/emo/ Drama Cut, chp 1

>Focus, you can do this, just remember your lines.
>Don’t forgot the lines and the moves practiced, please...
>”What say you Captain Spark? Will you join me or will you be my enemy?”
>Here we go.
“You ask me to betray the crown? Are you mad Sombra?”
>He gives lets out a grand laugh.
>”Mad? No, of course not. The old crown is no more, I AM the new crown, the new king.”
>Letting out a gasp, you point at him in accusation.
“The only crown around here is Princess Amore, have at thee fiend!”
>Pulling out your prop sword, you assume the stance, just like in practice.
>”Fiend? We’ll see about that you sniveling worm once you’re beneath my hoof!”
>He draw his sword and the two of you exchange blows.
>As the two of you clash, the sound of wood clanking together and grunting echos throughout the room.
>At last, you land the decisive blow and point your sword at his throat.
“You are defeated Sombra, accept your fate and die with honor.”
>He smirks and cackles.
>”You’re such a fool Spark, you could’ve served me, now you will suffer.”
>As you raise your eyebrow, a glow of magic covers you and you freeze up.
“What sort of trickery is this? Have you no honor?”
>Laughing once more, he stands and shakes his head.
>”What good is honor, when you’re dead?”
>A great deal of smoke surrounds you and you fall through the trap door while he laughs.
>Above, you hear the applause as you’re coughing.
*Cough cough* “They need to lay off the special effects...” *Cough*
>You exit the stage and reemerge to see director smiling.
>>”Well done you two, that was perfect.”
>You give a bow and smile.
“Thank you Mr. Town, working with Cliff has helped immensely.”
>He nods and turns to Sombra, well, Cliff.
>>”I knew you two would work well together, now then, lets prepare for the next scene.”
>Nodding, you and Cliff pick up the scripts to go over them.
>It’s amazing how well you’ve improved with his help.

>”Alright, so when I enter the dungeon, you’re supposed to be knocked out.”
“That’s right, you taunt me and the usual stereotypical bad guy stuff.”
>He shakes his head.
>”It’s not all stereotypes Mellow, do remember this is based on actual events.”
“It’s embellished, do you honestly think it went exactly like this?”
>Cliff arches a brow and frowns.
>”Of course not, but we have to treat it exactly as if it was. Remember what I told you.”
>You haven’t forgotten, but you do get sick of hearing it from him, even if he has been acting long before you have.
“I know, I know...Play the role as if you were the character in question.”
>He nods and looks back to script.
>”Good, now then, I taunt and torture you with ‘magic’, trying to get you turn.”
“I resist, you continue to torture me, using illusions against me and the like.”
>Cliff looks over the script some more, likely memorizing his lines.
>As you’re doing the same, you think to how this event actually went.
>In truth, Sombra wouldn’t have given the captain a second chance, he would’ve just killed him outright rather than waste his time.
>Of course, it’s a play, so they have to make it more exciting by having the hero resist the villain rather than dying.
>Giving the script another look, you set it down and head over to the dungeon they have set up.
>Looks great despite being made of wood and having a painted wall with fake chains attached to it.
>One of the makeup artists comes up and quickly gives you a roughed up appearance.
>As they finishing applying it, you rear up and have your hooves placed in the shackles.
>They’re pretty loose though, so you gotta pretend they’re actually holding you.
>So much work has gone into this play, but still…
>It’s not what you really want.
>You’d rather be a real actor, not some small time pony at the local theater.

>Not like you have a choice though.
>Sure, you’ve tried to go big, but that didn’t pan out.
>Doesn’t help that you get super nervous and mess up.
>It’s not a problem most of the time, but it always seems to happen when you’re in the middle of something important.
>”Alright, action!”
>Snapping out of it, you focus on the scene.
>”Mwuahahaha! How the mighty captain has fallen.”
>Lifting your head up, you let out a small groan and slowly raise your head.
“I-I’m still alive?”
>He paces around the room taunting you.
>”Of course, I am a merciful king after all...To let you, a great captain, go to waste...Would be a terrible mistake.”
>Shaking your head, you give your best glare.
“You won’t get away with this! The citizens won’t stand idly by as you try to seize power!”
>Laughing, he gives a large grin.
>”Oh but I already have! The entire empire is under my hoof. Your former comrades are working for me now, it’s only a matter of time before you join them. Just see the light and join me Spark.”
“Never!”
>”I’m afraid you have no choice, let’s see how well you hold up to this!”
>As you’re surrounded by a magic glow again, you struggle, but accidentally slip out of your shackles and fall face flat.
“Ow...”
>”Are you alright Mellow? That looked like it hurt.”
>Only your pride…
>Slowly, you stand back up, rubbing your face.
“Yeah I’m fine.”
>You hear a sigh and turn to see the director frowning.
>>”I think we’ll call it here until tomorrow.”
>You feel awful for screwing up again, and slowly, you slouch.
>>”Alright everypony, lets clean up and remember to practice your lines!”
>As you’re about to go, Cliff stops you.
>He gives you a half smile and nods.
>”Good job today, just keep doing what I told you.”
>You nod and head off to help out on clean up.

