The Fantasian Jubilation

From up above in a commentator's booth, a dark-silver robot named Bender Rodríguez gave his spiel through a voc-a-phone~ "Welcome ladies and germs to the 792nd annual Fantasian Jubelation...commemorating the anniversary of the founding of Fantasia; as well as 16 years since Kenobi banished Narissa into exile and united our realm!" Bender announced, as the concert hall filled with thunderous applause. "Before we begin, I'd also like to remind everyone that this year's concert is also supposed to be the official premiere of the new royal court composer...and trust me, he won't let you forget anytime soon!" Bender joked, earning some laughter. "Alright, now all you meatbags shut up because it looks like were about to begin here!" The audience became quiet as a squad of Rhino Guards marched in, all led by a towering, muscular whale-like alien with steel-blue skin, a small dorsal fin on his head, tiny blue eyes, elephant-like feet, two fleshy curved "tusks" protruding from his temples, and dressed in a sleeveless, black uniform with red lining and a small gold badge pinned to the left side of his chest, along with a holster strapped to his waist, with a plasma cannon blaster resting inside it. This was Captain Gantu, chief of realm security. "COMPANY HALT!" he bellowed, as the Rhino Guards stopped and turned at attention as a group of pixies came up and trumpeted a small fanfare. "DISPERSE!" Gantu ordered, as the Rhino Guards parted to reveal Fluttershy, who cleared her throat and announced, or rather murmured something in a voice too soft to hear, but with some gentle urging from Gantu, repeated the message loud and clear~ "Presenting his Royal Highness, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi!" Everyone cheered as a brown-haired man with blue eyes, a brown beard, and dressed in a cream-colored tunic, dark trousers, leather boots, and brown robes, flew into the concert hall, riding a royal chariot harnessed to a trio of Nabooian aiwhas. This was Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, the beloved king of the Immortal realm. As the jedi rode past a chandelier, he pulled out his legendary gold-hilted lightsaber and shot a blast of light from its blue blade; illuminating the chandelier with a brilliant glow. Everyone cheered once more, amazed by the spectacle. "Benevolent Fantasians, in honor of this auspicious occasion, my three students will entertain you shortly with a song." Obi-Wan announced with a faint Coruscanti accent, giving a warm smile to his subjects. "And now presenting the new royal court composer, Syrad Kaliida Jezebeth "Xem" Tzxbor!" Fluttershy introduced once more. A corny kazoo fanfare and applause sounded as the alien tiger from before rode in on a smaller chariot pulled by a trio of juvenile neembra mantras, preening as he waved down to the crowd. This was Xem, a young Rosewellian who held many titles in the royal court: grand vizier, chief royal advisor and attaché, head of the Fantasian Ministry of Bureaucratic Affairs, and now with today's concert, he could add 'royal court composer' to that extensive résumé. It was truly an honor to succeed his mentor, the famed Dr. Jumba Jookiba, in the position and a culmination of a life-long dream he had been working long and hard to achieve... Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted with a yelp as his mantras got a bit riled up. Xem grabbed the reins and steered the chariot towards Kenobi's direction, riding alongside the jedi master. "I'm really looking forward to today's performance, Xem." Ob-Wan nodded with a smile. "As am I, sir!" Xem enthusiastically bragged. "I've been composing this lil' symphonic beauty for almost an entire year now...and trust me, you're going to love it. It's a very grand piece that chronicles the founding and history of Fantasia." he suddenly yelped out of surprise as his chariot completely turned over, thanks to his antsy mantras getting even more restless, as Obi-Wan chuckled in amusement. Xem gave a sheepish grin and righted himself back up with a heave, as the two headed over to a balcony where four other Immortals were already seated~ The first was a large red-orange dragon with yellow curvy-spiral horns, a light yellow-orange underbelly scales, dark orange claws, bat-like wings, and golden eyes with black