//------------------------------// // Volume 1: Eruditio - Chapter 11 - Substitute // Story: Legacy: The End of Harmony // by Ficta_Scriptor //------------------------------// Legacy volume 1: Eruditio Chapter 11 – Substitute After much deliberation, Rosa headed to La Chocolat, intent on inviting Summer along to Friday’s gathering. It wasn’t so much that she really wanted her there (which caused a pang of undesired but well-deserved guilt) but after realising just how much their friendship meant to her, it would be a crime not to invite her. There was also the issue of Summer’s lack of other friends and her mother’s dependency, neither of which could be easy to deal with. Rosa found it slightly strange, though. Surely it would make more sense for Summer to be timid and shy, considering her circumstances. It was around 9 o’ clock by the time Rosa reached the back entrance of the restaurant, early enough to avoid the rush. A suited waiter and waitress were stood just outside, their faces bearing nothing but disheartening gloom. Ignoring them, Rosa poked her head around the glass door to see her friend diligently stacking some plates with a morose expression. “Summer, over here!” The mare spun around, beaming from ear to ear. “Rosa!” Summer skipped over excitedly, wrapping her hooves around Rosa’s neck and giving a tight squeeze. “What are you doing here!? You do know what it means when you lose your job, right?” Rosa pushed the yellow mare off and rolled her eyes. “Oh come on, I’m not that stupid. I just came to ask you a question. I can’t stay long.” “Oh? What is it?” “A couple of my friends are having a little get-together this Friday evening. I was wondering if you were available.” Summer leapt into the air and grasped her in another tight hug, almost squeezing the lungs out of the poor mare. “Oh Rosa, of course I’ll come! I don’t know what time I can make it, but definitely, yes!” “OK… just let me breathe…” Summer recoiled, realising that she’d been choking her friend. “Sorry, I just got excited.” “That’s OK, I should’ve been ready for your reaction.” “So who’s gonna be there? Clover?” “Well, it’ll be me, Clover, Sparks if he’s able to come, and Nico.” Summer scrunched her face up. “Nico? Who’s that?” “Nico… Have I not mentioned him before?” “No, I don’t think you have. Who’s he?” Him? Oh, he’s just the stallion of my dreams, the one I love with all my heart. “Oh, he’s just another friend of mine,” Rosa finally said, finding it difficult to believe that she’d not even spoken about him before. Admittedly, she didn’t speak about him very often unless she was with Clover, and even then there would be something in the back of her mind, reminding her not to even mention his name in case somepony might discern her feelings for him. “Oh really? Is he cute?” “Summer, I’m not going to answer that. To you, every stallion with four hooves and a pulse is cute,” she joked, doing her best not to let slip that Summer had struck an emotional nerve. Judging by the mare’s reaction, the deception had worked just as she’d hoped. “Hey, I have standards! I was just asking a very simple question!” “Well I’m afraid you’ll just have to make your own judgement when you meet him. It’s at his house, so I’ll have to come to yours and escort you there.” “Sure thing! I’ll have to find out when I’m available from, but it’ll probably be around half six. I’ll let you know in the next few days, OK?” Next on the agenda — asking Sparks to come along. It was the evening, and Rosa was accompanying her father along to the training grounds. The sun had begun its slow descent towards the horizon. The resulting colours lighting the sky meshing with the cool breeze blowing against her fur made this an altogether pleasant stroll. A good omen for the future, perhaps. Not that she was superstitious, but there was always some kind of psychological effect that came from the weather. She had told her father about the plans for Friday and he was supportive, even if he didn’t say much about it. It was always one of his qualities; he wouldn’t have to use words to get his point across, instead you’d only need to look into his eyes to gauge how he was feeling. They both approached the shack in the middle of the running track, Rosa patiently staring into the distance as her father unlocked the door and began to sift through athletic equipment. “He should be here soon; he’s often one of the early birds.” Not a moment after he’d said that, a familiar white unicorn poked his head over the hill accompanied by two earth pony stallions and an earth pony mare. He was casually chatting away before his eyes skimmed towards the shack and spotted Rosa, waving in the distance. He immediately waved back, eliciting a commotion amongst the other members of the group. The mare looked to have taken a step away from him, either a sign of respect or an