Entrances and Exits

[Thunderbolt]

(Sept. 8th, open to all taking Thunder's class.)

"LADIES and GENTLEMEN!"

The male lept on top of the stage from between the seats of the thatre where his class would be sitting. He made a rather dramatic entrance, as was his custom. His head held high, he'd lept from the balcony to between the seats and finally slid onto the stage. "THAT was what we call a dramatic entrance!"

He padded across the stage. "Today we shall be working on entrances and exits. One might think it's not important. BUT IT IS! It so is!" He padded back and forth, like he was pacing. "If you don't enter, how will you get on stage? How will you make an impression on the audience? How will you make everyone go, 'that guy's role is the villain!' Or- hehe - the hero."

He nodded. "Now what kind of entrance would the villain have? Anyone??"

[Thakur]

Thakur wasn't sure on why he was taking this class. It really didn't have anything to do with survival which seemed to be weighing heavily on the place here. Perhaps it was just a class to make him relax in some way? To for a little while ignore the danger of this place? Perhaps, perhaps. But whatever it was, he sure wasn't a fan of Thunderbolt to the point Lucky or Patch was. Sure the show was interesting, something was always going on but he didn't really look up to Thunderbolt as a real hero or role modle, anything like that. So Thakur just sat there, listening to the german shepard give out his question. Villain entrance huh?

"Dark low music as they sneak or laugh all evil like when their large shadow is first shown and then it goes to them?" Thakur answered, not exactly sure if that was the best sort of answer.

[Deleted]

"Oh! Oh! I know!"

Derpy waved her hoof back and forth in the air and grinned gleefully. She probably wouldn't get the answer right, but the young mare was willing to take a guess. Thakur had made a good guess, and she wasn't sure if it was right or not, but she wouldn't judge either way. Instead, she wanted to come up with her own answer. That was what Derpy did after all. She didn't necessarily want to fall back into the background like everyone always assumed she did.

"A bad guy would... Uh... Come outta the shadows! And... And... Not look like a bad person. 'Cause bad guys are tricky," Derpy said. She grinned with pride at her answer and let her wings stretch out a bit. Maybe it was right, maybe it wasn't, but either way she was having fun with the class. The pegasus wasn't going to let anything get her down today. Not even the potential for getting answers wrong. Just whether or not she actually was right had yet to be seen, though. It was going to be interesting to see how Thunderbolt took her answer and the little puppy's.

[Patch]

"Thunduh! Thunduh!" The little dalmatian was practically bouncing on the spot as he waved one paw in the air. Normally, Patch wouldn't have been quite so enthusiastic a student; but also normally, the class wouldn't be taught by the one-of-a-kind wonderdog who he idolised. The little pup was desperate to make a good impression on his hero; even more so since he didn't think Thunder had really taken to him in last week's class. Admittedly, Patch's big entrance the first time he'd met the teacher had been to trip himself on his tie, and his gushing about the show for the rest of the lesson had seemed to bug the hero more than anything else; still, Patch believed that just meant he had to try even harder to get in his idol's good books.

"They might burst in with their guns out and everything! You know, like Dirty Dawson did when he raided the saloon at the beginning of episode thirty-two! That wasn't one of the best ones, actually, it felt too inconclusive..." He was rambling on a tangent, and Patch abruptly caught himself.

"Or, the shadows, like everyone said," he added, shuffling his paws a bit. "You might not see their face at first, because it makes them mysterious. That was how it was done in the first episode - yeah, that one's still a classic!" Patch's tail began to wag happily again as he spoke. The truth was, he could go on and on and on about Thunderbolt episodes until he was blue in the face - and then some, too. Once the little dalmatian got going about his favourite show, it was notoriously hard to shut him up.

[Thunderbolt]

Thunderbolt's chest rose proudly. So he had taught them well, hadn't he? Well for one class anyway. All of the answers pleased him. ESPECIALLY Patch's. Highlighting the show like that made Thunder very happy, very proud. At least he'd had an impact like he thought. He nodded at the class as he listened to each of their answers. "Pre-CICELY," he said with a woof, "And yes, well, episode thirty two wasn't one of the best. Lightning had pink eye and I felt a cold coming on...that was what it was...yeah."

He cleared his throat before leaping upwards on top of a waiting director's chair. Sitting like a good dog should he started his lecture again. "Everyone was QUITE correct in their assessments. A villain's entrance must be dark, dreary, unless- like Patch said - the villain has already been established, which means he can come in as explosive and destructive as possible. Though sometimes that can be reserved for 'comic relief' which I will explain at a later date. Not as important you see."

He clapped his paws. "Now, demonstration time! Everyone up on the stage and give me your toughest, meanest entrance as your own villain! I want a name for your villain, backstory! But convay it all within your entrance! We'll do the heroes next."

