A Night at the Opera

Chapters

1 The Summoning
2 The Voice
3 The Payback
4 The Performance

1 The Summoning

The warming early morning sun glinted clinically off the highly polished rails and stands in the Carousel Boutique and a full-length mirror coincidentally positioned to catch the full force of the sunlight reflected its dazzling brilliance onto an unsuspecting wall. A white unicorn busied herself and hummed a cheerful little song as she made tiny adjustments to the dresses hanging off display mannequins in the shop front, so they could look just right even to her critical eye.

There was no doubting the success of her recent spring collection, and her boutiques in Ponyville and Canterlot had seen a constant stream of eager customers all trying to emulate the glamorous fashionista and style icon. She also knew that in faraway Canterlot, Sassy Saddles would be doing exactly the same thing right now, preparing the store for what was certain to be another busy day ahead.

She straightened up and took a step back, tilting her head on one side to admire the aesthetic presentation of the boutique’s centrepiece display. Finally satisfied that it worked perfectly from every angle, she progressed round to the other displays, taking great pride in every last detail. After all, she reasoned, anypony could do ‘fine’, but she was not prepared to accept anything less than fabulous.

With a sense of pride surging through her that every display met her exacting standards, she allowed herself to bask for a brief moment in her achievement and headed off to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea as her reward before opening for the day.

Her gentle prancing steps were interrupted halfway across the floor by a softly pulsing feeling coming from her flanks. This was a sensation she had experienced before, but still felt it necessary to check, and drew up next to one of the many mirrors to confirm what she suspected – her cutie mark was glowing! Not only was she not going to get her well-earned cup of tea, but she wasn’t going to get to open the boutique either.

“Of all the worst things that could happen” she whined to nopony in particular “This is the! Worst! Possible! Thing!"
She composed herself briefly and flung her head back theatrically, then continued the monologue to her dresses “It had better be somewhere spectacular is all I can say!”

She flounced to the door, took one last tragic look around her immaculately presented boutique and stared regretfully at the sign on the door that read “CLOSED” before raising her head high and trotting off towards the Castle of Friendship to see what the Cutie Map had in store.

Upon arriving at the Castle, she was greeted by a baby dragon who stood by the main entrance looking distinctly bashful. In his claws he held an exotically coloured hibiscus that he sheepishly offered as she approached. In a trice, she felt the gross injustice she had been served melt away as the besotted dragon smiled shyly, his cheeks turning a distinct shade of pink and he extended the flower to her.

“Oh, Spikey Wikey!” she exclaimed “Why, that’s positively beautiful!”
“I got it for you Rarity” stammered the dragon weakly “When I saw your cutie mark flashing above the Cutie Map.”
“Oh, you are just the sweetest thing” she gushed, taking the blue flower in her magic and securing it in her mane.
“There” she said with a triumphant flourish “What do you think?”
“Beautiful …” whispered Spike, spellbound.
“Why, thank you Spikey Wikey” she said, flashing him that smile that at least half of Ponyville would have died for and bent down to give him a tender kiss on his cheek.

“I think I could use a brave somepony or perhaps somedragon to escort me to the Throne Room. Seeing as you’ve been there already, would you be prepared to help me please?” she cooed coquettishly, batting her eyelids.
Spike blushed furiously to be on the receiving end of such focused flirting and found himself utterly tongue tied, able to do little more than utter her name as he clasped his two clawed hands together.
Taking this as a ‘yes’, Rarity levitated the lovestruck dragon and placed him on her back as she set off along the labyrinth of corridors to find the Throne Room.

She nudged the door open, still humming a cheerful tune and saw Twilight peering over the diorama, watching the familiar three diamond motif accompanied by three pink butterflies circling over a point on the map.
“Oh, hey Rarity!” she greeted with a wide smile “Looks like you two have got a friendship mission right up your street!"
The immaculate white pony trotted over, looking at her beaming friend quizzically, her interest piqued.
"I would so love to be going with you!” chattered Twilight excitedly “Have you seen where you’re going?”

Rarity drew up to the map and Spike craned past her neck to see too, noticing the destination just before Rarity reacted. He hung on as best he could, waiting for the inevitable response.
“Manehattan!” she gasped, rearing up to press both forehooves to her cheeks as her eyes sparkled brightly. Spike was grateful he had the foresight to hang on.

