The "Foals in Need" Charity Concert [Dead]

[Deleted]

// Okay guys, this event will be split into two segments, the "Meet and Greet" in which case your OC ponies can join in on the charity concert, open stalls, sign up for being on-stage or just be in the audience and watch the show! The meet and greet event gives all the characters opportunity to meet each other, interact and just simply have fun! During this time, the MC (Lollipop Porcelain) will decide on the show's performance order. The second half of the event will result in this thread becoming private -so you only have so long to join in!- and will actually be the show itself! So I do hope you guys join in and have fun!
Sidenote, this first thread will be updated to add in all the performers at the bottom on the clipboard. So if you write your character down in this RP, I'll add them on here.

EDIT! POST ORDER!
-20monkies, Boxley, CableZ, ForgottenExistance, Tartan Lassie, (Anyone Else who wants to join before made Private)//

Towards the inner-city of Manehattan was a large concert hall best known as "The Windfall", noted as being one of the biggest and most glamorous in all of Equestria, always known for holding large events and concerts that gather wide acclaim from all kinds of ponies in and out of the city. The building itself was based loosely on the design of a drum kit, but has a very post-modern feel with regards to its delivery in its appearance, as it merges shapes that from a distance could be noted as being a snare drum, bass drum, tom-toms, hi-hat, a crash and ride symbol and a splash symbol. Due to its initial design as being predominantly a large music hall for large performing artists, the whole building itself had actually evolved to just become an all-around piece of modern architecture that can hold a great mass of conventions and concerts. The exterior of the building itself made wonderful use of fountains and at night-time, the whole place lit with such wonderful lighting and spotlights firing into the sky in amasses of colours, making it very clear that there was something incredible going on inside. The whole building itself was placed on a platform in the middle of a ring of water, almost looking like a moat from an ancient castle once gone, but the water itself didn't sink particularly low, it was more for just effect and the water always had some form of dye in it to create spectacular dancing light effects from the lighting under the water which fired onto the sides of the building, creating swirling masses of colour, as the whole thing itself was predominantly whites and greys. Many had marvelled at its design, some going as far as calling it a "masterpiece", and some travelling all over Equestria just to hold consort in the massive creation itself.

Tonight however, it would be host to one of the biggest charity events of the year, the very first "Foals in Need" charity concert held in Manehattan itself! Ponies from all over would be rushing in tonight to catch a glimpse of a celebrity or two, some to perform their own bands voluntarily, and even some to just get publicity. But the most important part of tonight would be about pleasing the audience, and all the proceeds would go to the charity itself. It would be taking part in the largest hall that was inside of The Windfall's many rooms, and it was advertised on the outside of the building on a large, hoof-painted banner with the words "Foals in Need Charity Concert!!!" painted across it by local foals in a school. 


The room that it was to fit into had high ceilings and complex lighting fixtures dotted around the room, high up on the ceiling with a control booth elevated and hidden away by a glass screen. The stage alone filled up a lot of the room, being in a 'thrust' style, which meant that the stage itself  was actually pushed out into the audience so that everyone could have a clear view of what was going on. The room also had a significant amount of posters and advertisements, showing off local businesses that had donated to the charity and supported it, whilst simultaneously, there was the logo for the charity plastered along the back wall of the stage's clean-white backdrop.  There were 3 doors leading into the place, not including the ones backstage, one main entry doorway, and two other emergency doors at the sides of the hall. The entire back wall where the entry door was, was completely plastered with empty stalls, awaiting for the ponies to set up their merchandise and food or drink during the meet and greet session which would be starting in half an hour or so.


A mare stood with a checklist in her hooves, holding a pen in her mouth as she ticked off all of the necessary things for tonight. There were stalls, booths, lighting, staff, emergency doors, a special 'sponsors only' area for all of the bigger businesses that have donated to the charity, there were security in case somepony got out of hand, and there was certainly fun to be had. She grinned to herself, clearly proud of all of her efforts having come together in the end. Her mane had clearly been attacked by so much hairspray that it seemed as though it would never move again, and she had built her outfit based on the spectrum of colours used in the advertising campaign and the logo itself, which had a picture of silhouetted foals of all races, holding hands together, each with a different colour of the rainbow on them, whilst the text 'Foals in Need' was highlighted below it and there were random hoofprints scattered around the picture. The mare had also placed a few small temporary white jewels on her face, wearing an outfit and creating a style that would gather a lot of attention to her, whilst also keeping in with the theme for the night; this was her biggest event yet and being a model on the rise, this was certainly an opportunity for Lollipop Porcelain to shine.

She grinned to herself; this was her big charity event, she had been headlined all over Equestria for this event, and it made her heart swell to have so much positive publicity, especially when it was with such a big project that she had such passion for! She danced a little to herself, giggling as she couldn't believe how incredible tonight was going to be. The music was ready, the stage was set, and all she needed now were the performers.

Oh! She almost hit herself in the head as she realised she had yet to leave out the list for performers to write down their names, acts and such on during the meet and greet attempt. She rushed over to the front desk were some security guards were already standing, idly chattering as she passed by. The entry fee for the event was 20 Bits, a reasonable price for an event of this size and everyone got a complimentary bag with nic-nacs related to the event, such as things like a book on the charity; branded whistles with the logo; stickers; etc but of course you would get your lanyard to wear around your neck, so you can go in and out of the event as the bathrooms were just outside of the hall. And of course, all of the money involved would go directly to the charity itself as the money for this event had been paid for by the sponsors and even Lollipop herself had donated a small amount to preparing everything appropriately. She skipped happily as she gathered up the sheets of paper that were prepared for all the performers to write down their names. Although most had already been written down prior as being able to come and perform, they were all still required to have their notices written down, and Lolly settled the clipboards down next to all the ponies who would be serving customers who would be coming into the event.

