The Show Stoppers - Part 2
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The Show Stoppers – Part 2
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Again, there might be some editing issues, i'm trying to get a bunch of stuff out, before i'm busy with work again, and that means i might miss a few things i would otherwise write, and a few grammar issues. Just leave a comment, i'll fix it up.
I just want to continue the story quickly, so that if i don't post for two weeks, at least i posted a bunch before that time came. I'll come back when i get free time, and redo a bunch of this.
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Alex leaned back in his chair and frowned. He had fashioned a director’s chair, and sat human style, with one leg draped over the other, despite the fact that it was completely uncomfortable, but totally worth having the professional look. But, when he started to do this rock-opera with the CMC, he had such a strong image in his mind of what it needed to be. But now, everypony seemed to be doing their own thing, despite his best efforts to get them to do what he wanted.
So far, Sweetie had shown them a song she had been working on, that they all pitched in to help finish.
Scootaloo helped stylize the song, so it sounded much more like a rock song.
And Apple Bloom was working with Spike on the dances that would be going into the song.
“Alright, let’s break for a few,” Alex said standing up, as all the girls climbed off the stage.
The three girls were pretty happy with themselves. They had been trying their best to follow Alex’s instruction, but they also had a way they wanted to do things.
“Alright everypony,” Alex said, “Let’s go over some notes.”
Luna and Spike also walked out from what would be backstage when the contest came.
“What did you wanna talk about?” Scootaloo asked, taking a deep breath.
“What’s the progress on the costumes so far?” Alex asked.
“I’m working on them!” Sweetie said happily, “Spike convinced Rarity to spare some fabric for me to work with!”
“Great,” Alex said, “I can’t wait to have a look at them.”
“I’ll have ‘em ready soon!” She smiled.
“Alright,” Alex said, “Now I wanted to get on to the main points I wanted to talk about.”
Everypony listened intently.
“Scootaloo, you’re singing is great,” Alex began, having no true idea that she was actually horribly off key, “But you need to annunciate!”
“A-nun… What?” She asked, tilting her head.
“It means you need to say some parts of the word louder, so you can be understood.” Alex said, “Like saying: HunT. Or, T-Talk.” He annunciated.
“Ooooh.” Scootaloo nodded, understanding, “I’ll give it a try.”
“Okay,” Alex nodded, “And Apple Bloom, how’s the dance coming along?”
“Pretty good!” She smiled.
“Just keep working with Spike.” Alex said, “We’ll put it in later.”
She nodded.
“And the special effects, Luna?” Alex asked.
“I will have the lasers and lightning ready whenever you need them!” She said happily.
“Perfect!” Alex smiled, he worried the least about this part of the show, Luna was dependable.
“Now, remember you guys!” Alex said, “When we get back to it, just follow my instructions.”
Everypony nodded.
“Great!” Alex said, “Let’s go.”
////
Scootaloo took a deep breath. She had sung through once while Apple Bloom did the parts of her dace, or… Karate along with it. Alex nodded, then told her to start again, so he could fix things on the fly.
Look here, are three little ponies, ready to sing for this cr—
“Do a twirl there!” Alex cut in.
She nodded, then did a twirl.
Listen up, ‘cause here’s our story,
“Annunciate!” Alex called.
Ahem, Listen up, Cause here’s our sTory,
Alex nodded.
Scootaloo looked to her friends, as they stepped forward to sing the next line with her.
I’m gonna sing it, VERY LOUD!
The three all shouted the line at the top of their lungs, not particularly caring whether or not it sounded good.
“Okay guys,” Alex said, before they could continue, “How about if you all raise your front legs over your head when you sing that line?”
The three looked to each other confused, this wasn’t a stage production.
“I’ll sing you in,” Alex said, “I’m gonna sing it—“
VERY LOUD!
They all sang and raised their arms up. It didn’t feel right to them, but only Alex seemed to like it.
“Luna, could you do a bolt when they sing that line?” Alex asked her.
“Of course!” She said, walking over to the window of the tree house, and poking her head out.
Alex cocked his head, “What are you doing?”
“Well, I can’t make the sound without the lightning!” She explained, “I need to shoot it somewhere safe.”
