Another day in Manehattan. Stagelight Glow woke up to the usual city noise. She jumped out of bed and used her unicorn magic to brush her bedmane, take the curlers out of her tail, and tuck a rose behind her ear. She grabbed a quick sandwich out of her pantry and dashed out of the apartment, not even taking the elevator, but transporting herself to the lobby with magic.
She had to make the audition on time. She'd practiced for ages. Her dream since she'd been a filly was to be a star onstage, and her cutie mark sealed the deal. The comedy-tragedy masks framed by a spotlight was prominently displayed on her pastel blue flank. It fit her perfectly. She hopped on a bus and gave the driver two bits. She finished her sandwich in one gulp and waited impatiently for her stop, gazing out the window.
"Stop at Celestia Square!" The driver called. A few ponies got off, but more got on. The only two empty seats were next to Stagelight. She did enjoy having the entire bench to herself. It was the start of a very good day. The bus got moving again. According to the map on the wall, Stagelight got off on the last stop. She settled down on her seat.
"West Meamorae street!" The driver called.
"Excuse me, miss. Would you mind if we sat here?" Stagelight whipped her head around, her mane slapping the side of her face and the rose nearly falling out. Two ponies stood there, wearing suits. One carried a cane.
"Of course." She gave her best bedazzling smile, the one she practiced everyday in front of the mirror. She scooted closer to the window to make room and looked closer at the two stallions. One was... Not exactly thin, with a brown coat and blue mane. That one, she could see, her smile had affected. The other, a unicorn, was breathtaking. His coat was a pure, shining white and his mane a deep red. He wore sunglasses and Stagelight realized, as he sat next to her, that he was blind. He set his cane against the seat.
"Where are you going?" She asked brightly, still smiling.
"Our law office. I'm Legal Shades, and this is Heavy Fog." The blind one said.
"Here's our card." Heavy Fog reached across Legal Shades and handed Stagelight the small, stiff paper square. "Law offices of Fog and Shades."
"What's your name, er... Miss?" Legal Shades asked.
"Stagelight. Stagelight Glow." She said on her most professional yet sweet tones.
"Where do you get off?" Heavy Fog asked.
"Where do you get off?" She countered.
"Baker and Alicorn."
"So do I." She said. "Excuse me." She took her sides out if her bag and began to read them. She didn't want to get to far into a conversation at the moment. She needed to stay present. It wasn't her first audition, but she needed to land it.
"Baker street!" The driver called. "Last stop, everyone out!" She waited for Heavy Fog and Legal Shades to get off before she hurried out and to the theater. The street was busy and she had to move around ponies to get there quickly enough. Finally, she was at the Sparkle, the old theater renamed for the newest princess, Twilight Sparkle. She slipped into the waiting room and say down to wait. And wait. She looked at the walls, covered in posters for plays, past, present and future. Practically wallpapered with them. The seats were actually rather comfortable, but Stagelight made sure to keep herself in the moment. She brethed deeply, then her name was called.
"Miss Stagelight Glow."
She got up and walked into the room where she would audition.
"Hello. I'm Stagelight Glow." She smiled at the director, producer, writer and casting director.
"This is Ink Well." Said the director. "He wrote it. This is Wishing Well." Indicating the producer. "I'm Cloud Well."
"I'm Talent Pool." The casting director added. He was the only one who didn't look like the others. Stagelight guessed the Wells were all three brothers, possibly triplets.
"So." Cloud Well said. "What will you be singing today?"
"'I've Gotta Wash That Stallion Right out of My Mane', from North Ponycific."
"All right then. I want you to sing, then read the sides you were given. Okay?"
"Okay."
"Any questions?"
"No."
"Begin when you're ready."
Stagelight took a deep breath and started to sing. She saw the auditioners writing notes but didn't pay attention.
"That's enough." Said Cloud Well after two verses. "Now can you read the slides?"
Stagelight took them out of her bag. "I have them mostly memorized, but I'd rather not stumble." She smiled and began the reading.