The clipboard itself read:

PERFORMERS:

ACT:

PREFERRED TIMESLOT:

[20monkies]

**EDITED**

// As per conversation with CableZ, I have edited my post. So please re-read this before moving forward. This is an updated version I'm sorry if I confused anybody. Thank you! //

Onyx Bass had a fight with his parents. There was nothing new about that. He was always trying to do something out of the box, and by their standard it was always unacceptable. Being highly regarded in Canterlot for their work, his father a spokespony for an advertising agency, and his mother a fashion magazine editor, they thought a charity event was nothing to be excited about. After all, there was no money to be made by putting in all your effort for the cause.

That was what made him so mad. Did everything have to be about money? Did being a unicorn make them feel all the more superior than him? Sure, he was the odd one in the family as even his younger brother was a unicorn. But that didn't mean he didn't have equal amount of talent and skill that could go in for a better cause. Money wasn't about everything. And knowing how it felt to be put down each time he made an effort to showcase himself, the line had been drawn.

Onyx Bass had a love for music, and he had been working so hard hoping to impress them. He practiced every single day, had worked his way from scratch playing on the streets of Canterlot, garnering attention in the right places. He had even gotten ahold of a music agent without showing that he was connected to such high profile ponies. Thank you very much mother and father, but he didn't need their references. He was out on his own, and it seemed better that way for them because they clearly didn't want to be disappointed and have their name tainted because of Onyx Bass. They were always reminding him of that. Now he had an album, released to the public of Equestria and the response to his music was overwhelming. He was quite sure that this would change things for him.

This was going to change things with his relationship with his parents.

But he had gotten into the argument. He always did with them, and now he was all the more determined to prove to them that despite appearances, he was talented, skilled, and a generous stallion and everyone was giving him the right kind of attention. He was becoming a role model - he was already a role model to hundreds of young colts and fillies.

A charity event was one of the places he felt would showcase his work and personality - allow everyone to meet him and see the real Onyx Bass for who he was. Not just a celebrity, but the same as them. He wanted to prove that you didn't need money to be happy. That giving was the most heart warming thing in the world. Giving was what made one stronger. He didn't know why he had to be this determined, he just did. Heck, he even started his own little charity and proceeds from album sales went into donation. He only kept a small hoofull of money, the rest was out of his hooves.

He heard of the charity event in Manehatten from his agent, who had signed him up ahead of time, and Onyx Bass hopped onto the next train over from Canterlot with his band. A band that was put together with carefully articulated decisions. They were altogether excited and anxious about this performance. Hope was on the horizon. This would be his first break, to get to meet new ponies. To make his own connections to the world, and to lend a helping hoof where it was most needed. He strongly believed that those in need, like himself, would benefit the most. The youth of this generation were the future for Equestria, after all. Sometimes, his parents just never seemed to realize this.

Bass strapped to his back, and nothing else but the clothing on his back with some money that he had saved from a few small gigs recently pulled around Canterlot's most prestigious locations, he was headed to Manehatten.

The beige coloured pony wore black shaded glasses, and his guitar shone a deep onyx black with a high gloss finish. His hair was all jet black save for a streak of electric blue in both mane and tail. A crystal stud shone on his right ear, a spike studded band wrapped around his right hoof, and a plain black faux-leather jacket were all he needed to wear for his appearance.

Upon arrival to the big city, he noticed that it was filled with buildings and cloud grazing sky scrapers. But the place he needed to go was just a little difficult for him to find because this was his first time being in Manehatten. And being so far away from home. After asking around for directions, he figured out his way to the large concert hall nestled at the centre of the city. The Windfall towered over him and he stared up at the structure in fascination and awe. So this was what a concert hall was like. A real concert hall, not the restaurants and outside of the corner of buildings that he usually played. He had always dreamed of being at such a grand location. Even his band members had dreamt of this moment when they could play for real on a stage.

His nerves were tingling, and already he could feel the sweat beading up on his brows. Wiping it away, he and his band members followed the large signs that read "Foals in Need" and manoeuvred themselves through the building crowded with ponies. This was definitely a big event, and he almost wanted to shrink away and duck out of sight. But no, he wouldn't. Onyx Bass was never afraid. He wanted to shine, he wanted the attention and glory that came with performing. It was a strange sort of addiction. He always had large crowds gather around him and watch him play. He was always in the spotlight, praised left and right. The thrill and exhilaration that came with performing was what drew him back to playing again and again. It was his life's calling, after all.

He was so caught up in finding the registration desk, completely lost in conversation with Drum Beat, the drummer of his band, that he didn't realize the rainbow haired pony in front of him and accidentally bumped into her, his sunglasses clattering to the ground.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there! My apologies. We're looking for the registration desk for performers, if you know where it is." He bent down to pick up his sunglasses and perched them above his head, silver eyes gleaming. He stared at the lovely mare in front of him and couldn't help but grin sheepishly.

[Deleted]

Crashing softly forwards before turning around and glaring at the pony who had crashed into her, But as he apologised; her face softened then brightened up, trotting on the spit with excitement as a stupidly wide grin passed over her charcoal-coloured face. She looked the strange stallion directly in the eyes and she noticed he was momentarily stunned by her eye, but she was used to that and chuckled with a childish tone before beaming wildly. The mare spoke with a mad enthusiasm and a clear pride in someone asking her for advice.

"Heeeeello there! Yes, of course I do! The registration desk for bands is juuuust opposite of the sign-in sheets! You must be Onyx! Right? You look like that's your name, and I super promise that has got nothing to do with your agent talking to me and describing you in very detailed words so I can pick you out from a mile away! I'm the MC for tonight, surely you know me? I'm quite well known in some parts. Sometimes. Maybe. Aha!"