“Uh… Okay,” Alex shrugged, “One more time!”
The three girls got ready once again.
We’re gonna sing it REALLY LOUD!
The girls raised up their arms, as Luna blasted a massive lightning bolt into the sky, deafening the ponies in the tree house.
“Geez!” Alex shouted, having no idea how loud he was being, “Not so loud!”
“My apologies!” Luna frowned, afraid that she had upset him.
“Just a bit quieter, okay?” Alex asked.
“Of course…” She said a bit put out.
“Okay…” Alex said, turning back to the girls, “Let’s go again!”
The three girls sighed.
We’re gonna sing it VERY LOUD!
The girls raised their arms, and Luna made a quieter bolt of thunder.
“Perfect!” Alex said, “Now let’s work on proper blocking!”
“Uh… Alex-” Scootaloo tried.
“Sweetie Belle, you need to come in from that side, after she sings her second line.” Alex explained.
“Sure, but…”
“And Apple Bloom!” Alex said, turning to her, “I want to see some more karate before your turn comes to sing at the beginning.”
“I can help her with that,” Spike said encouragingly.
“Hey Alex!” Apple Bloom shouted, finally getting his attention.
“Yes?” He asked, turning to her.
“Is all this REALLY necessary?” Scootaloo asked, feeling like this was WAY more work than it would have been without him here.
“Of course,” Alex said, “I took drama in junior high, and I know what I’m doing.”
“Well… Okay,” Sweetie Belle squeaked.
And with that, they set to work.
////
The morning before the talent show
////
The show was almost perfect! Alex had painstakingly run through the song with the girls, and he was happy with what they were going to present to Ponyville tonight. Alex had made sure that the costumes were better than the ones Sweetie Belle had originally wanted to make. He made Scootaloo give up some of her singing lines, and share them with the other girls. And he asked Luna to use a massive amount of sound and visual effects. He was surprised a Princess had so much time to dedicate to this kind of thing.
The only thing he had been a bit curious about, was the meeting everypony had partaken in last night after they finished rehearsals. The girls had been tired all week, and usually went right back home after rehearsal. But Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Spike, and Luna all went out. But when Alex tried to go with them, they told him it was a secret, and that he would hear about it today.
“You all ready for tonight?” Alex asked his team as they all grouped up outside of the tree house, where they had to move their rehearsals, on account of the sets and props.
“Well…” Sweetie began awkwardly.
“About that…” Apple Bloom added.
“How do we say this?” Scootaloo asked nervously.
“You’re fired!” Luna bellowed.
“W-what?” Alex asked, absolutely shocked.
“We’ve been talkin’” Apple Bloom began.
“And we think that you’re just making things worse!” Sweetie Belle squeaked.
“And you took away a bunch of my dynamite singing!” Scootaloo finished.
Alex felt his heart sink. That kinda hurt…
“Sorry dude,” Spike said, “But they’re totally right!”
“How?” Alex asked, looking back and forth between them.
“Well… Your direction has been kinda… Dumb.” Spike sighed.
“I-It has?” Alex asked.
“Look,” Spike said, grabbing a wig that Alex had insisted on them using, “Look at this wig.”
It was a big, puffy, British lawyer-style wig, that he insisted would be great for the first act of the song.
“Uh…” Alex said, scratching the back of his head.
“And that’s another thing,” Spike said, “Why is this in multiple acts?”
“So we can have an intermission,” Alex said, “It’s important that the audience takes a break.”
“Riiiight.” Spike said.
“And what about the use of thine pyrotechnics?” Luna asked, “It could burn down the stage.”
“But… It looks really, really, really… REALLY cool…”Alex said.
They all gave him a serious look.
“But… That how we did it in junior high..” Alex sighed.
“Didn’t you say you were in high school?” Spike asked.
“Yeah, I guess,” Alex answered, “Why?”
“Why didn’t you take drama in high school?” The Dragon-Pony asked.
“Because everyone in the class was a pretentious butthole.” Alex explained simply, “Bossy, holier than thou… thought they knew what was best for everyone…”
“Sound like anyone?” Spike asked.
Alex sighed, “I guess I’ve been a bit like that.”
“So, we have a few hours,” Spike said, “Why don’t we all work together, and make something we all can agree on?”
