//------------------------------//
// XXII - The School Play 
// Story: The Misadventures of Sunset Shimmers 
// by Yukito 
//------------------------------//

The school year was coming to an end, and the final exams had just finished up. The students of Canterlot's Private Academy for Girls' high school division were winding down after the long, stressful period, enjoying their last few days before graduation hit them and they would have to start worrying about finding work or moving onto further education.

Fleur Dis Lee entered the gymnasium and the class hushed up. All eyes were on the drama teacher as she took the stage and cleared her throat for the important announcement that she was about to make.

"Everybody, first off, I would like to congratulate you on making it through your final exams, and wish you all the best of luck when the results return and you decide your futures." Everybody clapped and cheered for themselves, spreading noise throughout the gymnasium for a solid minute before finally calming down. "Now the only thing left to do is finish your final year off with a bang. And what better way to than a wonderful performance at our closing ceremonies?"

"Sleeping Beauty!"

"Let's do Hamlet!"

"Rescue at Midnight Castle!" Lyra looked around as students all around her sighed. "What?"

"This year, I have decided to go for a classic," Fleur announced. "By which I mean, of course, the classic tale of love, Romeo and Juliet!"

"I call Tybalt!"

"No! I wanna be Tybalt!"

"Just so long as I'm not the star…"

Fleur tried to hush her students as they dissolved into their own dialogues with each other. "Everybody… Everybody!" One-by-one, the students began to quiet down and pay attention to their teacher. "We will do this diplomatically! I will go over the roles one-at-a-time, and I want to hear you call out names, other than your own, that you think should play the role.

"First, naturally, is our stars, Romeo and Juliet themselves."

"No question!" Lyra shouted. "Sunset should be Romeo!"

Sunset snapped her head to the girl with a concerned look. "Uh…"

"Oh, yeah!" Twinkleshine said. "And Twilight should be Juliet!"

Twilight jumped at the mention of her name. "Um…"

"Yeah, that'd be great!"

"I'd pay good money for that!"

"They have that kinda… chemistry between them, don't ya think?"

Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle exchanged concerned looks, before facing the crowd that seemed to be completely against them. "W-Wait," Sunset began, "I don't think I-"

"Well, it seems that we don't need a tally," Fleur Dis Lee announced, turning to the blackboard behind her and scribbling the two students' names down. "And so we have our stars! Work hard, you two, for you will be the belles of the… play."

"But I never-" Twilight started, before being interrupted by a starry-eyed Moondancer.

"Good luck, Twilight!" Moondancer turned to Sunset Shimmer. "You too! I know you two will be the perfect couple!"

Sunset Shimmer blushed and took a few steps back. "L-Listen to what people are saying!" she cried, though her cries fell on deaf ears as the rest of the class had already started to decide the remaining roles. Reluctantly, Sunset Shimmer sighed. "… Well, I guess I'd better start rehearsing those lines…"

"Mhm…" Twilight and Sunset turned to each other for a few seconds, before each turning around and walking away in opposite directions. 'Okay, so this will be… awkward. Besides not even know how to act, why do I have to pretend to be Sunset's… Ohhhh, why couldn't I just graduate in peace?!'

Sunset Shimmer froze as she read the script provided to her by Fleur Dis Lee. 'Ah… I've never been able to read Shakespearian well…' Sunset gulped. 'Why me?'





"And so, class, even though I won't be giving you anymore homework, I hope that you will all continue to study history in your own time," Starlight Glimmer announced as she checked her watch, finding there to be just enough time for one, final speech. "It is important to know the mistakes of our past, so that they never be repeated in the future. And of course, always remember: we're all equal!"

The bell range, signalling for the students to start scuttling out of their chairs and collect their bags to leave. "Twilight Sparkle, I want to speak to you before you leave! Everybody else, don't neglect your studies just because your exams are over!"

Sunset raised an eyebrow as she watched Twilight remain seated, a vacant look on her face. "I'll wait for you at the gates," she said, leaving the classroom with everybody else.

Twilight simply nodded, and watched as her teacher approached her. "D-Did I… do something wrong?" Twilight asked.

"Wrong? Of course not," Starlight Glimmer assured, borrowing Sunset's seat so that she could sit next to her student. "But you seemed to be rather… distracted, during my class. I just wanted to ask if everything was okay."

Twilight nodded her head. "Of course. I think I'm just tired, that's all."

