Prince Philip's POV
Tracy lets out a long shaky sigh of relief, and I notice her hands begin to shake. Ivan guides her over to a table, and she slowly sits down.
"Who were those young men?" I ask.
"Those boys were the bullies who made my school days three times more stressful than they already were. Those girls with them just happened to be three girls who were in my dance class." Tracy replies.
"If those girls were in your dance class, why are they being mean to you?" Ivan asks, handing her a glass of water.
"After the first day of class, I found the courage to step out of my comfort zone and ask them if we could be friends," Tracy replies, taking a small sip of water, "But they said they didn't want to be friends with a teacher's pet, since the instructor was impressed with my raw natural talent," Tracy continues.
"In other words, they just jumped to conclusions about you and believed since the instructor noticed your abilities that you just be stuck up and just keep showing off," I say.
"Exactly, your highness, they didn't even try to get to know me," Tracy sighs.
"That's their loss, Dove. They missed out on getting to know an amazing young lady," Ivan says.
"Oh, Ivan, stop being so adorable," Tracy says as she playfully shoves him.
"Sorry, Dove, but we agreed to be all cute when we are not fighting evil monsters," Ivan says.
"I remember, Sir-Loves- A lot, but your adorable meter is a 12. Could I politely ask you to turn it down to at least a 6 or 6 and a half?" Tracy jokes.
"I will try my best, Dove," Ivan says.
"What did Jax whisper to you before?" I ask.
"He just mentioned that the deal I made with him at the beginning of Junior year is over now," Tracy says.
"What kind of deal?" I ask.
"I offered to tour him and his Jerktrouge till the end of the semester, and in return, they'd have to leave me alone till after graduation," Tracy replies.
"Did those boys ever physically hurt you?" Ivan asks.
"They did slam me against my locker on several occasions. I did end up with a small bruise on my shoulder, but they never punched or kicked me. Even if they did, those boys never learned that their words hurt me more than their first or feet ever could," Tracy says.
"Miss Ramiez, sorry to interrupt, but I'm sorry you had to go through that," Prof Louis Robbins says as he and Teresa walk up.
"It's fine, Prof Robbins," I say.
"I agree. Bullies never seem to grasp the concept of the power worlds have," Teresa says.
"It's nice to meet you, Prof Robbins," Tracy says as she quickly stands up and holds out her hand.
"Are you alright, my dear?" Prof Louis Robbins asks, catching her in his arms and helping her sit back in the chair.
"Yes, I'm fine, Sir, and I apologize. I moved too fast, and I keep forgetting that my body doesn't react well to stressful situations," Tracy replies.
Normal POV
"It's fine, my dear, and you can call me Louis. And I hope to get a chance to meet your brother. Teresa mentioned to me that you said he has his mind set on becoming a doctor," Louis says.
"Yes, I don't want to force him to apply to ZISM, but giving him some information about the school is a nice gesture," Tracy says.
'You are not forcing him into making a decision. You are simply helping him by showing him what other schools he could attend. I think that a great thing for you to do," Louis says, handing the booklet.
"Thank you, Sir, and this is Royal Ball, not a college fair assembly at a high school. So, we should be talking about other topics," Tracy says.
"Good point, Tracy. Come along, Louis; you agreed to sing at least one song," Teresa says as she pulls Louis away towards the Karaoke Machine.
"I'll be right back. I think the ZISM booklet will be safer in my room," Tracy says.
Tracy leaves to head to the guest room. She sets the booklet on the desk. A few seconds later, her phone rings, and she quickly picks it up.
"Hello," Tracy says.
"Tracy, doc picked up two deception energy signals outside the palace. Are you okay?" Wheeljack asks.
"I'm fine, wheeljack. Besides, it's not like cons showing up will make my night any worse since I have to worry about Jax and his Jerktourage embarrassing me." Tracy says.
"How did they get there?" Ricky asks.
"I have no clue, but it seems like a few girls from my ballet class just happen to be their dates, too," Tracy says.
"I can have Ratchet bridge me there to help out. I'll get my tux and change real quick," Ricky offers.
"Thanks, bro. But I know Ivan has my back," Tracy says.
"Just be careful of the cons, partner," Wheeljack adds.
"I will, and I'll tell you all about ZISM and ZIPA when I get back," Tracy says, quickly hanging up before anyone else can say another word.
Ricky's POV
"Why did she do that?" Acree asks.
"That was rude," WHeeljack adds.
"We did call her when she is supposed to be relaxing," I say.
"We were warning her about the cons," Bulk says.
"That's true, Bulk, but she can defend herself if she has to," I say.
"I have a question what are ZISM and ZIPA?" Snowdrift asks.