[Trixie]

The class was the perfect for Trixie. Dramatic was her middle name. The teacher was probably just as, maybe more dramatic than she was. But this was the one place where she felt at home. The teacher Thunderbolt, was talking about making entrances. Well, if there was one thing Trixie knew it was how to make a good entrance. When the canine invited them up to the stage. Trixie was more than willing to do so.

As a villain. Now this is what Trixie could work with. Maybe she could even use her magic. After all, she could easily make herself look like the darkest if not beautiful villianness that this teacher had ever seen. "This shall be easy for Trixie." she said proudly to herself as she walked towards the stage.

[Thakur]

Patch sounded very exicted, heck he looked like it. The pony had a good answer as well. Bad guys could blend in, at first you'd think they were just a random person but then you would eventually be proven wrong. It was gonna be hard for a dog to burst in with guns blasting but hey, it was the thought that counted and really Patch was just answeirng with what he saw on the show. Which featured bad guys of different sorts though the main one always had guns. Thunderbolt seemed happy with their answers. Black ears twitched as Thunderbolt cleared his throat and procceded with the lesson for the day.

Course what was soon said caused his eyes to widen with surprise. They were going to have to demonstrate? Oh this was gonna be hard. Trying to explain was one thing but to demonstrate it? Thakur didn't know if he had much of any acting ability let alone to laugh evily. Seems like coming in with gun's blazing was sounding much much more easier. Rising to his paws, Thakur slowly headed for the stage and his ears lowered a bit. Was he really going to have to do this? Of course he was, it was a class and one always had to do what the assingment was. No getting out of it and really...Thakur was just nervous and doubtful than anything.

HOwever he froze as a different pony spoke up and walked past him. Alrighty then, that was fine. Thakur kept off the stage and took a seat on the ground. Turning his attention to the stage to see just what exactly she'd do. She hadn't been the one to speak up and give a suggestion. So she most likely had something else up her sleeve....um....well....whatever.

[Patch]

Demonstrate? He could do that- well, maybe. Patch had never really thought to try that before. He'd impersonated Thunder himself hundreds of times; at least, to the best of his ability. As his siblings never had any problem with reminding him, he couldn't get the heroic bark without sounding like a deflated squeaky toy - and how he hated that analogy. But that was besides the point; the point was that he'd never tried impersonating any of the villains before. What did he ought to do?

Before he could stand up and try whatever he could think of to impress Thunder, however, Patch was aware of the blue pony stepping forward to take first place. Watching with some curiosity even though his attention wasn't fully fixed on her, the dal absently batted the end of his tie back and forth between his paws as he contemplated his own entrance. He could sneak in from the shadows, perhaps - there were plenty of those on the stage - and try and disguise his form as much as possible with them. Then... he didn't know. Bursting out of the shadows, though it had worked for Dirty Dawson, would do nothing at all for him; he was just too small for it to have the impact. Maybe he could just stay as a shadowy kind of villain?

"Is this the same kind of thing you had to do when you were disguised as the phantom cattle rustler's accomplice in episode forty-four, Thunduh?" he queried thoughtfully. "You know, the one when you tricked them all into thinking you were as bad as the rest of his hounds so you could find out who he was?" Thunder had played the villain role so well he'd even fooled Lightning for a time; he could take a thing or two from the Wonderdog's technique there, couldn't he? With that episode in mind, a few good ideas began to form in Patch's mind. Maybe he really did stand a chance of pulling this off and impressing Thunder!

[Trixie]

Trixie smirked as others backed down from the stage. Giving her, her staring moment. How should she do it? Her purple eyes scanned the room, looking for anything that could be used for inspiration. Maybe she should make the room pitch black followed and then just a few sudden flash of lightning for them to see her? Or make her eyes look red? Her magic could certainly do that. Flipping her hair back, she waited until she had everyone's attention. Including the teacher.

She knew just what she could do. She lived to impress.

[Deleted]

"Okay!" Derpy chirped. She watched Trixie for a moment, turned her attention to Patch when the little dalmatian asked their teacher his question, and promptly forgot about waiting her turn. Before Trixie even had a chance to do her demonstration, Derpy flew on stage and landed near where Trixie was standing. Once she was there, she trotted backwards until she was concealed behind a part of the stage and, after a few moments, she trotted out as casually as she could with her best attempt at a suave sort of look on her face. Whether or not she was succeeding had yet to be determined.

"Good evening, my fellow ponies. I am Dr. Not Evil Goodpony, and I am here to make a propoSITION!"

The next thing Derpy knew, she had tripped over her own hooves and fallen flat on her face. So much for a suave, casual approach to the 'I'm not evil and yet I am evil' maneuver she had been talking about. As Derpy lay there on the stage, her hooves went in front of her face and she tried to shrink down a bit. Maybe no one would laugh at her if she looked pathetic enough. Of course, knowing her luck, that was going to be impossible to avoid. She'd made a fool of herself.