Legacy volume 1: Eruditio
Chapter 17 – Early Start
Rosa was daydreaming as she passed the park, the bakery and the town square, a spring in every step. Every other aspect of her life was effectively diminished as she imagined what awaited her. By this time tomorrow, the play will be over, she said inwardly, reflecting on how happy she’d been these past few days and how things could only get better. This is my future. This is who I am now.
Sparks had been kind enough to sort out tickets for Summer and her mother, and assured Rosa that everything would be alright. The three of them would be taking a later train, as the Dreamworld crew needed several hours to prepare beforehand. There wouldn’t be any point waiting around for the play to start, and Sparks admitted he would feel a little uncomfortable spending so much time with Summer, which was understandable. It was already asking a lot for him to both pay for and travel with mere acquaintances. Rosa couldn’t help but blush at the prospect of rewarding him for his efforts, but quickly extinguished the thought. There were other things more deserving of her concern.
Rosa rounded the corner towards her house to see the door slightly ajar. Considering her mother’s penchant for absolute organisation and near OCD levels of fussiness, it seemed a little odd. Rosa curiously poked the door open, announcing her return.
“Mum! Dad! I’m home!”
There was a faint shuffling from the next room, both her parents emerging from the kitchen.
“Evening dear,” her mother replied, seeming perkier than usual. “How are things?”
“Great,” Rosa replied, gently swinging the door back and forth with one hoof. “Something wrong with this?”
Her parents shared a half worried, half confused look.
“It was open when I got here.”
“Oh yes,” her mother exclaimed, nodding. “I think there might be something wrong with it. Something broken, I should say. I’m sure your father will take a look at it when he gets a chance.”
“Oh sure, get me to do it,” he chuckled.
Rosa swung the door closed, the latch clicking into place. “Seems fine to me. Anyway, you know what tomorrow is!”
“Of course, dear. Once again we must reiterate how sorry we are that we can’t attend. Sales have been a little low recently I’m afraid, and we wish we could go, we really do!”
“Oh Mum, Dad, I understand and I’m not mad. How many times do I have to tell you?” Rosa promptly stepped up and gave them both a big hug.
She wasn’t lying. She wasn’t doing this because of some kind of need to make anypony proud, or to prove to anypony what she could achieve. If anything, it was to make herself proud, to show herself what she could do with her life. Having Summer, Sparks and (Not Nico) Clover there with her too was a bonus, though.
“Thanks sweetie,” her father said. “We knew you’d be understanding. Now come on in and have some grub. You need your strength for tomorrow.”
“Now that you mention it I am rather peckish,” Rosa chirped as the three of them sat down to a family meal of roast potatoes, beansprouts and asparagus. Delicious.
Nearly there. Nearly there.
Rosa spent a few minutes or so idly chatting with her parents about her excitement, to which they wished her luck and reminded her again of how proud they were. It didn’t matter. She could have been gushing to a stuffed doll for all she cared. She was bursting with anticipation and needed to let off some steam.
After plodding upstairs Rosa ran a hot bath and simply lay there for a while, feeling the muscle tension leave her body. As soon as the water temperature started getting considerably lower she unplugged it for a second and twisted the hot tap again, letting it flow until the bath temperature reached a point between heavenly and excruciating. She began to mime her words, an imaginary audience in front of her. She could see Luna in the front row alongside her friends as the spotlight bared down on her. Eyelids heavy, the sudden fear of falling asleep jolted her from the fantasy and she clambered out.
Rubbing a towel along the contours of her body, Rosa stretched out her legs, feeling her joints pop satisfyingly. This was it now. She was totally relaxed, ready to drift off and be up bright and early to meet her friends at the station. Flicking her bedroom light off, she bundled herself tightly into her duvet and splayed her still damp mane out behind her.
Sleep soon came and took her off into another world. She was back on stage again, the crowd hurling roses at her feet. This time though, there were no terrifying disappearances, no creeping darkness and no changelings wreaking havoc. She could see Luna, Summer, Clover, Court, (which made absolutely no sense to her even in her dream since he would have been performing) Nico and Sparks. For once, Nico’s presence in her dream didn’t fill her with anxiety, and she felt no need to try and twist the dream to her liking by having him whisk her off to some quiet place. Everything was perfect.
