Chapters Next Generation Equestrian Players Present!
Cold, grey stone aligns the castle walls, standing tall above a set of vibrant green fields. Its many looming towers stab upward into the sky and block out the sun for any anypony unfortunate enough to call this prison a home. Atop the rugged balcony of one of these ugly monoliths sits a lovesick prince, his stunning green coat and tragic aquamarine eyes shining bright as beacons. He stares off into the distance; past the Deadly-Dark Forest and the Treacherous Mountain Pass, to his own city, now so far, and out of reach or sight. He casts his downtrodden gaze to the interior of his cell. A lavish set of decor, only availed to the most regal of captives.
The Prince marches past all the trifling furnishings and heads for the darkest corner of the cold, grey room, stopping just before a pair of radiant, blue eyes. "Oh... My dear, dear brother," begins a voice, stepping forward from the shadows. "Are you not enjoying your stay at my castle?"
"No," rebuffs the Prince, staring down the arrogant purple pony. "I'm not."
"Now really," returns the voice. "Is that any way to treat your Queen?"
"You're no Queen. When my beloved and I wed, we will ascend to the throne proper!"
"If you wed," says the Evil Queen. "I assure you, such a thing will never occur under my reign. My minions will see to that."
With a snap of her claw, the sound of a thousand flapping wings begins emanating from above the tower. The Prince runs to the balcony and finds a hoard of vile creatures flying in the direction of his city. He snaps his head back with a snarl. He lunges at the Queen, but she simply laughs and removes a colorful bottle from her dress. Before he can reach her, she tosses the contents at his open mouth, and he reels back, reflexively coughing at the strange powder he'd inhaled. A strange drowsiness overcomes him, and he feels his body slowly tumble to the floor. Each blink becomes heavier, and after each one the Queen's hooves get closer and closer.
"Sleep now, my dear, dear brother," she says, now standing over him. "Only true love's kiss may break this enchantment, and I fear your beloved will never arrive." A maniacal laugh spreads from out the lifeless stone walls and reverberates across the city. The Prince forces his eyes open one last time, before falling irrevocably to sleep...
"Hold on a second," said Turquoise Blitz, looking up from his script. "I spend the entire play... unconscious?"
"Yep!" answered Pixel Bit, her tiny brown and pink ponytail swaying as she turned to him. "Don't worry cuz. If there's anything you know how to do, it's sleeping." The tiny white and brown Api hopped across the wooden flooring of the stage, right past the rest of the cast, still setting up the painted cardboard scenery, and popped up in front of Turquoise. "It's not just sleeping! It is a sorrowful, eternal slumber from which you can never awaken! Unless your beloved's lips meet yours, and you embrace in a fit of love, and passion, and..." She danced on in her own little world, trotting feverishly across the stage. Pixel levitated another colorful piece of cardboard with her to center stage, and Turquoise returned his gaze to the script. "And here I was hoping to discover acting as my talent," he sighed quietly. A small, grey elbow nudged itself against his foreleg. Cloudy Skies stood next to him, presenting him her best reassuring smile.
"I think it'll be okay," she said. "The first and final scenes offer you plenty of dialogue. And acting unconscious is still technically acting! Although, I'm not sure if it's really difficult acting, or if it really offers you the scope of emotions necessary to prove any level of acting talent--"
Turquoise's hoof rested itself atop her head and playfully ruffled her mane. "I'll be alright, Cloudy," he said, smiling down at the young pegasus. "Like you said, I've got two scenes of solid acting. For the rest... I'll just have to add a little bit of drama to it." He lifted the back of his hoof to his forehead and fell to his back. "Oh!" he melodramatically cried with closed eyes. "What cruel fate has led me to this state of unconsciousness? To be trapped in this eternal slumber?! Oh, dearest me! Never before have I been so unconscious!"
Cloudy giggled at the display, not taking notice of the black Alicorn-Princess trotting pompously past her. The Princess stopped at center stage, right before Pixel Bit and the cardboard bush she'd just finished setting up. "You are Pixel Bit, are you not?" Princess Nidra demanded.