attempt to cast suspicions away from herself. Either way, all that mattered to Rosa right now was getting this over and done with. So long as she didn’t make a big deal about it, he wouldn’t think that she was at all nervous about being in the presence of both Nico and himself. The couple met each other at the edge of the track. The two other stallions politely nodded and gave a brief greeting before heading off to perform some stretches. The mare held out her hoof and smiled. “Hi, I’m Crystal. Sparks has told us all about you.” “Not everything, I hope.” The mare chuckled and started making her way to the two other stallions. “It was nice to finally meet you, Rosa.” “Likewise…” Rosa murmured, thinking that maybe it would have been rude to mention that he’d never even spoken of any of his athlete friends. Sparks saddled up to her and gave her a hug, thankfully not squeezing the life out of her like a certain mare. “It’s so nice to see you again; how are you doing?” “Not too bad. I don’t have my job at the restaurant anymore but to be honest, maybe that’s for the best.” “Well, I have no doubt you’ll find something better. So why did you come to see me? If you’re here to see my famous magic-speed run I’m afraid I’d rather not—” “Oh no, I just came along to ask if you wanted to meet up with me and a few friends of mine, Clover, Summer and… Nico. It’s just a quiet drink, nothing too extreme.” Sparks perked up, a grin coming across his face. “Well that sounds positively delightful,” he said with a hint of theatrical politeness. “So when is it?” “This Friday evening at my friend Nico’s house. I’m not sure about the time, but I can always let you know once I find out.” “That’s great! I guess I’ll see you there!” “But I’ll need to—” “Oh that’s right, that’s right!” Sparks took a moment to face-hoof, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips. “You’ll need to show me where he lives, won’t you? I’ll… come over to yours then?” “Sure, that’s great. I’ll head off now then; need to get back to things…” She hoped he didn’t realise that she was lying. With the exception of possibly reading some more of Dreamworld there was nothing on her agenda. “Oh, that’s fine, that’s OK.” He gripped her in another hug, this one longer and more tender than the last. One of the stallions from before whistled and shouted “Get a room!” Both Rosa and Sparks grew flustered and broke apart, Sparks shaking a hoof in mock anger at the other pony. It’s true though, Rosa thought to herself as she left. That’s what couples do, isn’t it? They were both of that age where intimacy was pretty much expected, but the mere idea of it scared her, even if she wasn’t sure why. It was what everypony thought about all the time, at least going by the general consensus of what a ‘normal’ pony was. As much as she wanted to believe that this mind-set was ‘put on’ by most of the population because of peer pressure, she knew the truth. She just wasn’t a ‘normal’ pony. Uneasiness crept into Veracity’s mind. This was all wrong; she couldn’t live in a world that wasn’t real. “Reverie! We have to stop this! We have to go back to the way things were!” Reverie turned, his eyes discoloured, as if something had possessed him. “But I thought you wanted this? I thought you wanted a world where anything that you believed to be true could be true?” “Not anymore! This is wrong!” Esmeralda stepped up as the heavens above swirled, bolts of lightning flashing across the sky. “You’re beginning to realise it now. Think of what you truly want. Think of what’s best for you.” Veracity fell to the floor, the bodies of sinners surrounding her, some of them mere foals. An end to evil was all that she’d wanted, and end to all of the bad ponies that existed. She didn’t want this… This in itself was an act of evil. “I want the real world back!” “But Veracity, are you sure?” Reverie asked. “Yes! I don’t want to live in a world of lies! I don’t want this!” Reverie looked down at the ground, disappointed. “I understand.” The colour of his eyes faded even more so, and his body began to sink into the ground. Inch by inch it engulfed his legs, his eyes staring into the distance. Once the dirt had reached up to his neck, he looked back at Veracity and smiled, a tear rolling from his eye. Veracity raced to his head just as it was enveloped by the ground, leaving behind it the smooth, unscarred earth from once before. She pawed desperately at the ground, digging up as much as she could in an attempt to reach her friend. “Reverie! Reverie! Please, NO!” As she dug even further, her hoof struck something hard amongst the soft dirt. Her heart nearly exploded as she discovered what she’d unearthed. There in her hooves lay the skull of a pony. Reverie. “No… no, he can’t be dead!” “You have to understand,” Esmeralda began. “You have to let go of your fantasies. I’m here to