Me and my friends headed to Canterlot for another huge play, and this time it wasn't the Hearth's Warming Eve pageant like they had done before. Tonight, we were performing Sheakspony, and his most famous piece, Romeo and Juliet. Twilight was the leading lady, Juliet, Rainbow Dash was playing the furious and assertive Tybcolt, a perfect role for her, and Pinkie Pie was playing the comedic role of Mercutio.
And why was I joining them for the ride? Twilight had requested me to design the sets and work backstage. I gladly accepted. The best part about this was that Fire Twilight, Twi's coltfriend, was playing Romeo! The purple unicorn screamed with delight when she found out. Of course, we decided to keep her role as Juliet a secret so it would be a surprise.
For those of you who don't know, the story of Romeo and Juliet is something like this: The Capulinas and the Montufolinos have been fighting for ages. It is stage tradition that both sides be elites, meaning Pegusi and unicorns. Romeo, a Montufolino, and Juliet, a Capulina, fall in love despite this feud. They quickly marry, but Romeo kills Tybcolt and is banished to outside of Equestria. Juliet pretends to be dead, sends a messenger, but he doesn't arrive, and somepony else tells Romeo she's actually dead. Romeo kills himself, only for Juliet to find out and she kills herself, then both families decide to forget about this feud for the better.
Right now, I was looking for Fire Twilight to drop him a few hints about his fillyfriend being the female lead. I heard him rehearsing, "O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hooves do…" before opening the door to his dressing room. I asked, "Hey, Fire, ready for the play tonight?"
"Yeah, I'm just rehearsing the kissing scene. I have no idea who I might be kissing tonight. You…you don't think this'll dampen our relationship, do you?"
"Oh, no. In fact, I think this might even draw you two closer…" I almost giggled out the words, dropping an obvious hint.
"What do you mean? Do you know who's playing Juliet?"
"Well, all I do know is that you two spend a lot of time together, and are best friends that-!"
"I've got it! I know who the leading lady's identity is!" He put his hooves on my shoulders. "It's you!" He then left the dressing room, prepared to come on stage, and Twilight came in, dressed for her first scene. She asked, "So, did he find out?"
"Actually…he thinks I'm playing Juliet."
"Wait, you're not even a unicorn!"
"That's what I thought! But…do you want to surprise him?"
"What are you thinking of doing?"
"Well, we could get some hairspray, extensions, and a few other things to make you look more like me…"
"Or I could use a copy spell to mime your appearance…" the purple unicorn explained, readying her horn for the spell. With a bright flash of light, the unicorn's hair and tail now looked like mine, with only one minor flaw.
"You're hair's magenta," I pointed out, "like the streak you usually have…"
"Another stage tradition. The Capulinas have red and pink hair, and the Montufolinos have blue and purple hair," she explained. "Now, I think it's time we headed out to the backstage." She and I did so, and everypony in the audience hushed as we saw Princess Luna come onto the stage. The announced, "It has been many, many years since I have seen this play performed, and it is just as good as I remember it. Tonight, my sister has given me the privilege to read the prologue." She cleared her throat, and then recited:
"Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Canterlot, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hooves unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whole misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, naught could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend." Luna got off the stage as applause filled the theater, and the curtain was raised for the first scene. The first scene involved servants from both sides biting their hooves at each other, thus starting a fight. The Prince, played by Prince Blueblood, then tells both sides that if another fight like this breaks out, somepony will be severely punished.
After Romeo and Benvolio getting some invitations by helping an illiterate and Mercutio going on about somepony named Queen Mab, came the next big scene where Romeo and Juliet meet. I watched from backstage as Fire Twilight said the same lines he was reciting earlier, "O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hooves do;
They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."
"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake," Twilight said as Juliet.
"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.
Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged."
"Then have my lips the sin that they have took," she explained as the two kissed. The yellow unicorn questioned, "Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!
Give me my sin again." They then kissed once more, and Juliet gasped, "You kiss by the book!" Nurse, played by Nurse Redheart, interrupted the moment by stating, "Madam, your mother craves a word with you." Juliet went offstage and I immediately asked her, "You think he noticed your kiss?"
"I hope," she replied, "otherwise I don't know where or when he may find out it's me!" She then changed into her nightgown for the next scene, where she got up on the balcony. Romeo, upon seeing this, announced, "But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is Celestia.
Arise, Celestia, and kill the envious Luna,
Who is already sick and pale with grief…" apparently, Sheakspony could see Luna's jealousy before she became Nightmare Moon. The couple plan to get married, and Romeo goes to Friar Lawrence, played by Fancypants, who is against it, but then realizes this might end the big family feud once and for all. So he agrees to wed them, and their marriage is happy…
Until the next day, when Mercutio gets in a fight with Tybcolt. Tybcolt, played by RD, announced, "Mercutio, thou consortest with Romeo."
"Consort?" Mercutio, played by Pinkie, questioned. "What, dost thou make us minstrels? An thou make minstrels of us, look to hear nothing but Discord. Here's my fiddlestick," she pulled out a rapier using her horn (Twi gave her one using magic before the show.) "Here's what shall make you dance. Zounds, consort!" Then, Romeo shows up and tries to break up the fight, but fails miserably and Mercutio gets injured and dies.
Romeo then gets banished to outside of Equestria….I've already told you all of this, so let's skip to the death scene. Juliet had just woken up, only to find Romeo dead, and now truly killed herself. Once the remaining members of the family, Prince, and Friar Lawrence had found them dead, and the two feuding families made up with each other, the prince recited the final words of the play: "A glooming peace this morning with it brings;
The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head:
Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things;
Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished:
For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo." As the curtains closed, everypony, and even some backstage clopped for the performers and the show. Everypony involved went out onto the stage for a bow. As we did so, Twilight's little disguise gave out, and Fire Twilight gasped, "Twi? It was you the whole time?" Of course, only the ponies onstage could hear him over the still deafening applause.
"Yes…it was me the entire time," she replied.
"How…how could I have been so stupid and not noticed it was you? I mean, you guys nearly kissed the same way!"
"I-I'm sorry, it's just that I wanted it to be a surprise and maybe that would-!" The purple mare's apology was interrupted by the yellow stallion's kiss. I thought to myself, there was never a more beautiful love that was magic, and I know for certain this one won't end as tragic…