Tender Taps and Apple Bloom were walking back from dance class and talking about today's lesson.
"Come on," the colt huffed, "you weren't that bad."
She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I tumbled over the entire class."
He shrugged. "No pony was hurt. Dancers step on their tails all the time."
Rolling her eyes, she said, "Name one thing I did right today."
"Well, you finally mastered the shuffle. You just gotta work on your ball changes."
"Those things are crazy!" She looked at the bottom of her hoof. "How can ya even step on one part of yerr hoof?!"
"Here, I'll show you."
He stopped for a moment and slowly stepped his right hooves back, landing on their soles. Immediately afterwards, he stepped his left hooves forward in the same manner. Apple Bloom attempted to imitate him, but ended up crossing her back legs.
"Ugh!" she groaned. "I have a feelin' this sort of dancin' wasn't made for four legs!"
Tender Taps laughed. "Okay, okay. Imagine it's late at night and you're creeping downstairs for a late night snack."
Apple Bloom smiled at the thought. "Fritters."
"That's right. Think of the fritters. Only instead of creeping forwards, you'd be creeping backwards, and you'd actually want to be heard. But don't actually go backwards."
"Then why'd ya say...?"
"Just walk backwards in place. Okay? Now try the move again with that in mind."
He showed her again and held out his hoof. Taking a deep breath, Apple Bloom closed her eyes and imagined creeping on her soles as she stepped backwards with the fronts of her right hooves touching the ground and then doing the same with her left.
"Now faster. Do it in a leap."
She tried it and looked down at her hooves.
"Hey! I did it!"
"See? You just need a little more practice."
Apple Bloom grinned as they continued on their way. "I don't know if I'd survive in this dance class without ya, Taps. Ya've done so much to help me."
He blushed. "Well, you helped me earn my cutie mark. I'm just returning the favor."
They arrived at Sweet Apple Acres.
"Whelp, here's my stop. Thanks for walkin' me."
"See you next week!" he said with a wave.
She waved back as she went into the house. Applejack was baking pies in the kitchen.
"How was dance class?"
Apple Bloom giggled. "Terrible!"
Confused at her contradicting tone, Applejack turned to her little sister. A wide smile was spread across her face and her eyes were staring vacantly at the ceiling. Glancing out the window, Applejack saw a small orange earth colt with purple hair going down the path. She grinned knowingly.
"Is that the Tender Taps fella ya've told me so much about?"
"Mmm-hmm," Apple Bloom nodded. "He just helped me with a ball change." She quickly tried to demonstrate but stumbled on her front hooves. "Well, I did it earlier anyway. Guess Taps is right about me needin' more practice."
"He sounds nice," Applejack said with a smirk. "Ya've been spendin' a lot of time with him lately."
"He's been helpin' me."
