//------------------------------//
// Ch.1: The End of the Line 
// Story: All The World's A Stage 
// by thunderhawk7865 
//------------------------------//

Ah, the allure of the stage...the passion for the performance...

All very hard for ponies who revel in the entertainment of the masses to resist, indeed.

The thrill of live theatre is intoxicating to the experienced actor; one simply cannot get enough of the wonder and amazement of stepping into the role of somepony else night after night.

And the reactions of a charmed and excited audience make it all worth it.

The audience laughs with the actor; sometimes, the audience cries with the actor.

The audience watches with hushed anticipation at the fight scene that unfurls before them, delicately rehearsed every night before curtain.

And sometimes...

The audience takes in a hushed breath as two characters in love share their first kiss, despite the odds being stacked against them.

One very wise pony once said, "We do on stage things that are supposed to happen off. Which is a kind of integrity, if you look on every exit as being an entrance somewhere else."

What doors will you open today in your life?

The wonderment and mystery of it beguiles you so. Because after all...


All The World's A Stage



Written by thunderhawk7865






You let out a long yawn as you gaze out the window of the carriage you are seated in. You watch the wasteland fly by as the train carrying you speeds you along to your mysterious destination.

Speed is in the eye of the beholder, and that yawn wasn't for nothing. You have been on this train for a very long time.

Never in your life have you had to ride a train so far.

You sigh to yourself, taking a moment to gaze around the empty carriage. All the other passengers that had boarded with you in Manehattan had all but disembarked at their various destinations along the route. Not that you minded, really...you enjoyed the peace and quiet whenever you could get it.

Being a well-known Bridleway actor, it was often hard to find alone time. Hay, you couldn't even go to the bathroom without getting swarmed by fanponies sometimes.

The train-ride today was no different. Upon boarding, a squeal from a mare upon seeing you was all it took for the carriage to break into a frenzy. A couple autographs, pictures, and very hesitant hugs later, you finally managed to squirm your way into your very own corner of the carriage, and the ponies with any liable sense left in their heads could see you wanted your space. You thanked Celestia for those ponies every day.

That did not stop a couple of mares from staring at you the whole way from Manehattan to Ponyville, where they got off.

"Ugh..." You mutter to yourself as you return your gaze to the wasteland outside, straightening your ruffled hoodie of any wrinkles you could see. "Spots really owes me for this one."

Spots, or rather, your best friend Follow Spot, was a Bridleway director/producer/script writer. You'd met in the Manehattan Royal School of Performing Arts, and since graduation, you'd been in constant business together. You were inseperable in the business, quite like Tim Burtrot and Johnny Sparrow. Despite you being in the acting program and him being in the production program, you'd often get together to spitball ideas.

The last show you had done for Follow Spot was a modern take on William Canterspeare's romantic-comedy classic Much Ado About Nothing, in the which you played the main role. It was a smash on Bridleway, yet Follow Spot seemed...unsatisfied with the success.

"Yes, I know we sold out again, but...something's missing in all this!" He'd say night after night.

It really started to bug you after a while.

Then, after the show closed, it came out:

"I'm writing my own musical!" He'd blurted out one day at your favorite corner cafe in Manehattan.

Of course, you congratulated your friend and offered your support.

"Is there anything I can do?" You'd ask.

Shouldna dun dat.

Next thing you know, you're on this Celestia-forsaken train in the middle of the moon-banished wastes outside Equestria's borders looking for a Kirin to play the female lead in his radical new musical he called My Fair Kirin.

What even was a Kirin?

A slight muffled bumping noise sounds as you gently rest your head against the window, closing your eyes.

It seemed that the world was getting bigger and bigger.

Ever since the Storm King took Canterlot, and the Elements of Harmony went on the globe-trotting journey to gather a force to defeat him, it appeared as if more and more interesting sentient creatures nopony knew to exist kept springing up.

The yaks, the hippogriffs...er, seaponies...whatever...

The Kirin...

Fascinating creatures to be sure...from what you knew about them, anyway...

Originally discovered by two of the Elements of Harmony, Applejack and Fluttershy, on one of their famous friendship quests, the previously lively and musical Kirin had taken a vow of silence. Evidently, Kirin have a hidden power inside of them that springs to the surface when they get angry. They become something called a Nirik and destroy everything in their path. When the dust cleared, their village was ash, and their leader, Rain Shine, had ordered the vow. From what the papers said, they had teamed up with a Kirin who had not taken the vow and been exiled from the village to fix the problem.

Now the Kirin were back to normal.

...well, as normal as weird dragon/pony things with magical horns and scales could be.

You are broken from your stupor by the train suddenly jerking to a slow halt. The conductor, well aware of your presence since the last station (they wouldn't have bothered to come out here otherwise) enters the carriage and calls you by name. "We're here." He nods. "Celestia knows why you're out here..."

"Hopefully..." You mutter as you jump to your hooves, stretching your wings out and, hearing a couple of satisfying cracks, folding them back up. "Finding Bridleway's next big star..."

