DAY 6: The Show Must Go On (No Matter What You Want)
It was evening time, and dinner had just been finished. Today had probably been the busiest day in a long time for the Flim Flam Brothers. Wanting to take on Grannie Smith’s challenge of working with their hooves, the two decided to take on all the chores for the day and didn’t build a single device to do the work for them. Flim worked the fields, doing things like picking weeds, watering the crops, and harvest any of the crops that looked like they were coming in a bit early. Flam took on the role of cleaning every bit of the house with good-fashioned elbow grease. The two of them were exhausted when they’d finished, but it was a good kind of exhaustion. It was the feeling that you spent all your energy and strength on something directly and you got to see the results right then and there.
After dinner, Flam helped Grannie wash the dishes while Flim went to the barn to show Apple Bloom the inventions they’d made. She was actually pretty smart and was really interested in how they were made. Flim actually felt a sense of pride when she complimented the creations that he’d worked on.
“You fellas did a fine job today,” Grannie Smith complimented. “See what Ah’ mean when Ah’ tell ya ta work with yer hands? Feels mighty fine.”
“I can’t argue with you there, Grannie. It’s a unique feeling to use these hooves to do more than put together a machine that’ll do it. While creating a machine can be satisfying, doing the job yourself is another feeling altogether.” After finishing, Flam decided to hang out outside on the fence. Applejack was there as well, watching the sunset.
“Looks wonderful don’t it?” she asked him, tossing an apple his way.
“It sure does. Though I’d have to say that the sunset out in Appleloosa has to be my favorite. You get on top of a hill and see the sun set into a flat plain. It’s as if the entire plain has become a shimmering mirror,” Flam said.
“You two sure have gotten around, haven’t ya?” Applejack asked, taking a bite from her apple.
“Sure have. Travelled to pretty much every major city in Equestria, trying to strike it big. Never made it as well as Pa did though,” he told her.
“Who was your Pa?”
“Pa was one of the best salesponies you would have ever met. He actually made the devices he’d be selling you right in front of you and then use them right there. Never did he have a customer not be satisfied by what he sold. Most of his things were watches and other devices that used clockwork, but sometimes he’d tinker with either kinds of machinery.” Flam took a break and had some more of his apple before continuing with is story. “Anyway, he met Ma while showing off his new apple picking device off in Clydesdale. That was the first ever Super Speedy Squeezy Cider. The cider part of the machine was actually requested by our Ma specifically since they never had enough ponies on the farm to pick and make the stuff.”
“Wait, did you say orchard?” Applejack asked, surprised. “I never figured you two for being farmers.”
“We really weren’t,” he went onto explain. “See, when Ma and Pa married, Pa hung up the life of a salepony and decided to help with the farm. His inventions were really helpful and saved the place from closing dozens of times. They were pretty popular as well, and folks from neighboring towns would come miles to see them. Then, one winter came and killed off a bunch of the apple trees. My brother and I were about four when that happened, and the entire family worked to try and save the farm, planting seeds and constructing a giant fence to keep any new critters from eating what little we had left. Unfortunately we’d already lost our sales to another orchard during that time, and we were forced to shut it all down.”
“Shucks,” Applejack said. She was lucky that their farm never had to deal with weather like that.
“Yeah. Funny thing is that the orchard that ran us out of business was one we were almost close to closing ourselves. Our parents knew this though, and they purposely let them have several business contracts instead of going after them. They really could have run them into the ground, but our parents said that that’d be plain wrong. Seems like those fellas didn’t have any qualms doing that to us though.” Flam looked at his apple core and then tossed it aside. “I remember when The Fresh Market dropped us, we knew it was over.”
“The Fresh Market?” Applejack knew that shop. That was one of the shops her family had been supplying apples to for a long time now. A pit grew in Applejack’s stomach as she realized who the villains in this story truly were.
“Yes. Anyway, our Pa went back into the business of making inventions and Ma used her knowledge of orchards to write a book on different methods of apple farming. The book actually did quite well and Pa worked as a repairman. We managed to scrape by, but it was never the same as it once was,” Flam said, heaviness in his heart. “I can actually think back and remember the orchard, like it’s some other life of mine. To be honest, I don’t think my brother or I had ever been as happy as when we were on the farm.” Flam turned his head, but Applejack saw a tear go down his face.
“So what happened after that?” Applejack asked. She wanted to know how this story continued.
“When Flim and I turned eighteen, both Ma and Pa passed. We really didn’t have much money to our name, so we decided that the best way to do things was to follow in Pa’s footsteps and go on the road. He’d taught us about how to build things and how to be a good salesponies. What we did is we took it a step further and played out the whole ‘brothers’ angle and made a show wherever we stopped. It actually was pretty good and we manage to make a living off of it, but we made a promise to Pa.”
“What kind of promise?”
“We promised Pa that we’d somehow get back his good name. He and Ma were good ponies, but it seems like that’s what took them down. We learned that when it comes to money, you can’t let others get a chance when you have yours. A bit sad, actually. Capitalism is a fickle mistress. Sometimes she’ll smile on you if you put in effort and try to make things better for yourself, but try to relax a little in that relationship and you’ll end up feeling whipped.” Flam chuckled at this metaphor. He wasn’t usually this creative unless he was making a song or invention.
“Sounds like a bad relationship,” Applejack commented.
“More of a sad love story,” Flam added. “Say, I’ve been wondering about something. You mind me asking?”
“Sure,” Applejack replied.
“Why have you and your family been so kind to us? I mean, here we are threatening to take over your farm and you four just act like we’re guests. Aren’t you worried about us taking you over and having you work for us?”
Applejack just laughed, confusing Flam. “You don’t get it, do you? To us, you guys really are guests. We don’t worry about you guys owning the farm because we know that Twilight and the rest will come through. They always have. You’ll have your money and be on your way, so we might as well make you comfy while you stay.” Applejack finished the rest of her apple as well and tossed the core aside. “Besides, it’d be plain rude otherwise.”
Applejack’s heart felt heavy saying this. She realized that if it weren’t for her family, Flim and Flam would be living happily on their orchard, no worries about getting more money than they needed. They’d be happy just having a living and working on their fields. That wouldn’t be possible though, since at some point Apple Family Acres or some other farm would still rise to challenge them and at some point one would fall to the other. It’s just the way things seemed to be. At least they would.
Applejack realized that something else she never had to worry about was the problem of any real competition. The longer she thought about it, the more she realized that her family was the only one that produced apples and several of the other vegetables. She’d remembered that a long time ago that there were other farms that were around, but they shut down and the Apple Family eventually gained the areas that they once controlled. They didn’t take those farms, but rather continued to produce on their land, making apples less available than before since no other farms produced the crop. This led to an increase in prices and the Apple Family gaining more money than before. She realized that they didn’t just do this to Flim and Flam, but others had had this happen to them as well because of how big they’d gotten.
“Say, you mind if I turn in now? I’m a bit tired from today,” Flam told her.
