As soon as he got home, Tender Taps found himself very thoroughly tired. Much like last Saturday, spending the whole week dancing, not to mention going through schoolwork, had greatly tired him out. So he had every intention of sleeping in.

But before he could go to bed, he felt there was something he had to ask his parents.

“Hey, Mom? Dad? Can I ask you guys a question? It’s about…a girl.”

As soon as Apple Bloom got home, tired from all the dancing, much like last week, and not mentioning all the school work she had done. She went straight to her room, got in her bed, and quickly fell asleep.

And sleep she did. As soon as she woke up, she found herself laying in bed for the longest time before hunger finally drew out of bed. After eating breakfast, she found herself being called into the penthouse living room by her aunt and uncle.

“What’s goin’ on?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Well, once a month, we’ve made it a tradition to indulge ourselves and watch a humorous old movie. And we would like you to partake this time.” Uncle Orange stated.

“Alright, sounds like fun.”

When Uncle Orange said an old movie, he meant it. It was from around 90 years ago, when film was still relatively new. Not to mention still in black and white. In spite of that, Apple Bloom thought it was alright. But there was one element about the movie that stuck out to the farm girl above all else.

“What kind of dance is that there?” Apple Bloom asked while seeing the two leads dancing together on screen.

“It’s called ‘swing dancing.’ It was all the rage when this movie was made. Sadly, it’s not given much notoriety anymore. It was before our time, naturally. But I always thought it looked interesting.” Aunt Orange explained.

“Just out of curiosity, what else can you tell me about swing dancin’?”

“Ask me later, dear. For now, I want to finish this film.”

As she continued watching the movie, the gears in Apple Bloom’s head began turning. She had an idea.

“You want to try swing dancing for this week?” Tender Taps asked in homeroom.

“Yeah. Looked really interestin’ when Ah saw it in that movie.”

“I can’t say I’m know much of anything about swing dancing, though.”

“That didn’t stop us with the tango, did it? And if ya wanna know how it looks, Ah’ll show you.”

Apple Bloom pulled her phone out of her pocket and went to the videos app. After pulling up a clip of the dancing from the movie she saw last night, she showed it to Tender Taps.

“Huh. That does look interesting.”

“Told ya. So, how ‘bout it? Wanna try that this week?”

Tender Taps thought for a moment. Based just on the video his friend had shown him, it certainly looked unique, and Apple Bloom looked really excited for it. Besides, the dance itself looked like it could carry them at least one more week. Plus, there was that advice his mom had given him about talking to a girl. About never putting down something she seemed invested in.

“Alright. We’re going to swing dance this week.”

A wide smile graced Apple Bloom’s face at hearing her friend agree to her suggestion. But before their conversation could go any further, the morning bell rang, signaling the start of the school day. The next few hours passed as eventfully as an average day of school could. Once the school day ended, Tender Taps and Apple Bloom made their way outside the school, ready to head home until it was time to go to the studio and practice. But just before they walked outside the school building, Tender Taps approached his friend, intent on asking a question.

“Apple Bloom?”

“Yes?”

“Listen, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“What is it? Is it about what moves we should do this week? Ah think we should wait until we meet with Hoofer before decidin’ that.”

“N-no. It’s not that. I was just wondering if…well…you were…”

Tender’s sentence was cut off when a small country jingle filled the air. It was Apple Bloom’s ringtone. The farm girl pulled out her phone and saw the name ‘Sweetie Belle’ staring back at her.

“Sorry, Tender Taps. Ah gotta take this. Can you ask again when we get to the studio?”

“Sure. No problem.”

As Tender Taps walked off, he was both relieved and disappointed. Relieved that he had gotten more time to ask his question, but disappointed that he hadn’t gotten the chance to just get it out and over with. Meanwhile, Apple Bloom answered her phone.

“Hello?”

“Apple Bloom? Is that you?”

“Yeah. It’s good to hear from ya, Sweetie Belle. What’s up?”

“Oh, not much. I just called because I wanted to ask you a question. When were you going to tell me or Scootaloo that you were on a TV show?”

“…”

“…Apple Bloom? Are you still there?”

“Dagnabbit! Ah knew Ah was forgettin’ somethin’!”

