Act 42: The Blazing Tale of a Hero (part 4)


"And so, our hero set out." Brenna narrated over the orchestra. "When he had traveled for a day, he came to a palace which rose from the midst of a green garden. But all around the garden, there lay coiled a huge Arbok, a living, scaly wall." She let that hang as the lights came up on the set of the palace, complete with a massive Arbok puppet.

The audience gawked at the Arbok puppet for a moment before a red flash from stage right and fire noises signaled Ruby's character had put the Arbok puppet to sleep.

Ruby emerged on the set some moments later. "There...now I can go in and see Mom while Sir Hiss-a-Lot snoozes!"

The audience giggled as Ruby entered the diamond palace set. "Our hero passed through room after room till he came to the innermost sanctum." Brenna narrated as the palace exterior set disappeared, revealing Ruby climbing on an even more elaborate indoor set.

After a few moments, Ruby arrived in a ballroom set, where a female Cinderace in a magnificent costume waited. When she saw Ruby, she gasped. "Peter...is it really you?"

"Mom...it's me." Ruby smiled. "I came to rescue you!"

The orchestra played a joyous melody as Ruby and the female Cinderace ran and embraced each other. Once the "Aw"s from the audience quieted, the female Cinderace asked "How have you found me here, my brave and beloved son? For I, your mother, am in the power of this mighty Nightmare Pokemon who comes to me each day. You will strive to overcome him, yet he commands powerful dark magic, while you are but a untested hero--I greatly fear for you!"

"The wind does not blow forever..." Ruby smiled. "Eventually the darkness must yield to the light."

The female Cinderace smiled. "That is true...I can only hope you speak the truth.

A wind sound effect snapped the female Cinderace to attention. "Darkrai comes even now!"

She opened up the beautiful purple cape she wore. "Hide beneath my mantle!"

"Okay!" Ruby hurried inside the long diamond studded cape, seconds before a huge Darkrai puppet entered the scene.

The Arcanines in the audience growled when they saw the puppet's jagged sword and gaping crimson maw. "Have you been lonely, light of my life?" it asked in a deep, but gentle voice.

"Yes," the female Cinderace answered. "You travel far, and have many enemies both in the holy realm and the mortal realm--I fear for your life."

"Don't worry," the Darkrai puppet replied. "My life is not in my body but in another place."

"Where is that place?" the female Cinderace asked.

"It is in the broom that stands beside the door," the Darkrai puppet answered. "But I am tired and I would like to rest."

With that, the puppet sprawled out on an ornate black couch and pretended to sleep as the lights went down. "The next morning, the queen went and got the broom and a basket of jewels." Brenna narrated as the female Cinderace and Ruby pantomimed what she described. "They worked all day decorating the broom before Darkrai returned."

The Darkrai puppet met the female Cinderace and the hidden Ruby some moments later. "Why have you decorated a common broom with jewels?" it asked as it studied the glittering broom.

"You told me that your life was inside it, and your life is more precious to me than many jewels!" the female Cinderace replied.

The Darkrai puppet smirked. "I only told you that to test you. My life is not in the broom but in the hedge that rings the garden."

The female Cinderace watched as the Darkrai puppet disappeared in a plume of black smoke. "Is it safe to come out?" Ruby asked from inside the cape.

"It's safe." the female Cinderace replied as she located a bowl full of gold dust.

Once Ruby emerged from the cape, the female Cinderace gave her the gold dust. "Go cover the garden hedge with this, every twig and leaf."

"Right!" Ruby smiled before hurrying offstage.

After a few moments, the lights came up on the ballroom set again, where the Darkrai puppet again met the female Cinderace and the hidden Ruby. "Love of my heart, as I came here I saw that you had covered the garden hedge with gold. Why is that?"

"You told me your life was contained inside it, and your life is more dear to me than gold!" the female Cinderace replied.

The Darkrai puppet smirked with a chuckle. "I only told you that to test you again. Now, however, I am convinced that you truly love me. Know that my life is in neither the broom nor the hedge, but in an egg. The egg is in a Ducklett, which is in a Buneary, which nests in a great hollow log that floats in a pond in a forest on a far away island."

With that, the Darkrai puppet disappeared again. "This time, my dear son, Darkrai has told me where his wicked soul really lies." the female Cinderace explained to Ruby. "Only when you have found the egg can you overcome him. Go with Arceus, for here your life is in danger with each passing moment." She let that hang as the lights went down...

To Be Continued...