“Yeah. No problem.” Before Flam got inside the house, Applejack had to ask him a question. “Wait. I just wanna know why you guys would keep us on the farm after you own it. I mean, you won’t, but when you got here you said that you’d still keep us here. Was that just to make us accept the deal, or was there something else there?”
“To be honest,” Flam said slowly, “we remembered that we were in the exact same situation that our parents were in when they could’ve taken over the farm easily, they knew that others would suffer if they did so. Honestly, you guys seem to have this apple stuff down already, so why change that? Besides, I think that the things that my brother and I would most appreciate would be the opportunity to have a place to call our own and our family’s name be on something everypony knew and respected. If we really did kick you out, then we’d be forgetting about ourselves.” Flam finally entered the house, leaving Applejack to her thoughts.
“I think I’ll be having a little chat with Grannie Smith later on tonight,” Applejack said to herself. She knew what needed to be done.
Twilight got up out of her bed and looked around quickly. She realized that she’d fallen asleep from exhaustion and had lost time to help prepare for the show.
“Twilight! You ready?” Gerald said, bursting into the room.
“Ready?” she asked, surprised. “Oh right, the play. How much time do we have for a rehearsal?”
“Five minutes. We’re just about to go on,” he told her.
“WHAT?! How long was I out?” she yelled, angered that she hadn’t been woken up.
“Well, I think that it would be about eighteen hours now. We didn’t wanna wake you since you’d been up all that time since you came back from the dessert and didn’t know how you’d react,” Gerald explained. “Anyway, everypony has read over their parts to the point that it’s ingrained in their minds. We didn’t actually put on any rehearsals though. The stage was having some troubles with the Notre Dame set piece. At least everypony acted out the scenes they were in on their own.”
Twilight couldn’t believe what she was hearing; there hadn’t been a single dress rehearsal for the new cast, and they were about to go on. At least it seemed like everypony had learnt their lines and had at least practiced their relevant scenes with the others. Twilight followed Gerald backstage and showed her the audience. The room was completely filled with changelings with Queen Chrysalis perched on a balcony overlooking the audience. Twilight took a deep breath and called the cast and crew together.
“Alright everypony! Gather round!” The cast soon gathered around her to listen to the speech. “We may not have spent much time working on this play, but I’m sure that all of you have practiced to the point where that won’t be an issue. You all seem skilled in your craft, and I know that you’ll give your role due credit. Now, let’s go out there and put on a show!” The cast cheered and got into position.
“Here you go,” said Gerald, giving Twilight a headset. “That way you can get the tech fellas up in a sec. I’ve got one as well, so contact me if you need anything. I’ll be in the back, making sure that everything else is set up.” He trotted off, leaving Twilight to view the play on stage right. The actors for the opening scene got into position, the stagehands in place, and the orchestra was prepped.
“Alright everypony,” Twilight said, nervous yet hopeful, “let’s make some magic”.
The Chorus started humming the opening tune, soon joined by the sound of bells that the orchestra made. In a moment the humming had become a loud and powerful chant, and the lights had lit on the set. The stage was filled with smoke, soon clearing to reveal the courtyard of Notre Dame. Pinkie Pie’s first song, The Bells of Notre Dame, had now begun.
“Morning in Paris, the city awakes to the bells of Notre Dame,” sang Clopin in her wagon. Children had gathered to hear the story she was about to tell.
“The fisherman fishes, the bakerman bakes to the bells of Notre Dame!
From the big bells as loud as thunder!
To the little bells as soft as a psalm.
And some say the soul of the city’s the toll of the bells!
The bells of Notre Dame!
Hey there! You hear the bells, don’t you? They’re all really pretty and unique. Bet you didn’t know that they don’t just ring by themselves.”
“They don’t?” Clopin’s puppet asked.
“Hahaha! Nope! Up in the bell tower lives a mysterious creature. Who is this?”
“Who?”
“What is he?”
“What?”
“How’d he get there?”
“How?”
“DARN IT PUPPET JUST LISTEN! You do this every time I try to tell anypony about this story. Do you really keep on forgetting?” either Clopin or Pinkie Pie asked the puppet. Twilight saw that Pinkie Pie was going somewhere with this and it might drag on, so she motioned her to hurry up.
“Anyway, let Clopin tell you of a tale. A tale of a man, and a monster”.
The lighting on the stage went dark, a spotlight focusing on Clopin’s wagon. The stagehands quickly went and grabbed the wagon, pulling it stage right with the spotlight following. To stage left entered a boat with several of the gypsy characters on it, another spotlight focusing on them. Twilight came up with this effect to highlight the fact that one of these is a flashback while the other part of the scene is currently happening. That or she got the idea from somewhere and forgot where.
“Dark was the night when our tale was begun,
on the docks near Notre Dame.”
“Shut it or they’ll spot us!” one of the gypsies whispered to the mother holding the swaddled baby. The mother shushed the baby as they pulled up to the dock. The four gypsies got out of the boat as quickly as possible.
“Four gilders for safe passage to Paris,” the boatpony told them, extending his hoof. In just a second on arrow flew by his head, and guards poured down upon their position.
“But a trap had been laid for the gypsies
as they gazed up in fear and alarm
At a figure whose clutches
were as iron as much as the bells.”
“Judge Claude Frollo!” the gypsy said out of fear as Frollo appeared out of the shadows. He was gargantuan, at least seven feet tall, his head wearing a black judge’s hat and entire body covered in a flowing black robe. It dragged behind him, covering his tail as well. Twilight saw how menacing Discord looked in his costume and felt like he was already the perfect fit for the role.
“The bells of Notre Dame
Judge Claude Frollo longed to purge the world of vice and sin
And he saw corruption in everywhere except within.”
“Bring these gypsy vermin down to the Palace of Judgement,” Frollo commanded. Twilight knew that he was supposed to say ‘Justice’, but felt that Discord’s version was much more ominous.
“You there! What are you hiding?” the guard asked the mother.
“Stolen intelligence, no doubt. Take it from her,” Frollo commanded. Twilight raised an eyebrow at one of the ad-libs. Stolen intelligence? It was supposed to be ‘goods’. Hopefully it wasn’t anything that was considerable.
The gypsy woman suddenly ran away from the guards. At that moment the lights for the set were turned back on, revealing a city street with plywood buildings and Notre Dame in the background. As the gypsy ran through the streets and crossed through the buildings, the pieces were pushed down-stage, giving the illusion of the chase getting closer to Notre Dame. Discord’s character chased after the gypsy mother not by his usual levitation, but by slithering through the buildings. Twilight had never realized how creepy he could be if he tried. The plywood buildings were eventually pulled off the stage by the stagehands when the characters had reached Notre Dame.
“Sanctuary! Sanctuary!” she cried out, banging on the doors to the church. Frollo caught up to her though and ripped the bundle from the mother, causing her to fall head-first onto the steps. The bundle then began to wail.
