Enter Stage Left

[Deleted]

(ooc: September 2nd. Open to all taking Thunderbolt's drama class.)

This was certainly different from acting.

He had the whole stage to himself, a normal occurrence in and of itself since he was used to being the star, but Thunderbolt was donning the robes of a teacher, so to speak. The German Shepherd held his head up high and his tail erect as he thought about the possibilities of actually being a teacher. He'd get to show budding young actors just what it meant to take the stage, the history of the theatre (or at least attempt to go that far), and even how to emote and convince the audience that what one was feeling was real. Oh, he couldn't wait! The question of where his pupils were, though, entered into his mind again.

This, of course, was different from waiting for photographers to take his picture after performing some 'heroic' deed. The actor turned teacher didn't know whether his pupils were late or if they were just taking their time in getting there. Either way, Thunderbolt was a little impatient to begin. He wanted to see who he'd be getting to teach!

At long last, he thought he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Thunderbolt flashed a grin and his tail wagged. Now they could really start to get to know one another and what the class would be like.

[Patch]

Drama? Well, he'd do his best.

Taking a deep breath - and checking once again to make sure his uniform was neat, he'd heard some of the teachers were strict about that - Patch struggled for a moment to push the door open enough for him to slip into the theatre where the class was to be held. He wasn't really sure what to expect, in all honesty, as he made his way forward, towards the stage; but it certainly wasn't the sight that met his eyes. For a moment, the young dalmatian froze, scarcely able to believe what he was seeing - then his excitement overtook his puzzlement.

"Thunder! Thunder!" Patch bounded forward. In his enthusiasm he stepped on his tie, jerking its knot very tight and tripping himself up, but the pup hardly even noticed as he continued to race up to the front to greet his idol. It was only as he reached the front that Patch slowed, struck by a question. "What are you doing here, Thunder? I thought you'd be teaching fighting bad guys or saving the day; you are the One of a Kind Wonderdog, after all." There was a hint of whistfulness to Patch's tone; what he wouldn't give to be 'One of a Kind', just like his hero.

[Trixie]

"The Great Trixie has entered the stage!" the blue unicorn had come ready. Theater. This was just the class that Trixie could succeed at. She knew how to perform, she had done it for years. Ever since she was a little filly, she had always wanted to show off her magic to anyone that could see it. Acting was the same. All she had to do was hold her head up high and be great. Her purple eyes wandered to the pup talking to the older canine, who Trixie could only assume was the teacher. 'Hmpth.' she thought. 'someone sure wants to be a teacher's pet.'

[Deleted]

Upon seeing Patch enter, Thunderbolt's expression hardly wavered. He still appeared as confident and ready for just about anything as he had been moments before. Then, the pup barked out his name and the German Shepherd's smile grew. Patch was, no doubt, a fan of his show. Thunderbolt prepared to say that he wouldn't mind giving out a few autographs, but he stopped short when the Dalmatian asked his questions. For a moment, Thunderbolt found himself incapable of answering. The boy didn't know he was only an actor? Well... Crap. How did he go about explaining that without crushing the pup's belief that he was a one of a kind Wonderdog? The drama teacher fumbled with his thoughts for a moment, grasping at straws for an answer, before finally coming to a conclusion. He'd continue to make Patch believe he was that Wonderdog he so desperately wanted him to be. Confidence flashed back in Thunder's featured before he began to speak.

"That's exactly why I took up this position. I wouldn't want my enemies to know I was here, so I'm posing as a simple teacher. Then, when they least expect it..."

Thunderbolt gave his standard heroic bark, causing it to echo throughout the theater for a moment, and dropped back into a more relaxed position when it was done. That ought to keep the faith alive within his little fan a while longer. Then, he glanced Trixie's way. Another student? Well, she certainly was a very little horse! Thunderbolt didn't think he'd ever seen one quite her size before.

"Ah, come in! I was beginning to think I'd have to do one on one lessons with... Ah... What did you say your name was?"

[Patch]

(Apparently the Thunderbolt TV show has two episode eighteens; at different points in the movie Patch refered to that number as 'Gambling Gophers of Gunfire Gulch' and 'Flaming Flea Circus' (when he corrected Lucky on its number). Just a point of interest. I suppose they could have been the episode eighteens of different seasons, though - Patch definitely mentions there having been more than one season of the show (seventy-two episodes in all)... but I digress, I'm rambling XD;; )


That made sense, he guessed. Just like in episode eighteen; though Thunder wasn't in disguise here, the concept of being undercover was just the same, and Patch gave an enthusiastic yip, his tail wagging furiously. "This is champion, Thunder! I'm your biggest fan, I know every episode by heart!" Crouching, he tried to spring up onto the stage, but his leap didn't carry him quite high enough and he only just managed to grab the stage's edge with his paws; the young dal struggled for a moment before pulling himself up.