The conductor's ears flatten and he cocks his head at you. "Are...you serious?"

"Deadly." You give him a smile as you place you saddlebags on your back. "Thank you for extending your trip out here for me."

"You did pay for your ticket to come out here..." The conductor shrugs as you shuffle by him towards the exit of the carriage. "Now that I mention it, the last ponies to come out here were those two mares from Ponyville..."

"I'm very aware of that." You say, sliding the door open and looking back at the conductor. "Regardless, I appreciate you making this stop." With that, you leap off the train and touch down on the ground, a little dust cloud appearing around your hooves.

The conductor pops his head out of the door and nods at you. "Hope you find what you're looking for."

"Me too." You give a smile and a wave at the conductor. The conductor returns the favor and disappears inside the carriage. The train lets out two short whistles, steam puffs out from the stack on top of the engine...

...and the train goes backwards.

You watch in amusement as the train you had been on for the past day backs away from you. The image is quite the sight to behold. You turn your head and see the reason. The tracks don't keep going on. They just...ended where you now stood.

You turn and face the Peaks of Peril. You flapped your wings casually; you thanked Celestia you were a Pegasus.

"Weeeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllll...."

You jump and let out a yelp in alarm, your wings shooting out, as an incredibly rickety voice right behind you surprises you. You whip around and find yourself gazing right into the eyes of a pony that could have been as old as the moon. He wore a ragged railroad station employee outfit that was torn and...looked dated.

"Er, hello?" You cock your head to the side as you hovered there, recovering from your heart attack.

"Not many ponies come to...the end of the line..." He narrows one eye at you inquisitively. "What business ya got out here, sonny?"

You stare at this old stallion. Goddess, he looked horrifying. How long had he been stranded out here? Did he live here? Did he even still work for the railway?

Questions for later.

"I, uh..." You struggle to find your words. You were sure this crazy old coot had no idea who you were (you were also sure this crazy old coot probably didn't even know what year it was), so explaining who you were and your mission was out. "I'm...looking for somepony...er..." You catch your mistake. "Somekirin, I suppose..."

"Ah..." The pony gave a toothy grin. "Goin' to see the Kirin, are we? Well, good luck! Heeeeeeeeeheheheheheheeee!"

You float away from the old man, a look of confusion plastered on your face. "Er, what do you mean?"

"Don't make 'um mad, sonny!" The stallion screeches at you after he calms down from his demonic cackling. "It might be the last thing you ever do!" He bursts out into another fit of maniacal cackling.

You cock your head to the side and nod slowly, gulping nervously. "Riiiight...well, thanks for the warning."

"Hope you like it hot, sonny! Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahaha!!!!" The crazy old bastard cracks up again, this time slowly walking towards the beat-up wooden ticket booth/outhouse by the end of the tracks. You stare at the crazy stallion as he steps inside, closes the door, and (while still laughing) closes the blinds on the ticket counter.

The wind blows idly through the air as you contemplate life and the universe...and, above all else, what the buck had just happened.

You blink and shake your head. "Okay then..." 

Back to the mission at hoof.

You reach back into your saddlebags and withdraw the map Follow Spot had given you. In the research process of My Fair Kirin, he traveled to Ponyville to meet with Princess Twilight Sparkle, the leader of the Elements of Harmony and Headmare of the School of Friendship there. It was through Twilight Sparkle that he obtained this map (supposedly hoof-drawn by Applejack) that led from the train tracks to the Kirin village. You were surprised you could make heads or tails of thing, but it was clear where you had to go.

"Over a stream, through some trees..." You muttered as you slowly float towards the Peaks of Peril, absentmindedly brushing a strand of your mane out of your eyes. "And through a cave...behind some vines and a rock?" You hum to yourself as you fold up the map and put it away in your saddlebags. "Easy enough..."





The Peaks of Peril were more like the Peaks of No-Peril-At-All.

...well, you had a map. Perhaps the other ponies who first discovered and named this mountain range weren't so lucky.

You had navigated through the canopy of trees and across the small stream mentioned in the map with ease (you were a pegasus, after all). You noticed some beautiful blue flowers growing by the stream that you had never seen before, making a mental note to ask one of the Kirin later.

You now found yourself floating in front of a cave entrance against a rock wall. You hum in thought as you gaze at the entrance before holding up the map in your forehooves. This looked like the cave that led to the village, but it was missing the giant rock and vines.

"Maybe the Kirin cleaned it up?" You thought out-loud to yourself. You glance to your left, then to your right. You saw no other cave entrances other than this one, and you were sure you followed the map correctly. "Guess this is it." You muttered, taking care to tuck the map back into your saddlebags.

A sudden rustling of the bushes behind you makes you go frigid in the air for a nanosecond. You whirl around, praying to Celestia it wasn't a bear or something that would love to have a Pegasus pancake for brunch.

The bushes continue to rustle, and you continue to just float there like moron. Your brain tries to get you to run, but curiosity overcomes your rational thinking, so you stay.

Finally, the creature that made the noise decided to make it's grand entrance, revealing...!