help you realise your dream — your dream of returning to the real world. You just have to trust me.” Veracity looked back as the mare’s form became so much clearer, the world fading around them both as the enchantress’ form grew increasingly prominent. “To go back to reality…” Veracity’s eyes burst open as a light was cast across her face. She was disorientated and confused. She couldn’t move her body; she could only turn her head and gaze at her surroundings as her eyes focused. As the room began to take shape a familiar face came into view just up ahead. “Esmeralda?” The mare exhaled deeply and sat up straighter in her bed. “No, Veracity. I’m Dr Emerald. Do you remember me?” “Esmeralda, what’s going on? Where’s Reverie!? He was sinking, and then…” “Veracity, I…” The mare turned away. “I was hoping you’d realised by now. Reverie is dead. He’s been dead for a long time now. Don’t you remember, Veracity? That day in the swamp.” “You’re lying! That can’t be true!” Veracity’s head spun with dizzying force as her mind’s landscape began to reshape itself, images flashing by at break-neck speed. “You went into the forest, Veracity. You told him that it was dangerous to go near the swamp but he wouldn’t listen.” “No… no… it couldn’t possibly…” She began to remember. She saw the image of Reverie’s face as he began to sink deeper and deeper. His face as he was nearly submerged changed from one of terror to one of acceptance. She was screaming, trying desperately to fling the quicksand-like slop from around him, but he could only smile at her. “I’ve always loved you,” he whispered, his eyes bursting with tears. “From the bottom of my heart. I love y—” Within a moment, he was gone. “You have to come back to the real world, Veracity, but you must let me help you. You’ve been under for a long time now, far longer than any of my other patients have ever had to endure. I will do everything in my power to make sure you can recover from this but you have to listen to me. You have to forgive yourself, Veracity. Your life depends on it.” Rosa set the book down as the chapter reached its closing sentence, her jaw hanging wide open. She’d been wrong about this book; it wasn’t a fantasy novel. If anything, it was the complete opposite. She had never seen the twist coming, nor had she been ready for it when it hit. The story had become darker in nature as time had gone on, but now it had latched on to a multitude of emotional strings and was tugging furiously. A lone tear trickle down her cheek. She wiped it away and slammed the book shut, tossing it to the other end of the desk. She could see the book’s imagery as clear as day in her mind, except in her version it was Nico’s face disappearing into the swamp as he declared his love for her. Her heart was now racing, its beat powerful enough to be perfectly audible. She hadn’t finished the book yet; there was still a small wad of pages just behind her book mark. She would have to read the rest, to learn whether Veracity could live on after finally realising that everything had been a lie, but for now it was a little too much to bear. One thing was for sure. This would be more than just some old play masterminded by a cantankerous old grouch. This could be something truly special. “Mum, Dad. I’ve decided to go for that acting role.” “That’s nice, dear. I hope you do well.” “I’ve been reading the book that the play is based on and I think it could do really well if it’s done right. It could even help this store out if we bring in some copies of it. I could really see this being a big thing. Maybe even big enough for the Canterlot Auditorium.” Daisy and Speedwell Bloom immediately stopped eating and looked up, giving her their full attention. They exchanged glances and looked back, concerned expressions on their faces. “What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy for me,” Rosa said scornfully. Here she was doing something she thought would make them proud and they look at her as if she’d told them she was going to become a lap-dancer. “We are happy for you, dear. It’s just… are you sure about this?” “Why wouldn’t I be? I said I wanted to do it, didn’t I?” “There’s no need to get worked up,” her father said softly. “We’re just… worried about you getting your hopes up. Nopony has actually said that this is ever going to happen, have they?” “No, but it doesn’t mean it can’t happen,” Rosa shot back defiantly. She was flabbergasted to have such optimism thrown back in her face. Heck, more often than not she was pessimistic, antisocial and lacked ambition of any kind. For them to question a positive outlook just didn’t make any sense. “I don’t know how much support Floyd has for this production but he must have some kind of plan.” “OK, I get you. Just don’t go getting stars in yer eyes too soon, OK missy? I don’t want you to be disappointed.” “Yes, your