//------------------------------// // Chapter 32: Showtime // Story: Secrets of the Everfree // by PaisleyPerson //------------------------------// Chapter 32 Showtime “Are you all excited? Because I’m excited! I’ve never been so excited! Well, maybe except for that time I went-” Pinkie interrupted her mile-a-minute rant with a deep gasp, “but I mean really! Who can top that?” “This is it,” Garble shakily muttered. I was just as nervous as he, if not more so, but I couldn’t let him know that. I tried to smile and wrapped a wing around him. His friends didn’t even notice such gestures anymore. “Hey,” I cooed, attracting his attention. His fearful eyes met mine. “No matter what happens, we’ll be here for you.” “We’ll get through this,” Torchwood nodded. “We’re a family. All of us. That includes you boys,” he added, looking over at the other dragons. “You talkin’ to us?” Pierce dumbly asked, pretending to have missed the whole conversation. I chuckled. “You heard him.” “Was that a compliment or an insult?” Vex wondered. “Just go with it,” Garble advised. “Ponies are sentimental like that.” “The next thing you know they’ll be rounding us up into a group hug,” Fizzle sarcastically joked. “Did somepony say, ‘group hug’?’” Pinkie excitedly squeaked, condensing them all into a packed circle. “Too close!” Clump grunted. “When will you learn to keep your mouth shut, Fizzle?” Soot also groaned. We all laughed, but then Blaze joined them to share in his brother’s suffering. Spike followed suit, cuing Torch and I to press in. It wasn’t long before the whole group had gotten together, minus Rarity, who was out attending to business elsewhere. When we finally released the dragons, Clump was hyperventilating from claustrophobia. None of his friends were too worried, so I laughed it off with the rest of him. A reassuring pat from their gang leader brought him out if it, anyway. “Group hugs and fundraisers? I thought you guys were cooler than that.” Everyone whipped around to face the source of the voice. “GILDA?!” Sure enough, the gryphon with white and purple-dyed feathers stood indifferently before us. She hadn’t changed much, except for a feather piercing I hadn’t noticed on our first meeting. My first inclination was to knock her a good one. After all she’d put me, my friends and my family through, she had the nerve to just show up? Despite my burning contempt for the gryphon, shock kept me on the spot. The dragons, however, didn’t hesitate to lunge. “Wait!” Twilight called, holding them back with her levitation magic. Gilda took a few steps back, but our alicorn prevented her from going any further with a levitation bubble of her own. “You’ve got some nerve, gryphon,” Clump spat, still struggling against Twilight’s magic. “No, no, this is good,” Twilight said, just trying to keep everypony calm. “Now that Gilda’s here, we can use the stolen gems to help pay off the rogues. Where are they, Gilda?” “I don’t have them,” she would have shrugged if the levitation bubble had allowed it. “What?” Garble seethed. “What do you mean, you don’t have them?” Twilight was doing her best to mediate without tearing into the gryphon herself. “I didn’t steal them to pay off those bozo rogues,” she almost sounded sarcastic, though she was still so casual about the whole thing I couldn’t tell. Did she really think this was a joke? “I already got rid of them.” “Got rid of them?” “Passed it on; spent it,” she clarified. “You mean to tell me that you stole from the hoard, which could have gotten the boys exiled in itself, but instead of paying off your debt with rogue dragons, you go out and just casually spend it?! Now my boys are left to clean up the mess you made, and after all the work’s been done, you decide it’s a good idea to show up? I’ll lay into you myself!” Torchwood (reluctantly) held me back. I was sure there was steam blowing out my ears. “Gilda, how could you be so reckless? Lives are at stake here!” Twilight scolded, horrified. “Why’d ya decide to show up in the first place?” Pierce growled. “Felt bad,” was all she said. “Oh, you felt bad, so you came for a casual to check in and see how things were going?” “What’s with you guys? I could’ve just left for good, but at least I came back. Come on, back me up here, Dash.” “Forget it, Gilda. You’re on your own this time.” “What?” Gilda looked genuinely shocked. “But... I thought we were friends.” “Friends don’t abandon each other. You totally bailed on us,” the pegasus folded her arms, eyes narrow. “And the last time I saw you, you called me and my friends losers. You still have the nerve to