"Twilight, you may be graduating soon, but I am still your teacher for a little while longer, and so I would appreciate it if you could confide in me when you're feeling down."

"… It's just that I don't think I'm good enough to star in the play."

Starlight smiled and took Twilight's hand in her own. "I heard about that. You're playing Juliet, aren't you?"

"Mhm. But I've never played a lead role before. What if I mess up my lines? What if my timing's off? As a tree or a sheep, it doesn't matter, but I'm one of the most important roles!"

"Twilight, you've just had your final exams not too long ago," Starlight reminded. "Back then, did you worry about 'what if I answer wrong?', or 'what if I confuse my answers?'?"

"Well, no, but that's different! All eyes will be on me!"

"Yes, they will," Starlight agreed. "But they won't be judging you, Twilight. They will merely be cheering you on, so that you can give them a performance to enjoy."

Twilight averted her eyes. "And what if I can't give it to them?"

"You are one of the most amazing pupils I have ever encountered." Twilight blushed, but smiled, at the compliment. "I'm sure that if you put your mind to it, you will pull off an amazing performance. At the very least, you won't know what you're capable of until your try, right?"

"… You're right," Twilight said, turning to her teacher with a confident gaze. "Everyone's going to be counting on me. I have to work hard so that I don't let them down!"

"That's the spirit!" Starlight rose to her feet, followed by Twilight. "Now head on home, and remember, never give up! We're all on equal footing here, so there's no reason to fear what others think."

"Thank you, Miss Glimmer," Twilight said, grabbing her bag and running towards the door. "I'm gonna get home early so that I can practice lots!"

"And I'll look forward to the show," Starlight replied as she waved goodbye. Her student left, and she chuckled lightly beneath her breath. "Show me what you can do, Twilight Sparkle."





"O' Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?" Twilight lowered her head and stared down from atop her bed with a solemn look upon her face. "Deny thy father and refuse they name, or, if thou wilt not… Uh… If thou wilt not…" Twilight groaned, jumping down from her bed and grabbing the script that was laying on her desk. "What was that line?!"

Suddenly, a hand slammed onto Twilight's shoulder and another covered her eyes. "Hey now! No cheating!"

Twilight screamed and flailed, striking her assailant and freeing herself as she turned around. She panted as she glared at her brother, who was holding his nose in his hands. "S-Shining Armor?!"

"Owwww!" Shining rubbed his nose and sniffed. "Those self-defence classes clearly worked…"

"W-Why are you here?" Twilight asked, before rushing her brother and grabbing him in a huge embrace.

"Ooph!" Shining pushed Twilight away a little so that he could breath. "Easy, Twilie! I got to leave early today so I thought I'd come and visit for dinner."

"That was Romeo and Juliet you were rehearsing, right?" Cadance asked as she entered the room, startling Twilight who jumped away quickly from her brother. She nodded sheepishly. "I heard that you were playing Juliet in an upcoming play. Having a little trouble with your lines?"

"I just can't remember which line goes where," Twilight said with a frown. "It's really hard."

"You just need a little practice with a partner," Shining Armor stated. "Just associate your own lines with Romeo's, and they'll act like triggers for your memory!"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Will that work?"

"Did for me. Hey, I know! Why don't I play the part of Romeo for you?"

Shining Armor reached for the script, but Twilight pulled it away and hid behind it. "Uhhh… It's just, I'm still practicing so, it'll be a little embarrassing… Besides, you're my brother. It'd feel weird."

Shining Armor gasped and took a step back. "W-What's so weird about it?"

Cadance chuckled. "Well then, want to try practicing with me?" she offered, receiving a very timid nod from Twilight. "Don't worry. I think you'll find I'm quite the decent instructor."

"Then… can we try the scene where they meet at the party?"

"Sure… Would you care to start us off?" Twilight didn't say anything for some time. Her eyes continually shifted to Shining Armor, and back to Cadance. Cadance followed her gaze and smiled. "Shining, dear, could you possibly wait downstairs?"

Shining Armor frowned. "But I wanna watch Twilie's acting."

"I know, but she doesn't want you here while she's practicing her lines. It's too embarrassing."

"I'm… embarrassing?"

"Sorry, but it'll just be us girls up here."





Night Light patted his son's back as he joined him on the sofa, using the TV remote to switch on the monitor and change the channel to a game of football. "There there, son. There are times where us men are just not needed." Night Light opened his own can of beer and offered one to Shining Armor, who accepted it without raising his head.

"Girls are mean."