father is right. Canterlot is a very prestigious place you know, so you’d be more likely performing somewhere like Manehattan, Hoofington or someplace like that.” Rosa frowned. “I guess… it was just kind of a pipedream, that’s all.” The young earth pony finished off her dinner, thinking about how her parents were probably right. It still hurt that they seemed so insistent, though. Am I not allowed to dream? Then again, how was Floyd going to convince the executives from Canterlot to allow his two-bit play to be performed on the same stage as a class act like Foal Gallagher? Looking at it that way, it seemed more far-fetched than ever. But it didn’t have to be that way. “Thanks for the food; may I be excused?” “Oh… Of course dear.” Rosa paced her way upstairs, sat back down at her desk and opened up Dreamworld once again. She was going to finish this book, and she was going to let every drip of emotion to flow over her whether she liked it or not. She could do more for Floyd than just act; she could help him to make the play even better than it was. The lines that were read at his audition could be altered and certain plot points could be represented in more efficient ways. If she could capture the true feeling of the book, the play could well be given a deserved spot at The Royal Canterlot Auditorium. All of those years of reading would pay off. She could write a play worthy of royalty. She had to, to prove to everypony what she could accomplish. For once, she had a life goal that wasn’t determined by anypony else. For once, she could live her life in a way that she wanted to. It was Thursday, around ten minutes or so before the meeting was due to begin. Rosa was now stood below the stage in the main section of the theatre. There were dozens of other ponies here now, a select few of them chatting away while the majority of them stood idly by, awkwardly glancing at the clock above the door and wondering when Floyd was going to show his face. There were no seats available this time around, just a table stacked with scripts in the middle of the room. The floor had at least been tended to somewhat since last time; it wasn’t quite the dusty mess it had been before. The one thing that was most definitely amiss was some kind of heating system, though that was to be expected. It wasn’t unbearably cold, but it was chilly enough to leave some ponies hopping from hoof to hoof. There weren’t any familiar faces here; most of the ponies who had gathered appeared a little older than she was and had an air of confidence around them. Normally, a situation such as this would leave her feeling anxious, but instead she found herself being truly thrilled to be here. She didn’t know whether it was from tackling various fears in the recent weeks or her newfound passion for life, but she knew that being here felt right. Translating her love of reading into something born from the written art felt natural. She could see the events that had unfolded in her mind and how they should be portrayed. For once, she had a feasible goal in life that she had set out the way she wanted. And that could only be a good thing, right? The rest of the story had depicted Dr Emerald’s efforts to help Veracity, detailing many failed attempts as Veracity would regress back into her deluded state. Other doctors told her to give up, but she kept trying. She wouldn’t stop until Veracity was broken free from her vicious cycle, even though it seemed hopeless. In the final scene, Veracity came with Dr Emerald to Reverie’s grave and placed some flowers. She had finally accepted the truth, and in her last lines she thanked the doctor. She then walked away, never to see her again. Dr Emerald stood and admired how her patient had grown, and whispered a farewell that could not be heard. She felt that she could understand now why Floyd had taken an interest in her, especially when it came to the part of Dr Emerald, aka Esmeralda. The character herself was innocent, but needed that sense of creepiness and awkwardness. She was there to help Veracity and would do whatever it took. She was the one who truly cared about her, and what better mark to symbolise a loving and caring nature than a heart? At the same time, a heart would be a sign of Esmeralda trying to trick Veracity by pretending to be a saintly being. Yes, she thought. My cutie mark is perfect. My mannerisms are perfect. But would my acting be good enough? I mean, Clover… Just as she was reminiscing over her time spent reading what was now without a doubt one of her favourite novels, Clover came through the doorway and met her eyes. “Oh I’m so glad you came!” the jade-green pegasus cried as she trotted over. “I really think you’ve made the right choice.” “Me too!” Rosa chirped back. “I’m really looking forward to it, actually. I finished reading the book just the other night and my