call us ‘friends’?” Where she once tried to defend the gryphon, Gilda’s true colors instantly settled the matter of where her loyalties lay. Twilight finally released her telekinetic grip on both parties, and Gilda was promptly surrounded by an angry mob of dragons. She just shrunk back, nervous now that she realized she wouldn’t be getting any more support from us. “I thought it was ‘lame’,” Gilda weakly chuckled, trying to lighten the mood (and her sentence). She probably would have been mobbed then and there if it wasn’t for the arrival of Rarity. “It’s a disaster!” she dramatically wailed, placing a hoof on her forehead and sinking to the ground. But when Gilda caught her eye, she shrieked in surprise. “Gilda?” “What’s a disaster, Rarity?” Twilight sighed, gritting her teeth in agitation. “Toe Tapper and Torch Song’s train was cancelled. There’s no way they’re going to make it in time for the show! The Ponytones can’t go on as a duet!” she gestured to herself and Big Mac, standing a ways off in his Ponytones blazer. “Fluttershy?” everyone looked to the yellow pegasus. She quietly shrieked, and hunkered down in a little ball. “No, no, no! I can’t go on stage in front of all those ponies! I just can’t!” “You’re doing a song backstage with me,” Sweetie pointed out. “What’s the difference?” “Everypony would be staring at me!” “You don’t have to do it on stage. You can stay behind the curtain for that performance, too,” Torch pleaded. “Even so, it wouldn’t make a difference,” Rarity sighed. “We need at least four singers to put on the show we rehearsed, and nopony else here knows the song. We don’t have time to completely redo the act.” “Could you teach someone?” I suggested. “We don’t have time!” Twilight protested. “We need everypony helping out backstage during the concert.” “Are you sure Sapphire Shores can’t make it?” “She’s on tour in Saddle Arabia!” “Well, we better come up with something fast. The show starts in fifteen minutes!” Pinkie pointed out. “Just get someone else to fill their spot. Improvise,” Gilda suggested. I wasn’t sure if she was trying to be helpful or just laughing at the disorganization. “The Ponytones were going to be guest stars! You can’t just replace the guest stars!” “Looks to me like you’ve got six guests right there,” Gilda jabbed a talon at the dragons. “US?!” “I’m NOT going to make a fool of myself by getting up on stage and dancing for a bunch of ponies,” Soot declared. “I think you’re just too chicken,” Gilda slyly challenged. Soot was enraged. “What did you just say to me?!” “Bauc bauc bauc!” she taunted, leaping behind Dash for safety when the gray-scaled teen tried to jump her. “You’re on!” “CLUMP?!” everyone stared open-mouthed at the dragon, who sheepishly realized he’d just volunteered the whole group. “No, no, we’ll work something out,” Twilight interrupted. “We’re kind of low on options here, guys,” I pointed out. “Acrylic? Even I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea,” Rainbow voiced. “As much as I hate to say it, Gilda’s right about one thing. We’re going to have to improvise, and we have fifteen minutes to come up with a whole new act. Do you have a better idea?” “Not let a bunch of dragons burn down the stage?” “Watch it,” Clump snorted indignantly. “We don’t have much of a choice,” Twilight sighed, defeated. “Will you fill in for us? Just this once?” The group mulled over the proposition, though it was clear none of them were happy about it. “I’ll go up with you,” Blaze offered. Even Garble was no match for his brother’s puppy dog eyes. He groaned in defeat. “The rest of you don’t have to,” he sighed. “You kidding? We have a reputation to uphold,” Soot pointed out, jabbing a claw at the gryphon. She proudly smirked, finally crawling out from behind Dash upon realizing her plan had worked. “The whole thing was to help us... I guess we should play a part,” Fizzle reluctantly groaned. “I’m thinking a comedy act... it sure would be fun embarrassing the rest of you up there,” Pierce teasingly announced. “Not as badly as we’d embarrass you,” Garble caught him in a headlock and roughly fussed with his hair. I grinned. Despite their tough appearances, they really were a caring family. Just watching the group got my gears turning. The next thing I knew, I was formulating a plan. “You guys, I think I have an idea for the final act! But we’ll need everypony’s help,” I exclaimed, trying to push out of the group. “Where are you going?” “To find Glitter and Trixie,” I called back as though it were obvious. “Come on!” “You too, Gilda,” Twilight dragged the gryphon