Next Generation Equestrian Players Present!

"This way, my liege," said the guard, leading the Princess and her servant in from off right stage. Autumn leaves, collected and accumulated from about three days prior, now lay scattered loosely across the stage. They crunched under hoof while the vines hanging down from the elaborately painted trees passively swayed overhead. The blind servant shifted her view back and forth apprehensively. "I-Is this what they call the Deadly-Dark forest?" she hesitantly asked.

The guard shook her head. "No, that is yet to come. This is the inland forest known as 'Threshold'. We must cross through it if we hope to arrive at the free city of Gangria."

The servant continued glancing about hurriedly. The wing around her closed down and squeezed her in close to the Princess, who tilted a reassuring smile down to her. "You need not worry. This forest is not known for its malice. In fact, the tales travelers and merchants tell of this wood are often peaceful affairs, with perhaps a bit of mystical embellishment here and there."

"M-Mystical?" the servant wondrously repeated.

"Yes," her Princess continued. "Best to keep your ears open. You never know when a fairy might flutter by."

"Or one of the enemy," the guard added. "Do not forget, I was not the only pony in pursuit of you these past days. How soon the Queen's minions left in my wake I can only guess. I suggest we remain cautious."

The two behind her nodded, and they pressed on to mid-stage. As they neared it, however, the servant paused, gripping her Princess's side. The guard span round. "Do you hear something?" she inquired.

"I-I think so," the servant said. "It sounds like... flapping? Like tiny wings, flapping a little further in the wood."

On cue, the ominous cooing of what seemed to be a dove resonated behind the line of cardboard bushes and trees. From the upper echelons of the theater, near Celestia's and Luna's outcropping, a snowy white dove appeared from seemingly nowhere and soared majestically over the audience's heads, occasionally looping around before doing a flip or spin or dipping low near some entranced filly. The coo sounded again from the stage, and the bird stopped in its acrobatics and descended quickly over the stage, pirouetting between the tense trio before gliding out of sight behind the trees. Just then, that line of cardboard trees and bushes began to part, revealing behind them a decrepit wooden wagon with a large open window facing the trio. A white hoof rested on the low hanging, table-like window sill; the rest of the arm covered by a dark black cloak ornamented by blue jewels and jewelry. It covered the majority of the owner's face, leaving only the white muzzle visible. "Coo," the pony repeated, regarding the dove atop her shoulder. She turned to face the trio.

"I apologize if mon amie startled you," said Dove, throwing her voice to the affect of an old wise mare. "It is not often we find fellow travelers within these woods. At least, not in these troubled times..."

The guard tensed, motioning to pull her sword from its holster hanging from her left flank, but the Princess raised a hoof in front of her and calmly stepped forward. "Think nothing of it. Truthfully, it is rather fortuitous our paths should cross like this. You see, we are members of a traveling cirque, hoping to reconcile with the rest of our group in Gangria. Please, if you've traveled from there, could you inform us of any strange individuals you may have sighted?"

"Hm..." the wise mare hummed, rubbing the bottom of her chin. "That way, I have neither seen nor heard in long. They say the Queen's claws have dug deeper these past years. Now, its claims to sovereignty are but a guise; a mask donned to deny itself its own corruption. If you are traveling there, our meeting truly is fortuitous."

The mare pivoted back into the interior of her wagon, out of which a series of clanks and thunks resounded before being capped off by a final loud thud as a sizable black cauldron was dropped outside the cart by flock of doves. The trio recoiled at the sound, then jumped again as the hooded pony suddenly appeared between them, standing at the Princess's side behind the cauldron. "My craft is fortune telling. With this, I can foresee your futures," the old wise mare said, slowly reaching into her cloak. The guard reared on her, drawing her convincing yet plastic sword.

"If you do not step away from my liege," she began, speaking through the sword in her mouth with practiced clarity while rounding herself between the wise mare and the Princess. "I can tell you that your future will be bleak."

The Princess motioned to speak, but the wise mare moved first.

"Oh?" said the wise mare. "You must keep a close eye on me then; supervise me should I perform anything unscrupulous. Perhaps you should look under my cloak first. Ensure that I carry nothing dangerous."