“A baby?” he asked, opening up the bundle. He was shocked with what he saw, saying, “A beast!” Frollo frantically looks around and, with the stage lighting, a well is revealed. Frollo starts walking over to the well with baby in hand, the dramatic music flaring up. It reaches a crescendo when he’s holding the baby straight over the opening. At that moment Fluttershy, as the Archdeacon, took to the stage.
“Stop!” he yelled out, approaching the gypsy lying on the steps.
“See the innocent blood you have spilt
on the steps of Notre Dame!”
“She was a member of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor. I am guiltless,” Frollo declared.
“I’m sorry, but did he just say that she was part of the ‘Rebel Alliance’?” Twilight asked Gerald, who was standing right next to her.
“Apparently. There’s nothing like that in the script, so he’s seriously ad-libbing to get that,” he told her.
“No. That’s far too specific an ad-lib. He’s doing something else.” Twilight made it top priority to talk with him the first moment she got.
“Now you would add this child’s blood to your guilt
on the steps of Notre Dame.”
“My conscience is clear,” Frollo told the Archdeacon. His eyes were starting to look shifty.
“YOU CAN LIE TO YOURSELF AND YOUR MINIONS!
YOU CAN CLAIM THAT YOU HAVEN’T A QUALM!
BUT YOU NEVER CAN RUN FROM,
NOR HIDE WHAT YOU’VE DONE
FROM THE EYES!
THE VERY EYES OF NOTRE DAME!”
“And for one time in his life of power and control
Frollo felt a twinge of fear for his immortal soul.”
Frollo started looking at all the statues that adorned the sides of the church as they appeared to be gazing down in condemnation of his actions. He quickly asked, “What must I do?”
“Care for the child. Raise it as your own,” the Archdeacon told him.
“What?” Frollo exclaimed. “I’m supposed to be saddled with this misshapen-“ He paused, a deep grin forming on his face. “Very well, but let him live in your church.”
“In the church?” the Archdeacon asked. “But where?”
“Anywhere,” Frollo said, not caring much about the idea of his penance.
“Just so he’s locked up away where no one else can see.
Perhaps the bell tower. Who knows- our Lord works in mysterious ways.
Even this foul creature may yet prove one day
to be of use of me.”
The spotlight soon focused back to Clopin’s wagon as it was pulled back to center stage. Discord and the other actors exited stage left, but Twilight motioned over Discord, hoping to have a word with him. The lighting shown, indicating it was modern day again, and Pinkie continued her role.
“And Frollo, being a big meanie, decided to give the baby the name ‘Quasimodo’, meaning half breed.
Now here is a riddle to guess if you can
Sing the bells of Notre Dame.
Who is the monster and who is the man?
Sings the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells, bells!
Bells of Notre DAaaAaaaAAAaaaAAaame!”
The audience, listening to the lovely music, was suddenly shocked when the actor playing Clopin suddenly had their voice crack horribly on the high note. Twilight and Gerald shared a horrified expression on their face when they heard that.
“What the hay?” Twilight asked, surprised that a singer like Pinkie Pie would mess up that badly on a note.
“Now that I think of it, we never actually heard her sing that song out loud. Guess that she’s good until she hits a high note,” Gerald told her. He took a step away from his superior, realizing that maybe he should’ve done more while Twilight was asleep.
The stage went black and the stage hands got to work setting up the stage for the Interior Tower. This was Spike’s opening scene, and he was pretty nervous. He’d never done any acting besides being the narrator for several plays. He went out, stage left, hoping for the best.
“Discord! Get over here!” Twilight yelled to him. The Draconequus approached her, wondering what could have been wrong.
“What is it?” he asked.
“You know very well what! There’s nothing in the script about a ‘Rebel Alliance’ or ‘intelligence’, and from how you’re acting in the play, I doubt there’s any in your head as well!” she scolded him. Discord actually looked surprised at how vicious Twilight could be under stress.
“I’m sorry, alright? I was trying to talk to anypony, anychangeling, anyone who could help me with my issue.” He went on to explain the trouble he was having. “See, while reading the play I couldn’t help but think of a completely different story that dealt with space battles and an evil empire. I don’t know why, but my role really seems close to the one where that guy wears all black and breathes really heavily. I wonder why.” Discord asked himself as he fixed his black cap and pulled his large black robe into position.
“That’s a sci-fi series! It’s not even like the play at all! Why would you do this?” Twilight was panting, but soon calmed down. “Alright, just try to remember the play over those movies. If you do end up confusing the two series again somehow, try to at least say a line that’s relevant to what’s going on and doesn’t break the entire plot. Hopefully everypony else will now how to make it work. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to see if Spike actually read the book this time.” Twilight went over to check on Spike as he performed.
“Thanks for the encouragement, but you’re forgetting one thing,” Quasimodo said the statues that he called his friends.
“What?” Quasimodo replied to himself in a deeper tone, representing the idea that he was actually talking to himself and that the statues really were just make-belief friends.
Twilight saw Spike doing his scene and was actually stunned by how well he pulled the role off. He played the part of the outcast authentically and did a great job of conveying the loneliness of the character by also showing that he was the one providing the voices for the statues.
“You like it also, don’t you?” Gerald asked her. “He’s a natural, that one. He said that he’d actually like to have the statues in the play again because he’d do their voices and then it’d reflect more on the character’s desire to interact with others.”
The two watched in silence and awe and Spike performed his scene with Discord coming back onto the stage as Frollo. In it, Quasimodo had lunch with Frollo and the two talked about why he’d never be able to go to the Festival of Fools. She actually noticed that the song Out There was edited out.
“What happened to the song?” she asked Gerald.
“Spike told us that he wasn’t that comfortable singing and that he felt like Frollo would be breaking character to start singing about how bad it was out in the world. He said that he wasn’t a very happy guy in the first place, so making a song about it would seem out of place,” Gerald explained. “Also, Spike said that he’s actually not that good at singing and Discord agreed, so we managed to make the music in the orchestra seem more confining and focus a spotlight on the two while they ate to signify the suffocating presence that Frollo had on Quasimodo. Spike was the one that came up with a lot of that stuff.”
“Wow! Sounds like he really knows his character.” Twilight was happy to hear about how Spike was doing in the play. He’d managed to become invested in the story in such a short time and even made changes to the play to fit the character. Not only that, but Discord managed to keep to his lines as well.
The next scene was the introduction of Phoebus entering the city. Shining Armor wore his uniform for the scene and felt appropriate about his role. He’d always wanted to play the character and now had the chance. He had imagined that his audience would be a bit more…equine however.
“Excuse me, but can anybody point me to the Palace of Justice?” Phoebus asked a passing guard who ignored him. Shining Armor knew that Discord said ‘Judgment’, but he wanted to stick to the script. “I’m guessing that’s a no.”
On the street corner, festive music was heard playing. The spotlight shown on where the music was playing to reveal Rarity as Esmeralda dancing alongside her goat. Phoebus sees the dancing gypsy and can’t help but go over to her. Pulling out his bag of bits, he places several in a hat and continues his search for somepony who can provide directions.