along. “This was your fault, so you’re going to help us fix it.” “Yay me,” the gryphon sarcastically groaned. “Mares and Gentlecolts,” Soprano called, standing on stage with her sister. The whole theater hushed as the stage lights focused on the twins as they took turns introducing the show. “Thank you all so much for coming out to support our cause tonight.” “Most of you have probably heard the rumors, but for those of you who haven’t, we’re here to help out the Wood family.” I still wasn’t used to hearing us referred to as the ‘Wood’ family. I cracked a smile at the reminder that I was now a part of his family. “Garble, Fizzle, Pierce, Vex, Clump, and Soot are all dragons from the migrating flock currently set up in the Dragon Craters.” “We all know Blaze, Acrylic’s assistant at Art Life. Garble is his older brother,” Soprano clarified. ‘Oohs’ and ‘aahs’ of realization rang throughout the audience as they made the connection. “But unfortunately, they’re in a bit of trouble right now,” Spin added. “A certain someone left them with an outrageous debt.” “And tonight we need everypony’s help to get them out of a tight spot.” “All proceeds are going to the Wood family- that includes concessions and any donations we’ve collected. We’ll make an announcement during intermission to let you know how we’re doing.” “Alright, before we get started tonight, we have one last announcement. I suppose you all have heard that the Ponytones were coming to help support us tonight?” The thunderous applause that filled the theater confirmed Spin’s suspicion. I held my breath. “Unfortunately, Toe Tapper and Torch Song’s train was cancelled, and they won’t be able to make it tonight.” The disappointed groans from the audience wasn’t doing anything for my confidence. “But don’t worry. We’re going to make it up to you with an extra special treat tonight,” Soprano guaranteed. The audience still looked doubtful- some even left then and there. “We’re going to be blending some local talent in with our surprise guests’ act at the end of the show tonight, so be sure to stick around.” “Now what do you say we get this party started?” The two sisters reared in excitement, trying to get the audience involved. It worked, considering how the assembly burst into deafening cheers and whistles. That cued Pinkie to switch off the lights, and the whole stadium went black. “Places, everypony, places!” Twilight hissed. The only other sound I heard was the scrambling of hoofsteps as the Solo twins rushed over for a costume change before finding their place on stage. Torch kissed me goodbye before joining them. The dim flicker of his thestral fire onstage told me it was starting. I felt Blaze’s tiny claws nervously wrap around my hoof. I drew him close in response. The first act ran smoothly, and was well received by the viewers. As was the second, third and fourth act, along with all the acts to follow. Even Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle’s duet went without incident. I’d been a little concerned with Gilda being assigned to the stage crew for extra support, but her intentions seemed honest enough. At least she didn’t try to sabotage the event as some of us had feared. That should have boosted my confidence in itself, but I became more and more anxious with each performance. Each successful act brought us closer to the final performance, which would make or break the show. And we hadn’t rehearsed once. Even more nerve-racking was that I would be going up on stage too. Intermission wasn’t very encouraging. According to the tallies, we’d only raised 2,300 bits, after subtracting the cost of rental and whatnot. I tried to tell myself there was still time. After all, the show was only half over. Yet, a lot of that money had come from our own savings. But Celestia promised to loan us what we didn’t raise, didn’t she? Even that knowledge did nothing to ease my mind. I was still scared out of my skin. By the time we were down to the grand finale, I was breaking out in a cold sweat. “What a night!” Spin panted, trotting back out on stage. While Soprano was nearly gasping for air, Spin was breathing just a little heavier than usual. It took a lot to wear her out. Hence, she made the announcements herself. “Alright, ponies, the new tally’s in. We’re up to 4,500 bits.” A quiet sigh of discouragement escaped my lips, as well as those of my friends and a few in the audience. I brought Blaze closer, and slung my other wing around Garble. It didn’t seem to help either of us. “We’re still quite a ways from our 10,000 bit goal, but the show isn’t over yet. We