pupils. This was Drake Ignitus. The second was a tall, majestic-looking alicorn with a white coat, an ethereal flowing multicolor mane and tail, a unicorn horn, pegasi wings, magenta eyes, and a cutie mark depicting a stylized sun. This was Princess Celestia. The third was a old, well-muscled merman with bushy light-grey eyebrows, long white hair with a widow's peak hairline, a thick white beard and mustache, tan skin, the lower body of a dark blue fish with translucent cyan fins, and wearing gold gauntlets with several studs on them on each wrist, as well as holding a golden trident in one hand and seated in a fountain-like chair. This was King Triton. The fourth and last one was a tiny bipedal frog-like alien with grey skin, big green eyes with black horizontal rectangular pupils, thin tendrils growing from his face in lieu of an actual moustache, and dressed in a black and green robe with metallic ends and clutching a ceremonial walking staff. This was Lord Azmuth. All together, they formed the High Council: the rulers of Fantasia under Kenobi himself. "Ah, Däta'kal melden, my council members: Ignitus, your scales are looking quite nice today; Celestia, you look as radiant as ever; Triton, did you get a haircut? It looks great!; Azmuth, peace be with you..." Xem bowed respectfully, stepping onto a floating hover-platform as some animated brooms took Kenobi and Xem's chariots, and Obi-Wan took his seat in the middle. "And Detöga murda to you as well, Xem Tzxbor." Ignitus replied with a nod. "Our congratulations on your premiere today." Celestia warmly added. "You're too kind, Princess." Xem blushed, taking a blonde Mozart wig from a broom and adjusting it on his head. "As I was just telling Master Kenobi, 'Fantasia Symphony I in D Minor' is certainly one of my greatest achievements to date! But let's not forget that your students will also be phenomenal in that opening song section I wrote. Trust me, they can carry a tune as well as they can wield a saber." "Yes," Kenobi nodded as he whispered to the tiger, "And especially my little Bloom..." "Ah, of course, of course." Xem exclaimed, "That girl's got the most beautiful voice I've ever heard. Notes as clear as the water; pitch as pure as ice; why I haven't heard such lovely melody since, er-" "Her royal highness, the late Queen Satine Kryze." Triton finished, an uncomfortable silence briefly following. "May she rest in peace." Azmuth eulogized solemnly, as the six of them bowed their heads in respect for a moment. "And now, as a special pre-show featurette, we present a short tribute to the success story of our esteemed vizier; Xem: Behind the Legend...directed by Xem." Bender announced unenthusiastically as a screen lowered down and the crowd below cheered. "Oh! Ooh! My thing is on!" Xem grinned, taking a seat next to the rulers as the auditorium lights dimmed down and the film counted down in AL1. The film began with corny grandiose music as slow-motion footage of Xem was shown on screen; while a stereotypical documentary voice-over began to speak, "Syrad 'Xem' Tzxbor. You know him as the dashing savior and protector of the Immortals or maybe as the protege of Dr. Jookiba," the film showed him being awarded a medal of valor for thwarting the Saurian invasion attempt from over a year ago, "The loyal grand vizier and chief attaché to Master Obi-Wan Kenobi," the film showed him holding a long scroll and quill and eagerly saluting to Obi-Wan, "The revolutionary head of the Fantasian Ministry of Bureaucratic Affairs who designed and patented the Automated Mail Delivery Omni-Transit," the film showed him presenting blueprints for the A.M.D.O.T at a board meeting and receiving a standing ovation for it, "and the Rosewellian who single-handedly returned music to our beloved realm a mere two years ago." the film showed footage of him performing on stage with four others, "But how much do you really know about this brave adventurer and fun-seeker? Join us now as we take you: BEHIND THE LEGEND!" _ _ _ Obi-Wan just did a slow face-palm at this; while Celestia, Ignitus, Triton, and Azmuth looked confused...and Xem just munched on popcorn, totally engrossed in his own cinematic ego trip. _ _ _ The film changed to a shot of a rather nice-looking suburb on a different planet. "Syrad's story began on a small planet in the Andromeda