“Stay away from her, child,” a passing mother said to her son as they walked near the gypsy. “They’ll rob you blind otherwise.”
In a split second guards start pouring out onto the streets and the gypsies scatter. Esmeralda grabs the hat and tries to run off but is blocked by a guard.
“Alright, gypsy, where’d you get the money?” one of the guards asked.
“For your information I earned that money,” Esmeralda informed that guard.
“Hah! Gypsies don’t earn money,” he laughed.
“Did you steal it?” another guard accused.
“You would know a lot about stealing, wouldn’t you?” she told them off.
“Oh really? I’m not sure about that, but I know when somebody needs to cool off in the stocks!” The guard started to grab her, but Esmeralda fought back and started to run away. They try chasing her and the goat jumps in their way, causing them to fall face first into the mud.
“Well, gentlemen, I believe you’ve been bested by a goat,” said Phoebus.
“Out of our way, peasant!” the guard yelled, pulling his dagger out. Phoebus responded by pulling out his longsword.
“As you were saying, Lieutenant?” he asked, pointing the blade at him.
“Captain!” the two guards realized, standing in formation.
“Now, as I was asking before, the Palace of Justice?” The guards gave him a blank stare before one of them spoke up.
“Oh! Sorry sir, but we often refer to the place as the ‘Palace of Judgment’ because that’s the way Judge Frollo frequently calls it.” Gerald did a small hoof bump in the air at that line. Not only did it justify Shining Armor calling it the right name compared to Discord’s mix up, but also added more character to Frollo as a being who preferred to judge rather than have justice.
“Very well. Lead the way,” he ordered. Phoebus saw a beggar on the street and tossed him the bits that the gypsy had dropped. He gave the beggar a wink as he did so and went off. The beggar then took off his cloak to reveal that is was actually Esmeralda, who then examined the bit that the Captain had given her. The scene faded to black as the next scene was set up.
“Hey guys!” Spike said to Twilight and Gerald, eating a muffin before his next scene. “You like the play so far?” Twilight immediately galloped over to Spike and gave him a big hug.
“Spike! You’re incredible!” Twilight told him. He couldn’t help but blush as everypony saw this. She let go, realizing that she had just crumpled his muffin. “Heh, sorry. But really, you’re amazing out there. Gerald told me about how you came out with new things to do on stage and even decided that you shouldn’t sing. I’m so proud of you!”
“Daww,” he replied. “Well, I better check my lines again. I don’t wanna end up like Discord. The guy actually thought that the next scene would be in some icy plain filled with goats. I really need to help him out.”
Twilight laughed, but soon realized that Discord was only being kept sane by Spike’s presence. He wouldn’t be in the next scene.
The lights went up, revealing an office with Frollo sitting at a desk, overlooking papers. Outside, the sounds of gypsy music could be heard, causing the judge to sneer in disgust. As he signed several of the papers, there was a knock on the door.
“What is it? I’m busy,” he told whoever was at the door.
“Captain Phoebus, reporting for duty,” he replied from behind the door.
“Come in,” Frollo told him. Phoebus walked in the room, intimidated by the presence of the judge. He was at least twice his size simply while sitting down. “Ah, the gallant Captain Phoebus, home from the wars. Glad you could come.”
“Of course, sir. May I say it’s an honor to meet the famed Judge of Paris. I’ve heard things-“
“You may dispense with the pleasantries, Captain. You are here to put my men on schedule,” Frollo interrupted him.
“Hopefully your men are working as best as they can,” the captain said, thinking back to the bumbling guards he met earlier.
“If not,” Frollo said, rising up from his chair to eclipse the room, “perhaps we can find new ways to motivate them.” He approached the window, looking out onto the streets to see the gypsies performing. A ferocious glare appeared in his eyes.
“You have come to Paris in her darkest hour, Captain,” the judge informed him. “It will take your firm hoof to save the weak-minded from being misled.”
“Weak minded?” the captain asked.
“The gypsies incite the basest of instincts in the populace, spreading a flame that only leads to corruption.”
“Are you telling me that I was called from the battlefields to hunt down some tea leaf readers?” Phoebus asked.
“Captain, I have been hunting down the gypsies for well over twenty years now, and I have not noticed a single dent made in them. I believe that they are hiding in a stronghold right within the city.” Frollo handed the captain a paper with an interrogation report. “We believe this place to be called the ‘Court of Miracles’. I want you to find it and eliminate the threat once and for all.”
“Of course, sir,” Phoebus responded.
“I like you, captain,” Frollo informed him. “Come and join me. I’m required to attend a peasant festival. It’ll be educational.”
The scene soon went dark. When the lights came back on, the stage had different colored tents set up and nopony who was part of the scene was on the stage, leaving Twilight confused.
“Alright, fellas,” Gerald said, speaking into his headset, “get ready for the party!” The lights all shown on the main entrance into the audience. Soon the sound of hooves was heard coming down the entrance, hooded figures soon marching out. The music started to drum up as they went down the main aisle. It was time for Pinky to sing Topsy Turvy.
“Come one! Come all!
Leave the looms and milking stools
Coop the hens and pen the mules!” the hooded ponies said. They soon started to encourage the audience to join in the singing.
“Come one! Come all!
Close the churches and the schools.
It’s the time for breaking rules.
Come and join the Feast…of…”
“FOOLS!” Clopin suddenly burst out from under the hooded figures who took off their hoods to reveal them wearing wild costumes. Confetti suddenly burst out from random spots in the audience, surprising everypony along with Twilight. Other actors in costumes got out of their seat in the audience and started dancing down the aisles to the stage.
“Once a year we throw a party here in town!
Once a year we turn all of Paris upside-down!
Every man’s a king and every king’s a clown!
Once again it’s Topsy Turvy Day!” Clopin suddenly appeared behind Chrysalis and put a fool’s hat on her. Everypony in the audience laughed when they saw this. Shining Armor and Discord, both in character on the stage, had difficulty keeping the laughter in as well. While Frollo was sitting in his chair, Clopin suddenly appeared right behind him.
“It’s the day the devil in us gets released!
It’s the day we mock the prig and shock the priest!
Everything is Topsy Turvy at the Feast of Fools!”
Quasimodo made his way through the crowd, disguising himself with a cloak he’d found. It was hard to move with all the dancing going on.
“TOPSY TURVY!”
“Everything is upsy daisy!”
“TOPSY TURVY!”
“Everypony’s acting crazy!
Dross is gold and weeds are the bouquet!
That’s the way on Topsy Turvy Day!”
The crowd was too much for Quasimodo, as he was pushed into a nearby tent. Inside the tent was Esmeralda, changing out of her white-and-purple dress and into something else.
“Oh dear! Are you alright?” she asked.
“I-I’m fine,” stuttered out Quasimodo, trying to cover himself so she couldn’t see his features.
“Let me see if you’re hurt,” Esmeralda told him. She approached and lifted up the hood that covered his face.
“No!” he cried out of fear of being seen.
“You look fine, no harm done. Just be careful,” she told him as he got out of her tent. “By the way, great costume.”