"I know, son. I know."





Sunset glowered as she hovered her hand along the bookcase, scanning the spines of the many books in the section and descending down the rows one-at-a-time. She found two books on acting and added them to her pile. When she realised that she could no longer carry her books with just one hand, she decided that she has gathered enough and brought them to the nearest table.

As she sat down, she took one of her books and opened it up, frowning when she found that it had been vandalised inside. She sighed and looked through the contents anyway.

"Sunset Shimmer?"

Sunset jumped and looked across the table. "Chrysalis?" Sunset asked, almost yelling before she remembered where she was.

"Well, this is quite the coincidence," Chrysalis said with a grin, bookmarking her page and setting her book aside. "What brings you to the library so late? I thought that your school's exams were over."

"I'm doing some research for a play our class is putting on," Sunset explained, holding her book up and revealing the cover. "I'm playing a boy, so I thought I should learn how to act like one."

"That's easy," Chrysalis said with a grin. "Just sit back in your favourite chair and don't listen to the women in your life."

The two shared a laugh, getting a few hushes from the people around them as they tried to tone it down. "No, but seriously, though," Sunset began, wiping the tears from her eyes, "I need to act more like a man from Tudor times."

"What play is it?"

"Romeo and Juliet." Sunset blushed as she added, "I'm playing Romeo."

"Oho… Well then, how about I lend you a hand?"

Sunset raised an eyebrow. "You know how to act?"

"Of course I do. I'm a master, actually. Why, I've infiltrated more syndicates and organisations than I can keep track of, and not once has my cover been blown… excluding that one time with the pudding and the- You know what? That's not important."

"Well, I was just going to read a few of these books, but-"

"Books can't teach you how to act," Chrysalis said. "Acting is a form of expression. It needs to be taught through words. Through examples. And more importantly, a book can't tell you if you've got it right or not."

Sunset hummed in thought, and then closed the book before her. "Well, what have I got to lose?"

"That's the spirit," Chrysalis said. "Well then, why don't we visit the diner across the street? It's usually empty and we won't be a bother to the good people around us, there."

"Sounds good. Just let me… put away all of these books," Sunset said with a dejected look as she realised just how many books she had picked out.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I know a shortcut."

"A shortcut?"

Chrysalis gathered up all of the books, including her own, and took them towards the library's main entrance. There, she glanced around to ensure that nobody was looking, and then dumped all of Sunset's books into the tray labelled 'Returns'. "There. Problem solved."

Sunset bit her lip. "Well, that is faster, but I feel kind of bad for the person who has to return those."

"Well it is their job."

"Fair point. By the way, what book is that you were reading?"

Chrysalis held the book up, revealing the cover. "Agatha Christie is a particular favourite of mine. I like to come here to read one of her novels whenever I have time off from work."

Sunset followed Chrysalis to the checkout counter and waited as the agent checked out her book. She then followed her out of the library and into the diner across the street. "By the way, what role is Shining's sister playing?"

"Twilight? She's… Juliet…" Sunset blushed again, and then glared when Chrysalis started to laugh.

"Well now, I'll have to make sure that I come and see that."





"My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late…"

"Sounding good!"

Twilight jumped and nearly dropped her script as she turned around. Starlight Glimmer chuckled as she sat down besides Twilight. "M-Miss Glimmer!" Twilight put her hand to her chest. "You almost scared me to death."

"Sorry about that. I was just passing by and heard you rehearsing."

Twilight looked around. The school's courtyard was empty, as to be expected since it was the morning. Students arriving at the school would be hanging out at the front or heading to their classes, which made this place perfect for practicing her lines alone. Or so she thought. "T-Thank you," she said, frowning as she looked down.

"What's wrong?" Starlight asked in a concerned tone. "Still nervous?"

"A little…"

"Well, if it's any help, I think you're making excellent progress."

Twilight shook her head. "It doesn't feel like it."

"You're putting your all into it. That's a start, right?" Starlight placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder, prompting her student to turn to face her. "Don't sell yourself short. You're a talented young girl, Twilight."

Twilight smiled. "Thank you, Miss Glimmer."

"Honestly, you're one of the best students I've ever seen. Your grades are exceptional everywhere, minus gym." Twilight frowned again. "I'm curious, what do you intend to do after graduating?"

"I'm still not sure. There's a library that's run by an elderly man. I was thinking of asking if he's in need of any help."

