>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...”