She stuck her tongue out and closed her eyes, clearly doing her best to look cute, and she was significantly proud of her efforts in doing so. She posed dramatically all of a sudden and looked at Onyx. Her signature pose.

"Do you recognise me now? Do ya'? I understand if you don't, I mean, I am pretty underground right now, and I mean, it's, like, totally okay if you don't get me. I'll be more well known someday. Oh!"

She stopped suddenly, and froze as dramatically as she could, as if she was shocked by something Onyx had said, even though she had given him no time to speak.

"If your band is signing up! I need a little detail about why you support this charity, especially since I'll be introducing you on-stage, that IS a very important factor you know. I gotta make you well-known too! Wow, I love your look. It's so different and interesting! I love your sunglasses, I wonder if maybe I could do an outfit with sunglasses... INSPIRED!"

Finally taking a breath, the mare stopped and smiled then looked shocked again.

OH MY! I DIDN'T SAY! I'm Lollipop Porcelain. But call me Lolly or else you're weird"

She grinned enthusiastically with her tongue out.

[CableZ]

"Ahhhh Mahehatten, home..." The masked pony spoke wishfully and solemnly while loooking off into the distance.

"For the last time Quip, I'm glad you enjoyed the trip to the movie studio but we are not making a movie about your life" Mad Cap sighed, a little exasperated with him today.

"By why nooooot, I have so much to give!"

"Because ponies don't want to watch you bake a pie for an hour with no comedy happening."

"I thought you liked that pie!"

"I did, but it was still no spectacle to watch you stare at the oven while it baked"

"Bah! NO PONY UNDERSTANDS MY ART!"

Quip and Mad Cap were talking through the busy Manehatten streets, returning to their home city and the city that they had met to attend a charity event that the mayor had invited them to. Quip had long been one of Manehatten's biggest success that they loved to show off and say he hailed from the city, going from street urchin to international funny man and performer. Of all places he might be recognized in Equestria, Manehatten was the place, every so often he'd see posters of his iconic mask or a sandwich named after him. It was humbling for him, to be celebrated in a city that once ignored him. Mad Cap was getting some popularity in the city herself, it was all very nice for the performers.

The two were more than happy to do the charity event, they were told to head there and meet the pony who was in charge of the event, a model from what they had been told. They'd not heard of her themselves but that was simply because they were not exactly what one would call fashionable, at least in the conventional sense that they had seen on magazines and the like. Both Quip and Mad Cap had made an extra effort for the charity event, it was one of the rare times that Quip had put on his full jesters outfit. Bells jangled around his hooves with frilly ends o them and his tail was wrapped partially in streamers and he was a patchwork cavalcade of colour and joy, Mad Cap had also put on one of her nicest harlequin outfits. It was a blue and yellow affair that had white dots covering it.

They had been in the city for only an hour now, having arrived by train on one of the rare occasions where Quip had left his cart behind. Of course he was so paranoid about his home and mode of transport that it was literally covered and wrapped in chains and padlocks and even had a Unicorn enchant the chains with several spells that would make it impossible to move for the next few days. Mad Cap had tried to warn him that it meant when they got back they wouldn't be able to get back in, but Quip hadn't listened. That was part of the reason she was a little perturbed with him as of late, that and one of his pranks to swap her white face makeup with itching paste. Joke was on him through because she'd found his left over paste and put it in his tooth paste, she was looking forward to seeing how that landed.

Every so often they were stopped by an eager fan, young and old to give out an autograph or just have a chat. The two loved it and really connected with their fans, sharing in stories and conversations and surprising ponies that despite their fame they were quite down to earth, in a manic sort of way. They also stopped to watch local performers and other hopefuls who wanted to make it as big as them, they offered advice, encouragement and just generally gave them an audience. Being generous, Quip also threw each of them a significant amount of bits, regardless of what they did or how good they were, he wanted to show them that its never worth giving up and even talked a few of them out of it.

As they walked and waved and greeted the smiling faces of their fans, they just chuckled and thrived on it all. However they wanted to get a move on as if they were going to perform, they'd need to take some time to prepare and the like. However being the performers that they were, they'd never just rush in a normal way.

"Hey Quip?"

"Hm? Yeah what is it?" He turned to look at Mad Cap as he walked but he was blindsided as she shot rolling forward like a wheel, cart wheeling flawlessly as only a trained performer could. There was no lull in her movement, she just rolled forward in perfect circles.
"Oh you are so on!" Quip laughed and jumped forward into the same rolling motion as she was as the two began a race to end all races!

~~

The two burst forth onto the scene with a jump, flip and a land with a flourish to the cheers of nearby ponies of recognized the duo. They headed forward into the slowly gathering crowds, shaking hooves and laughing with both adults and foals alike. However they soon remembered that the needed to go and see the MC...who's name they had forgotten, regardless a few questions soon had them heading in the right direction. Of course the crowd did make getting there a little bit of a time consuming trek due to all the fans wanting to say hello or get an autograph. They didn't have any problem with this however, in fact they loved it and would have spoken to every fan if they could. Sadly after a festival in which they never actually performed because they were meeting fans, they realized they simply couldn't say hello to everyone.

Making their way through hall which they had played numerous times, Quip and Mad Cap relived some memories. In fact Quip and Mad Cap had a permanent poster in the buildings 'legends wall' along with a few other performers such as the monumentally popular Sapphire Shores. Chuckling at the poster of the two, Mad Cap doing a one hoofed forward hand stand balancing on a ball and Quip holding a bear trap above his head. It was all very fun but they could only post pone meeting the MC for so long so with a final push to where they had been told to meet the pony. However the two were a little too easily distracted by their fans and some of the other stuff going on. When they find a gift shop area that had stalls set up with merchandise where the profits went to the charity, they got a little too excited. From t shirts to knick knacks, they looked at everything and anything and brought their enthusiasm to everyone. Where ever they went they just got everypony excited and happy, eager to get to work and eager to do everything for the foals. Most ponies from Manehatten knew his background as a street urchin who would have benefited from this charity himself if it was around when he was a kid, he was quite the poster child for this sort of thing and he was always a topic of talk when it came to this sort of thing.