“Thank you, thank you all!” she called out to the crowd. “It’s been a pleasure!”
Rosa awoke sharply, coming to her senses remarkably quickly. Normally she would flit between waking life and a dreamlike state for a while before snapping out of it but right now she felt as if she’d been hurled into the real world with a catapult. Her first reaction was to look at the clock, and she sighed in dismay.
“Five to five?” she whispered to herself, taking note of the distinct lack of light letting her know that it was indeed morning and not afternoon. How awful would it be if you’d slept through until after…?
Her thoughts were stifled as she clung to her abdomen, a stabbing pain pulsing through her. She fell forward onto the bed, trying to squeeze her stomach into submission but the pain still flowed, starting at her midsection and fading at the very tips of her nerve endings.
“No, no, no!”
She leapt out of bed and ran downstairs. She didn’t care if she woke her parents up; this was not going to happen to her. She was not going to have her day ruined because of this.
What if you can’t go through with it? What if you have to miss it completely? What if you ruin your chances of ever becoming successful?
She pulled her head over the kitchen sink, drinking heavily from the tap. She didn’t know if that would help, but it had to do something to the pain in her stomach. It was unlike anything she’d felt before. She didn’t feel the need to vomit and she didn’t need to use the toilet. It wasn’t a burning sensation; it was just… pain.
The water had done nothing. Rosa fumbled her way through all the cupboards, recoiling every few moments to clutch her stomach. There were no medicinal herbs or pills to be seen anywhere. Panic began to set in.
‘Soup’ was the word that sprang to mind. Hot soup would supposedly fight off most bugs and viruses and aid healthy digestion. She didn’t know if that was true or not but she wasn’t about to ask questions. She grabbed a few random vegetables and bit pieces off before spitting them into a pot of water. She wasn’t going to take extra time to chop them up properly, that was for sure.
Once finished, she began guzzling the soup as quickly as she could, trying to ignore its heat. When she’d eaten around half of it she began coughing and spluttering for no apparent reason and doubled over, accidentally knocking the rest of the soup into the sink. If anything, the soup had only increased the pain.
“This can’t be happening. This cannot be happening.”
The next two hours felt like an eternity. She tried laying down, standing up, sitting at different angles, holding her breath, induced vomiting, (which she couldn’t even accomplish) deep breaths, pacing back and forth, tapping her belly and even meditating. Nothing was helping. She was powerless. Faced with the possibility of missing out on the most important day of her life, she began to sob quietly to herself in the corner, simply watching the hands of the clock lurch forward towards the play’s inevitable beginning.
Speedwell pottered downstairs at around 7.20, his eyes bloodshot and weary. He began brewing some tea, not even noticing Rosa curled up beside the table until she called out to him.
“Dad…”
Startled, he span around quickly, his eyes growing wide with fright.
“Rosa? What are you doing up this…?” His voice trailed off as he took heed that his daughter was in agony and practically sprinted to her side. “What’s wrong? Are you injured?”
“My stomach,” she yelped, finding it difficult to speak. “Something’s wrong. I have this terrible pain…”
“Okay, okay, I’ll get your mother.”
Like a flash, he bolted upstairs as Rosa alternated between clutching her midsection and rubbing her eyes to keep herself awake. To say she felt unlucky, hard done by or in a bad way would be an understatement. The promise of this day had been what kept her going all this time, what had helped her to move on with her life. Without it, she’d be trudging around the bookshop every day with no hope for anything more, wallowing in her despair over Nico, Sparks…
“Ahh!” she screamed, a violent jolt coursing through her. It was such an unusual pain, like having razor blades inside her. No… not razor blades. Crocodile clips. It was like having metal crocodile clips clamped on to the inside of her guts, tearing and tightening her stomach wall. But that was impossible. If that were the case, she’d be coughing up blood.
“Rosa? Rosa, are you okay?”
Her mother barrelled in, her mane messy and unkempt. She immediately wrapped her fore-hooves around Rosa’s head, wiping away the tears that had settled on her cheeks. Rosa returned the favour, embracing her mother as tightly as she could, nearly rendering the mare breathless.
“It’s my stomach, Mum. I’m in so much pain.”
Her mother petted the back of her neck for a moment before pulling back, a look of curious embarrassment across her face.
“You’re not… pregnant, are you?”