Starlight gasped. "T-That's all?" Twilight nodded her head. "But… Twilight, your mind is brilliant! You honestly intend to spend your time arranging books in a dusty old library?"

"I don't really have any big hopes or dreams. Books make me happy, and being able to just surround myself with all that knowledge…"

Starlight Glimmer sighed. "… You know, I might have an opportunity for you. I-"

The bell rang through the air, and Twilight jumped as a hand placed itself upon Twilight's other shoulder. She turned and scowled at Sunset Shimmer. "Why is everyone sneaking up on me today?!"

"C'mon, we've got an early assembly today."

Twilight gasped. "Oh no! I totally forgot!" She rose to her feet and turned to Starlight. "I'll keep practicing hard! Thank you for your encouraging words!"

Starlight smiled. "It was my pleasure." She waited for the two girls to leave, before she too rose to her feet and walked away in the opposite direction.





Lunch came around that day, and Sunset and Twilight decided to practice their lines together on the school's rooftop. As the play's two star-crossed lovers, the two agreed that they would need to practice playing opposite each other during all of their scenes.

"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?" Sunset read from her page, slowly as she tried to make sense of the words inside of her head.

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer." Twilight closed her eyes as she tried to recall her lines. "You're… good at sounding like a boy…"

"Uh, thanks?" Sunset read her lines silently, and then moved the script aside. "O, then dear saint, let lips do what hands do. They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair." Sunset took a breath. "I have no idea what I just said."

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake."

Sunset brought the script to her face again and read through her lines. "… Wait."

"Yeah?"

"… Romeo and Juliet kiss."

"… Yeah…" Sunset folded her arms and stared silently at Twilight for a few seconds. "… Wait, we're Romeo and Juliet!"

"Got there in the end?" Sunset glared at the pages and then scrunched them up in her hand. "Do they really expect us to…"

"T-There's no way I can…" Sunset turned around and stormed across the rooftop. "Sunset?"

"I'm going to see that drama teacher right now and talk with her about this!"





Sunset Shimmer slammed her foot into the ground before a startled Fleur Dis Lee, and shoved the script into her face. "Romeo and Juliet kiss!"

"… They are in love," Fleur said, brushing the script aside and revealing a sly grin. "Is there a problem, Miss Shimmer?"

"You want me to kiss Twilight?!"

"I don't 'want' you to do anything, other than act!"

"Which requires me to kiss Twilight!"

"… That does appear to be the case. Now, if you understand-"

"We're dropping out this play! Both of us!"

Fleur grabbed Sunset's arm as the student tried to leave, and dropped to her knees. "You can't! The two of you were born to play these roles!"

"Then change the script! Remove all kissing scenes!"

"I will not!" Fleur stood tall and stared down hard at Sunset Shimmer. "To foul the arts by censoring such a vital scene from this romantic tragedy… why, I could never commit such an atrocity!"

"Well I'm not kissing my best friend."

Fleur sighed, shaking her head solemnly. "Miss Shimmer, if it is truly such a problem for you, then perchance you might be okay with a compromise? Just a simple feint, one that could fool an audience by bringing your lips close to Twilight's, but making no such contact."

"… You want us to just… fake it?" Sunset shuddered. "I don't know. I'd still have to get… close to her."

"Miss Shimmer, if the two of you are truly such friends as you claim, then surely there should be no problem with such intimacy if it is merely an act, yes?"

"It doesn't… quite work that way… I don't think…"

"Well please, think about it," Fleur said, turning around and walking away. "Don't be too hasty now! The play is still some time away, and there are many who are looking forward to it."

Sunset didn't say anything. She simply turned towards the opposite direction and left the room, her head awash with conflicted thoughts and feelings.





As the bell rang to signal the end of school, Sunset packed away her things in a hurry and left the classroom before anybody else. She had spent the rest of the day since speaking with Fleur thinking about the play, and now wasn't sure what she should do.

She headed for the computer lab that Twilight's ICT class was scheduled to use and poked her head inside. She looked around, but was unable to find her friend at any of the stations inside. She turned to Lyra and asked, "Hey, have you seen Twilight?"

"I think she headed straight for the drama room," Lyra answered.

"The drama room?"

"Yep. She looked really excited."

"We spent the whole lesson talking about how much we're looking forward to the play, and I think that motivated her," Octavia stated.

"Oh. You're… looking forward to it that much?"

"Of course. It will be the final play in this school that we will be able to see."