“Darling! I simply can’t wait! So much better suited to me than some of those yucky places it’s sent us!”
“Actually Rarity, as I recall it's never sent you anywhere off the beaten track. It’s sent you to Manehattan before with Applejack to work with Coco Pommel and then to Canterlot with Pinkie Pie to help out Saffron Masala. In fact,” said Twilight, now in full lecture mode “It has sent you to the big cities more often than any of us.”

When she saw that her diligently researched resumé of her friend’s excursions hadn’t been rewarded with quite the rapturous response she had hoped for, she sprang her face into a wide, false smile.

“One cannot have too much Manehattan, darling” came the pithy response as Rarity flicked her mane and looked away lest her look betray the contempt of her friend’s comments.

“Hey Rarity” said Spike, anticipating a friendship problem starting inside the Castle of Friendship itself “Does that mean you can get to see your friend Coco Pommel again?”
“Why, yes it does” said Rarity, the tension in the room defuzing instantly “Oh, I simply cannot wait a moment more darling!”

Twilight shot Spike a grateful look that said ‘thank you’ all over it, with ribbons and tassels attached. Spike returned her look with one much more calculating that said ‘that’s going to cost you a bucket load of gems and comics’.

Just as peace broke out amongst the friends, they became aware that the owner of the other summoned cutie mark had entered the Throne Room.
“Oh, hello everypony. I do hope I haven’t missed anything, only Angel Bunny really wanted his tail fluffed today and I simply couldn’t leave without making him look his very best …”
“Hello Fluttershy!” interrupted Twilight, eager to move on from her near faux pas with Rarity.
“Oh my” said Fluttershy, visibly overwhelmed by Twilight’s enthusiasm “Where am I going?”
“We are going to Manehattan darling!” gushed Rarity “Isn’t it simply divine?”
“I guess so” replied the primrose pegasus uncertainly.

“Come now darling, no time to waste. We should prepare an overnight bag just in case and be ready to catch the next train. See you at the station!” she trilled cheerfully.
With her enthusiasm bubbling over, Rarity bade her farewells and trotted off happily to pack ‘the barest essentials’ for her forthcoming trip. Spike looked after her as she left, staring at the doorway she had passed through long after she had gone.
“You still got it bad” commented Twilight, a tender smile crossing her face as she shook her head gently.

“Didn’t she look lovely with that flower in her mane?” sighed Spike.
“Yes, yes she did” said Twilight, turning to give the baby dragon a knowing smile.

2 The Voice

Having offloaded a collection of suitcases, trunks, valises and hand baggage, all but one of which was adorned with an elegantly scripted 'R' monogram, Rarity led Fluttershy off across Manehattan to catch up with Coco Pommel. She took a circuitous route, delving down streets that were old haunts, along with some others that she wished had been, revelling in the vibrant atmosphere so different from the quiet town where she lived.

Lured by the bright lights of Bridleway, they detoured past the famous named theatres where blockbuster shows were routinely presented to the adoring public. The two mares chatted happily as they recalled the personal performance of ‘Hinny of the Hills’ that Rarity had been able to swing for her friends following their kind acts of generosity towards her.

They walked on past the Whinney Gardens and the Harold Pinto, pausing to take in their latest productions, but stopped at the Saddlers Wells Theatre as they could hear the faintest sounds of a masterful operatic tenor in full flow. Interest piqued, Rarity allowed herself to drift into the foyer and started climbing the stairs to the auditorium when she was intercepted by the doorman.

“Sorry Madam” said the uniformed stallion with obvious disinterest “Rehearsals in progress. Can’t have you disrupting Mr Pavatrotti.”
“Luciano Pavatrotti?” gasped Rarity, awestruck “The greatest operatic tenor ever?”
“Yeah, that one” came the bored reply.
Rarity’s expression contorted into one of shock. Honestly, what was the theatre doing employing such a philistine?

Incredulous at the inability of the doorman to appreciate talent, Rarity lifted her head high and strode back out onto the street where her friend was waiting, but instead of leaving the venue, she worked her way round to the stage door. She found it easily as it had a big sign above stating STAGE DOOR, and noticed that it wasn’t quite shut, just by a fraction! It was one of those doors that could only be opened from the inside, so very carefully she set about prising it open, little bit at a time with a fine file that she just so happened to have with her. Shortly, her diligence paid off and she got a hoofhold, pulling it open.