It wasn't until somepony asked them when they were performing that the light bulbs in their heads flicked on and they remembered who they were suppose to meet, although by this point they had turned themselves around and had lost their way. Not wanting to bother any more ponies with questions about directions, they opted to search for themselves. Unfortunately the building was so massive that they would have to search for awhile. Quip had never had the best internal guidance, as such they soon found themselves on the opposite side of the building that they were meant to be. It took them longer than it should have to find their way back to the place they ought to be, they realized when they entered a storage area and saw the cinder blocks on the walls instead of the usual plaster. Embarrassed and a little confused they made their way back to the charity area and when they found themselves back in the market area they had been in 20 minutes before they sighed and hung their heads.

Quip turned to face Mad Cap with a defeated look beneath his mask.

"Ok I admit it, this would make for a pretty boring...and exceedingly embarrassing movie."

"Yeah no kidding, I'm not proud of us right now"

A silence washed over the two as they just sort of hid themselves from embarrassment, although being famous didn't help as they soon immediately had ponies swarming them. Finally deciding to swallow his pride, Quip asked for some directions to where the MC was so that they could sign up to perform and to both their immediate shame, they pointed directly at the mare herself. With a huge sigh, they both solemnly walked over like defeated children. However Quip soon snapped out of that, it was no way to introduce themselves if they were all down because they'd been a couple of goof balls.

Quip started chuckling quietly and soon it spread to Mad Cap and soon the pair were giggling all of the place as they made their way over to the pair of ponies, when they finally approached Onyx and Lollipop they were hysterically laughing for what would seem like no reason. Finally catching their breath and calming down, both wiping the tears from their eyes (even Quip).

"H-hello I'm...Quip and this is..Mad Cap" Quip had to catch his breath because he was laughing so much while Mad Cap was cradling her aching sides.

"Hey there" Mad Cap waved with a smiled.

"Sorry to interrupt you and...this rockstar looking fellow but I was invited by the mayor and I was told to introduce myself" Quip shrugged as he wasn't entirely sure what the mayor wanted from him, he'd perform sure but the mayor seemed to expect him to do something more.

"Yeah so I guess we are meant to sign up or something? Sorry we only got the message like a day ago so we're a little sketchy on the details and what not...um not to sound rude but who exactly are you? the mayor was not so fore thinking as to even give us a name and I don't want to have a tartle moment." Mad Cap chuckled sheepishly, hoping she had not come off as too rude or dumb sounding.

[ForgottenExistance]

Manehattan was an enormous city, a hub for the famous and infamous. It took ponies in, chewed them up, and spit them out as something different. Or, if you were lucky or unlucky enough to be born there, the end product could be entirely reliant on the determination or will of that particular pony. It was a city that held just as much glitz and glamour as it held dirt, grime and crime. There were ponies who were born in the city who turned out rotten, purely bent on crime and destruction with no hope of ever achieving something great. These were usually the ponies who couldn't escape the city, or couldn't escape the districts that were downtrodden and worn out. It was usually those districts as well that orphans were prevalent, at least the ones who weren't lucky enough to be adopted by a high class family in the more well-off districts of the city. And yet, there were those who pulled themselves out of the muck, with their heads held high and only a little worse for wear. It was through will and determination that ponies pulled themselves into the light, and crawled out of those poorer districts.

Not everyone who crawled out would ever be someone in their lives though, there was always a chance that they would live on in anonymity, be just work-a-day ponies for the rest of their lives and wind up living uneventfully. This was fine by all accounts, there was nothing wrong with crawling out of the less well-off districts and living on an average wage and uneventful life. Ponies lucky enough to scratch their way to a decent life had enough to be thankful of, and the only reason they would want more was for own personal gain and individual wealth. But for some, an average life without any excitement or notoriety was absolutely unacceptable. For, in the world, there are just some ponies who are destined to do something better then just working week to week. For some, the world is theirs for the taking, and the thirst for adventure, fame and fortune came to them as a primary nature. These were the ponies who dreamed of something far better then what they were presented with when they were born, and they weren't just satisfied with something marginally better. They wanted to make something for themselves, and do something huge.

There are hundreds of ponies like this, who find their greatness in fields around Equestria in almost every city and town. They do something that changes Equestria, whether that be finding a new way to preform a surgery, make an impact in the history books by breaking a record, or even inventing something world-shattering. But whether or not any of those ponies were in attendance at the charity concert that evening was a question that only they could solve, and would likely remain unsolved to any but who had records of attendance or who knew those specific great ponies personally. But two ponies who were climbing to that sort of greatness were indeed planning a dramatic entrance, two ponies who were taking the world of music by storm. They had grown up in Manehattan themselves; in a rotting apartment in a district that was like a plague on the city. They had spent enough time in the foalcare system that they would have plenty of reason to support a charity concert for foals in need, and what great pony ever got to greatness without doing something good and selfless every now and then? The clear and obvious answer is; none.

"Manehattan, Manehattan, Maaaaaanehatten!!! Bro, this is gunna be so sick!!!" The sister of the two exclaimed, beaming from one ear to another as the two climbed off of the train into the city. Her excitement was practically setting her into a state of infinite energy, making her bounce on her hooves with barely contained enthusiasm. Of the two, she was certainly the one with the most energy, and the most fervor for life and the excitement that music brought to her and her fans. The city that raised her brought just as much excitement, and why shouldn't it do so?
"Oh man, you said it sis! This city is gunna party tonight, no question!" The brother exclaimed back, stepping off the train with boxes of equipment pulled in a small cart behind him. While he was the more cool headed of the two, there were few things that got him more excited then a party. Even the city that he fought so hard to rise out of couldn't bring him back down at that moment, because they were there for one reason, and it was the one thing they did best; they were there to start an incredible bass-dropping party.