“Of course I’m not bucking pregnant!” Rosa screamed with rage, tears pouring out in full force as she saw her dream slipping between her hooves in front of her.
Her mother recoiled, but regained her posture within seconds. “Okay dear, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed something like that. What are you feeling?”
“Sharp pain… in my stomach. I don’t feel like I’m gonna be sick, I just… feel pain.”
Her mother regarded this and mulled it over. “Have you had anything to eat? Drink?”
“Just water and soup.”
Rosa’s parents propped her up with a foreleg either side and began to lead her out of the room.
“Okay dear, I think what’s best is if you get into bed and try and get some rest. I can bring you up a mug of tea in a few minutes if you’d like. Just try and get some sleep today, okay?”
“No, no!” Rosa cried, pulling herself away from her parents. “The train is leaving at nine o’ clock. I can’t sleep through it!”
“No way, missy,” her father said in a harsh tone. “There’s no way in Equestria you’re goin’ to that in your state. Come on now, you need to get better.”
“You don’t understand!” Rosa wailed. “This is everything to me! I’ve waited so long, you just don’t understand!”
“I know how you feel,” her mother said softly, taking Rosa’s hoof into her own once more. “But you can’t go if you’re like this. What would be worse? Not turning up at all or appearing on stage and making a fool of yourself in front of hundreds of ponies?”
“I know, but…”
“They won’t think any less of you. Nopony can help it if they fall ill or have an accident. I know this is hard for you, but they still have Clover to fall back on, dear. If you were to perform in her place you’d not only be doing yourself a disservice you’d be doing everypony a disservice.”
Rosa slumped to the floor in defeat. “You’ve got no idea, Mum. You’ve just got no idea…”
The cream coated mare was guided to her room by her parents, her mane drenched with tears and sweat. She climbed into bed, tossing and turning as she tried to find a position that would somehow lessen the pain. Her father pulled her duvet across her body and planted a kiss on her forehead, stroking her mane caringly.
“You get plenty of rest,” he ordered. Rosa nodded in response.
“I hope you get better soon, dear. Do you want me to bring you anything? Tea? Something to eat?”
Rosa gently shook her head and watched her parents leave the room, closing the door behind them. She stared at the clock for a few minutes.
7.31
7.32
7.33
7.34
This isn’t helping, she thought to herself, and buried her head into her pillow.
She got up a few moments later, her bladder near bursting point from the water she’d tried to wash her condition down with. He father was stood near the bottom of the stairs, his ears perked up by the sound of her hooves on the landing.
“Rosa, you can’t go,” he said sternly and started making his way up the stairs.
“I’m just going to the toilet, Dad. Ack…” she replied, another shot of pain taking over for a brief second.
“Okay, I was just making sure.”
After relieving herself, Rosa got back into bed.
7.42
It was almost unbearable to watch time carry on without her. She could imagine the worried faces of her friends looking desperately for her, only to realise that she wouldn’t be coming. She knew that logically, they would all know that she couldn’t have predicted her current condition and as such, wasn’t at all to blame. This wouldn’t stop them from being disappointed in her. It wouldn’t stop them losing respect, or stop them from thinking that she’s not fit for the job. And it wouldn’t stop the greatest day of her life from being fizzled out in a flash.
7.43
Rosa curled up into a ball and wept.
Daisy and Speedwell sat in the kitchen, the door left wide open so they could hear if Rosa tried to come downstairs. There was an awkward silence between them as they watched the clock. It was approaching ten minutes to nine.
“I feel so bad for her,” Daisy uttered, her eyes beginning to well up. “She wanted this so much.”
“This is the best thing for her, even if she doesn’t realise,” Speedwell mumbled.
“I know.”
They sat in silence for a short while before Daisy brewed some tea. The atmosphere was heavy, as if they were moving through liquid lead. Daisy produced a mug for the two of them, then grabbed a third as an afterthought.
“I thought Rosa might like some,” she commented as she took the mug’s handle between her teeth and wandered upstairs. Speedwell nodded and continued to sip his drink, the aroma awakening his senses somewhat.
Daisy trotted quietly so as not to wake her daughter if she’d managed to fall asleep. It wasn’t likely, she thought, but it would still be rude to stamp about with an unwell pony in the house. She pushed open Rosa’s bedroom door ever so gently and placed the mug onto the nearby desk.
