Daring Do: The Operaby AlexTFishChaptersAct I: AuditionAct III: ChoreographyAct IV: PublicityAct V: The Curtain RisesAct II: RehearsalsAct I: Audition“Yoo-hoo! Over here!” Applejack swung a hoof in an exaggerated wave. It was perhaps somewhat superfluous given they were the only ponies standing on the platform of Ponyville Station, but Apple Bloom knew it was all part of giving a guest a proper welcome. Sure enough, their visitor gave a wide beam as she saw them. Her dark antler-like horn glowed teal as she lifted a small suitcase out of the train and cantered towards them, her green-tipped hooves clacking across the platform. And then she opened her mouth… “Applejack! Oh, wow, it’s so great to see you again! Thank you so much for inviting me to visit you here in your hometown – you have no idea how much it means to me. And this must be your darling little sister Apple Bloom! Except she’s almost a full-grown mare – not at all as tiny as you made her sound – Apple Bloom, did you know that your sister described you as a little filly? I guess that’s big sisters for you, am I right?” Reeling slightly from the enthusiastic barrage of words, Apple Bloom didn’t respond immediately, causing Autumn Blaze to continue thoughtfully, “No, really – am I right or not? I don’t have a sister myself so I don’t really know for sure, though plenty of the other kirin have siblings and I tried to observe the way they relate but you never know whether you’ve really observed the way they’d act if you weren’t there, you know?” The moment the kirin paused, Apple Bloom interjected, “I’m Apple Bloom, that’s right. It’s great to meet ya. We were all so excited when we heard that you’d be coming to stay here in Ponyville for a bit! We’re determined to make ya feel at home.” “Eeyup,” added Big Mac, carrying Autumn Blaze’s suitcase towards the door. The kirin beamed and followed him. Apple Bloom said quietly to Applejack as they brought up the rear, “You weren’t kiddin’ about how much she talks!” Applejack grinned. “As if I would. I kinda want ta introduce her to Pinkie Pie…” Apple Bloom’s eyes widened at the thought. “And then, uh, stand well back?” Her big sister gave her a wink. The conversation continued as the group trotted along the Ponyville streets towards Sweet Apple Acres. Apple Bloom managed to get a word in edgeways and ask, “So Autumn Blaze! I heard somethin’ about you wantin’ to do a play here?” “Oh, yes, absolutely! That’s the whole reason I came here. I mean, I’ve been wanting to come and visit for a while, but the situation with the opera meant I had no choice!” Her eyes narrowing, Autumn Blaze muttered confidingly, “Applejack, you remember I once asked you ’Who doesn’t love musical theatre?’ Well, obviously at the time I thought the rest of the kirin were only not coming to watch my plays because of the whole magically suppressed emotions thing. But it turns out that actually… Maybe the kirin village just isn’t ready for my style of musical theatre.” Apple Bloom answered brightly, “Well, I’m sure things’ll be different here in Ponyville! The ponies here love all kinds o’ spectacles.” The kirin smiled at her somewhat shyly. “I do hope they enjoy it. As soon as I read those Daring Do books that Rainbow Dash lent me I knew I had to write a play about them because wow! Such drama! So adventurous! And I couldn’t resist making it an opera but then that means I need to find cast who can sing – hey, Apple Bloom, do you sing?” Apple Bloom was caught by surprise at that. “Me? Uh, a bit, I guess?” “Great! Would you like to audition for my opera?” “Uh… Sure! But… I don’t think I’d exactly be star material.” Autumn Blaze smiled at her. “I’ll be the judge of that once you audition! But do bring your friends as well – especially if you know anypony who’s a really good singer and actress!” A thoughtful look crossed Apple Bloom’s face. “Hmm, now that ya mention it…” Diamond Tiara couldn’t remember a time before the Ponyville opera house had closed its doors. Her parents still lamented the loss of the high-class shows that they apparently used to enjoy patronising there. But to Diamond Tiara it had always been just a shuttered, vaguely creepy-looking building around the corner from the town hall. Occasionally kids at school had dared each other to sneak into it. Now, for the first time in over a decade, it was open. Diamond Tiara was waiting with a number of other ponies, both fillies and adults, inside a spacious room that had clearly once served as a drinks bar. No drinks remained, but a workpony wearing a hard hat was repairing the counter, and from time to time others trotted through carrying tools and furnishings, squeezing past the line of ponies waiting to audition. Diamond Tiara stood in this line, waiting calmly, projecting an air of aloof confidence… Which was, in truth, a total sham. It felt like her nervous perspiration must be visible to the others around her, but long experience of putting on a show wherever she was had taught her that projecting an impression of class and poise was startlingly effective at masking whatever doubts she might have inside. “Hey, Diamond Tiara, there’s no need to be nervous,” Sweetie Belle chirped from behind her. ...Effective, that is, except to friends who knew her well. She sighed. “I know,” she replied reluctantly. “I really know. This isn’t any more demanding than attending one of Mother’s soirées. Or it shouldn’t be.” Scootaloo peered past Sweetie Belle and said, “That’s a weird comparison to make. Surely it’s just like acting in the school play? Or, like, that talent show we all did ages ago?” Diamond Tiara gave a wan smile. “Not really. At the school play or the talent show, I’m only competing against other students. At Mother’s soirées the stakes are much higher. There are lots of high society ponies there, and the impression you make on them is all-important… in Mother’s eyes at least,” she added sourly. Apple Bloom interjected from in front of her, “I thought those parties went different now since ya reformed? You’re not chasing power at any cost now, right?” Diamond Tiara smiled. “Definitely not! But getting on the right side of important ponies is still worth doing. Remember how I was able to get Fancy Pants to come to Twist’s fundraiser for the new school library?” Scootaloo replied dubiously, “So you’re saying… chasing power is fine as long as you use it for good?” “And as long as you don’t do anything bad to get it. Yeah.” Diamond Tiara completed the second half of the mantra that had been her guiding principle in recent years. It wasn’t so different from how she used to think, from one point of view. Her early attempts to gain power, like being editor of the school newspaper or being president at school, had been clumsy, but well-aimed as far as they went. Even back then, she hadn’t made a habit of being gratuitously mean for no reason… but she’d been very willing to be mean if it looked like it’d gain her something. Popularity, usually, or social currency of some other form. Now that she’d changed, she was a firm believer that friendship was more important than power, and she tried to avoid acting in ways that’d disappoint her friends. But seeking power still came so naturally to her, so she’d put quite some thought into whether and when it was permissible. “There’s so much good I can do already now that I’m re-elected Student Pony President, and I can do even more good if I’m friends with influential ponies.” “Interesting philosophy,” commented an unfamiliar voice. The four fillies looked around to see an orange adult pegasus with blonde mane in an elaborate coif. Diamond Tiara gasped, while Scootaloo just squinted and said, “Hey, haven’t I seen you somewhere before?” “You’re Chestnut Magnifico!” exclaimed Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Not ringing any bells. Sorry.” Diamond Tiara couldn’t help but wince. “Miss Magnifico is a famous Bridleway actress.” And somepony Mother has invited to her parties a couple of times but without success, she added to herself. Her embarrassment on her friends’ behalf shifted to a more personal remorse as she realised this famous pony had overheard and even commented on Diamond Tiara’s moral principles. “Um, what brings you to our humble village, Miss Magnifico?” The older mare gave a disarming laugh. “Not so humble these days, is it? What with the Princess of Friendship living here, not to mention a nationally renowned fashion designer and one of the Wonderbolts… Oh, and various civilisation-threatening villains like the kid who tried to drain all magic from Equestria!” She continued playfully, “It’s not exactly an obscure backwater!” Scootaloo smirked. “Yeah, Rainbow Dash has really put this place on the map! Along with Princess Twilight, I guess.” “Why did you think Diamond Tiara’s philosophy was interesting?” Sweetie Belle asked curiously, making Diamond Tiara wince again. Drop it! she thought at Sweetie, but her friend continued obliviously, “It make sense to me that if you want to do the most good in Equestria you’ll need to be a pretty important pony to do it.” “Perhaps it’s just that socialites don’t normally talk out loud about their plans to acquire power,” Chestnut replied, still grinning. “But this well-meaning honesty is refreshing. Diamond Tiara, was it?” The younger mare nodded nervously. “I like you. I’ll have my eye on you.” “Miss Chestnut Magnifico?” called the reedy voice of a stallion. “The director will hear your audition now.” “See you around, girls,” said Chestnut with a wink, and disappeared through the door into the main auditorium. Diamond Tiara gaped at her friends. “She’s here to audition for this opera? This opera by an unknown writer, being put on in an theatre that’s been closed for years?” Scootaloo groaned. “Aww, horsefeathers. If professional actresses are trying out for this thing, why are we even here?” The other Crusaders commiserated with her. But Diamond Tiara was smiling, her eyes wide as she considered the possibilities. If she got a part in this show alongside Chestnut, and made friends with her, that could unlock whole social strata for Diamond Tiara independent of her parents’ influence… Up until this point she hadn’t cared much about whether she got cast, but now she resolved to wow the audition judges with her charm and her best singing voice. There was much more at stake now. “Today’s post, sir.” Filthy Rich stretched, and got up from his vast chaise longue in the Rich family’s drawing room. “Aha! Thank you, Randolph. A bit late today, ain’t it?” “The mailmare did seem to be in something of a hurry, sir. She tried to give us a parcel addressed to the Mayor.” “Again?” Filthy rolled his eyes and sorted through the envelopes. “Ah good, this’ll be the orders I was waitin’ for... Today’s paper… Here’s your Vanity Mare magazine, honey… Oh hey, and something for you, Diamond Tiara!” Diamond Tiara looked up in excitement from her desk. Mail for her was still fairly unusual. She crossed the opulent room and carefully tore open the letter – or in fact it was more of a small package of documents. She extracted the covering letter and scanned the first few sentences before exclaiming, “Mother, Father, I got the part! I’m in the opera!” That was enough to rouse Spoiled Rich’s attention at last. Fixing her daughter with a steady look, she asked, “What part did you get, dear?” “A big one! The sidekick of the main character!” Her tone unchanged, her mother asked, “Who got the main part?” And why wasn’t it you, in other words. Let me see… Diamond Tiara quickly scanned the cast list. As she’d expected, Chestnut Magnifico had the leading role, but she thought it would be more judicious to be slightly coy about her precise identity. “A professional actress from Manehattan, Mother!” You can’t say it’s a failure on my part if she landed a better part than me. Spoiled contemplated for a moment and answered, “Hmph. That’s reasonable, I suppose. Be sure to flatter her, so you can meet her high society contacts, while also showing that we’re as important as she is.” Diamond Tiara scowled. Her mother had always dictated to her how to conduct her social affairs and what kind of ponies were suitable friends. For years she’d taken the advice on board unquestioningly, but since that fateful day Diamond Tiara lost the election, she’d been more judicious about following her mother’s instructions. It wasn’t always worth getting into a confrontation with her – a pony had to pick her battles – but Diamond Tiara was also keen to remind her that she didn’t always do what Spoiled told her to do any more. So calmly but firmly she replied, “Actually, Mother, I’m going to just be nice to her.” Her parents exchanged a look. Were they going to challenge her? Diamond Tiara put on a sweet smile to show that she wasn’t rejecting her family. Wordless communication passed between the two adults until Spoiled eventually said, “Well... we shall leave it up to you, dear.” Act III: ChoreographyChestnut Magnifico stepped off the stage and walked over to where the rest of the cast was gathered. “Aloe, Lotus, the director wants to talk to you about stage makeup. And Lyra and Octavia, she’s got new sheet music for you. The rest of you, let’s talk marketing.” She looked across the assembled ponies, ensuring she had everypony’s attention. “We all need to work together to use our talents to make this play a huge success. So, Diamond Tiara,” she said, suddenly fixing the younger pony with a steely gaze. “You know the movers and shakers in this town. Who are the ponies whose opinions matter? Who are the alphas, the queens who tell everypony else what to think?” Diamond Tiara’s eyes widened at being put on the spot, but quickly she smiled confidently. I think I’m quite glad that Chestnut chose to ask me rather than anypony else... Out loud she said, “The powerful ponies here in Ponyville? Well, there’s Princess Twilight, obviously.” Seeing Chestnut scowl, she continued apologetically, “She and her friends are the most famous citizens of Ponyville. They’d be the natural ponies to get to help us if we really want to promote this show. Alternatively, there’s Featherweight from the Foal Free Press? That paper still has quite a following outside the school, and with the students at the School of Friendship too.” “Hmm.” Chestnut seemed unimpressed. “Yes, we should make use of those contacts, I suppose. Apple Bloom, you know the... Princess of Friendship and her group, don’t you? Tell them that this show is going to be the best night ever and they should invite everypony they know.” Apple Bloom glanced around uncertainly, then replied, “Uh, sure.” Chestnut continued briskly, “Still, we need more. Does anypony know any of the staff in the big newspapers? Canterlot Chronicle, Manehattan Review, any of those?” