Volume 1: Eruditio - Chapter 14 - Judgement
Legacy volume 1: Eruditio
Chapter 14 – Judgement
“I don’t think we should do anythin’,” muttered Speedwell Bloom as he stared at his untouched mug of tea. Its colour was darkening.
“But what if…?”
“But nothing,” Speedwell said flatly. He still felt uncomfortable speaking to his wife in such a way, especially considering the subject matter. “It’s all in the past now. Nothin’ happened that other time, so I don’t think we should worry about Rosa. You shouldn’t worry.”
Daisy took to the chair opposite and sighed. “I guess you’re right. If anything, the only other option would be to…”
The first scene was getting underway, and everything was going as planned. Court and Melon’s line delivery was on cue and their on-stage bickering even managed to elicit a small laugh from two of the judges. Court was twisting his body around trying to get a glimpse of the diary entry while Melon protected it, and their rendition of this scene had the added charm of physical comedy, much unlike the sterile telling that the novel gave.
Rosa hadn’t seen the judges yet, but she imagined that they’d be stuffy, pompous chin-strokers who would cough quietly every now and then for no other reason than to expel the hot air that they were so full of. They were from Canterlot after all. That didn’t matter though. Everything about this performance would blow them away; she was sure of it. The fact that they’d been able to pull all of this together was a stone’s throw from a miracle. From a village without a running theatre, a story that nopony had ever heard of, a band of misfits doing their best for a director too crazy and ambitious for his own good… They had been lucky. Too lucky, perhaps.
The theatre had been cleaned up considerably. If the judges had been present a few weeks prior they would have probably run in terror. It still wasn’t up to scratch and the worn wallpaper was a turn off, but it wasn’t the dusty, musty pig sty of days gone by. Many of the staff had come by during the day when everypony else was at work to help clean, and the difference was miraculous. “With a new lick of paint,” as Rosa’s father had used to say, this place could be re-opened. In fact, if anything ever happened to the opportunity in Canterlot, that might even seem possible. This wasn’t some foalish rendition of a nursery rhyme after all.
The first scene was drawing to a close, and stage-hoofs were chomping at the bit for their opportunity to rush on stage and change the set in a matter of seconds while the curtain was drawn. Rosa thought of how unfortunate it was that some ponies would put in all this effort only to never appear on stage. Then again, seeing as how they were mostly unicorns, (it was far easier to move the props with magic than by other means) she couldn’t feel too sorry for them. They could do things that she could only dream of. It might just be jealousy, but watching as they casually lifted objects high above their head without so much as a strain made jealousy uncannily natural. Still, she knew she shouldn’t feel that way. They’d been working hard, just as she had.
The second scene began, this one being another with just Court and Melon. Rosa wished that she could see the judges’ faces to know if they were interested or not. The beginning of the play wasn’t the most exciting, but things would pick up once the character of Esmeralda began granting wishes. Then there were the flashback scenes, the moments where the wishes get out of control, the sudden realisation on Veracity’s part, and finally the scenes rooted in the reality of the situation, with Veracity coming to her senses in the psychiatric ward, Dr Emerald’s efforts to cure her of her insanity becoming known. The judges surely wouldn’t see it coming. Was that a good thing? She hoped so.
It was nearly time for her chance on stage. As the curtains closed she got into position behind a fake bush, from which she would rise when Veracity and Reverie came to notice her. She’d done this scene so many times before; it was the one she had auditioned with. Court gave an encouraging smile, as if to say “good luck.” She wouldn’t need it.
The curtain rose once again, and her performance began.
“A delivery for a Mister Spike T. Dragon!”
The farm pony pulled the wooden chariot up towards Spike’s home and unbuckled the straps. Spike poked his head around to see five big barrels, undoubtedly full to the brim with apples, pears and peaches. He did so adore those peaches…
“If you keep on using that line it’s going to go stale,” he chuckled, carefully rolling the barrels towards himself. “My mission for you is to come up with something funnier to say.”
“Well if you insist,” the bulky earth pony said, wiping the sweat from his brow. “So how’s things?”
“Oh, the usual. Not much going on in the land of Spike I’m afraid.”
“Well ain’t that a shame.” The pony stretched his weary limbs and began to make his way home. “I hear rumours of a female dragon over by Germaney, if that, uh, kind of information in’trests ya.”
“I’ll keep it in mind,” Spike sighed, rolling his eyes.
