At Least They Have Each Other

The next morning, the two slept in for just a little while and then got up.  It was a bittersweet morning as they prepared for the day, hopping in the shower and freshening up first.  Bitter because it would mean that they would be leaving the only real home they had known in what seemed like an eternity, and sweet because they very well knew that it could be the first day of the rest of their lives.  Shortly after, they prepared for the show by once more training, this time leaving no room for error and going so far even as to plug up their ears with wadded up tissues.

As they practiced, rested up a little bit, eventually had some left over lunch, and practiced in-between of course, the hours counted down until eventually the evening was upon all of Ponyville.  Finally, knowing that the time was near, they packed up what little they had and went out the door to check out.  They both stopped in the hallway though and looked back inside of the hotel room rather worriedly and with a feeling of sadness about them, almost as if they were losing something that they would never feel or have again.  Eventually though, Shocker closed the door behind them and then wrapped his foreleg around Grazia in silence.  They both headed down the long hallway towards the elevator, their heads hung low.

The ride down to the lobby seemed longer than usual, and they weren’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.  In any event, they finally reached the bottom floor and then approached the front desk.  “Ah…” the manager began with his stern, deep voice, “Mister Shocker, and Miss Grazia, there you are.  It is interesting, I think, that I didn’t see you come in last night…”

It was apparent that he was going to say more, for the way he looked at them showed that he knew they had been avoiding him, but Shocker cut him off before he could say more.  “We’re just here to turn our keys in and check out sir,” he placed both keys up on the desk and slid them across to him, “You don’t have to worry about us anymore.”

“Oh…” the manager said and then blinked several times, surprised by what appeared to be nervousness or depression maybe, “Indeed.”  He finished and took the keys, placing them under the desk.  He tapped a few things on the register and then tallied up their total.  “That’ll be two hundred and fifty-six bits.”

So there it went… all of their savings.  The two of them were now bitless aside from what it would take to pay the participation fee for the talent show.  With a shake in their bodies and sweat forming on their heads, they handed over the money.

The manager placed it all into the register and seemed satisfied, but a frown crossed his face when he noticed an inconsistency.  “You’re short a few,” he said pointedly, though politely.

Shocker began to sweat even more, to the point that somepony could see it if they looked, and Grazia blushed.  They both knew that they had held out.  If they paid the rest, it would mean that they wouldn’t have the money to pay the fee.  At this point though, it was looking as though they might have no choice, for the manager seemed to be unwavering.  “Wait!” Grazia told Shocker with a whisper, “I think I have some extra bits in my bag.”  She pulled her bag around to her front and began to sift around inside of it with her magic.”

“Yeah,” Shocker said, rather nervously when he glanced at the manager, still stern, “I might have some buried in my saddlebag.”  He reached his muzzle back and began to dig around inside for even the tiniest bag of money or even the loosest bit.

What he saw before himself he thought was pitiful.  The manager felt sorry for them.  They were just two young ponies starting out, and after all, he had known when he had allowed them to live here that they had no place to go.  He wondered where they would go when they left here…  He shook himself out of his thoughts and concluded that since they were leaving anyway and since it was such a minor loss of bits, he could show some compassion.  “Hey, hey,” he said rather loudly, rousing their attention.  He sighed as he looked into each of their eyes, one after the other, and then said, “Look, it’s a… small loss on my part, and you were both good tenants, so… don’t worry about it.”

“Wait…” Grazia began as she tried to comprehend what she had just been told by this stallion who generally had no compassion, was stern all the time, and had a rock hard resolve, “You mean you’re letting us…”

The manager finished off for her, “Letting you leave without paying the full price?”  He chuckled and then smiled at her, “Yes.”

“Whoa…” was all Shocker could say as he too finally comprehended what he had been told.