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, “My sister had an interview in the Canterlot Chronicle! About her Manehattan boutique.” “Excellent. So then you should get her to–” “Director! Autumn Blaze! You’ve gotta see this!” Scootaloo came rushing in to the auditorium, and breathlessly held out a letter towards Autumn Blaze. “What’s this about, Scootaloo?” asked the kirin. She took the envelope and levitated it towards her, turning it over in her cyan telekinetic field. “No return address. It just says ’To the director of the opera’. Well, let’s take a look…” She pulled the card out and scanned it, her eyes widening. “What is it, director?” asked Diamond Tiara. Autumn Blaze spoke more slowly than normal (almost as slow as a regular pony’s conversation) as she replied, “It claims to be from an... Opera Spirit. And it says – Well, just let me read it to you. “‘I’m delighted that my ancient theatre Is back in use for shows again. All the cast and crew I must welcome you, But remember as you visit This exquisite place is my domain! “‘I remind you of the ancient tradition of my salary. Since I understand you are new, I will not demand you pay me for the ten years of dereliction. But I require my haunting expenses – a hundred bits left in Box Number 1. This box is also to remain vacant during the performance. “‘Once again I bid you welcome. Obey my orders and your opera will be wildly successful. But defy me and you will face terrible consequences! “‘Signed… The Opera Spirit.’” As Autumn Blaze finished reading out the letter, a hush hung over the cast. Ponies glanced left and right, or just stared at the kirin and the ornate parchment scroll that hovered in front of her. Even Chestnut looked surprised. Diamond Tiara was just wondering whether to ask what Autumn Blaze thought, when the director answered that question for her. Her eyes caught fire. Diamond Tiara had never seen a pony be consumed by flames before, and she immediately decided she never wanted to see it again. The sudden circle of cyan fire in front of them made many of the cast step back. Even those who’d stood their ground flinched when an intimidating, resonant version of Autumn Blaze’s voice boomed out from the dark creature of flames before them. “He dares?! This meddler dares to tell me how to direct my play? Demanding money and special treatment – and for what reason?! Guaarrgh!” The nirik was clearly visible in front of them now, but no less terrifying for that. The fire around her had already turned the offending letter to ashes, and the director’s wooden podium was blazing fiercely. Cries erupted from the assembled ponies as they looked around the wood-clad auditorium. But Diamond Tiara had no time for them. “Sweetie Belle! The buckets!” The Crusader blinked and then said, “Oh – Right! Yeah!” Sweetie Belle levitated four buckets full of water out from between the front rows of seats. She upended two of them onto the furious nirik, one onto the podium, and held the fourth one ready as the ponies peered through the sudden steam. For a moment, the hiss and splash was all anypony could hear. Then... “...Thank you, Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara,” said Autumn Blaze’s voice, thankfully now back to normal without the unearthly echo to it. “I let my anger run away with me there.” “It’s okay, Director,” Diamond Tiara replied. “Apple Bloom warned me what could happen if something got you angry, so I thought it’d be a good idea to have some water on hand just in case. I hope I didn’t overstep my bounds…?” “Not at all,” smiled the kirin. Chestnut Magnifico had been watching the whole event unfold with detached interest. With an appraising expression she told Diamond Tiara, “I seeyou’re a pony who understands the value of preparation.” “Yes ma’am,” she replied. “Protect what’s important to you. My parents taught me that.” “I like it,” Chestnut said, flashing her a grin. Then she turned to Autumn Blaze and asked, “So are you going to give the spirit his money?” “Not likely,” Autumn Blaze replied grimly, flames flickering at the corners of her eyes. “And I for one don’t believe he’s actually a spirit, either. Scootaloo! Where did you find this letter, anyway?” “It was just posted under the front door. But yeah, that’s a good point, spirits can’t write, can they?” “Then I’m sure somepony must have seen it being dropped off. Oh, I wish I had time to investigate this! But I’m so busy with sourcing costumes and props and posters and–” “Leave it ta us, Miss Blaze!” Apple Bloom stepped forward, the other Crusaders flanking her proudly. “We’ll track this varmint down and leave you free ta focus on all the directin’ stuff you need to do!” She smiled fondly at the eager fillies. “Would you? Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. I’ll give you whatever support you need! But for now I think we’d better call it a day. Everypony return to your home and recharge your thespian energies. Unless you’re helping the Crusaders with their investigation!” Chestnut Magnifico looked around at the hubbub of ponies packing up and chatting excitedly. She sighed and said, “I guess I’ll need to contact that journalist myself.” While the Crusaders spent their time exuberantly hunting for a spirit, Diamond Tiara was busy realising how much her part required. Plenty of dialogue, obviously, but also a total of six songs, solo or together with another pony, not counting chorus numbers; and a couple of dramatic monologues as well. Then there was where to stand on stage and which way to face – the director called it “blocking” – and choreography during various songs… Lots to learn. She turned the script pages restlessly. This wedding scene was weird. She didn’t think it had actually happened in the Daring Do books – had Autumn Blaze made it up entirely? The whole thing was sung in recitative and naturally was very dramatic. The main villain of the show, a manipulative Sphinx, needed to marry Rainbow Dash for the final stages of her nefarious plan to make her gain ultimate power. Rainbow Dash was deceived and believed the Sphinx was actually a charming adventurer, and agreed to a hasty wedding – which seemed perfectly consistent with Rainbow Dash’s character, Diamond Tiara thought – except unbeknownst to her, the ritual would activate magical runes in the temple. Daring Do sang a solo and stepped in to save Rainbow Dash, leading to a dramatic action scene at the end of which Rainbow got to rescue Daring Do just seconds before the temple collapsed. That is, if the special effects all worked correctly on the night. She sighed. She didn’t seem to be able to focus today. She left her script lying in her dressing room and went for a walk. With Autumn Blaze holding rehearsals four times a week for the major parts like hers, the opera house was becoming like a second home to her these days. Diamond Tiara wandered into the wings where the cast were storing the props they’d found, bought or made. Suddenly, her eyes went wide. Seconds later, she ran out onto stage. As usual, Autumn Blaze was standing at her director’s podium; she seemed to be shuffling scripts, or perhaps bills or publicity letters. “Director!” Diamond Tiara exclaimed breathlessly. “Have you seen the Cutie Mark Crusaders?” “Um… not recently,” Autumn Blaze replied, startled. “I’ve got them hunting for that so-called Spirit. Why – is something wrong?” “Yes!” Diamond Tiara replied simply. Chestnut appeared from her dressing room. “What’s all the noise about?” “We need to get Apple Bloom and her friends,” Diamond Tiara fretted. “This is bad, this is very bad.” Chestnut raised an eyebrow, but rather than enquire further, she trotted off, calling, “I’ll see if I can find them.” Autumn Blaze asked with concern, “What is it, Diamond Tiara?” “Come and see…” A few moments later the Cutie Mark Crusaders cantered into the wings to find both their friend and their director staring at a mess on the floor. “What’s that?” Scootaloo asked. Sweetie Belle gasped and said, “Wait… isn’t that…” “Our cat costumes?!” the three of them exclaimed together in dismay, looking at the piles of torn fur and fabric that had used to be three cat-shaped outfits. Diamond Tiara sadly passed them a note. Sweetie Belle unfolded it and read out loud: “Do not search for me! Pay me my salary and cease your investigation, or untold calamity will befall this theatre! – Signed, The Opera Spirit.” Scootaloo mused, “‘Untold calamity’? What kind of thing could he be planning?” Sweetie Belle quickly replied, “If we could tell that then it wouldn’t be untold, would it?” “Whatever he’s thinking, he’s clearly threatening us,” Diamond Tiara summarised grimly. “This was a warning.” Scootaloo poked morosely at the heap of scraps. The costumes had been quite thoroughly torn. “We worked so hard on those!” she moaned. “Even if the mane looked a bit scraggly, it was still a lot of effort making it!” Diamond Tiara scowled. “I had been thinking we need to find out who this is and stop him. But if he’s going to keep doing this kind of thing…” The friends exchanged worried looks. “What do we do?” Act IV: PublicityThe mood before rehearsals the next day was sombre. Ponies were scared, and Diamond Tiara couldn’t find much to say to reassure them. The cast were divided on whether to obey the Spirit’s instructions or not, and the tensions were high. Knock-knock-knock! A rapping at the front door echoed through the auditorium. “Scootaloo, could you get that?” asked Autumn Blaze distractedly. “Sure thing!” Scootaloo dropped her script and zoomed to the door. “Hi… can I help you?” “This is the Ponyville opera house, right?” growled a low voice from the doorway. Diamond Tiara looked up in surprise. A middle-aged male pegasus was standing there, chomping on a sugar cigar, and glaring balefully into the theatre. Scootaloo was taken aback. “Uh… Yeah?” Diamond Tiara trotted over. “Yes, that’s right, sir. Welcome! What can we do for you?” “Do you have a spirit haunting this place?” A sudden hush fell over the cast. Diamond Tiara exchanged a glance with Autumn Blaze, then firmly said, “No, we don’t. There is some troublemaker sending letters trying to persuade ponies they’re a spirit, but nopony believes them.” “Is that so.” The visitor chewed his sugar cigar a few times, then said, “The name’s Movable Type. I’m a journalist for the Manehattan Review. We received an ’anonymous tip-off’” – his wings formed brief air quotes – “that there was something involving a spirit goin’ on around here. Figured I’d take a look around.” Not waiting for an invitation, he entered and walked around the theatre, peering into occasional corners. “Mind if I ask a few ponies questions?” Autumn Blaze stepped forward and declared, “We have nothing to hide here. We’re just doing our best to prepare a fantastic show – the best this town has seen in years! And, uh, not just because the opera house was closed until we got here. You’re welcome to talk to any of my actors, dancers, musicians, chorus, anypony you like – they’re all completely dedicated to producing a spectacular performance to put Ponyville back on the map and at the centre of Equestria’s opera scene!” Movable Type looked unimpressed. “That’s as may be. For the moment I’d like to talk to anypony who saw one of these letters arrive.” “That’d be me!” exclaimed Scootaloo. “So for starters, why do you call this spirit ’he’ if you’ve never met him? Could the spirit actually be a mare?” Scootaloo looked baffled. The journalist stepped towards her, but paused at a flash of green light overhead. “You guys got flickering lanterns in here? You sure you’re not going for the haunted look?” Diamond Tiara squinted upwards. “Hey, what’s that?” A piece of paper was fluttering down from the cavernous arched ceiling above them. Autumn Blaze caught it in her magic and brought it to her face. She scowled as she read aloud, “‘To Mr Movable Type’...” He frowned and took the envelope. “For me? But I’ve only been here a few minutes…” He tore it open and peered at the letter inside, his eyes narrowing. He silently read it twice, paused, and then grinned viciously. “Oh, you can not be serious.” “What’s it say?” asked Sweetie Belle brightly. “Oh, no. You do not threaten a journalist. I am not going to abandon a story just because some anonymous spook tells me to leave it alone. It is on!” SELF-DESTRUCTIVE SPIRIT WREAKS HAVOC IN PONYVILLE OPERA HOUSE SHOULD NEVER HAVE REOPENED THE NEWLY REOPENED Ponyville Opera House is being haunted by a spirit, whose malicious tricks are likely to end up forcing the theatre to close again. The mysterious figure has not been seen, but has been writing intimidating letters and vandalising the theatre troupe’s props for the show “Daring Do: The Opera”, which opens in two weeks’ time – if it even manages to make it to opening night without the spirit destroying the stage. “He wrecked our costumes, and the dress for the wedding scene,” said Scootaloo, a cast member at the opera house. “We were told something worse would happen if we didn’t stop investigating!” “An’ he asked for money and demanded one of the best boxes be left for him,” added Apple Bloom, another of the cast and sister of Applejack, bearer of one of the Elements of Harmony. Autumn Blaze, the writer and director of the opera that’s based on the bestselling Daring Do series, dismissed fears of the spirit. “There’s no such thing. Somepony is just playing tricks on us. Somepony who’s able to sneak around without being seen, and cause letters to fall from the roof...” Whatever he is, the Ponyville opera spirit doesn’t seem to have thought through the long-term consequences of his actions. He asks for a hefty salary, yet interferes with the production of the opera; he doesn’t seem to realise that if the show isn’t able to run then he won’t get any bits. Or maybe his aim is actually to drive these ponies out of the opera house? The spirit even went as far as to threaten this intrepid reporter when I went to interview the ponies at the opera house. The spirit told me not to publish this article, but you can see how effective that was. So in this reporter’s opinion, you’d do best to stay away before the spirit wrecks the place. Apple Bloom finished reading out the newspaper article and stood up, looking around at the cast and crew nervously. Autumn Blaze’s face was frozen – Apple Bloom was worried she was about to turn into a nirik again. Scootaloo said cheerfully, “Well, any publicity is good publicity, right?” One of Autumn Blaze’s eyes twitched. But Chestnut was