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leela-small · 2 years

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An Alley, a Top Hat and Pearls for Days

Chapter 12

In this chapter, I will attempt the difficult feat of jumping between scenes like it is often done on TV — emphasis on “attempt”. Please let me know if I succeeded 😅

Continue reading on FanFiction.net, AO3 or under the cut

Music for this chapter’s song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPmNf-CQmn8

Since this chapter’s song is divided into two parts, some clarifications are in order:

- Lyrics kick in at 0:17

- First part goes from 0:17 to 0:54

- Second part goes from 1:32 to 2:02

- The bit between 0:47 - 0:50 is just dancing, so no lyrics apply there

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When Zulius’ eyes fluttered open, he found himself completely alone. He could hear the sound of loud music playing in the distance, no doubt from one of the acts preceding his. It was faint, but he could make out someone singing along to the melodious tune, backed up by what seemed to be an all-male choir. He wondered if that could be the singing lumberjack Samanthera had mentioned.

Pushing himself into a sitting position, he stretched his arms upwards and released a long yawn. Albeit short, the nap had helped to invigorate him and restore some of his energy. He felt more determined than ever to go on and put on the show of a lifetime. He had no doubt in his mind that he and Splendib would win the Be Best Competition and blow everyone away with yet another unique performance.

He lifted himself off the couch and made a beeline for the vanity mirror, inspecting every inch of his face very closely. His mohawk had suffered a bit during his short slumber, a few strands sticking out in different directions. He made quick work of fixing his mane, smoothing it to perfection with a few strokes. While his fingers were still entangled in his monochromatic locks, his eyes inevitably wandered downwards and he winced upon noticing the generous amount of hickeys all over his neck. Making a mental note to later give Splendib a piece of his mind, he reached for the brush on top of the makeup table, dipping it into the powder concealer that best matched his skin tone. He meticulously covered the bruises, applying the powder and blending it into his skin until every single blemish had disappeared.

Once the last bruise had been covered, he released a relieved sigh and set the brush back down on the table in front of him. His gaze landed on another makeup item, one which he had not used in ages and which stirred all sorts of emotions inside of him: mascara. His heart ached as his mind replayed the memory of the first and last time his eyelashes had been coated in that thick ink. He could still recall the feeling of his mother gently applying the makeup on him, almost as if it were happening right now. If he had known then that that would be one of the last times he would see his mother, he would have made every second count. What he wouldn’t give to have his mother with him now, to see him shine like she always said he would.

His trembling fingers slowly uncapped the tube with a rotating motion. He brought the small brush up to his face, examining every bristle. He wasn’t sure why, but the sight of the small piece of plastic coated in thick black ink made him feel nervous. He glanced upwards and smiled, feeling in his heart that his mother was somewhere up there watching him with pride.

“This is for you, momma.” he said before taking the brush up to his right eye.

He did his best to apply the mascara exactly as his mother had done that night ⁠— slowly and carefully, with great precision. He was cautious not to coat his eyelashes with too much ink, so as to not smudge his eyes. After a few strokes, he inserted the brush back into the tube and looked at his reflection. It wasn’t perfect, but he did a decent job for his first try. And dang, did it make his eyes pop!

After shooting himself one last grin in front of the mirror, he turned around and headed towards the main exit. With a new look that perfectly mirrored his confident state of mind, Zulius couldn’t wait to appear before his loving audience and shine once more. He was going to give those cataurs a show they would never forget. He reached for the door handle, feeling his body radiate confidence from every pore. Nothing could stop him now.

He pushed down on the door handle…

…and it didn’t move.

He was confused, but his confusion quickly evolved into sheer panic when he tried time and time again and the result remained the same. No matter how hard he pushed down, it just wouldn’t budge. He tried pushing the door forward, but to no avail.

His breath caught in his throat as he racked his brain for a solution. That was the only exit in the entire vehicle, and the windows didn't open wide enough to let him through. If he didn’t figure out a way to open that door, he would miss his own performance. He needed to get out, and fast.

Desperation setting in, he began banging on the door as hard as he could in hopes that someone would hear him. He was hyperventilating and heart was beating so fast it felt like it was about to explode. He really hoped someone would help him before he collapsed.