The guard nodded, sheathing the blade before approaching the wise mare and leaning in to examine the cloak's interior.

"And perhaps," Dove continued. "You should keep a precautionary wing around me; in case you find the need to restrain me at any time."

The guard nodded again, wrapping her massive right wing around Dove. Dove happily shook her head. "Non, non (No, no). Noble guardswoman, even with all your strength I do not think you could restrain me nearly fast enough with such a loose grip. You should hold me tighter."

The guard obliged.

"Tighter."

The guard obliged.

"...Tighter."

Nidra blushed, her eyes searching elsewhere. Anthea coughed awkwardly into her open hoof. "S-So--Fortune telling?"

Dove paused in her snuggling and returned her hoof inside her robe. "Ah, yes! Mon apologies. Where was it... Here!" She pulled a bottle from one of the many pockets lining her robe's interior and proceeded to empty its contents into the cauldron. She repeated the process twice more with practiced speed, before the cauldron suddenly erupted into a mass of grey, semi-transparent smoke. As it calmed itself into a looming circular cloud, a series of lights from the back of the theater played upon it, casting it in a luminous glow. The old wise mare waved her hands about methodically, staring up at the smoke.

"I see..." she began in her mystic tone. "A city, filled with ponies..."

A black outline of ponies came into view. They marched in and out of the fog's sides, making their ways across a dark grey block cut in such a way as to resemble a castle wall.

"I see... a mare. Vile and monstrous, she looms over them with a terrible presence."

The image scrolled to a simple outline of Claire standing tall atop the wall, the lights fading to a harsh purple shade as it did so. Just as it settled, another image seemed to fade in behind her.

"Beyond her... there lies a beast so wicked and terrible, a pony may very well faint in its presence!"

The cauldron began shaking; trembling as the image slowly grew ever larger.

"To overcome this beast, a pony must be both noble and cunning! To liberate this city, a pony must be purest of heart! And to rescue that which it hides, a long hid truth must be revealed!"

The image quickly became opaque before rising in size and smothering the cloud. The cauldron shook dramatically and the wise mare quickly waved her hooves, dissipating the cloud into nothingness and calming the cauldron's quakes. She let out a relieved sigh, then cast her eyes back over the Princess.

"I hope this information has proven useful to you," she said. "This is all I can provide."

"Thank you, fair wise mare," replied the Princess, softly bowing her head. "You have done us a great service. What manner of payment do you require?"

"Oh, you have paid me well enough with your company," returned the wise mare, gently rubbing her cloaked head against Starburst's wing. "However, I suggest you disembark as soon as possible. The threads of fate flow and weave with little temperament, and I fear my time with you risks jostling them even further."

She pulled herself, with much hesitation, from the guard's wing and began treading back to her cart, her doves carrying her cauldron back in through the wide window. The guard pivoted herself back to the wise mare, bowing her head low. "Fair wise mare... I apologize for my distrust. Should we meet again along these vast roads, I will surely greet you as a friend."

The wise mare's visible muzzle formed a caring smile, and, before she reentered her wagon through its open back, gestured a little 'oh you' of farewell. She shut the rustic wooden doors behind her, and the wagon quickly kicked into gear, moving as if by some unseen force or, perhaps, a number of very thin strings being pulled by Golden Delicious and Red June off stage. Api Apple slowly worked the roped levee system beside them, gradually returning the gapped scenery to its closed state. As the on-stage performers waved the cart off and mutually agreed to continue on their path to the opposite side of the stage, Api moved her hooves to the turnwheel just above and, after nodding to Nightlight Junior operating a similar turnwheel at the other end, began cranking the curtains closed. Pixel Bit trotted about nervously beyond the stage wall.

"Has anypony seen Prism Bolt?" she cried out to the bustling staff. Api trotted up to her.

"He was here during first roll," she said. Echo popped down from the rafter lighting.

"But if he's not here now, then there's nothing we can do. Icy will have to fill in for him."

"Yeah..." Pixel Bit sighed, searching the theater once more. "Still, I don't like missing two actors on opening night."