grinning. “Yeah, you’re right. He’s basically just advertised our show to all the readers of the Manehattan Chronicle. He mentioned all the important facts: the opening date, Daring Do, the wedding scene…” Diamond Tiara said slowly, “And controversy is good for catching attention…” Snickering, Chestnut replied, “Exactly. Free marketing! It’s everything we could have hoped for.” Autumn Blaze was giving Chestnut a quizzical look, but after a few moments of silence, all she said was, “...I hope you’re right.” Act V: The Curtain RisesSweetie Belle peered cautiously out from backstage. She gulped and quickly ducked back to where her friends were waiting, her cat ears wobbling. “The place is packed! I haven’t seen so many ponies in one building since… since the royal wedding! And…” Sweetie frowned. “A lot of them are dressed up as Daring Do characters themselves.” Autumn Blaze commented wryly, “Yeah, Daring Do fans can get quite obsessive sometimes, it turns out.” Diamond Tiara stood up straight, the rainbow wig cascading down to the fake wings on her flanks. “Don’t worry. We’ll be fine. We all know our lines” – she glanced at Scootaloo, who nodded nervously – “so there’s nothing to worry about.” Why did it feel like she was trying to convince herself of that? Sweetie Belle looked closely at her. “But you are still worried about something.” Again with the infuriating perceptiveness, Diamond Tiara thought. Sweetie continued, “Are you feeling nervous about all the ponies watching?” “No, it’s not that. I like being the centre of attention, remember?” She cracked a brief smile, but then grew preoccupied again. “No, it’s… Something’s not right. I don’t know what. I should be feeling excited, or nervous about the performance, but… you’re right, I am worried, about something, but I don’t know what or why.” Chestnut Magnifico laid a comforting wing across Diamond Tiara’s back. “I wouldn’t stress yourself about it. You’re going to be great and they’ll love us.” “Thanks,” Diamond Tiara said with a small smile. “Places, everypony!” Autumn Blaze hissed. The musicians started playing the overture, and the show began. The Crusaders trotted off stage and gave each other a hoof bump. “Great job, guys!” Scootaloo murmured. “They seem to be loving it!” Apple Bloom caught Diamond Tiara’s eye. “Now it’s your big wedding scene. Go for it!” Diamond Tiara took a deep breath, and pranced onto the stage, her rainbow wig and ornate white dress flowing behind her. Looking out at the audience, she put on a besotted expression and chanted, “Where is my beloved Sphinx / She who is the most awesome one of all?” The scene progressed just as in the rehearsals. Diamond Tiara as Rainbow Dash was hoofcuffed to Bon Bon playing the evil Sphinx, and led into the ancient temple where the wedding would take place. But Diamond Tiara couldn’t shake the growing feeling that something was wrong. Chestnut stood at the back of the stage watching the wedding. At the appropriate time, when the spotlight focused on her she sang out Daring Do’s solo in captivating tones: “Now the hour has come, now the moment is here: Rainbow Dash will be wed to a creature of fear! All the love in this room, but none of it meant for me… They think this is right, but it’s horribly wrong – she’s evil, but none of them see!” Diamond Tiara glanced at the audience. The ponies were watching Chestnut, spellbound, eyes wide, hanging on her every word. “This should be a moment of love But it’s twisted to fit with her evil design. The villain arises, she’s claiming her power, A shiver runs down your spine…” Suddenly everything fell into place for Diamond Tiara. The dilated eyes of the audience, the sinister actions of the Opera Spirit, Chestnut’s obsession with making the show a huge success: it all made sense. Diamond Tiara looked at Chestnut’s victorious smile, and broke from the script. She shook her hoof free from the Sphinx’s grasp. Charging at Chestnut Magnifico, she yelled, “Changeling!” In Box 4, a pegasus wearing thick-rimmed glasses and a shawl frowned and leaned forward. “Changelings? Seriously? They definitely weren't in any of my books!” Chestnut’s eyes turned to Diamond Tiara in amused defiance. A sickly green telekinetic aura took hold of Diamond Tiara, freezing her in place. “Really? You challenge me now?” A flash of green fire whirled around Chestnut, and when it retreated, a tall black insectoid form stood in her place, staring imperiously at the younger pony. Diamond Tiara recoiled involuntarily, dimly aware of gasps from the audience. The changeling stamped a hoof and a trapdoor opened in the stage. She flared her wings as her horn glowed and dragged Diamond Tiara after her down into darkness. In the massed ponies watching from the stalls, a white unicorn raised her eyebrows. “I must say, our dear thespians have laid on some excellent special effects, haven’t they?” A cyan pegasus nodded. “That was a pretty convincing costume. I’ll have to ask Scoots who made it.” Scowling, she added, “I definitely want to talk to whoever decided I should be mind-controlled into getting married to a Sphinx. That was not awesome.” “Oh, pish, darling. It makes for a dramatic story, and that’s the main thing. Hush, look, those adorable cats are coming on again!” Diamond Tiara squinted, peering through the gloom. Dust motes filled the air, catching beams of light dimly filtering down from the stage above. What is this? Some kind of secret storeroom under the stage? She was still unable to move, suspended in the green field wielded by the creature who she had called Chestnut. Who now stood in front of her, smirking. Who she now realised was none other than... "Chrysalis," she breathed. "You’re Queen Chrysalis." Green light flared from a decayed-looking horn. “Very good,” murmured the Changeling Queen, grinning maliciously. “I’ve been impressed by you, Diamond Tiara.” They stared at each other for a moment, glaring across the dark chamber, the filly and the shapeshifter. Then Chrysalis suddenly smiled brightly and spoke in Chestnut’s voice. "Well? Did you figure out why I’m here putting on a Daring Do play?" Diamond Tiara gulped, then met Chrysalis’s eyes in defiance. "You just wanted to fill this theatre with as many ponies as possible, so you could feed on their love. Everything was in the service of that. Everything you did as Chestnut Magnifico... and as the Opera Spirit." Chrysalis released her magical grip on Diamond Tiara, who fell to the dusty floor. Strutting towards her, Chrysalis proclaimed smugly, "Exactly. Fans really, really love their fandoms, especially Daring Do fans. At least as much as subjects love their princesses! Even more! And did you see how filled with Daring Do fans and opera fans this theatre is?" She cackled and declared, "The fandom of the opera is here!" She likes to talk, it seems, Diamond Tiara thought desperately. Well, if I keep her talking I might be able to think of a plan… “So you calculated all the Spirit’s actions just to bring more audience in?” “Of course,” the changeling gloated. “A good ghost story always gets ponies gossiping.” “So that letter to the journalist, telling him not to write the article, was just... reverse psychology.” "I know his kind. I played him like a fiddle. The outrage in his article merely made it certain the news about our show would spread far and wide." ’Our show’, Diamond Tiara noted. Interesting. “And when you destroyed the Crusaders’ costumes... You knew they’d make new ones, and do a better job second time?” Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Detestably predictable, those three. The Spirit needed to cause some damage to get the rumours spreading, and their flawed cat suits were a perfect candidate.” “You were trying to cause the least damage possible?” Diamond Tiara said with a slight smile. Chrysalis hissed. “All in the service of bringing together all these fans. I need to feed on their love for Daring Do!” “Why? What’s your goal in all of this?” Chrysalis span and levelled her face with Diamond Tiara’s. She said venomously, “Revenge! I need to gain enough power to defeat Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer!” She stamped her chitinous hoof on the floorboards and paced around. “They took my hive from me. Drove me from my home! Corrupted all my changelings! Left me with nothing! And I need power to make them regret it…” Then suddenly Chrysalis rounded on Diamond Tiara again and her voice shifted. In much silkier tones she said, "But I’m led to believe that you, Diamond Tiara, will understand the desire for power. You used to be rather skilled in pursuing it yourself, or so I heard?" "I still am," Diamond Tiara replied fiercely. "The only difference is that I have friends now and I care about what they think." Chrysalis gave a smile, baring her fangs. “Now I’m told that you used to be beautifully unencumbered by those goody-goody morals. What changed, I wonder? And what could bring you back to the more practical side?” You really are trying to convert me. Well now… “You’re right,” Diamond Tiara said simply. “I have seen it both ways. I used to have no use for friends except what I could get from them. And you know what? I discovered it’s more fulfilling to work together with other ponies. To accomplish something together that’s greater than I could have done on my own.” Stepping towards Chrysalis, she continued, “Haven’t you seen that with this play? You couldn’t put on a play like this by yourself without anypony else.” “Pah! If I’d been in charge of this play, it would have been far better!” Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow. “Really? You can write songs and play the harpsichord now?” “I can get other ponies to do that for me,” Chrysalis growled. “Exactly. We all bring something different to the group. You can manipulate and plan. Autumn Blaze can write and direct. Octavia and Lyra play music, the Crusaders make props…” “Enough!” Chrysalis lunged forward aggressively. Diamond Tiara stood her ground. “But you do plan well. And I think you take pride in a job well done, a well-prepared plot, a perfectly executed plan, don’t you?” “What’s your point?” Chrysalis said, her voice low and menacing. Diamond Tiara took a deep breath. “I think you enjoyed working to make the play as successful as it can be. As Chestnut Magnifico, and as the Opera Spirit. You took pride in doing it as well as you could. So… Keep doing that.” Chrysalis looked at her suspiciously. “You want me to… keep on manipulating and pretending?” Diamond Tiara shrugged. “If you like. Make the play as awesome as you can. But... Don’t drain the audience. Let them go and recommend the show and write rave reviews of it so we get even more ponies tomorrow night.” Chrysalis was still looking quizzical. “You discovered there’s a changeling on your cast, and your response is to ask her to stay?” “You did your job very well, even if nopony asked you to,” Diamond Tiara responded with a smile. “I think you like being in the limelight, don’t you? You love being the star of the show. So do I! This opera is a great way for us both to enjoy everypony’s attention on us. And you’re not just an excellent actor, you’re very good at marketing too. Every troupe needs somepony who knows how to handle the press.” “But I feed on love! How can you want me on your team when I’ll drain the love from anyone who offers it?” This is it. “Because I believe you can share love.” Diamond Tiara’s heart was in her mouth. “You respect Autumn Blaze for creating this opera. You said you respect me too. It’s just a small step beyond that to sharing friendship.” Her tone carefully casual, she continued, “I enjoyed being friends with you, when you were Chestnut Magnifico. And I think you might have sometimes enjoyed it too. I’d like to be able to consider you a friend, and I’m sure the others would as well. Doesn’t that sound more interesting than spending more years on your own?” The changeling’s face was still sceptical. “Even if I were to go along with your proposal, what happens after the opera finishes?” Diamond Tiara felt her heart leap. Could this be working? “That’s… really up to you. When you stop letting revenge define you, you get to choose your own path. If you enjoyed trying to make this opera a huge success, you could do more acting for a while, and then choose something else to do.” As Chrysalis contemplated, a thought occurred to Diamond Tiara. “Um… you’d need to release the real Chestnut Magnifico, though. She is still okay, right?” Chrysalis waved a hoof dismissively. “She’s unhurt. She’s stored in a globule in the Opera House rafters. She won’t remember anything.” Diamond Tiara nodded. “So… What do you say? Do you want to see if we can make the show even bigger? Get a full house by the final performance? Together?” A pregnant pause ensued. Diamond Tiara tried not to let her face show how nervous she was. At last, Chrysalis said, “...I’m not going to turn pink and yellow like those traitors from my hive.” “Somehow I don’t think you will,” Diamond Tiara reassured her. “Though even if you did, how would the rest of us know?” “Ha!” The laugh escaped Chrysalis’s mouth before she could stop it. Then she frowned. “Suppose I were to agree to your scenario. What happens tonight? We were halfway through one of the key scenes.” “...If we want to fill the opera house by the end of the week, we need to get back up there and continue with the performance,” Diamond Tiara decided. Chrysalis commented drily, “But you may have rather derailed it by attacking me in the middle of the wedding.” Diamond Tiara winced. “Yes, that… might be a problem… And you revealed yourself on stage, and I know I heard the audience gasp.” She thought fast. “Okay. We haven’t been down here for very long though. It sounds like they’ve been carrying on up there without us. So we go back up and you… pretend the script called for Daring Do to be replaced by a changeling. We’ll have to make it up as we go along.” “That’ll never work,” said Chrysalis incredulously. Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow. “I think you could pull it off. It’s the same as when you’ve replaced somepony and one of their friends says something you weren’t expecting. You’ve been preparing for this with every form you’ve taken your whole life!” A crooked smile appeared on Chrysalis’s toothy face. “Fine. But if anypony realises what really happened, I get to eat them.” “What? No!” “Ah well, it was worth a try,” Chrysalis said with a wink. Green fire pulsed around her once more and then Chestnut’s form stood before Diamond Tiara, still wearing her Daring Do costume. A magic field seized her, and Diamond Tiara felt herself lifted up once more towards the trapdoor through which they’d fallen. As they neared it, she heard what she recognised as the last couple of lines of the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ comic-relief song that was meant to come after the dramatic rescue. She caught Chestnut’s – Chrysalis’s – eye, and they nodded. They waited for the applause to finish, and then burst up and back onto the stage. Autumn Blaze had been watching in horror as her carefully scripted opera fell apart. She didn’t know what a changeling was, but she inferred that it was something bad; and apparently one of them had replaced her lead actress and kidnapped her secondary lead? She had been pleased with the tenacity the rest of her cast had shown – Sweetie Belle had proclaimed “The show must go on!” – so they were valiantly improvising, but there was only so much they could do without two key roles. Autumn Blaze was just trying to come up with any way they could do the finale without Daring Do or Rainbow Dash, when… “Come back here, you vile fiend!” Diamond Tiara and Chestnut burst out of the trapdoor they’d vanished into a few minutes earlier. Chestnut was running away and Diamond Tiara was chasing her, and all the while both of them singing recitative at each other that Autumn Blaze definitely hadn’t written: “How dare you take the form of Daring Do!” “You meddler! Now I must dispose of you!” But as they ran past the wings, Diamond Tiara slowed down long enough to give a big wink towards Autumn Blaze. The Crusaders, still on stage, looked shocked at the sudden chase scene happening around them. Apple Bloom stood up with a determined expression and sang, “Come, my friends! We must trap this impostor!” The cats stuck out one leg each in exaggerated fashion. To Autumn Blaze’s surprise, Chestnut ran right over them. Tumbling flank over mane she was enveloped in a burst of green flames, so that it was the tall changeling who stood up to hiss at them. Diamond Tiara stared as Chrysalis revealed herself, to appreciative gasps from the audience once more. But she also noticed that Chrysalis had stood up right underneath the wire that the dramatic rescue had been meant to use, except that that part of the script had been rather circumvented. Is she suggesting…? She caught Chrysalis’s eyes, and received a smirk and a raised eyebrow – a mannerism that she recognised from when she’d known her as Chestnut – but Chrysalis didn’t move. So Diamond Tiara climbed the stairs at stage right and put on her best Rainbow Dash cocky smile. “All right, changeling, this is the end of the line!” She reared up, pressing her flank against the upper end of the wire, where it clicked into the fake wing. Just like they’d practised. “For justice and friendship!” she cried, and leapt off the stairs. The harness caught her weight and she zoomed through the air. She experienced the same rush as when she’d practised this manoeuvre in rehearsals, but heightened severalfold: by the hundreds of ponies watching, by the way they were way off script and improvising desperately, by the way her co-star was one of the most wanted villains in Equestria… She just had time to hear the cheers from the crowd before she barrelled into Chrysalis and knocked her offstage. Diamond Tiara grinned in relief, and then couldn’t help herself: she burst out laughing, though she was at least able to keep it quiet enough to not be heard from the stalls. “That was fantastic!” she squealed at Chrysalis. “Great plan!” The Changeling Queen stood up and smirked again. “You were right. It is just the same skills I’ve been practising since I was a grub.” Autumn Blaze stepped up hesitantly. “Um… Hi,” she said, at a loss for words for once. Chrysalis rolled her eyes and shifted back to Chestnut’s form. “Hi, Director, yes, I’ve been a changeling all this time, no, I’m not going to sabotage the show,” she rattled off. It was entertainingly unfamiliar to see Autumn Blaze not know what to say. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times. “…Right! How wonderfully dramatic! And, uh, well done Diamond Tiara. So… I guess we can move on to the finale?” “That’s what I was thinking,” said Diamond Tiara, at the same time as Chrysalis said “Of course.” The two actresses smiled at each other and stepped back onto the stage. “Rainbow Dash!” Chrysalis exclaimed as Daring Do, squaring to face the audience. “Thank you for defeating the changeling that had taken my form!” “I’m your biggest fan – of course I had to save you!” Diamond Tiara replied confidently. It was a slight variation on a line from the script, and it allowed the rest of the cast to pick up with the script for the finale. All through the final scene Diamond Tiara kept forgetting the pony who looked like Chestnut was actually a shapeshifting impostor, then suddenly remembering with a start. Her mind was in turmoil. Is she just playing along? Is she really reformed? Is it... Did I do that? Did I really just... persuade a love-eating villain to abandon her plans to take over Equestria? Diamond Tiara frowned. I know my talent is meant to be getting others to do what I want, but... It was only as the company launched into the closing song, and Diamond Tiara caught Chrysalis smiling at her, that the realisation came to her. No, I didn't. Not really. She did most of the work herself. When she joined the troupe, decided to work alongside us for a common goal, she was setting herself on the route to redemption... even if she didn't know it. She glanced over at Chrysalis, who was belting out the triumphant final chorus, and smiled to herself. I really do hope I get to spend more time with her. She's fun. The music and words for the finale were one of the best parts of Autumn Blaze’s scriptwriting, and Diamond Tiara was gratified but not surprised to see the closing line get a huge round of applause. As they prepared for the curtain call, Diamond Tiara nudged Chrysalis and whispered, “Take your true form.” Chrysalis looked at her quizzically. “You’re sure?” “No,” Diamond Tiara murmured. “But... my instinct says to do it.” Chrysalis gave her the warmest smile Diamond Tiara had ever seen on Chestnut’s face. “Your instinct has been good so far tonight.” Diamond Tiara stepped forward and took her bow, her spirits soaring as the audience cheered for her. And then Chrysalis stepped forward wearing Chestnut’s form, bowed, and then shifted to her true form and bowed once again, insectoid wings flaring up behind her. The cheers and stomps for the evening’s star were deafening. Diamond Tiara, though, was most delighted to notice that Chrysalis’s wings had taken on a crystalline, reflective sheen. Not pink and yellow, indeed. But a step in the right direction. Author's Note My full Bingo Contest prompt card: Many thanks to Shrink Laureate for running the contest. The idea of a whole-plot-reference to Phantom of the Opera, with Diamond Tiara as the young starlet and Chrysalis as the Phantom, would never have occurred to me in a million years if it hadn't been for this prompt. I hope you enjoyed the fic! Act II: Rehearsals“...She’s dashing and sincere, oh Equestria’s top hero The villains quake in fear, oh I wish I could be near, oh The mare called Daring Doooo!” “Great singing, everypony! Now you exit stage left – no, keep facing the audience and sidestep – and keep smiling! Excellent. Okay, we’ll stop there for now! Scootaloo, be sure to learn your lines more for next time.” Autumn Blaze’s enthusiastic stream of orders came to a sudden halt. She smiled at the chorus fillies walking off stage. The Crusaders chatted animatedly among themselves, but Diamond Tiara excused herself and sidled up to Autumn Blaze. She hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Director, I have a question. I’m very grateful to be in the part of Rainbow Dash, and I’m happy to do my very best, but wouldn’t it be better to cast a pegasus for this role?” Autumn Blaze gave her a kindly smile. “Don’t worry about it. I know what I’m doing. We don’t need you to fly much – just at the end of the wedding scene where you rescue Daring Do from the Sphinx – and special effects can handle that just fine. What I need is a beautiful clear singing voice and a strong acting ability – and those are exactly what you bring to the part.” Warming to her topic, the kirin’s gaze drifted off as she continued, “The thing we need from Rainbow Dash at the start of the play is that she’s a huge fan of Daring Do. Daring Do is Rainbow’s idol who’s everything she wants to be. Remember this is before Rainbow Dash is a famous hero herself. And Dash always thought Daring Do was just a made-up character, so whenever Daring Do is on stage Rainbow is watching her with this astonishment, like she’s had these dreams since she was a filly but told herself none of this stuff could be real, but now Daring Do has turned out to really exist after all so she’s going through a stage of daring to believe in all her childhood hopes and wishes, and Daring Do is the focus and... personification of all that emotion, you know? And I need you to show that through the way you act on stage, and I’m sure you’ll be brilliant at it!” Diamond Tiara was saved from having to work out how to respond to that by the re-emergence of her friends. Sweetie Belle was humming the song they’d been practicing, while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were animatedly discussing something: “Jus’ because the lights are dim don’t mean this place is haunted!” “I’m not saying it’s definitely haunted, I’m just saying it wouldn’t surprise me if it was. This place just feels like a haunted theatre, you know?” Autumn Blaze rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Girls, this is just an old opera house. It’s dim because we haven’t fixed up the lights and cleaned the windows yet. There’s no spirit haunting the place, no matter how evocative and dramatically appropriate that would be.” “Are you sure?” demanded Scootaloo. “How do you know there’s no spirit?” “Because that’s how stories go, not what happens in real life,” said the kirin with a nervous smile. “There’s no spirit living underneath the stage, nothing’s going to happen to an ominously wobbling chandelier, nopony is going to sneak around sabotaging props, and we’re definitely not going to be receiving creepy mysterious letters of any…” She trailed off as she noticed the rest of the cast had come out to watch the argument, and were staring wide-eyed. Chestnut Magnifico raised an eyebrow and said, “That’s a lot of awfully specific denials.” “Do you know something we don’t?!” demanded a stallion dressed up as a henchpony. “What? No, it’s just that I once wrote a story about an opera spirit. But that was fiction, and it’s not going to happen in real–” “Wobbling chandelier?” cried Lyra from the orchestra. “It really doesn’t look very stable now you say it…” “I think the stage is hollow!” exclaimed another chorus pony, tapping it with his hooves. Autumn Blaze was looking around frantically. “What? No! Nothing’s going to happen! I know this place looks like exactly the kind of building a spirit would love to haunt, and if there had been a spirit happy here for the past few years then it wouldn’t appreciate our intrusion, but that doesn’t matter because there isn’t–” “I knew it!” said Scootaloo excitedly. “It’s going to keep sabotaging the play until we leave it alone!” “Is it safe to stay here?” “I’m scared!” “We need to–” “Everypony BE QUIET!” The sudden cry cut through the hysteria. All eyes turned to the scowling Diamond Tiara. “Ugh! You’re all being ridiculous!” She gathered herself, stood tall and said more calmly, “Sorry for shouting. But there’s no cause to believe in any spirit, everypony.. We don’t have any reason, do we? Just rumours and ungrounded fears. Don’t let your imagination run away with you. Now, we’ve all got lines to learn or jobs to do, so why don’t we all go and get on with that?” The crowd started to disperse, muttering and murmuring. Diamond Tiara took a deep breath, then exhaled. She had a feeling she and Autumn Blaze would be quelling these rumours for a while. “How’s it goin’, Diamond Tiara? Hard at work learnin’ lines?” Diamond Tiara stared at the script in front of her. “Yes. I keep mixing up the lyrics from my solo song with the monologue in the next scene.” She shook her head, stretched, and stood up, looking across the playground at the younger schoolkids playing in the field, and Apple Bloom standing in front of her. “How about you? Learned yours yet?” “Ehehe… not exactly.” Apple Bloom’s look of embarrassment was quickly replaced with enthusiasm as she continued, “We’ve been makin’ our costumes! Look at this!” She turned around, fiddled with something she’d brought with her, and turned back to face Diamond Tiara, who jumped in surprise. Apple Bloom’s face had turned black and she’d gained fierce pointed teeth. “I’m a jaguar!” “A jaguar?” Diamond Tiara squinted, and then said tactfully, “Yes, I can see that now… Are you, ah, going to be colouring your coat too? The black head and yellow body makes you look a bit like a bugbear.” “A bugbear?” Her face fell, but Apple Bloom recovered and continued, “Yeah, I probably should, shouldn’t I? Otherwise I imagine Miss Chestnut Magnifico will have words to say. Like she did about Scootaloo’s tiger mask yesterday.” She scowled. “First time we met her I thought that mare was real nice, ya know? She was all friendly-like to you. Pity that seems to have been all an act.” Diamond Tiara sighed. “I wish I was surprised. But honestly, Apple Bloom, it’s very common for famous ponies to put on a friendly face but be much nastier when you get to know them. The things some important ponies have said at Mother’s parties…” “Mmm, I guess so,” said Apple Bloom despondently. Except Diamond Tiara realised that actually, that wasn’t really what the situation with Chestnut was like. Yes, the older mare could certainly be snippy, harsh, and critical. But it was clear she really wanted the opera to succeed. There was a… drive within Chestnut that Diamond Tiara admired. She took her work seriously, whereas the famous ponies she’d met at her family’s events took themselves too seriously but usually didn’t care much about getting anything in particular done. She shuddered and changed the subject. “Are the others done with their cat costumes too?” “Scootaloo’s still workin’ on her tiger costume, but Sweetie Belle’s pretty much done with her cat outfit. You should see her – she looks so cute!” Diamond Tiara couldn’t help smiling. “I’m sure she does. I’m sure Autumn Blaze will like it too. And Chestnut…” “Ah, who cares what she thinks,” Apple Bloom replied brightly, her smile returned. “She's not the boss!” “That's the spirit!”