“Are you awake, dear? I thought you’d li— Rosa? ROSA!?”
Speedwell heard the scream from where he was sat and leapt to his feet, his heart racing as he pondered every possibility. No, please don’t let something be wrong with her. If something’s happened… and we could have taken her to the hospital and saved her…
He charged upstairs and burst into the bedroom to see his wife stood beside the bed in tears. He fell to his haunches in shock at the sight before him.
“No… No…”
He walked to Daisy’s side and hugged his hysterical wife.
The bed was empty.
I can make it. I know I can make it.
It was quite a fall, but it would be the only way out for her. Her window was propped open, and she had her top half hanging outside as she tried to judge the best spot to land on. There was a patch of wet soil that would make for a soft landing, but she considered the scenario of showing up at the station covered in dirt. Sure, her mane wasn’t exactly in the best of conditions but that could be dealt with later.
After hearing what she thought was a noise from downstairs Rosa instinctively clambered over the window sill, her forelegs now hanging onto the frame from the outside. This was crazy, and she knew full well that it was crazy. The pain in her stomach was still there, and she knew that appearing on stage in such a state was probably a bad idea, but she needed to be there. It was everything she’d been looking forward to. Her parents would stop her if she tried to leave through the front door; she knew that. Her father was a great athlete and would surely catch her no matter how fast she ran.
8.22
Oh, just do it! she ordered herself, and she leapt backwards onto the grass, trying to brace herself for the fall. Her legs were fine, but the stomach pains shot through her like lightning, forcing her to clasp a hoof over her mouth to stifle a scream.
She started running for the station but found it too painful, so she was forced to slow herself to a mere trot. She didn’t know how long it would take to get there at this speed, but it was far from desirable. She looked back over her shoulder to see if she’d been spotted. Satisfied that her parents hadn’t heard her, she set off once again.
“Nothing’s going to stop me,” she muttered under her breath. “I need to be there.”
Upon reaching the station she noticed several familiar faces including Clover, Melon, Floyd, Roadie and others. Melon happily walked up at first but recoiled as she noticed Rosa’s current state.
“Rosa? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing…” Rosa lied, struggling not to keep her body hunched over. “Just a little tummy ache. I’m alright.” Just as she’d said this, her insides crumpled and she couldn’t help but wince in agony.
Floyd quickly walked over, his face full of concern. “You don’t look alright to me,” he commented, and sighed heavily, his eyes directed at the ground. He took a moment to formulate the words in his head before speaking again. “It pains me to say this, but I can’t let you perform in this state.”
“No! I can… I should get better soon, I think. It doesn’t hurt so bad.”
Floyd placed a hoof on her shoulder. “I’m sorry Rosa. I know you’ve worked hard and I know this must mean a lot to you, but I can assure you that it means just as much to me. I can’t let you go through with it if it runs the risk of jeopardising the performance.”
Clover stepped up and gave Rosa a hug. “I’m sorry. I really am. You’re not to blame, you know.”
“Yes,” Floyd called back. “We don’t think any less of you. Now, Clover will do a good job I’m sure, and you’ll be back to performing as soon as you’re better. This isn’t the end. Just remember that.”
Rosa started to cry. All that time she’d had this day to look forward to, and even if she would be performing again it didn’t feel like a victory. Clover wiped the tears from her face and held her tightly to comfort her.
“What kind of pain is it?” Melon piped up from behind her.
“Huh?”
“What kind of pain? Does it burn? Is it a throbbing pain, or an ache? How would you describe it?”
Rosa pulled away from Clover and did her best to explain it, using the crocodile clip analogy to the displeasure of those around her. Melon regarded this for a brief second then hopped beside her.
“I could fix something up for you, but everything is back at my house,” she explained.
“Really?”
“Oh no,” said Floyd with a hint of annoyance in his voice. “The train will be leaving soon and I am not having anyone be late because of something like this.”
Ignoring his advice, Melon continued. “You’d have to run if we’re to make it. Can you do that?” Rosa hesitantly nodded. “Good. Now let’s go.”
The two mares sprinted through the station doors and out of the building leaving a disgruntled unicorn stallion calling after them.
“Unbelievable!” fumed Floyd, stamping his hooves in frustration.