have one last act for you. Mares and Gentlecolts, it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Please welcome the Wood family to the stage, along with our special guest stars (and the reason we’re here tonight), The Dragon Gang!” I heard some astonished gasps at the mention of the dragons, though they were drowned out by the applause from the thestrals in attendance. They were used to dragons, and barely batted an eye, but the rest of the ponies didn’t care for the idea of a bunch of teenage dragons getting up on stage. I even noted one or two head for the door before we even started. “I can’t do this,” Soot panicked. “What are we doing again?” Fizzle inquired. “You guys, be cool,” Garble advised. “We’re gonna go up there and knock ‘em dead, right?” “I’m still not dancing,” Vex huffed. “You don’t have to,” I assured. “Just be yourself. Show them what you showed me.” “What’d we show you?” Clump scratched his head. “That dragons are no different than ponies. That you’re no different than me.” “You’re up!” Spin warned, jumping over us from the stage with her sister. Torchwood huffed and puffed as he hurried up beside me, both mentally and physically exhausted from the fire dancing. Trixie and Glitter would be taking care of the special effects while he was up with us, free styling with their light show since we hadn’t actually rehearsed anything. Torch was still rearing to go which was demonstrated by a hard clap on my back. “You guys ready?” “Game on,” Garble nodded. I wasn’t so sure I was ready, and hesitated before stepping out. Why did I ever volunteer to go first? Oh yeah. It was my idea, so I was unanimously elected. I peeked out at all the expectant faces on the other side of the curtain. I took a deep breath. It was too late to chicken out now. Yet my legs wouldn’t move. Gilda, who was currently working the curtains, seemed to notice I was having a little trouble, and yanked them wider so I was completely revealed. I wasn’t sure whether to extend my gratitude or glare at her. It didn’t matter. The music was starting, and so was I. ... “Whatcha doin’ all the way over there? “Yeah I know we’re different, but I really don’t care. “These borders are only implied, “So what’s with the divide?” ... Torchwood appeared on the other end of the stage, and shuffled along to meet me in the middle as he took up the second verse. ... “They try to keep us apart, “But it don’t change the feelin’ in our hearts. “I know we’re not the same; it don’t bother me at all. “I’ll always stand up tall.” ... Torch and I had finally reached each other, exchanging ‘what now?’ looks. Blaze saved us when he popped up in the middle and volunteered a third stanza. ... “Everyone says that it isn’t right- “That we shouldn’t be so tight. “And everyone says that we shouldn’t be, “Be a family.” ... I ruffled his spines, and he escaped to join the other newly arrived dragons. They weren’t entirely sure what to do, and just awkwardly stood around, looking to one another for direction. Thankfully, Blaze made a smooth transition from singing into a headlong dive for his brother. Though he did not succeed in toppling the larger teen, he did give the others an idea. They put on a performance of their own, engaged in the casual everyday activities dragons their age participated in to pass the time- mild wrestling matches, very controlled belching contests, and my personal favorite, dragon tag (which involved chasing each other around the stage until they all landed in a dog pile). As Spike was honorary family, Blaze had coaxed him onstage. Now they were sending a scroll back and forth with their magical dragon fire. Then Blaze decided to switch things up and send one to his unsuspecting brother, who knew how but rarely sent or received messages. It’d been a while since he’d even practiced, and it was all he could do not to choke on the thing. Instead of getting mad, he took it good naturedly and fondly caught his brother in a headlock for a noogie. So long as we continued to provide background music, we might just be able to pull this off. Torchwood ushered me into a slow dance in the midst of the chaos as we took turns singing. Somehow, I felt this enhanced the message we were trying to get across, and soon found myself lost to the act. ... “Yeah that’s what they say, “But we gonna find a way. “Don’t listen to ‘em now, “Just stand up proud! ... “We can’t be friends. “Says who, says who? “We can’t be clo-o-ose. “Says who, says who? ... “Yeah, they may try to change us, “And they may try to break us, “But we gon’ keep doin’ like we do-o-o-o-o!” ... I