The 7th Element

Written by Thunderhawk

Edited by Henry Anthony Courtler

"Dang it..." Dan said as he walked down the hallway of his school after looking at a cast list for the next school musical. "Screwed over again..."

Dan was a high school senior, about 6' 2", long shaggy brown hair, and peircing gold eyes. They used to be green, but as he grew older, they turned slightly yellowish and finally golden when he hit 17.

Dan was a performer. Ever since he was a little kid, everybody said "that kid was always putting on a show." He had played the villain in the last show he did, and everyone agreed that his singing, swordfighting, and acting were the best they've ever seen from him. He participated in choir and all aspects of performing arts (except for band) and was very good at it.

What he didn't understand was that he never got what he wanted or went for because of other kids who were more popular, looked better, had a family history of being involved with shows and choir got them first.

Dan was the first to come there and do theater and choir and was surprised he even managed to land the villain part at all. After auditioning for the last musical he would do in high school and not even getting a part just tore him up inside.

Dan didn't stop or talk to anyone on the way out, not even his (somewhat) girlfriend Lauren. He went straight to his car and drove home, just pissed at the world. "Stupid politics..." he muttered as he hanged a left into his neighborhood. "Wherever I go, more politics..."

He pulled into his driveway and got out. Slamming the door, he stepped inside his house, praying to God that his family wasn't here to take the brunt of his bad attitude. Dan had that affect on others. When he was happy, everyone around was happy...

"Good, no one's home..." he said to himself. "Now I can relax, get my mind of things, and practice my songs. Then when my family gets back they will have nothing to be worried about."

Dan was very fluent on the piano, and not a lot of people had known he been taking lessons since he was 6. An 11-year veteran, he could sing and play at the same time. And a very excellent sight-reader.

After grabbing a Gatorade from the mini-fridge in the basement kitchen, he went to the music room and sat down at his late Grandmother's ancient player piano.

"Too bad you don't play yourself anymore, eh?" Dan said, rubbing some recent dust that had fallen from it off the top of the instrument.

Sitting down, he began to play one of his favorite songs he learned a couple years back: the softly played Kingdom Hearts title theme that plays when you load the game up. It's name escaped him, but he slowly relaxed and surrounded himself in the shroud of the slow, beautiful tune of a game he loved in his early childhood.

He began to hum along to the tune, and, feeling a little happier, decided to play a song that he learned for his mother, "100 Years" by Five for Fighting. It was one of her favorite songs. After plunking the intro out, he began to sing along in a high, clear upper baritone voice...

"I'm 15 for a moment

Caught in between 10 and 20

And I'm just dreaming

Counting the ways to where you are..."

He paused and gave the last note of that phrase a riff affect by hitting the cut-off petal on the piano, then continued...

"I'm 22 for a moment

She feels better than ever

And we're on fire

Making our way back from Mars..."

At this phrase, Dan stopped and looked down. He shook his head and sighed and leaned forward on the piano. "I want to bring music to people...but I can't do that here...being a guy that doesn't even sing and stand in the background...in the musical..."

His temper welled up inside of him and he slammed a fist onto the piano keys. The ancient piano responded with a horrible combination of notes. "What was my teacher thinking!" He turned and stood up from the piano and started pacing around the room, wiping away a lone tear that appeared on his face. "It's just not fair..."

"Life isn't fair, young man..." a mysterious female voice reverberated from within the room.

Dan freaked out and whirled around frantically, searching for who said that. "Who was that? What are you doing in my house!?"

"Of sorts, yes...we reside on a different plane of existence while we still resemble one of your Earth creatures...horses, I believe you call them..."

Then it made sense. "Princess Celestia? Horses?" Dan slapped himself. "I'm hallucinating...this is a just a bad dream...I'm asleep in class...or clouded by anger or something..."

The voice laughed out loud this time. "See? We need someone like you in Equestria, specifically Ponyville, Dan."

"Wh-what?" Dan barked. "How could anyone need me right now? I'm not good for anything except-"

"Music?" The voice interrupted. "Acting? Making jokes? Combat with the sword?"

"Oh come on...fencing can hardly be called swordplay..." Dan said. "You ponies have a lot of that, I would bet MONEY on that! Why wouldn't you have any of that stuff?"

"Oh we do...just not enough..." Celestia responded. "Pinkie Pie's singing gets awfully repetitive after awhile though...not that it isn't nice... And not that DJ PON-3 doesn't do a good job at parties... But Noteworthy and Broken Iris don't get out much..."

Dan glanced at his statuette of Chopin on his piano and gave an emotionless laugh. "Hahah...wow...cute..."

"So you can have an outlet for your performing... I know what's going on in your head Dan...your world has you angry right now...the best way for you to vent this is to go to another world and vent that anger into something you love doing... So you can feel appreciated for a change, at least until you feel better... "

"Yes, of course!" Celestia giggled. "You will have the power to venture between both these worlds, should you accept my offer...when you leave your world, time will freeze for you. When you come back, it will resume. And you'll reacquire your human form."

Dan sat down in one of the chairs. "Well, if this is a dream..." he thought. "I might as well go..."

"What the-oh...right...the whole inside-my-head thing..." Dan stood up. "Ok, sure. Take to magic pony land, oh Princess." I made a quick bow.

Celestia chuckled. "As much as I admire your sarcasm, please keep it too a minimum in Ponyville..."

The 7th Element

by thunderhawk7865

The Performer