“You take care of yerself now.”
“You too.”
Spike pulled the barrels into his home and pried one open. He poured the apples into his mouth and began munching away, though given his size chewing was hardly necessary.
He would often receive comments from ponies he knew about getting out there and meeting other dragons, while others would ask him if he ever felt lonely. Truthfully, he’d been lonely for years, but not necessarily in the way that everypony assumed. He’d made lots of friends living in Ponyville, and so long as the ponies of Ponyville were happy, he was happy. He wasn’t about to abandon them for whatever reason. He’d made a promise.
He hoped that his existence aided in the citizens of the village in as many ways as possible. He would be there to help, and if nopony showed up needing help, it simply meant that he’d been doing a good job. At least, that’s what he would always tell himself.
He thought back to the day Rosa had paid him a visit in a state of emotional turmoil. He’d helped her feel better that day, and from what he’d heard she’d been doing better than ever. She’d managed to let go of her feelings for Nico and find a colt-friend, one that Spike approved of very much. Sure, she wasn’t paying him visits anymore it seemed, but that was surely a sign that she had found a purpose in life and was on the road to living happily ever after. He was happy for her, but above everything, he was relieved that…
To Rosa’s surprise, the judges weren’t old or indeed stuffy. They looked young, perhaps no more than twenty-five years of age. There were four of them — two stallions and two mares. They weren’t dressed up in flamboyantly posh clothing and didn’t look like wannabe royals, which was strange for ponies from Canterlot. For one thing, it lessened her hopes of them being from the Royal Canterlot Auditorium.
“I have travelled this world seeking those who need my help.”
Her lines flowed with surprising ease. Court and Melon reacted accordingly, and the scene played out as well as it ever could have. She could almost feel Floyd’s gaze as he swelled with pride. To him, this must be one of the most important moments of his life. Everything was going as planned.
Rosa’s time on stage seemed to flash by, as if each minute ticked by in a matter of seconds. Here, she could dedicate her existence to being somepony she wasn’t. Her mind wasn’t filled with anxiety, sadness or self-loathing. Her problems melted away as she took the character as her own. To think that she had once not even cared about acting, that she had never even planned to audition for the role… It was like looking back into the memories of another pony.
The consecutive scenes flew by until it was time for her to retreat into the sanctum behind the stage. Ironically feeling as if she was in a dream, she casually sat against the wall and smiled to herself. She didn’t know why she was smiling exactly, but it felt like the right thing to do.
She watched another scene pass, Court and Melon leaving the stage as a flashback was due to take place. The youngsters were giving each other words of encouragement as they pottered off into position.
“I think it’s going well,” Court whispered, sighing with relief. “I thought for a second I was going to trip myself up during that first scene but I managed to hold it together!”
Melon sat down next to Rosa and began scratching her ear. “I’ve had this stupid itch!” she exclaimed as quietly as possible, causing Court to snigger. “Don’t laugh! I’ve been gritting my teeth for the past few minutes!”
Rosa remained silent as the two of them chattered, keeping herself set on the task ahead. Part of her didn’t want this to end.
“Rosa, you were great!” Court said, finally acknowledging her.
“Thanks,” she said simply, nodding.
“It’s not over yet,” Melon said anticlimactically. “Let’s just get this over and done with.” She tipped her head back and inhaled deeply.
“But if we do a good enough job we’ll be doing this all the time!” Court reminded her. “That’s kind of been the idea since the beginning, you know.”
“I know that!”
“I was just kidding around! So Rosa, you feeling confident?”
Rosa turned to him slowly. “Sure,” she said flatly, still smiling. To her, it wasn’t a question of confidence at all. Whether that made her confident by default, she didn’t know. What she did know, was that being in this self-made trance was keeping her head together, and that mattered more than anything else. If she could just keep herself this way, she wouldn’t start thinking about…
“Good!” Court said, beaming. “I get it easy; you two have some serious stuff after I die, am dead… whatever, you know. I’ll be cheering you two on from the side-lines! Not literally cheering, but, you know what I mean.”
As the flashback scenes drew to a close, Rosa, Court and Melon took their places, the final act drawing near. The foals breathed sighs of relief off stage, their performances now over, an enormous weight lifted from their shoulders.
Nico was diligently dusting down his furniture, muttering to himself about the state of his house. Living alone made him realise just how dirty a home could get without constant attention, but he wouldn’t ever mention this revelation to his mother or he’d be lucky to hear the end of it.
