Ch. 2
'Welcome to Detrot.'
The sign bearing that happy greeting was battered, rusted, covered with often-offensive graffiti, and generally run down.
Much like the city that stretched behind it.
Trixie had stored her wagon in one of the more reputable sheds, casting a few security spells of her own for extra insurance, and now she walked through what could charitably be described as the entertainment district. This city sure wasn't a center for the arts like Canterlot, and it most definitely wasn't friendly like Ponyville. The most she got out of her questions was a shrug or a mumbled 'I don't know'.
But fortune decided to give her a hand when she wandered into an old, decaying theater. Many cities like Detrot had at least one of these. A grand, lavishly decorated cathedral built during a golden age and now left to waste away like the city that had spawned it. Only a community effort could turn this place around, and community wasn't something the ponies of Detrot had a very strong sense of.
On one of the walls in the lobby there was a line of promotional posters advertising past acts that had headlined the theater. Some were well-known, some not so much. One, placed directly in the center, was familial.
Trixie stared at the chipped and frayed poster for some time. It was true, what the mare said. Her dad had performed here. But why had he never mentioned it to her?
"You look so much like him, you know. Probably more than you realize.
Turning, Trixie saw an older pegasus mare, about middle-age. She opened her mouth to ask a question, but was cut off by the answer.
"Yes I know who you are, Trixie." The pegasus smiled. Her voice had a slight trace of an accent, one that seemed to have faded along with the city. "Your father was... somepony who was very important to me. The second-most important pony in my life, actually, and even though he never wrote, I still kept track of him. Although, I was surprised to hear he'd had a daughter."
"You seem to know about the Great and Powerful Trixie, and Trixie's father, but Trixie doesn't know you."
"You wouldn't. I doubt your father ever mentioned Detrot to you, and I know for certain he never spoke of me." The pegasus gestured with a wing toward the manager's office. "My name is Ingenue, and if you'll let me I'll tell you how your father ruined my life."
'Welcome to Detrot.'
A happy greeting for a bustling, happy town. Or maybe Lulamoon was just in a happy mood. Emotional state aside, the Detroters took fine care of their sign.
The upcoming gig would be his biggest yet, though he was too smart to put to much stock in that fact. Being first out of two wasn't all that great a feat. But it was a start.
Dazzling the show-goers at this new theater would be exactly the kick his career needed to get off the ground. Everypony knew the burgeoning entertainment scene in Detrot would be where the next great star was discovered. Let Canterlot keep its stuffy classical music and obtuse fashions. Detrot was young, fresh, and innovative.
Detroters were helpful, as well. Following the gladly-given directions made finding the theater quite easy.
"You're Lulamoon, right?" A pegasus mare asked as he arrived at the front door. Her accent was as thick as a stage curtain, her voice smokey and low.
"Yeah, that's me." He replied. "Although I prefer Lulamoon the Magnificent. Got to build the character, if you know what I mean."
"Of course, of course. In that case welcome, Lulamoon the Magnificent, to my humble theater."
Lulamoon smiled at her exaggerated bow and flourish. Sarcastic and gorgeous, it'd be easy for anypony to like her. He returned her bow with a gentlecoltly one of his own. "Thanks for having me, my Lady." He extended a hoof.
She paused uncertainly for a second, then recovered and took it. "Miss Ingenue will suffice. I'm not entirely ladylike. Now how about I show you around?"
It is impossible to repeat perfection, but apparently it is possible top it. Lulamoon found this out when he received the second standing ovation of his career, this one even more riotous than the first.
He was offered many opportunities following the curtain's closing, but all of them were outbid by Miss Ingenue. She wanted him to be a monthly fixture at her establishment and the pay was too good for Lulamoon to say no. They both went out for drinks to celebrate a deal well-struck.
It was impressive that a mare as young as Ingenue could helm so lavish and impressive a business, and Lulamoon told her so after a few cider.
