time, but at last, it was time for Tender Taps and Apple Bloom to go out. As they made their way towards the main stage and got into position to start, they heard Sea Crest talking while they waited in the wings.

“One last round for Gentle Breeze and Mellow Wind. That was an interesting samba they did. And now, it’s time for our final dancers for the evening. Doing a tap routine to riverdance music, it’s Tender Taps and Apple Bloom!”

As the stage went dark, the pair walked out and got into position. Once the lights came back up, in various shades of green, the music began and the two began their dance.

At the first beat, the two dancers began tapping in place. Once the fiddles began to play, they approached each other from opposite ends of the stage, tapping along as they did. Their shoes left a distinctive clanking sound as they moved towards each other. They crossed each other’s path and made their way to the opposite end of the stage they entered from.

From there, they slowly tapped their way towards each other. Apple Bloom’s steps were relatively slow and methodical, though still in tempo. Meanwhile, Tender’s steps were fast and ambitious, but also still in tempo. Once they were next to each other, their legs began doing the exact same moves. From there, they spun in a circle while their feet kept right on tapping.

After that, the duo tapped their way closer to the edge of the stage. Once there, Apple Bloom froze in place while Tender Taps pulled off a skilled series of steps for about 5 seconds. He then froze and posed while Apple Bloom did her own tap step set. It wasn’t as flashy as her partner’s, but still moderately impressive.

They were a little over a minute into their routine by this point. Their next move was to grab each other’s hand while the other arm went to their own hip. They then made their way towards the middle of the stage. Once there, the partners danced in a large circle around the stage as the music started getting a bit more intense.

After around 30 seconds of dancing with each other, the pair separated and made their way to opposite ends of the stage again. From there, Tender Taps started stepping his way towards his partner while Apple Bloom repeated a simple series of steps in place until Tender reached her.

Once they were next to each other again, they made their way to the center of the stage. There, Tender Taps pulled out all the stops and began doing the best steps he could muster. Meanwhile, Apple Bloom quite literally danced circles around her partner. Her steps weren’t nearly as impressive, but she managed to stay on her feet at least as she tapped her way around Tender Taps.

After circling Tender Taps twice, she stood next to him and grasped his hand. The pair pulled off the same moves for several seconds as the music came to a close. Tender Taps and Apple Bloom finished their routine by dropping to one knee in tempo with the final beat and striking a pose. They were still holding hands while their other arm was pointed upward. As the audience cheered for them, the two dancers rose to their feet and bowed. Sea Crest then approached them.

“Wicked steps out there, you two. I’d wager some of your competitors will be green with envy after seeing that. You sure brought good luck with you tonight! But will that luck be good enough to make it to the next round? Well, that’s up to the judges to decide. Let’s see what they have to say about that dance. Judges?”

Boogie Woogie went first.

“As Mr. Crest said, your tapdancing steps were indeed impressive. You’ve improved much since your audition last week. I’m particularly amazed that you managed to step in time even with your legs routinely moving to separate parts of the stage. The riverdance is not the easiest one to pull off in close quarters. But you made it work. I rather enjoyed the part when you two danced all around the stage. All I would have changed is getting more inventive in your steps. Particularly you, Miss Bloom. You seemed to play it more on the safe side. And dancing, in my opinion, should be about going all out. Still, it is the first dance, so you have time to improve. For your efforts, I will give you a score of…8!”

Next up was Foxtrot.

“The moves were indeed impressive, I will give you that. And your ability to move that quickly in tempo with the music you selected was admirable. However, I’ve always found tapdancing to be fairly low on the totem pole of dances. Only half the body is used for that, and truly immersive dancing requires the use of the whole body. I want to see more from you in the future. If you make it past the first round, that is. But until then, my score will be…6.”

Finally, there was Line Dancer.

“As is the general consensus, impressive legwork was shown. I commend you for that. But unlike my fellow judges, I shall not deduct points just for being a basic style of dance. This is only your first week, after all. Had you done this around halfway through the competition, then I would have counted it against you. But as is, it’s a type of dance like any other, and you pulled it off well. All I’ll say is I hope to see more creativity from you in the future. My score will be 8.”