The manager pushed a button on the register that closed the drawer and then made the words “Paid In Full” come up on the cards behind the glass.  Call it sheer luck or call it destiny, but for some reason the manager showed them compassion.  They weren’t about to waste any time in getting out of there, lest he retract his statement, and so they thanked him and then went on their way.

Once outside, the first thing they did was kiss each other.  “Listen Grazia,” Shocker began as they moved just a little further away from the hotel, “I don’t know what that was and I’m not completely sure why it happened…” Grazia nodded her head in agreement and continued to listen, “And I don’t know about you, but I’ve just got this feeling that that happened for a reason.”

Grazia nodded once more, and agreed, “I know how you feel.  I… I can’t believe that happened.”  It was a small occurrence, yes, and something that the average pony might just turn a blind eye to or dismiss as mere coincidence, and though it truly may have been a simple act of compassion or a random stroke of luck or coincidence, they both couldn’t help but feel as though it was some sort of sign.  Granted, they had felt feelings like this before, but it had never actually been shared.  The simple fact that they both felt it though, was enough to convince them that something good may be in store for them.

On the quiet walk over to the massive stage, which was not hard to find, being so gigantic in a not-so-gigantic town, they both reflected on what had happened over and over again in their minds and eventually concluded that they shouldn’t get too over-expectant of anything.  There were a lot of ponies coming to this thing, and Celestia knows how many participating for the grand prize, and defeat should not be hoped for, but they knew deep down it should at least be expected.  Too over-expectant, and they might inadvertently mess up and stay messed up.  Too worrisome, and they may let their nervousness prevail.

Before they even knew it, they were approaching the side of the arena and were following signs which all read, “ENTER HERE!” in big bold letters.  As they walked through the ropes though, which had a very short line thankfully, they realized that the art of winning the talent show was not the art itself, but it was how they presented that.  For some inexplicable reason, they felt that with this little bit of knowledge they just might win.

As they waited in line to get into the waiting area where they would wait their turn to perform when the show eventually began, they chatted quietly amongst themselves and even did some on the spot practicing.  “How was I?” they would take turns asking each other, to be answered of course either by a laugh or a cheer and a call for encore.  Otherwise, they entertained themselves by seeing who could count the entrance line faster than the other.  The line to get into the show and not participate seemed as though it was a mile long and still growing, and amongst the bustling and chatting ponies, they would lose count around the one hundred mark.  Aside from that, the talking, and the quick practicing, all they could do was stand there as the line inched up and as they eventually got up to second in line.

Being this close to the admission booth struck up yet another bittersweet sensation inside of them.  It was bitter because their hearts must have been racing nearly a million miles a minutes, and it was sweet because they were entering into this with each other and with the hope that they would win, sure to remind themselves of the good day they had so far.  Finally, they got up to the booth, paid their toll, and went inside.  Inside and behind the curtain, it was bit stuffy and there really wasn’t anywhere to sit, but at least one could see the stars starting to form in the sky up above.  “I have a feeling Shocker,” Grazia said to him over the crowd as they found a cozy little spot along the wall, “That those are our stars.”  She continued to look up at them with a sense of hope and wonder in her eyes.  Soon, Shocker joined her and then wrapped his hoof around her neck.  He kissed her on the cheek and then put his head to hers, showing his affection.

Finally, after what seemed like hours behind a loud and crowded backstage, an unknown female voice came over the microphone outside and quieted everypony down.  As was formal, the voice welcomed everypony, participant and audience member alike, and then explained how events would go.  It was the usual banter of a welcoming speech, and it eventually ended with the announcement of the first act.  The names had been drawn out of a hat to add some variety to the show, for most of the time the acts would be sorted by intended performance, and Shocker and Grazia found themselves one after the other, with Shocker next to last.  They weren’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, and they couldn’t help but hug close to each other in concern as they listened to and peeked out from behind the curtain at what was going on outside.