“Sving dancing, hmm?” Hoofer Steps mused. “Vell, it vould be interesting to bring back such an old style. Let the younger generation see it.”

“So, where do we start?” Apple Bloom asked.

“In a similar place ve started last veek. Vith the basics. As vith the tango, this kind of dance calls for a leader. And I am vonce again counting on you to be that leader, Tender Taps.”

“Alright. I can do that.” Tender Taps replied.

“Vonderful. Now, let us start vith the most basic move in sving dancing, the triple step. Tender, join me, please.”

Once he was with his dance coach, Tender Taps waited for further instructions.

“This move is very simple. You do it to this rhythm: Vone-and-two-and-three-and-four. You start by stepping to the side vith your left foot on ‘Vone’. On the first ‘And’, you bring the right foot next to your left before stepping vith your left again on ‘Two’. On ‘Three-and-Four’, do the same, but vith the right foot being dominant this time. Vonce you manage to do that, ve vill move on to vhat is called the ‘Rock Step’.”

Tender Taps did his best to do exactly as his coach instructed. Fortunately, it didn’t take him look to get the rhythm down. Nor did it take Apple Bloom long to pick up on it either once she was called in. The only thing that gave them issue was doing it faster and faster with each subsequent try until it matched the tempo of the music they wanted to use.

The next three hours passed by relatively quickly, with the most basic swing moves being taught to the two young dancers. Just before they left, Hoofer Steps promised them that the rest of the week would be considerably more interesting. And more challenging.

On Tuesday, Tender Taps was sitting at the lunch table, deep in thought. He was wondering just how to assemble swing into a good enough dance for the judges. Ever since he got home last night, he had been looking into swing dancing, trying to get a few ideas. He hadn’t been lying to Apple Bloom when he told her that it looked interesting. But now that he was looking at it more in depth, he realized that there was a great deal more movement to it than he realized. Movement that he wasn’t sure he and Apple Bloom could pull off. What with his relative lack of upper body strength and her relative lack of dancing experience compared to him.

Last week, Tender had barely been able to hold his partner up while dancing for more than a few moments. And in swing dancing, there was an awful lot of…well, swinging. Flips, spins, jumps, you name it. Those were moves that he was sure he wouldn’t be able to pull off with Apple Bloom. But how could he tell her that?

He didn’t want to upset his dancing partner. Not after she had persuaded him to go along with the swing in the first place. It also didn’t seem like a good idea to make a girl sad in general. Especially a girl he wanted to ask a specific question to. She’d never answer that question if she was upset over the potential problems with the dance she had suggested and they had already started training for.

“Howdy.”

Well, if there was ever a time, it was now. Hopefully, he could phrase it in a way that didn’t leave her upset. That didn’t make her hate him and want to quit the dancing show and stop hanging out with him, depriving him of his only friend and leaving him the lonely boy who didn’t want others to see him dance like he was before Apple Bloom entered his life.

“You alright?” Apple Bloom asked.

“H-hi, Apple Bloom. I’m fine. J-just a little anxiety getting to me again. Hey, can I ask you something about our dance?”

“Is that what yer anxious about? Our dance? Well, don’t fret too much ‘bout it. Ah got a couple ideas.”

“You do?”

Tender Taps was giving his undivided attention now. He wanted to know what she had in mind that could salvage their swing dance. Plus, there was that advice his dad had given him about always paying attention when a girl was talking. Often, they could tell when a guy wasn’t really listening, he had said to his son.

“Yeah. Ah was talkin’ with my aunt about swing dancin’, and she told me a common part of it involves dancin’ side by side as opposed to face to face like we did with the tango. Ah thought it might be nice to put a few of those moves in. It’ll give us more leg room, and help me out since Ah still ain’t on your level when it comes to dancin’.”

Tender Taps thought this over for a moment. He had seen something like that in the video Apple Bloom had shown him yesterday to convince him to do the swing dance. Doing a few moves like that would mean there was less he had to worry about in the overall routine. And Hoofer Steps could easily help them fill in any gaps that still remained. This might just work after all.

Until then, there was one more question he needed to ask his dance partner.

“S-say, Apple Bloom. Can I ask you one more thing?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“W-well, I was wondering…i-if you would…”

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch period. It was time to go back to class.