As he moved his way up to his bedroom — wishing for a pair of wings or a unicorn horn to make dusting the upper shelves less of a chore — he came across a framed photograph. It showed him, Clover and Rosa outside of their old school, smiling and laughing. It had been taken by his father on the last day of term; as for which school year that was, he couldn’t quite remember. The most striking thing about the photo was that they all looked so young.
He frowned slightly, thinking of how carefree those days were and how close he was to his friends. They would do pretty much everything together, even some of the more stupid things like climbing nefariously tall trees, although that was never going to be much of a problem for Clover.
Nowadays, he could feel that the tight bond that held the three of them together was losing its grasp. Sure, it might just be a blip, and things might get back to the way things were, but he knew better. Already at such a young age he could feel himself getting older, and the same was happening to them, too. Things could never be quite the same.
He tutted, and placed the photograph down again. He wasn’t stupid. He knew that everything was changing, for whatever reasons. Besides, he couldn’t be blamed for…
Court’s body was pulled into the makeshift swamp, his torso now enveloped by prosthetic vines and brambles. The novel had depicted him sinking into bare dirt, but without some kind of dangerous magic that allowed him to pass through solid objects, (spells that would potentially leave him half stuck into the ground and unable to breathe if they went wrong) this was the best that they could do. The effect was still visually striking, though.
“Reverie! Reverie, please, don’t go!”
The violinists sawed at the strings producing a soft, yet somehow piercing melody that accentuated Veracity’s emotional state. Melon began furiously grasping for Court’s hoof but he still sank further, deeper into the abyss. Although her mind was set entirely on the task at hoof, Rosa could have sworn that she could hear one of the judges gasp. That had to mean they were doing something right.
Court’s face vanished from view and Melon kept on digging, tears in her eyes. Rosa’s face grew solemn as she approached her, the mare surfacing with a skull.
“No… no, he can’t be dead! He can’t be!”
“You have to understand,” Rosa began as the music stopped momentarily, feeling the haunting silence surrounding her. Without her voice, not so much as a creak would be heard. “You have to let go of your fantasies. I’m here to help you realise your dream… Your dream of returning to the real world. You just have to trust me.”
Two unicorn stage-hoofs dimmed the lights from afar, giving the impression that Veracity’s dream world was fading. Melon looked up at Rosa, tears running down her cheeks. Even if it was just an act, it still managed to elicit an emotional response. It didn’t quite break Rosa’s trance, but it was closer to the mark than expected.
“To go back to the real world…” Melon uttered.
The next few moments were crucial. The lights went out, the curtains drew, and the set was shifted around at break-neck pace. Rosa’s costume was deftly replaced with a doctor’s coat thanks to a unicorn mare. Melon took to the hospital bed that was quietly wheeled on, messing her mane and clawing at her eyes.
“Veracity. Veracity, wake up.”
Rosa’s voice echoed around the theatre before the curtains opened, revealing the ‘real world’.
“Esmeralda?”
“No, Veracity. I’m Dr Emerald. Do you remember me?”
“Esmeralda, what’s going on? Where’s Reverie? He was sinking, and then…”
“Veracity, I…” The silence returned once more as Rosa paused. She could catch a glimpse of the judges, their faces saying it all. They were enraptured. “I was hoping you’d realised by now. Reverie is dead. He’s been dead for a long time now. Don’t you remember, Veracity? That day in the swamp.”
“You’re lying! That can’t be true!” Melon shifted violently in the bed, and Rosa recoiled slightly. The restraints kept her in place, (though they were only loosely fastened; tethering an actress to a bed and leaving her unable to move was considered a bad idea) and Rosa continued.
“You went into the forest, Veracity. You told him that it was dangerous to go near the swamp but he wouldn’t listen.”
“There!”
Summer slammed the book down with a sense of pride and breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t expected herself to ever finish An Equestrian Night Mare, and had expected even less that she would actually enjoy it.
She wouldn’t mention it to Rosa, but she hadn’t had even the slightest interest in reading upon entering the shop. To her, reading was a kind of chore. So much description, so many characters that came and went, so many pointless occurrences that didn’t have anything to do with the story. There were moments like that in An Equestrian Night Mare, but she’d trudged through them. She wouldn’t want Rosa to ask her how far she’d read and have to answer, “Sorry, but I can’t be bothered to read it.”