Pixel Bit nodded and bowed facetiously. "Yes, 'tis I, fair Princess. What be your qualm?"
Nidra squared her eyes. Pixel Bit kept her goofy expression. She'd spent enough time around Princes and Princesses to know that they're just like any other pony. Which isn't to say she saw them as normal, or really anypony as normal. Everypony is unique and has something that makes them special. For Princess Nidra, that was her attitude.
"My qualm ," Nidra repeated, with a none-too-subtle undercurrent of irritation. "Is your awful casting choices!"
A script levitated from behind her back and slammed down at Pixel's hooves. "A servant?! You'd dare to cast me as a servant?! And, what's more, you give the role of Princess to... her ..." Nidra's head and eyes shifted left, shooting daggers at the semi-blind, blonde maned unicorn sitting at the far end of the stage, scanning hopelessly over her script. Another pony approached from Nidra's peripherals: Turquoise Blitz, who sat himself directly beside her and began verbalizing the printed words. Nidra continued looking over the scene, her anger dissolving to sadness. A kiss scene would be the perfect chance. The chance to prove her love, beyond a shadow of a doubt! He'd realize from her sweet, saccharine lips, that true love was meant for them and them alone!
"You done fawning over my cousin?" interjected Pixel Bit. Nidra blushed deep red and veered her head back in shame.
"I-I apologize," stated Nidra, unable to make eye contact. "But, I implore you. Please allow me the role of Princess. I will give you my greatest performance if you do. I'll perform any soliloquy you ask! Please..." Nidra steeled herself, then met Pixel Bit's eyes. "Director Pixel Bit, please recast me into the role of Princess!"
Assuming a traditional, regal posture, Nidra bowed her head low beneath Pixel Bit's chin. For a short while, Pixel Bit simply looked on in surprise, before her sympathetic side slowly began eating away at her. It gnawed itself to her core, and she signaled over Api and Echo. "Hold on a sec'," said Pixel Bit. The three fillies quickly formed a tight triangle, jabbering back and forth so fast that the debate bordered on incoherent. However, after a near minute of unintelligible discussion, Nidra awkwardly standing beside them for the entirety, the trio finally reached a conclusion. Pixel Bit turned to the rest of the stage behind her and cupped a hoof to the edge of her mouth.
"Excuse me, everypony! Can I please have your attention?"
The rest of the cast paused in their duties and focused on Pixel Bit. "We have an important announcement! Princess Nidra and Annie will be switching roles! Nidra will now be playing the Princess, and Annie will play her servant!"
Most of the cast nodded in agreement and continued about their duties, excluding the three Pixel suddenly found walking up to her.
"Wait," said Turquoise, walking with Anthea beneath his right wing. "I'm not sure this is a good idea."
Anthea squirmed herself from the confines of his wing. "T," she started, situated between a big green blur, which she knew was Turquoise, and a black and blue blur, which she assumed to be Nidra. "It's okay, really. I don't mind."
"But, Annie," Turquoise added, leaning his head down to her level.
"I have some concerns with the casting as well," stated Crystal Clarity as she stepped into the group. "Well, specifically, it's with my role, the 'Evil Queen'. I... I'm not comfortable with it. I don't want to accuse you, little cousin, but... I'm afraid you may be type casting."
"Type... casting?" questioned Pixel Bit.
"Yes. Type casting. Based on the fact that I am half-dragon, you cast me as the antagonist. You cast me as something dreadful! As something horrid! As something... you see as evil..."
An awkward silence followed, only stirring at Pixel Bit's forced cough. "Um... I-I'm sorry. I didn't think about--"
"Actually," chimed in Echo, reminding everyone of her presence. She paid the surprised faces no mind. "We didn't type cast you. Did all of you forget that we chose Turquoise for the handsome Prince? Or that we initially didn't pick any of the actual Princesses here to play the Princess? Seems kind-of obvious."