Act I: Audition“Yoo-hoo! Over here!” Applejack swung a hoof in an exaggerated wave. It was perhaps somewhat superfluous given they were the only ponies standing on the platform of Ponyville Station, but Apple Bloom knew it was all part of giving a guest a proper welcome. Sure enough, their visitor gave a wide beam as she saw them. Her dark antler-like horn glowed teal as she lifted a small suitcase out of the train and cantered towards them, her green-tipped hooves clacking across the platform. And then she opened her mouth… “Applejack! Oh, wow, it’s so great to see you again! Thank you so much for inviting me to visit you here in your hometown – you have no idea how much it means to me. And this must be your darling little sister Apple Bloom! Except she’s almost a full-grown mare – not at all as tiny as you made her sound – Apple Bloom, did you know that your sister described you as a little filly? I guess that’s big sisters for you, am I right?” Reeling slightly from the enthusiastic barrage of words, Apple Bloom didn’t respond immediately, causing Autumn Blaze to continue thoughtfully, “No, really – am I right or not? I don’t have a sister myself so I don’t really know for sure, though plenty of the other kirin have siblings and I tried to observe the way they relate but you never know whether you’ve really observed the way they’d act if you weren’t there, you know?” The moment the kirin paused, Apple Bloom interjected, “I’m Apple Bloom, that’s right. It’s great to meet ya. We were all so excited when we heard that you’d be coming to stay here in Ponyville for a bit! We’re determined to make ya feel at home.” “Eeyup,” added Big Mac, carrying Autumn Blaze’s suitcase towards the door. The kirin beamed and followed him. Apple Bloom said quietly to Applejack as they brought up the rear, “You weren’t kiddin’ about how much she talks!” Applejack grinned. “As if I would. I kinda want ta introduce her to Pinkie Pie…” Apple Bloom’s eyes widened at the thought. “And then, uh, stand well back?” Her big sister gave her a wink. The conversation continued as the group trotted along the Ponyville streets towards Sweet Apple Acres. Apple Bloom managed to get a word in edgeways and ask, “So Autumn Blaze! I heard somethin’ about you wantin’ to do a play here?” “Oh, yes, absolutely! That’s the whole reason I came here. I mean, I’ve been wanting to come and visit for a while, but the situation with the opera meant I had no choice!” Her eyes narrowing, Autumn Blaze muttered confidingly, “Applejack, you remember I once asked you ’Who doesn’t love musical theatre?’ Well, obviously at the time I thought the rest of the kirin were only not coming to watch my plays because of the whole magically suppressed emotions thing. But it turns out that actually… Maybe the kirin village just isn’t ready for my style of musical theatre.” Apple Bloom answered brightly, “Well, I’m sure things’ll be different here in Ponyville! The ponies here love all kinds o’ spectacles.” The kirin smiled at her somewhat shyly. “I do hope they enjoy it. As soon as I read those Daring Do books that Rainbow Dash lent me I knew I had to write a play about them because wow! Such drama! So adventurous! And I couldn’t resist making it an opera but then that means I need to find cast who can sing – hey, Apple Bloom, do you sing?” Apple Bloom was caught by surprise at that. “Me? Uh, a bit, I guess?” “Great! Would you like to audition for my opera?” “Uh… Sure! But… I don’t think I’d exactly be star material.” Autumn Blaze smiled at her. “I’ll be the judge of that once you audition! But do bring your friends as well – especially if you know anypony who’s a really good singer and actress!” A thoughtful look crossed Apple Bloom’s face. “Hmm, now that ya mention it…” Diamond Tiara couldn’t remember a time before the Ponyville opera house had closed its doors. Her parents still lamented the loss of the high-class shows that they apparently used to enjoy patronising there. But to Diamond Tiara it had always been just a shuttered, vaguely creepy-looking building around the corner from the town hall. Occasionally kids at school had dared each other to sneak into it. Now, for the first time in over a decade, it was open. Diamond Tiara was waiting with a number of other ponies, both fillies and adults, inside a spacious room that had clearly once served as a drinks bar. No drinks remained, but a workpony wearing a hard hat was repairing the counter, and from time to time others trotted through carrying tools and furnishings, squeezing past the line of ponies waiting to audition. Diamond Tiara stood in this line, waiting calmly, projecting an air of aloof confidence… Which was, in truth, a total sham. It felt like her nervous perspiration must be visible to the others around her, but long experience of putting on a show wherever she was had taught her that projecting an impression of class and poise was startlingly effective at masking whatever doubts she might have inside. “Hey, Diamond Tiara, there’s no need to be nervous,” Sweetie Belle chirped from behind her. ...Effective, that is, except to friends who knew her well. She sighed. “I know,” she replied reluctantly. “I really know. This isn’t any more demanding than attending one of Mother’s soirées. Or it shouldn’t be.” Scootaloo peered past Sweetie Belle and said, “That’s a weird comparison to make. Surely it’s just like acting in the school play? Or, like, that talent show we all did ages ago?” Diamond Tiara gave a wan smile. “Not really. At the school play or the talent show, I’m only competing against other students. At Mother’s soirées the stakes are much higher. There are lots of high society ponies there, and the impression you make on them is all-important… in Mother’s eyes at least,” she added sourly. Apple Bloom interjected from in front of her, “I thought those parties went different now since ya reformed? You’re not chasing power at any cost now, right?” Diamond Tiara smiled. “Definitely not! But getting on the right side of important ponies is still worth doing. Remember how I was able to get Fancy Pants to come to Twist’s fundraiser for the new school library?” Scootaloo replied dubiously, “So you’re saying… chasing power is fine as long as you use it for good?” “And as long as you don’t do anything bad to get it. Yeah.” Diamond Tiara completed the second half of the mantra that had been her guiding principle in recent years. It wasn’t so different from how she used to think, from one point of view. Her early attempts to gain power, like being editor of the school newspaper or being president at school, had been clumsy, but well-aimed as far as they went. Even back then, she hadn’t made a habit of being gratuitously mean for no reason… but she’d been very willing to be mean if it looked like it’d gain her something. Popularity, usually, or social currency of some other form. Now that she’d changed, she was a firm believer that friendship was more important than power, and she tried to avoid acting in ways that’d disappoint her friends. But seeking power still came so naturally to her, so she’d put quite some thought into whether and when it was permissible. “There’s so much good I can do already now that I’m re-elected Student Pony President, and I can do even more good if I’m friends with influential ponies.” “Interesting philosophy,” commented an unfamiliar voice. The four fillies looked around to see an orange adult pegasus with blonde mane in an elaborate coif. Diamond Tiara gasped, while Scootaloo just squinted and said, “Hey, haven’t I seen you somewhere before?” “You’re Chestnut Magnifico!” exclaimed Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Not ringing any bells. Sorry.” Diamond Tiara couldn’t help but wince. “Miss Magnifico is a famous Bridleway actress.” And somepony Mother has invited to her parties a couple of times but without success, she added to herself. Her embarrassment on her friends’ behalf shifted to a more personal remorse as she realised this famous pony had overheard and even commented on Diamond Tiara’s moral principles. “Um, what brings you to our humble village, Miss Magnifico?” The older mare gave a disarming laugh. “Not so humble these days, is it? What with the Princess of Friendship living here, not to mention a nationally renowned fashion designer and one of the Wonderbolts… Oh, and various civilisation-threatening villains like the kid who tried to drain all magic from Equestria!” She continued playfully, “It’s not exactly an obscure backwater!” Scootaloo smirked. “Yeah, Rainbow Dash has really put this place on the map! Along with Princess Twilight, I guess.” “Why did you think Diamond Tiara’s philosophy was interesting?” Sweetie Belle asked curiously, making Diamond Tiara wince again. Drop it! she thought at Sweetie, but her friend continued obliviously, “It make sense to me that if you want to do the most good in Equestria you’ll need to be a pretty important pony to do it.” “Perhaps it’s just that socialites don’t normally talk out loud about their plans to acquire power,” Chestnut replied, still grinning. “But this well-meaning honesty is refreshing. Diamond Tiara, was it?” The younger mare nodded nervously. “I like you. I’ll have my eye on you.” “Miss Chestnut Magnifico?” called the reedy voice of a stallion. “The director will hear your audition now.” “See you around, girls,” said Chestnut with a wink, and disappeared through the door into the main auditorium. Diamond Tiara gaped at her friends. “She’s here to audition for this opera? This opera by an unknown writer, being put on in an theatre that’s been closed for years?” Scootaloo groaned. “Aww, horsefeathers. If professional actresses are trying out for this thing, why are we even here?” The other Crusaders commiserated with her. But Diamond Tiara was smiling, her eyes wide as she considered the possibilities. If she got a part in this show alongside Chestnut, and made friends with her, that could unlock whole social strata for Diamond Tiara independent of her parents’ influence… Up until this point she hadn’t cared much about whether she got cast, but now she resolved to wow the audition judges with her charm and her best singing voice. There was much more at stake now. “Today’s post, sir.” Filthy Rich stretched, and got up from his vast chaise longue in the Rich family’s drawing room. “Aha! Thank you, Randolph. A bit late today, ain’t it?” “The mailmare did seem to be in something of a hurry, sir. She tried to give us a parcel addressed to the Mayor.” “Again?” Filthy rolled his eyes and sorted through the envelopes. “Ah good, this’ll be the orders I was waitin’ for... Today’s paper… Here’s your Vanity Mare magazine, honey… Oh hey, and something for you, Diamond Tiara!” Diamond Tiara looked up in excitement from her desk. Mail for her was still fairly unusual. She crossed the opulent room and carefully tore open the letter – or in fact it was more of a small package of documents. She extracted the covering letter and scanned the first few sentences before exclaiming, “Mother, Father, I got the part! I’m in the opera!” That was enough to rouse Spoiled Rich’s attention at last. Fixing her daughter with a steady look, she asked, “What part did you get, dear?” “A big one! The sidekick of the main character!” Her tone unchanged, her mother asked, “Who got the main part?” And why wasn’t it you, in other words. Let me see… Diamond Tiara quickly scanned the cast list. As she’d expected, Chestnut Magnifico had the leading role, but she thought it would be more judicious to be slightly coy about her precise identity. “A professional actress from Manehattan, Mother!” You can’t say it’s a failure on my part if she landed a better part than me. Spoiled contemplated for a moment and answered, “Hmph. That’s reasonable, I suppose. Be sure to flatter her, so you can meet her high society contacts, while also showing that we’re as important as she is.” Diamond Tiara scowled. Her mother had always dictated to her how to conduct her social affairs and what kind of ponies were suitable friends. For years she’d taken the advice on board unquestioningly, but since that fateful day Diamond Tiara lost the election, she’d been more judicious about following her mother’s instructions. It wasn’t always worth getting into a confrontation with her – a pony had to pick her battles – but Diamond Tiara was also keen to remind her that she didn’t always do what Spoiled told her to do any more. So calmly but firmly she replied, “Actually, Mother, I’m going to just be nice to her.” Her parents exchanged a look. Were they going to challenge her? Diamond Tiara put on a sweet smile to show that she wasn’t rejecting her family. Wordless communication passed between the two adults until Spoiled eventually said, “Well... we shall leave it up to you, dear.”
