In Which It's a Night at the Opera Part 2
Thirty minutes to curtain call, and all the little ponies from the surrounding area gradually filled in the lower and upper seats of the opera house’s main hall. A persistent din of conversation filled the air as the anticipation for tonight’s show continued to rise. No pony within the building wasn’t looking forward to the main performance.
No pony, except one.
“Come ooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnn, Tavi! Why can’t I wear my earmuffs? At least I could pretend I was listening to good music.”
“You will be listening to good music, Vinyl,” Octavia said. The gray earth pony sat within the orchestra pit located just before the stage. She strummed a bow across her cello strings, the elegant movement producing a pleasant note through the air. “If you would just give it a chance, you may surprise yourself with how much you enjoy it.”
“Fat chance,” Vinyl Scratch grumbled, a pout on her lips. The white unicorn stood upon the stage, idly twirling a pair of pink shaded glasses in front of her with her magic.
“You should take your seat. The play will start soon.”
“Joy.”
Sighing, Octavia placed down her cello and gave her full attention to her petulant friend. “Vinyl, this night is important to me. I’ll be performing at the most popular play in the last three years.
“I have gone to every party in the lower sections of Jidhoof that you dragged me to. You can stand to sit through one night.”
Vinyl rolled her eyes, placing her glasses on her face. “The guilt trip is getting old, Tavi. But fine, I’ll put up with this like a good little pony,” she grumbled as she trotted away, heading towards a set of stairs that led off the stage and into the audience seating.
Octavia watched her go, a frown on her muzzle. She sighed again and began tuning her instrument for the performance to come.
.o.O.o.
“Places everypony! The show ez about to start!”
Twilight Sparkle’s stomach lurched as Photo Finish raced past her, the earth pony a whirlwind of activity. All around her, stagehands adjusted levers and sandbags for opening the curtains and raising hidden trap doors built into the stage. Actors wearing elaborate costumes stood by, awaiting their moment to prance in front of the audience. Outside, Twilight could hear the orchestra playing a warm-up melody and beyond them the din of the crowd mulling about.
She swallowed, sweat running down her forehead in rivets.
“Nervous, Twilight?”
Twilight yelped, stumbling away from the voice. Mocking laughter filled her ears.
“Oh, this is going to be a sight to see,” Trixie said. She flipped her mane back, careful not to disturb the deep blue armor she wore or the prop sword hanging at her side. “I can’t wait to see you bumble your way through this. All for the best, really, as it will make Trixie’s performance stand out all the more.”
Twilight regained her composure, the chintzy suit of gold armor covering her body clinking together as she moved. “You’re not helping.”
“You know, there’s a saying these theatre ponies have that Trixie finds most suitable for this occasion. Something that’s supposed to wish an actor luck.” Trixie cleared her throat and gave Twilight the most sincere smile in her entire life. “Break a leg.”
Before Twilight could so much as blink, Trixie lifted a helmet the same style and color as Twilight’s armor and shoved it over the lavender unicorn’s head. A push and a shove later, Twilight stood upon the stage, confused and alone.
The curtain rose.
.o.O.o.
Spike munched on a bag of gems, courtesy of the opera house staff. He sat in a private booth overlooking the entire hall, with a perfect view of the stage. Next to him, Stardust had settled himself down in the isle, pecking idly at a bowl of seed and gysahl greens. Sitting on his other side, Rainbow Dash sat with her hoof propping up her head, her eyes half closed.
“I really, really hate the opera,” she grumbled.
Spike shrugged and said through a mouthful of gems, “Hey, it hasn’t been that bad so far.”
“It hasn’t even started yet, and already I’m bored.”
“C’mon, the least you can do is watch Twilight.” The little dragon put down his bag of snacks, laid back into his chair, and sighed. “I hope she does alright. I hate having to leave her with Trixie.”
“Big Mac will keep an eye on her,” Rainbow Dash replied in a disinterested tone.
“Yeah, well, he better.” Spike crossed his arms, staring out over the audience to the stage beyond. Above, the lights dimmed, the orchestra stopped warming up, and the crowd quieted. The conductor raised his baton, held his position for a single moment, then brought it down. The orchestra came to life with a bombastic song, full of adventure and grandeur. Slowly, the red curtains covering the stage rose up. Spike leaned forward, his claws bunched up under his chin. “C’mon Twilight, show ‘em what you got.”
The curtain finished raising, revealing a backdrop of a mountain range with a gorgeous sunset spilling over. In the center of the stage stood Photo Finish. She gave a deep bow to the audience and said, “Greetings, one and all! Tonight, ve present to you a tale of war, love, and loss. Two great kingdoms were at war with each other: the West and the East. The West’s great heroine, Celestia, fights bravely on the front lines. Even in the thick of battle, all her thoughts go to her true love, Sombra. ‘Is Sombra safe? Is Sombra vaiting?’” Photo Finish bowed again and trotted off stage.
A spotlight lit up the right side of the stage, highlighting a lavender unicorn wearing shiny golden armor.
.o.O.o.