“TOPSY TURVY!
BEAT THE DRUMS AND BLOW THE TRUMPETS!
TOPSY TURVY!
JOIN THE BUMS AND THIEVES AND STRUMPETS
STREAMING IN FROM CHARTRES TO CALAIS!”
“Scurvy knaves are extra scurvy
On the sixth of ‘Januervy’!
All because of Topsy Turvy Day!” Clopin sang just before popping up behind Phoebus and bouncing over to Frollo.
“Come one! Come all!
Hurry, hurry, here’s your chance.
See the mystery and the romance.” Clopin said, dancing to the center of a platform that had been set up on the stage in front of Frollo.
"Come one! Come all!
Make an entrance to entrance!
Dance la Esmeralda…DANCE!” Clopin threw down a smoke bomb and disappeared. In her place was Esmeralda, dressed in an exotic red dress with a purpled sash around her waist. The crowd, both the actors and the real audience, went wild when they saw this. Esmeralda started off simple in her dance, but as the music quickened so did she. Eventually she cartwheeled right up to Frollo. She then landed on his lap and took off her sash, putting it around the judge’s neck and dancing off. He snatched it off and looked at it with anger and intrigue.
“Is she usually like this when she dances?” Gerald asked Twilight upon seeing Rarity grab one of the guard’s spears and dance with it.
“If she does, she sure isn’t doing it in public.” Twilight was actually surprised at how fluid her friend was moving. A bit jealous as well, seeing that Rarity pulled off that dress way better than she ever could.
Clopin now returned to the stage to give the big announcement.
“Here it is! The moment you’ve been waiting for.
Here it is! You know exactly what’s in store.
Now’s the time we laugh until our sides get sore.
Now’s the time we crown the King of Fools!”
Ponies started gathering up near the platform, hoping to get chosen.
“Make a face that’s horrible and frightening.
Make a face as gruesome as a gargoyle’s wing.
For the face that’s ugliest will be crowned the King of Fools! Why?”
“TOPSY TURVY!”
“Ugly folks ,forget your shyness!” she told them. Quasimodo was helped up onto the stage by Esmeralda and took the last position.
“TOPSY TURVY!”
“You could soon be crowned your highness!”
“PUT YOUR FOULEST FEATURES ON DISPLAY!
BE THE KING OF TOPSY TURVY DAY!”
The ponies on the stage had their masks taken off by Clopin as they tried to show their ugliest faces. The ones who failed were booed and promptly kicked off the platform by the goat. Gerald couldn’t hold in his laughter when he saw this.
“Wow! I bet Bob’s really enjoying his role,” he told Twilight.
“Wait, the goat is Bob?” she asked.
“Yeah. Turns out that we really didn’t have anypony else around, so he just volunteered for the part of Djali. Gotta say that he’s pretty good.” The two watched as the ponies were kicked off the platform into the crowd. Right before Esmeralda was about to get to Quasimodo, Queen Chrysalis was suddenly teleported onto the stage, surprised as well as anypony else.
“Fillies and gentlecolts! Our winner!” Clopin declared. The entire room roared in laughter as they saw this. Twilight and Gerald needed to lean on each other they were laughing so hard. Frollo was the only one not laughing, but that was because Discord was the one who teleported her there. She flew up from the platform and went back to her balcony, rolling her eyes.
The play continued, Esmeralda reaching Quasimodo and trying to take his mask off.
“It’s not a mask!” she declared. The audience gasped at this. They were mumbling, saying that it was the fabled bell ringer. Quasimodo was starting to panic, but Clopin then intervened.
“Ladies and gentlemen, don’t panic. You asked for the ugliest face in all of Paris. Well, here it is! Quasimodo, the beast of Notre Dame!” The crowd cheered, and Quasimodo was surprised. Frollo shared the same expression when he saw his pet out of the tower. The crowd grabbed him and lifted him in the air to take him to the central podium to be crowned.
“ONCE A YEAR WE THROW A PARTY HERE IN TOWN!”
“Hail to the King!”
“ONCE A YEAR WE TURN ALL OF PARIS UPSIDE DOWN!”
“What a King!”
“ONCE A YEAR THE UGLIEST WILL WEAR A CROWN!”
“Give him a kiss, girls!”
“ONCE A YEAR ON TOPSY TURVY DAY!”
“Never had a king like this!”
For the final verse, everypony sang together, belting out as Quasimodo was given his crown and regal clothes. A tear feel from his eye, as he’d finally gained acceptance.
“AND IT'S THE DAY WE DO THE THINGS THAT WE DEPLORE
ON THE OTHER THREE-HUNDRED-AND-SIXTY-FOUR
ONCE A YEAR WE LOVE TO DROP IN
WHERE THE BEER IS NEVER STOPPIN'
FOR THE CHANCE TO POP SOME POPINJAY
AND PICK A KING WHO'LL PUT THE TOP
IN TOPSY...TURVY...DAY !!!!”
The song concluded, everypony in the audience feeling exhausted. That wasn’t the end for them, however, as Gerald planned to involve them at least one last time.
“Get the fruits ready to be passed out,” he reported to stagehands. The bags of fruits were ready and placed around the audience, visible to everypony. It was only at this moment that Twilight remembered what happened next in the story and felt ashamed for making Spike play his role.
“You call that ugly?” one of the guards yelled out as he tossed a tomato right at Quasimodo. Instead of hitting him in his face, it landed directly in his mouth. “Now that’s ugly!”
“Hail to the King!” another yelled out. Another tomato was thrown at his face, once again landing in his mouth. Spike was surprised to find that these actors had such weird accuracy as he tried to swallow them down. “Everybody join in!”
Soon the audience was grabbing the produce in the bag and tossing it at Quasimodo. Astonishingly, most of the fruit either missed him or ended up in his maw. Ropes were tied around him to keep him down as this happened. Phoebus moved in to stop it, but Frollo motioned him back, hoping that Quasimodo would learn a lesson from this.
“Stop!” Esmeralda yelled out as she took to the podium. The onslaught of fruit stopped as she approached Quasimodo.
“You! Gypsy girl. Get down at once!” ordered Frollo.
“I will. As soon as I free this poor creature,” she said, motioning to poor Quasimodo. Actually, Rarity’s face showed a bit of disgust when she saw Spike, mainly because he looked less like ‘poor, mistreated individual’ and more like somepony who took a bet to see how many tomatoes they could fit in their mouth at once. Her saw her expression and spit the tomatoes out, finally able to breathe again.
“I forbid it!” Frollo barked. Ignoring his words, Esmeralda cut him free. “You dare defy me?”
“You mistreat my people like you mistreat this boy!” she yelled. “You speak of justice, yet are cruel to those in need of it.”
“Silence!” he yelled out.
“JUSTICE!” she retaliated. Frollo gave Phoebus a look, having him send in his guards. While they were moving in she started counting. “Hmm, it looks like there’s ten of you, and only one of me. Now, what’s a lady like me to do? Oh, right, this!” she said as her horn glowed and she disappeared.
