Story: OC Silver Mint; Snapshots in Time

[SilverMint]

Alright, just so everypony knows, I'm not capable of these epic let's-make-it-a-novel writings. My brain (and thus, my characterization process) works in small scenes that define who and what my character is, so this topic will be devoted to several short stories that come from the life of my character, Silver Mint. These are probably going to be posted anachronistically, but I'm going to try and make sure it's very obvious what order they go in so that any of you loyal Silver Mint fans out there... *cricket, cricket* er... well if any pony out there wants to figure out his full life-story, it should be easy to go from there. I WILL post something soon, I just want to proofread it and flesh out some of the details before I go posting sub-standard work.

[SilverMint]

Story 1: A Failed Audition

“…and so, for all of his faults, he was a pony with passionate resolve, and an unfathomable love for his countryponies. I choose this day to honor his sacrifice, and raise my glass in his memory! For no leader before his time, or after, can match the glory achieved by Naponyan Bonaparte!”

Silver Mint’s final words resonated through the theater. His eyes were fixed up into the glare of the spotlight, but his ears strained for any response to his monologue. The theater was silent until the creak of chair broke the tension as one of the panel leaned forward to look at his notes.

“Mr… Silver Mint, was it?” the graying stallion asked. He continued before Silver Mint could answer, “You do realize that choosing an audition monologue from the classic “Life and Times of Naponyan Bonaparte,” a monologue performed by none other than the late, great Joel Neigh… and NOT performing it in his style and cadence would immediately set you up for failure?”

The two ponies flanking the stallion nodded vigorously, but pedantic yes-ponies were beneath the notice of esteemed director Stephen Spielherd, who continued to glare at Silver Mint with poorly concealed disdain.

“Well…” Silver Mint started, his brain doing its best to grind out an excuse. “I thought it would be an opportunity to show you all that while I do admire and respect the classics, I think everything is open to interpretation, and that putting a new spin on the classics will open them up to audiences who might not like the old style of performing.”

“Interpretation? A New Spin?” Spielherd sputtered, scattering his papers in his astonishment, “The classics are classic for a reason, you dense little colt!” He slammed a hoof on his table to make a dramatic point. “You don’t go changing things just because YOU think it’s a good idea! Such childish behavior; do not expect to be called back for a reading. Thank you.”

“Wait! Mr. Spielherd—“

“I said: ‘THANK YOU.’ “

The spotlight went out on Silver Mint, leaving him to make his way offstage in the dark. He couldn’t believe it; after calling in every favor owed to him in Phillydelphia, he had wrangled himself an audition for Spielherd’s latest show, but blew it by trying to be daring and memorable.

As Silver Mint exited the theater, he was stopped by a voice. “You know, sonny…” he turned to an older stallion, the theater’s custodian, sweeping the front walk. “I knew Joel Neigh, and he was never quite satisfied with the way he delivered that passage night-after-night. I think with the way you performed it just now, he would’ve been mighty proud to see it.”

Silver Mint froze, mouth agape. This old stallion knew Joel Neigh? The custodian continued, “Don’t be put off by Spielherd; finding fault in young actors is his way of feeling better about himself. Keep up the good work, kid, and maybe I’ll be putting your name up on that marquee, someday.” Silver Mint looked up at the theater’s blinking lights, promoting the current show, then down the block of Phillydelphia’s entertainment district. He smiled. This was exactly what he wanted, and he couldn’t let one failed audition get him down. He turned to thank the old pony, but he was already gone.

Silver Mint took a deep breath, and started the long walk back to his apartment, a new-found determination in his canter.

[SilverMint]

Story 2: The First Performance

Mr. Chalk's eyes scanned the room of young ponies. He prompted them again: "...now then, would anyone like to volunteer for Show and Tell?" he asked. Many of his students looked away from him, some of them blushing with embarrassment. He took note of the hoof waving in the back of the room, but would hold off on calling on that particular colt until he absolutely had to.

Failing to make eye contact with any of his students, Mr. Chalk let out a sigh. "Alright, Silver Mint, come forward and give your presentation, but please keep it short this time." Mr. Chalk stood behind his desk as an enthusiastic set of hooves galloped their way to the front of the classroom.

"Ahem!" Silver Mint said, addressing his audience, not actually clearing his voice, but he knew that was how his father gained attention whenever he wished to speak. "Now then, for my Show and Tell project, I'd like you all to meet a Pegasus who has joined me on adventures deep in the jungle, high on the mountaintops, over scorching deserts and frozen tundras... a Pegasus who has forgotten more about adventuring than Daring Do would ever know..." He gave a dramatic pause, noting the excited, expectant looks on his classmate's faces. He knew that this was the perfect moment for the reveal! He reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a rather worn and faded Pegasus plush, which he held up to give the entire class a good look. "I'd like you all to meet... Apollo Voyage!!!"

With his attention focused on Apollo Voyage, Silver Mint didn't notice the exchanged looks of incredulity or the silent snickers from his classmates; who were all far too old and mature to be caught dead playing with such things. Mr. Chalk silenced the class with the glare, Silver Mint had a hard enough time in school without being laughed at during the one class activity he was actually excited to participate in.

Silver Mint continued enthusiastically, oblivious to the silent ruminations in the classroom. "Just last week, Apollo and I were travelling through the jungles of Terra Misu," he explained, crawling along the floor, climbing over ferns and ducking under low-hanging branches. "We were stranded, of course, because our hot air balloon sprained a leak during a terrible storm." He shook and weaved, emulating the sounds of wind, lightning, and thunder. "So as we were looking for a source of water, or a clearing to set up camp, we heard an ominous buzzing..." Silver Mint froze, eyes wide in a slowly-mounting horror. "I thought it was bees, but Apollo knew better, he told me these weren't just any bees, that was the sound of Zom-bees! Deadly, zombified bees that, if they sting you, slowly mutate you into an ugly, lifeless, flesh-hungry zombie!!!"

Silver Mint dared a glance away from his reenactment to look at his audience, they were staring intently at him with what he assumed was interest. He continued.

"The only thing that can scare away Zom-bees is direct sunlight, so Apollo and I climbed the closest big tree we could find!" Silver Mint explained as he leapt from a nearby chair onto the desk of a classmate, who yelped in surprise. "We leapt from branch-to-branch, the roaring buzz of the Zom-bees right behind us!" he explained, leaping onto each of his classmate's desks in turn, before finally landing on Mr. Chalk's desk. "We made it to the canopy, just in time!" he declared, "The sun dazzled us in its brilliance," he said. So enraptured in his own story, that he thought he imagined a bright flash lighting up the classroom, "...and at that point we knew we'd make it through this adventure, and onto many others. The class responded with an appreciative "Oooooh!" and began applauding the young colt standing on their teacher's desk.

Silver Mint looked over his classmates and noticed that instead of their focus and applause being on him, it was focused somewhere on his backside... he turned and saw on his flank were two masks, black and white, happy and sad-- his Cutie Mark had appeared! In shock, he turned to Mr. Chalk, who was smiling appreciatively. "Well," Mr. Chalk said, "I think you owe your audience something for that superb performance."

Silver Mint looked over the classroom of cheering students, and took his first bow in front of an applauding audience.