“Um, Rarity” said Fluttershy quietly “Do you think you should be doing this?”
“It’ll be quite alright darling” said Rarity flashing her beautiful blue eyes “If they didn’t want me to come in, they would have kept the door closed wouldn’t they?”
“Um, Rarity” said Fluttershy hesitantly “I think it was closed.”
By the time she had finished speaking, Rarity was gone.

Inside was dark and surprisingly bare; every time she had been backstage as a performer, guest or even adoring fan it was always bustling and vibrant, so the emptiness and eeriness took her by surprise. She tiptoed through to the wings where she had a perfect view of the legendary tenor as he gave the most majestic rendition of “O Pony Mio”, sending shivers running all through her body. He was a truly magnificent performer and Rarity’s eyes were wide as she found herself mouthing along to the well-known lyrics and supplementing her silent performance with accentuated forehoof movements, getting into the spirit of the moment.

When the performance ended, it was all she could do not to break out into spontaneous applause and forced a forehoof over her mouth so she didn’t betray her presence. Even so, she still felt her legs going weak as the last chords died away amongst the empty seats. Then, as if the last song wasn’t enough, he launched into a famous duet from La Falabella. A practiced and consummate singer with the Pony Tones and an accomplished soprano in her own right, she couldn’t help herself as the cue came along for the female voice in the duet and she began to sing; her crisp clear notes counterpointing perfectly those from the famous tenor.

Suddenly Pavatrotti stopped.

Then the orchestra stopped.

Then Rarity stopped and walked out sheepishly from the wings.

“Ooopsie!” she said putting a forehoof to her mouth.

“Ooopsie indeed!” shouted a smartly suited stallion in the front row, rounding on her and turning a frightening shade of crimson “Who are you and how did you get in? This is not amateur night! We are rehearsing with the Luciano Pavatrotti!”

“Yes, I can see that” conceded Rarity apologetically, but then became a little more assertive “But the door was open and I, as a singer of some note, was drawn to the magnificence of Mr Pavatrotti’s voice. I was hoping to stay hidden and listen, but his rendition of the duet was so sublime I couldn’t help but respond.”

“Well now you can leave! Quickly and quietly!” demanded the stallion.
“Hold on now, please” interjected the calm voice of the famous tenor “This Lady sang beautifully, if only for a few bars. I for one should be delighted if she would stay for the rest of the rehearsal.”

“Well, I should not!” screamed the stallion “We cannot afford any more delays and this trespassing nopony will only interrupt further! She had already shown she cannot control herself! Need I remind you who is paying the bills?”
“Yes, but without me you have no show” persisted Pavatrotti calmly “And she does have a very nice voice. I should like her to stay.”

“No! This is your comeback and I will make sure it succeeds in spite of your current rather mediocre and lacklustre performance. Put frankly, you are not making the necessary effort and need to focus. That means no interruptions and no distractions!”
“I don’t want to do it anyway. I’m only here because of the pressure you put on me to do it.”
“Be that as it may, now you’re here you can’t back down. Think of all those loyal fans you would disappoint and how the value of your stock would tumble.”

Rarity stood next to the famous tenor as the war of words unfolded around her, verbal shots ricocheting as echoes around the auditorium. They had reached a stalemate.

“I’m very sorry Mr Pavatrotti” said Rarity “I should leave.”
“Please meet me in the foyer afterwards, would you?” invited the singer “I like you more than anypony I’ve met in a very long time.”
“The foyer it is then” said Rarity, and left the stage heading for the exit.

“Now, if we can continue …” shouted the irascible suited stallion.

The doorman stared in disbelief at Rarity as she daintily descended the very stairs that he had turned her away from only minutes earlier.
“What were you doing in there?” he demanded.
“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” she enquired innocently “I’m a friend of Mr Pavatrotti and he will be meeting me here once rehearsals are over.”
With no room to argue, the doorman offered her a seat and disappeared to nurse his wounded pride. How in Equestria had she got past him anyway?

“Oh, and one more thing darling” said Rarity batting her eyelids “Please would you invite a friend of mine to join me? She’s currently waiting by the stage door.”
Defeated, he walked off and did as he had been bidden, Fluttershy joining her in the foyer no more than two minutes later.

“What did you do Rarity?” asked her friend incredulous.
“Why, I just told him I am an old friend of Pavatrotti.”
“Is that him singing?”
“Yes darling” preened Rarity “And he will be meeting us as soon as rehearsals are finished.”

Not for the first time that day, Fluttershy was speechless.