Twilight Sparkle squinted against the harsh light striking her eyes. She could barely see the stage ahead of her, much less the crowd beyond it. She swallowed, taking tiny, cautious steps to the center. She worked her mouth but no words came forth. The music began to swell, with seconds remaining before she would have to start singing.
Across the stage, a half-dozen ponies wearing reddish-brown suits ran towards the center. From behind Twilight, an equal amount of ponies wearing shabby orange clothes with purple turbans charged past her at the first group. The two mock armies met and began swinging prop swords, bucking their legs and missing by several inches, raising a ruckus that the orchestra just barely beat out.
Twilight quickened her pace. She needed to get to the front of the two battling sides in order to make her cue. She could see Photo Finish, standing behind the left stage’s curtain, gesture with her hoof to hurry up. Her heart beating so fast Twilight felt it would burst out of her chest, she put on more speed. A pony wearing the red suit of the East jumped in front of her, swinging his sword towards her head.
Reflexes pounded into her from Spike and Rainbow Dash’s lessons took over, her magic raising her large plastic broadsword up to meet the descending strike. A resounding crack filled the air. That one sound overtook all of Twilight’s senses.
Everything went silent. Even the orchestra couldn’t reach her ears. All she could focus on was the sword she had blocked and the hairline fracture present in the East pony’s weapon. Twilight’s eyes widened and she jerked back. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She was supposed to take the hit and fall to the floor, not react like somepony was trying to kill her! The East actor blinked and watched as his sword broke in two, the blade end dropping to the stage with a dull thunk.
Sound returned. The orchestra reached its highest crescendo yet. The East side actors, veterans through and through, improvised.
“It’s true!”
“Celestia’s might is too much for us!”
“Retreat!”
The East ponies fled back the way they came, leaving Twilight and the West soldiers the sole occupants of the stage. The music changed once again, the orchestra playing a more beat oriented song.
One of the West actors poked Twilight in the rump. “That’s your cue,” he stage whispered.
She sucked in a sharp breath. This was it. The opening solo of the play. This had to go right or it would sour the rest of the production. Nopony would be able to bail her out of this if she screwed up.
Twilight’s chest welled up in preparation, she opened her mouth—
—and a tiny squeak trickled past her lips.
The actors blinked and looked to each other, a look of apprehension passing between them.
A small dart pierced the soft flesh beneath Twilight’s cutie mark.
~Ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh, Sombra! Saved from the claw
Of the evil dragon lord.
I must fight the darkest hoards
So that peace can be restored!~
Stage left, Photo Finish smirked. She placed the blowgun in her hooves back under her clothes. “Verks every time.”
.o.O.o.
“That’s my girl!”
An angry round of shushing coerced Spike to sheepishly sit back down in his seat. Once everypony’s attention was back on the play, Spike leaned over to Stardust and whispered, “Hey. Let’s go backstage and check up on the others. I wanna rub this in Trixie’s face.”
Stardust ignored him and tilted his head back, allowing gravity to assist him in swallowing more food than should be possible.
“Dude, that’s pretty gross.”
The sliver chocobo finished his meal and gave Spike a cross look. “Like you’re one to talk.” He flicked a wing, scattering bits of gems scattered all over Spike’s seat.
“Heh, uh, yeah,” Spike said, blushing at the mess. He wiped off as much as he could, creating a small, multicolored dusting on the floor. “Meh, the cleaning guys will take care of this. Now come on, let’s go see Twilight.”
“Fine.” Stardust rose from his position on the floor and stretched out his wings.
“Hey!” came a shout from the back. “Down in front!”
“I think the sooner the better,” Stardust said. He gathered up his bags and soon he and Spike headed for the stairs leading down.
Left behind, Rainbow Dash snored.
.o.O.o.
“Okay girls, you all ready?”
~ A mischievous unicorn whose innocent voice can woo all that listen upon it. ~
“You bet, Sweetie Belle!”
~ Her stunts are amazing spectacles that never fail to impress anypony watching. ~
“That’s right, Scootaloo. We’ll have the secrets of the cutie marks in no time!”
~ A rambunctious filly with an affinity for potions.
She seeks to learn the mysteries of the strange phenomenon known as cutie marks... ~
“Apple Bloom, all set with the disguises?” Sweetie Belle asked.
The earth filly lifted up three sets of janitor outfits. “Yup! Just need to put them on and we’ll be able to go anywhere.”
“Great. Nopony will even think to suspect us if we go in looking like we belong.”
The three fillies gave a cheer of, “Cutie Mark Crusaders Deep Undercover! Yay!” and raised up a hoof, smacking them together high above their heads.
“Why are you girls making so much noise during a production?”
As one, they all froze. Slowly, they twisted their heads to see a pony glaring down at them.
“Uh,” came Apple Bloom’s reply.
“Where are your parents?” the pony asked, his no-nonsense expression making it clear that he wasn’t going to accept any funny business.
Scootaloo decided to test that theory anyway. In a whirl of motion, she stood before the stallion wearing one of the janitor uniforms. “You are wrong, sir. We are here to fix the… the ah…”
“Rigging,” Apple Bloom whispered.