Everyone took a moment to process just how correct she was, at the end of which everypony sighed in relief. Everypony, that is, except Crystal Clarity. She wore a half smile as she showed her face to her cousin. "I'm relieved to hear this, I truly am, but I doubt anypony in the audience will see it that way. Turquoise may be the handsome Prince, but he spends the entire play comatose, in a bed, draped in sheets which cover most of his body. I, however, am constantly in the public's eye, saying things like--" She levitated Nidra's script from the ground behind her and brought it beneath her face, quickly flipping through the pages before stopping on an exact line. After clearing her throat, she inhaled deeply. "'Bwahahaha! My evil cannot be contained! All my subjects be warned! No pony who defies me shall survive this night!' "
The air became awkward again. The only sound to be heard was that of clapping, made by a tall white pony standing midway through the theater's entrance. "That was great!" she exclaimed, trotting down the center row and arriving at the incline of the stage. "Really, it was fantastic! Those are your lines, Claire?"
Claire nodded blankly at her friend, Creme de la Creme; the second friend she'd made back when she lived in Canterlot. Creme nodded her head with a proud smile. "You sounded perfect. Like a real Queen!" The other ponies exchanged glances, checking for any objections before feeling comfortable in sharing the sentiment. Claire blushed slightly behind her script. "T-Thank you," she started, considering the future of her relationship with Prince Illusion. "B-But you have to consider--"
"You don't want to be Queen?" questioned Creme.
"W-Well, I most certainly do... but, at the same time..."
Pixel Bit jumped in. "We could recast you, if you want. I didn't mean to make you angry..."
"No, no, it's quite alright, I just... I-- I--" Claire raised a hoof over her flushed face. "I... I'll do it. I accept the role. Now please, excuse me a moment. I need to get some air." Circling around the group to the edge of stage, Claire hopped down to the center isle and walked her most hurried, dignified walk to the entrance. Creme turned to Pixel Bit.
"I finished crunching the numbers by the way," she started, pulling out a small list and putting on her tiny pair of reading glasses. "Comparing the costs of cardboard, paints, ticket paper, and theater rental against the pricing of tickets and approximate audience size, I estimate the net gain to be about... two hundred bits in the first night; rounding down."
Everypony's jaw went slack. Echo was the first to pick hers back up. "W-Wait," she stumbled. "You didn't accidentally add another zero there, did you, Creme?"
Readjusting her spectacles, Creme double checked the final line. "No, two hundred point three bits opening night. Given that every ticket is four bits, that two Equestrian Princesses will be openly performing, that three Princesses will be attending, and that my own parents have already bought their tickets... gauging from the level of influence each of those factors will have, I approximate seventy attendees. Subtract the costs from that level of revenue and the gross income is about two hundred bits. Opening night, of course."
"Seventy...?"
"Yes, seventy in attendance. Opening night."
Echo's jaw descended yet again, as did everypony else's. This time, Turquoise was the first reconvene. "Annie," he said, meeting Anthea's eyes with his own. Despite her lack of sight, Anthea knew the concern in them. She began to second his feelings.
"Don't worry!" cried Api, hopping in front of them. "We've got a plan. Instead of your royal guard leading you around the set, now we'll have your kind Princess, with whom you share an intimate, sisterly bond, guiding you through the scenes!"
"So, in other words," Anthea found herself saying with some trepidation. "I'll be relying on... Nidra..."
Anthea couldn't see Nidra's face, but she didn't need to. She didn't even need a cursory check of the blur. She could feel the mischievous grin rising along Nidra's countenance. She gulped as she suddenly felt a wing descend upon her. It shared the same composition as Turquoise's, but it lacked the caring delicacy she knew him for. Rather, this wing grabbed her and forced her close its owner.
"My sweet, sisterly servant !" announced Nidra, glaring down at the prey trapped within her snare. "You need not worry. Your Princess will ensure the greatest of care for you! Although, if you are yet uncomfortable, you can always withdraw from the play. No pony would blame a poor little blind mare for getting cold feet."