3 The Payback

After another half hour there was a crashing and banging of doors indicating that rehearsals were over. Rarity double checked her look in the mirror, as she had done every five minutes since having entered the foyer, and feigned interest in some of the forthcoming shows being advertised.

She pretended not to hear the muffled hoofsteps approaching behind, still focusing on the small print about the next few shows and felt herself start to tremble with anticipation.
“I must apologise for my manager’s bad manners earlier” he said through the richest tones she had ever heard, right next to her ear “I for one enjoyed your singing.”

Fluttershy gasped on hearing that Pavatrotti admired Rarity’s singing. Perhaps they really were friends after all?

Rarity turned and found herself staring up into his eyes; one-on-one individual attention from one of Equestria’s greatest ever singers. She was ready to swoon, but held herself up as she knew there wasn’t a fainting couch anywhere near.
“Why, Mr Pavatrotti, you’re too kind” she replied, “It was rather naughty of me to interrupt.”
“With a voice like yours, I would welcome an interruption at any time” he encouraged “It certainly brightened up the rehearsals!”

She introduced an open-mouthed Fluttershy and the happy trio decided to leave the theatre for a nearby café where Rarity finally broke from the delightful to and fro of social conversation to ask something that had been on her mind.
“Did I hear you right earlier that your manager was blackmailing you into performing this concert?”
“Yes” he sighed “I’m sorry you had to hear that. He announced the performance before asking me if I wanted to do it, and then told me if I didn’t agree, all my fans would desert me.”

“Well, that’s not very nice” said Fluttershy.
“I’m guessing he takes a large cut of the takings too” added Rarity with a distasteful look on her face.
“You guessed right. Trouble is, I had already retired because my voice isn’t what it used to be; I don’t know if I’m ready to do this now, or if I ever will be.”

“Seems to me your manager is totally unscrupulous. I remember a friend of ours having dealings with one Svengallop who had been manipulating a singer we knew.”
“Oh, him!Yes, he’s very well known in the business. My manager and him just happen to be friends, if you follow me.”
“Oh, I follow you alright!” said Rarity “It’s time we took back control of your life. But how?”

After a pause while the ponies either absent-mindedly stirred their drinks or took a nibble from one of the delightful pastries they had ordered, Fluttershy spoke up.
“I think I have an idea” she offered tentatively “Mr Pavatrotti, would you still like to sing tonight if for some reason the theatre couldn’t be used?”
“If fans have turned up, then I shouldn’t want to disappoint them” he replied honestly “But I don’t like the thought of my manager pocketing their money.”

“Well then” continued Fluttershy “I have a plan, but I'll have to have a talk with some friends of mine."

Following a conspiratorial chat during which there was a lot of laughter and bonhomie, the friends went in different directions to make arrangements for the evening.

***

Manehattan took on a different feel as the day drew to an end; the buildings now began to silhouette themselves against the purply ochre of the dusk sky and the whole ambience took on a more intimate air.
During the afternoon, some grand event had been set up in the park opposite the theatre, complete with raised stage and sound system; probably some book show or flower gala getting ready for the next day.

As the time for the first operagoers to arrive drew near, suddenly consternation broke loose. Screams were heard from inside the theatre and staff poured out onto the streets. Frantic arguments broke out, not least one between Pavatrotti’s manager and the theatre owner, and that especially looked to be getting particularly animated.

Soon the word started to be spread; the concert was having to be cancelled because of an infestation of critters. Whilst the building was adjacent to a park, the animals had never been known to come in before, except possibly when a few birds wanted to roost, but tonight it was accommodating a full scale exodus! Staff were mystified but Pavatrotti’s manager could see the first guests arriving and nowhere to put on the show!

Just at this point, Rarity happened to sidle up to the two arguing stallions and listen in for a moment before introducing herself.
“But you have to clear the animals out and let the show go on!” bawled Pavatrotti’s manager.
“Nothing I can do” said the theatre owner “Even if I was able to clear them out, which I can’t, then all the seats and carpets would have to be deep cleaned before I could re-open. I’m sorry, you will have to cancel.”
“But I’ll be ruined” shouted the manager.