“Ah’m sorry, Tender Taps. But Ah gotta get to class. Ah need all the help Ah can get in math, so Ah can’t afford to be late. Can you ask me later?”

“That’s alright, I guess.”

“Good. See ya later.” Apple Bloom said as she walked off.

Tender Taps sighed. That was the second time he had tried and failed to ask his question.

“I believe it is time ve started doing some more intense parts of your routine.” Hoofer Steps said.

It was now Wednesday, and after spending most of yesterday going over a few side by side moves as Apple Bloom had suggested, Hoofer had decided it was time to move on.

“What do you mean by ‘intense’?” Tender Taps asked.

“I mean the actual ‘svinging’ parts of the sving dance. Usually, this vould call for more things like flips, spins, and jumps. But since you are new to this kind of dancing, I vill not ask this of you.”

This lifted a load off Tender Taps’ chest.

“Vhat I vill ask of you is to learn a move known as the ‘Svingout’.”

“What’s the Swingout?” Apple Bloom wondered.

“Let me show you. Get into vhat I called a closed position. It begins vith the triple step I showed you on Monday. From there…”

The next half hour was used to perfect the swingout. Once that was done, the duo was coached in how to incorporate the newly learned move into their routine. Hoofer Steps was pleased with how their routine was shaping up so far. But they still had a bit of work to do before it she would call it complete.

“Your vork vith the svingout is complete, I vould say. But that does not mean that ve cannot try other inventive moves. Vone that is alvays a crowd pleaser is vone that I like to call the ‘slide’.”

“The slide?” Tender Taps and Apple Bloom chorused.

“Yes. It is vhere the partner, in this case, you, Apple Bloom, slides between the legs of the leader. The leader then pulls the partner up and on her feet, almost as if sliding in reverse.”

“How can we do that? Physical strength isn’t really my forte.” Tender Taps admitted.

“I am aware. Your troubles vith the tango last veek proved that to me. But there are vays ve can still accomplish this vithout purely relying on strength. Get into a closed position again.”

A couple hours of dance practice later, everyone called it a night and made their way outside to go home. However, one red haired dancer was stopped in the studio lobby by her dance partner.

“Apple Bloom!”

“Yes, Tender Taps?”

“L-listen, before we go home for the day, I need to ask you something. U-um…I just wanted to ask if…w-well you would c-come with…”

Tender Taps was cut off when a car horn was heard just outside the studio entrance. The two turned and looked outside. Apple Bloom was the only one who recognized the car, though.

“Ah’m so sorry, Tender Taps, but that’s the driver my aunt and uncle hired. He doesn’t like bein’ kept waitin’. So can the question wait until tomorrow? Thanks, bye!” Apple Bloom said before running off, leaving her partner behind, visibly upset.

Those two weren’t the only ones having a conversation in the lobby, however.

“Hey, Heat Wave.”

The dancer in question turned and saw Star Power approaching her.

“What is it?” Heat Wave asked.

“I know I should have said this earlier, but congrats on getting the highest score last week. Since I got the highest the week before, I thought I’d give you a bit of dancing advice. You know, winner to winner. Something that will help the both of us stay near the top. And be sure to pass it along to Ice Cube.” Star Power replied.

On Thursday, things were starting to shape up. The routine was finally starting to take shape, much to the dancers’ delight. But that didn’t mean that things were letting up with the dance training.

“Your kicks vill have to be much wider than that if you vant to impress the judges vhile you’re dancing. Don’t hold back.” Hoofer Steps instructed.

Standing next to each other, Tender Taps and Apple Bloom began doing a series of stylized kicks.

“Come now. Go vider, higher. More bombastic.”

The kicks did get wider and higher. Both dancers raised their legs as high as they could go.

“That’s better. Now, ve must vork on doing those kicks faster. In tempo vith the music. Vonce ve do that, ve can move on to placing it into vhat ve have of your routine so far. I vant to have a basic outline of the entire routine be the time ve leave here tonight.”

On Hoofer’s signal, the music that Tender Taps and Apple Bloom had selected began playing. When it got to where they would perform the kicks, they did them as fast as they could without outracing the music. But this did not satisfy their dance coach.

“Not so excellent. Ve must find a vay to strike a balance between speed and power vithout sacrificing vone or the other.”