Alex looked to the girls as they all nodded.
“Well, I guess we can give it a try.” Alex said, thinking over all the ridiculous changed he had made to the, “I’m sorry, I was wack.”
Alex expected Spike to respond with a: No man, I was wack.
It didn’t come
////
The audience stood in silence as they waited for the next act to come out on stage.
Alex and Spike stood at the front of the crowd with their respective mare friends, and Luna stood backstage, ready to do some effects that they had all agreed on. However, their teacher had told them all that it was a talent show for children, and that her help had to be minimal. The princess wasn’t used to being told such things, or yielding to somepony else’s authority. But, those were the rules.
Sweetie had quickly thrown together some new costumes, much more in the vein of what they had originally wanted. They looked more like rockers from an 80s hair metal band. It was pretty awesome, Alex had to admit.
“Up next,” The school teacher, Cheerilee, said to the audience, “Is a song, being sung by the Cutie Mark Crusaders!”
The crowd cheered as a song started playing in the background, and a single light shined in the foreground, illuminating Scootaloo’s face.
Look, here, are three little ponies,
Ready to sing for this crowd,
Listen up, 'cause here's our story
I'm gonna sing it VERY LOUD!
By now, all three girls were in the light, and were in the light, and the audience ad zero idea what the buck was going to happen next.
When you’re, a younger pony,
And your flank is very bare,
Feels like the sun will never come,
When your Cutie Marks’s not there
A poorly made wooden sun was raised into the air by Sweetie Belle who was off stage.
So the three of us fight the fight!
Apple Bloom jumped in the air, and proceeded to do two karate chops, and one kick.
There is nothing that we fear!
Luna poked her horn from off stage at the cheap bats and ghosts they had made as props, and shot them, turning them into the real thing. It would definitely sell how brave they were!
We’ll have to figure out what we’ll do next,
When our Cutie Marks are here!
The bats and ghosts she had made never landed on the stage. So, Luna shrugged, and decided to forget about them, and get ready for the lasers.
We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders,
On a quest to find out who we are,
And we will never stop the journey,
Not until we have our Cutie Marks!
Scootaloo proceeded to fall off a platform, and face plant on the floor, as Apple Bloom kept repeating her punches and kicks.
Sweetie Belle turned the crank on the fog machine, pouring it on to the stage, setting up for the next part of the song.
As the guitar solo went on in the background, Luna started firing random beams of differently colored light that lit of the fog nicely. It was a positive in a sea of negatives.
They all say that you’ll get your mark,
When the time is really right,
And you’ll know just what you’re supposed to do,
When your talent comes to light,
Sweetie Belle ran through in an attempt to move a prop, and tripped over Scootaloo inadvertently, sending her right off the other side of the stage, knocking a light over, so it illuminated Apple Bloom. In a fit of panic, she started doing mad karate moved, but accidentally put her leg through a background prop, and dragged it across the stage.
But it’s not as easy as it sounds,
And that waiting’s hard to do,
So we test our talents everywhere,
Until our face is blue!
Sweetie Belle quickly but a blue gel on top of a spotlight, and made Scootaloo’s face turn that color.
We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders,
On a quest to find out who we are,
And we will never stop the journey,
Not until we have our Cutie Marks,
Sweetie Belle ran back on stage, but accidentally turned on a fan, sending various debris flying across the stage.
Luna looked at the damage that had been caused, and was being caused, so she tried her best to keep important things from flying apart. But she couldn’t do much from where she stood, and didn’t want to get them in trouble by jumping into action
Once Apple Bloom freed her leg from the set piece she had put it through, it knocked into another piece, making both of them wobble, so, Sweetie ran to them, and placed a front leg on one to keep it upright, and a back leg on the other.
We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders,
On a quest to find out who we are,
And we will never stop the journey,
Not until we have our Cutie Marks!
Just as the song concluded, the set finally collapsed, falling entirely on top of them.
The three girls dragged themselves out of the debris, and looked at the audience expectantly for their applause, and cheering.
Seeing his cue, Alex started to clap slowly, wanting to finally be the guy that stated the legendary ‘slow-clap.’ However, once he started, he didn’t listen for anypony else to join in. He simply started clapping louder, and louder, until he was cheering alone.