Her last few words dripped from her mouth like acid. Turquoise pivoted toward Pixel Bit. "Why don't we just swap the roles again? If Annie can't be the Princess, maybe she could be the old wise mare? Or the merchant? Or--"
"T," interjected Annie, determination flaring in her eyes. "It's fine." She shifted her head back up to Nidra. "Oh, my pure, sisterly Princess... I hope you recognize the severity of our task. And though your beloved may await you, take care not to forget the hardships of your friends. If you do, they may just be your downfall..." Above their false smiles, their eyes waged a war of attrition; neither one budging nor receding. Api rubbed her hooves enthusiastically together.
"Then it's settled!" she shouted, throwing her hooves in the air. "Does anypony else have any objections to their roles?"
Starburst looked up from her script at the back corner of the stage, a twinkle glimmering in her eyes. "A royal guard...?" she mused to herself. "It's... perfect!"
Author's Note
Takes place before Anthea and Turquoise begin properly dating.
Any and all criticism is welcome!
Next Generation Equestrian Players Present!
After ten days of rigorous rehearsal, the cast and crew now found themselves periodically peeking out the curtains at the massive audience before them. Opening night was upon them. The play was about to begin. Crystal Clarity looked over her script in the back corner, her face alternating between strokes of horrid villainy and moderated self-disgust. Starburst practiced her facial warm-ups a few feet away, occasionally stopping to strike a valiant salute to an invisible superior. Anthea stood at the gap between the curtains, poking her eye out at the mass of blurs and blobs. She pulled back and looked at the tan and pink blur beneath her.
"...That's a lot of ponies, isn't it?" she questioned.
Pixel Bit nodded. "Yeah... like, a huge amount. I don't even recognize most of them. Must be a few from Canterlot, and the Apple family is probably visiting from Appleoosa."
"Hey," interjected a raw country accent. Golden Delicious's orange figure stood close behind them. "Have any of y'all seen Candy anywhere?"
At the back corner of the stage, behind a fortress of cardboard scenery, Cotton Candy was rolling herself back and forth in the fetal position. Her wavy mane was clenched between her teeth and her pupils were wide with terror. Your friends need you! she heard herself think. You can do it, can't you? For them! Candy paused in her rolling. The image of the stage, mid-performance, entered her mind. She could feel herself, standing at the off side of the stage, waiting for her cue. She'd cartwheel out, dressed in her jester's hat and colorful jacket, turn her head and see... unfamiliar --so many unfamiliar faces--watching her and everything she did, everything she was going to do, they'd be watching! Her teeth nearly cracked themselves as she bit down harder and reentered her rocking with increased fervor.
"Ah coulda swore I saw her come in," sounded Del's voice from beyond the cardboard. The clip-clap of four tiny hooves followed behind him.
"We don't have time to look for her!" cried Api. "We're about to start! If she doesn't show up, we'll just have her understudy take over. Hey, Cloudy!"
Cloudy Skies jumped, losing her grip on her script and quickly tripping as she attempted to pick it up. "Er... yes?" she answered from her awkward position on the floor.
"Candy might not make it! If she doesn't, we need you to play the jester in her place, okay?"
"Y-Yes!" Cloudy responded, picking herself back up. "I mean--I'll do my best!"
Cotton Candy chewed away at her mane. Cloudy... her little sister. She knows the lines through and through, but all the blocking and the acrobatics... combined with her bad luck and massive guilt complex... Cloudy will end up torturing herself if anything goes wrong. Meanwhile, her sister remains cowering behind a wall of unused cardboard. Candy slowed her rolling to a halt. Trembling, she planted her front hooves down beneath her and pushed her posterior up to an uneasy stand. She could feel the eyes bearing down on her. All those strangers, watching, staring . Cloudy couldn't be subjected to that!
But... Candy thought, her hind legs failing her and dropping her to a lonesome sit. I just... can't. I'm sorry Cloudy. I can't. I just can't! Her eyes fell to the cold flooring beneath her. ...I just can't...
"Actors! To your positions!" shouted Pixel Bit. "The first scene starts in one minute!"
Beyond the curtains, the crowd chatted away endlessly, their individual conversations blending together to become a mess of indecipherable noise. Contributing to this mess in the front row 'VIP' section were the mane six, with Spike laying beside Rarity atop the special padded flooring along the right isle. Rarity's hooves clapped together excitedly. "Ooh! " she said, looking down at her husband. "This is going to be simply marvelous !"