“How do we do that?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Vell, there are a few tricks ve can try. Let us start by easing you into the speed vith vhich you are to do the desired kicks.”

As the night wore on, the dancers spent nearly an hour getting their kick routine up to their coach’s standards. After that, they began putting together how the full routine would look.

“So you shall do the push and pull bit a little over halfvay into your dance. Sound good?” Hoofer asked.

“Yeah, sounds great.” Apple Bloom replied, to which Tender nodded in agreement.

“Vonderful. Then ve have a near complete outline of how the routine vill vork. Let us spend vhat little time ve have left today ironing out some details. Tomorrow, ve shall vork on the finishing touches.”

They only had about half an hour left, and all of it was spent trying to assemble the ending of the routine they planned to do on Saturday. No sooner did they get to a comfortable stopping point that time ran out. As everyone was making their way outside the studio, Tender Taps stopped Apple Bloom again.

“H-hey, Apple Bloom. Would you mind if I would ask you to…”

“Ah’m sorry, Tender Taps. But Ah can’t talk right now. Ah realized earlier that Ah never finished my English homework that’s due tomorrow. Ah gotta get home now and finish it or else Ah’m gonna get a zero. Ah can’t afford one of those. See ya tomorrow.”

With that, Apple Bloom rushed out the doors to the studio and got in the driver’s car to be taken home, leaving Tender Taps behind. Again.

By Friday, Tender Taps was very visibly despondent. All week, he had tried to ask Apple Bloom a very simple question. And all week, something had happened to interrupt him, keep him from getting his question out. His frustration had slowly started to get the best of him. And those that knew him best were starting to notice. Though he told his parents he was fine before going out the door for school, his classmates weren’t so easy to shake off. Particularly the one that he had wanted to ask a question to.

“You alright?” Apple Bloom asked when she met up with him in gym class.

“Fine.” Tender Taps muttered.

“You don’t sound fine. You sure you’re alright?”

“It’s nothing. Forget it.” Tender said in defeat.

“Ah don’t know if Ah can do that. Wouldn’t feel right not askin’ what’s wrong. Wait a sec…askin’… You’ve been sayin’ all week ya wanted to ask me somethin’. Is that what’s wrong? That ya never got to ask me…whatever it was you were fixin’ to ask me?”

“…How hard is it to get out one question without something getting in the way?” Tender replied at last.

“Ah’m awful sorry you had to put up with that all week, but Ah’m here now.” Apple Bloom said as she sat on one of the gym bleachers. “Ah’m right here. No phone, no class bell about to ring, no car to take me home, and no homework Ah gotta finish right away. So go ahead and ask.”

“…Alright, here goes. Apple Bloom, I was wondering…if you’re not busy, that is…if you’d…”

Any further words were silenced when a loud alarm blared all across the school. All the students suddenly became alert at the loud sound. It was the monthly fire drill test. The teacher led all the students out of the gym and away from the school in a quick and orderly fashion.

Once the school was emptied, the alarm stopped. Once the students were given the all clear to go back into the school and resume class, the gym teacher ushered his students back inside to finish their physical education for the day. The time they had lost in the fire drill meant they had to work double time to keep up. By the time the bell rang, all the students were visibly exhausted. As everyone was heading into the halls towards their next class, Tender Taps lost Apple Bloom in the crowd. Once again, he had been robbed of the opportunity to ask his question. He was starting to think that the universe just didn’t want him to ask that question.

“Is everything alright, Mr. Taps?”

Tender Taps turned around and saw the principal of the school, Civil Lecture, looking at him.

“Principal Lecture! I-I’m alright. Just a little slow today. Gym class can really wear a guy out.”

“Are you certain? You know, as a principal, the wellbeing of my students is one of my top priorities. I like to know that those under my roof are in the best place they can be. If they aren’t, they are liable to stay in that bad place and not become the productive adults I know they all can be. So I ask again, is everything alright?”

“…It’s…It’s not something I think you can help with. It’s just that, I’ve been…well…It’s about Apple Bloom.”

“I see. Where is Miss Bloom? From what I understand, you two seem near inseparable. Be it at school or on the dance floor.”

Tender Taps looked up at his principal in surprise. Did she know about the show?