“Hey!” Dash scolded, smacking him.
“Wha—“
He quickly noticed the eerie silence.
“Oh…” Alex said.
“Eeek!” A pony shouted, “A giant bat!”
“And a huge spider!” Another called, as the crowd started to get rowdy.
“That’s where they went!” Luna laughed, before realizing everypony was freaking out, “Oh! Let me get those!”
She then went on to start aimlessly blast at the creatures of her making, in hopes of catching them. Instead, she accidentally hit the side of the stage curtain, and lit it on fire.
“Oh glob!” Alex said, “Somepony call the police!”
Before it was a rowdy crowd. Now it was anarchy.
Everypony running in opposite directions, the bats and ghosts still flying around, the fire spreading… Until Twilight put it out with a simple ice spell, and gathered the animals Luna had unleashed.
Then everything was pretty much fine.
////
Finally, after everything calmed down, the rest of the show had been cancelled. They decided to reschedule it for a few weeks ahead, and let everypony give it another try. However, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had had enough of the rock-opera life style.
“You guys sure you don’t wanna try again?” Alex asked, “I’m sure Luna would be able to do some more, after all, Cheerilee kinda stole her entire part away from the show.
“We’re sure,” Sweetie said, “We tried, and we didn’t get out Cutie Marks,”
The three of them all turned their flanks and sighed, seeing nothing there.
“Well, I for sure didn’t get one in directing,” Alex shrugged, “But who knows? Maybe we’ll find them tomorrow!”
“Yeah!” Scootaloo agreed, “It’s just a matter of time before we find out what our secret talents are!”
“There’s only so much we can do!” Apple Bloom agreed.
“It’s a simple process of elimination,” Alex nodded.
“And there can’t be much left for us to try,” Spike said, “So let’s keep going right now!”
“Wait,” Scootaloo said, “Where’s the princess?”
“I think Twilight is yelling at her for not being more responsible.” Alex said.
“I hope she won’t be banned from the group by Twilight!” Sweetie squeaked.
“She’s a princess,” Alex explained, “Twilight can’t boss her around.”
“Well that’s good news,” Scootaloo said, “I really like her hanging out with us!”
“Luna will be around a lot more,” Alex reassured, “And just like today, I’m sure she’ll get herself into trouble along the way.”
They all smiled and nodded. Sure, today had been a bit of a bust, but they had all learned from the experience… What they learned however, nopony could really say.
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Yay! For a second I thought that this was the final chapter! That would have made thisnstory suck! Also, loving the story! Smiles!
another great chapter, i have to say, it ended a bit more catastrophically than i expected
but, yea... (SECOND COMMENT
!)
And Sergiovan said: "Let it be your instead of you're, because you're means you are!" :D
Whops, dat 'h' missing in ad
Great chapter, as always. I don't always say it, but every chapter deserves it...
First off:
To Alex and the CMC:
Second (and please don't hate, these are my suggested edits):
1:
2:
-Personally, I feel that this sentence sounds a bit strange, especially coming from Alex. However, it still works after you fix the grammar and usage errors.
3:
- Again, the structure of the sentence just doesn't feel right... it interrupts the flow of the story a bit.
Other than that, great job (as always), and I can't wait for more! :
Wow, Alex...I'm a bit surprise he didn't know anything was wrong. I swear that boy has no sense in his head, heh. I believe a lesson about not being too controlling came across a while back, but the silly lad seems to have forgotten it. And, poor Luna, to get drag into the realm that is the Cutie Mark Crusaders. At least she will have a lot of fun in the process, as well as getting to hang with Scootaloo.
C&Cs:
“...Cheerilee kinda stole her entire part away from the show.
> Missing the ending quotation mark.
“Where’s the princess?”
> Capitalize ‘princess’.
Well, it didn't end as catastrophically as I thought it would, but it was pretty catastrophic.
~Sylpheed
That must have been embarrassing good thing they are too stupid to realize it.mostly Alex. Lol
Are Alex and Spike ever gonna get cutie-marks?
3986738 There's 97 chapters so far. It is a high probability situation.
Glob? Adventure Time reference?