Her mother had been surprised when she’d brought the book home and even more surprised when she continued to read it.
“If I didn’t know any better I’d say you had pictures of stallions in between the pages!” she had said with that half-smile. Summer had not even considered that idea before, but how was she going to get pictures of stallions without following them around with a camera like some kind of stalker? An even bigger issue was how she would ever afford a camera.
It had been a while since she’d spent any time with Rosa, but that was understandable. Rosa was an actress now, or at least, was going to become an actress. If they spent too much time together Rosa might forget her lines or be late for a rehearsal; she wouldn’t want to do that to her best friend in the whole wide world.
As Summer thought about it, she found herself frowning, an overpowering sense of guilt washing over her. She couldn’t possibly let…
Thus began the final scenes, with Dr Emerald desperately trying to help her patient without her regressing once more. In one moment, she is confronted by another doctor and told that Veracity is a lost cause.
“I can’t just give up!” Rosa said ferociously to the other actress by the name of Petal. “If you were her mother, would you want me to give up on her?”
“But her mother did give up on her.”
Rosa slipped against the back of a sizable armchair, her breathing now irregular. “Well then I guess that makes me some kind of fool, doesn’t it?”
“That’s not what I…”
“It doesn’t matter what you said! I know what you meant!” Rosa bellowed, tears forming in her eyes. “If there’s any chance that I can help this mare then I’m going to do it! I didn’t become a doctor so that I could dump a case at the first sign of trouble! I became one because I cared about the welfare of other ponies!”
Petal moved slowly towards the edge of the set, looking back over her shoulder solemnly. “Maybe it’s time you started caring for yourself.” She walked off stage, the lights dimming once again.
Rosa leaned forward onto her desk and stared blankly at the ‘door’ for a few moments, barely breathing. She then thudded a hoof down onto the desk and buried her head into her hooves in a mixture of anger and desperation. Supposedly fighting back tears, she closed her eyes, inhaled deeply and lifted her head back up. She shook it ever so slightly, then pulled forward a stack of paperwork and began sifting through it, her teeth clenched and her face twisted like a knot. The lights faded once more.
“What’cha doin’?”
Sparks turned to see his sister Crane pushing open his bedroom door. He was led in bed, despite being wide awake.
“Nothing much,” he responded nonchalantly, sitting himself up.
“So… you mean ‘nothing’, right?”
Sparks snickered. “Yeah, I guess that’s a pretty accurate observation.”
Crane stepped further into his room, a look of curiosity on her face. “So why are you doing nothing?”
“I guess there’s nothing I can really think of doing,” he shrugged.
Crane observed him suspiciously, like somepony examining an off-colour piece of fruit and trying to determine if it’s edible or not. Finally, she spoke. “Why aren’t you hanging out with Rosa?”
“Well, she’s busy right now.”
“She’s always busy.”
“Yeah, she is. It’s this whole theatre thing. I would’ve asked to go see her perform but she gets all antsy on the subject. Maybe being there would make her too nervous.”
“You love her, don’t you?”
Sparks shot her a flabbergasted look, but quickly turned it into a smile. “Haven’t you got chores to do?”
“Nope! Mum says I’ve done everything she wants. I’m all out of things to do. So…”
“So… you want me to entertain you.”
“That about sums it up!” she said cheerfully, nodding her head. “We could play a board game or bake some cakes!”
Sparks pulled himself up and hopped over gracefully. “Sure, whatever. So long as you don’t cheat or get cake mix everywhere.”
“Hey, that only happened once!”
They lazily trotted downstairs, Sparks chuckling to himself.
“I hope things work out for you two,” Crane said thoughtfully.
Sparks nodded his head instinctively. “Thanks, sis. You know, I think…”
Rosa stood beside Melon, Reverie’s headstone before them.
To our beloved Reverie
You taught us all to smile when we were down
We shall never forget you
May your spirit live on
Melon was weeping now, wiping away her tears with her left hoof while levitating a bouquet of flowers at her side. The flowers that surrounded the headstone were either dead or wilting. That had been one of Rosa’s ideas. If they were to tug on the audience’s heartstrings they would have to go all out.
Melon placed the flowers on the floor delicately, a crown jewel among the pile of discoloured plants. Rosa placed a hoof on her shoulder and Melon looked back at her with a thankful expression. She pulled in close and began to let her tears flow through Rosa’s mane.