---

The Gem Twins were a two-part act; a brother and a sister who created and played incredible electric music with drops and bass that could make a pony's head throb like the morning after shore-leave. They sang, preformed laser shows, and generally turned every one of their shows into an incredible party. And even though they had only started about two years prior, they were already rising to the tops of Equestrian charts for electronic music. They even starred alongside other electric performers, and composed remixes of non-electric music for the ponies who had originally created them. They had accumulated a small fortune in their performances and albums, and were widely generous with that fortune; parting large sums of their income onto charities and worthy causes. They may not have been the absolute richest of performers that were out there, but between the other electronic artists of their time, saying that the Gem Twins could be considered the most generous would not be a far-fetched idea. However, they were certainly by no means middle class celebrities; their life in the rundown apartments in lower-class Manehattan were far behind them, and their quite decent sized estate would attest to that fact.

But what separated them from other performers in their field who desired material goods or fame more than anything else, the Gem Twins lived for one thing above all else; music. If they lost their fame and their fortune, fell into poverty and only had each other, they would still have music. So when the opportunity came up for them to do what they loved, do it for a cause that was something that they could relate to and understand, and in their old city no less, there was absolutely no way that they could refuse. They hadn't even turned to their agent for the charity event, instead they had decided to take it on themselves. And they were going to make sure that the event was one that would inspire ponies to give generously. They would turn the crowd into a jumping buzz of energy and shouting ponies, they would make creatures move and dance and scream and shout, and they'd remind them that they had an obligation to make the world a better place. The best way to keep the feeling of joy and energy that they delivered in their performances was to be happily generous and live.

---

The Pegasi twins burst into the concert hall at about this moment, laughing and grinning to one another. The concert hall was incredible, a work of art and one of the few venues that they hadn't had the chance to preform at yet. It was another notch to their names, and would take away just one more place that they aimed to play at. Of course, that posed the problem that they had absolutely less then no idea where they were supposed to go, and what they were supposed to do when they got in. But that hardly dampened their spirits, they just figured that they'd walk about until they figured out where they were supposed to be and what they were meant to be doing. But, they could base that they needed to find the place they'd have to sign up for the concert at, or at least find somepony who knew where they could do that. A little bit of an adventure would do them good, after all, they still had some time before they couldn't sign up to the concert anymore. The most likely idea for them would be to follow anypony who looked a bit performance-y.

"You know, mayyyyyybe we shouldda called first?" The sister asked with a little chuckle as she scanned around the room for anypony who might be there to sign up new acts or greet the performers in general. They usually let their agent handle things, or did things spontaneously when ponies actually knew that they were going to show up. It wasn't often that they went somewhere that they weren't already expected. She couldn't really complain though, it was better then letting their agent try and look at a charity event as a publicity stunt or PR stuff, really not cool.
"Yeah, maybe. But, we're here now, so whatev'!" The brother replied gleefully, not really bothered. It was barely a hiccup, they were at least there and if they put their heads together, they could find out where they were supposed to go. Or at least, they could ask someone smarter then they were, and they would be able to tell them where to go. Both of those ideas seemed like good ones to him, but he was leaning more towards the second idea. Meant he would be able to think less and just do, which was really his strong suit.

At a glance around, the Twins might have thought they they were out of place in the artistic building. They both had oily black pelts, and their manes were both cut short and spiky, similar to their tails. Standing next to each other, the sister really stood only about half an inch shorter than her brother, and they looked like they were pulled out of a mirror and then repainted. Amethyst, the femGem, had wild electric blue eyes that radiated energy and enthusiasm for life, covered currently by a pair of black polarized sunglasses with black plastic frames. Her mane was a brilliant lavender, the same color as her tail, and had an old and faded ballcap on top of it, facing backwards with her ears on either side of it. Around her neck was a black and purple diagonal striped bandanna, tucked in under her chin and set comfortably. Emerald, her brother, kept his mane in the same style, but a dark vibrant green, and covered by a black flat-billed cap that he wore slightly off-center forward, a matching pair of sunglasses as his sister, and a bandanna around his neck that was emerald rather than purple, and reversed.

Truly an example of twin mindset, the two electroponies noticed a particular pair of oddly dressed figures at the same time, and went to nudge each other with their wing. Blinking and looking at each other before letting out a laugh, they quickly trotted off to follow a pair of ponies, which seemed to look like jesters or something equally ridiculous. Neither of the twins really knew what to think about the pair they were going to follow, but neither of them had any doubt that the two jesters were there for the show, and that would mean that they had to sign up. Electing to follow them, they paid no attention to the fact that they went from looking sad and defeated to suddenly bursting out laughing. Most would be concerned about their mental well being, but frankly, anyone should question the mental well being of a pair of ponies dressed like that. Neither Amethyst or Emerald were in the business of questioning things that ponies did, they really just sort of accepted ponies as they were and chose to leave it at that. They just hedged their hopes of finding the registration on the reliability of the two.

And, as it so happened, that hope actually paid off. That was the sort of luck that the Twins were always quite grateful for, but now came the part that would actually involve signing themselves up for it. The two jester ponies that they had followed wound up stopping in front of a rainbow haired mare, who seemed to be the one with a list. Amethyst thought she recognized the rainbow haired pony from an article she had read in a club one night, but she couldn't be certain about it. She kind of assumed that it was really just her overactive imagination, and decided that she would treat the mare like she did for anyone that she was only just meeting. The Twins held back for a moment, surveying the few ponies who were crowded around. The jester ponies, what looked to be a band that was headed by a pony in leather and sunglasses, and the rainbow MC herself. Looking up at her brother, Amethyst grinned widely, "No time like the present, eh?" she declared with a laugh before she turned and started bounding forward to the crowd of ponies, her brother bounding next to her in tow.