“Help! Is anyone out there?!” he shouted at the top of his lungs as he continued punching on the metal barrier. “I’m stuck! I need help! Please! Someone help me!”

“Zulius?”

“Sammy?!” he pressed himself against the door as much as possible so she could hear him, mentally thanking the heavens for the lemurtaur’s presence. “Oh, thank goose you’re here! You gotta help me!”

“What happened? I could hear you scream all the way across the square.” the lemurtaur replied, her tone full of concern. “Are you OK?”

“No, I’m not OK! The door won’t open!” he said as he tried to push the door open once more. “I’ve tried everything and it won’t move! I’ll be on any minute now!”

“Yeah, no wonder you can’t open it. Somebody ruined it and locked you in.”

“What do you mean?”

“There are huge claw marks over the lock and the door handle. There’s no way a cataur could’ve done this. You’re probably going to hate me for saying this, but the only one around with claws this big is —”

He didn’t hear the rest of her sentence, but he didn’t need to. Realization hit him like a ton of bricks, knocking the air out of his lungs. His ears began ringing and his body became numb. Could he have really sabotaged him? After all they’ve been through? After… last night? No, that couldn’t be. What reason could he possibly have to —

That’s when fragments of what Splendib said to him the previous night echoed in his memory. His fingernails dug into the metal door as everything suddenly became painfully clear.

One of the best numbers I’ve seen in a long time!

I couldn’t have come up with a better routine myself.

You are a once in a lifetime talent…

“That bitch!” he yelled, anger bubbling up inside him at an alarming speed. “He used me! He never wanted us to be partners! He just needed an excuse to get close to me! And now he wants to steal my idea and pass it off as his own! Mother flonker!”

“I’ll save the ‘I told you so’ speech for later. Right now, we need to get you out of there so you can stop him befo—”

“Wait!” he cut her off when a familiar sound reached his ears. “Do you hear that?”

It was faint at first, but then it became clear: music. His music. The music that was supposed to play during his number.

His heart sank to his hooves. He was too late.

Splendib entered the arena accompanied by loud cheering, strutting and snapping his fingers in tune with the music. Kale and Shar followed closely behind him, mimicking his every move. Once they reached the center of the arena, the tigertaur struck a pose, holding it while the Glitter Cats took their positions at his sides, a few feet behind him.

“Surrender To the beat of your dreams And just let yourself be free Don’t hesitate, just let loose

The beat Will turn your life all the way around So just let go, there’s no excuse Just da-a-ance

Just da-a-ance

Let go And just da-a-ance

Just da-a-ance

Let go Move it!”

They broke out into an intricate dance number which mostly consisted of moving their arms in perfect harmony with the beat. Their movements were perfectly choreographed and synched, and the crowd was going wild watching them.

“Move your body And surrender to the beat”

“I’m too late.” Zulius whimpered, resting his head on the door’s cold metal surface.

“The flonk you are!” he heard Samanthera exclaim from the other side. “We can still stop him! We just need to figure out a way to get you out of there.”

“I don’t know how! I’ve tried everything I could think of.”

“If we can’t open the door the conventional way, is there any way we could pry off its hinges?”

“You don’t exactly carry tools around when you’re on tour! And it’s not like I can just summon super strength out of nowhe—”

He trailed off once it hit him: he could summon super strength out of nowhere! The exact same way he had when that moletaur wouldn’t unhand him the night they took his mother away.

He glanced up towards his perfectly coiffed mane, recalling all the times he had tried to get it to shapeshift and do things when he wanted it to. Previous experiences had taught him that his stubborn monochromatic hair seemed to develop a mind of its own when it was less convenient for him, often when his emotions got the best of him. Still, it was his only hope to free himself and stop Splendib before he could take all the credit for his hard work.

“I think I have an idea, but I’ll need a minute.”

“OK, but hurry up, we don’t have much time.”

Zulius closed his eyes and took a deep breath to try and calm himself before his next move.

“Hey, mane? I know we’ve had our ups and downs, but you have to admit I’ve been really good to you lately.” he spoke softly, gazing up upwards at his ‘do. “I treat you as if you were my own child sometimes. But I digress. This is a really important moment for me and my career could possibly come to an end if I can’t find a way to get out of here. So I was wondering if you could possibly… lend me a hand? For old time’s sake?”