“Rigging! That’s it, the rigging. We noticed that it was coming loose so we need to get in there—” she pointed past the stallion to the actor waiting area— “to tighten it up. So, if you’ll excuse us, we need to get going.” She strode confidently forward, not looking at the stallion.
A leg stomped down in her path. “I think you kids should leave. Now.”
“Now wait a minute, we—”
One second, Scootaloo was standing tall against the stallion. The next, she, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom found themselves dumped out in the main hall.
“And stay out!” the stallion bellowed, slamming the backstage door behind him.
“Jerk,” Scootaloo said.
Untangling herself from her friends, Sweetie Belle considered the situation before them. “Maybe we should have gone with extras instead.”
“Well now what are we gonna do?” Apple Bloom asked. “We gotta get in there and ask about them cutie marks.”
“Excuse us.”
The three fillies yelped. Whirling around, they blinked at the sight before them. A dragon less than a hoof taller than they were and a chocobo tapping a talon impatiently stood waiting for them to move. Sweetie Belle gave a sheepish smile and slid out of the way. The dragon wasted no time in walking up to the door and knocking. The door opened, revealing the stallion from before. “What now?”
The dragon smiled up at him. “Hello, me and my bud here need to see Twilight.” He took a deep breath and blew, a stream of green fire trailing from his mouth. The fire swirled in the air before coalescing into a brown piece of paper. The dragon snatched up the paper and held it up for the stallion to see. “That weird pony in the glasses gave this to us so we could go back stage.”
The stallion leaned forward, his eyes roving over the paper. At last he sighed and stepped back to allow the dragon room. “Go ahead. Just don’t make too much noise.”
“Thanks!” said the dragon. He beckoned the chocobo to come forward. The duo walked on past and through the door.
If the stallion had been paying closer attention, he would have seen three small ponies carefully walking underneath the wide girth of the chocobo.
.o.O.o.
Big Macintosh smiled. Twilight was really holding her own out there, surprising for such a normally timid girl. It was nice to see her excelling for once.
“Hey, big guy, you’re on in five,” said a passing stagehand.
“Eeyup,” replied Big Macintosh. He looked down at the open script laying on the floor, reading through it one last time.
“Big Mac!”
The stallion looked up, spotting Spike and Stardust heading his way. He waved them over, putting away the script.
Spike wasted no time, nudging Big Macintosh playfully in the ribs with an elbow. “She’s doing great out there, isn’t she?”
“Eeyup.”
“You’re going out soon, right?”
“Eeyup.”
“Good luck. I know you’ll do great.” Spike glanced around, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings. “Trixie hasn’t been causing any trouble, has she?”
“Nope.”
“Good. We might just get through this night.”
“There you are!”
Before he could react, three small fillies crowded around Big Macintosh and began speaking all at the same time.
“How did you get a cutie mark?”
“You’ve got secrets! Spill ‘em!”
“Let me see your butt!”
Big Macintosh stared blankly at all the fillies jumping and yelling around him. He opened his mouth to speak but each time one of the girls would pipe up and drown out his voice. He barely made out what they were saying. Something about cutie marks?
He was saved from further harassment when a stagehand ran up to them and hissed, "What is all this commotion?! We have a play in production, you know. And you," he thrust a hoof at Big Macintosh, "are on in less than a minute. Get ready."
"Uh... eeyup?" was all Big Macintosh could say.
"But he hasn't told us how he got a cutie mark!" cried out Sweetie Belle.
"Oh, that?" Stardust said, looking between the three wide eyed and pushy fillies. He reached into a bag with his wing and pulled out a magicite shard. "Something to do with this. He just held it and—"
Scootaloo, using Apple Bloom as a springboard, hopped up and knabbed the magicite right from Stardust’s clutches. "Let's beat it!" She took off, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom running after her.
"Hey!" Stardust exclaimed. He felt Spike land on his back, a claw pointing at the fleeing fillies.
"After them!"
Stardust didn't need to be told twice. A burst of speed rocketed the two out of the backstage area, their forms gone in seconds.
Big Macintosh blinked. He took a step towards where Stardust and Spike had exited, but a hoof to his chest stopped him.
"You're not going anywhere except that way," the stagehand said, nodding his head towards the stage. "You concentrate on the play. I'll deal with everything else."
Swallowing, Big Macintosh nodded. He turned around, facing the stage. He took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and stepped out onto a balcony.
.o.O.o.
“Ze war raged on and on, with neither side making a decisive blow. At Celestia’s castle, Sombra, her one true love, protected the castle vile she was away. One day, Celestia vanished without a trace, leaving her sister Luna to take up the war in her stead. However, Sombra never stopped hoping for the day Celestia would return.”
With her narration over, Photo Finish bowed and exited the stage. The curtain rose, revealing a stone castle with a large balcony overlooking the theater. A polished wooden door opened and a new actor stepped out.
All across the audience, a collective swoon overcame the female populace as Big Macintosh, dressed in a black tuxedo that hugged against his muscled frame, took his place atop the balcony set. The music changed to a softer tone, giving a subtle undercurrent from the bombastic overtures from the beginning. Big Macintosh raised his head to the deep blue, glittering backdrop that represented the night sky and began to sing.
