In which pretties are acquired and stares are given...

Vastile nodded and thought. There is no way in hell Hops knows that one. Vastile leaned over to him and said, "Look, I'll have to show you the notes as we play, It's a slow and beautiful piece... play it as if... you were playing 'The Isles of Lost Country'" Hops nodded.

"Not Ladies and GentleColt, this next song is a slow and beautiful piece. A song, in which out guest shall come up here and sing for us, while your host and I play."

Vastile's words sent up a cheer and The crowd was waiting for Rose to take the stage and let them hear the song.

There is no escape, you must take part in this. Hopefully, this is going to help, once he is up here, I can get a fun song started, might even be able to get him do sing and dance to it.

Rosselin immediately blushed and was holding up her hooves in defense. "What? Me on stage? No way! I cooouldn't! I thought you were singing it!"

He could not bring himself to go up on stage for several moments until the crowd was almost pushing him up there. Shyly clambering up, he felt stage fright at its finest as he looked to the audience. Subconsciously brushing his mane with a hoof and adjusting his collar, he went to the mic and softly began to sing. What may have come to a surprise to some what how his voice managed to reach masculine levels fitting for the song, making plenty of those in the audience begin to scratch their heads.

As Rose began to sing, Vastile noticed a shake in his knees... Stage fright, I was afraid that might be the case...

Vastile, still playing, began to conjure his images.

One for Hops, a scrolling image of notes for the song, One for the audience, a recreation of the scene from the Musical, forming around Rose, and one for Rose... An image of calm fields to cover the audience, too small for the audience to see, but close enough to his eyes to block out the crowd.

There that used to help me in the early days.

Vastile continued to play, but at moments when he could, he sang to cover the lower register, Rose had the range, but the more he uses it, the more he is likely to thing that the crowd might wise-on to his rouse... I'm surprised he hasn't figured out that I know...

The song ended and the images dissolved more slowly that the last visions. The crowd wasn't loud and un-reserved, but rather a few batted eyes, a few sat eyes closed and smiling, and one older mare wept in the back round.

Vastile moved to Rose, who now could see the crowd, "That sound and sight, is better than a thousand cheers in a music hall."

"Now, Friends we see that our guest has a romantic taste in music... I see that you all enjoyed that piece. You can be assured the next one is for me as much as it is for you!"


Vastile bent back over to Rose, "Follow my lead you'll be fine"

Rosselin was surprised he had been able to not choke on the whole peice. Sure, he wasn't that great a singer, but he never had so much attention on him all at once. It was thrilling. It also broke one of his rules he made for himself. Never get too much attention.

He was caught by surprise by Vastile in his moment of emotional bliss. He gave a nod, not really sure what would happen, but went along.

Vastile smiled and returned his nod, "Alright, Hops! You now the song!"

Hops began to play his fiddle very quickly, and Vastile hotted his approval. Hops' daughter began to dance a fast paced step, tapping away on the table. "Haha!" Vastile was beaming, a wide smile on his face.

"OOOOOHHH! The night that Patty Murphy died is a night, I'll never forget. Some of the boys got loaded drunk and they ain't been sober yet!" Vastile sang and he danced, conjuring a few shadows behind to re-enact his words.

I hope Rose will have it in him to dance, hell... Maybe he knows the words...

"O'leary on the Bag Pipes the band began to play! Ooh, That's how they showed their respect for Patty Murphy, that's how they showed their unbounded pride, they said he was a son of Jane, They winked at one another, everything that makes us on the Nigh Pat Murphy Died!"

The entire bar has up with people dancing and Hops beginning to spin himself. Many Sang along, a few Mares joined Hops' daughter in her dance, and Vastile's shadows began to follow his words perfectly. The feeling of Fun is contagiousness, hopefully Rose isn't immune.

Rosselin was very hesitant to partake in the song. He didn't know the words, and couldn't imagine enjoying the song, but it didn't take too much until he was swaying to the music. A few moments later and he was swinging with it. Everything was bliss here. He could't have imagined it could be so fun in a place like this.

Then it all changed.

"Crossdresser!" Shouted a voice in the crowd.

Rosselin froze in place, the joy in his face gone, only pale remained. A terrible sinking pain filled his stomach. He had been found out. Normally, he would handle it rather well as he had before int he past, but this was not like any other occasion before. He was drunk on stage in front of hundreds of ponies whom he could hardly bear company with normally and more witnesses meant more likely hood that it could blow his cover. Life and career flashing before his eyes, he began to choke up and slink off the edge of the stage with terror in his eyes.

"Colt cuddler!" Yelled another voice. Or maybe it was the same one. The ripples of one disturbance was rocking the boats of the others.

Rosselin had to escape. He had to run. There were too many and too much at risk. He jumped down off the stage only to slip and fall in his intoxicated state. Several ponies laughed. Rosselin panicked.

"OI!" Vastile jumped down from the stage. "THERE WILL BE NONE OF THAT!"

Vastile was almost always cool and calm, this shocked most in the bar, and caused Vastile's eye to twitch.

"I will not allow... ANY, form of Dis-respect within my presence and among my friends... Or am I to understand that I am not AMONG FRIENDS!?"

The crowd remained silent and transfixed, Hops leaped down and tended to Rose, his stare reflected Vastile's anger. "We are not without understanding... We are not without compassion... We are not without common sense... WE ARE NOT WITHOUT TOLERANCE!" Vastile's chest heaved as he looked around.