Skidding to an enthused halt near the MC almost as soon as the jester pair had finished talking. They gave no room for a break before they let their own enthusiastic greeting take place within the group. Needless to say, their abundance of energy nearly had the Twins bouncing in place yet again, but they managed to slightly control themselves.
"Yooooo!!!!"
"'Eyyyyy!!!!"
The pair exclaimed at the same time, both bearing wide grins that stretched practically from ear to ear.
"Heard there was a charity event for little foals goin' on here!"
"So we figured we'd come on by and see if we could join up!"
They spoke, one after the other in equally enthusiastic and energetic tones, their grins refusing to fall off of their faces.
"Are we suppose't sign up here?"
"Cuz we dooooon't really know where we're supposed't be!"
The pair spoke, their downtown Manehattan accents shining through and very easily matching the accessories they wore and the general rough and tumble slicker appearances. Generally, neither of them assumed that they'd need to introduce themselves. But if none of the group they were in had heard of them, then they weren't going to toot their own horns or upstage. They were there for the music, and they were there for the charity, that was it. Really, for that night, they were just going to be two ponies who enjoyed music and loved to party, they weren't going to be electric celebrities. After all, it wasn't their show.

[Tartan Lassie]

    Witch Hazel stared at her reflection, brushing her mane slowly and carefully. Her mane fell in front of her right eye, as it always had since she was a young filly. All around her, candles flickered ominously. The room was dark aside from these candles and a few lights spread around her mirror, lighting up her face. It was completely silent.

    This was how Witch Hazel liked to get ready. The candles reminded her of her home in the Mild West. Back then, it had always been torches or the blazing sunlight that she had used to see. With a little bit of sadness, she looked at the photo of her mother and father. Their big, fluffy buffalo bodies taking up most of the picture, with an itsy-bitsy Witch Hazel in the middle. She had always felt a little guilty for abandoning the Buffalo ways to travel as a trapeze artist but she knew that, back home, they were all proud of her.

    Finishing combing her hair she examined herself in the mirror. Her dark green eyes shone as she spoke to herself. “Don’t you look beautiful tonight?” She grinned. She tossed her mane a little before giving the mirror one of her stunning show smiles. Then she jumped up and grabbed her saddle bag. It didn’t have much in it, just her costume and some other bits and bobs she might need. She glanced back at the mirror. “You are a beautiful, acrobatic mare and tonight you are going to put on a great show!” She told herself firmly.

    “Yes, yes, all the stallions will be drooling.” Said a sarcastic stallion’s voice from behind her. She turned and saw Trip, one of the Clowns standing behind her, grinning. “But not if you never appear. Come on, get a move on!” Witch Hazel grinned and trotted out the door, bidding farewell to Trip as she did so. As she stepped out the door, bag strapped on to her waist, as she had no magic to hold it, making the journey on hoof as she had no wings to fly, she was no longer Witch Hazel the Earth Pony, but The Great Flyte.

    Flyte trotted at a quick yet steady pace. She had arrived in Manehatten very early that morning, after travelling all night, and had deposited all her equipment at the glamorous Windfall. Returning to her tent, she had slept all day, so she could be refreshed and ready for tonight’s performance. She was very excited. Not only would everypony’s attention be on her, she was doing it all for charity. What more could she ask for? She bounced a little as she trotted, too excited to walk slowly, but also not wanting to exhaust herself before the show. She wondered who else would be there, and if she would know any of the other ponies. Though Flyte was fairly famous herself, she rarely met other celebrities outside the circus world, aside from when she had briefly travelled with a dance show. She was looking forward to getting her name passed around, and getting to know other’s names. After all, it never hurt to have connections and she had always enjoyed the company of other performers.

    She found The Windfall easily. She had been to Manehatten quite often but had never performed in the famous halls, her circuses usually preferring to perform in their own Big Tops. The place was truly beautiful and Flyte was especially stunned by the decorative moat filled with bright colours and lights. The place radiated elegance, without being elitist or exclusive. It was rare to get both vibes from an event or location it was usually just one or the other, but this was for charity and Flyte wouldn’t have wanted it anywhere else.

    She padded, open-mouthed, through the halls staring at the pictures of previous events. It seemed like every famous pony in Equestria had been here at some point, including all four Princesses. Flyte was very impressed. Thankfully, the Great Hall that the event was being held wasn’t far from the entrance or Flyte might have spent all night wandering the halls, just admiring the beauty of the place. She located the registry desk from a distance. It was outside the Hall and standing near it were two huge bulky stallions that were clearly part of the security for the night. She looked a little nervously at them before taking a deep breath. Her final step in her transformation into The Great Flyte.

    A blue mare with a beautiful thistle-coloured mane paraded up to the desk, her long legs adding to the graceful movements of her slim and athletic body. Her tail, already bandaged her iconic green, swished excitedly and she reared up and put her hooves on the desk, smiling amiably at the mare behind it. “Hello there. My name is Witch Hazel. I’m here to perform for the concert. I dropped off my equipment this morning.”

The mare smiled in recognition and hoofed her the sign-up sheet. Taking a pen in her mouth, she filled in the sheet.

PERFORMERS: The Great Flyte
ACT: The Swinging Trapeze
PREFERRED TIMESLOT: ...

    She frowned when she reached the last section and put the pen down again. Preferred Timeslot? She hadn’t thought about that. She had assumed they would just be put in a set order. She considered it a moment. On one hoof, if she went early, she had the rest of the night to relax and watch the other performers, on the other hoof, if she went late, then she wouldn’t need to use her equipment until most of the others were out of the way and there would be a lower chance of disaster that way.