“Thank you.”
With those words, Melon stepped back and smiled weakly. Rosa nodded and smiled back, desperately trying to hold back her own emotions. The orange unicorn turned and left the set, leaving Rosa alone, stood at the centre of the stage. She widened her smile, and finally let loose the waterworks, a torrent of tears falling at her hooves.
“It was my pleasure.”
The curtain fell, and the judges began to applaud.
Clover watched as the play ended and the judges exploded with enthusiasm. She wasn’t sure, but she had an inkling that one of the mares had been crying during an earlier scene, her makeup looking washed-out and distorted. Clover never really understood the fascination with makeup. At best, it made you look like some kind of pristine wax doll, and at worst it made you look like some horrific abomination. Not to mention that it screamed ‘trying too hard’ as well.
She’d watched the performance, Rosa’s in particular, with a mixture of awe, sadness and disappointment. She’d played the part perfectly, to the point where it was as if Rosa wasn’t even there anymore. She was undoubtedly the mare for the job, but Clover couldn’t help but feel that disappointment, wishing that she could be in her place.
She’d often passed by the abandoned theatre during her youth, imagining her name in lights, envisioning herself dazzling a crowd of thousands. Every time she’d asked a grown-up about it, they’d always scoff, telling her that it would take a miracle for the spirit of the theatre to ever come back to life in Ponyville. By the time she’d reached around thirteen she tossed the dream aside and began working towards a career with the weather team. There wasn’t much else she could do. Not as a blank flank.
The day she heard of the Dreamworld production had been one of the most thrilling days of her life, even more so than actually being accepted. She felt like that starry-eyed filly she once was, and could hardly sleep that night because of the excitement. Then Rosa and Summer had showed up to the audition…
She hadn’t expected Rosa to get the part. That moment when Floyd called out the name ‘Rosa’ her heart had sunk. She was just a substitute. She couldn’t tell Rosa how much it hurt, how much she’d wanted to cry on the spot, but when she looked into Rosa’s eyes she saw horrendous guilt. There was no way she could have been anything other than supportive after seeing that. She was Clover Leaf. Little Miss Perfect. Little Miss Never Gets Upset. Little Miss Never Lets the Mask Slip.
Rosa had wowed everypony in the theatre. Floyd sat with a stupid grin, like a colt walking proudly from a sweetshop with an oversized lollipop. So she applauded and smiled, just to show that she was happy for her. If she was happy for her.
It’s no big deal, she told herself. I’ll be performing for the judges tomorrow, and they’ll see that I’m just as talented. So what if I’m a substitute, I bet I’ll get plenty of chances to perform on stage. Stop being jealous of Rosa! You have no right to be jealous! You should feel just as guilty as she was! If she knew the truth about…
“We nailed it!” Court cried, and began dancing on the spot, flailing his legs around and bopping his head to an imaginary beat. Melon rolled her eyes with annoyance, shooting Rosa a look that seemed to say “stallions, what are they like?” He was right, though. The judges weren’t merely clapping their hooves out of politeness; that much was obvious. If their performance hadn’t been enough to warrant them a place in Canterlot, nothing would have been enough.
“So what happens now?” Melon asked, removing her costume and draping it over the back of a small chair.
“I don’t know,” Rosa replied, pulling off her own costume. “Are we supposed to just leave the set and meet the judges?” She looked round to see all of the other actors, stage-hoofs and musicians mingling about aimlessly, most of them looking exhausted.
“I’m not sure; maybe we should just wait a moment. I wish Floyd would have told us what was happening!”
Just as Melon spoke, Roadie popped into view looking as stern as ever. Rosa wondered if he ever smiled. “The judges will be conferring amongst themselves in the adjacent room, so will everypony please stay put until they’ve gone.”
Rosa could hear the clip clop of the judges’ hooves and the chattering between them as they passed through the door to the hallway.
“I’ve never seen anything like it! We have to make sure this thing takes off.”
“I don’t think I’ve cried over a theatre production in my life… It was just magical!”
“Yeah, I don’t normally go for that soppy malarckey, but that was bloody good.”
Rosa, Court and Melon shot each other amused looks as they listened in on the judges, their voices extraordinarily clear. As they continued eavesdropping, Floyd came up behind them and gestured for the other ponies to gather around.
