Here comes the tragedy part of the story, everypony! I know the last part of the story was super rushed, and I apologize. I'm not very good at writing fight scenes. I apologize for the repetition of Ingénue's line in chapter seven. Anywho, enjoy!
There are some more OCs in this chapter. Gears gets a "mane" part, and JackalFoxx's Cinder Gold is featured too. My dad's OC, Story Time, is coming up in the next chappie.
- Almost Novi
XXX
Suddenly, it was summer… but I wasn't happy. I'd been grounded for months after my terrible fight with Hopscotch, and my parents had forbade me from doing the thing I loved most. They wouldn't let me try out for any plays, they took away all of my scripts, and we didn't even do our annual Starlet-Performer Family Summer Play Week. This was a tradition that had started before I was born – every summer for one straight week we would see as many plays as we could. We scrimped and saved for it all year, even though it wasn't too hard with my parent's earnings.
But… no. Not this year. My parents wouldn't even go by themselves, even though I told them I could handle myself at home. I had said, "Mom, Dad! It's like you're punishing yourselves, here!"
Dad had glared at me, his golden eyes narrowing. "Thespian Moon," he said through gritted teeth, "if we can't trust you to handle yourself at school, we certainly can't trust you to handle yourself at home."
My life was sucking. Our apartment, which usually felt airy and spacious and cozy, began to feel cramped. Since my left wing was broken, I couldn't even fly. It was bandaged and stuck to my side like glue. I couldn't have lifted it even if I wanted to, and if I did if would feel like a hot poker stuck into my side. My ears were heavy with bandages too, so it looked as if I was a Doberman who'd just gotten its ears clipped. The doctor had told me I couldn't flip my ears down, so I had to keep them straight up in the air.
Everything sucked.
I sighed, flipping through a magazine and sipping some orange juice. The magazine was about the newest fashions in Paris, Prance, and I honestly couldn't have cared less. Suddenly, I heard a soft fluttering at the window. I trotted over and peered outside. It was about one in the morning, and both of my parents were asleep. The sky was so dark that I couldn't see a thing. Suddenly, though a pair of bright blue eyes was staring into mine. I clapped a hoof over my mouth and squeaking in surprise. I opened the window softly and hissed, "Ballad?!"
He waved a hoof and winked. Solo flew in next to him, her golden eyes glinting in the moonlight. The siblings' gray pelts made them almost invisible in the moonlight, so they just looked like a pair of golden eyes with a floating blue mane and tail, and a pair of blue eyes with a floating purple mane and tail.
"What are you doing here?!" I whispered. "I'm grounded!" Of course, I ached to see them. Solo was my best friend, and I hadn't seen her since school had gotten out! And Ballad… well, you know that story. Solo Song flew inside, putting a hoof to her lips and swiveling her ears around. When she confirmed it was silent, she waved her brother in. She lifted my left front leg and Ballad lifted my right front leg. I was hanging awkwardly between them, but they were both careful of my wing.
Solo nuzzled me. "We missed you," she breathed.
I smiled. "Where are we going?" I murmured, knowing they'd come to break me out.
"On an adventure," Ballad said in barely a breath. We flew out of the apartment and into the night sky, shutting the window all but an inch so we would be able to get back in. I swung back and forth as the siblings carried me up to a cloud. When we were all settled on it, Ballad gave me a crushing hug. "I missed you so much!" he cried.
I shrieked in pain. "Ballad! Wing! Wing!" I screamed. He let me go and apologized for about three straight minutes until his sister bucked him off the cloud. I heard a cry, and then he flew back up to us, muttering, "Point taken."
"Where are we going for our adventure?" I asked exhilarated by the fact that I, Thespian Moon, age fourteen, was sneaking out for the first time. The stars shimmered as a cool breeze ruffled my mane. The lights of the city that never slept twinkled below us.
"To a cast party!" Solo said excitedly. "We're the only Pegasi, so we've been sent to retrieve you." She wouldn't tell me any more than that. She and Ballad lifted me again, and I hung between them like an oversized doll as we flew. I flapped my good wing, but it didn't do us much good.
We finally got to a big abandoned warehouse that I recognized. I'd flown past it a couple times. From the dingy, grimy windows I could see a pink light shining. Solo lifted me carefully on to Ballad's back and bucked at a giant door. It was made of steel and reinforced. The buck echoed loudly, and suddenly the door began grinding open slowly. It was coated in a green magic, and I could see that the pony using said magic was straining with it. Finally, though, it rumbled open. Gears stood there with one leg around Stunning Stitch and the other firmly planted on the ground.
"Hi!" I exclaimed excitedly, getting carefully off of Ballad's back. I wobbled over to Stunning and hugged her. I knocked hooves with Gears and grinned. "Thanks for getting me out of there… I was starting to go crazy. They took away my scripts!"
Solo Song gasped. "They WHAT?!" she shrieked, her wings flaring out with shock.
"I know," I said glumly.
"Well c'mon!" Gears said excitedly, tugging us all inside. The warehouse was massive! It could've easily held an entire hoofball stadium. The yawning entrance ground closed as Gears strained with the door. The cement floor was cool to the touch, and spanned on forever. Surprisingly, there was no machinery inside. The expanse was completely devoid of life except of all of my friends, a few ponies I didn't know, and some snacks and drinks.