>You inspect your latest creation carefully.
>Not that you really need to, you’ve done this so many times, but it never hurts to make sure it’s perfect.
>Letting out a breath, you set it aside with the other crafts.
“Another paper heart. Wonder what I should make next?”
>As you gaze around the park, you see a family of birds in the nearby tree, happily chirping.
>A smile slowly forms on your face, and you nod, knowing what to do.
>Grabbing another sheet of paper, you start to fold.
>Though as you go to flip over the sheet, you accidentally cut yourself.
>Lifting your hoof up, it’s a small cut that bleeds slowly.
>Ignoring the pain, you go back back to folding, cutting yourself again and staining it.
>Doesn’t matter though, it always adds a little more color to your creations.
>Finishing it up, you gently lift it and make the little wings move.
“Not bad, it’s really cute.”
>Setting it with the rest, you look up to see your best friend approaching.
>You give yourself a once over and make sure you’re not a mess.
“Good enough.”
>Nodding, you stand up and wave to him.
“Hi Mellow!”
>He smiles and picks up the pace, you can see he brought his guitar like usual.
>”Hey there Paper.”
>As you beam, you feel your heart beat faster.
>Other than the smiling faces of foals, he is the only other pony to make your day better.
>”Sorry I’m late, rehearsal lasted longer than usual and I had to help clean up of course.”
>Shaking your head, you give him a hug.
“It’s okay, I understand you can busy with the theater. You’re here now anyways, so that’s always good.”
>As you pull back, you see his smile widen.
>”Y-yeah, of course.”
>You sit back down and pick up another sheet to start folding.
“So tell me how it went.”
>Mellow sits down and opens up his case to pull out his guitar.
>”With the exception of a few mistakes, pretty well actually.”

>Though he says that, you know his mistakes often affect him greatly.
>He starts to tune his instrument, and you fold the paper in half again.
>Can’t let him hide it though, so you press on.
“I don’t mind you telling me all about it, you know I enjoy hearing how your plays go.”
>As he tunes, you see him frown from the corner of your eye.
>”Well...Cliff and I did our duel, with me winning of course, but him using magic to capture me. They used too much smoke for effect, didn’t really mess anything up there.”
>You finish up your creation and look over the flower you created.
>Mellow starts to strum his guitar, no song in particular though.
>Something he does when he thinks.
>”In the next scene, I was being tortured. Everything started out great, but I accidentally fell forward onto my face.”
>You wince as you cut yourself again with another sheet.
“Oh, but everything else went alright?”
>His frown is still on his face as he plays a few more chords.
>”I forgot my lines twice. The director wasn’t happy about that.”
>Folding the sheet over again, you stop and touch his wither, giving him a gently squeeze.
“It was a simple mistake, we all forget sometimes.”
>Mellow stops playing and sighs.
>”Yeah, I know you’re right. That doesn’t it from bothering me. I should be able to recite these lines with ease by now.”
>Of course he is still beating himself up, he always does that.
>Not like this is the first time you’ve tried to break him out of this line of thought.
>You look over to your small collection of origami figures, you pick up the paper heart and offer it to him.
“Here, you need this.”
>He turns his head to you and looks down at the heart in your hoof.
>”Oh, you don’t need to do that Paper. I’m sure somepony would love to buy it from your stall.”
>As he tries to push it away, you bring it closer and give him a larger smile.

“I’m sure of it Mellow, you need to not be so hard on yourself. You’re a great actor, and this heart should help you remember that.”
>You can see the conflict on his face.
>He sighs, closes his eyes briefly before reopening them with a smile.
>”Alright, if you insist. But only because it’s from you.”
>He takes it and places it beside his guitar case before going back to playing.
>Nodding, you return to folding.
>The random notes slowly shift into a familiar song he has played before.
>A small group of ponies starts form near you two, listening to his music.
>Mellow pays them no mind, focusing on his music instead.
>You finish up another crane and stop to watch Mellow.
>He is completely immersed into it now, shame he can’t keep that kind of focus up with his acting.
>Someday though, just got to keep reminding him everyday if you have to.
>As he finishes, the group applauds and tosses some bits into his open case.
>”Thanks everypony, I really appreciate the donations.”
>He smiles and plays another song.
>Turning your attention back, you put away your things and sit while he plays.
>Closing your eyes, you enjoy the music while you think.
>Tomorrow should be better, hopefully.
>You have plenty to sell like usual, but that doesn’t quite cover it, because you’re barely making it by.
>The last song finishes with an applause, and you open your eyes.
>”Thanks again everypony, I’m going to pack up.”
>The crowd starts to dissipate as Mellow deals with his donations and guitar.
>>”You’re lucky to have him Missy.”
>Turning your head, you see an elderly mare looking at you with a smile.
“He is great, isn’t he?”
>She nods, continuing on.
>>”I’d be jealous if I was younger, not often you find good stallions like that.”
>Immediately you blush and stammer out a response.
“I-He...We...Uh?”
>She laughs and shakes her head.

>>”No need to be embarrassed deary, just an old mare hassling you. Take care.”
>As she leaves, you cool your head.
>You and Mellow are friends, not together.
>Though that doesn’t stop you from thinking about it from time to time.
>Not the first time that somepony has brought it up either, won’t be the last.
>Shaking your head, you turn back to Mellow, who has just finished putting his things away.
>He does a light stretch and readjusts his bandanna before turning his attention to you.
>”This was great Paper, same time tomorrow?”
“Yeah of course.”
>Mellow picks up his case and starts to trot off.
>As you see him disappear into the distance, you let out a sigh and hunch a little.
“It’s getting later, so I should get going as well.”
>Picking up your own things, you start to trot home.
>Along the way, you start to sing a old song you heard when you were little.
“The sun will come out...Tomorrow...”