Some of the acts were decent, certainly not showstoppers, but decent, and some of them were just flat out fails.  However, some of them were good, really good.  The applause that they heralded seemed to last forever and seemed to roar throughout the arena, and not only that, but from their spot Shocker and Grazia could see the judge’s table and would be able to see them whisper amongst each other, nod, and smile widely; it was obvious that the act pleased them as much as it did the crowd.  Sometimes even, it just looked plain grim for them.  When they would look back into the room they were in, they would be shocked to see that it became emptier and emptier.  Really, they didn’t notice just how few ponies had participated until they began to clear out.  As a matter of fact, most of the participants looked to be… couples.

Finally, the time for them to perform was at hoof.  Grazia was just one act away, and watched as her competitor left the room and went out onto the stage.  As she watched him walk out, something struck inside of her though.  She looked down at the list of jokes she had been studying and that she had levitating in front of her, and her vision became blurry and she could no longer focus on the jokes.  She didn’t know what, but there was just some feeling inside of her that told her if she told these jokes, it would cost them the show.  There was no way she could do it.  In an instant, she began to crumple the paper up and toss it into the waste bin that was clear across the room.  Confused and shocked at what he had just witness, Shocker moved to Grazia’s front, placed his hooves on her shoulders and asked, “Whoa, Grazia, what… what are you doing?  That’s your material!”

Grazia sighed and then looked deep into his eyes, “I know…” she said calmly, “I know it’s my material, and… I don’t want to do it.”

Shocker’s jaw almost hit the ground, “What do you mean you don’t want to do it?”

Still calm, Grazia only chuckled and replied, “I mean I don’t want to do my material.  I don’t want to tell jokes.”  She was silent for a few moments, and she bit her bottom lip both in embarrassment and in doubt of what she had just done, and then she continued, “I want to sing.  I want to sing with you.”

Shocker was still confused and now even somewhat flustered at what his marefriend was doing.  Just one act away and now the whole thing was in jeopardy!  “What do you mean you want to sing with me?” he asked and began to circle around nervously.  He bit the top of his hoof as he heard the crowd stamp their hooves a few times, indicating that something good had just happened.  “You hate the song that I want to do!” he pointed out.

Grazia, still calm as could possibly be, said, “First of all, I don’t hate it.  Second of all, I don’t think we should do that song.”

“You think what?!” it was all Shocker could do to muster up the stable nerve to say that.

“I don’t think we should do that song.  But listen… do you remember that song we met to… our song?”  She smiled gently at him.

Shocker couldn’t help but be calmed by her smile, “Yeah,” he replied and a slight smile crossed his face, “Yeah I do.  ‘Last Night On Earth’.  How could I ever forget that baby?”

“I want to perform that song with you tonight.  I want to perform our song with you,” came her reply, “Look… I don’t know what it is, but something is telling me that if we do it like we were going to, we won’t win.  I don’t know what it is, but I swear to you that I just have the worst feeling in the pit of my stomach.”  She was quiet for a moment, and she looked off to the side, but then she looked back into his eyes with the deepest sincerity, “I need you to trust me.”

Hesitant at first, Shocker was silent as he thought long and hard about what she was telling him.  He loved Grazia, and he trusted her with every inch of his being, but the plan that they had formed and the acts that they had so carefully selected just all seemed foolproof.  His eyes darted off as well, but in what seemed like an instant they were back and looking to Grazia’s eyes; they seemed to plead with him.  He ran his hoof down his muzzle and then down to his chin and asked, “You’re sure about this baby?  You’re absolutely positive, without a shadow of a doubt, positive?”

Grazia was not hesitant in her answer, “Yes,” she said quietly and firmly and then nodded her head just as firmly, “Yes I am.”

Shocker took a deep breath, glanced off to the side one more time, and then foundered.  His sincere love and trust for his mare kicked in, and for some reason, he too began to accept that knowledge that what he was doing was the right thing.  He didn’t have much time to gather his thoughts though, before Grazia jumped up on him and gave him one of the most passionate kisses ever.  He wrapped his foreleg around the back of her head and kissed her back.