"And to top it off, Twi's playin' the star role!" Lyra added. "It's great that's she's getting' out of her shell right at the end."

"And the two of you are such good friends, I'm sure that your chemistry together onstage will be most excellent."

Sunset hummed in uncertainty and scratched the back of her neck. "Well, I guess I'll… try not to let you down…" Unable to think of anything other to say, Sunset turned and fled down the corridor, making her way towards the drama room.





Inside of the drama room, Sunset watched as Twilight practiced her lines alongside Rosedust.

"I come anon," Twilight said, smiling as she approached her partner. "But if thou mean'st well, I do beseech thee-"

Twilight's lines hit their marks completely. She moved her hands and her body dramatically in order to convey her emotion… Perhaps a bit too dramatically, but Sunset could tell that she was really trying.

The two ended their scene and Rosedust offered Twilight a compliment, one that Twilight returned with a calm and clear tone. Sunset Shimmer smiled. Her timid, introvert friend was coming out of her shell.

"Hey Sunset! You gonna join us?" Rosedust asked, prompting Twilight to turn around in surprise.

Sunset waved her hand and walked over to join them. She collected a script from Rosedust and flicked through it to a page. "I think I might need to go over the rose ball scene again."

"That's cool. Let me just go over the scene." Rosedust picked up an extra script and flicked through the pages, searching for the right scene.

Meanwhile, Sunset turned to Twilight and said, "You've been making some new friends, huh?"

"Huh? I have?" Twilight asked. "I mean, I was only practising my lines…"

"Were you sharing friendly conversations with everyone here?"

"Yeah…"

"Have you been laughing with them?"

"A little…"

"Then you're friends."

"Oh… I didn't know that was all it took…"

Sunset laughed, earning a playful punch from Twilight. She sighed and stroked Twilight's head. "Ahhh, my little bookworm's growing up."

Twilight backed away from the hand, and then gasped. "By the way, did you talk to Fleur about the er… the thing?"

Sunset raised an eyebrow, but then realised what Twilight was getting at and nodded her head, leaning closer to whisper, "She said she wouldn't remove it, but we can still fake it. The only problem is that it has to look real to the audience, so we'll have to get pretty close. If you don't want to-"

"Okay."

Sunset blinked, unsure that she had heard what she had just heard. "What?"

"I said it's okay," Twilight repeated, blushing a little bit. "I mean, as long as we're not actually kissing. Everybody's looking forward to seeing me play Juliet, and if I have to play that scene with anyone… well, I know that I can trust you, so…" Twilight noticed Sunset grinning and began to fluster. "W-What?!"

Sunset laughed and threw her arm around Twilight. "It's just so great to see you interested in something other than books!" Sunset glanced at her script and said, "Well, if you're cool with it, I guess I can give it a shot. I mean, the play seems important to you, so…"

"T-That's not it!" Twilight said, breaking out of Sunset's hold. "I just want to make sure we graduate with wonderful memories, that's all."

"Hey, you guys ready to start or what?" Rosedust asked.

"Sure," Sunset replied, clearing her throat and taking in a deep breath before she recited her line. 'I was still unsure about this whole thing, but if Twilight can do this, so can I.'





The night of the play finally came. Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer, and the entire class had all practiced hard for this one night, but now that they were performing on a brightly-lit stage with thousands of eyes bearing into them… tensions were starting to rise.

Twilight's legs shook as she entered the stage for the first time and glanced out into the audience. She tried her best not to break character or skip over any of her lines, but her voice cracks were noticeable to her and caused her to speed up her lines each time.

"Twilight's really letting the atmosphere get to her," Rosedust whispered to Sunset.

"Yeah," Sunset agreed. "My scene's coming up soon, and watching her right now… is making me nervous, too."

"Well try to suck it up. If you can be calm for Twilight, it might help her out."

Sunset gulped as the stage's lighting changed to indicate her time to shine. "Well, here goes something."

"Break a leg!" Rosedust said as she patted her friend on the back, causing Sunset to trip and fumble onto the stage. "Uh, g-good luck…"





In the audience, Night Light and Twilight Velvet couldn't have been any prouder. Their daughter was the centre of attention, and though her voice was cracking from time-to-time, she was reciting her lines excellently and maintaining her composure far better than they had expected her to.

Shining Armor, recording the whole thing on his camcorder, zoomed out as Sunset Shimmer entered the stage to join Twilight. "Whatever you did, it was amazing," Shining Armor remarked to Cadance, who was sitting beside him.