interest flew sky high.” “Ah, I probably should have done the same but I got caught up in other things. I got my copy from the library but I’ve only read a chapter or two.” “Well that’s not the kind of attitude to have, is it?” Clover took a step back and gave Rosa a curious look. “Is something… up?” “I’m just excited about this, that’s all.” Clover spent another moment casting a intrigued glance. “Really? I mean, the other evening you weren’t even sure if you were coming to this meeting. What’s changed your mind?” “I think… well it’s not just the book, although that is a big part of it. I guess I just realised that I can actually do this. I won’t be just some layabout loser anymore.” “Rosa! We’ve never thought that about you!” “Well maybe you should have!” An uncomfortable silence formed as the two friends stared awkwardly into each other’s eyes. There had never been another time like it, even in all the years that they’d known each other. They hadn’t even had a minor quarrel. Realising that her demeanour now sat on the edge of alienating her best friend, Rosa exhaled deeply and toned down her voice. “I’m sorry, Clover. I didn’t mean to snap. I guess I’ve just been getting a bit worked up over things, and I can’t help but feel like I really have been a layabout loser all this time. But you’re right, I shouldn’t think like that.” It took a moment, but the pale green mare smiled back. “That’s OK. You know I’m here for you if you need to talk about anything.” “Maybe some other time,” Rosa grinned, thoroughly pleased by her friend’s response. In all fairness, she didn’t often turn to anypony for advice, and Clover was probably the best candidate under pretty much any circumstance. She was very logical and methodical, but also sympathetic. Rosa thought of the oft promoted WWCD leg bands that were popular among some groups, and how What Would Clover Do would have been a worthy alternative acronym. Still, for now, her problems were something that she would have to tackle by herself. “So what happens in the book?” Clover asked, breaking the silence between them. “I’m not sure if I should even say. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read and quite honestly, I wouldn’t want to give away some of the plot points.” “Really? I’m not even sure if I’m going to read it, especially now that we’ll probably be given scripts and such.” “If you didn’t think you were going to read it, why did you go to the library in the first place?” Clover shrugged. “I guess the idea seemed good enough, but the anticipation was more exciting than actually reading it.” “That’s a real shame; you could’ve made yourself look a bit better if you knew the story. I’ve got a few ideas of my own actually that I’d—” Rosa cut herself off as she noticed Floyd slowly shuffle his way through the doorway warranting a few respectful nods from nearby ponies. At his side was Roadie, who hurried himself in with a chair slung over his shoulder. He set it down next to the table, and Floyd took his seat. Even seeing him the second time Rosa still found his appearance psychologically perplexing. His bright pink coat was at total odds with not just his gender, but his characteristics. Bet he was picked on a lot at school. “Good evening, everypony,” he announced. “We’ll just wait a few more minutes for any latecomers and then we’ll get right to business.” “This is my chance,” Rosa grinned, turning excitedly to Clover. “I’ve got some ideas for the play that I think he’d like to hear, so see you in a bit.” “O-kay…” Rosa wasn’t sure if Clover was concerned or just curious, but she took no notice of it. She paced straight up to where Floyd was now sat, flicking through a set of notes with his magic, and moved herself into his line of sight. “Mister Floyd? It’s me, Rosa.” Floyd took a moment to look up, as if his eyes were powered by rusty cogs connected to an old-fashioned crank. As his gaze met hers, though, his lips widened into his first smile that Rosa had actually witnessed. “Well hello. What can I do for you?” “I’ve read through the novel. I loved it, it’s amazing, but that’s not important right now. I just thought that I could share some ideas for certain scenes, since some of the dialogue is a bit long-winded, and other times it’s a little unnatural. I’ve not read your script yet, so I don’t know what you may have already done, and I don’t mean to rain on your parade or anything. I just… want to share some ideas.” Floyd’s smile widened even more. “This is a turn up for the books,” he droned softly. “I guess my instincts were right after all.” Rosa discussed her thoughts on certain scenes for the play, elaborating on big ideas she had for the more important moments. She hadn’t written anything down beforehand; she was just reeling off what sprung to mind as it came, like the rollers of a printing press churning out