“Witchcraft!” Frolo said, shocked by what he saw.
“Or she’s a unicorn and she simply used her magic to teleport,” Phoebus told him. If Discord could ad-lib, so could he.
“Spread out and find her! I want her alive!” Frollo ordered the guards. They went out into the crowd and saw if they could find her. The scene cut to black and the curtain fell.
The next several scenes went without a hitch. Phoebus met Esmeralda in Notre Dame and she declared Sanctuary. Rarity than gave a tear-jerking performance of Lord Help the Outcasts, followed by the single most terrifying performance of Hellfire that Discord displayed. Gerald and Twilight had to hold each other, shaking as his voice roared and his magic made the flames from the fireplace dance around the entire room. Eventually the scene where both Quasimodo and Phoebus entered the Court of Miracles came up, Pinkie Pie as Clopin giving her performance of The Court of Miracles. She was finishing up the song, which currently had both Quasimodo and Phoebus tied up and about to hang when Esmeralda would come and save them.
“We find you totally innocent…
Which is the worst crime of all.
SO YOU’RE GOING TO HANG!” Clopin then pulled the lever, with Pinkie Pie waiting to hear Esmeralda yell ‘stop!’ but that didn’t happen. When the lever was pulled all the way back, the floor of the gallows actually opened up, surprising Spike and Shining Armor who both thought that it was just a set piece. Acting quickly, Shining Armor used his magic to keep Spike and himself in the air and not get their necks snapped. He was caught by surprise though, and didn’t know how long he could hold it.
“That’s a real gallows?” Twilight asked Gerald incredulously.
“Yeah. Makes things more authentic,” he answered, not knowing otherwise how to respond to this situation.
“WHERE IS RARITY!” Twilight yelled trying to find her before Shining Armor’s magic gave out. The entire crew was scrambling to see where she’d possibly gone, hoping that there was enough time for them. A full minute had passed, and things on the stage were getting awkward.
“Boy! You fellas are pretty good at HANGING AROUND! You guys must have some LOOSE ENDS to tie up if you’re trying this hard!” Clopin joked. In reality, Pinkie Pie was trying to keep the mood calm while waiting for Rarity to make her appearance. The rest of the crew was in a scramble, trying to find one of the lead actors.
“RARITY!” Twilight yelled out of despair. Amid all the chaos, a flushing noise was heard from the bathroom. Nopony else had gone in there since Rarity was missing, so they came to a logical conclusion. As she exited the bathroom, all eyes were on her.
“Oh dear,” she asked, embarrassed at how many ponies were watching her at that candid moment.
“RARITY! STAGE! NOW! HANGING!” Twilight barked out, pushing her as fast as she could onto the stage.
“Stop!” Esmeralda yelled, her faithful goat following behind. “They’re our friends!”
“Well why didn’t they say so?” Clopin asked, looking to Quasimodo and Phoebus who had been gagged. Clopin then took out a dagger and cut the ropes around their necks, sending them to the ground. The other gypsies worked quickly to undue the ropes around them, finally giving them some air.
“Frollo knows where you are! He’s coming in the morning!” Phoebus told the gypsies. “You need to pack up and leave at once!” The gypsies started to scramble, gathering their supplies as fast as they could. It was no use however, as at that moment a hundred guards poured in from the main entrance and into the room. The last to enter was Judge Frollo.
“At last. After twenty years, I have found your hideout. I have you now,” he said with a deep grin on his face. Phoebus and Quasimodo were brought forward to him. “Ah, Captain Phoebus, back from the dead? You won’t for long. As for you, dear boy,” he said to the guards holding down Quasimodo, “lock him up in the tower. Make sure he doesn’t escape. As for the rest of you, we’ll be having a bonfire tomorrow, and you’re all invited.” The scene cut to dark, and the stagehands hurried with the next set.
“Hey, you mind watching things from here? I wanna see Spike pull off his big stunt on the catwalks,” Twilight told Gerald.
“Sure,” he responded. Twilight then teleported up to the catwalks to see Spike getting help from some of the other stagehands for the scene where he swoops down and saves Esmeralda.
“Hey Twi!” he greeted as he saw her. “Things are nearly over now, huh.”
“Yeah. You’ve done great Spike. When we get back to Ponyville, I’ll make sure that at I can save you the nicest, juiciest gem from the dragon’s cave. Hopefully the Flim Flam Brothers won’t mind one missing gem.” The lights came on and the plaza of Notre Dame could be seen. Frollo and the townsfolk gathered as Esmeralda was tied to a pyre.
“For the crime of using your magic to subvert the good people of Paris,” Frollo yelled out to the crowd, “you are to be put to the flame.” The fire was lit, and Spike waited for his signal.
“Alright. Just have to jump with this rope and grab Rarity, all in one swing. No pressure,” he said. The sweat covering his brow told a different story however. He saw the stagehand give the signal and jumped down with his rope. Twilight saw Spike fly over the audience and could immediately tell that he was going to horribly miss his target. Seeing this, she used her magic to nudge him so that he’d grab her in one swing.
“What?” Frollo asked, astonished by this sight. The unconscious Esmeralda was suddenly ripped from the pyre as Quasimodo flew up back onto the top of Notre Dame. He held her in the air victoriously and began to shout.
“Sanc…tu…ar-“ was all he could say before the weight of Rarity was too much for him and he fell under her. Rarity saw this and realized that she needed to do something quickly. In a moment of inspiration, SHE lifted up Spike and said his line!
“Sanctuary!” she yelled out. “Sanctuary!” The crowd cheered as Frollo looked on in horror.
“NOOOOOO!” Frollo yelled out, enraged at the prospect of losing. “Guards! Gather! We’re taking the church!” The guards grabbed a battering ram and began their assault on the church doors. Phoebus managed to break free from his captors and deliver a speech to the crowd.
“Citizens of Paris! Judge Frollo has destroyed our homes in his mad campaign. Are you to watch as he declares war on Notre Dame herself?”
“No!” they responded, assaulting the guards. Frollo, seeing his men being taken over by the mob, quickly snuck through the small crack in the door. The Archdeacon came down the steps leading to the tower to confront him, but was met with a stare that immediately shut him up. He broke through the doors to the tower to see both Quasimodo and Esmeralda.
“Quasimodo! Listen to me-“
“No! You listen! All my life you’ve told me that the world’s a dark place, but from what I’ve seen, the only thing dark and terrible out there is you!” Quasimodo told Frollo.
“Very well then. If that’s the situation, then I’m afraid you are beyond redemption.” Frollo took out his blade and, with a snap, lit it on fire. The blade become red and hummed as it sliced through the air. Quasimodo and Esmeralda ran as fast as they could from the judge, trying to escape outside. They were soon cornered however, finding no place to run. “I should have known you’d risk your life to save that gypsy witch. Just like your mother did with you.”
“What?” Quasimodo asked, surprised to hear his mother being brought up. It now made sense.
“Yes. However,” Frollo started saying, “did anypony ever tell you about your father?”