~Oh my princess, my one true love,
Will you soon bring back our hope?
Our smiles fade away, a bit day by day,
We need you here to help cope.
With the darkness, this imbalance.
It profanes the very soil
Your hooves trod upon, each day with the dawn,
It seeks to corrupt our hearts.~
His deep, velvety voice carried throughout the theater, reaching every ear in the house. Even Rainbow Dash, fast asleep in her chair, had her ears twitch in response. An audible sigh escaped the mares watching, clinging to their dates and escorts a little tighter.
~Luna needs you to keep her strong.
She works harder than you know
To keep us all safe, her own health forsakes,
All for a sense to belong.~
At last, Big Macintosh finished the verse. He smiled softly and took a bow. A door on the other end of the balcony opened and he headed towards it. The moment he stepped through, the set pieces swiveled on hidden rollers, spinning into view a ballroom. Big Macintosh trotted to the center and stood, waiting.
He didn't have to wait long as a set of stairs hidden in shadows lit up, revealing Twilight Sparkle walking down them. Dressed in a flowing, shimmering golden dress, Twilight walked up to the stallion, a hint of pink coloring her cheeks.
"R-ready?" she stage whispered to him.
"Eeyup."
She swallowed, her chest rising and falling with the quickening of her breath. "Then... let's do th-this." Louder, to the audience, she said, "Oh Sombra! Let’s not waste this chance encounter. Dance with me!" She held out a hoof, bottom up. Big Macintosh smiled and placed his own hoof upon it. At that moment, the orchestra reached a continuous melody. Twilight wasted no time, moving her hooves in time with the beat, Big Macintosh following her lead. Every few seconds, Twilight glanced down at the floor and the red tape that marked where she needed to step.
The opera house crew were not taking any chances with the newbies.
The dance continued, Twilight and Big Macintosh carefully watching their steps. It wasn’t the most grandiose routine ever displayed. Many of the crew watching found it to be awkward and with little chemistry. However, beggars couldn’t be choosers and the show must go on.
Twilight reached the final step and gave a girlish giggle. She smiled and nodded up at her partner, her eyes sparkling with wonder. There came a flash from a spotlight above, bathing Twilight Sparkle and Big Macintosh in a bright light that obscured their forms. When the light receded, Twilight was gone. In her place lay a bouquet of deep red roses.
Big Macintosh picked them up in his mouth and headed for the edge of the stage. Once there, he chucked the bundle of flowers into the audience, causing a scream of delight from the mares who jumped from their seats to grab it. As a small war raged over the bouquet, Big Macintosh began to sing.
~Still we trust you will find a way
To stop the shadow’s march.
I believe in you, my heart will stay true
As we head into the frey.
We will stay strong, fighting darkness
We will never fade away!
You’re our kingdom’s sun, we will fight as one,
Until you come back one day.~
His voice lingered on the final note, its cadence drifting over all in attendance. The crowd came alive, clapping and cheering despite the ushers urgently shushing them. Behind Big Macintosh, a stallion dressed in ornate clothes galloped onto the stage.
“The East has sprung a surprise attack! Princess Luna requests your presence at once,” he said. “My liege, please, forget about Celestia and live for the present!”
Big Macintosh lowered his head. He remained there, the orchestra slowly coming down to a more sombre melody. He nodded and turned towards the stallion. The pair walked off stage, the orchestra strumming its final notes.
.o.O.o.
“Come back here!”
Spike’s cry fell on deaf ears. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo raced through the opera halls, their ill gotten gain passing between them.
Scootaloo tossed the unresponsive magicite to Sweetie Belle. “You hold it! It’s not working for me!”
The shard landed on Sweetie Belle’s back, threatening to teater off and forcing her to stop and balance it. “Nothing’s happening!”
Stardust rushed at her, his wings extended. “Got ya!”
The tiny unicorn shrieked and bucked, knocking the chocobo in the chin and sending the magicite flying through the hall. It sailed past Scootaloo’s attempt to grab it with her hooves but was plucked out of the air by a limber red tail. “Got it!” Apple Bloom cheered and booked it towards an open door close by. She dove for the opening, ready to hide behind whatever was in the next room—
—and collided headfirst into the pony exiting from the other side.
Twin cries of pain filled the hall, along with a whoosh of air as the magicite once again became airborne. The pony exiting the room recovered just in time to catch the shard before it collided with her face. “Oh dear,” Fluttershy said. “That wouldn’t have been nice.” Wincing at the sore spot just below her shoulder, she looked down to see Apple Bloom sprawled out in a dizzy heap. “Girls, are you alright?”
“Fluttershy, go long!” Scootaloo called out from further down the hall, bouncing on her hind legs even as both forelegs were raised above her head.
“Um, what’s going—?” She got no further as the magicite in her hooves began to glow. Everyone shielded their eyes from the intense white light that burst from the stone. The light continued to shine for a few more moments, then abruptly went out.
It took several seconds for everyone’s eyes to focus back to normal. Blinking their eyes, everyone turned to Fluttershy, who sat motionless and staring ahead. It took Apple Bloom calling to her and waving a hoof back and forth across her muzzle to snap her back to awareness. “Oh, goodness. That was… strange.”