“Ahem. AHEM. AHEM!” coughed Rarity “Gentlecolts, I believe I may be in a position to help out.”
“YOU AGAIN?” spat the manager “What can a Friday Night Karaoke Queen like you possibly offer?”
Ignoring the insult,she continued, “I just so happen to be hosting a fashion show in the park tomorrow. You may have seen it being set up this afternoon? Well, it seems to me that it has the same capacity as the theatre and it has a stage and a sound system, in fact by pure coincidence, everything you would need to put on an open-air opera.”
The theatre owner smiled, instantly warming to the glamorous mare much more than the irate stallion opposite him.
“What a fortunate coincidence” he commented, meeting her eyes and allowing the barest hint of a smile to start crossing his lips.

“Alright! You win!” screamed the manager “We’ll move in right away!”
“No you won’t” said Rarity calmly “You can only use my venue if you pay me the same amount as you would have paid for the theatre.”

“That’s blackmail!” he shrieked.
“Take it or leave it” said Rarity “I believe you said you were facing ruin if the show didn’t go ahead?”
“You have a hard heart young Lady!” he retorted angrily.
“Oh look, that’s more of your guests arriving” she observed dryly.

Begrudgingly, he reached into an inner pocket and produced the money which he passed bad-temperedly to the fashion designer.
“Thank you” she replied sweetly “You may direct the setting up, but it’s my performance and my rules.”
“Whatever!” he shouted as he stormed off to get everything transferred over with no time to lose, leaving the theatre owner and Rarity together on the sidewalk.

“Can’t stand the fellow” he said.
“He does have his bad side doesn’t he?” concurred Rarity sweetly.
“I’m kind of guessing you may know something about the animal infestation?” he asked.
“I couldn’t possibly comment, darling” she replied, “But I’m sure they will all be on their best behaviour and you won’t need to worry about being able to reopen tomorrow.”

“Lucky you just happened to be holding a fashion show in the park.”
“Yes” she replied, “Wasn’t it.”
The two parted amicably and watched as a stream of musicians and instruments crossed the road into the park.

4 The Performance

As the audience arrived, each presented their ticket and Rarity refunded them the cost from the money that Pavatrotti’s manager had paid her, in accordance with the singer’s wishes.

Faced with such unexpected upheaval, the orchestra and the stage hands coped admirably, and although it couldn’t be said that the show started on time, it wasn’t excessively late either. Nopony complained about the delay; they all had free tickets and there was a certain novelty to the idea of open air opera, especially in downtown Manehattan.

Having sacked his manager, Pavatrotti called upon Rarity to see if she would be prepared to introduce him onto the stage. She accepted, of course; the opportunity to introduce the greatest living opera singer in Equestria in front of the Manehattan elite being a once in a lifetime opportunity.

The legendry singer reeled off a succession of the famous and popular songs from his plentiful repertoire and found that he thrived on the informal atmosphere, so many of his concerns having been down to nerves and the pressure he had been put under by his now ex-manager. Having finally had the weight lifted from him, he would recount later that his performance had been more akin to singing in the shower, such was the relaxed state of mind he had achieved.

The concert was flawless and as the evening drew on and the performance built towards its climax, Rarity who was sitting with Fluttershy in what passed for a Royal Box at the side of the stage heard the familiar opening bars to the duet from La Falabella. She looked around to see where the soprano could be and saw to her surprise that Pavatrotti held a forehoof outstretched towards her. Instinctively she drew forward and climbed onto the stage at his invitation as the audience erupted in applause. Some may have heard her sing before, but most hadn’t, and although she regretted not having had the opportunity to rehearse, she knew the part so well it was second nature.

He sang his lines and then she joined in, her pitch perfect timbre soaring above and yet mixing perfectly with his to create a subtle harmony that the composer would have dreamed of hearing from only the best performers. As the song reached its climax, both ponies playing a couple declaring their undying love stared into each other’s eyes and delivered the last few lines together; the gleam in their eyes adding a dimension of genuine attraction that was not entirely for the audience’s benefit.

For a moment it was just them and the song with the orchestra providing the tonal depth to support the promise of their union; him a handsome and powerful stallion, her a beautiful and devoted mare. It wasn’t just the two of them who were caught up in the moment, but the audience too, mares and stallions alike crying openly at the beauty of their love.

When the song ended, they held hooves and shared their bows to receive the standing ovation together as the stage became littered with roses thrown by the adoring fans.

In the sanctity of the Royal Box, Fluttershy joined in with her loudest “YAY!”, and then felt her cutie mark begin to glow in acknowledgement of a job well done.

As she watched, she could see Rarity’s blue diamonds glowing in the same way, their mission complete.