"Not much we can do," added Api. She cupped a hoof around her mouth and pivoted her head upwards. "Hey! Icy!"

Cotton Candy grinded her teeth against her hair. Her big scene was up. Cloudy's big scene, rather. Cloudy's big flop, as it will be known. The cut indents of the cardboard surroundings seemed to mold into crowds of unknown guests, and Candy gripped herself tighter. Just then, the guests seemed to turn, facing away from her and returning to the simple cardboard shape she knew. A pony poked his head through the opening, his hoof cautiously gripping the cardboard's edge.

"Prism?!" Candy silently cried.

Prism quickly shifted his paranoia stricken face down. "Oh--Candy! Mind if I hide with you?" He briskly entered, gently shutting the cardboard behind him.

"Yeah, I do!" Candy quietly shouted, leaning forward from her fetal position and onto her front hooves. "Go get your own fortress of shame! This one's taken!"

"There's no where else to hide!" returned Prism, carefully sitting down across from her. "Just let me hang here for a little bit. I'll sneak out during the intermission, promise!"

Candy huffed, then, after looking away, pouted an indignant pout of consent.

"Thanks," said Prism. He stretched his hooves forward, arching his back out in a healthy stretch before laying himself down on the cold stage floor. Candy observed him from out the corners of her eyes.

"You know," she began, a tentative hint of concern in her voice. "It's not healthy to rest your body against the floor."

"Sure it is," said Prism. He rubbed his hoof along the surprisingly smooth woodwork. "You cleaned it like, ten times over before the show started. I'm pretty sure it's actually cleaner than the air we breath."

Candy giggled, then raised a thoughtful hoof to her chin, postulating whether or not she should have invested in an air purifier as well. She didn't generally consider herself a sanitary obsessive; she just didn't like the thought of missing a spot. Prism relaxed onto his side.

"That all seems like a lot of effort for somepony not even acting in the play. Not to try n' sway you or anything," he said, rolling onto his back. "I enjoy the company. Just figured you'd want to perform after everything you did, especially all that technical stuff you put together in the rehearsals."

"Yeah, well..." Candy fretted. She began running her hooves through her hair. "I guess I'm just--not all that reliable, huh?"

Prism pursed his lips and proceeded to vibrate them in a dismissive manner. From his back, he turned his eyes up to her. "You're fine. Really. If I had to rely on anypony in the world for anything, it'd be you."

Candy simply looked at Prism a few moments, before a small string of tears began forming in her eyes. She quickly moved to wipe them away. "Y-You're just trying to make me feel better," Candy said, wiping one rolling down her cheek. Prism's face went mischievous.

"Yep!" he returned, showing her an exuberant smile. "Seems to be workin' though!"

Candy let out a little half laugh, stifled by her tears.

"Besides," Prism continued. "Just 'cuz I want you to be happy doesn't make it any less true."

A rather loud voice sounded from past the cardboard. "Next scene is starting now!" called Pixel Bit. "I repeat: The next scene is starting now!"

Candy simply looked at the cardboard the sound emanated past, staring intently at it. "I'm going out there," she stated, rising to her hooves. She looked down to Prism, him regarding her with somewhat taken aback eyes. "You should come with me," she continued. Her own mischievous face appeared. "I betcha it'll be fun..."

"N-Nope!" he ardently refused. "I can't be part of a play; everypony's gonna end up thinking I'm some kind a' lame-o."

"Well," Candy started, pressing her hoof to her chest. "This lame-o is going out there now, whatever those ponies think!"

She bounced over the surrounding cardboard walls, heading toward the costume racks while a dark blue head and rainbow mane peered out after her.

"The city of Gangria..." said the Princess, regarding the large, bronze castle before her. A sizable archway ran along its center, granting her and her compatriots view into the off left wing. "Still its architecture retains that splendor I'd experienced first I set my eyes upon it, all those many moons ago."