“I failed to mention to them,” he whispered, “just how thin the walls are. We’ll just keep that a secret between us, OK?”
Rosa stifled a giggle and nodded, much the same as many other ponies in the group. Floyd smiled and retreated back to his post below the stage. After finishing their ‘conversing’, the judges returned and began to calmly express their approval. The startling change in attitude nearly had Court in stitches.
“Of course, you are welcome to watch the play tomorrow with our second set of actors,” Floyd murmured.
“Oh, I don’t think there’s any need for that,” said one of the stallion judges, clearing his throat. “What you’ve shown us today will more than suffice. We’ll be in negotiations with the Canterlot theatre society so you should expect a letter of confirmation in the near future.”
I guess Clover won’t have to worry then, Rosa thought to herself. I bet she’s relieved. We’ve done it! We’ve actually done it!
“All of you should be exceptionally proud of yourselves,” Floyd began. “I should really have bought a few bottles of champagne to celebrate with, but I’m not one for splashing out on luxuries. Perhaps another day.”
He lurched forward towards them, his glazed-over eyes appearing brighter than usual. “Rehearsals tomorrow,” he said bluntly, eliciting a mixture of groans and chuckles from the crowd. “We’re finished for the day, I think. See you all soon.”
As the group broke up, many of the younger members yawning and rubbing their eyes and some of the older members bolting their way out as quickly as they could, Rosa crept up behind Clover and prodded her shoulder with a hoof.
“Hey, how’s it going?”
Clover slowly turned her head and grinned. “I can safely say I’ve had worse days.”
“Well that’s an understatement! Can you believe it? I always knew we were good, but to hear those judges going crazy over us was something else.”
“Yeah, I agree.”
“Performing in Canterlot… You know, for a long time I wouldn’t have even dreamed of doing something like that, and now it’s a reality! It wasn’t even something I really ever thought of…”
“Sorry Rosa,” Clover interrupted with. “I really should be getting home. I’ve been a little sleep deprived as of late.”
“Oh, OK, that’s alright. Sorry for keeping you. I’ll see you tomorrow then!”
“Yes, most certainly will. Goodbye!”
“Bye!”
Clover nodded and briskly walked away, knocking the door open with a hard push. I guess we’ve all been working a little hard, Rosa thought to herself, feeling a yawn forcing its way out her mouth. She stayed for a few minutes to chat to Melon and Court, the latter of whom was bounding about like an energetic school-colt and embarrassing Melon by embracing her and shouting, “You’re gonna be a star, my dear!”
They all soon said their goodbyes and went home, the feeling of weariness spreading among them like an infectious virus. Rosa was still on a high, though that was limited only to her mental state. She wasn’t about to let any negative thoughts ruin things now, not on a day like today. Just keep thinking about the play, keep thinking about Canterlot; don’t think about anything else, she repeated to herself as she made her way home.
She slipped inside, beginning to feel the exhaustion coarse through her. She hadn’t realised just how much energy she’d spent simply by walking to and from the stage and speaking her lines; it was a bit bewildering. If rehearsals were back on tomorrow, she needed sleep as soon as possible. Just a quick snack to satisfy her hunger, (she hadn’t eaten for several hours by this point) and she would crash out on her bed. It had been like this several times since the Dreamworld production practically took over her life, unlike the ‘before’ time when she’d spend what felt like an eternity tossing and turning in bed trying to force herself to drift off.
She passed into the kitchen to find her parents sat opposite each other at the table, her father with a pensive expression and a near full mug of tea before him. Rosa casually inspected one of the cupboards for any loose carrots as her mother turned to her with a taught grin.
“There you are, dear. How was practice?”
“Oh, you’ll never guess!” Rosa said excitedly as she chomped off a third of a carrot and began chewing. “We’re in! The judges were practically gushing over us. They didn’t say it outright, but it’s a no-brainer that they want us to perform in Canterlot!”
Her mother continued smiling in that same way, as if struck with a paralysing spell. An awkward silence hit, if only for a matter of two seconds. Her father broke it by clapping his hooves together in mock applause.
“Well done missy! I always knew you’d do it.”
“Yes dear. We’re really happy for you, but are you absolutely sure that it means you have a place in Canterlot? You said they didn’t tell you outright…”
“Honestly, they didn’t need to,” interjected Rosa, swallowing the last of her snack. “We heard them talking in the other room when they thought we couldn’t hear them. All of them said that it was fantastic; not one of them had anything negative to say!”