Galaxy known as Rosewell. He was born on the first day of summer in the planet's poorest slum." the voice-over stated, as the shot zoomed out to reveal the suburb was actually dwarfed by a large cosmopolitan city. The film cut to an interview with Xem's parents: his father Balthozar Tzxbor, a fat Rosewellian with dark orange fur, beady green eyes with yellow sclera, a brown mustache, and dressed in a tacky green polo shirt, blue shorts, and sandals; and his mother Jennidae Tzxbor, a slender Rosewellian with yellow-orange fur, aqua eyes with yellow sclera, long blonde hair, and dressed in a blue blouse and a black dress skirt. "Well, our little Xemmy was just the most beautiful baby in the whole world. And he was so precocious compared to the other kids! I knew that he was special and destined to do great things." Jennidae gushed. "Pooling their life savings, the Tzxbors managed to enroll young Syrad in the finest primary school, thanks in part to some influencial help from Syrad's doting uncle…" The film cut to an interview with Governor Shere Khan-Tzxbor, an older Rosewellian in a blue business suit, who tried to swat away the boom mike and shut his front door on the camera crew. "Get that camera out of my face! No interviews! I refuse to associate myself with that good-for-nothing nephew of mine. I HAVE NO NEPHEW!" he ranted in a cold voice. _ _ _ Xem sunk into his seat at this. _ _ _ "Nepotism aside, the bright young Syrad excelled in his studies and went on to graduate with high honors." "But unfortunately things didn't work out too well." Balthozar added, "See, our culture places tremendous value on status, academia, and commerce...and no value on pretty much anything else. So here you got this "lower-classer" kid going to an esteemed school for "high-classers" with dreams of becoming a musician; despite exceptional intellect and skill, they're just going to reject him," Balthozar explained as a rather pathetic photo appeared of the graduating class, with a glum-looking Xem all by himself, "Poor kid...I doubt even he had any frie-" _ _ _ The film suddenly cut mid-sentence to a later scene, "-but not even the planet's sudden invasion and destruction at the hands of a rogue terrorist group could get Syrad down, nor a brief internment as a prisoner of war." _ _ _ Obi-Wan and the High Council gave Xem a look, as the alien tiger gave a weak chuckle. "Er, I um...had some editorial privileges." he sheepishly explained. The film displayed footage of various aliens undergoing military training at a futuristic-looking base. "And it would be a rescue at the hands of the Ahtor Fighter Corps that would reunite Syrad with his parents on the newly established Rosewell 2 colony. This would lead to the next stage of his life, as he spent the next few years as one of these intergalactic peace-keepers, trained under none-other than our very own Captain Gantu, and gaining the nickname he'd carry to this day: Xem." the voice-over explained, with Gantu rolling his eyes at this. The film cut to an interview with a bipedal hedgehog-like alien with snow white fur, blue eyes, a golden mane across his neck, and dressed in the traditional black-and-purple Ahtor Fighters jumpsuit. A caption displayed: 'Tyson 'TLSoulDude' Lee, Friend'. "Yeah, I met Xem back during our AF training, and we hit it off quite well." TL reminisced with a grin, "I even recall him saying I was the first friend he ever ha-" _ _ _ The film cut-away yet again to the end, "-ealizing his dreams would never be fulfilled on Rosewell 2, Xem left behind everything he ever knew and disembarked to Fantasia, quickly finding a mentor in Dr. Jookiba and starting off in the ministry's mail-room. Nearly two decades have passed and even after having worked his way up into the top of the royal court, this young go-getter still retains his fiery passion for life; continuing to better our beloved realm." "I'm working for a better tomorrow...today!" Xem said in-film, giving the camera a goofy grin and thumbs-up, as the picture froze followed by the caption 'To Be Continued...?'