hadn’t noticed that the dragons had settled down until now, but sure enough, the stage had become much quieter. They stood off to the side, but not awkwardly so. In fact, they seemed to be waiting for something. That ‘something’ proved to be the end of the chorus. I couldn’t believe my ears when the dragons finally decided to pitch in, but it seemed to be a mutual agreement, for every one of them lent their voice of their own free will. ... “Why they gotta put us down? “This is our town. “They tryin’ to dominate, “But why complicate?” ... “So let the haters do their thing, “Let ‘em think what they want. “It’s our turn to sing, “We won’t listen to their taunts.” ... “Everyone says that it isn’t right- “That we shouldn’t be so tight. “And everyone says that we shouldn’t be, “Be a family.” ... “Yeah that’s what they say, “But we gonna find a way. “Don’t listen to ‘em now, “Just stand up proud!” ... “We can’t be friends. “Says who, says who? “We can’t be clo-o-ose. “Says who, says who?” ... “Yeah, they may try to change us, “And they may try to break us, “But we gon’ keep doin’ like we do-o-o-o-o!” ... “You say we don’t belong. “Just ‘cuz it’s different doesn’t make it wrong. “And so we’ll stay strong; “Stay together all night long!” ... As if on cue, the others fell back to give Garble the stage for his very own solo. I still wasn’t sure what to make of the sudden change in attitude, but I was even more caught off guard when I realized he was actually good, even if it did come off more as a rap. ... “Why is everyone so mainstream, “Beatin’ down on our esteem? “They tryin’ to judge, but we won’t budge. “They can’t tell us what to do! “Says who! Says who!” ... He turned to me for the first time of the whole performance, and didn’t even look ashamed when his claw came to rest on my shoulder. ... “You’re not a dragon and I’m not a pony, “But who says ya can’t be my one and only? “This world ain’t that small- “We just need a wake-up call!” ... I wasn’t typically a big fan of rap music, but the meaning of his words carried through straight to my heart. My eyes welled with tears of pride, and even in front of the audience, I couldn’t help but catch him in a hug. Aware that we were out of commission at the moment, the others did us a favor and kept the show going, all together. ... “We can’t be friends. “Says who, says who? “We can’t be clo-o-ose. “Says who, says who? ... “Yeah, they may try to change us, “And they may try to break us, “But we gon’ keep doin’ like we do-o-o-o-o! ... “We can’t be friends. “Says who, says who? “We can’t be clo-o-ose. “Says who, says who? ... “Says who? Says who?” ... We all closed off the song together, but before I knew it, I was at the bottom of a dogpile, laughing with my whole family. For a minute, the only sound was our own laughter, but it wasn’t long before the stadium burst into deafening applause. Garble hoisted his younger brother up onto his shoulders, and even Clump lifted up Spike. Twilight teleported us off stage for a big finish, even while they whooped and jumped around, hyped from the craziness that just took place on stage. “That was crazy!” Pierce declared. “Not as bad as I thought,” Clump agreed. “Not bad? That was kind of... fun!” “Yeah, what happened to the no dancing rule?” I teased. “One night special,” Vex cleared his throat. “That was brilliant, you guys!” Soprano jumped into the middle of our huddle. “I thought you were crazy when you said you were just going to go up and fool around, but that was awesome!” “Guys, come look at this! The donation boxes just got swarmed!” Pinkie squealed. Indeed, when we peeked around the curtain, the designated areas were bustling with ponies. “Alright!” Suddenly, the stage fright we had all endured seemed a small price to pay. “I think they finally got it,” I joyously sighed. “What’d we get?” Clump obliviously asked again. “Not you. Them.” I looked out the curtains at the vacating audience once more, and the others confusedly did the same. “I think they finally understand that we’re all one and the same. No matter what species- dragon, gryphon or pony, we’re all one big family. And family sticks together, no matter what.” Gilda shuffled uncomfortably at this, and promptly busied herself with assisting Dash in packing up. It took a while to get the money tallied up, but it didn’t help that Twilight insisted on double checking the totals. Everypony had already gone home by the time we closed up shop, there was no need to announce a final total. It was a shame: it was worth celebrating. We closed off the evening with a surplus of 223 bits.