“Where are you two going?” called Court from just outside the station, on his way to meet with the rest. They both ignored him and continued running, Rosa struggling immensely. She didn’t know what Melon had planned, but she was willing to try anything for a chance at performing today.
They soon reached a small cottage with a thatched roof, and Melon burst inside. “In here,” she instructed, and brought Rosa down a short hallway and into the kitchen. An older unicorn mare was stood with the same orange coat as Melon, but a golden mane that flowed down the back of her neck.
“Melon!” she cried in alarm. “What are you doing back?”
“There’s no time to explain, Mum,” Melon responded, opening numerous cupboards and pulling things from them with her magic. She brought out a mortar and pestle, a beaker and an assortment of peculiar looking herbs and spices.
“What’s going on?”
“There’s no time, Mum! Now get out quickly!”
Despite a hint of anger in her eyes she dutifully left the room, smiling as politely as she could manage at Rosa. Rosa smiled back, miming a ‘hi’ before bringing her attention back to what Melon was up to.
The unicorn boiled a small pot of water over a stove and began crushing up some of the herbs and tipping them into the pot. She crushed up some seeds and did the same, until a fairly unpleasant aroma filled the room. After finishing her concoction she tipped the contents of the pot into a beaker and pushed it towards Rosa.
“Drink up. We don’t have much time.”
Rosa did as she was told but was greeted by a ghastly bitter taste that made her retch.
“I know it tastes bad but we need to hurry!” Melon bellowed at her.
Rosa forced the rest of it down her gullet, the foul slushy green liquid tainting her taste buds. She set the beaker back down and followed Melon back outside as the two of them sprinted back. Rosa was surprised at how quickly the mare could run as she didn’t seem like the athletic type.
The taste still lingered in her mouth and she wondered what in Equestria she’d actually eaten. As she ran, she licked the inside of her mouth and spat at the ground. She hoped that she’d have time to grab a drink from somewhere before…
Her mind suddenly turned to her stomach. In what had only taken a minute or so, the pain had subsided considerably. The ‘biting’ had receded into what felt like pin pricks. It was still uncomfortable, but it was nothing compared to the agony she’d been dealing with for the past few hours.
“What was in that?” Rosa questioned as they barrelled through the village at full speed, nearly knocking into a disgruntled looking stallion.
“Talk later,” Melon said simply, and Rosa kept quiet save for heavy breaths from running. It was more important for them to get back than risk losing time by discussing it.
They neared the station and slowed their speed as they entered the building, careful not to cause an accident. They reached the rest of the group with barely a few moments to spare, as their train could be seen coming towards the platform.
“There you are!” Floyd bellowed at the two out of breath mares. “What were you thinking? If you hadn’t come back in time…” He trailed off, his voice thick with fury.
“It’s okay though,” Rosa gasped. “I feel a lot better now. Melon gave me… some medicine.”
“Are you sure you’re well enough?” Clover piped up over the commotion brought on by the mares’ sudden re-arrival.
“She’ll be fine!” Melon blasted before Rosa could speak, pushing past Clover and giving the pegasus an angry glare as the train stopped beside them. As the doors were opened she pushed forward with Rosa in tow, dragging her off to available seats at the end of one of the carriages.
“Ow! What are you doing?” Rosa cried as Melon nudged her a little too hard.
“Sorry, but I think it’d be better if you’re not around everypony who’s trying to talk you out of doing this. I’m guessing you feel a lot better now?”
“Yeah,” Rosa said as she sat down. “It’s so weird. I was in agony a few minutes ago and then it just went away.”
Melon nodded thoughtfully and sat down next to her, suspiciously eyeing the opposite end of the carriage. She was startled when Rosa leapt in for an impromptu hug.
“Thank you, thank you so much! I don’t know what I’d have done without you!”
“You’re welcome?” Melon replied uncomfortably.
“So what was in that stuff you gave me? Some kind of miracle cure?”
“There’s no such thing as a miracle cure, despite what many ponies might think when it comes to alchemy. What I gave you was a very specific potion designed to break down a particular genus of plants.”
Rosa looked at her with confusion. “I don’t really know what a ‘genus’ is, but go on.”