. _ _ _ The lights came back up and the screen rose, as scattered applause came from the confused audience. "So what did you think?" Xem eagerly asked, glancing over to a stunned Kenobi and High Council with big puppy-dog eyes. "Oh, uh well…" Triton began, scratching the back of his head. "It was…interesting." Celestia politely tried to say. "Er, yes, quite so." Ignitus added, clearing his throat. "I, uh, liked the title font you used." Azmuth lied with a sheepish grin. "Pardon my asking, but wouldn't it make more sense to have someone else make your tribute film?" Obi-Wan pointed out. Xem shrugged. "Truth be told, sir, I was afraid that whoever made the film would just end up making me look like a big blowhard." he admitted, but stopped and stood up excitedly as the lights began to dim. Climbing aboard the waiting hover-platform, Xem pulled out his beloved scorebook and conductor's baton from his coat pockets. "Here we go! You are going to be so proud, sir, I just know it!" Xem declared, waving to Obi-Wan and the Council as the hover-platform whirred him down to the stage; his smile briefly changing to a frown. "If only she'd show up for one blasted rehearsal…" he grumbled under his breath once he was out of earshot. At that moment, a strange little wrinkled creature joined the rulers up in the balcony, taking a seat in his own chair next to Kenobi's throne. He had leathery green skin, big brown eyes, elfin-like pointy ears, clawed hands and feet, some white hair at the back of the head, and was dressed in a long-sleeved brown robe and cream cloak, and used a gnarled wooden cane. This was Grand Master Yoda, Kenobi's own elderly mentor in the jedi arts. "Oof! Huf! Mph! Getting longer, these stairs are." the wizened old sage grunted. "And you are getting shorter, my old friend." Kenobi teased with a friendly smirk. Yoda nodded and leaned against his cane, giving a mirthful laugh. "When 900 years old you reach, look as good, you will not, hmrph? Ha, ha... a grand day for celebration, is it not?" "Indeed," Obi-Wan considered as the orchestra warmed up, "Though let's just hope it remains that way." _ _ _ As Xem rode the hover-platform down to the conductor's stand, Bender switched a dial on his chest and began to commentate in a dignified announcer's voice, "As an awed hush fills the concert hall, the maestro approaches the podium." Once the hover-platform stopped, Xem stepped off and headed across a walkway made of colorful light tiles; before stepping onto the black conductor's podium...which magically rose up to its full layered height, as a spotlight shone onto him. The Rosewellian tiger calmly opened up his scorebook and placed it on the stand, before glancing left and right throughout the orchestra. "He raises his baton...and we hear symphonic bliss..." Bender finished, as Xem pulled out his baton, tapping it against the stand. In a matter of seconds, as he waved his arms up grandly, the orchestra began to play the grand overture of Xem's symphony: all beginning with a crescendoing drum roll. With a cymbal crash, the horns blew a rousing fanfare, accentuated by some more cymbal crashes and timpani drum rolls. After repeating this twice, the brass fanfare tuned down to a snare drum beat, underscoring an airy melody on the woodwinds with some tinkling notes on a xylophone. As the brass horns crescendoed, another cymbal crash was heard along with some more timpani drums. The xylophone played again with the snare drum beat, along with a lone trumpet. With a subtle gong crash, the various sections played the airy tune in harmony, before the strings took over, mostly led by the large cellos...while underscored by a drum beat and xylophone notes. After the four sections repeated the familiar melody again, it rose to a finishing crescendo. With that, the overture ended and Xem turned around and bowed proudly, as the audience applauded. Turning back, Xem smoothed back his wig and flipped forward a few pages. He raised the baton once more, and the orchestra played again: this time with a fun, jaunty tune. At the same time, the audience chuckled in amusement as they looked towards a stage, concealed by a velvet curtain. Soon, while the music played, the curtain pulled away as a trio of giant flowers rose onstage and blossomed open to reveal Kenobi's three teenage students~ The first was Terra, a tall and well-built young man with blue eyes, messy brown hair styled into vertical spikes, and dressed in a black skintight high-collared shirt with two red intersecting straps over his chest, khaki hakama trousers, a golden heart emblem worn on