“Gerald, what’s going on?” Twilight asked over her headset.
“I think he’s ad-libbing again,” he replied. “Wait a second…I think I know what’s next,” he said nervously.
“No. I assume you killed him as well?” Quasimodo asked.
“No, Quasimodo. I am your father.”
At that very second, Twilight had finally felt her mind break. The audience had all their jaws drop at the twist, along with the crew of the show as well. Twilight immediately teleported down to Gerald and gave him a long, soul piercing look.
“I didn’t know! I thought he knew!” he said in defense of himself. In the background they heard that the orchestra, which was originally playing the music set for the play, had changed their venue and were now playing the music present during that scene in the film. The chaos had officially infected everypony and Twilight was no longer in control of the play.
“No. No! NO!” she yelled out in frustration. “I refuse to let him change things this much! You know what? I’m gonna make a change to the script even HE didn’t expect.”
“Hey Twi,” Cranky said, making his first appearance since he left the play yesterday, “I think I know of a way to get back at him and make sense of things.”
“How? He just said that he’s now the father of Quasimodo!” Twilight’s brain was now leaving, and she had nothing left.
“Actually, I found something in the book that I could use to help fuse both scripts together so they’d make some sense.” Cranky told her. “That or we could at least get back at him. Let me tell you.” Cranky then whispered the new script revision into her ear, causing Twilight to smile from how devious the idea was.
“Perfect! I’ll create your costume. Get onto the set when the time comes,” Twilight told him. Twilight created the outfit he’d be wearing and he got in position for his grand entrance.
Back on the stage, everything was still quiet, Spike trying to figure out what to do. Realizing that he had no idea how to respond, he said, “Wait, that’s not true. That’s impossible.”
“Search your feelings. You know it to be true,” he responded. “The King is weak. He has foreseen that he will be replaced. WE can replace him. Join me, Quasimodo. Together, we can rule Paris and all of France as father and son. We can bring order to the nation.”
Spike saw that Discord had evidently crossed the line and they couldn’t simply return to the play they had originally come up with. He knew that he’d have to ad-lib as well.
“I’ll never join you!” Quasimodo yelled, headbutting Frollo and sending him to the ground. Quasimodo grabbed a nearby rod and defended himself from his father’s strikes. Sparks flew as the metal made contact with each other. Shining Armor expected to enter and finish up his role in the play and was surprised to see a fight still going on with the two. They should’ve been done by this point.
“Esmeralda, what’s going on here?” Phoebus asked. He hoped that somepony could bring him up to speed.
“Well,” Esmeralda thought for a moment, trying to figure out what was going on, “Frollo is apparently Quasimodo’s father, and he wants him to join him and take over Paris and France by taking out the King or something like that.”
“What?” Phoebus asked. Shining Armor couldn’t tell whether he was acting anymore with his confusion. He had become the character. “You know what? I’m just gonna finish this fight so we can end all these problems. This is just getting ridiculous.” He charged into the fray with his blade, quickly being parried by Frollo. Frollo managed to fight both Phoebus and Quasimodo at the same time. Discord actually had no idea what he was doing anymore and was hoping that something would come up and move the plot along.
His prayer was answered, as the music the orchestra suddenly stopped. The sound of a heavy suit of armor could now be heard coming up the stairs. Everypony stopped fighting and turned their attention to the doorway to witness the entrance of a new character.
“Hello everypony. It is I, King Louis the Eleventh,” Cranky told everypony. The audience was shocked at the sight of this new and seemingly random character, the same with all the actors. They turned their heads to stage right to ask Twilight what was going on and saw her rubbing her hooves villainously. She was back in charge.
“Now, Frollo, I’ve heard about this commotion occurring in my fair city and that you were at the center of this. Care to explain?” the king asked.
“Your Highness!” Frollo exclaimed. “I was about to rid of us these sinners corrupting our city. They have caused chaos and wish to get rid of me in my quest of justice.”
“Hmm, is that so?” the king asked. “I remember the same thing occurring with your predecessor.” He then started speaking to the other ponies in the tower. “You see, my Parisian judges often seem to get, well, zealous after a while. I remember when you were a Captain as well, Frollo, and how you struck down my former judge after finding him guilty of corruption of power. It seems that your time may have come as well. Isn’t that right, Captain Phoebus?”
“What do you mean, Your Highness?” he asked.
“Strike down my judge, and claim his place. You will become a more powerful judge than those before. Frollo, if you wish to remain not only in your position but this world, fight back and you may strike him down. Whoever remains shall be the Judge of Paris and my personal Warrior of Virtue.”
“What if I don’t wish to fight?” Phoebus asked.
“Phoebus, my dear Captain who I’ve had fight my wars to prove your worth, if you do not fight then I will consider you a traitor and strike you down. Also,” King Louis suddenly rushed with incredible speed to Quasimodo, knocking him down and holding him under a hoof, “I will be forced to rid you of Frollo’s son. I know that you wouldn’t desire that.” Phoebus was angry and knew that he didn’t have a choice.
“Very well. I will fight him, not to bring him to justice, but to the death as you wish, Your Highness,” Phoebus said through grit teeth. The two got into position and waited for the other to make their move.
After several minutes, Phoebus was the first to strike. The attacks were few and focused, but each strike was filled with determination. This no longer felt like a play to either Discord or Shining Armor, but a real showdown. Phoebus, seeing that the fight seemed to be a stalemate, pushed forward with his assault, leading up the stairs. King Louis the Eleventh watched with a smile on his face as the fight went on. Frollo struck at Phoebus’ hooves and tried to get him off balance and push him down, but he managed to jump and evade his strikes. Frollo took a running strike at Phoebus, his blade aimed straight forward. Seeing as there was no other way to evade his attack, he jumped off the steps and looked for a place to hide and regain his strength.
“Give yourself to the King’s will, Phoebus. You know that it is the only way to save your friends,” Frollo said, hoping to lure him out. “I know that you know the truth about Esmeralda. You saw the documents I found about her. How she was sent away because of the scandal that would be caused. That is the reason you care for her so much.” Phoebus had no idea what he was talking about, but feared that it wasn’t anything good. “You know that she’s actually,” he paused for a moment, “your half-sister. Yes. The scandal from your father having a gypsy child would have ruined his reputation, so she was taken away. Very well; if Quasimodo being threatened does not motivate you, perhaps I shall have to deal with your sister.”
“No!” Phoebus yelled out, striking with all his fury at Frollo. In reality, it was Shining Armor who was angry, not because of Esmeralda being threatened, but because Discord had just told them that they were actually brother and sister, not only making the whole romantic side story really creepy in hindsight, but also ruining Shining Armor’s dream of playing this role and having a romantic kiss with Esmeralda, the first crush, real or not, he’d ever had. He was glad his wide wasn’t watching this.