Fluttershy tilted her head lightly out past the slumped over Rainbow Dash. "Annie told me the costumes you made were amazing!" she said in her saccharine voice. Rarity raised her chin with a dignified smile, which quickly broke as a soft but sudden kick was dealt to the back of her chair. She turned, finding a cross-armed but smiling Sweetie Belle behind her. "You didn't make them too amazing, did you?"
"Of course not," Rarity rebuffed, returning to her dignified manner. "I wouldn't want to steal Pixel Bit's thunder. Sometimes, it is necessary to act with a certain level of restraint."
Rarity and Sweetie Belle faced each-other again, and both broke out laughing. Spike smiled from the padding beside her. He replayed the past week's events in his mind; all the times he had to break Rarity of her creative focus and remind her to keep things relatively simple. Letting out a content sigh, he raised his head to rest against Rarity's shoulder, whereupon Rarity smiled and rested her head against his. Fluttershy turned back to Twilight. "And she told me that Starburst is a natural actress. Really committed to the role."
"That's the first I've heard anything about it," Twilight replied with a sheepish grin. "Every time I'd ask her, she'd just smile and say, 'It's a secret.'"
"Better than what I got," Rainbow Dash grumpily added. "Prism wouldn't tell me anything! I'd press him about it, but nothing. He'd just mutter something about it being embarrassing then fly off!"
She crossed her arms against her chest and slumped further. Then, she found herself gripping her armrests as her seat began shaking emphatically. Pinkie had just found her seat between Twilight and Applejack, and her legs vibrated so excitedly the entire row felt like it was taking on turbulence. Applejack put a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. "Y-Y-Y-O-O-U-U A-A-L-R-I-G-H-T T-T-H-E-E-R-E S-S-U-G-A-R-P-L-U-M-B?"
"Oh, sorry!" said Pinkie, gripping her legs and forcing them to a halt. "I'm just sooo excited! I mean, all our children are going to be doing a show together and Sweetie Belle's daughter is going to be directing--super excited for her by the way--and Candy's going to be-hrmf!"
"Shh ," said Twilight, holding her hoof against Pinkie's mouth. "The play's about to start."
Pinkie nodded, and once Twilight removed her hoof, she zipped her lips, attached a lock and threw away the metaphysical key.
The lights dimmed. The noise hushed. Silence returned to the theater. The stage lights drew on as the rest of the room darkened. The curtains rolled back, revealing a starry night background and a castle structure standing fairly tall over a fog covered stage. Half of the castle was gone, exposing the innards to the audience. A lovesick prince stood at the outside balcony overlooking right center stage. He raised his head, taking his cue to stare off into the distance as if searching for a long lost home. He could see no such vision, and solemnly returned to the inside of the castle. There, he found a villainous queen, who exited the shadows and slowly approached him.
"Oh... My dear, dear brother..."
Wow, thought Anthea, listening from behind the off right wing in her messy servant attire. She's good. She's really good. She smiled as Turquoise began his lines. And those vocal lessons with Sweetie Belle are really paying off. Pixel Bit poked her from the right side.
"As soon as this scene is over, we'll close curtain and set-up the next one. Last time in rehearsals we managed it in just under a minute. You ready to go out?"
"Certainly," replied Nidra, suddenly appearing at Anthea's left. Anthea narrowed her eyes competitively and nodded her head.
"I'm ready," she responded. Pixel Bit nodded in turn and levitated an open script in front of herself. She checked off the roles 'Princess' and 'Blind Servant'.
"That just leaves Starburst. I'll check with her on the opposite side. Break a hip!" she cried at a moderated volume before trotting off past the fog machine. Anthea looked to her left, attempting to gauge Nidra's general form. Though it was fuzzy, she appeared to have her neck raised, gazing upward at the two performers. Anthea looked up as well, noticing a splotchy green blur in the midst of the blurring greys and blues. She flinched as that green blur suddenly fell to the grey with a thud, then, looking back up at Nidra, wondered if she'd done the same. A maniacal laugh permeated the theater, and the crew set about the scene change.
