//------------------------------// // 18. Putting on a Show // Story: My Little Pony - The Legend of Friendship // by Danieru //------------------------------// It was this time again where Star Twinkle was accompanying the Cutie Mark Crusaders to find his special talent. As always he was sure that this wouldn't work but he still tried his best to fill his blank flank. After all, he was a Crusader too. After doing some minor activities, the four of them ended up in the Golden Oak Library to get a librarian Cutie Mark. "I think we should have asked Twilight first before we entered the library," said Star Twinkle to the Crusaders who were already picking out some books out of the shelves. "Don't worry. The door was open and Twilight was not here so I am sure It will be okay," assured Apple Bloom. "How does Twilight not being here, allow us to be here?" Star Twinkle asked. "Well, If she is not here, then we can't bother her," Sweetie Belle explained. "Yes. Always think ahead, junior Crusader," Scootaloo said in a teasing voice. While Star Twinkle tried to figure out the logic of that, he was thrown out of his thoughts after hearing what name Scootaloo called him. "Junior Crusader?" He asked confused. "Yes. You are the newest member after all," Sweetie Belle explained. Star Twinkle never really figured out if the three fillies were sometimes teasing him or if they were serious. Either way, he still needs to get used to them. They were not bad ponies at all. Except if they caused some mess ups for others after their usual failed attempts to get a Cutie Mark, which usually meant for Star Twinkle to do some explanation. He was expecting this to be no different if Twilight returns. Before he realized, they already had almost every book scattered around in the library. "What now?" Asked Star Twinkle while looking at a giant pillar of books. "Now we're gonna put them inside of the shelf's again," Apple Bloom explained. That seemed easy enough and also kinda pointless from Star Twinkle's view but he decided to do it before Twilight returned and saw what happened to her library. "Okay. Where does this one go?" He asked while picking up a random book but instead of an answer, he only got silence and confused looks. He thought that they may not know where this one needs to go. "What about this one?" He asked while showing them another book. But again all he got was silence. He slowly realized what the problem was and asked just to make sure. "You don't remember where you got any book from, right?" He asked expecting them to answer with no. "No," they all replied at the same time. Spike, who just entered the library was not really happy to see in which state the library was. "Sweet Celestia!" He shouted in shock. "Twilight is gonna..." And speaking of her, Twilight entered the library accompanied by an Earth-Pony with a purple-reddish coat and a light pink mane. Her name was Cheerilee if Star Twinkle was not mistaken. She is a teacher in the local school. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were also talking about her a few times. "I had nothing to do with this," Spike quickly said to save his skin. Star Twinkle couldn't blame him. He would probably do the same thing in this situation. Of course Twilight wanted to know what happened to her library but the Crusaders didn't even notice her and were too focused on their hopeless task. "Well, we sure aren't getting our Cutie Marks for being librarians," said Apple Bloom frustrated. Twilight then approached Star Twinkle. "Still on a hunt for a Cutie Mark?" asked Twilight amused. She was surprisingly not angry about the whole mess and amusingly asked about the situation. "Sorry for the mess," apologized Star Twinkle while smiling in embarrassment. Twilight then suggested that the Crusaders should try some things that they already like instead of things with whom they are not familiar with. Cheerilee then showed them a flyer of a school talent show in Ponyville. Of course, the Crusaders were overly excited to participate as well and saw it as a chance to find their special talent. But Twilight then pointed out that it is not a chance to find some new talents but to improve what they already like to do. Star Twinkle was just happy that it was a school talent show and that means that he can't participate and get involved in something crazy. There was only one day left to prepare for the Talent show, so there was little time to prepare. On the day of the Talent Show Star Twinkle couldn't help with most of the preparations since he was at work most of the time. There were only a few hours left until it started after Star Twinkle finished his work. He decided to check up on the Crusaders and how far they are with their performance. Applejack accompanied him to check up on the Crusaders too so they both walked to the Cutie Mark Crusaders Clubhouse. "You think they are finished with their preparations?" Applejack asked. "They should be. There are only a few hours left," Star Twinkle said while showing little interest. "Do you mind telling me what exactly they are doing?" Applejack asked with curiosity. "Apple Bloom is making a big mystery out of it and I'm sure a fully fledged Cutie Mark Crusader knows more than I do," she added while putting on an amused smile. But Star Twinkle didn't seem to be amused by those words and Applejack quickly realized how his face showed some annoyance. "Sorry, didn't mean to tease you," she said with an honest smile on her face. Star Twinkle accepted her apology and then answered her question. "They are doing some dance performance along with some singing," he replied. "Well, that sounds like a good idea," said Applejack with optimism. "Yeaaah..." Star Twinkle said in worry. "What's the matter?" Asked Applejack who got confused by Star Twinkles reaction. "I think it may be better if you see yourself," he said while going up the clubhouse stairs. They didn't enter the Clubhouse and watched from the outside through the window. As they watched through the