"They are acronyms for Zandar institute of science and Medicine and Zandar institute of the performing arts," Raf says, pulling up pictures of schools and then putting them on the big scene.
"Do you think Tracy go an offer to attend ZIPA?" Jack asks.
"I wouldn't be surprised if a professor saw her dance," I reply.
"What about ZISM? Why did she mention it?" Arcee asks.
"I bet she got some information about the school for me since I still haven't picked out what school I'll attend in the fall," I say.
Tracy's POV
I leave my room and head down the hall to see Knockout and Breakdown's holoforms walking towards me.
Maybe I shouldn't have said I'd be fine after all. I'm doomed.
"Relax, my dear, we won't ruin your night," Knockout says.
"Yes, I'm sure those three boys and their dates have plans to do that. Besides, we have orders to take your and Ivan's energems," Breakdown adds.
"Don't remind me, Breakdown. I'm already nervous about making a fool of myself in front of a room full of people from a different country. Now, I'm not going to be able to relax or enjoy myself since I'll be worrying about how Jax and his Jerktourage are planning to embarrass me," I sigh.
"Speaking of the ball, you do look great," Knockout compliments.
"Thanks, you and Breakdown look handsome. I wasn't aware that the deceptions knew anything about human fashion or proper royal ball attire," I say.
"Ashley does have an eye for fashion, she may be under Starscream's control, but she did do a good job redesigning our holoforms so they'd blend in at the ball," Breakdown says.
"I know. Ashley did mention before graduation that she wanted to go to college to study fashion design. After she got her degree, she would design the costumes for my dance student to wear at competitions," I say.
"So, would all three of you work at the dance school you want to open up?" Knockout asks.
"Yes, but for that to happen, all of us would have to say goodbye since there wasn't one school we could all attend together." I sigh, "We should get back to the ballroom, so Ivan doesn't get worried,"
Normal POV
"So, why are Knockout and Breakdown here," Ivan asks, recognizing the con's holoforms standing in the corner.
"They are here to take our energems, but I think Knockout doesn't want to follow orders and keep an eye on Jax and his buddies to make sure they don't ruin my night," Tracy says.
"So, the first waltz won't happen for another few minutes," Ivan says, handing Tracy a glass of punch, "do you want to head to the garden to get some air, Dove? You still seem anxious,"
"I'll be fine," Tracy replies, taking a small sip, "I thought we could sing a duet," Tracy says, setting the cup down on the table and gently dragging Ivan over to the Karaoke machine.
"Dove, I'm not sure if I can even sing," Ivan says.
"Don't worry, the nest thing about Karaoke, SIr'loves-a lot, you don't have to be good. The main thing is to have fun," Tracy says.
Tracy looks through the songs and hits play. Even one in the room turns to look at them as soon as Love is an Open door begins to play. Ivan did a quick double-take, hearing Tracy sing for the first time. He recovers quickly, and Tracy has the same reaction when hearing Ivan's singing voice. The room erupts with loud applause as the song ends.
"Wow, Dove, now I know you don't just look like an angel. You sing like one, too," Ivan says as they walk back to their table.
"Thanks, Ivan, and I hope you're not mad I forced you to sing too," Tracy says.
"No need to apologize, Dove. I'm glad you did; it was a great experience," Ivan says, kissing her on the cheek.
"Yes, you two sounded great," Prince Philip says.
"Thank you, your highness," Tracy says.
One of the workers Prince Philip hired walks up to them. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Your Highness. I'm afraid the dancer you hired for tonight's opening act can't go on,"
"What happened," Prince Philip asks.
"There was an accident during the rehearsal earlier today. He sprained his ankle,"
"That's terrible; I'll have to inform everyone immediately," Prince Philip says.
"Wait, your Highness. I could do that dance I did as a present for Aunt May and Uncle Marco's Anniversary last year," Tracy says.
"That is nice of your to offer, but are you sure you can do it without practice?" Prince Philip asks.
"All I need is twenty minutes to get ready and a pair of ballet shoes," Tracy says.
The worker leads Tracy to a dance classroom, complete with a bar. Twenty minutes later, Tracy tries her best not to let her nerve get the better, seeing everyone staring at her and waiting for her to start dancing. Tracy looks over at Ivan. He gives a reassuring nod. She turns towards Prince Philip and signals for him to start the song. 'Hallelujah' starts to play through the speakers.
"Wow, she is so graceful," Teresa says.
"Yes, I'm amazed by how every movement seemed to have a purpose." Prof Louis Robbins adds.
"Yes, and every transition flows into the next effortlessly. That is something that can't be taught." Tera adds.