his belt, a plain black wristband on his right arm with a segmented-armor gauntlet on the left, and brown boots. The second was Aqua, a young woman with short blue hair, cerulean eyes, and dressed in a black and blue high-collared halter top with white bell-sleeves, two purple intersecting belts over her chest held in place with a silver heart emblem, black shorts, fingerless gloves, segmented-amor gauntlets on both her arms, a white cloth tied around her waist, black stockings, and silver shoes. The third and youngest was Ventus, or Ven for short, a teenage boy with spiky dark-blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and dressed in a black and white short-sleeved jacket with a red collar, a grey vest and a high-necked black shirt underneath, two dark intersecting straps over his chest held in place with a silver heart emblem, dull green-and-grey armor on his waist and shoulder, short grey slacks, a black and white checkered wristband, and grey shoes. Once revealed, they began to sing~ Terra, Aqua, and Ventus: Ah, we are the students of Kenobi Great master and beloved king who taught us well, Our names are Terra, Aqua, Ventus, and Princess Bloom! As the orchestra played on, Xem grinned as he continued to conduct, briefly pausing to use a ladle to drink some water from a basin, before turning the page of the scorebook. So far, everything was going perfectly; all that was left was Bloom's brief aria...then the continuation of Xem's symphonic masterpiece! Soon, the trio began to sing again~ Chorus: In concert, they hope to enlighten, the code of the Immortals set to the music's swell... Terra: Respect all life! Chorus: Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ahhh... Aqua: One raindrop raises the sea! Chorus: Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ahhh... Ven: Sing every day! Chorus: Ah-ah-ah-ahh... Terra: The needs of the many outweigh the few! Chorus: Ah-ah-ahhhh... Ven: Love, virtue, and truth! Chorus: Ah-ah-ah... Aqua: United we stand and divided we fall! Chorus: Ah-ahh-ah-ah-ah-ahhh... Just then, a fourth giant flower came onstage as Xem continued his passionate conducting. Chorus: And now arriving in her musical debut, Obi-Wan's beloved daughter, We're presenting her to you! Obi-Wan grinned proudly, while Yoda, Celestia, Azmuth, Triton, and Ignitus looked on with anticipation. Xem, meanwhile, grinned eagerly in excitement, knowing the best part of the concert was about to come soon as the music built. Terra, Aqua, Ven, and Chorus: To sing an aria that Tzxbor wrote, Her voice is just about to fill the room, She's the lovely Princess... Just then, the music came to an awkward and sudden halt as the giant flower opened to reveal: nothing. It was empty! "NOOOOOOooooooOO! No! NOooo! NOOOO!" Xem shrieked in complete horror, as the audience gasped in shock. Without a moment's hesitation, Xem dashed over to a nearby voc-a-phone and made a quick announcement~"Er, Ladies and gentlemen," Xem stated, his voice cracking as tried to remain calm as possible...and failing miserably, "W-w-we are experiencing some...t-t-t-t-technical difficulties. If y-you'll just gIVe uS A momENt oF yOUR TiME, We shALL r-r-r-resume SHORTLY..." the announcement was cut off as he broke down into pure wheezy gibberish. "Oh for the love of- Get a hold of yourself, Tzxbor, and give me that!" Gantu snapped, taking the voc-a-phone from the panic attack-induced alien tiger, and giving orders to the Rhino Guards. "Fan out and search everywhere! SOMEBODY FIND THAT GIRL!" the Cetagoriin commander barked, as the Rhino Guards immediately scattered all over the place to find the missing princess. Of course, Obi-Wan was quite shocked that his ward was nowhere to be found. All of a sudden, his shock was replaced with complete anger as his lightsaber gave off a red glow and he sprang up from his seat. "BLOOOOOM!" the jedi king loudly roared in fury, as Yoda and the High Council looked at each other uneasily. "Ooh, and this does not look like a good day for the would-be maestro...just look at that breakdown." Bender commentated with sadistic interest, as Xem continued his frustrated tantrum: banging his head on the conductor's stand, ranting unintelligible angrish, tearing apart his wig, scattering the pages of his scorebook all over while hopping around like a mad chimpanzee...