I trotted over to them and high-hoofed Stage Crew, flank-checked Bright Light, and turned to a pony I didn't know. She was a brilliant golden color with bright blue eyes and a white mane and tail that were braided intricately. "Hi," I said with a smile, sticking out a hoof for her to shake. "I'm Thespian Moon."
She took my hoof politely and gave a small smile. "I'm Cinder Gold."
I took a look at her cutie mark, which was an anvil. "You're touch," I said with a grin, pointing to her cutie mark.
"I'm a forger," she said. "I help build the metal stuff for the plays." Now that she mentioned it, I recalled seeing a flash of gold and cream now and then in the metalwork class, but I'd never paid her much attention.
"Awesome to meet you," I said.
Cinder Gold gave me a radiant smile. She turned to Gears and Stunning, who seemed inseparable. That was a new development. "What're we doing?" she asked. "My dad is going to be angry when he finds out I took the train all the way here." She explained to me about how she lived on the very edge of Canterlot, and every morning very early she rode the train to Manehattan High. Money was short, so she wasn't allowed to ride the train anywhere else.
"It's summer," Gears pointed out.
"So?" Cinder Gold said. I could see she was getting a little annoyed. "Dad will notice the money gone even more now!"
Gears shrugged. "You didn't have to come," he said. Turning to the rest of us, he grinned. "Three of us are Earth ponies. Two are unicorns, and three are Pegasi." He gave me a pointed glance. "One of the Pegasi can't fly, so that makes four Earth ponies."
I stuck my tongue out.
"ANYway, since the Earth ponies outnumber us, I thought we could cater to them: We're having a seven-legged race!" He used his green magic to produce several pieces of rope. "Find a partner, everypony!" We all groaned and grumbled, but we were secretly smiling. I flank-checked Solo and grinned.
"Partner?" we said at the same time, and then cracked up in unison. Gears and Stunning obviously couldn't go anywhere without touching each other, so they got their front legs tied together. Ballad and Cinder Gold partnered up, and Bright Light and Stage Crew partnered. We all had out left front legs tied together, and then lined up side-by-side.
"No cheating!" Gears said in a scolding tone. And then added, "GO!" He took off with Stunning, and they moved as one fluid machine. They stuck the legs that were tied together out in front of them and ran on three legs. They were fast! A flash of pink and brown, going together perfectly. Solo and I ramped up the speed. We were a streak of gray and white. The cold concrete met my hooves and I jumped a little bit each time, as it was a freezing shock. Ballad and Cinder Gold seemed to have a bit of trouble. Ballad would start going fast, and the golden Earth pony would lag behind. When she went faster, Ballad was caught off-guard. In the end, Cinder Gold let out a cry and began galloping at full speed, practically dragging my coltfriend along. He began to gallop too, but was faster, and they both stumbled, tripping and falling in a heap of gray-and-gold pelts, and purple-and-white manes. Her braid flew into the air. Stage Crew whooped and leapt over the two, but Bright Light wasn't expecting it. Her white fur glinted in the moonlight as she tripped over a moaning Ballad. Her light blue mane flew into the air, and she did a backwards summersault, taking Stage with her.
I giggled. "C'mon, Solo!" I cried, feeling great. We both ran faster than I thought possible, and passed the glint of pink and brown. In the end, we reached the other side of the warehouse first. I collapsed in a heap and heaved until I got my breath back. Solo and I gloated and giggled, and the night wore on.
It was awesome.
XXX
I woke up in my own bedroom, remembering how awesome last night had been. I'd actually fallen asleep at the party, which had been a little embarrassing. The doctor HAD said that I shouldn't do too much strenuous activity, and I was tired. Ballad and Solo had carried me back to my house, tucking me into my bed and leaving a note that said,
Hi! It's Solo! Uh… Ballad, too! Fine, it's both of us. That's better. I just wanted to say good night, my sleepy Thespie. This isn't a love letter, Bard. Don't call me that. Fine. ANYWAY, goodnight, Thespie! Hope you had fun! I sure did. Me too. Gears wanted us to tell you you'll be seeing more of that Earth pony with the braids, Cinder Gold. Apparently, she's one of our metalworkers now. Do plays even HAVE metalworkers? Well… now they do. Don't be rude, Ballad. I liked her. Just because you two fell over doesn't mean you shouldn't like her. I never said I didn't. (-.-) Don't write that face. It looks stupid. Not even acknowledging that comment. By the by… Gears and Stunning are an item now! Wow, I feel like a girl for saying that. Stunning wanted me to tell you that. She squealed a lot. Goodnight, sweet Thespie. Goodnight to my BFF!
Love Ballad Bard. And Solo Song.
I grinned when I read the letter and hugged it to my chest, putting it under my bed for safekeeping. I trotted out of my room to pour myself some cereal and get back to my room. My parents were still angry with me, so it was awkward. When I got outside, both of my parents were sitting at the table, their hooves folded and their brows creased. Mom looked like she had been crying. Dad had his powder-blue leg around her.
"Mom? Dad?" I asked. "What's going on?"
"Thespian Moon," my mom sniffed. "It's about…" She trailed off and began crying softly.
"Your old friend," my dad said, patting her back and taking over. "Hopscotch."
My good wing flared out and I gritted my teeth. "What about him?" I growled.
"He's dead."