newspapers. Floyd listened intently, stopping her only once to assure her that he’d had the same idea. As he glanced to look at the clock, he held a hoof up to Rosa’s face and shook his head. “I’m afraid time’s getting on enough as it is. Thank you for your insight; I’m sure you have more to say but for now let’s just leave it at that.” “OK, sorry about that.” “Don’t be sorry,” he replied slyly, lifting himself out of his chair. “I’m glad to have somepony as passionate about this as I am, especially considering the circumstances.” What does he mean by that? Rosa thought to herself as Floyd called the rest of the group around him in a semicircle. The lack of chairs made it difficult for everypony to have a clear view, but with some shuffling and rearranging they all found a suitable place. Rosa took her place beside Clover and was immediately asked questions. “I just discussed some of the scenes in the play, that’s all.” Clover once again examined her with those big brown eyes, but Rosa didn’t want to meet her gaze. She remembered that this was originally Clover’s dream, and in a way she was stealing her ambition. If it weren’t for Clover, she would have had no idea that this was even going on. Clover would get a part in the play and the events would pass without her even batting an eyelid. But it was different now. For whatever reason — and she couldn’t quite put her hoof on it herself — she wanted to see this through and do a damn good job of it. Floyd gave the obligatory welcome to all those that had arrived, detailing what he hoped his production could be and reassuring everypony that he would be doing his utmost to ensure smooth progress. He gave a brief mention of the state in which the Ponyville theatre was in, apologizing for the fact that its persistent closure was beyond his control. “So now, onto the more important things at hoof. Much like many other productions it’s only natural to have multiple ponies play particular parts in case of emergencies, or hopefully in case this becomes as popular as I anticipate. “For the parts of Veracity and Reverie I’ve chosen Mellon Collie and Courtney Jester,” A mare and a stallion who were stood next to each other silently cheered and gripped each other in a celebratory cuddle. “With Miss Aurora and Kanji Mesa as substitutes. For the part of Esmeralda—” Rosa could hear the sound of her heart clear against the momentary silence as he was about to call out the name… “Rosa Bloom, with Clover Leaf as substitute. For the parts of—” Rosa could barely contain her joy and gripped Clover in a tight, Summer-esque hug, giving the pale green mare barely enough time to be ready for it. Floyd continued with his speech, handing out the parts of many of the smaller characters like Dr Emerald’s colleagues and younger versions of the main characters warranting the first audible cheers from the youngest members of the group. Rosa wasn’t really listening though. She was overcome with happiness and relief, but that was followed by a sharp pang on guilt as she eventually let go of her friend and met her eyes dead on. Clover Leaf as substitute. The word echoed through her mind as she looked into the eyes of a pony overcome with both happiness and disappointment at the same time. If Rosa hadn’t have come here everything would have gone on as normal. Clover would have been the first choice for the part of Esmeralda and her dream would have been fulfilled. Substitute. As she repeated it to herself over and over, her smile fell. Clover still put up a front though. She was still grinning, but those eyes told a different story. What was it she could see in them? Jealousy? Regret? Or perhaps even worse; a sense of betrayal? The blank flank pegasus with a heart of gold who had never discovered her real talent, and here she was, ruining everything for her. A thought occurred to her. She could confront Floyd and ask him to switch them around, letting Clover be the main candidate. She could still back out now if she wanted; there was nothing that he could possibly do to stop her. She could threaten to leave the production altogether if he didn’t allow Clover to take her place. But as she stood there, looking at her friend in the most peculiar way, that option seemed like some kind of distant daydream. She could just walk straight to Nico’s house and tell him how she felt, but every bone in her body would stop her. This was almost the same, as if with every thought of her doing such a thing there was a chain latching down on her, keeping her in place. Clover shifted her position and initiated another embrace, this one feeling so true and genuine that it nearly caused Rosa’s eyes to water. “I know what you’re thinking,” Clover whispered. “But I’m not mad and I’m not jealous. I don’t have to be, because I know that you feel guilty, even though you shouldn’t even need to. That for me