He held his breath as he waited for any sort of response, but a few seconds passed and not even so much as a speckle of dandruff fell from his locks. He sighed in defeat, mentally smacking himself for even thinking such a ludicrous idea would work. He was pleading with hair, for goose’s sake!

He was about ready to tell Samanthera that his plan had failed when he felt a sudden tug on his scalp. Heart rate quickening, he glanced up and saw that his once flawless mohawk was now extended and shaped like a clenched fist. He smiled from ear to ear, but he didn’t have time to celebrate, for the fist had swung back and was aiming at the door.

“Sammy, get back!” was the only thing he had time to shout before his mane struck the metal surface.

The door flew off its hinges and landed a considerable distance away. Samanthera was on the floor a few feet to the left, breathing rapidly and staring at him like he had just grown an extra head.

“What… how…” she exhaled, clearly still in shock.

“I’ll explain later. Now, come on.” he leaned down and extended a hand towards the perplexed lemurtaur. “We’ve got a show to save.”

Once she calmed down, Samanthera gave him a determined smile and took hold of his hand. As soon as he had a grip on her, Zulius flung the lemurtaur onto his back and bolted towards the arena, adrenaline pumping through his veins like never before.

Meanwhile, Splendib was swaying his body to the rhythm of the music. Kale and Shar followed his every move to a T.

“Make some noise, Cataur Valley!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands in time with the tune.

The crowd gave a mighty cheer and it wasn’t long before the deafening sound of a million hands clapping in perfect unison filled the arena.

“Free your mind Become one with music within you Let yourself be taken By the sound in your heart

Forget All those problems, don’t matter Open your mind, get a fresh start And just da-a-ance

Just da-a-ance

Let go And just da-a-ance

Just da-a-ance

Let go Move it!”

Zulius’ legs moved as fast as they could, galloping at near light speed across the square. Samanthera held onto his torso for dear life, gripping his midsection with such force that her fingernails dug into his flesh. Oddly enough, Zulius couldn't feel a thing. He was fueled by his unbridled rage to such an extent that he couldn’t even feel anything else. If someone were to intercept him and hack off his arm, he would simply continue as if nothing had happened. Nothing would stand in the way of preventing Splendib from making a fool of him yet again.

He circled around the arena until he found a clear entrance. His heart leapt when he spotted the only one which hadn’t been closed off: the performers’ entrance. With a wide grin spreading across his face and determination filling his heart, he picked up the pace and nearly flew towards the large arched opening…

…only to be stopped by a cataur wearing a black suit and sunglasses, who stood in his way and held up a hand to keep him from entering. Zulius nearly ran him over, had he not been quick enough to sink his heels on the ground and stop himself.

“No entrance allowed during the show.” he said in a deep, monotone voice.

“Are you kidding me?!” Zulius exclaimed, gesturing wildly and barely noticing Samanthera jump off his back. “Do you know who I am?! I’m supposed to be in the show!”

“Yeah, sure. Nice try, pal.” the cataur scoffed. “If you really were supposed to be in the show, then why aren’t you in there right now, huh?”

“It’s a long story and I really don’t have the time to explain it right now, just please let me through!” Zulius insisted, his already low patience growing dangerously thin.

“No can do, bud. Them’s the rules.”

“Well, you can take your lousy rules and shove them up your a—”

And then he heard it: complete and utter silence. The music had stopped playing, signaling the end of what should have been his performance. He felt like his heart came to halt inside his chest as soon as the final note was struck. Even though it had felt like the silence lasted for an eternity, it had really only lasted a split second, quickly being replaced with the deafening sound of applause and high-pitched cheering flooding the arena.

It took Zulius a moment to find his bearings, but when he did, he shoved away the cataur blocking his path, who had gotten distracted by the commotion, and ran into the coliseum-like structure.

He saw Splendib as soon as he entered the arena. The tigertaur had his back to him, his arms raised towards the crowd as he basked in their adoration. Kale and Shar were by his side, throwing kisses at the audience. He couldn’t believe they would betray him like that. There was no shred of doubt that had been Splendib’s doing.

He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this mad. His entire body shook and he had to ball his hands into fists before he did something he would regret. He was like a volcano about to erupt and destroy everything and everyone in his passage. He wanted to scream, to shout every profanity known to centaurkind, to charge at Splendib and rip that cocky grin of his straight out of his face along with most of his facial hair.