“Oh, well I guess that clears that up.” Daisy trotted over and gave her a discerning look. “My goodness, you look ever so tired, dear.”
“I know, I know… I’m off upstairs in just a moment. I just wanted to let you two know the good news.”
“Well thanks for lettin’ us know,” Speedwell remarked. “Now off to bed with you.”
As Rosa walked up to her room she replayed the conversation she’d just had back in her mind. Thanks for letting us know. Somehow she had expected a more enthusiastic appraisal. After all, they’d spent years attempting to force new hobbies on her, and now that she’d found the life of the theatre they’d stopped all that. It was just a bit strange that… Don’t bother thinking about it, she told herself. They’re probably just going through a rough patch; maybe they’ve been having quarrels whilst you’ve been away and are dealing with that. The more time they spend together the more likely they are to argue, or something.
Or maybe you interrupted them having sex.
Rosa shook that mental image from her head with all her might. There was no way she wanted that to be her final thought before she went to sleep. She turned off her lamp and wrapped herself in her duvet. Her body and mind weary, she fell into a deep slumber within minutes.
Rosa was stood centre stage in the Royal Canterlot auditorium as the entire audience — hundreds upon hundreds of ponies that stretched far into the distance — rose to their hind legs and began clapping, whistling, cheering and roaring. Roses flooded the stage, unicorns floating over a seemingly infinite supply towards her and dumping them at her hooves. She could see Mum, Dad, Clover and Summer in the front row, shouting to her gleefully over the noise of the crowd.
“YOU’RE AMAZING!”
“WE LOVE YOU!”
“HOORAY FOR ROSA!”
Her cheeks glowing red, she waved to the ocean of ponies, blowing kisses and hurling the surrounding roses into the air. This only enticed the crowd to cheer louder, until it was almost deafening. She slowly and gracefully bowed her head, her nose almost engulfed in red petals. When she rose back up again…
The unbearable noise had been reduced to silence. The crowd was gone. The roses were gone. The lights that edged the theatre hall were fading. Feeling a terrible wave of fear come over her Rosa turned left and right, just to see if anypony was there. Beyond the curtains at her sides stood a tangible darkness, walls of pitch black nothingness that reached from the floor to the ceiling. Then she heard voices.
“Rosa…”
“Rosa…”
In the front row of seats Nico and Sparks sat side by side, looking up at her and beaming with delight. The lights kept fading. It was as if the darkness was creeping up on them, cornering them, yet they still sat there unaware, cheering and smiling and calling out her name.
“Rosa…”
“Rosa…”
All of a sudden, they struck. A band of changelings leapt onto the two stallions and began dragging them off, their alien faces twisted into horrific grins as they choked and clawed at the two ponies. They were the changelings from An Equestrian Nightmare. Rosa blinked, and they had transformed within seconds, their bodies morphing into those of the little fillies that they’d butchered. Now they were here to kill Nico and Sparks.
Rosa tried screaming at the top of her voice for them to stop, but no sound came out. The evil fillies continued dragging the two ponies in opposite directions, their cries for help echoing in her ears. Unable to take it anymore, she leapt from the stage. Nico was at her left. Sparks was at her right.
“Help me, Rosa!”
“Help me, Rosa!”
She took a step towards Nico, then a step back towards Sparks.
“Help me!”
“Help me!”
They were getting further and further away now, their bodies being carried into the horizon beyond the blackness. Rosa could only stand stock still, not knowing what to do, where to go. The fillies were taunting her, laughing menacingly and singing lullabies.
Then there was an ear-splitting shriek, and Rosa saw Nico’s body pulled apart, his limbs being wrenched from their sockets like weeds from the ground. Another shriek, and Sparks’ torso was split in half, his organs being pulled out of him in a bloody mess.
“Why, Rosa?”
“Why, Rosa?”
She saw the foul creatures sink their teeth into their prey and rip away at their flesh. There was the crunch of bones and horrific slurps as they devoured their meal, laughing incessantly. Within moments, the changelings had dispersed, leaving only piles of bones and pools of crimson blood that trickled towards her. She fell to the floor as the blood crawled up her legs and began to cover her body, inching closer and closer to her face. She tried wiping it off, but the blood kept on flowing. Eventually, it encased her eyes, until all she could see was a wall of red. Then it reached her mouth and began gushing down her throat. All that she could hear was the persistent cries of the recently deceased.