"Such is the nature of the industry we find ourselves. Sometimes the younger manticore eats the older, by virtue of being stronger and faster." She giggled. "Of course, a sizable inheritance doesn't hurt the young manticore's chances."
""You know... this bar's going to be closing soon. Why don't we take this celebration back to my hotel?"
Ingenue slowly finished the drink she'd been nursing and brushed some errant strands of her mane back. "You know, normally I'd say yes. That was half the reason I invited you to perform." She smirked. "But now I'm thinking no. If we're going to do this, we're going to do this right. So you can pick me up at my theater this Friday at seven."
Lulamoon watched her walk away.
The last few months had been the perfect mix of easy and challenging. Ingenue's dynamic personality and sharp wit made loving her an easy task, while her endurance and dexterity provided the challenge during... other activities. Though it was a challenge he was content to face.
They were a good distance from the city at the moment, in a secluded forest. Lulamoon sat leaning against a tree, watching as his marefriend preened. She hummed the tune of her favorite song from her home country, the nearby creek providing accompaniment.
She was so beautiful...
"What's Prance like? I've never been there."
Ingenue paused mid-preen to consider how to answer. "I suppose it's much like your Canterlot."
"What do you mean?"
She finished, folded her wings, and sat next to him. "Prance is lovely to look at, especially Prarie, where I grew up. But inside, it's ugly."
"Ugly how?" Lulamoon pressed, as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"There is a lot of snobbery." Her mouth twisted into a small frown. "For many, the simple fact that they were born there automatically makes them better than the ponies of other countries. But not all Prench ponies are equally better. You must speak a certain way, dress a certain way, act a certain way, or else you will be dismissed as worthless. Everypony pretends to be so proper and moral, and Celestia help you if you make a mistake."
"Sounds pretty harsh."
"Oh they could be. They certainly wouldn't approve of an unwed mare being pregnant."
"Good thing you're not-" Lulamoon leaned away so he could see her clearly. "Wait, are you trying to tell me you're pregnant?"
She smiled as Lulamoon threw his forelegs around her. "I take it you're happy."
"Of course!" He paused, trying to steel his nerves. "Ingenue, will you... marry me?"
"Marriage? Are you trying to make an honest mare of me?"
He shook his head. "Absolutely not. Lulamoon the Magnificent does not do the impossible. But maybe you could make me a better pony."
It was a good thing they were in the woods so nopony could hear when she said yes.
"Prouesse, get down from there!"
Somehow the tiny colt had managed to ascend to the lowest branch of a tree. This event was made all the more perplexing by the fact that the little pegasus could barely lift off more than a couple inches when he tried to fly. Lulamoon picked his son up,marveling once again at how much the colt looked like Ingenue. Maybe it was the wings that overshadowed any resemblance to himself he might be missing.
"K'dabra!" The little pony bubbled.
"Oh you want a ride, huh?" He laughed. Prouesse didn't know many words, but he knew that one. Lulamoon set the rascal on his head and started walking, which caused Prouesse to squeal in delight.
Today's 'k'dabra' turned out to be a long one, as it was Lulamoon's turn to do the shopping. Most of the clerks knew all about the k'dabra, and Prouesse was cute enough to elicit quite a few awwws from those who didn't.
But Prouesse started coughing on the way out of the final store. "You ok, buddy?" Lulamoon asked when he didn't stop, sitting down so he could hold his son in front of him.
Prouesse's nose was bleeding.
A doctor was talking to him, but Lulamoon was unable to pay much attention to what she was saying. Not with Prouesse laying in front of him in a hospital bed, strung up with wires and tubes, a mask obscuring his face. Ingenue was asleep next to him, finally. They'd both been up for well over a day.
"As far as we can tell, the growth's only been there for a couple weeks." The doctor said over the unsteady beeping of the heart monitor. "But he's just so small that..."
The doctor trailed off. Before Lulamoon could respond, though, the beeping was replaced by the steady tone of a flat-line and he and Ingenue were dragged out of the room.