He would have gone on, save for the fact that the American canine had turned his attention to the next arrival, one of those horned horses. Patch watched as the teacher addressed her, idly pawing at his tie knot as he waited for Thunderbolt to look back in his direction. It had got pulled rather tight, the pup realised with a wince; even if he got one of the humans in his circle to help, that was going to be hard to get undone later. Though that wasn't a pressing concern right now; not since Thunder was talking to him again.

"Patch!" he answered proudly, grinning from one floppy ear to the other. He almost still couldn't believe it; his idol Thunderbolt was right here, not just in the same room, but actually talking to him!

[Trixie]

"I am the Great and Powerful Trixie." she said, raising her hoofs up high as sparkles fell from her cape and hat. "It is an honor to meet you. I am assuming that you are the theater teacher am I correct?" she asked, looking around the classroom. So far it was just her and the pup. No other students had arrived quite yet. How interesting. 'Are we the only two who have this class?' Her purple eyes softened a bit, oh well. Trixie would just have to deal with that.

[Princess Luna]

"CITIZENS OF THIS CLASSROOM, YOUR PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT HATH ARRIVED!"

Luna swallowed and internally smacked herself. She should have remembered what Twilight said. Lower the volume. Stop treating people like subjects and like friends. Her head lowered as she shook her head, trotting towards Thunderbolt. "Fair teacher, we are here for thy class in dramatics." Why she signed up for it she had no idea. She couldn't remember doing so. She pressed her shoes against the wooden floorboards before looking about. There was a puppy with spots, and a pony of blue and creme. The female raised her eyes.

"You are a citizen of Equestria, are you not? Your princess of the night hath arrived. You may tell them how your princess shall be a most worthy student." Her ears folded back slightly. "However, we are not quite sure how well we will fair in dramatics. Art thou a worthy teacher?"

[Deleted]

Yep, the kid was definitely a fan of the show. A fan with a freakish amount of knowledge about the show, too, from the sound of it. Not even Thunderbolt knew the episodes that well! Well, no matter. He'd gotten Patch's name and would do his best to remember it. On top of that, he had gotten Trixie's name as well. Patch and Trixie... Yes, this was going to be an interesting class indeed.

"Patch and Trixie. Got it. As for your question, the answer is yes! I am your drama teacher, or theater as some may prefer to call it, and-"

Thunderbolt was cut off by Luna's rather difficult to miss introduction. The German Shepherd's attention went directly to her, and when she got closer he had to admit to himself that the alicorn was very good at projecting her voice. She'd have no problems at all when it came time to actually showing what she could do as far as acting went. At least he hadn't gotten stuck with any shy students who would need to be pried out of their shells in order to be heard. In answer to Luna's question, Thunderbolt gave a curt nod.

"I would say so! After all, I am an expert when it comes to theatrics," Thunderbolt said. He wasn't going to try and hide his own cockiness on that much, as he did think he had a good flair for the theater. Now it was all about teaching such things to these students.

"Well, it looks like it's about time for class to start. For those who don't know, I am Thunderbolt! Throughout this class, I will be doing my best to teach you about the art of acting, the history of the theatre, and, ultimately, how to put all of this knowledge to use and put on our own show! ...Of course, we'll probably need more than three students," Thunderbolt said. No matter, though. He would just assume any others who wanted to take the class were just late. Otherwise, they'd have to find a play with a very small cast to perform.

"No matter! Let's get started, shall we? Now, we'll start with the basics. What do you all know about acting thus far?"

[Princess Luna]

(Sorry I should probably wait but I wanna play her so bad XD)

Ears folded back on the female princess as she listened to the 'expert' speak. "Thou art an expert in dramatics?" She said, leaning her neck towards the male, "Then we shall be happy to learn from you, fair canine, Thunderbolt." She moved into place with her fellow students, tilting her head towards the others. They didn't speak, so the princess took it upon herself to speak first. Perhaps they were shy. Luna would set the pace.

"We have not done any acting before," she said, "When you are a princess you attend plays your subjects put on for you. This is the case of us. But we shall listen to thy instruction teacher."

[Patch]

Acting? What did he know about acting, anyway? Patch frowned to himself. He desperately wanted to do good in this class and impress Thunderbolt, but for the life of him, the young dal couldn't think of a decent answer, never mind an impressive one; and it certainly didn't help at all that his ears were still ringing from the volume of the Pony Princess' entrance. Patch shook his head once, his ears flopping from side to side with the motion.

"C'mon, Patch, you've gotta say something," he mumbled under his breath.

Well, he supposed he had a little, unprofessional experience... "I kind of act out your episodes alongside the TV when they play ones I've seen before," he confessed, giving a sheepish little grin. It was sort of embarassing to admit that, even in front of so small a group, but it was acting of a sort, at least, not to mention all he could think of. "Otherwise, I don't have any real experience. Sorry, Thunder." The pup stared down at his paws - and the end of his tie trailing between them - looking most dejected. All he wanted was to impress his idol; it looked like that wasn't going to be happening any time soon, though.