"Oh, I just gave her a few pointers," Cadance said with a blush. "Twilight's the amazing one.

The family continued to watch as Sunset and Twilight recited their lines together and danced across the stage. Many scenes passed, in which Twilight prayed to the heavens, recited sweet, romantic poetry, and entered confrontation with the play's antagonists. Sunset Shimmer also showed off the fruits of her practice, reciting her lines with strength and confidence, holding herself high and proud, and fighting her opponents with grace yet intimidating ferocity.

"I'm glad to see that my training was not for naught."

Shining Armor and Cadance jumped back in surprise and turned around to face Chrysalis, who was sitting behind them. "W-What-"

Chrysalis shushed Shining Armor by putting a finger to his lips. "Don't disturb the good people around us."

"Why are you here?" Cadance asked in a whispered tone.

"I came to see the play, of course," Chrysalis replied simply.

"Why?" Shining Armor insisted.

Chrysalis grinned, and nodded to the stage. The two turned back to finding Sunset Shimmer, standing over the 'corpse' of the actor playing Tybalt, dropping her sword and screaming her misfortune.

"Sunset Shimmer?" Cadance asked.

"Yes. We crossed paths and she mentioned the play. I decided to offer her some advice on acting."

"I guess if anyone would know about deception, it would be you," Cadance admitted.

"You flatter me."

"But why help her, of all people?"

Chrysalis chuckled under her breath and rested her chin on top of her hands. "Because she interests me. I have a good feeling about her?"

Shining Armor raised an eyebrow. "'A good feeling'?"

"Your sister's back on."

Shining Armor gasped and snapped back to the play, zooming in on Twilight once more.





Starlight Glimmer watched from the back of the room as Twilight pleaded with the apothecary for his aide. "Her voice cracks are completely gone," she noted. "For someone so shy, so withdrawn, to shine so bright in just a few days… It's impressive, but I get the feeling that most of this strength came from that friend of hers."

Twilight left the stage, her scenes done for the time being, and Starlight reached into her bag and pulled out several pieces of paper. "Separating them would almost certainly extinguish that bright light of hers. One should take care when doing so, though, as that other girl seems sharp, but has yet to catch on…"





"A dateless bargain to engrossing death!" Sunset cried as she kneeled before the 'sleeping' Twilight. "Come, bitter conduct! Come, unsavoury guide!"

A harsh hush fell over the room as Sunset leaned down, bringing her face closer to Twilight's. She felt her heart beating faster and her face starting to flush, and hesitated for a second before remembering her lines. "Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on the dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary bark! Here's to my love!"

Sunset took the potion prop attached to her belt and drank the water inside. She coughed a couple of times. "O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick." Sunset leaned down so that he lips hovered just besides Twilight's cheek. "Thus with a kiss, I die."





Night Light was trembling in his seat, the only thing preventing him from shooting up being his wife's hand over his own.

"Relax, dear. I already told you that it's only a feint."

"I know that," Night Light said. "Still, that doesn't stop my fatherly instincts from kicking in."

Velvet sighed and turned to her son. "Shining, dear, could you please talk some sense into-"

Cadance shook her head solemnly as she kept the camera pointed towards the stage, filling in for Shining Armor, who was preoccupied with wiping his eyes and blowing into several tissues.

"I-It's not fair," Shining cried. "Just when they were starting to get to know each other…"

Velvet sighed and buried her face into her hand. "Men…"





Twilight examined Sunset's body and picked up the small bottle in her hand. "What's here? A cup, closed in my true love's hand?" Twilight gasped. "Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end!" Twilight glanced sideways into the crowd, to where her parents were sitting, and gulped. 'Almost done.'

"O churl! Drunk all, and left no friendly drop to help me after? I will kiss thy lips. Haply some poison yet doth hang on them, to make die a restorative." Twilight's breath caught as she looked down at Sunset for several seconds, her face turning red. She noticed Sunset's eye open and her friend nod slightly.

Leaning down, Twilight rotated Sunset's head so that it was hidden behind the back of her own, allowing her to mask the appearance of a kiss without drawing too close to her friend.

"Thy lips are warm." Twilight sat up straight and glanced out into the audience again, releasing her breath as she realised that nobody was laughing at her. The opposite, in fact; many were choking back their tears.

Sunset cleared her throat, and Twilight turned. She had missed her next cue and scrambled her brain for her next lines.