"Now... Who said it..." The crowd was still. Vastile was afraid he'd have to use this tactic... "I asked you..." Vastile's eyes glasses glowed brightly, as his illusions created a shadowy explosion behind him. His voice has chilling, "Who... Said it."

The crowd remained as stone... No one came forth...

"I see... If I EVER... find the one responsible... I will be much, much, MUCH... less kind about it..."

"Now... Am I to understand that now... I am among friends?"

There was a small muttering...

"Am I among... Friends?"

The crowd muttered a little louder.

"If any of you have an issue, with my guest... I will REQUEST... You take that up with me... Otherwise." The Shadow disappeared and Vastile's expression changed quickly and he had a sheepish smile, now. "I suggest you all offer my pal a drink"

The crowd gave out all of it's stress, now seeing that Vastile had let go his anger.

Vastile went to Hops and Rose, "Hops, go up and play a bit, will you... to defuse the tension." Hops nodded and obliged.

Vastile looked to Rose," You should be getting a few free drinks... Don't let that one voice reflect on these people... they are all good, hard-working, tolerant, honest folk." Vastile bent a little closer, "I am sorry, if I frightened you, as well... I have no tolerance for un-chivalrous behavior... A little... peeve of mine, after all.... I am a Gentleman."

Rosselin was scrambling away from the ponies around her, even from Vastile. He was a little panicked, but now his anger had caught up with him. Wiping away his forming tears he distanced himself.

"...Bunch of...rude rabble of ponies. I have...never been so humiliated in my life!" He wiped his eyes once more before fixing his mane and turning around to leave.

Rosselin knew he was leaving very abruptly, but he stood to lose a lot with the more attention he drew to himself from the crowd. They may have been 'working class' ponies, but there were a lot of them and word spreads quick in the right circumstances.

Vastile left out a rather long sigh... Someponies never learn.


Rosselin was on his way, but Vastile was quick and could keep up without much trouble.

Keeping himself composed and his speech level, he tried to calm the seething Rose...

"You must realize, that wasn't typical of the group you consider, 'Working Class Ponies'.
In fact, it is my experience that most of the elite tend to be the bigoted, pseudo-intellectuals, who would cause mass rumors, and find fault, where there is none... I'll be honest, that is why I was a little distant from you during our initial... meeting."

Rosselin was hardly in the best of moods for a well thought out logical debate. He was probably at his worst when so emotionally charged. He stopped and turned sharply to poked a hoof into Vastile's chest.

"I hardly know you and the first thing you do with me is put me on a stage around all sorts of strange impoverished ponies to sing a song that was sung by a male lead! And you are telling me you treated me differently because I wasn't like you? You might as well have fed me to the wolves!"

He immediatly turned back around and resumed his brisk trot away with chin up high. He was still emotionally traumatized by what happen and trying to not think about it, even though he needed to wipe a tear or two every now and then.

Vastile popped in front of Rose, un-flinching. I won't resort to emotions with this one.

"Well... When you put it that way, I can see your side of the incident." I am going to show him... Nothing is lost. "Now... try and see mine."

As Vastile spoke, he used his illusion magic to re-create a scene of their meeting, as well as other scenes of Vastile's past, and of his friends.

"I was hoping to show you that the common-folk were decent and good ponies, which they are, no matter how one may act or how you may choose to see them. The plan to bring you into the world I choose to live in, the world of the stage and of the common ponies, was meant to show you the light in what you see as darkness."

"The Happiness and Kindness that fills these ponies, that you seem to think little more than animals, is more real than what you have ever known, I suspect. Where you must hide yourself in the company of business and high-society, the people, which I call my friends, accept anyone, who is themselves."

Vastile doubted how far he was getting...

"I find it hard difficult that you could find it so hard to trust... Well... Do you honestly believe that I would intentionally harm you or anyone for that matter?"

Vastile was hoping that maybe if he kept using reason that eventually Rose would calm and listen... He is smart... He will listen... I can make him understand... I can show him...

Although... maybe I have been un-fair... I tried to show him my world, but perhaps I also have ignorance of his... Things are never so clear...

Rosselin held in a pained expression before it became more enraged. He side stepped him and moved past, talking over his shoulder.

"I have never been comfortable with such ponies. And I don't care if any of THOSE ponies were rich or poor. I didn't get treated like i did for any of those reasons. I don't want to be in their company anymore after that! At least I can buy the favor of others with the wealthy ones!"

And with that he trotted off again, not stopping for any pony and doing his best to keep his composure. There would be time to let it all out once he was at home.

Vastile chose not to follow, if needed he could find him again... for now he hoped the next things he said would be heard and that it might plant a seed of realization within him.

Vastile voice traveled across the distance, without needing to be any louder. "You can pay for the company of those, whom you think are your allies, but in the world you choose to live, everyone is out to step on others in order to achieve a higher standing within that disingenuous society... That is why I choose this group. A group were the bad is just as real as the good... Someday... I'll hope you'll understand."

Vastile placed a card with his address, concert dates, and other information, that he used when running the concert circuit, within Rose's hat. If he ever felt like exploring the world he chooses to ignore, he could find Vastile.

Vastile watched Rose disappear, "Well... if anything... I can write a song about this."

Back in The High Spirits, Vastile spent the night and some of the next morning, writing about A Lonely Rose, surrounded by a beautiful garden, always in company, but always alone.