    Flyte glanced around helplessly, hoping to catch the eye of another performer that she could discuss this with. She was surprised that she couldn't see any. Surely this was where she was supposed to sign up. Glancing again at the clipboard, she wondered if she was supposed to actually find the MC to sign up...

[20monkies]

Onyx Bass recognized the mare. For some strange reason, it looked like he had seen her somewhere before - her odd eye made it more convincing that he did know her. But from where? He was pretty caught off guard as she directed him to the registration desk and smiled charmingly at her. So at least she recognized him! Now all he had to do was pinpoint where he had seen her. 



He was about to open his mouth to reply to her, but she kept talking. She was very excited, that was for sure! His band members shuffled uneasily behind Onyx, but he stood still taking all of her words in. They seemed to even move away from Onyx and headed towards the registration desk, motioning him that they would sign themselves in. That was perfectly fine, this gave him a chance to speak with her… if he got a chance! So he stood infront of the mare and let her run out of breath before leaning forward towards her, grinning widely. 



"Of course I recognize you!" He said, finally able to place a hoof on her face. He was quite sure he had seen a picture of two of her in a couple of magazines his mother had brought home to examine. And by examine, he was sure she was looking for new talents for her own magazine and had said something rather derogatory about her. So what if she had one odd eye? She was still beautiful, and he admired the fact she even put herself out to the public like this. Never letting a small difference in her stopping her from her dreams.



Blowing back a few electric blue strands from his face, he waggled his brows. "Can I call you Porcelain? Because you truly have a fragile beauty about you. I'm loving that hair colour! So you're the MC my agent was telling me about?" She did mention that he had told her every single detail about him. That was surely his agent, always spilling the beans. He really hoped that only good things were said. He had to laugh softly. "You'll have to tell me what you think of my music if you've heard it. I'm pretty sure you have. Right?"



Leaning even closer to her, he threw an arm around and teased a strand of her hair.



"I know you'll say some positive things about my band. We're still working out a proper name, but for the time being we're under my name for the cover. I just strongly believe that the foals of this generation need inspiration, and if we're not inspiring enough for them to make a better future for Equestria… then whats the point? Every pony needs a chance in life, be them big or small. All of our talents need to come together for the better of our world. The sad reality is that there are many who are suffering from poverty, and if I can make that difference to make their lives better, they will make this world amazing."



He pulled his sunglasses over his eyes and pulled back from her, standing proudly. Many ponies who were crowding the halls had stopped to look and were admiring Onyx from a distance, fawning and giddy with excitement. He knew he had this effect on them.



"And you can sure use sunglasses for an outfit. I'm touched I was able to inspire you, see what I mean? So how about it - you think you can do me justice during my performance?"

He was about to open his mouth to say something more when laughter began to rise up and echo around them. The crowd around them was parting, and their eyes were turned towards the sound. Onyx couldn't help but also turn around to see as every pony had.

There were two ponies heading towards the two of them. And they were colourfully dressed. The taller one was wearing a very distinct brass and metal mask with a brightly coloured hat., and bells that jangled and rang out with each step. The other, smallish in size, was also wearing a mask but also a lovely harlequin outfit. Onyx had to drop his jaw as the two stood in front of them. Recognition hit him in the face as they were mere inches from him.

They introduced themselves, and Onyx Bass was quite sure he wasn’t mistaking their identity. 

"Mad Cap and Quip? THE Mad Cap and Quip?" He couldn't believe it. There was an inner prankster and jokester inside of him that enjoyed all manners of comedy, and these two pulled such stunts that Onyx Bass highly regarded their performances. Heck, he even had a chance to attend one of them recently and he was left with stitches in his side. He was definitely shaking with excitement and didn’t know how to approach them. They were on a whole different level of stardom.

Sure, they were all performers here for a single cause. It was still astonishing that as humble as these two are, they were still as popular as they were.

They were asking about the sign up sheet, and mentioning the mayor had invited them. Calming down his nerves as jittery as they suddenly became, he held out a hoof towards the two jokesters, grinning massively.

“The name is Onyx Bass. You’re not interrupting at all! I am so happy to meet you two! You guys are legendary! I was actually at your last performance here in Manehatten. Epic! I never laughed so hard in my life!” He was gushing praise and compliments. “Where do you come up with your ideas?”

He was about to ask them another question when another pair was joining them, and he was dizzy with enthusiasm. He recognized them too! Who hadn't? The Gem Twins! Onyx Bass and the Twins were definitely in a different realm when it came to music - his was Rock and their's with an Electronic charge like no other. Putting their music side by side was like comparing apples and oranges.

Seeing them there - in the flesh as well - was really a dream come true. First Mad Cap and Quip – and now the Twins?

Onyx Bass was still fairly new to the music scene. He had only released his first album in the past couple of months, and before that he had been playing on the streets of Canterlot, and any other city he could afford to travel to.

These two were already making music with such ease and comfort, it made him a tad bit jealous. In a good way.

"I must be dreaming for real!" he blurted out, letting out a low whistle.

Amethyst and Emerald. They were both gems for sure, and their coloured hair related back to their given names and stones as well.

"You must be the Gem Twins! You are in the right place, that’s for sure! This lovely mare here is the MC. She’s handling the whole show. She was just telling me where the registration desk was.”

Looking at both Mad Cap, Quip and the Gem Twins, he gestured towards the desk just a little further down from where they were standing. From the looks of it, there was a single performer standing there looking around, appearing as though she was lost.

Onyx Bass looked towards Lollipop Porcelain, quite sure she was going to introduce herself to all of them and indicate what they all needed to do next. Maybe she would gather them all up? This was his first time doing a charity event on such a grand scale. The steps that needed to be taken was unclear to him.