"O happy dagger!" Twilight cried as she snatched the dagger prop from Sunset's belt. 'Shoot! I missed a line! Do I go back?'

"Just go with it," Sunset whispered. "Keep going."

Twilight nodded. "This is thy sheath!" Twilight thrust the prop into her waist, the plastic blade retreating into the hilt to give the illusion of penetrating her skin. The lights dimmed and the music stopped in an instant. "There rust, and let me die…"

Twilight fell forwards, draping over Sunset's body as the lights covering the stage dimmed to blackness. The curtains fell, allowing Twilight and Sunset to leave the stage whilst the next actors took their places.

"Aaaaand it's over!" Sunset said as she reached the backstage area with Twilight, patting her on the back. "You can breathe now."

Twilight accepted Sunset's generosity and exhaled the deepest breath she had ever held. "I-I actually made it through that!"

"You were great," Sunset assured her. "You really pulled through, and you only got better throughout the whole thing."

Twilight blushed and looked back at the stage. "I was so nervous when I saw my family out there."

"Well, you did a lot better than I thought you would," Sunset said with a grin. "Really, all that practise was obviously worth it."

"You did great, too, Sunset," Rosedust said as she approached the two. "The entire time, I really believed every line that you said."

It was now Sunset's time to blush. "W-Well, I mean, I've been practising a lot, too."

"The play was a huge success thanks to everybody here, but our two stars really shone bright." Rosedust patted their shoulders as she walked past them. "I'm sure your families would agree, too."

Sunset and Twilight exchanged glances, before turning to leave the backstage area and head towards the dressing room.





"That was great, Twilie!" Shining Armor praised as he roughed up his sister's hair. "For a moment, I almost thought you actually died!"

"T-Thanks," Twilight said as she straightened out her hair with a moan. "I was super nervous up there, especially when I saw you guys! I thought… you might laugh at me, or something…"

"Well we didn't laugh," Chrysalis said, "But some of us certainly did cry."

"I-I wasn't crying!" Shining Armor shouted.

Cadance turned her head and mumbled, "You were a little…"

"You were crying?" Twilight asked.

"I wasn't!" Shining Armor protested.

"It's okay, bro! I'm still alive!"

Shining Armor groaned as his parents chose to laugh rather than come to his aide. Chrysalis stepped towards Sunset and said, "You did well out there. I'm glad my lessons didn't go to waste."

"Twilight and the rest of our class helped a lot, too," Sunset explained, "But you really helped me to sound more like a boy. Thanks."

"Well, I'm a fan of theatre, so I thought I should help you. Also, I wanted to see how good you could be…"

Sunset raised an eyebrow, but before she could ask any questions, she spotted Starlight Glimmer approaching the group. "Bravo! Bravo!" Starlight shouted as she gave the two students some applause. "The two of you were absolutely spectacular! I'm glad that I put off grading papers to see this play."

"Who's this?" Chrysalis asked.

"Oh, she's our substitute history teacher," Twilight explained. "Thank you, Miss Glimmer. And thanks for convincing me to try my best. I never could have imagined I would have so much fun tonight!"

"Oh, please," Starlight said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I may have given you a few words to motivate you, but it was your hard work and excellent friendship that allowed you to shine!" Starlight turned to Twilight's parents, and reached into her bag. "They really did try their best for this play. I think that the two of them deserve a reward." Starlight pulled out some coupons from her bag and offered them to Twilight Velvet. "There's an excellent restaurant that a relative of mine owns. Reservations are usually difficult, but I've been able to secure some seats this weekend and think that you would all rather enjoy the food there."

"Oh my, that's very kind of you, Miss Glimmer," Velvet started, "But I'm afraid that the girls already have plans for this weekend."

"We're going to a signing this Saturday," Twilight explained. "A. K. Yearling's gonna be there, and because my mum knows her, we get to sit with her and help her sell books!" Twilight's voice cracked as she let out a tiny squee, and Sunset rolled her eyes and her hands trembled behind her back.

"I see," Starlight said, retracting the tickets and giving the two a pleasant smile. "Well, I hope that you both enjoy yourselves. You certainly deserve it."

Starlight waved the group goodbye as she left, giving herself some distance before she reached back into her bag and pulled out her phone. She dialled a number and waited for the person on the other end to pick up. "Change of plans. I won't be needing those reservations afterall… Don't worry, they just already had 'better' plans, but I'm sure we can salvage this. I'll still need your 'special recipe'.