Act III: ChoreographyChestnut Magnifico stepped off the stage and walked over to where the rest of the cast was gathered. “Aloe, Lotus, the director wants to talk to you about stage makeup. And Lyra and Octavia, she’s got new sheet music for you. The rest of you, let’s talk marketing.” She looked across the assembled ponies, ensuring she had everypony’s attention. “We all need to work together to use our talents to make this play a huge success. So, Diamond Tiara,” she said, suddenly fixing the younger pony with a steely gaze. “You know the movers and shakers in this town. Who are the ponies whose opinions matter? Who are the alphas, the queens who tell everypony else what to think?” Diamond Tiara’s eyes widened at being put on the spot, but quickly she smiled confidently. I think I’m quite glad that Chestnut chose to ask me rather than anypony else... Out loud she said, “The powerful ponies here in Ponyville? Well, there’s Princess Twilight, obviously.” Seeing Chestnut scowl, she continued apologetically, “She and her friends are the most famous citizens of Ponyville. They’d be the natural ponies to get to help us if we really want to promote this show. Alternatively, there’s Featherweight from the Foal Free Press? That paper still has quite a following outside the school, and with the students at the School of Friendship too.” “Hmm.” Chestnut seemed unimpressed. “Yes, we should make use of those contacts, I suppose. Apple Bloom, you know the... Princess of Friendship and her group, don’t you? Tell them that this show is going to be the best night ever and they should invite everypony they know.” Apple Bloom glanced around uncertainly, then replied, “Uh, sure.” Chestnut continued briskly, “Still, we need more. Does anypony know any of the staff in the big newspapers? Canterlot Chronicle, Manehattan Review, any of those?” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, “My sister had an interview in the Canterlot Chronicle! About her Manehattan boutique.” “Excellent. So then you should get her to–” “Director! Autumn Blaze! You’ve gotta see this!” Scootaloo came rushing in to the auditorium, and breathlessly held out a letter towards Autumn Blaze. “What’s this about, Scootaloo?” asked the kirin. She took the envelope and levitated it towards her, turning it over in her cyan telekinetic field. “No return address. It just says ’To the director of the opera’. Well, let’s take a look…” She pulled the card out and scanned it, her eyes widening. “What is it, director?” asked Diamond Tiara. Autumn Blaze spoke more slowly than normal (almost as slow as a regular pony’s conversation) as she replied, “It claims to be from an... Opera Spirit. And it says – Well, just let me read it to you. “‘I’m delighted that my ancient theatre Is back in use for shows again. All the cast and crew I must welcome you, But remember as you visit This exquisite place is my domain! “‘I remind you of the ancient tradition of my salary. Since I understand you are new, I will not demand you pay me for the ten years of dereliction. But I require my haunting expenses – a hundred bits left in Box Number 1. This box is also to remain vacant during the performance. “‘Once again I bid you welcome. Obey my orders and your opera will be wildly successful. But defy me and you will face terrible consequences! “‘Signed… The Opera Spirit.’” As Autumn Blaze finished reading out the letter, a hush hung over the cast. Ponies glanced left and right, or just stared at the kirin and the ornate parchment scroll that hovered in front of her. Even Chestnut looked surprised. Diamond Tiara was just wondering whether to ask what Autumn Blaze thought, when the director answered that question for her. Her eyes caught fire. Diamond Tiara had never seen a pony be consumed by flames before, and she immediately decided she never wanted to see it again. The sudden circle of cyan fire in front of them made many of the cast step back. Even those who’d stood their ground flinched when an intimidating, resonant version of Autumn Blaze’s voice boomed out from the dark creature of flames before them. “He dares?! This meddler dares to tell me how to direct my play? Demanding money and special treatment – and for what reason?! Guaarrgh!” The nirik was clearly visible in front of them now, but no less terrifying for that. The fire around her had already turned the offending letter to ashes, and the director’s wooden podium was blazing fiercely. Cries erupted from the assembled ponies as they looked around the wood-clad auditorium. But Diamond Tiara had no time for them. “Sweetie Belle! The buckets!” The Crusader blinked and then said, “Oh – Right! Yeah!” Sweetie Belle levitated four buckets full of water out from between the front rows of seats. She upended two of them onto the furious nirik, one onto the podium, and held the fourth one ready as the ponies peered through the sudden steam. For a moment, the hiss and splash was all anypony could hear. Then... “...Thank you, Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara,” said Autumn Blaze’s voice, thankfully now back to normal without the unearthly echo to it. “I let my anger run away with me there.” “It’s okay, Director,” Diamond Tiara replied. “Apple Bloom warned me what could happen if something got you angry, so I thought it’d be a good idea to have some water on hand just in case. I hope I didn’t overstep my bounds…?” “Not at all,” smiled the kirin. Chestnut Magnifico had been watching the whole event unfold with detached interest. With an appraising expression she told Diamond Tiara, “I seeyou’re a pony who understands the value of preparation.” “Yes ma’am,” she replied. “Protect what’s important to you. My parents taught me that.” “I like it,” Chestnut said, flashing her a grin. Then she turned to Autumn Blaze and asked, “So are you going to give the spirit his money?” “Not likely,” Autumn Blaze replied grimly, flames flickering at the corners of her eyes. “And I for one don’t believe he’s actually a spirit, either. Scootaloo! Where did you find this letter, anyway?” “It was just posted under the front door. But yeah, that’s a good point, spirits can’t write, can they?” “Then I’m sure somepony must have seen it being dropped off. Oh, I wish I had time to investigate this! But I’m so busy with sourcing costumes and props and posters and–” “Leave it ta us, Miss Blaze!” Apple Bloom stepped forward, the other Crusaders flanking her proudly. “We’ll track this varmint down and leave you free ta focus on all the directin’ stuff you need to do!” She smiled fondly at the eager fillies. “Would you? Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. I’ll give you whatever support you need! But for now I think we’d better call it a day. Everypony return to your home and recharge your thespian energies. Unless you’re helping the Crusaders with their investigation!” Chestnut Magnifico looked around at the hubbub of ponies packing up and chatting excitedly. She sighed and said, “I guess I’ll need to contact that journalist myself.” While the Crusaders spent their time exuberantly hunting for a spirit, Diamond Tiara was busy realising how much her part required. Plenty of dialogue, obviously, but also a total of six songs, solo or together with another pony, not counting chorus numbers; and a couple of dramatic monologues as well. Then there was where to stand on stage and which way to face – the director called it “blocking” – and choreography during various songs… Lots to learn. She turned the script pages restlessly. This wedding scene was weird. She didn’t think it had actually happened in the Daring Do books – had Autumn Blaze made it up entirely? The whole thing was sung in recitative and naturally was very dramatic. The main villain of the show, a manipulative Sphinx, needed to marry Rainbow Dash for the final stages of her nefarious plan to make her gain ultimate power. Rainbow Dash was deceived and believed the Sphinx was actually a charming adventurer, and agreed to a hasty wedding – which seemed perfectly consistent with Rainbow Dash’s character, Diamond Tiara thought – except unbeknownst to her, the ritual would activate magical runes in the temple. Daring Do sang a solo and stepped in to save Rainbow Dash, leading to a dramatic action scene at the end of which Rainbow got to rescue Daring Do just seconds before the temple collapsed. That is, if the special effects all worked correctly on the night. She sighed. She didn’t seem to be able to focus today. She left her script lying in her dressing room and went for a walk. With Autumn Blaze holding rehearsals four times a week for the major parts like hers, the opera house was becoming like a second home to her these days. Diamond Tiara wandered into the wings where the cast were storing the props they’d found, bought or made. Suddenly, her eyes went wide. Seconds later, she ran out onto stage. As usual, Autumn Blaze was standing at her director’s podium; she seemed to be shuffling scripts, or perhaps bills or publicity letters. “Director!” Diamond Tiara exclaimed breathlessly. “Have you seen the Cutie Mark Crusaders?” “Um… not recently,” Autumn Blaze replied, startled. “I’ve got them hunting for that so-called Spirit. Why – is something wrong?” “Yes!” Diamond Tiara replied simply. Chestnut appeared from her dressing room. “What’s all the noise about?” “We need to get Apple Bloom and her friends,” Diamond Tiara fretted. “This is bad, this is very bad.” Chestnut raised an eyebrow, but rather than enquire further, she trotted off, calling, “I’ll see if I can find them.” Autumn Blaze asked with concern, “What is it, Diamond Tiara?” “Come and see…” A few moments later the Cutie Mark Crusaders cantered into the wings to find both their friend and their director staring at a mess on the floor. “What’s that?” Scootaloo asked. Sweetie Belle gasped and said, “Wait… isn’t that…” “Our cat costumes?!” the three of them exclaimed together in dismay, looking at the piles of torn fur and fabric that had used to be three cat-shaped outfits. Diamond Tiara sadly passed them a note. Sweetie Belle unfolded it and read out loud: “Do not search for me! Pay me my salary and cease your investigation, or untold calamity will befall this theatre! – Signed, The Opera Spirit.” Scootaloo mused, “‘Untold calamity’? What kind of thing could he be planning?” Sweetie Belle quickly replied, “If we could tell that then it wouldn’t be untold, would it?” “Whatever he’s thinking, he’s clearly threatening us,” Diamond Tiara summarised grimly. “This was a warning.” Scootaloo poked morosely at the heap of scraps. The costumes had been quite thoroughly torn. “We worked so hard on those!” she moaned. “Even if the mane looked a bit scraggly, it was still a lot of effort making it!” Diamond Tiara scowled. “I had been thinking we need to find out who this is and stop him. But if he’s going to keep doing this kind of thing…” The friends exchanged worried looks. “What do we do?”
Act IV: PublicityThe mood before rehearsals the next day was sombre. Ponies were scared, and Diamond Tiara couldn’t find much to say to reassure them. The cast were divided on whether to obey the Spirit’s instructions or not, and the tensions were high. Knock-knock-knock! A rapping at the front door echoed through the auditorium. “Scootaloo, could you get that?” asked Autumn Blaze distractedly. “Sure thing!” Scootaloo dropped her script and zoomed to the door. “Hi… can I help you?” “This is the Ponyville opera house, right?” growled a low voice from the doorway. Diamond Tiara looked up in surprise. A middle-aged male pegasus was standing there, chomping on a sugar cigar, and glaring balefully into the theatre. Scootaloo was taken aback. “Uh… Yeah?” Diamond Tiara trotted over. “Yes, that’s right, sir. Welcome! What can we do for you?” “Do you have a spirit haunting this place?” A sudden hush fell over the cast. Diamond Tiara exchanged a glance with Autumn Blaze, then firmly said, “No, we don’t. There is some troublemaker sending letters trying to persuade ponies they’re a spirit, but nopony believes them.” “Is that so.” The visitor chewed his sugar cigar a few times, then said, “The name’s Movable Type. I’m a journalist for the Manehattan Review. We received an ’anonymous tip-off’” – his wings formed brief air quotes – “that there was something involving a spirit goin’ on around here. Figured I’d take a look around.” Not waiting for an invitation, he entered and walked around the theatre, peering into occasional corners. “Mind if I ask a few ponies questions?” Autumn Blaze stepped forward and declared, “We have nothing to hide here. We’re just doing our best to prepare a fantastic show – the best this town has seen in years! And, uh, not just because the opera house was closed until we got here. You’re welcome to talk to any of my actors, dancers, musicians, chorus, anypony you like – they’re all completely dedicated to producing a spectacular performance to put Ponyville back on the map and at the centre of Equestria’s opera scene!” Movable Type looked unimpressed. “That’s as may be. For the moment I’d like to talk to anypony who saw one of these letters arrive.” “That’d be me!” exclaimed Scootaloo. “So for starters, why do you call this spirit ’he’ if you’ve never met him? Could the spirit actually be a mare?” Scootaloo looked baffled. The journalist stepped towards her, but paused at a flash of green light overhead. “You guys got flickering lanterns in here? You sure you’re not going for the haunted look?” Diamond Tiara squinted upwards. “Hey, what’s that?” A piece of paper was fluttering down from the cavernous arched ceiling above them. Autumn Blaze caught it in her magic and brought it to her face. She scowled as she read aloud, “‘To Mr Movable Type’...” He frowned and took the envelope. “For me? But I’ve only been here a few minutes…” He tore it open and peered at the letter inside, his eyes narrowing. He silently read it twice, paused, and then grinned viciously. “Oh, you can not be serious.” “What’s it say?” asked Sweetie Belle brightly. “Oh, no. You do not threaten a journalist. I am not going to abandon a story just because some anonymous spook tells me to leave it alone. It is on!” SELF-DESTRUCTIVE SPIRIT WREAKS HAVOC IN PONYVILLE OPERA HOUSE SHOULD NEVER HAVE REOPENED THE NEWLY REOPENED Ponyville Opera House is being haunted by a spirit, whose malicious tricks are likely to end up forcing the theatre to close again. The mysterious figure has not been seen, but has been writing intimidating letters and vandalising the theatre troupe’s props for the show “Daring Do: The Opera”, which opens in two weeks’ time – if it even manages to make it to opening night without the spirit destroying the stage. “He wrecked our costumes, and the dress for the wedding scene,” said Scootaloo, a cast member at the opera house. “We were told something worse would happen if we didn’t stop investigating!” “An’ he asked for money and demanded one of the best boxes be left for him,” added Apple Bloom, another of the cast and sister of Applejack, bearer of one of the Elements of Harmony. Autumn Blaze, the writer and director of the opera that’s based on the bestselling Daring Do series, dismissed fears of the spirit. “There’s no such thing. Somepony is just playing tricks on us. Somepony who’s able to sneak around without being seen, and cause letters to fall from the roof...” Whatever he is, the Ponyville opera spirit doesn’t seem to have thought through the long-term consequences of his actions. He asks for a hefty salary, yet interferes with the production of the opera; he doesn’t seem to realise that if the show isn’t able to run then he won’t get any bits. Or maybe his aim is actually to drive these ponies out of the opera house? The spirit even went as far as to threaten this intrepid reporter when I went to interview the ponies at the opera house. The spirit told me not to publish this article, but you can see how effective that was. So in this reporter’s opinion, you’d do best to stay away before the spirit wrecks the place. Apple Bloom finished reading out the newspaper article and stood up, looking around at the cast and crew nervously. Autumn Blaze’s face was frozen – Apple Bloom was worried she was about to turn into a nirik again. Scootaloo said cheerfully, “Well, any publicity is good publicity, right?” One of Autumn Blaze’s eyes twitched. But Chestnut was grinning. “Yeah, you’re right. He’s basically just advertised our show to all the readers of the Manehattan Chronicle. He mentioned all the important facts: the opening date, Daring Do, the wedding scene…” Diamond Tiara said slowly, “And controversy is good for catching attention…” Snickering, Chestnut replied, “Exactly. Free marketing! It’s everything we could have hoped for.” Autumn Blaze was giving Chestnut a quizzical look, but after a few moments of silence, all she said was, “...I hope you’re right.”