“Fluttershy, are you alright?” asked Sweetie Belle.
Fluttershy rubbed her eyes and gave a soft groan. “I think so.” She removed her hooves from her eyes and faced her little charges. “Girls? What’s going—”
“OH MY GOSH!”
The sudden cry caused Fluttershy to whiny in shock and knocked her on her back. “Ow, not so loud, Scootaloo,” Fluttershy said, sitting up. “You startled me.”
“But… b-b-b-but… but,” the pegasus filly stammered.
“But what?”
“Your butt is what!” Scootaloo thrust a hoof forward, pointing at Fluttershy’s flank.
“What are you going on… about.” She trailed off as she finally caught a glance at her flanks. Instead of a well groomed coat, there lay a trio of blue butterflies with white angel wings. “How did… what?”
“Holy guacamole,” Spike said, noticing the new markings as well. “I think you just bonded with that esper.”
Stardust nodded, inspecting Fluttershy’s opposite flank. “Yeah, just like Big Macintosh said.”
“You got a cutie mark!” Sweetie Belle said. “No fair, I wanted to get it.”
“Hey, you two!” Apple Bloom spoke towards Spike and Stardust. “You guys seem to know a lot about this. Spill the beans!”
Spike blinked, pointing a claw at himself. “Who, us? Uh, not really. I guess Trixie would be the expert. She’s the one that called these things cutie marks.”
“She knows about ‘em? Well, where is she?”
“Don’t know. Probably getting ready for her part in the play.”
That was all she needed to hear. Sprinting away, Apple Bloom called over her shoulder, “Cutie Mark Crusaders, we have a new mission! Find this Trixie and get her to tell us how to get cutie marks!”
“Yeah!” cheered Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. They ran after her, the three fillies quickly disappearing around a corner.
“Hey, wait a sec!” Spike said, rushing after them. “You’re going to ruin Twi’s big moment! C’mon Star, after them!”
Stardust let out a disgusted noise and followed. “I don’t get paid enough for this.”
Soon, the hallway was empty. Except for one mare.
“Um, okay. I suppose I’ll just… follow then. That’s fine.” Taking a deep, calming breath, Fluttershy trotted down the hallway, her new cutie marks dutifully staying at her side.
.o.O.o.
The self proclaimed Great and Powerful Trixie paced back and forth within the actor waiting room. Finally, it was time to make her grand entrance, and not a moment too soon. A scowl marred her otherwise pretty features as her mind’s eye remembered the audiences’ pleased faces. Twilight Sparkle had surprised everypony with her performance so far, Trixie most especially.
“Trixie will show them a performance the whole world won’t forget,” she muttered to herself.
Seconds later, a stagehand poked his head through the door of the room. “Hey, lady, you’re up.”
“Good! Let the real show begin!” Donning a bright silver helmet, Trixie marched out of the room and towards her destiny.
.o.O.o.
High above the stage, three determined fillies carefully made their way over rickety wooden planks. Each plank supported a different backdrop that would rise and fall depending on the scene. The fillies now used these planks to slip in without being detected by the pursuing dragon and chocobo. With any luck, they would be on their way to discovering the mysteries of the cutie mark very soon.
“Hold up,” Apple Bloom said, stopping over a view of the back stage. The curtain closed off this section from the audience. Below, stagehands hurried to set up props while actors got into place. Apple Bloom swept her gaze over each pony, her nose scrunched and her eyes narrowed. “Which one is she?”
Behind her, Sweetie Belle shrugged. “Um, I don’t know.”
“Well, all we have to do is get down there and ask,” Scootaloo said. “One of them’s got to be her.”
“Okay, so, how do we get down?”
Apple Bloom looked around her, her eyes falling on a rope that held up a group of sandbags. Several hooflengths of slack rope hung next to it. “There. If we can untie that rope, we should be able to slide down.”
“I got it,” Scootaloo said. She scampered to an adjacent beam that led to the rope and started yanking on the tie with her teeth.
.o.O.o.
Rainbow Dash lay sprawled in her seat, snoring loudly with a line of drool dribbling down her chin. The ponies near her gave the pegasus looks that would kill lesser ponies, but since she was deep within dreamland, their death glares failed to do anything. Worse, any complaints to the ushers resulted in casual rebuffs and vague answers of a “special guest”. So Rainbow Dash was free to make as much noise as she wanted, with no worries of any interruptions.
Except from a frantic dragon and an annoyed chocobo.
“Rainbow Dash!” Spike yelled as he shook her. “Get up, we have a problem!”
“SSSSSHHHHHH!”
“Shush me one more time and I’ll blow you over the side!” Spike snarled, a gust of wind from his mouth blowing off every pony’s top hat and bonnet. All the ponies around him suddenly found the play much more interesting to watch.
Rainbow Dash let out a belch, scratched her stomach, and settled further into her seat.
“Dash, don’t make me bite you.”