“Certain plants belonging to the Soh genus have certain properties when in seed form. When they enter the stomach the seeds will break apart into smaller seedlings that latch onto the stomach lining, stimulating the nerve endings. In truth, you weren’t ill at all. You were merely experiencing the pain that the seedlings — most likely from Soh Ferron — were inflicting. It’s not the same as having a stomach bug or overindulging on spicy food. That’s why there was no burning sensation and why you didn’t feel obliged to vomit. From the way you described it, I was almost certain that I knew the reason.”
“Oh, okay.”
“It normally takes around twenty to thirty hours for the seedlings to be digested, at which time the pain fades away with no consequences.”
“And that stuff I drank?”
“It contains specific chemicals and herbal remedies that break the seedlings down much quicker than stomach acid, as well as providing some anaesthetic. You might still get a slight tummy ache from the after effects, but it’s a small price to pay compared to what you’ve already been dealing with.”
Rosa mulled over this just as the train started moving and Court stumbled upon a seat not far from them.
“What’s up?” he called over. “Why’d you two run off?”
Rosa explained her situation briefly, to which Court chuckled. “Well it’s lucky Melon knows her way around herbs and spices. So how would you have eaten that stuff anyway?”
Rosa turned to Melon with worry. “Yeah, how would I?”
Melon wore a deadpan expression and took a deep breath before answering. “It can just be bad luck. The plants are incredibly uncommon, but it’s not impossible for the seeds to show up on other vegetables just by chance of the wind blowing, since the seedlings are so adept at latching onto other things. What did you have to eat yesterday?”
Rosa recalled as accurately as she could the various meals and snacks she’d indulged on the day before, and Melon nodded as she took in the information.
“My parents seemed okay. Neither of them complained about stomach pains. It must’ve just been a coincidence then.”
Melon opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again and looked out the window at the rolling hillsides. “Sure, that’s probably it. I’m just glad you’re better now.”
Before they knew it, the group was already in Canterlot, marching towards the theatre. Floyd was still acting a bit distant, more than likely still peeved at being disobeyed earlier on. The walk didn’t seem to take as long as it did last time, as everypony felt constrained by time even though they had hours before the performance began.
The theatre itself was a giant in comparison to the one in Ponyville, with a grand foyer that housed places to buy food, drink, and a selection of pamphlets of future showings. There were a few officials stationed about that shook Floyd’s hoof as they arrived and directed everypony to the backstage area. Unlike the one in Ponyville, there were multiple rooms and hallways that were filled with costumes and props, most of them for different groups of performers.
Stepping out onto the stage with her costume fitted, Rosa looked out across the hundreds of empty seats that stretched out in front of her. There was one small section near the front that had golden ribbons strewn around it, and a large blue leather chair that was obviously for Princess Luna. The magnitude of what she was about to do only just hit her as she forgot about the pains she’d been dealing with. She was tired, but the adrenaline pumping through her veins made her feel buzzed enough to be able to ignore it. It was going to be a great day.
It wasn’t long before they were instructed to stay behind the curtain as customers were due to set hoof inside at any moment. Despite this, it was still easy to catch a glimpse of the growing audience from behind the curtain, and Rosa was thrilled when she spotted Sparks, Summer and Summer’s mother making their way down the aisle. Despite being in a wheelchair, the old mare looked energetic and full of life. She had a yellow coat much like her daughter and a shoulder length violet mane with two orange streaks down each side. Her face, which had slight signs of disfigurement, still wore an enormous grin that made her resemblance to Summer all the more obvious. Summer looked as ecstatic as always, while Sparks looked a little worn out, but still happy.
Shortly after they arrived, there was a huge commotion followed by silence as Princess Luna herself entered with two heavily built pegasi clad in silver armour matching her every step. She smiled at the half grinning, half gawping crowd before sitting on the throne-like chair. It was as if she was surrounded by an aura that swept over anypony she came into contact with and took over their senses completely, rendering them helpless little foals.
“She’s just amazing, isn’t she?” Court commented as he looked out from beside Rosa. “She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
As much as Rosa wanted to scoff and tell Court that he was being a stereotypical ‘lad’, she couldn’t deny that Princess Luna was something special, something unearthly and heavenly. It was her beauty, her poise, her grace, and the sheer power of her existence.
“She’s still too old for you, though,” Rosa said with a smirk, and Court gave a knowing glance before heading off to the rest of the cast.