The strikes against Frollo were too much, and he fell to the ground. His blade was knocked from his hand, and he was left defenseless. Phoebus was about to strike down the judge who had now curled up in a ball, with rage and desire for justice flowing within, but then he noticed Frollo’s hat. That hat had been the same one the former judge had worn before Frollo struck him down. This had all happened before. It would happen again. Phoebus, realizing this, took a deep breath and calmed down. He then threw aside his blade causing the King to lose his smile.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness, but I cannot execute a man in cold blood. Judge Frollo will be tried in another court by a jury and will be sentenced if found guilty. I cannot kill a man in cold blood. I am a Captain of the Guard, a champion for what is right, just like the true forefathers before me.” King Louis did not look pleased with Phoebus’ response.
“Very well. If you will not fight, then Quasimodo will die,” he said as he pushed his hoof down. Quasimodo let out a scream and Phoebus tried to fight the king. He didn’t stand a chance however, as he tried to strike and was kicked right in the face by both his hind hooves. Frollo got back to his feet and stood by his king, watching as he crushed his son.
“Father! Help me father!” he cried out. Esmeralda watched in horror as this happened, unable to stand against their strength. The king laughed as he pushed down more and more. The audience was horrified by what they were seeing, including Queen Chrysalis.
Frollo saw what was happening and tried to comprehend the flood of thoughts rushing to his head. He remembered a long time ago, before he became judge, of why he wanted to fight for what was right. He wanted to help those who were crushed by evil. He wanted to fight so that justice may prevail over the allure of sin. He fought that those who spoke for justice may speak out of a desire to do true good. He fought so that those who desire justice and what it right would lead the world, not by ambition, but by humble intentions.
At that very moment, he realized that he was watching the most powerful being in the entire country crush a poor, defenseless creature to death as he laughed out of pleasure.
Frollo walked over to the king and, using all of his strength, lifted him off of Quasimodo and over his head. He knew that his blade would not pierce the king’s armor and knew only one way to eliminate him. Being crushed by his incredible weight, he walked over to the ledge of the tower and, with what remained of his strength, tossed the king down, screaming as he fell. In reality, he had tossed him off to the side of the set onto the stage. The impact of Cranky sent the entire set shaking, causing bolts to come lose. The set started to rumble as the entire Interior Tower set piece had begun to collapse on itself.
“We need to get out, now!” Esmeralda yelled, approaching Quasimodo and helping him up.
“I’ll be fine! Get to Phoebus. Hurry!” he told her. She went and picked up the unconscious captain and went down the stairs, getting off the stage as quickly as possible. Quasimodo went over to Frollo, who was laying down on his back, no energy left in him. “I’ll get you out of here, father.”
“No Quasimodo, my son. It is too late for me now. It was too late for me all those years ago when I met the gypsy that would be your mother. She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, and when I fell into temptation, my rage was directed at her. I ran away and hoped that I’d never see her again. When I found her with you that night, I knew you were mine, and once again my rage and pride beat me. Truly, I have done many things to make me damned. Only now do I see the horror that was my life and pray that my one sober act of justice might plant the seeds of future goodness and that the Lord takes pity on those who had shun the idea of asking for forgiveness,” Frollo told him.
“I can still save you!” Quasimodo said with tears in his eyes as he tried fruitlessly to lift him up.
“My son,” he replied, “you already have.” Frollo’s head tilted back, a smile appearing on his face. For the first time in a long time, the smile was out of genuine happiness. Quasimodo rushed out of the tower just in time as it collapsed on itself. The lights went down, signifying the end of the scene.
“Gerald, we’re gonna need at least a minute to clean this up,” Dale said over his headset.
“Alright. Also, make sure to get Discord out. He’s under there somewhere and I’d prefer not to have dead actors on my stage,” he replied. In about fifty seconds the stage he been cleared and Discord lifted off the stage. The next scene was set up, the set piece of Notre Dame cleverly having the tower cut off for accuracy, and the actors got in place.
Our heroes exited Notre Dame and were greeted with fanfare by the crowd of villagers and gypsies. Upon seeing Quasimodo, they all races over and lifted him up in the air, cheering his name. At that point in the play, both Esmeralda and Phoebus would have kissed, but recent events led to them simply giving each other an awkward sibling hug. Clopin made his final appearance, finishing things off.
“So here is a riddle you never can guess
Sing the bells of Notre Dame!
What makes a monster and what makes a man?
Sing the bells, bells, bells, bells
Whatever their pitch, you can hear them bewitch you
The rich and the ritual knells,
Of the bells of Notre,” she took a deep breath and was about to finish, everypony in the audience ready for the crackling voice, “Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame!” Nailed it.
The orchestra finished up their number and the curtain finally closed on the play. Twilight and the rest of the crew waited for the crowd’s reaction. They were silent.
“Uh oh,” Twilight said. There were no noises coming from outside, and things had not gone as planned for their play. This was not what she had hoped for.
To the surprise of everypony, the very first one to make a noise was Queen Chrysalis, who started to slowly clop her hooves in applause. Soon, the rest of the audience was doing the same, leading up to the entire hall filled with the applause.
“They liked us! They really, really liked us!” Pinkie Pie said. The rest of the cast cheered as well, giving each other hoof bumps. Gerald and Twilight hugged, Gerald trying unsuccessfully to get a kiss from his partner. Rainbow Dash high-fived the crew she was with while Shining Armor got swarmed by female changelings asking for an autograph, the opposite happening with Rarity. Spike got lost in the crowd as he looked for a place to sit down and have a snack.
“Spike!” Twilight said, rushing over to him, “None of this could have been done without you. You really are something of an actor, you know?”
“Yeah, well, I guess that’s just one of those things I’m good at. Too bad I can’t have a cutie mark to make sure if that’s true,” he remarked.
“Cutie Mark, Shmooty Mark! You were awesome!” Rainbow Dash told him.
“You really were. I actually was a bit sad that I couldn’t have much time with you in the play,” Fluttershy added.
“Oh, dear, you were the best one out there. You mind filling us in on your acting method?” Rarity asked.
“Well, I am a beast who lives in a quiet place secluded from most of the other ponies,” he told them. “The difference is that my Frollo isn’t quite as nasty,” he said, giving a hug to Twilight. As if he had heard them, Discord approached them, bandages covering his body. The crew gave him an odd look as he approached them.
“Oh, come on! It was just too fitting for the situation. Besides, Twilight’s the one that decided to have this living lump of coal come out and beat Shining Armor senseless,” he said, pointing to Cranky, also in bandages.
“Hey, it was pretty much the only way I could figure out how to get the plot back on track. Besides, I’d have to say it worked out pretty well,” Twilight told the crew.
“Hey guys, I think they want to give us a standing ovation!” Bob told them. The actors got back in their costumes and took to the stage once more. For a solid five minutes there was applause, and everypony felt as if they were on top of the world. Queen Chrysalis floated down to them after the applause was finished and was ready to announce something.
“So, who wants to help carry these crysalids to Ponyville for these outstanding actors!” she asked. The reaction was overwhelming, as thousands of changelings flew into the room full of crysalids and carried them off. Their quest was nearly complete.