window they saw how the three fillies were starting a practice. After only a few seconds both ponies were stunned by their performance. Star Twinkle only saw their performance once before and thought that they improved since the last time. But only a little...Meanwhile, Applejack looked at Star Twinkle with an open mouth as if she wanted an explanation from him. "Yep," Star Twinkle replied to Applejack's shocked reaction. Meanwhile, Scootaloo noticed both of them and asked if the saw their practice. But both of them replied really vague not trying to hurt their feelings. The Crusaders interpreted it as speechless. Speechless was right, they both didn't know how to respond to what they just saw. “See we're gonna leave them all speechless,” Scootaloo said in joy. That's what Star Twinkle and Applejack feared too but they couldn't bring themselves to tell them. “You know there is still time till the show starts, so you should practice some more,” suggested Applejack in hope that the Cutie Mark Crusaders would somehow get better till the show started. Star Twinkle realized what Applejack was trying to say but what they needed now was not practice but a miracle. “We will leave you alone now...you know...for practicing,” said Applejack putting on a fake smile. The Cutie Mark Crusaders then waved them goodbye before starting another practice. Star Twinkle and Applejack walked down the Clubhouse stairs to discuss the situation. "Well didn't expect that," said Applejack, who had mixed thoughts about what she just saw. "How did it come to all this?" She asked confused. Star Twinkle then did his best to explain the situation to Applejack. "Well, Sweetie Belle was too afraid to sing in front of a crowd so Scootaloo took her place. Sweetie Belle wanted to be like her sister and decided to do the designs of the performance. And since Apple Bloom couldn't dance to take care of the dancing part, she instead is doing some Kung Fu moves," Star Twinkle explained to Applejack. After the explanation, Applejack let out a huge sigh. She probably half expected that something like that would happen. "I really hope that they know what they are doing," said Applejack worried. They then heard some noises from inside of the Clubhouse again. Their reaction was similar as before, they looked at each other with worried faces. "I hope so too..." replied Star Twinkle also worried. Later that day, at evening to be precise Star Twinkle arrived in front of the talent show. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were the last to perform in the show so Star Twinkle couldn't miss them yet. They must be backstage, he thought so he went to the other side of the stage. And indeed, they were there, waiting for their performance. They were all dressed in some kind of suits and their manes and makeup looked way too over the top. They were waiting impatiently while thinking that their performance will be the next big thing in Equestria. "Break a leg!" Said Sweetie Belle to two fillies who walked past her. "Sweetie Belle!" Applebloom exclaimed. "What a thing to say," she added. Sweetie Belle was first confused but then explained to Applebloom. "No, no, no. You see, in the theater, it's considered bad luck to say "good luck". Do you say break a leg instead," Sweetie Belle explained. Luck is something they desperately needed right now, thought Star Twinkle. If their performance didn't change so far, then he would not be surprised if they actually break their legs. The Cutie Mark Crusaders then noticed Star Twinkle and greeted him. They seemed excited to see him and couldn't wait to hear his opinion based on their last practice and now on their new designs. "Are you here to wish us good luck?" Scootaloo asked. "No, he is here because he wants us to break a leg," Apple Bloom corrected. "Oh, right," said Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle then showed off her suit, to which all three of them then struck some poses. "What do you think of our new costumes?" Sweetie Belle asked awaiting Star Twinkles answer. "Now how can you give an answer without hurting their feelings or robbing them of their motivation?" Thought Star Twinkle. "They look...unique," he replied, trying to carefully choose his words. "Awesome!" Scootaloo shouted with joy. "If the costumes are already good, then just wait what everypony says after we perform," Apple Bloom said. That's also what Star Twinkle was wondering or rather afraid of. He decided to go back in front of the stage and watch them from there. Applejack was waiting in the audience and Star Twinkle joined her while trying to not look too worried. "How bad is it?" Applejack bluntly asked. The lights went out before he could answer which most likely meant that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were next. "We'll see," he replied while preparing for the worst. As expected Scootaloos singing did not improve at all. The costumes were also not that good but Star Twinkle already know that. Rarity's fashion sense doesn't seem to run in the family, thought Star Twinkle. And Apple Blooms "dance moves" were also weird to look at. The only thing that seemed okay was the text, which was about the Cutie Mark Crusaders and their hunt for their Cutie Mark. But it was hard to like the text if everything else was this bad. They really tried their best to make the performance look good but not everything went well. Apple Bloom for example accidentally kicked into one of the stage background pictures, Sweetie Belle also lost control over some of the special effects and tried her best to save the show. One mess up followed the next leading to more and more chaos. Star Twinkle and Applejack again looked at each other out of embarrassment for the three fillies. Star Twinkle decided to cover his eyes since he couldn't watch this catastrophe anymore. Eventually, he heard a really loud noise as if something collapsed. He figured that the stage somehow got destroyed or something similar. The crowd then began to laugh just as