You bring a forehoof up to your face and groan. "I'm an idiot..."

You slowly drag the forehoof down off your face as the squirrel that was making the noises scampers past you towards a tree and climbs up it's trunk.

"Glad nopony was around to see that..." You groan, touching down and folding up your wings. You ruffle your feathers a bit before turning around...

...and finding yourself face to face with a pair of golden orbs staring blandly at you, eyes half-lidded.

"GAHAHAH!" You scream, jumping up into the air for the second time that day.  Unable to flap your wings, you fall on your rump. You groan and sit up, eyeing the creature before you.

From the descriptions Follow Spot had given you, this thing had to be a Kirin. It had the body of a mare, yet it bore several features that made her glaringly different than a regular mare. First there was the odd-shaped red horn adorning the top of her head. Then there was her flowing, orange mane. It not only covered her head, but surrounded her neck as well. It was very similar to a lion's mane. Her ears were longer, and her hooves bore beige-ish tips. Her back had scales (at least, you thought they were scales) of a similar beige color. Her tail was long and swept and extended outwards much further than a pony's would, and little tufts of orange hair could seen seen sticking out from behind her hind legs.

Truly, she was a sight to behold.

...although, you assumed it was a she. Only one way to find out.

"Celestia above, you really scared me!" You chuckle nervously, standing up and brushing yourself off. You give a friendly smile and stick out a forehoof. You give the Kirin your name. "And you are?"

The Kirin eyes your hoof, her eyes still uninterested. A few awkward seconds go by, and she looks at you again.

She says nothing in return.

"Uhm..." You slowly lower your hoof and scratch the back of your head, eyes darting around nervously. "Well, I assume you are a Kirin, correct?"

She still says nothing. She stares blankly at you, blinking once.

"Y-yeah...you're right..." You take a step back, gulping. "Dumb question. Of course you're a Kirin." You struggle to make headway with this strange Kirin girl, wracking your brain for something to say. "Is...the village much farther out? I'm making my way there on..." You paused. "Business."

This time, she cocks her head curiously at you.

Victory! She moved!

...

But she still doesn't say anything.

"Are...you okay?" You ask, gingerly taking a step forward towards the creature. You're about to say something else when it hits you.

This must be a Kirin who hasn't renounced that Vow of Silence yet... You reason to yourself. You nod and address the Kirin. "I'm sorry...I thought you could speak. I'm just...gonna go now..." You start to make your way by her and nod. "A pleasure to meet you."

As you pass her, you start to hear something strange.

Is she...

Is she snickering? Is she laughing?

You whirl around to face the Kirin just in time to see the creature burst out laughing, a big grin on her face. "Gotcha!" She points a hoof, her golden eyes now wide with amusement. "Oh man, I love pulling that one! Well, sometimes the Kirin in the village don't appreciate it, but hey, good to remind them of their mistakes so they don't go back, amiright?"

Before you can say anything, she trots forward and grabs the hoof you offered her earlier and shakes it rapidly. "I'm Autumn Blaze, aaaand you've probably come a loooong way to get here! Haven't had any visitors in a whil. While. While." She stops shaking your hoof and spits her tongue out for a moment. "Hah! Sorry! Still getting used to all the talking stuff after my friends Applejack and Fluttershy helped me git rid of the Vow of Silence."

Your eyes widen. This must be the Kirin that helped the Elements of Harmony!

You shake your head, a smile on your face. "No worries, Autumn Blaze!" You give her your name once more. "It is a pleasure! I've heard a lot about you!"

Her smile widens. "Oh, you have? Are you friends with Applejack and Fluttershy, too? Oh, how fun!"

You laugh. This Kirin was a hoot and a half. "Well, no...Equestria is a pretty big place. They are quite famous, though...known throughout the whole country. They've saved the world a..." You paused for a moment, crunching the numbers. "Couple of times..." You shrug.

You were honestly glad you were alive after everything that's been going down lately.

"They told me that..." Autumn Blaze nods excitedly. "That must be so exciting!" She paused. "Oh! Silly me! I got so caught up introductions I forgot to introduce my shadow!"

You blink. The wind casually whips your mane to the side as you stare at the Kirin.

"Your...what?"

She gets a big grin again. "Her name is Silhouette Gloom of the Sundown Lands!" She then turns to the side and gestures with a forehoof to the shadow being cast on the ground behind her. 

You blink again. This Kirin has had way too much alone time.

You feel a bead of sweat travel down your forehead and you gulp nervously, waving at the shadow. "Um...nice to...meet you..."

She claps her forehooves excitedly and nods at you. "So, are you headed to the village?"

Right. The mission.

"Uhm, yes!" You blurt out, cursing yourself for forgetting again. "I...have business there."

"Oh, well I can take you there!" Autumn Blaze smiles again. She gestures behind her at the cave. "You were on the right track anyway! C'mon!" She gestures with her head and she turns trotting towards the cave.

You sigh and nod. "Thank you." You trot after her, electing to stay on the ground in case any more surprises caused you to freeze up.

What have you gotten yourself into?