Rosa kept looking on, watching her friend and colt-friend make small talk as more and more ponies continued to pour in. But most of all she watched Luna. She thought of how in less than an hour the Princess would have her eyes on her, how the Princess would watch in awe at what she would show them. The feeling that rested beyond anxiety, beyond confidence, that trance that made everything she did on stage feel right was beginning to rear its head.
She joined Court and Melon and gave them both a good luck hug. Not that they’d need it. A few minutes passed and the lights dimmed. The show was about to start, and it would be the greatest moment of Rosa’s young life.
Speedwell ran. He bolted through the village with all of his strength. He powered his way through the train station foyer, ignoring the shouts from other ponies. Sure, he probably looked as suspicious as could be, but he had to get there quickly.
As he reached the platform edge, he saw the train before him chugging its way along. It didn’t matter how fast he ran now. It didn’t matter what he did. He knew that Rosa was on that train and that he was too late.
He had failed.
Laughter. Excitement. The theatre was filled with it. Court and Melon went through their routine just as they had so many times before, but watching it here, with hundreds of ponies including Princess Luna watching was like seeing it for the first time all over again. It was something magical. Despite being terrific actors, Rosa could see the ardour and ecstasy in their eyes, their true selves relishing every moment.
The atmosphere backstage was one of tense anticipation. Despite being sat down Floyd looked as if he could jump out of his seat at any moment and start prancing about with glee. Other actors shuffled nervously on the spot. This was a world apart from the performance they had done for the judges in Ponyville.
With the scene coming to an end, Rosa knew that she was up next. Getting in position as the curtain drew momentarily across the stage, she saw the approving smiles from Court, Melon and Floyd.
This is it. This is what you’ve been waiting for your entire life, even if you never knew it at first. You can do this. You will do this.
The curtain was raised.
“Have you ever eaten anypony, mister?”
Spike chuckled at the young colt’s question, doing his best not to let the laugh erupt and scare the family off. “No, I’ve never eaten anypony. I’m a nice dragon.”
The colt looked up at him suspiciously. “Okay. I guess you’re nice. So have you never, even, like… thought about eating ponies?”
The colt’s mother laughed nervously. “Did you really think I’d take you to see a dragon that’s going to eat you? Like I told you, Spike here is Ponyville’s protector!”
Spike smiled at this. It was a fairly quiet day for him work-wise, and he was getting a fair share of attention from tourists. There were times when he was sick of it and just wanted to hide himself away, but that was usually after having a bad experience like ponies accusing him of being a monster, some of them saying he should be with his own kind. That hadn’t happened very often, but if it ever did his confidence took a direct hit. Thankfully, the family before him was friendly enough and entertaining enough to talk to.
“Who do you protect Ponyville from?” the colt asked.
“Well… let’s just say if another dragon tried to attack us I’d save you.”
“But has that actually happened before?”
Spike scratched the back of his neck and blushed slightly. “Well, no.”
The filly of the group finally spoke up. “Mum, this is boring! Why couldn’t we have watched Dreamworld?”
“Be nice in front of the dragon, honey. We couldn’t go because it was fully booked, but I promise you we’ll see it some other day.”
“But Mum, Princess Luna won’t be there next time. I wanted to meet her!”
Spike suddenly perked up at this. “Princess Luna?” It had been a long time since he’d shared Luna’s company, though it didn’t help that she was always busy in Canterlot and he was an enormous beast that could probably rip the city from the mountainside if he so much as set foot in the capital. Not all of his memories of her were especially good ones, but he still regarded her as a friend.
“Yeah, the princess is gonna be at the play and I wanted to meet her!” the foal whined.
“That’s strange,” Spike mused. “What was the name of that play again?”
“Dreamworld,” the mare interjected in place of her daughter. “I know a lot of Ponyville-ians are starring in it. Like… oh what was her name?”
“Rosa!” the filly answered for her. “Rosa Book!”
“Her surname isn’t ‘Book.’ She just works at the bookshop,” the mare explained.
As the mother and daughter began chatting animatedly, the colt kept his eyes on Spike, tilting his head in confusion at the purple dragon. “Mister Spike? Is something wrong?”
Spike couldn’t answer. Instead, he merely responded with a look of abject horror. Frightened, the colt jumped behind his mother and began to shiver like a leaf. Spike shared in the young colt’s fear. Something was most definitely wrong.