//------------------------------//
// The Aftermath 
// Story: The Green Eyes of the Stage 
// by lyramei 
//------------------------------//

All the teachers congratulated each other backstage. "Great job, everypony!" said Inkwell. She turned to Island. "You know, this role of Mrs. Flanks is getting me into the history of mares' right to vote. Well done, Sister Suffragette!" Island smiled. "I'm glad. On the other hoof, I am glad to be able to change out of this itchy suit!"

Caramel Math walked over to Lilac. "Everypony did amazing! I think Lilac was the best, though. She rocks the stage with the art of improvisation!" Everypony backstage cheered. Lilac blushed. "Ah! Stop! Thank you so much! I'm going to go run to the bathroom real quick. Be right back!" 

Lilac left the backstage room and began walking to the bathroom by herself. She then saw a unicorn completely shrouded in a black cloak hiding in an open classroom. Lilac's heart started to pound in her ears. "H-hello?" The unicorn saw her and dashed out of the classroom and into the hallway. "Hey! No! Stop! Come back here!" yelled Lilac. "Island! Inkwell! Somepony help!" 

Within seconds, Island, Inkwell, and Noteworthy were by her side. "What happened?" 

Lilac was still out of breath. "That unicorn in black! I think they're up to something! They ran away. I think it was the pony who sabotaged me!" 

Island cracked his hooves. "We got you, Lilac. Everypony, split up and look for that unicorn!" he shouted. Inkwell and Lilac went in one direction, while Noteworthy went in the other. 

Everypony frantically ran around Ponyville Middle School, trying to locate the mysterious unicorn. The unicorn hid behind desks in open classrooms, sneakily laughing to themself. 

After a few intense minutes of searching, Island switched on the light to one of the classrooms and found the unicorn hiding under a desk. "Gotchu! You're uni-cornered now," he said as Inkwell, Lilac, and Noteworthy joined him. "Put your hooves up and surrender!" 

The unicorn stood frozen for a while, then pulled off their hood. To everyone's shock and surprise, it was Sunset Mint! Lilac's mouth was in a perfect O. 

"Sunset? That was YOU all along?" yelled Island. "WHY on earth did you sabotage Lilac? Explain yourself!" 

Sunset Mint sighed and hung her head. "I'm sorry," she began. "I- I was just jealous of her! You know how badly I wanted the role of Mary Cloppins. The judges thought my audition was exquisite but they picked Lilac instead! I still have no idea why, since theater isn't really her thing. So I was so mad and jealous that I was bent on ruining her performance. But now I deeply regret it now." She turned to Lilac. "I'm sorry, Lilac. I'm sorry that I let my jealousy get the best of me. It's just that I was so into your role that I felt like I needed to have it. I lied that i had to take care of my niece so that I could sabotage you behind the scenes. I didn't mean for it to go as far as spraining your hoof! What I did was unacceptable, and I will not hide the fact that I have committed a grave crime against you. I really should have never done that, especially since you have shown me kindness ever since I arrived at Ponyville Middle. You don't have to forgive me, but I hope you can see how sorry I am," said Sunset, tears streaming down her face. 

Lilac began to cry as well. "Oh, Sunset. I actually thought that you would make the perfect Mary Cloppins because of your talents. But I actually have to thank you," she explained. 

Sunset looked surprised. "Thank me? For what?"

"By sabotaging me, you've created opportunities for me to improvise and change things in a new way for the better! I loved the new way of performing Superponyfragilistic. I didn't let the messes take away how I portrayed the character of Mary Cloppins. Yes, I may have been upset at first, but then I came to realize that unfortunate mishaps can be turned into enjoyable experiences," explained Lilac as she gave Sunset a hug. "Thank you for that." 

Island, Inkwell, and Noteworthy still bore looks of shock. "That still doesn't reverse the messes you made," Noteworthy said sternly. Lilac laughed. "Noteworthy, chill. I'm okay with it, and that's all that matters," she said with a smile. "Who's ready for donuts at Joe's? My treat! I'll get Comet to come with us too." Sunset smiled. "Oh, yes! Thank you for your kindness despite my crime," she said as she embraced Lilac again. 

At Joe's, Team 7C, the rest of the cast, and Comet ordered and ate way too many boxes of donuts. "One more dozen!" said Caramel. Joe stared at him. "Haven't you already had enough?"

Comet was still rambling on and on about his girlfriend's performance. "You were phenomenal!" he gushed every five minutes. Lilac laughed. "I only need to hear that once," she laughed. "I still can't believe that I made it into the Bridlewood magazine for my performance of Feed the Birds!" Comet grabbed Lilac's hoof and kissed it. "When Lilac holds your hoof, you find the bright truth. Your heart starts beating just over the roof," he sang as everypony laughed. 

With a snap of his claw, Discord appeared at the party. "Good job, Lilac! You were the best Mary Cloppins ever. And thank you for convincing the school to let me help direct and play a role. I still do think that you and Caramel should be a couple, though." Caramel froze. "HEY!" Comet yelled angrily. Lilac rolled her eyes and gave Discord a bear hug.

Sunset was still apologizing for her actions. "As long as Lilac forgives you, we do too," said Island. 

"Hey! Ready for karaoke?" shouted Caramel. Everypony cheered. "It's... superponyfragilisticexponalidocious!" he and Lilac sang as the rest of the ponies joined in. 

Everyone laughed and had a great time. No one could wait for the next school play.

When Lilac got home, she opened Team 7C's friendship journal and began to write:

Dear Superintendent, 
You have probably seen me star as Mary Cloppins in our school play and make quite the show. I had to admit that I was upset at first, since this was not how I had planned for things to go. However, I never expected that I would love the art of improvisation! Learning to work under limited circumstances is surprisingly fun. When a pony makes the most of their current situation, they have the ability to turn a horrible experience into a positive one! It makes them a happier pony overall :)
XOXO Lilac Wishes