is more than enough.” Rosa was prepping herself to speak, but her throat had become dry, with little more than quiet rasps escaping her mouth. As if Clover were reading her mind, she continued with worrying accuracy. “You take the main role and let me be the substitute, OK? I’m sure I’ll still get to go on stage some time. You deserve the part anyway; I think I came off as a little grandiose in the audition.” It wasn’t everything, but it was enough, for now. Rosa quickly sniffed and rubbed her eyes just in case a loose tear had escaped. “Thanks,” was all that she could get out. She wanted to say that she was amazing, that she was the best friend a mare could have, but the lump in her throat wasn’t going to let that happen. Floyd instructed the group to collect a script and split off into certain groups just to get to know each other. “This isn’t a rehearsal as such, but it’s worth meeting your potential work partners.” Rosa had been called over to where the main actors for Veracity and Reverie were stood while Clover was set to speak with their substitutes. While she hadn’t totally side-lined her friend it know dawned on her that the two of them would likely not perform a scene together, not unless Clover took up one of the lesser roles. There seemed to be too many ponies in here at the moment for the number of characters and she suspected that Floyd had overcompensated with his invitations, worried that otherwise he would have too few. In all honesty, she wouldn’t have minded if she was the substitute instead of Clover. She would still have been able to influence the play by talking with Floyd, and in her mind that had been a more realistic goal. She hadn’t thought so much of her acting skills, even though it was a thrilling thought to re-enact some of the most heart-wrenching scenes from the novel. “Nice to meet you both; I’m Rosa Bloom.” “Nice to meet you Rosa, my name’s Courtney Jester,” said the stark red earth pony stallion with a dark blonde mane. He had a playful tone to his voice with a hint of an accent that Rosa couldn’t quite place. “Though you can call me ‘Court.’ Most of my friends do.” “Melon Collie.” The shy-looking unicorn beside him had a light orange coat and an aqua-green mane. Running down the middle of both her mane and tail was a streak of violet. Rosa had only just noticed it as she stood awkwardly, trying to think of a good way to carry the conversation. Court’s cutie mark was of a mask, the kind that one might see in old-fashioned theatre work — one of those white paper masks with upturned eyes and a large smile. Melon’s was almost identical, except the facial expression was one of sadness. “No wonder you two got the parts,” Rosa blurted out, barely aware that she was just saying what she was thinking. “Oh, you mean our cutie marks?” Court asked, gesturing to his flank. “Yeah, me and Melon used to be part of this little drama club we had at school; we go way back. Doing something like this has always been kind of a dream for us. We were never really sure how we’d go about it, though. Ponyville theatre is a shambles and anywhere else is just an inconvenience. Thank heavens for Captain Pink.” Rosa couldn’t help but chuckle at the little jab at Floyd. Court joined in, but Melon simply stood in silence, combing her mane back with a hoof. How could these two even get along if they’re so unlike each other? Rosa thought. Are they a couple? Is it rude to ask if they’re a couple? “Well I don’t know about you two, but I don’t want to stand around here doing nothing!” Court exclaimed. “How about we read through some of this script, eh?” Rosa and Melon both nodded, flicking open to the first page where all three of them had lines. It didn’t look like many other ponies around them were doing the same. Most were just nattering loudly about different things, some were flirting very obviously while some just looked utterly lost, as if they were waiting for an imaginary bus to arrive. Rosa spotted Clover on the other side of the hall talking to a pastel blue stallion with a serious expression. She wanted to get the attention of her friend for just a second; just a brief moment of eye contact so that she could know that she was OK. Despite numerous glances Clover never turned to acknowledge them and merely continued to speak with the two ponies she was stood with. Rosa just wanted to make sure that nothing had changed between them, that getting the part really hadn’t put Clover in a bad state. “Rosa? Are you alright?” Court startled her with, and she quickly turned her attention back to him. So what if Clover didn’t look over; that meant nothing. If Clover said she was fine with this then that was that. She was probably engrossed in talking with the other performers, so there was absolutely no need to be paranoid. “I’m fine,” quipped Rosa. “Let’s get on with this, shall we?”