#big dance

You guys recognize her? You should. It's Marigold. Don't worry if you didn't know who it was at first, because you rarely see her like this...happy and dressed up. Dressed up because she was invited to another Big Dance. Happy because she gets to stick around for longer than what some others believed, thinking she wouldn't last as long as a Cougar or a Duke or even an Eagle.

That last part sounded weird, didn't it? Well, let me explain it in a little story.

You see, the story of Marigold hoping to make it to the Big Dance, portrayed as a gala in Equestria, has been an allegory-inspired tale where real life events would affect what happens next in the story. And if you know me well enough, you can easily figure out the hidden message of the story and know what happens next to her.

I-L-L. I-N-I.

The idea first came in my head in January 2020. Marigold kinda has been used in the past as a vent character, but things were going good for said team for once. The program has been in one of its worst shapes ever. Ever since the national title run of 2005, it had been disappointment after disappointment. First weekend exits. NIT berths. Screw jobs when you make it back to March Madness that were so bad rule changes had to be implemented the next season. And a point so low that finishing above .500 was a pipe dream. It was a depressing state of affairs.

But the turnaround was coming in 2020. We got back in a place where, even though an auto bid wasn't happening, we were on the right side of the bubble. We could dream and hope again, and be all but certain, that the longest drought out of the Dance was ending. We would be back in our rightful place in March Madness.

Well...we all know what happened March of that year.

But hey, everyone's back next season. Not only are they back, but they're better. A hell of a lot better. You are one of the best of the best. You know, and Marigold knows, that your invite to the Big Dance is a lock. She's highly confident, maybe even a little cocky about it. Not only is it a lock, but you might be Queen of the Dance. You're on the doorstep of greatness.

Well...this was the last picture in the series. Marigold happy and looking forward to the Big Dance. It leaves an open ended story as to what happens.

So what did actually happen? She breezes past a Dragon once inside the dance, but is stopped in her tracks by a Rambler. A Rambler who won't let her free because she keeps talking her head off, blocking her from her biggest dreams. And not realizing that she missed her window to even be considered to be the Queen of the Dance.

Marigold goes outside after missing out, shell shocked into a dead silence, with tears gently falling down her cheeks. How the hell could this have happened? Was that a nightmare or did it actually truly happen? What went so wrong that night? It's a moment and a loss so great, Marigold just doesn't know if she'll get over it.

The following years are not that much better. Sure, she gets the invites back to the Big Dance. But there's little confidence that things will go well. The next year, Marigold get Moc'ed so bad that she's upstaged by a Cougar. The year after that, you barely get in the door before some Razorbacks chase you away, putting up very little fight. Marigold is now at a point where she doesn't believe she'll ever get to stick around for more than just a fleeting moment at the Big Dance.

But...you come back every year because you just can't quit, and you know at some point, things will change.

Well...2024 is where it all changes for Marigold, and things are different.

This time, you have a different plan. This time, you seek some help from a stallion from the Southern part of the Empire in a Domask. You find a Hawkins that helps defend yourself better, and maybe even help your troll game.

This time...it works. An Eagle can't stop her, and neither can a Duke. They don't even put up a fight, and the Cougar that was a threat to your hopes and dreams are nowhere to be found. The boosted confidence and experience helps Marigold be the best she can be. It's a Sweet 16 feeling.

Can Marigold Earth Tulip Hosta be the Queen of the Dance? That's to be determined. There's the chance a Cyclone bears down on the Dance, and some mean looking Huskies await before she has a chance to rise like a Phoenix.

But Marigold knows one thing for sure...she can do this, no matter what any doubter and hater says. And it helps that a bunch of other ponies are starting to believe too.

Daniel Janke & Holly Cole - Big Dance

May is prom season, and we’re (sort of?) getting into the spirit with these panels from the 1952 comic book Growing Up With Judy: The Heart Warming, Human, Story Of How Judy's Mom Helped Judy And Her Girl Friend, Sally, Land Their First Big Dates.

Big Dance pg.24 (End)

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