Star Twinkle expected but he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes. “They are laughing. Does that mean it's over?” He asked Applejack who didn't reply and just looked at the stage with an open mouth. Eventually, he opened his eyes and saw how the stage was destroyed and how the Cutie Mark Crusaders were leaving the stage in embarrassment. Of course, that was to be expected, thought Star Twinkle but he imagined it not to be this bad. Applejack seemed to think the exact same thing, judging from her facial expression. “You think they are all right?” Asked Applejack. “They are probably a little down right now,” Star Twinkle replied bluntly. Applejack responded with a worried face and asked if Star Twinkle could check on them behind the stage. But he didn't know what he should say to them or what else he could do. There was a whole crowd laughing about them so his opinion shouldn't weight anything at this moment. While trying to talk his way out of the situation every filly who participated in the show, returned to the stage and waited for their awards. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were also there but tried to stay in the background. Cheerilee gave out different awards for different acts. When she announced the last award, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were surprised to hear their names. The got an award for the best comedy act and by the looks of it, they seemed happy about that. “They look happy now,” said Star Twinkle. “Looks like it,” replied Applejack. “Common let's congratulate them,” she added before they both left the crowd to go behind the stage. Star Twinkle was relieved that he didn't have to cheer them up and just wanted to congratulate them but when he noticed that they looked sad again. They were happy just a minute ago, so why were they like this again? He wondered. Before they walked up to them, Twilight greeted Star Twinkle and Applejack from behind. She was watching the show too and wanted to congratulate the Crusaders. They all three decided to congratulate them together but the Cutie Mark Crusaders only looked on the ground in disappointment. “Hey, you don't look too excited,” pointed Twilight out. “We worked really hard and won a prize, but we still don't have our cutie marks,” said Scootaloo in disappointment. That's what it was all about, thought Star Twinkle. They should have realized that everything that they did on stage was definitely not what they were good at or destined to do. But the Cutie Mark Crusaders seemed to quickly realize something. “But we think we know why,” said Apple Bloom. “Yes. We know why ” Sweetie Belle Added. “Oh? Tell me, I'd love to make a special report to the Princess,” said Twilight, who couldn't wait for their realization. “Well, maybe we were trying too hard,” said Sweetie Belle. “And instead of forcing ourselves to do something that's not meant for us...” said Scootaloo. “We each should be embracing our true talent!” Said Apple Bloom. “And that is...?” asked Twilight curiously. The three ponies then took a moment before they answered and said... “Comedy!” all three of them shouted. Twilight was certainly not expecting this answer and got confused just like Star Twinkle, who couldn't make out any sense of their behavior. Applejack then took care of the fillies and left with them, leaving Star Twinkle and Twilight confused behind the stage. “Well, at least they are happy...” said Star Twinkle, with a little annoyance in his voice. “They will get it someday,” said Twilight proudly, while approaching Star Twinkle. “Get what?” asked Star Twinkle. This question threw Twilight off and confused her. She didn't think that what she said was in any way confusing. “What I mean is, they will know what they are good at and then try to improve at that,” Twilight explained, which now left Star Twinkle confused, who raised an eyebrow in confusion. “But what if they don't know, what they are good at?” Star Twinkle asked. “They will eventually,” Twilight said with a confident smile. “But what if they don't?” Said Star Twinkle, this time in a more serious tone in his voice. Twilight got confused by Star Twinkles sudden reaction. She didn't know why Star Twinkle took this matter so seriously and got a little worried and didn't quite know how to respond to this. “What are you so serious about now?” asked Twilight out of worry. Star Twinkle took a moment to respond and then spoke out his feelings. “You can't improve if you don't know what to improve at,” explained Star Twinkle, still with a serious face. Twilight was slowly figuring out what this was all about and decided to bluntly ask Star Twinkle. “Are you talking about them...or you?” Twilight asked now also with a serious face. Those words caught Star Twinkle off guard, causing him to flinch in surprise. He didn't realize it but he thought that Twilight was right. After thinking about her words he took a quick look at his bare flank with a sad face. But he quickly turned his head back to Twilight and showed her his serious face again. “Whatever. I'm going home,” said Star Twinkle before he left, leaving Twilight sad and disappointed. She looked at him while he left and thought about his words, which made her sad. “It seems that you also have some things to learn, Star Twinkle,” she said in a worried voice. But Star Twinkle was long out of reach to hear her and continued to walk away. Star Twinkle walked home while thinking about Twilight's and his own words. Looking down at the ground while he walked, he looked at his flank and sighed. “Was I talking about me?” He asked himself. “They are still young. They figure out what they are good at. What their destiny is supposed to be,” he said to himself. “But still,” he mumbled. “I really hope that they don't end up like me,” he said while he walked through Ponyville which was covered by a beautiful night. Everything went well for the Cutie Mark Crusaders and there was no reason to feel bad. Which made him feel once again, out of place...