On the other side of the room, Jax nods at Dakota. He hits a button on his phone, and the song changes to a different version of the song. The bullies and their dates hold their mouths open in shock, watching Tracy perfectly adapt her routine to the change in tempo. Dakota taps his phone screen again, and the song's original version plays again.
"Jax, I thought you said Losemeriz would stop dancing or stumble and fall to the floor," Dakota says.
"I was sure she would. I didn't know she would adapt like that," Jax says.
"So, what's your next idea to ruin her night?" Bradly asks.
Tracy finished her routine by sitting down on the floor and bowing her head like she was praying. After the music faded, roaring applause echoed through the room.
"Maybe you should ask her to be your assistant teacher for a semester," Prof Louis Robbins suggests.
"I could, but you need to turn off your work brain. We're at a party," Teresa says playfully, slapping him on the shoulder.
Five more people walk up to Tracy a few seconds later and start to shower her with compliments. At that moment, she felt her heart begin to race, and her fingers began to numb. Ivan hears her starting to hyperventilate. He gently grabs her wrist and leads her out to the garden. Then it helps her sit on the bench in one of the pavilions lined the path. The knight is unsure how to help Tracy calm down, but luckily for him, Marco walks up. Ivan lets him sit down and watches as he gets to work, helping Tracy calm down. Ten minutes later, Tracy had calmed down enough to be able to talk, but she still felt a little sick to her stomach as she still had a little adrenaline flowing through her system.
"Are you okay, Dove?" Ivan asks.
"Yes, thanks for getting me out of there," Tracy answers.
"You're welcome, Dove. I mean, you, no disrespect, but now I've witnessed what a panic attack entails a second time. They must be a dreadful thing for you," Ivan says.
"Yes, but that one wasn't as bad as one of the other ones. Once, I had one so bad I fainted," Tracy says.
"Now I understand why you were so against going to the ball in the first place. It appears to make your anxiety levels rise so quickly that you cannot remain calm. You should be very proud of yourself. The routine was amazing. But I don't understand why the song changed like that," Prince Philip says as he walks up.
"My doctor suggested I get a service dog at my last appointment, but they are expensive. I don't have an extra $20,000 right now," Tracy says.
"Tracy, I can call Zandar Helpful Paws tomorrow. I'm sure someone would be happy to help you out," Prince Philip says.
"Thank you, your highness, but I'll just have to save up and do a few fundraisers to help me get the money I need to pay for it," Tracy says.
"Honey, we can help you out, but we'll discuss things tomorrow," Marco says, "When you are ready, we'll see you inside," Marco says.
"When you find a mouse to fit in your pocket?" Tracy jokes.
Macro chuckles at his niece's joke and heads back inside. Prince Philip follows him to give Ivan and Tracy some privacy.
"Are you getting chilly, Dove? It's starting to get a little cool out here." Ivan asks as he watches Tracy shiver as he takes off his jacket, placing it around her shoulders.
"I'll be fine, Sir-loves- a lot, the adrenaline rush is starting to fade, that's all. Thank you, regardless. I don't want you to get cold, too, if you let me borrow your jacket?" Tracy says.
"I'll survive; I am a little better with the cooler temperature than you," Ivan jokes.
"Very funny," Tracy chuckles as she playfully nudges him with her left shoulder.
A few minutes pass, and Ivan and Tracy look at each other. The night of Zandar swallows the lump in his throat before he speaks again after getting distracted, watching Tracy's eyes sparkling as the moonlight hits them. Then the two heard the intro to "Beauty and the Beast" start to play over the speakers.
"Mholdsis dance, Dove?" Ivan asks as he backs away, then stands up and he holds out his right hand.
"I never learned how to slow dance, remember," Tracy says as she nervously places her hand on top of Ivan's.
"Don't worry, Dove, all you need to do is follow my lead," Ivan says as he gently pulls Tracy up off the bench.
The two dance around the pavilion just as well as Belle and the beast do as they Waltzed around the ballroom in the castle. Tracy feels her cheeks start to heat up when she realizes that she rests; her head on Ivan's chest, just like Belle did in the movie.
"I'm sorry, Ivan. I guess I got a little into trying to reenact that scene from the movie," Tracy says as she quickly backs away.
"You'll have to show the film someday," Ivan says.
They start walking down the path leading back to the castle. The duo starts to hear the "Cha-Cha Slide" intro play as they enter the ballroom.
"When did Prince Philip deiced to turn into a high school dance?" Tracy jokes.
"I don't know, but it looks like it's your turn to lead, dove," Ivan says.
"If the Macarena is the next song that plays, I'm so out of here," Tracy says as he gently leads Ivan onto the dance floor.