“Oh yes, I know all about your show. I’ve actually been a fan of that show for years. You wouldn’t believe how surprised I was when I learned that two of my students were going to compete on it. The only reason I haven’t said anything yet is because I didn’t want to add undue pressure. How far you get is entirely on your performance. I don’t want you to think I’m pressuring you. I’m rooting for you two, of course, but if you don’t win, that’s alright, as long as you do the best you can. That’s all anyone can ask. To ask for more is unrealistic, in my opinion. And it will lead to one feeling like they have to live up to unrealistic expectations. Anyway, what is it about Miss Bloom that you feel is not alright?”

Tender Taps went through his dilemma with the principal. The question he had wanted to ask her, his repeated failures to do so, and how he felt maybe he shouldn’t ask her.

“I see. Well, remember what I said about unrealistic expectations? You seem to think that your inability to ask such a question is some sort of reflection on you. But I disagree. As I said, all anyone can ask is for your best. And you’ve done that. It’s not your fault outside forces keep you from seeing your goal through. But you shouldn’t give up. If you do, you will continue to be in this rut you find yourself in, and you will stay in it into your adult life. And I will not allow one of my students to fall into such a place and keep themselves from being a productive adult.”

“So then, when should I ask my question?”

“When you feel the time is right. Not before, not after. And certainly not if it ever seems like the opportunity is being presented to you on a silver platter. Never trust a silver platter. That silver will go bad before you can comprehend it, trust me. You’ll know when it is time to ask when you feel like it’s a ‘now or never’ moment. I just hope you choose ‘now’ instead of ‘never’ when the time comes.”

“Thanks for the advice, Principal Lecture.”

“Not at all. I’m always happy to give my charges a quick lecture when they need it. Now you best run along to class. You don’t need another lecture on tardiness.”

With that, Tender Taps ran off towards his next class.

“And no running in the halls!” Civil Lecture called out.

“There are only a few things I feel ve must go over before your big dance tomorrow. Most of it centers around vhat order your routine should be performed in. I feel it vould be best if you saved the slide move for near the end. Let us try that. Place that move for near the end.” Hoofer Steps instructed.

“What do we put in its place?” Tender Taps asked.

“Perhaps that vone bit vhere you dance side by side and do those high kicks after moving close to each other. Let us try that. Start the music.”

When the music began, Tender Taps and Apple Bloom began their routine. When they got to a certain point, they instead performed a simple routine they had intended to save for later. After getting past that bit, the music cut out.

“Not bad, but you must increase your speed a bit. I noticed you vere starting to fall behind in tempo about 20 seconds in. Try again.”

With their coach’s instructions in mind, the duo of dancers got into starting position and waited for the music to start. When it did, they began their routine again. Unfortunately, they didn’t get far before the music cut out again.

“This time, you vent entirely too fast. You vere getting ahead of the music. Try vone more time, if you get it right, I vill keep the music going. If not, I vill have to step in and show you the correct tempo until you get it right.”

After getting into starting position again, the music began and the pair began dancing. They got fairly far into the routine before they noticed the music hadn’t stopped. As they kept going, they remembered that soon they would have to do the slide move. When they did and the music still didn’t stop, they were feeling pretty good about themselves. Ultimately, they made it to the end of the music without any real issues.

“Very good, you two. You have done vell. I only have a few notes to give, and you vill be ready for tomorrow.”

The rest of their time together was spent fine tuning their routine in preparation for the next day, when they would have to perform it on camera. As they were getting ready to head home for the day, Apple Bloom stopped her partner.

“Tender Taps?”

The dancer turned to look at his farm girl friend.

“Yes, Apple Bloom?”

“Listen, Ah didn’t get much chance to say this earlier, but Ah’m sorry about earlier. You were fixin’ to ask me a question, but then that fire drill got in the way, and Ah never got the chance to ask you again until now. So, Ah’m ready. What is it you wanted to ask?”

Tender Taps was surprised. The opportunity to ask what he had wanted to all week was being offered to him. But before he could get it out, he remembered what his principal had said about silver platters and held his tongue. He didn’t feel like this was a ‘now or never’ moment, like he had been told to wait for.

“Yes?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Well, I was just wondering if…if…if you wouldn’t mind exchanging phone numbers with me. If I ever want to ask you a question about our dancing, or about school, I don’t want to wait until we see each other in person to do it.”

