//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 (Look Before You Sleep) // Story: Spike The Brony Dragon // by red4567 //------------------------------// When the girls went to convince a sleeping dragon to move away from Ponyville, I was tasked to take care of Fluttershy's animals. It was pretty easy, as all they wanted was food and care. Although, Angel wasn't very cooperative with me. How Fluttershy deals with him is beyond me. The next event to come up was Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight having a sleepover. I was going to be away doing “royal Canterlot business.” I could use that to my advantage.  At the gala, Twilight wanted to hang out with Princess Celestia, but instead she would be stuck with her all night shaking ponies’ hooves. I could try to find a way to fix that. Also, I knew that Princess Celestia had a fascination with theater, but she had no acting skills whatsoever, and that Luna was still trying to adjust to living in Modern Equestria. I’ll try to find a way to solve all three of their problems. I took the Friendship Express to Canterlot and arrived at the gates to the castle. I was then escorted to where Princess Celestia and Luna were. Luna was in her Season 2 form. She must've transformed when she was taken back to Canterlot. “Your highness,” I bowed. “I’m honored to see you.” “You don’t need to do that, Spike,” Celestia said. “It’s not an official meeting.” “It’s not? But your letter said you wanted to talk to me.” “Yes. Just talk. Let me know what Twilight’s been up to.” “Okay.” So, Celestia, Luna, and I talked about Twilight’s time in Ponyville. I told them about how Twilight was good at magic, and I joked about how Twilight might end up becoming an alicorn with all the magic she’s been learning. We all laughed at that idea. We ate cake and drank tea, Celestia’s two favorite things. “Say, Princess Celestia? May I ask you something?” “What is it, Spike?” “What are you and Luna going to be doing at the Grand Galloping Gala?” “Well, Luna is not interested in going, seeing as there is no reason to, and I’m going to welcome the guests all night.” “Don’t you want to hang out with the guests?”  “I’d love to, but it’s tradition for the Princess to greet everypony first. If I weren't there, then the nobles may believe the crown no longer respects them."  “What about Princess Luna?" Luna’s ears perked up. "Are you sure we are capable of doing such a task? It's been a long time since we've been at the Grand Galloping Gala." "We can...I mean, I can help you practice," I replied. "Princess Celestia can help as well." "What do you want me to do?" Princess Celestia asked. “Let me ask you something. What are your thoughts on theater?” “Why do you ask that?” “It’s just that whenever Twilight and I see you watching a play, you seem so fascinated in it, and not just when there’s interesting characters or plot.” “Well...” Celestia leaned back. “To be honest, I really like plays. When I was a filly, my friends put them on all the time. It was so wonderful. Everypony coming together to create a magical experience to share with others. I've always believed theater brings out the best in us and forges a special bond of friendship.” “So you were an actor before you became the princess?” “No. I was always too busy with my magic lessons to be part of any plays myself. But still, it's something I always wished I could experience.” “Guess you and Twilight have something in common. No wonder she’s your star pupil.” I chuckled. "Anyway, this might give you some experience in acting." We were going to pretend that it’s the night of the gala, and Luna was greeting the guests. Celestia and I were going to play as the guests. I went first. “Just follow my lead, Princess Celestia,” I said. I walked up to Luna. “Good evening. My name is Spike. It’s an honor to be at this gala.” “WELCOME, SPIKE, TO THE GRAND GALLOPING GALA!!” Luna shouted. “IT IS A PLEASURE TO SEE YOU AT THIS EVENT!!” “Ugh...my ears,” I groaned.  “You don’t have to talk like that, Princess Luna.” “But this is the traditional royal Canterlot voice,” Luna replied. “It is tradition to speak using the royal "we", and TO USE THIS MUCH VOLUME WHEN ADDRESSING OUR SUBJECTS!!” “Luna, I told you we don’t do that anymore,” Celestia said. “If you shout like that during the gala, you’re going to scare all the guests away.” “Princess Celestia’s right,” I said. “You might want to tone it down a bit.” “ALRIGHT!! HOW’S THIS?!” “A little bit quieter.” “How’s this?!” “Almost there.” “How’s this?” “Perfect. You just need to keep that tone of voice when you greet the other guests.” I then walked over to Celestia. “Okay, Princess. Your name will be uh...Nicole. You’re just a random pony. Just pretend you’ve never been to the gala before. Think you got that?” “I’ll see what I can do,” Celestia replied. “Okay, you’re up.” Princess Celestia approached Luna. “Hello, my name is Nicole. I’m a random pony who’s never been to the gala before.” I tried my best not to laugh. “No, Princess. Just say your name is Nicole, and how you feel visiting the gala for the first time.” “Okay. Hello, my name is Nicole, and how I feel visiting the gala for the first time.” I could swear she’s trying to troll me. “No, no, no. You don’t have to say word for word how you feel. Just tell Princess Luna what you think about visiting the gala for the first time.” “To be honest, Spike, it’s hard to feel it. I’ve been to the gala numerous times even before Luna’s...incident. It’s hard to be excited for something that you’ve experienced before.” That’s when I had an idea. “Okay picture this: Canterlot has opened a brand new cake shop that’s as big as the Canterlot library. You are the first of many ponies in line for its grand opening. The first ten ponies will get a free cake of their choosing, and you’ve had your eye on one that could rival a wedding cake! You’re only five minutes away from the biggest feast in pony history! Does that help?” Celestia covered her mouth. “Well, I can’t stop drooling now.” She ate another piece of cake from the table and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “How does that help me?” “One trick in acting is to understand what would make you feel a certain way. For example, if you had to act sad in a scene, you can remember when you had to force Princess Luna to the moon. Or when you have to be angry, just think about how a rival of yours comes back and removes all the cakes from Equestria. Thinking about what can make you glad, sad, or mad will help you get better at acting.” “Alright. Let’s try this one more time.” Celestia approached Luna again. “H-Hello, my name is Nicole. It’s...It’s an honor to be here for the first time.” “GRE-” Luna cleared her throat. “I mean, greetings, Nicole. It is a pleasure to see you at this event.” “Likewise.” The two sisters shook hooves. “Was that any better, Spike?” “Great,” I replied. “Your excitement was very convincing, Princess Celestia. And you’ve kept your tone to an acceptable level, Princess Luna.” “Thank you,” they both said. I was going to head out, but Celestia stopped me. “If I may ask, how do you know so much about acting, anyway? Normally you wouldn’t be so interested in plays.” “Oh, Twilight helped me,” I replied. “She gave me a book about acting on my last birthday.” "That sounds like our little Twilight." Celestia responded with a chuckle. "Be sure to tell me what further tips could be offered in next time, Spike." I stayed the night at Canterlot after that. It was good that I was able to teach Celestia how to act and Luna how to fit in. Plus, I will be able to have Twilight hang out with Celestia when the Gala shows up. Although, I have no idea if it’ll work out or not.