A silver wing pushed Spike away, allowing Stardust to step next to the napping pony. “Here, let me.” He reached into a pouch and pulled out a vial of brown liquid. Twisting the cap off, he wafted the open vial under Rainbow Dash’s nose. Immediately, the pegasus moved forward, breathing deeply of the intoxicating aroma. Stardust moved back and Rainbow Dash followed.
All the way out of her chair.
“Oof!” Shaking her head, Rainbow Dash sat up from the floor and blinked her weary eyes. “Oh, what happened? And why do I have a sudden craving for cider?”
“Dash, we got trouble,” Spike said, pointing towards the stage. “There’s these three weird fillies that are going to wreck the play if we don’t stop them.”
“Then stop ‘em,” Rainbow Dash replied. She climbed back into her seat, settling back down for a nap. “You guys can handle three kids, can’t ya?”
“Uh, we kinda lost them,” Stardust said. “We don’t know where they went.”
Spike nodded. “Yeah, and we need your help to find them. They want to talk to Trixie but she’s performing right now.”
“So what?” Rainbow Dash said, letting out a loud yawn. “Let ‘em. Probably be the only interesting thing to happen all night.”
“But this is Twilight’s big night! We can’t let them ruin it.”
Letting out a deep, long groan, Rainbow Dash reluctantly vacated her seat and flexed her wings. “Fine, fine. I’ll never hear the end of it from Trixie if things get screwed up, anyway.”
“Yes!” Spike cheered, raising a fist into the air. “Now, me and Stardust will cover the stage entrances while you check everywhere else.”
“Or I could fly up to those rafters.” Rainbow Dash twisted Spike’s head around, directing his gaze upwards. There, just visible through several curtains, balancing precariously over the stage, were three little ponies working at something just out of view.
“Yeah, that’s them! Do—”
One of the fillies slipped and fell, grabbing at the nearest available object that just happened to be the tail of another filly. That filly reached for the last filly and soon all three plummeted from the rafters.
“—something!”
In a flash of movement and color, Rainbow Dash launched herself off the balcony.
.o.O.o.
“Stand back, Sombra! Allow the Majestic and Serene Luna to handle these villains!”
One thing was for sure, Big Macintosh noted privately, was that Trixie definitely didn’t have the anxiety hangups that Twilight did. The former Imperial took to stage acting as though she was born for it, putting plenty of flourish and gusto into her performance. The crowd seemed to like it as well if the “oohs” and “aahs” were any indication as Trixie bedazzled them with swordplay that, if Big Macintosh didn’t know any better, looked completely authentic. The occasional spurt of ice magic that seemed to give Trixie a distinctive sparkling effect around her was also a nice touch.
“Begone from our castle, vile fiends!” Trixie said, swiping her prop-sword at a group of East soldiers.
Big Macintosh stood to the side, allowing Trixie to have her moment.
The orchestra abruptly stopped the frenetic music it had maintained for the battle, allowing a guttural roar to replace it. Bursting out of a collapsible wall came a rust-colored dragon, its size allowing it to tower over all the combatants. Unseen by the audience, a group of ponies under the stage worked a series of thin strings and poles to move the large dragon into position.
“I am Strife, the leader of the East!” came a deep voice that carried throughout the theatre. “Surrender or die!”
Trixie stepped forward, pointing her sword at the beast. “Never! I shall fight you to the last!”
“Your sister is gone. You have no chance against me.”
“We shall see. Have at thee!” With that Trixie swung into action—
—only to have a trio of little ponies fall on top of her.
“Owie,” moaned Apple Bloom.
Scootaloo, on top of the pony pile, groaned. “You said it.”
“Oh, no!” Sweetie Belle cried, her boo-boos forgotten as she looked down at what had cushioned her fall. “We smooshed the pony we wanted to talk to!”
Trixie didn’t respond, her body flattened to the stage and her eyes swirling comically.
Seconds later, Rainbow Dash swooped down and cringed at the carnage. “Whoops. I guess I should have acted a little quicker.”
From the left side of the stage, Twilight Sparkle ran on, carrying six sparkling jewels in her magical grasp, yelling, “Sister! I’ve come to… help… you…” She trailed off, her mind catching up to the spectacle before her.
“Girls!” came a concerned voice. Fluttershy jumped onto the stage and began inspecting her charges for any injuries. Unnoticed by her, a soft white glow covered her wings, traveled down her forelegs, and slowly seeped into Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo as she checked them over.
By now, the audience had begun to understand that something had gone terribly wrong. A confused din of conversation spread through the crowd, a thundering cacophony compared to the eerie silence preceding it.
“This ez a disaster!” Photo Finish said. She appeared out of nowhere, standing above the knocked out Trixie. “If there is no Luna to help Celestia with the spell to defeat ze dragon, how will the West be saved?!”
“By throwing a party!”
All eyes turned to a pink mare descending from above on a miniature platform shaped like an airship. Standing around her were three other ponies, each one a striking resemblance to Twilight, Trixie, and Big Macintosh. Pinkie Pie lept off the platform, twirled in midair, and landed perfectly on her hind legs before Photo Finish. “Hey, lookie who I found! I brought them back, just like I Pinkie Promised.”