At that moment, they heard the crowd cheer and the female voice announce that that was the end of the act and now their final two acts were about to take place.  Really quickly, they both ran over to the backstage manager and told them what they wanted to do.  She sighed and then looked both of them in the eyes, “You’re both sure about this?”  They both nodded and then, upon sighing once more, she turned and went to run across the stage so that she could consult with the announcer and the judges.

“Mares and gentlecolts,” the announcer’s voice rang out, “and now for our next to last act we have…” she stopped right there and lowered the microphone as Shocker and Grazia watched from behind the curtain as the manager whispered into her ear.  She nodded a few times and then the manager ran over to the judges table. “It seems we have a slight change of plans.  Our final two acts would like to merge their places and perform together.  Mares and gentlecolts, this will be the final act.”  They peeked over at the judges table and saw one of them scratching their head, another roll her eyes, and then another yawn and then prop his head on hoof.  “Now, without further delay, here is Shocker-C and Grazia performing ‘Last Night On Earth’.”

The manager rushed back behind the curtain and then ushered them outside quickly.  Thankfully, there was some applause going on that indicated they had at least chosen a good and popular song.  Once onstage, hearts pounding faster than ever before and sweat starting to form on their foreheads, the two of them took their places at the microphone and then adjusted it to their height.  Finally, they glanced into each other’s eyes, nodded to each other, and then gave a hooves up to the ponies at the tech desk which started up the instrumental.

As the guitar intro sounded on, the two of them readied themselves to sing.  They looked at the ground for a moment, but then back out to the crowd to give a good impression, and then blushed at being seconds away from performing their song live to the public.  Finally, they began in perfect unison and perfect harmony:

“I sent a postcard to you

Did it go through?

Sending all my love to you

You are the moonlight of my life

Giving all my love to you

My beating heart belongs to you

I walked for miles ‘til I found you

I’m here to honor you

If I lose everything in the fire

I’m sending all my love to you

Already, the crowd began to cheer and stamp their hooves at the astounding performance.  They tried to stay focused and not through themselves off, but still, they would steal glances at the judge’s tables to see their reactions and would see that they would all be hunched over and writing furiously and chatting amongst themselves quickly, though in what seemed to be a very pleased way.  As they neared the halfway point of the song even, lights began to pup in the crowd and be waved around, and soon even the crowd began to join them in singing along.

Then, just as quickly as it had all started, it ended.  They sang their last lines, still in perfect harmony and then the instrumental cut.  There was not a moment of silence at all, between the cheering and the stamping of hooves, but they knew it was over.  Pleased that they had had the courage to come out here and do that, and to do decent anyway was enough for them.  They kissed each other quickly, forgetting where they were, and a massive “Awww” erupted from the crowd.  As if that wasn’t enough, they received a standing ovation as well.  They were the one and only act that had received a standing ovation.

They exited the stage just as quickly as they had come on and then joined the other acts in waiting for a winner to be announced.  Even backstage they were complimented on an excellent act.  Once more, they were in a perfect spot to see everything that was going on outside.  Too nervous to speak, all they could do was watch and speculate what the other was thinking.  They saw the judges writing, nodding, talking, erasing, and then repeating the process all over again.  It took a good half hour for the judges to submit their folded pieces up paper up to the announcer.  Her voice came back over and said, “Mare and gentlecolts, it would appear that our judges have selected a winner!” there was an excited cheer from the crowd and then she continued, “This was a tough competition and there were many, many excellent acts, but as you all know, we can only select one.  The choice has been made.”

Grazia grabbed Shocker’s hoof as tightly as she could, and he too gripped her hoof tight.  They took a deep breath, ready to accept either defeat or victory and then they looked into each other’s eyes.  “Whatever happens…” Grazia nodded, her eyes still looking deep in his.

Shocker nodded back and then finished, “At least we’ll have each other.”