Act V: The Curtain RisesSweetie Belle peered cautiously out from backstage. She gulped and quickly ducked back to where her friends were waiting, her cat ears wobbling. “The place is packed! I haven’t seen so many ponies in one building since… since the royal wedding! And…” Sweetie frowned. “A lot of them are dressed up as Daring Do characters themselves.” Autumn Blaze commented wryly, “Yeah, Daring Do fans can get quite obsessive sometimes, it turns out.” Diamond Tiara stood up straight, the rainbow wig cascading down to the fake wings on her flanks. “Don’t worry. We’ll be fine. We all know our lines” – she glanced at Scootaloo, who nodded nervously – “so there’s nothing to worry about.” Why did it feel like she was trying to convince herself of that? Sweetie Belle looked closely at her. “But you are still worried about something.” Again with the infuriating perceptiveness, Diamond Tiara thought. Sweetie continued, “Are you feeling nervous about all the ponies watching?” “No, it’s not that. I like being the centre of attention, remember?” She cracked a brief smile, but then grew preoccupied again. “No, it’s… Something’s not right. I don’t know what. I should be feeling excited, or nervous about the performance, but… you’re right, I am worried, about something, but I don’t know what or why.” Chestnut Magnifico laid a comforting wing across Diamond Tiara’s back. “I wouldn’t stress yourself about it. You’re going to be great and they’ll love us.” “Thanks,” Diamond Tiara said with a small smile. “Places, everypony!” Autumn Blaze hissed. The musicians started playing the overture, and the show began. The Crusaders trotted off stage and gave each other a hoof bump. “Great job, guys!” Scootaloo murmured. “They seem to be loving it!” Apple Bloom caught Diamond Tiara’s eye. “Now it’s your big wedding scene. Go for it!” Diamond Tiara took a deep breath, and pranced onto the stage, her rainbow wig and ornate white dress flowing behind her. Looking out at the audience, she put on a besotted expression and chanted, “Where is my beloved Sphinx / She who is the most awesome one of all?” The scene progressed just as in the rehearsals. Diamond Tiara as Rainbow Dash was hoofcuffed to Bon Bon playing the evil Sphinx, and led into the ancient temple where the wedding would take place. But Diamond Tiara couldn’t shake the growing feeling that something was wrong. Chestnut stood at the back of the stage watching the wedding. At the appropriate time, when the spotlight focused on her she sang out Daring Do’s solo in captivating tones: “Now the hour has come, now the moment is here: Rainbow Dash will be wed to a creature of fear! All the love in this room, but none of it meant for me… They think this is right, but it’s horribly wrong – she’s evil, but none of them see!” Diamond Tiara glanced at the audience. The ponies were watching Chestnut, spellbound, eyes wide, hanging on her every word. “This should be a moment of love But it’s twisted to fit with her evil design. The villain arises, she’s claiming her power, A shiver runs down your spine…” Suddenly everything fell into place for Diamond Tiara. The dilated eyes of the audience, the sinister actions of the Opera Spirit, Chestnut’s obsession with making the show a huge success: it all made sense. Diamond Tiara looked at Chestnut’s victorious smile, and broke from the script. She shook her hoof free from the Sphinx’s grasp. Charging at Chestnut Magnifico, she yelled, “Changeling!” In Box 4, a pegasus wearing thick-rimmed glasses and a shawl frowned and leaned forward. “Changelings? Seriously? They definitely weren't in any of my books!” Chestnut’s eyes turned to Diamond Tiara in amused defiance. A sickly green telekinetic aura took hold of Diamond Tiara, freezing her in place. “Really? You challenge me now?” A flash of green fire whirled around Chestnut, and when it retreated, a tall black insectoid form stood in her place, staring imperiously at the younger pony. Diamond Tiara recoiled involuntarily, dimly aware of gasps from the audience. The changeling stamped a hoof and a trapdoor opened in the stage. She flared her wings as her horn glowed and dragged Diamond Tiara after her down into darkness. In the massed ponies watching from the stalls, a white unicorn raised her eyebrows. “I must say, our dear thespians have laid on some excellent special effects, haven’t they?” A cyan pegasus nodded. “That was a pretty convincing costume. I’ll have to ask Scoots who made it.” Scowling, she added, “I definitely want to talk to whoever decided I should be mind-controlled into getting married to a Sphinx. That was not awesome.” “Oh, pish, darling. It makes for a dramatic story, and that’s the main thing. Hush, look, those adorable cats are coming on again!” Diamond Tiara squinted, peering through the gloom. Dust motes filled the air, catching beams of light dimly filtering down from the stage above. What is this? Some kind of secret storeroom under the stage? She was still unable to move, suspended in the green field wielded by the creature who she had called Chestnut. Who now stood in front of her, smirking. Who she now realised was none other than... "Chrysalis," she breathed. "You’re Queen Chrysalis." Green light flared from a decayed-looking horn. “Very good,” murmured the Changeling Queen, grinning maliciously. “I’ve been impressed by you, Diamond Tiara.” They stared at each other for a moment, glaring across the dark chamber, the filly and the shapeshifter. Then Chrysalis suddenly smiled brightly and spoke in Chestnut’s voice. "Well? Did you figure out why I’m here putting on a Daring Do play?" Diamond Tiara gulped, then met Chrysalis’s eyes in defiance. "You just wanted to fill this theatre with as many ponies as possible, so you could feed on their love. Everything was in the service of that. Everything you did as Chestnut Magnifico... and as the Opera Spirit." Chrysalis released her magical grip on Diamond Tiara, who fell to the dusty floor. Strutting towards her, Chrysalis proclaimed smugly, "Exactly. Fans really, really love their fandoms, especially Daring Do fans. At least as much as subjects love their princesses! Even more! And did you see how filled with Daring Do fans and opera fans this theatre is?" She cackled and declared, "The fandom of the opera is here!" She likes to talk, it seems, Diamond Tiara thought desperately. Well, if I keep her talking I might be able to think of a plan… “So you calculated all the Spirit’s actions just to bring more audience in?” “Of course,” the changeling gloated. “A good ghost story always gets ponies gossiping.” “So that letter to the journalist, telling him not to write the article, was just... reverse psychology.” "I know his kind. I played him like a fiddle. The outrage in his article merely made it certain the news about our show would spread far and wide." ’Our show’, Diamond Tiara noted. Interesting. “And when you destroyed the Crusaders’ costumes... You knew they’d make new ones, and do a better job second time?” Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Detestably predictable, those three. The Spirit needed to cause some damage to get the rumours spreading, and their flawed cat suits were a perfect candidate.” “You were trying to cause the least damage possible?” Diamond Tiara said with a slight smile. Chrysalis hissed. “All in the service of bringing together all these fans. I need to feed on their love for Daring Do!” “Why? What’s your goal in all of this?” Chrysalis span and levelled her face with Diamond Tiara’s. She said venomously, “Revenge! I need to gain enough power to defeat Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer!” She stamped her chitinous hoof on the floorboards and paced around. “They took my hive from me. Drove me from my home! Corrupted all my changelings! Left me with nothing! And I need power to make them regret it…” Then suddenly Chrysalis rounded on Diamond Tiara again and her voice shifted. In much silkier tones she said, "But I’m led to believe that you, Diamond Tiara, will understand the desire for power. You used to be rather skilled in pursuing it yourself, or so I heard?" "I still am," Diamond Tiara replied fiercely. "The only difference is that I have friends now and I care about what they think." Chrysalis gave a smile, baring her fangs. “Now I’m told that you used to be beautifully unencumbered by those goody-goody morals. What changed, I wonder? And what could bring you back to the more practical side?” You really are trying to convert me. Well now… “You’re right,” Diamond Tiara said simply. “I have seen it both ways. I used to have no use for friends except what I could get from them. And you know what? I discovered it’s more fulfilling to work together with other ponies. To accomplish something together that’s greater than I could have done on my own.” Stepping towards Chrysalis, she continued, “Haven’t you seen that with this play? You couldn’t put on a play like this by yourself without anypony else.” “Pah! If I’d been in charge of this play, it would have been far better!” Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow. “Really? You can write songs and play the harpsichord now?” “I can get other ponies to do that for me,” Chrysalis growled. “Exactly. We all bring something different to the group. You can manipulate and plan. Autumn Blaze can write and direct. Octavia and Lyra play music, the Crusaders make props…” “Enough!” Chrysalis lunged forward aggressively. Diamond Tiara stood her ground. “But you do plan well. And I think you take pride in a job well done, a well-prepared plot, a perfectly executed plan, don’t you?” “What’s your point?” Chrysalis said, her voice low and menacing. Diamond Tiara took a deep breath. “I think you enjoyed working to make the play as successful as it can be. As Chestnut Magnifico, and as the Opera Spirit. You took pride in doing it as well as you could. So… Keep doing that.” Chrysalis looked at her suspiciously. “You want me to… keep on manipulating and pretending?” Diamond Tiara shrugged. “If you like. Make the play as awesome as you can. But... Don’t drain the audience. Let them go and recommend the show and write rave reviews of it so we get even more ponies tomorrow night.” Chrysalis was still looking quizzical. “You discovered there’s a changeling on your cast, and your response is to ask her to stay?” “You did your job very well, even if nopony asked you to,” Diamond Tiara responded with a smile. “I think you like being in the limelight, don’t you? You love being the star of the show. So do I! This opera is a great way for us both to enjoy everypony’s attention on us. And you’re not just an excellent actor, you’re very good at marketing too. Every troupe needs somepony who knows how to handle the press.” “But I feed on love! How can you want me on your team when I’ll drain the love from anyone who offers it?” This is it. “Because I believe you can share love.” Diamond Tiara’s heart was in her mouth. “You respect Autumn Blaze for creating this opera. You said you respect me too. It’s just a small step beyond that to sharing friendship.” Her tone carefully casual, she continued, “I enjoyed being friends with you, when you were Chestnut Magnifico. And I think you might have sometimes enjoyed it too. I’d like to be able to consider you a friend, and I’m sure the others would as well. Doesn’t that sound more interesting than spending more years on your own?” The changeling’s face was still sceptical. “Even if I were to go along with your proposal, what happens after the opera finishes?” Diamond Tiara felt her heart leap. Could this be working? “That’s… really up to you. When you stop letting revenge define you, you get to choose your own path. If you enjoyed trying to make this opera a huge success, you could do more acting for a while, and then choose something else to do.” As Chrysalis contemplated, a thought occurred to Diamond Tiara. “Um… you’d need to release the real Chestnut Magnifico, though. She is still okay, right?” Chrysalis waved a hoof dismissively. “She’s unhurt. She’s stored in a globule in the Opera House rafters. She won’t remember anything.” Diamond Tiara nodded. “So… What do you say? Do you want to see if we can make the show even bigger? Get a full house by the final performance? Together?” A pregnant pause ensued. Diamond Tiara tried not to let her face show how nervous she was. At last, Chrysalis said, “...I’m not going to turn pink and yellow like those traitors from my hive.” “Somehow I don’t think you will,” Diamond Tiara reassured her. “Though even if you did, how would the rest of us know?” “Ha!” The laugh escaped Chrysalis’s mouth before she could stop it. Then she frowned. “Suppose I were to agree to your scenario. What happens tonight? We were halfway through one of the key scenes.” “...If we want to fill the opera house by the end of the week, we need to get back up there and continue with the performance,” Diamond Tiara decided. Chrysalis commented drily, “But you may have rather derailed it by attacking me in the middle of the wedding.” Diamond Tiara winced. “Yes, that… might be a problem… And you revealed yourself on stage, and I know I heard the audience gasp.” She thought fast. “Okay. We haven’t been down here for very long though. It sounds like they’ve been carrying on up there without us. So we go back up and you… pretend the script called for Daring Do to be replaced by a changeling. We’ll have to make it up as we go along.” “That’ll never work,” said Chrysalis incredulously. Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow. “I think you could pull it off. It’s the same as when you’ve replaced somepony and one of their friends says something you weren’t expecting. You’ve been preparing for this with every form you’ve taken your whole life!” A crooked smile appeared on Chrysalis’s toothy face. “Fine. But if anypony realises what really happened, I get to eat them.” “What? No!” “Ah well, it was worth a try,” Chrysalis said with a wink. Green fire pulsed around her once more and then Chestnut’s form stood before Diamond Tiara, still wearing her Daring Do costume. A magic field seized her, and Diamond Tiara felt herself lifted up once more towards the trapdoor through which they’d fallen. As they neared it, she heard what she recognised as the last couple of lines of the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ comic-relief song that was meant to come after the dramatic rescue. She caught Chestnut’s – Chrysalis’s – eye, and they nodded. They waited for the applause to finish, and then burst up and back onto the stage. Autumn Blaze had been watching in horror as her carefully scripted opera fell apart. She didn’t know what a changeling was, but she inferred that it was something bad; and apparently one of them had replaced her lead actress and kidnapped her secondary lead? She had been pleased with the tenacity the rest of her cast had shown – Sweetie Belle had proclaimed “The show must go on!” – so they were valiantly improvising, but there was only so much they could do without two key roles. Autumn Blaze was just trying to come up with any way they could do the finale without Daring Do or Rainbow Dash, when… “Come back here, you vile fiend!” Diamond Tiara and Chestnut burst out of the trapdoor they’d vanished into a few minutes earlier. Chestnut was running away and Diamond Tiara was chasing her, and all the while both of them singing recitative at each other that Autumn Blaze definitely hadn’t written: “How dare you take the form of Daring Do!” “You meddler! Now I must dispose of you!” But as they ran past the wings, Diamond Tiara slowed down long enough to give a big wink towards Autumn Blaze. The Crusaders, still on stage, looked shocked at the sudden chase scene happening around them. Apple Bloom stood up with a determined expression and sang, “Come, my friends! We must trap this impostor!” The cats stuck out one leg each in exaggerated fashion. To Autumn Blaze’s surprise, Chestnut ran right over them. Tumbling flank over mane she was enveloped in a burst of green flames, so that it was the tall changeling who stood up to hiss at them. Diamond Tiara stared as Chrysalis revealed herself, to appreciative gasps from the audience once more. But she also noticed that Chrysalis had stood up right underneath the wire that the dramatic rescue had been meant to use, except that that part of the script had been rather circumvented. Is she suggesting…? She caught Chrysalis’s eyes, and received a smirk and a raised eyebrow – a mannerism that she recognised from when she’d known her as Chestnut – but Chrysalis didn’t move. So Diamond Tiara climbed the stairs at stage right and put on her best Rainbow Dash cocky smile. “All right, changeling, this is the end of the line!” She reared up, pressing her flank against the upper end of the wire, where it clicked into the fake wing. Just like they’d practised. “For justice and friendship!” she cried, and leapt off the stairs. The harness caught her weight and she zoomed through the air. She experienced the same rush as when she’d practised this manoeuvre in rehearsals, but heightened severalfold: by the hundreds of ponies watching, by the way they were way off script and improvising desperately, by the way her co-star was one of the most wanted villains in Equestria… She just had time to hear the cheers from the crowd before she barrelled into Chrysalis and knocked her offstage. Diamond Tiara grinned in relief, and then couldn’t help herself: she burst out laughing, though she was at least able to keep it quiet enough to not be heard from the stalls. “That was fantastic!” she squealed at Chrysalis. “Great plan!” The Changeling Queen stood up and smirked again. “You were right. It is just the same skills I’ve been practising since I was a grub.” Autumn Blaze stepped up hesitantly. “Um… Hi,” she said, at a loss for words for once. Chrysalis rolled her eyes and shifted back to Chestnut’s form. “Hi, Director, yes, I’ve been a changeling all this time, no, I’m not going to sabotage the show,” she rattled off. It was entertainingly unfamiliar to see Autumn Blaze not know what to say. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times. “…Right! How wonderfully dramatic! And, uh, well done Diamond Tiara. So… I guess we can move on to the finale?” “That’s what I was thinking,” said Diamond Tiara, at the same time as Chrysalis said “Of course.” The two actresses smiled at each other and stepped back onto the stage. “Rainbow Dash!” Chrysalis exclaimed as Daring Do, squaring to face the audience. “Thank you for defeating the changeling that had taken my form!” “I’m your biggest fan – of course I had to save you!” Diamond Tiara replied confidently. It was a slight variation on a line from the script, and it allowed the rest of the cast to pick up with the script for the finale. All through the final scene Diamond Tiara kept forgetting the pony who looked like Chestnut was actually a shapeshifting impostor, then suddenly remembering with a start. Her mind was in turmoil. Is she just playing along? Is she really reformed? Is it... Did I do that? Did I really just... persuade a love-eating villain to abandon her plans to take over Equestria? Diamond Tiara frowned. I know my talent is meant to be getting others to do what I want, but... It was only as the company launched into the closing song, and Diamond Tiara caught Chrysalis smiling at her, that the realisation came to her. No, I didn't. Not really. She did most of the work herself. When she joined the troupe, decided to work alongside us for a common goal, she was setting herself on the route to redemption... even if she didn't know it. She glanced over at Chrysalis, who was belting out the triumphant final chorus, and smiled to herself. I really do hope I get to spend more time with her. She's fun. The music and words for the finale were one of the best parts of Autumn Blaze’s scriptwriting, and Diamond Tiara was gratified but not surprised to see the closing line get a huge round of applause. As they prepared for the curtain call, Diamond Tiara nudged Chrysalis and whispered, “Take your true form.” Chrysalis looked at her quizzically. “You’re sure?” “No,” Diamond Tiara murmured. “But... my instinct says to do it.” Chrysalis gave her the warmest smile Diamond Tiara had ever seen on Chestnut’s face. “Your instinct has been good so far tonight.” Diamond Tiara stepped forward and took her bow, her spirits soaring as the audience cheered for her. And then Chrysalis stepped forward wearing Chestnut’s form, bowed, and then shifted to her true form and bowed once again, insectoid wings flaring up behind her. The cheers and stomps for the evening’s star were deafening. Diamond Tiara, though, was most delighted to notice that Chrysalis’s wings had taken on a crystalline, reflective sheen. Not pink and yellow, indeed. But a step in the right direction. Author's Note My full Bingo Contest prompt card: Many thanks to Shrink Laureate for running the contest. The idea of a whole-plot-reference to Phantom of the Opera, with Diamond Tiara as the young starlet and Chrysalis as the Phantom, would never have occurred to me in a million years if it hadn't been for this prompt. I hope you enjoyed the fic!
Act II: Rehearsals“...She’s dashing and sincere, oh Equestria’s top hero The villains quake in fear, oh I wish I could be near, oh The mare called Daring Doooo!” “Great singing, everypony! Now you exit stage left – no, keep facing the audience and sidestep – and keep smiling! Excellent. Okay, we’ll stop there for now! Scootaloo, be sure to learn your lines more for next time.” Autumn Blaze’s enthusiastic stream of orders came to a sudden halt. She smiled at the chorus fillies walking off stage. The Crusaders chatted animatedly among themselves, but Diamond Tiara excused herself and sidled up to Autumn Blaze. She hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Director, I have a question. I’m very grateful to be in the part of Rainbow Dash, and I’m happy to do my very best, but wouldn’t it be better to cast a pegasus for this role?” Autumn Blaze gave her a kindly smile. “Don’t worry about it. I know what I’m doing. We don’t need you to fly much – just at the end of the wedding scene where you rescue Daring Do from the Sphinx – and special effects can handle that just fine. What I need is a beautiful clear singing voice and a strong acting ability – and those are exactly what you bring to the part.” Warming to her topic, the kirin’s gaze drifted off as she continued, “The thing we need from Rainbow Dash at the start of the play is that she’s a huge fan of Daring Do. Daring Do is Rainbow’s idol who’s everything she wants to be. Remember this is before Rainbow Dash is a famous hero herself. And Dash always thought Daring Do was just a made-up character, so whenever Daring Do is on stage Rainbow is watching her with this astonishment, like she’s had these dreams since she was a filly but told herself none of this stuff could be real, but now Daring Do has turned out to really exist after all so she’s going through a stage of daring to believe in all her childhood hopes and wishes, and Daring Do is the focus and... personification of all that emotion, you know? And I need you to show that through the way you act on stage, and I’m sure you’ll be brilliant at it!” Diamond Tiara was saved from having to work out how to respond to that by the re-emergence of her friends. Sweetie Belle was humming the song they’d been practicing, while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were animatedly discussing something: “Jus’ because the lights are dim don’t mean this place is haunted!” “I’m not saying it’s definitely haunted, I’m just saying it wouldn’t surprise me if it was. This place just feels like a haunted theatre, you know?” Autumn Blaze rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Girls, this is just an old opera house. It’s dim because we haven’t fixed up the lights and cleaned the windows yet. There’s no spirit haunting the place, no matter how evocative and dramatically appropriate that would be.” “Are you sure?” demanded Scootaloo. “How do you know there’s no spirit?” “Because that’s how stories go, not what happens in real life,” said the kirin with a nervous smile. “There’s no spirit living underneath the stage, nothing’s going to happen to an ominously wobbling chandelier, nopony is going to sneak around sabotaging props, and we’re definitely not going to be receiving creepy mysterious letters of any…” She trailed off as she noticed the rest of the cast had come out to watch the argument, and were staring wide-eyed. Chestnut Magnifico raised an eyebrow and said, “That’s a lot of awfully specific denials.” “Do you know something we don’t?!” demanded a stallion dressed up as a henchpony. “What? No, it’s just that I once wrote a story about an opera spirit. But that was fiction, and it’s not going to happen in real–” “Wobbling chandelier?” cried Lyra from the orchestra. “It really doesn’t look very stable now you say it…” “I think the stage is hollow!” exclaimed another chorus pony, tapping it with his hooves. Autumn Blaze was looking around frantically. “What? No! Nothing’s going to happen! I know this place looks like exactly the kind of building a spirit would love to haunt, and if there had been a spirit happy here for the past few years then it wouldn’t appreciate our intrusion, but that doesn’t matter because there isn’t–” “I knew it!” said Scootaloo excitedly. “It’s going to keep sabotaging the play until we leave it alone!” “Is it safe to stay here?” “I’m scared!” “We need to–” “Everypony BE QUIET!” The sudden cry cut through the hysteria. All eyes turned to the scowling Diamond Tiara. “Ugh! You’re all being ridiculous!” She gathered herself, stood tall and said more calmly, “Sorry for shouting. But there’s no cause to believe in any spirit, everypony.. We don’t have any reason, do we? Just rumours and ungrounded fears. Don’t let your imagination run away with you. Now, we’ve all got lines to learn or jobs to do, so why don’t we all go and get on with that?” The crowd started to disperse, muttering and murmuring. Diamond Tiara took a deep breath, then exhaled. She had a feeling she and Autumn Blaze would be quelling these rumours for a while. “How’s it goin’, Diamond Tiara? Hard at work learnin’ lines?” Diamond Tiara stared at the script in front of her. “Yes. I keep mixing up the lyrics from my solo song with the monologue in the next scene.” She shook her head, stretched, and stood up, looking across the playground at the younger schoolkids playing in the field, and Apple Bloom standing in front of her. “How about you? Learned yours yet?” “Ehehe… not exactly.” Apple Bloom’s look of embarrassment was quickly replaced with enthusiasm as she continued, “We’ve been makin’ our costumes! Look at this!” She turned around, fiddled with something she’d brought with her, and turned back to face Diamond Tiara, who jumped in surprise. Apple Bloom’s face had turned black and she’d gained fierce pointed teeth. “I’m a jaguar!” “A jaguar?” Diamond Tiara squinted, and then said tactfully, “Yes, I can see that now… Are you, ah, going to be colouring your coat too? The black head and yellow body makes you look a bit like a bugbear.” “A bugbear?” Her face fell, but Apple Bloom recovered and continued, “Yeah, I probably should, shouldn’t I? Otherwise I imagine Miss Chestnut Magnifico will have words to say. Like she did about Scootaloo’s tiger mask yesterday.” She scowled. “First time we met her I thought that mare was real nice, ya know? She was all friendly-like to you. Pity that seems to have been all an act.” Diamond Tiara sighed. “I wish I was surprised. But honestly, Apple Bloom, it’s very common for famous ponies to put on a friendly face but be much nastier when you get to know them. The things some important ponies have said at Mother’s parties…” “Mmm, I guess so,” said Apple Bloom despondently. Except Diamond Tiara realised that actually, that wasn’t really what the situation with Chestnut was like. Yes, the older mare could certainly be snippy, harsh, and critical. But it was clear she really wanted the opera to succeed. There was a… drive within Chestnut that Diamond Tiara admired. She took her work seriously, whereas the famous ponies she’d met at her family’s events took themselves too seriously but usually didn’t care much about getting anything in particular done. She shuddered and changed the subject. “Are the others done with their cat costumes too?” “Scootaloo’s still workin’ on her tiger costume, but Sweetie Belle’s pretty much done with her cat outfit. You should see her – she looks so cute!” Diamond Tiara couldn’t help smiling. “I’m sure she does. I’m sure Autumn Blaze will like it too. And Chestnut…” “Ah, who cares what she thinks,” Apple Bloom replied brightly, her smile returned. “She's not the boss!” “That's the spirit!”