The guard stepped forward in front of her. "However, its interior has frayed and worn in the moons past. Fortunately, I have a friend on the inside. She'd been feeding us guards information on the city's happenings. She's the one who helped me through during my return, and she remains here now, hopefully able to lead us back despite Queen's influence." She walked calmly to the wall, raising a hoof to it before knocking a carefully timed sequence of knocks against the one block actually made from real stone. She lowered her hoof, and the trio waited, looking off stage to the grey little pegasus about to trot out. A light blue hoof rested atop her head, however, and soon the pink-and-white maned Cotton Candy came somersaulting out the gate, landing with pizzazz in mid-left stage.

"Welcome to Gangria!" she shouted, shaking a pair of outstretched jazz hooves as her jester's cap jingled its tiny bells. "Home to corruption, spies, and the best hoofburgers this side of--"

She looked at the crowd. She couldn't even see the ponies in the front row; all the theater blended together into one blurred mass of unfamiliarity. She froze. Her body couldn't move. The eyes would see. The eyes would know.

Anthea raised a perplexed eyebrow at the static blue blur ahead of her while Nidra scowled an impatient frown. Starburst remained still, observing her friend.

They were watching. They were all watching. Everypony--unflinchingly gazing at her as she just stood there, not able to--

"Jester," spoke the guardswoman. Candy peeled her eyes from the audience. "I recognize your fear. The Queen's ears are many, and they reach far in this domain. However, it is safe here. There are no spies. There are no ears. There is only us."

Starburst stood calmly before Candy, raising a hoof to her shoulder and meeting her square in the eyes.

"We are alone," she spoke tenderly. "There is only us."

Her eyes were engrossing. And... comforting. Candy's voice began to find itself, and her motor functions seemed to reset. She could feel herself breath once more. She returned Starburst's soft gaze, then, recoiling onto her haunches like a spring, launched past her, flipping her way just beyond the Princess.

"You can never be too sure!" shouted the jester, lifting a hoof over her eyes as she peered into the off-stage forest. "The ponies around here are crazy!" Suddenly she was at the stage edge. "You never know when one might be listening in." She scanned her view across the audience, but always kept her mother in her peripheral vision. She moved again, now atop a small height. "We should proceed with caution," she finished. She considered her height odd a moment, then looked down. Nidra's grimace greeted the blue face hanging in front of her. Candy tilted a surprised smile. "Oh! And you must be the Princess!"

Nidra managed to force a Princess-like countenance despite the pressure on her back. "Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you, most virtuous jester. This pony here beneath my wing is my dear servant."

The jester extended a hoof down to the blind mare. "Nice to meet ya!" The servant giggled into her hoof, then gently presented it out to the jester's, who took it and shook it before it could veer off trajectory. The jester leaped off the Princess's back, much to Nidra's chagrin, and landed back down with a sudden firm sense of purpose. "We must move quickly," she stated, returning to Starburst's side. "Safety is but an illusion in these parts. Follow me, and I'll grant you the perception to see beyond these coaxing lies."

The trio behind her nodded. They began walking to the off left wing, nearing the entrance of the bronze castle, when a sudden burst of wind came over them, followed by a passing shadow. As the jester held her hat down, she looked up, finding herself in an odd mix of delight.

Prism Bolt, dressed in armor befitting one of Luna's guard, floated over them, laughing maniacally at their struggle. The jester fixed her expression to the appropriate response. "Lieutenant Virocous!" she spat. "To what do I owe the displeasure?"

"OH-HO!" cried the lieutenant. "The ever-nefarious spy turns out to be a jester! Can't wait till the Queen hears about that." He turned his gaze to the alicorn below. "And by my guess you must be the Princess! Nice to meet ya! You too, blondie and shorty. Can't wait to see the Queen's face when I snag you all up and present ya to her in a batch of shackles!" He let out another villainous chortle. The jester grabbed the Princess's shoulder. "Pay him no heed, your highness," she reassured. "He is but one, and weak at that. If we don't press on now, however, he'll succeed in his true goal: stalling."

The Princess nodded. She checked the airborne pegasus, who taunted a menacing glare back at her. She gripped her servant beneath her, then turned round, and followed the jester into the city.

"You'll never escape!" shouted the lieutenant. "The Queen's will is absolute!"

The castle gate shut closed behind them, followed by the red curtains of the stage.