“Why didn’t you save me, Rosa? I thought you loved me!”
“Why didn’t you save me? I’m your colt-friend! I thought we were together!”
Rosa gasped for air, the coppery taste of blood overpowering the rest of her senses.
“I’m sorry… I don’t know… Please forgive me…”
Rosa woke up, and clutched onto her pillow as the tears flowed. One day the pain would end. And that day couldn’t come soon enough.
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3415860
Hello again! And thanks for spending your precious time on my inane scribblings!
Your criticisms of the VOR story arc are indeed valid. My biggest problem when starting out on this project was that the story in its entirety (all four volumes plus the VOR arc) is rather complex and concerns a vast array of characters, some of which haven't even been introduced yet. I considered not telling the VOR arc at all, but it would diminish most of the ties the rest of the story had to the mane six, and by proxy the elements of harmony. I would end up having to go on a tell-not-show escapade to explain certain events, and that was no good. I could have also told the entire VOR arc first, or after the first or second volume, but its climax would be jarring against what would come next. I then considered splitting the arc up into 3 parts, one after volumes 1-3... But then the reader would be left thinking "What the hell was that all about? Since when was this story about the mane six?" In the end, my best attempt to intertwine it into the storyline was to split it up into multiple parts spread throughout the story, with its climax matching up with the end of volume 3, as I envisioned it should. I've attempted to split the VOR arc into pieces that readers would be able to instantly remember even after a hiatus between entries. So that's his arrival, the reveal of his condition, him meeting the mane six, and so on and so forth. It's far from perfect, but it's the best I got.
Anyway, I'm glad you're at least enjoying Rosa's arc. And thank you again for commenting!
Sigh this is an underrated story and should deserve more notice. Like many more original works it lies buried beneath the popular fuzz. Anyway keep writing pal.
3419702
*Squee* Thank you!
I'll do my best to get the next chapter out soon! I don't know why, but I have it in my head that everyone hates this story. Why is that? I just don't know... Maybe I'm too much of a damn pessimist.
Sorry I haven't kept in contact regarding Hole-Hearted. Hopefully I'll get a chance to read some more soon.
I am finally caught up! Yeah! Thank goodness for slow moments in pulling down and exporting video files at work, right?
So here is my current evaluation on your story: 7/10
The Rosa arc is what's making this story worth while. She is a wonderfully fleshed out character, and the reason I have stuck it out so far. Her interactions with the other characters is great, and their interactions are just as entertaining.
The Voice of Reason arc is the arc that seems to be the most off setting. While I am starting to see where it's going, I wish it was better developed. You have outdone yourself with Rosa's story so much that it seems lackluster by comparison.
I am looking forward to seeing how this story further develops. Keep up the good work, and I am sorry it took forever to review this!
3465215
Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad you like Rosa's character. I'm always told that male writers often mess up when it comes to female characters so I'm glad I've struck a chord.
Your criticisms of the VOR story arc are indeed valid, and I may consider changing a few things around. To be honest, I've found my motivation for this story dwindling as I come up with other ideas, but knowing that people are still interested might just re-ignite my passion.
Wow.
I'd completely forgotten about fimfiction a while ago cos if work mounting up, and forgotten how good this is.
Though it's undeniably slow paced, you weave it so even day to day things seem relevant to the story as a whole. The multiple cut off points were very well done as well. The VOR storyline being mixed in as a good interlude too.
As ever, keep up the good work and it's ridiculous that this story doesn't have 10x the readership!
3636461
Your comment brings me joy such as you wouldn't believe!
I was honestly on the cusp of abandoning this fic about a week ago. I was ready to hang up my quill and click 'delete'. But I came to my senses. I want this fic to be more than just a story trapped in my head. I need to see it through to the very end, no matter how long it takes. For the readers, yes, but also for myself.
And as it just so happens, I'm in the final stages of editing the next chapter. you can expect it in about an hour or so.
Thank you for your support.
3636731
Wowzers, new chapter already :)
Glad that you didn't delete it, very rarely do we see a well thought through and planned story where the author has expected it to reach novel length.
Judging by how your chapter views have barely decreased, it's safe to say you've got a small group of us that are entirely happy to wait for you to work on it, and are patient waiting for the bigger narrative that ties it all together to become clear.
Good luck!