Within forty-five seconds, the curtains reopened. A pleasant township greeted the audience, with impressively painted rural cardboard houses intermixed between and behind minor stretches of cardboard bushes. Out from the right wing walked a blue haired princess, her smaller blonde servant at her side, tucked away beneath an outstretched wing. The two regarded the scenery with bittersweet sentimentality.
"Ah, my dear, sisterly servant," bemoaned the Princess, gazing off into the painted, bright blue sky. "I wonder still of my love's condition. So many weeks ago he left to negotiate a treaty with his terrible sister, and we've yet to receive a return letter nor any news of his whereabouts."
"I understand your concerns, my fair Princess," responded the servant. "But we must remain strong in these troubled times. In moments such as these, I know the Prince would say--oomf! "
Anthea recoiled out from Nidra's wing as her muzzle met the edge of a cardboard rock. The crowd burst out laughing, though Fluttershy and the rest of the six cringed at the impact.
"Oh, are you alright, my dear servant?" the Princess began in a sincere tone. "I apologize. Sometimes, I suppose I just... lose my way, as it were."
Anthea could guess the smirk working its way across Nidra's face. Anthea lifted her head, and smiled.
"Yes, as I recall, your navigational skills always were terrible. Sometimes, I have to wonder which of us is the blind one."
The crowd hollered and hooted. Nidra's lower eyelid twitched. Anthea grinned as she returned beneath Nidra's wing. "Shall we continue along our promenade? Lest I have to remind you where it is we're going."
"Princess!" came a blood curdling cry. The Princess and the servant returned their focus ahead. A small orange guard pony ran wearily from the left wing, her body tattered in made-up bruises and cuts. She'd nearly reached them, when she collapsed and fell to the ground, short of breath. They quickly approached her side, the servant kneeling down to cautiously feel out the wounds. She turned her head to the Princess. "She's badly injured, my Princess. We'd best carry her home so she can rest and heal properly."
The Princess nodded her head, but the guard slammed a determined hoof down. "N-No, these matters are... urgent! " She began putting weight on it, slowly lifting herself to a resolute stand. The guard breathed hard, but upon composing herself, bowed a sore bow to the Princess. "My Princess, forgive me for not arriving sooner. The Prince, as well as my fellow guardsmen, have fallen into the Evil Queen's clutches. She has trapped them, and plans to do the same to you to preserve her dominion over the throne. I was... the only one to escape; ordered by the Prince mid-battle to abandon combat and return to you with this news. If only I had stayed and fought, perhaps he could have been here instead..."
The Princess rested a hoof on the guard's shoulder. "Do not blame yourself, noble guardswoman. It as you said, dear servant, regarding what the Prince would say in moments such as these."
"...You mean 'oomf? '" Anthea answered. Nidra blushed.
"N-No! Not 'oomf'!"
The guard raised a hoof. "It is unlikely the Prince would state such a word under dire circumstance."
Nidra huffed a quiet but frustrated huff.
"I realize; what I meant , dear servant, was with regards to what you were going to say about the Prince's diatribe in moments such as these."
The servant smiled. "In moments such as these, we must remain hopeful and strong. Only when hope dies, does our future truly fade."
"Exactly!" exclaimed the Princess. She returned the hoof to the guard's shoulder. "We mustn't give in to despair! The Prince and your comrades are not beyond saving, nor is this realm. If we mount a rescue, we can save them. We can defeat the Evil Queen and her minions and finally restore balance to this tortured land!"
To this, the guard bowed a second time. "I would be honored to accompany you, my liege."
"As would I," said the servant, bowing her head in a similar manner.
The Princess looked over her friends and somehow managed to shed a surprisingly natural tear. "Thank you; the both of you. With our friendship, I am certain we will succeed. Now, let us return home. We shall pack provisions then set out at the crack of dawn!"
With that, the actors gallantly marched into the off right wing, and the curtains closed in preparation for the next scene.
Author's Note
Don't ask me where the rest of the mane 6's spouses are. They're probably on the moon or something.
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.