The audience cheered as the final score was given.

“So, a grand total of 22 out of 30. Not too shabby for a start. But will it be enough to avoid being the first ones to get the boot? Well, we’ll find out, right after this commercial break!” Sea Crest yelled happily.

Once the cameras temporarily stopped rolling, all the other contestants joined Tender Taps and Apple Bloom on the stage. A few minutes later, the cameras began rolling again as Sea Crest began speaking.

“Welcome back to Dance the Night Away! When we last left off, our final pair of dancers got their turn on the dance floor. And now, it’s time for our first elimination of the season! But first, as always, we will reveal who got the highest score of this round. Coming in first, with a total of 26 out of 30, we have… Star Power and Gleaming Gem!”

The two named dancers scoffed as if it was obvious they were going to win. As the audience cheered, a clip from their dance routine was played on an overhead screen behind the stage.

“And coming in last, with a pathetic score of 13 out of 30, the first ones to get the axe are…Split Hiar and Loose End. So sorry, you two. But your dancing left much to be desired. Those so-called ‘moves’ of yours was full of clumsy steps, missed opportunities, and had way too many…well, loose ends, then could be tied up. Also, you two hippies need a haircut.”

“Break it softly, why don’t you?” Split Hair muttered.

“Oh, trust me. I am. In any case, you’re the first ones to be eliminated, so it’s time for you two to hit the road. Goodbye!”

Split Hair and Loose End sadly walked off the stage in shame, leaving the others behind.

“As for the rest of you, you’re safe…for now. What exciting moves will they show us next time? What dazzling routines await us? And who will be the next to take the walk of shame? Find out next time, on Dance the Night Away! Until then, Sea Crest, out!”

Once the cameras were done rolling for the day, all the dancers were packing their things, changing out of their dance clothes, and getting ready to go home. As they did, some made casual conversation with their dance partners.

“We did pretty good today, huh?” Tender Taps commented.

“Better than Ah thought we would. Let’s hope next week, we’ll will do just as well.” Apple Bloom replied.

“I think we will. I’ve got a whole new tap routine in mind. One that will be even better than the one we just did.”

“’Just did’? Did I hear that right?”

Tender Taps and Apple Bloom turned and saw Star Power looking down on them.

“Didn’t you two idiots read the contract? We have to do a different style of dance each week! You can’t just tap dance your way through this whole thing. Honestly, I don’t know why I even told you that. I could have just let you crash and burn, being the ones that got kicked off next week. I guess I’m just nice like that. But consider that the extent of my kindness. Not like it will matter. You’ll be out of this contest soon enough.” Star Power scoffed.

As the snobbish girl walked away, Tender Taps and Apple Bloom looked at each other with worried expressions on their faces. They had to do something different each week? But tap dancing was Tender Taps’ specialty. And it was the only type of dance Apple Bloom could do right now. So what were they going to do?

Author's Note

I’m only now realizing that writing in accents is hard. I mean, I can manage Apple Bloom’s accent easily enough, but with Hoofer Steps’ Russian accent, I don’t know what to do beyond replacing nearly every ‘W’ with a ‘V’.

Accents aside, I feel confident in everything else I wrote. Though there are some things I will establish now so I don’t bore you with in story exposition later. Let’s just get it out of the way now.

I more or less based the structure of the dance show on Dancing With the Stars , minus the celebrities, of course. There will be some differences, but I’ll get there when I get there.

With the host, it should be obvious where I got his name and catchphrase, but his personality, I based that on Chris McClain from the Total Drama series. Specifically the original incarnation of Island, where (for the most part) he was just a mean jokester, as opposed to the open sadist he became when Action and World Tour came along. Not to mention all subsequent seasons.

Lastly, know that dancing won’t be the only thing this story will be focusing on. Sure, it’s a huge part of it, but not the only one. Each chapter will have more general slice of life elements to them. Things like school, hanging out, and other things that happen in teenage daily life. Sort of like mainstream Equestria Girls content. When they’re not dealing with magic or saving the world or whatever.

Anyway, that’s it for the first official chapter of this story. I hope you enjoyed and will stick around for the next chapters. Have a good day.