“That’s it? That’s what you wanted to ask me all week? Sure. Ah don’t know why Ah never thought about it earlier. Callin’ or textin’ would help things go faster. Here, gimme your phone and Ah’ll put my number in.”

As he handed the farm girl his smartphone, he internally sighed. This wasn’t how he wanted things to go.

“There ya go. Now you have my number. Gimmie a call or text sometime soon so Ah’ll have yours.” Apple Bloom said as she handed back the phone.

“Sure. I’ll do that on my way home.”

“Alright. See you tomorrow.”

As Apple Bloom walked away, Tender’s internal sigh became external. He didn’t like having to lie to her about the question he wanted to ask. But at the same time, he was starting to understand what Principal Lecture had meant about silver platters. If he had asked her right then, then thinking about it would have occupied both their minds for a while, which may have distracted them from their dancing. He didn’t want to be eliminated just yet. No, best to wait until after tomorrow’s taping to do it.

Hopefully not too much longer after.

It was Saturday once again. Which meant it was time to dance for an audience for the third time running. All the remaining dancers began the usual tradition of getting dressed in their outfits. Tender Taps and Apple Bloom decided that it would be best to dress in clothes of the era they were dancing to. To that end, Tender Taps was wearing a white dress shirt that tucked into black pants. He also had stylish black suspenders and a matching fedora and shoes. Apple Bloom, on the other hand, wore a white button-down blouse with a small point collar. The blouse tucked into an A-line skirt that went a few inches past the farm girl’s knees. The skirt was the same shade of pink as the bow she wore in her hair. Said hair had been curled into what was known back then as a ‘Long Bob’ style. She also had black heels on.

Once both of them stepped out of their respective dressing rooms, the two dancers looked each other over.

“Wow. You look really good, Apple Bloom.” Tender said with a small blush.

“Aw, thanks. You look mighty fine, too. Ah especially like the hat.” Apple Bloom replied.

“Yeah? At first, I wasn’t sure it would go with the rest of my clothes, but once I got a good look at myself, I could tell it really complimented the whole thing.”

“It really does. Anyway, we best be gettin’ ready to dance. Our looks alone ain’t gonna impress the judges that much.”

The pair entered the green room alongside all the other dancers and patiently waited their turn. Fortunately, there were only three pairs ahead of them this week. Once the studio page called for them, Tender Taps and Apple Bloom made their way towards the stage, just waiting for their cue.

“Welcome back to Dance the Night Away!” Sea Crest announced. “Before the commercial, we saw Red Ruby and Radiant Emerald give us their take on the rumba. That landed them some decent scores from the judges. But will they be higher or lower than the next pair? Well, it’s time to find out! Let’s see if our resident shy dancer and his farm girl partner can deliver another satisfying dance this week. Up next, dancing the swing, it’s Tender Taps and Apple Bloom!”

With a deep breath, the pair prepared to dance as the music began.

At the first two beats, the duo literally jumped onto the stage one at a time. With each successive two notes, they took stylized steps closer to each other while swinging their arms in tempo with the music. Around the eight second mark was when they finally reached each other. The pair clasped hands and spent the next few beats doing a very quick triple step.

Once the two-note rhythm started again, the duo spent the first of those two beats hopping ahead again, further down the stage, one at a time. The next two beats saw them taking a step away from each other. The final two-note rhythm of this set had them getting into poses. They posed with their legs spread apart and their arms pointed downwards.

From there, they mirrored each other’s moves for the next few seconds. These moves consisted of them twisting their hips back and forth, extending the leg connected to the hip that was currently forward. They also spread their arms out at each step.

After a few seconds of this, the two-note rhythm began for the third time. The duo slid towards each other while spreading out like stars at each beat. Once the tempo picked up again, they were right next to each other. Their hands grabbed each other again as they spent the next several seconds doing stylized kick steps between each other’s legs before separating again.

When the horns started playing, they again mirrored each other’s movements. Standing on the balls of their feet, the two dancers slid to their right, swinging their arms in a small arc in front of them like a pendulum. They also did a kick every few beats. After a few seconds, they did the same thing in the opposite direction. Once they were done with this, the pair clasped hands again and Tender Taps pulled Apple Bloom close to him.