One thing was for sure though – he had his black bass guitar strapped to his back safe and sound, and he was stoked to sing and play some music.

[Deleted]

With yet another dramatic attempt at looking as shocked as possible, Lolly's face curled into a wide grin, clearly happy that he knew who she was and her ego was boosted significantly as she gushed and posed, clearly unsure of how to respond to Onyx. She got the impression he was flirting with her, and why wouldn't he? She was very beautiful after all, and she worked so hard into putting all of the effort she could into this outfit.

"Aww, ain't you a charmer! Yes, you can call me whatever you choose, I don't mind. But yes, your agent has been saying very positive things about you, I get the impression that your agent was doing his best to sell you as some sort of musical God, and whilst I've heard your first album briefly, I've yet to see if you're any good on-stage. I guess I shall indeed be the judge of that, right?"

She winked playfully at him and stuck out her tongue, yet again doing her best efforts to be cute, but she was taken aback quite significantly when he moved closer to her, and whilst one part of her wanted to move away from him, feeling that he was being a little personal, but at the same time, she was loving getting the attention from him, and her heart fluttered hard, certainly enjoying being in the spotlight right now, and she could see other ponies around them noticing what was happening and giggling, seeing the MC and one of the performers acting in such a way. Regardless, what he was saying about making a difference resonated with her and she looked him dead in the eyes and began to ramble enthusiastically, clearly hyped about this concert.

"Yes! I know exactly what you mean, I came from a fairly underprivileged  background, and I don't think it's right for any young foal to have to feel little or less special just because they don't have money. Everypony should be equal and should have a right to not be bullied, and to feel important and loved! That's the biggest reason for me wanting to do this concert... it means so much to me to make a difference on such a gratuitous scale, and I always donate to this charity from my own paycheck. I even paid a lot into this event tonight, simply because it means so much to me...  And even if just for one night, we can play games, have fun and donate one night to those who are suffering from poverty, it would mean a lot to me and my family."

She smiled coyly and her face flushed a little, clearly being a little embarrassed that she had gotten a little to excited, but simultaneously, she knew that she was overacting a little, trying to keep the attention on her. But regardless, she nodded in agreement to his conversation about using his sunglasses, clearly interested in using a design similar to them for an upcoming outfit. 

"I'm certain that, that could be arranged."

She grinned and noticed another member of the band rushing over to them before taking a moment to pay attention to him. With the sudden appearance of two rather odd-looking ponies, Lolly's face fell. Now everyone seemingly wanted to notice them instead of her, and she got mildly jealous, but it did take a moment for her to register who these two characters were. She knew they were famous, and was more than certain they were performers of some kind, but wasn't entirely sure about them. She did recognise the stallion however, his story was something of an inspiration to her, due to his flourishing escape from poverty, and as much as she envied him, she was ridiculously jealous of him but would never admit to it. Regardless, she trotted up next to a fanboying Onyx and smiled at the two ponies and listened to what the Stallion in the mask had to say and as soon as she was about to speak, two more ponies made an appearance and a slightly irritated but still smiling Lolly turned to them. This was a perfect opportunity! All of these were performers for tonight, or at least, they certainly looked like performers and Lolly composed herself and began to shake with excitement, realising how incredible this will be.


She rushed up towards Quip and Madcap and looked them up and down, rushing around them enthusiastically, admiring their costumes and making a small "squee"-like noise before rushing towards The Gem Twins and following a similar manner, but was rather enticed by their matching outfits and colour schemes and screamed loudly and seemingly randomly; "INSPIRED!"

Taking in a deep and dramatic breath, making a scene of herself as usual, Lolly began to talk to the 5 ponies all at once, running her voice into the sentences as she spoke to them.


"HIII! Excuse me, sometimes I just get a little teeny bit too excited! But my name is Lollipop, Lollipop Porcelain! But do call me Lolly. Or just Awesome MC Lady, if you forget who I am, y'hear?"

With a dramatic and cheesy wink and sticking out of her tongue, she started to talk again.

"Quip Crack, isn't it? I sure would love to hear more of your story later, you're quite an inspiration to me, and by far I do find your choice of accessories to be SOOOO REAAALLY COOL! And I believe this is Mad Cap! Do you actually have a mane? I mean, I guess you do, but isn't it, like, a rare thing to see!? What colour is It!? How do you style it?! Oh! And of course, The Gem Twin! Unfortunately I don't know much about you two, but I hear your music is sure to get anypony into the swing of DAAAAANCE!!!"

She dramatically shot her hoof up into the air and flicked her mane low on her face and almost danced to herself before giggling eccentrically Before she stopped and looked at all of the performers and bounced gently on her hooves like a young foal awaiting for an exciting day out and began to speak to the ponies around her, grinning excessively and speaking quickly, pulling a microphone from seemingly no-where, she started addressing all of the ponies around her, not just the ones in her direct vicinity.

"HI EVERYONE! My name is Lollipop Porcelain! I'll be your MC tonight! I know that you are all excited to get started! But our show won't actually start for another half an hour. HOWEVER! This does NOT mean that you have nothing to do! If you wish to meet all the performers, they will be over at the stall right in front of the stage, giving out autographs, taking pictures, etc, etc, and you have all of this time to meet me and everyone who is performing tonight! So, a notice to all performers, you can sign up at the desk parallel to the main desk and fill in a form there, then, if you would be so kind as to make your way towards the front of the stage, I'd love for everyone to come over and meet them! MC LOLLY OUT!"

She hoof pumped at the air and grinned at the ponies around her, giving them a little nod towards the desk and a small wink of enthusiasm before trotting towards her allocated area and setting up paper, pens and things of that nature for autographs, before organising a photographer who would take a photo of all of the performers and her to go on the walls of The Windfall.