It took all of one second for Photo Finish to process this information and roll with it. “Brilliant! With all hope lost due to the mysterious appearance of Strife’s kids, salvation arrives by divine fate! How will these newcomers fare against the forces of ze East? Find out in act 2!”
The curtains fell.
.o.O.o.
“Hey! Pinkie Pie! We need to talk to you.”
Backstage, where dozens of ponies raced to reset the set for the next act, Rainbow Dash pushed her way through the chaos to confront the captain of the Party of One. Pinkie Pie gave a wide smile and waited for Rainbow Dash to reach her. “We need to get a ride to the Empire.”
“Oh, really?” Pinkie Pie said. “Well, I don’t know how you are going to do that. I don’t know of any boats that go there and the Empire gets really suspicious of ponies that show up without a passport.”
“I meant with you, Pinkie Pie.”
Pinkie Pie blinked. “Um, sorry, but I don’t think I can carry you all that way. I’m a good swimmer and all but I’d probably tire out before we get there. Besides—” she pointed at Rainbow Dash’s wings “—you could just fly there yourself.”
“I mean your airship!”
Pinkie Pie double blinked. “Oh. Oooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh! Yeah, that makes a lot more sense! Silly, why didn’t you say so?”
Rainbow Dash groaned and facehoofed. “Yeah, silly me. So, will ya? Take me and my friends to the Empire on your airship?”
“Oh, sure!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “I haven’t been there in a while. Sounds like a good time to drop in again. How many are coming?”
“Let’s see, there’s me, three other ponies, a dragon, a chocobo…” Rainbow Dash leaned in, making direct eye contact. “And no questions asked.”
“Wow, that many? Just enough for a Send-Off Party!” Pinkie Pie cheered, a hoof full of confetti flung into the air.
“Hey, whatever floats your… airship.”
“Okay, let me get the Party of One ready and we can leave soon.”
Rainbow Dash grinned, holding out a hoof. “Great. Thanks a lot for your help.”
Pinkie Pie gleefully accepted the hoofbump. “No sweat! I love to entertain and the more the merrier!” She whirled around and began bouncing away, a happy little song playing on her lips.
Left behind, Rainbow Dash gave a satisfied nod. A hoof poked her in the back, breaking her congratulatory mood. She turned around to see Twilight Sparkle, undressed, giving her a hopeful look.
“Did it w-work?” she asked.
“Yep!” Rainbow Dash replied, patting Twilight on the shoulder. “Like a charm. We’ll be in the Empire in no time.”
“Good.” Rainbow Dash and Twilight looked back to see Trixie walking up to them, an ice pack levitating on her head. She wore a scowl that promised a harsh tongue-lashing should anypony dare cross her. “The sooner we leave, the better. Oh, and I’m fine, by the way.”
“Um, yeah.” Rainbow Dash looked away, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment. “I swear I meant to stop them. Sorry.”
“Where are those little miscreants anyway? Trixie has a frostburn spell ready for their flanks the moment she sees them.”
Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Haven’t seen them. They musta slipped out when Pinkie Pie showed up.”
Sneering, Trixie turned away, heading towards the actor waiting rooms. “I’ll be getting my things.”
“Trixie!” Twilight called. “Y-you… you did good out there.”
Trixie didn’t look back or respond, keeping her back to them and trotting away.
Watching until Trixie was out of sight, Twilight hung her head. Beside her, Rainbow Dash scuffled her hooves on the floor and said, “Hey, don’t let her get to you. If she can’t take a compliment then that’s her problem.”
“What can I-I do to get her to s-stop hating me?”
“Dunno, Twi. I just don’t know.”
.o.O.o.
A short time later, the group stood in front of the gangplank that led up to the deck of the Party of One. The ship was lit up from a pair of spotlights set on the ground next to its stern and bow. The light failed to pass beyond the massive cylinder balloon that kept the craft afloat, making the vehicle appear even larger against the night sky.
Big Macintosh gazed fondly over the entire hull of the airship, his mouth hung open slightly at being so close to one of the most advanced pieces of equipment in the world.
“Don’t drool, Big Mac,” Spike said, noticing the stallion’s sparkling eyes. “You’ll rust it.”
“Better than the color it already is,” Trixie responded. She grimaced, taking in the bright pink paint job of the hull and balloon.
“All aboard!” Pinkie Pie announced from her perch at the top of the gangplank. “Guest cabins are on your right. Casino is downstairs from there. Bathrooms are any open porthole.”
A collective “Ew!” came from the ponies boarding the airship.
Pinkie Pie laughed. “Just kidding! The Empire was nice enough to install working toilets last time I was there. They’ve been super helpful.” She walked over to a crewmember dressed in black overhauls, who was standing next to a rope that tied the airship to posts stuck in the ground. “Okay, we’re all set.”
“Aye!” the pony said, saluting. The crewmember, half the size of Pinkie Pie, began untying the rope.
“Hey, I don’t remember hiring somepony as short as you.” She tapped her hoof against her chin, scrutinizing the crewmember from hoof to snout.
“Um… you said you needed somepony small enough to get into some of the hard to reach crawl spaces.”