After another triple step, Tender pulled Apple Bloom into an open position, almost as if swinging her out. This was a move appropriately called the Swingout. They repeated this move a few times, doing a series of kicks after each swing. By now, they were a little over a minute into their dance.

As soon as the ukelele began playing, Tender Taps repeatedly pushed and pulled Apple Bloom close and away from him like a yo-yo every few beats. After every push and pull, the two would do a simple series of swinging tap steps. Every few pulls, he would also do another Swingout with his partner.

Once the horns started being mixed in with the ukelele, Apple Bloom stood next to her partner, holding his hand. In tempo with the music, they mirrored each other’s moves again by crossing one leg in front of the other in a series of steps, every other one ending in a kick. This went on for several seconds.

Once the two-note rhythm began again, Tender Taps grasped his partner’s hands again and pulled her close. Apple Bloom then jumped up before letting herself fall down and slide between Tender Taps’ legs. With Apple Bloom assisting by kicking off the floor, Tender then pulled his partner up and on her feet again. After raising his arm and twirling Apple Bloom under the created arch, in a move called the Underarm Turn, he led her into another Swingout. They then repeated the moves in the opposite direction.

When the music started coming to an end, the pair did one last Swingout, doing several steps in place to the beat until on the last note, Tender Taps pulled Apple Bloom close, all but swinging her into his arms and dipping her.

Once the audience started cheering for the pair, Tender pulled his partner up and the duo bowed to their fans. It was then that Sea Crest took the stage again.

“Well well, aren’t you two just full of surprises? In three weeks, we’ve seen you two pull out three different styles of dance that have little to do with each other. First tap, then tango, now swing. Gotta be honest, I wasn’t expecting this much diversity from you two when you secured your spot on this show. But is that diversity enough to save you from the chopping block? Well, that’s for the judges to decide. So let’s get their opinions.”

As usual, Boogie Woogie went first.

“As Mr. Crest said, I am impressed by how quickly you seem to pick up on new styles of dance. I also commend you for going all in on whatever style of dance you do. You don’t do things halfway. My only complaint is, like last week, you pulled from different styles of swing, namely the Charlestrot and Lindy Hop, rather than sticking to one. But to your credit, it was only two different styles as opposed to the many different styles of tango from last week. So from me, you will see an eight.”

“I too find the dance you just did very different from last week. And I greatly appreciate the originality. Both in your routine and how you choose your dance style. But speaking of originality, last week, I criticized your use of repeated moves in your tango. And while it was certainly lessened this time, I still noticed a decent number of repeats. Especially in that one move where Mr. Taps swung out Miss Bloom.” Foxtrot started.

“Actually, I think that was intentional.” Boogie Woogie interrupted.

“Really?”

“Yes. That move is called a Swingout, and is a big part of Swing dancing. It’s part of how it got its name, after all.”

“Huh. I didn’t know that. Well even so, I would still prefer to see more open originality next time. And there is the matter of your outfits. The song and dance you chose were clearly from one decade, while the clothes you’re currently wearing are from another one entirely. I’m not sure if that’s on you or our wardrobe department, but still. All in all, it was an interesting dance, but I can only go as high as seven.”

“Like Foxtrot, I will start by comparing what I saw to what I saw last week.” Line Dancer began. “Last week, I said I wanted more creativity throughout the whole routine. And you finally delivered. You finally seemed to put in equal effort throughout your entire dance. And an interesting dance it was. My only complaint is that I would have liked to see more swinging. And I don’t mean that repeated use of the Swingout like Foxtrot was complaining about. I mean more moving around and having the whole body being swung around. Similar to what you did at the end, with Miss Bloom going between Mr. Taps’ legs and being swung into his arms at the end. I would have liked to see more of that throughout. Surely you could have incorporated a few more moves like that throughout. But as is, it was still good. You get an eight from me.”

“So you two end this week with a 23. Not the worst score. But now, it’s time to bid you two adieu for now and make way for our next pair, Rosey Cheeks and Budding Daffodil, who will be doing a freestyle routine. Have to admit, I won’t be holding my breath on this one. Freestyles don’t have the best history on this show. But we’ll see.” Sea Crest said.