Suddenly, as if sensing his presence, Splendib turned his head around to look at him. The tigertaur simply smiled and winked at him before turning back towards his beloved fans.

Zulius wasn’t sure exactly how or why such a simple gesture affected him the way it did, but at that moment he felt all his anger vanish and be replaced with a feeling of defeat and utter embarrassment. With just a smile and a wink, Zulius was reduced to a husk of himself, feeling once more like that sad little kid who had been publicly humiliated in front of his peers. And once again, it had been all thanks to Splendib.

He barely felt Samanthera’s hand on his arm before turning on his heels and heading back the way he came. Ignoring the tears welling up in his eyes which made it difficult to make out his surroundings, he crossed the town square in the direction of the entrance to Cataur Valley. He couldn’t bear to stay another second in that place. Now that Splendib had won the Be Best Competition, he would surely be offered the same deal he previously had — permanent residence in exchange for a constant participation in the competition. He couldn’t handle living in the same place as the tigertaur, so he would just have to find somewhere else. He hated himself for not being grateful for the life he had in Cataur Valley. If he could just turn back time, he would do things very differently.

“I guess I should thank you.”

Zulius stopped dead in his tracks. He had been so absorbed in his own thoughts that he hadn’t even heard him approaching. The mere sound of his voice caused his entire body to tense up, his rage returning tenfold.

“You were right. Your number sure was chock-full of wow factor.” Splendib said smugly.

“You really have the nerve to show your face after that crap you just pulled?!” Samanthera growled. “You back-stabbing, pretentious piece of sh—”

“If you don’t mind, Samanthera, I was talking to Zulius, not you.”

“I have nothing to say to you.” Zulius managed to choke out, his tone hoarse and dark.

“Oh, don’t be like that. It’s nothing personal. It’s just business.”

At that precise moment, Zulius snapped. He swung his arm back and his palm struck Splendib square in the face, the sound of the slap echoing throughout the town square. The tigertaur tumbled back a few feet, both from the impact and the surprise. Kale and Shar looked shocked, having followed Splendib when he ran out of the arena. Bringing a hand to caress his now reddened cheek, he glared at Zulius with a hurt expression. The zebrataur, on the other hand, had a look on his face that, if looks could kill, Splendib would’ve been obliterated where he stood. He ignored the stinging sensation in his palm as he stared the tigertaur down, breathing heavily through his gritted teeth. Tears of hot rage rolled down his cheeks, ruining his makeup, although at that moment he couldn’t care less about the way he looked.

“A bit harsh, aren’t we?” Splendib commented, his hand still pressed onto the sore spot on his face. “You’re not seriously going to say you weren’t expecting something like this to happen? I mean, come on, Zulius, you know me!”

As livid as Zulius felt at that moment, there wasn’t much he could say to the tigertaur without tarnishing his already destroyed reputation. And what he said was true — he shouldn’t be surprised about such a betrayal coming from him, but it was painful nonetheless.

He settled on simply saying five words; five very simple words which he hoped would leave him as hurt as he felt inside.

“No, I don’t know you.” Zulius said before turning around, unable to look at the tigertaur’s face for another second. “You strung me along and made me believe you had changed for your own personal gain. You used me. I can never forgive that.”

He began walking towards the exit, but stopped after a few steps.

“Kale, Shar, let’s go.” he commanded over his shoulder.

“Uhh, no. We’re staying with Splendib.” the Glitter Cats replied in unison. “He’s a winner, unlike you.”

Zulius turned around, his eyes wide in disbelief. His former backup dancers merely shot him a daring grin as they leaned against Splendib. The tigertaur crossed his arms and smiled victoriously. To add insult to injury, Zulius suddenly noticed the sash draped over Splendib’s chest — the very same sash he had won countless times.

“The ladies have made their choice.” Splendib purred as he wrapped an arm over their shoulders.

Zulius had to clench his fists again as he felt his anger returning, more tears running down his face as he trembled.

“Fine.” he said through his gritted teeth. “I don’t need you. I don’t need anybody.”

And with that, Zulius turned around and walked out of Cataur Valley without looking back.

#Fanfiction #Centaurworld #Zulius #Centaurworld OC #Splendib #Kale #Shar #Glitter Cats

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