“Huh, I did?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Well, can’t beat that logic.” Pinkie patted the pony on the shoulder. “Carry on!” She trotted away, missing the relieved sigh coming from her “hired” hoof.
Pinkie Pie trotted over to a raised podium where the wheel was set. She took hold of a spoke in one hoof and raised the other. “Let’s cast off!”
“Aye!” cried another pony on the starboard side, this one wearing a cap over her head.
“Got it!” came a third, who untied the last rope attached to the bow.
The propellers under the hull whirled to life. Slowly, the mammoth vehicle rose from the ground. It gained altitude until the opera house was no larger than a toy, then the large propellers connected to the stern began to rotate, pushing the airship forward. Soon, it had left the mainland behind and cruised over the crashing sea below.
Unknown by all, a speck of yellow desperately clung to a rope hanging below the airship.
.o.O.o.
Octavia gently placed her cello into its case and let out a long sigh. Tonight’s performance had been an odd one, but she had pulled through like the professional she was. Now to go home and have a relaxing drink to end her night. Hopefully, Vinyl would be willing to share a few glasses with her before she had to call it a night as well.
“Hey, Octy.”
Octavia looked up to see Vinyl Scratch standing above her on the stage. The white unicorn’s expression was neutral, betraying nothing of her mood. Bracing for the worst, Octavia said, “Well, how did you like it?”
Vinyl adjusted her glasses to sit atop her horn, revealing her rose colored eyes. “I’m so coming back the next time they do another comedy act.”
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So instead of an octopus to ruin the play, it's the Cmc this time around. Now with this group getting close to the empire, how will they end up meeting the other imprisoned group?
Yes, another has been converted! Huzzah!
Most operas are tragedies rather than comedies, but huzzah nonetheless!
Those little rascals
The exposition was hilarious in this chapter 
Another solid chapter.
I feel like there are references I should take note of...
Question: What was Pinkie doing hanging out with Gilda way back in another scene, and how does Dash know Pinkie?
5196372
Pinkie Pie was just giving Gilda a ride. She happened to be in the area and was trying to be nice.
Rainbow Dash knows of Pinkie Pie but doesn't know her. She saw the airship when Pinkie stopped by Fillygaro.
5196372 Nearly everyone knows OF Pinkie, since she travels from town to city, giving out parties and rides as she sees fit. (And since she's got a unique service, it's not like she can't earn the bits needed for what she does.
)
I feel like I need a refresher here. Fluttershy showed up somehow and bonded with an esper... who was she again? In story, I mean.
5277643
Fluttershy and the CMC are taking the roles of Strago and Relm in this universe.
They are here because they are on vacation, since they got an influx of cash recently.
Hope this helps!
5280877 Ah... so once again we have the implication of Flarity... only in reverse. In the game we have Fluttershy as Shadow, and Rarity as Strago, here it's Rarity as Shadow, and Fluttershy as Strago, but Sweetie Belle is kinda sorta the daughter that is being raised by our Strago...
Sorry, shipping goggles. Carry on, then.
Nice twist with putting Draco and Ralse on the same side. Love triangles are so much more interesting when you can't just beat up one of them.
Fluttershy makes a much better Strago than Rarity. Though I'm a bit curious as to why Big Mac didn't recognize Apple Bloom...
Lol I kind of miss that when they do that
Dang so it looks like Fluttershy obtain the magicite and Infuse with her
Okay girls, you all ready?”
~ A mischievous unicorn whose innocent voice can woo all that listen upon it ~
“You bet, Sweetie Belle!”
~ Her stunts are amazing spectacles that never fail to impress anypony watching ~
“That’s right, Scootaloo. We’ll have the secrets of the cutie marks in no time!”
~ A rambunctious filly with an affinity for potions. She seeks to learn the mysteries of the strange phenomenon known as cutie marks ~
“Apple Bloom, all set with the disguises?” Sweetie Belle asked.
So apparently the cmc going to take the role as Relm that's another interesting choice and that means they can do painting but one of them is a singer a daredevil and a potion maker again very interesting
Oh no no no kids don't do that the sandbag is going to hurt somebody
WHAT THE HOW DID FLUTTERSHY GET UP THERE BUT WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS???
Well this was a different direction of the scene of the Opera but it worked somehow so apparently the Cutie Mark Crusaders really wanted to find out how did Big Mac Trixie and Twilight get their cutie marks but unfortunately they didn't never get any answer because all three of them are too busy but unfortunately they bumped into spike and Stardust and they grabbed one of the magicite and of course it's one of those keep-away situation again but Fluttershy caught one it but it looks like it's infused with her with the connection now what esper is it I'm not sure but of course the Cutie Mark Crusaders are not done yet they still want to find out so they tried to find Trixie which unfortunately just disrupting the play On-Q Pinkie Pie found the missing actors and with that Rainbow dash ask Pinkie if give them the ride to the Empire which she agreed so they're on the way to the Empire but apparently there's somebody on board with them I wonder who Could That Be and I do like that small segments with Octavia and Vinyl Scratch too bad they're not going to be in this whole situation of the game