With that, Tender Taps and Apple Bloom left the stage and returned to the green room. It took some time, but eventually, everyone finished their dances and all contestants were called back to the stage for the weekly elimination ceremony.

“Welcome back! When we last left off, Peach Cobbler and Custard Tart finished their adorable little routine.” Sea Crest stated. “Surprising that a couple of Kindergartners could do an interpretive dance like that. However, as they were the last ones, it’s time for us to once again say goodbye to one of our dancing pairs. But first, we need to announce the winning pair of this week! And with a score of 25 out of 30, that pair is…Star Power and Gleaming Gem!”

“Thank you! Thank you! I greatly appreciate your applause!” Star Power gloated.

“And in last, with a score of 16, we have…Ice Cube and Heat Wave. It seems your foxtrot wasn’t enough to melt the heart of our judges. Even the one named Foxtrot.”

“Wait, that’s not fair!” Heat Wave shouted. “We were told by-”

“I’m sure everyone wants to hear whatever it is that you’re about to say, but unfortunately, we’re out of time. So goodbye!”

“But-”

“Goodbye!”

“I-”

“Later!”

“We-”

“See ya!”

“FINE! We don’t need this stupid show, anyway!”

With that, Ice Cube and Heat Wave stormed off the stage.

“As for everyone else, enjoy yet another week of dancing as you take yet another step closer to the grand prize! See you all next week, with fresh new dances prepared. Sea Crest, out!”

Once everyone was back in normal clothes and ready to head home, the two swing dancers made small talk on their way out the door.

“Another good week. Ah hope whatever we come up with for next week will be just as good.” Apple Bloom commented.

“I’m sure it will be. With how much we’ve both improved since we started, who knows? Maybe we’ll make it all the way to the end.” Tender Taps replied.

“Boy, wouldn’t that be somethin’. Though, Ah don’t know what Ah’d do with $100,000 if Ah got it. That’s more than an awful lot of people see at once. What would you do?”

“I’m not sure either. Maybe we shouldn’t worry about that until we’re a little closer to winning it.”

“Maybe you’re right. Anyway, my aunt and uncle are waitin’ for me. Ah best be goin’.”

As he watched Apple Bloom walk off, Tender Taps knew he had to do it. He’d tried and failed to do it all week. He had considered just giving up on it after so many failed attempts. But he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he went down that path. Much like signing up for this show, if he didn’t do it, he’d spend the rest of his life regretting it. So it was now or never.

“A-Apple Bloom?”

The farm girl turned around and looked at her dancing partner, who seemed to be extremely nervous.

“Yeah?”

“U-um…Are you…are you…busy…t-tomorrow?” Tender Taps asked.

“Ah don’t think so. Ah got no plans right now. Why?”

“W-well, I was…I was wondering if…if you w-would want to m-meet me at this one pizza restaurant I know. Y’know, j-just to hang out. Of course, if you don’t want to, I understand. I-I just thought… w-well…It could be fun.”

“It does sound like fun. Sure. Ah’ll be there.”

“R-r-really? Great! I mean…I’m glad you’ll be able to make it. I’ll text you the address when I get home. Does six o’clock work?”

“Sounds good. See you tomorrow.”

As Apple Bloom walked away, Tender Taps couldn’t help the goofy grin that was forming on his face. He had done it. He had finally done it!

He had a date.

Author's Note

Sorry this took longer than usual to get out, but various real life issues got in my way while I was writing this chapter.

• My laptop charger broke, so I had to order a new one and wait for it to arrive
• Writing the dancing scene proved more challenging than I thought
• My job
• Christmas

But once I got past all that, I managed to get back on track. I promised myself I would get at least one more chapter out before the new year. I hope it won't take so long to get new chapters out, but I can't make that promise. All I can do is hope that the wait is worth it.

Another thing I promised myself is that I would put more focus on Tender Taps this time. Looking back over my previous chapters, I saw that I tended to put more attention on Apple Bloom. Her thoughts, her feelings, and so on. I decided I didn't want to keep doing this. I wanted for Tender Taps to be his own character in this. Not just a tacked on accessory for Apple Bloom. I hope I did a good job.

Stay tuned next time to see if the seeds that I have planted between my two leads will bear any fruit. Not to mention all the dancing and other fun stuff you've come to expect from this story. See you then and have a Happy New Year!