(Quick A/N: there will be a little explination to this universe at the end of the story. Enjoy! ^-^)

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  Ren had always enjoyed the feeling of joy when he heard the audience cheer him on from their seats. He was an actor and a very fine one at that. He could easily get into character and pull off some cool tricks. And to call him an improv king would be a bit of an understatement. It was his passion and there was no denying he loved his job.

  Although Ren’s major job was in the local entertainment industry, he lived in a world with his friends with whom he was very close to. Some of them were members of his theatre team, others were business people, and even a couple were nobles and they called themselves the Hermits. They were a very well respected group of hybrids, magiks users, regular humans, royals, soldiers, and actors of different regions. A very unique group without a doubt. 

  “Hey, Ren! Are you ready?” called out the voice of his friend Iskall.

  “Yep! Just give me a sec!” Ren called back. He adjusted his hat and bandana before putting on his signature shades and exiting his dressing room. Iskall was waiting for him leaning against the wall next to the door. He was in his usual green shirt with brown vest. What Ren noticed to be different than usual was the green covering on his usually blue cybernetic eye and the fact that he had trimmed his beard. 

  “Looking good my man!” Ren complimented Iskall who in return gave a small bow. 

  “Not as good as you.” He smirked back.

  They both laughed and began heading to the stage. On the way there, Doc met up with them. Together, they arrived at the stage. The props were ready for that week’s show and there was an air of excitement. Some of the Hermits were putting a few final details to everything to make sure everything is as perfect as can be. Specifically Scar and Bdubs on the main scene. 

  The stage in the Hermit Theatre was designed by the Redstone engineers among them who wanted to help. Some of them were awkward when it came to acting and so they designed a rotational stage that would allow for several scenes to be put up without the need of a very long pause between scenes. This became very handy as well for the more subtle change of scenes while another one played out. It was one of the main things that helped the Hermits’ theatre group become so successful.

  Keralis came running towards the three actors by the stage with an excited expression on his face. He was clutching a shulkerbox in his hands and nearly tripped on his way through the side of the stands.

  “We sold out at my bookstore at the Hub! Look!” his exclaimed as he pushed the box into Ren’s hands. He opened up the box and the other two leaned in to take a look. Their mouths were so wide open that Keralis started laughing hysterically. 

  “You guys look like my mask and glasses!” he said between laughs.

  “And this was just at your bookstore?” Iskall asked.

  “Yeah! I even went by the log shop, the slime shop, and Five Goats. They also sold out.” Keralis replied after catching his breath. He took out three other shulkerboxes labeled for each shop and gave them to their respective owner.

  “I think we might need more room in here…” Ren finally spoke up after looking at their profits and the amount of seats in their building.

  “I can help with that.” Doc said as he started walking towards a lever nearby labeled “Experimental Redstone. Do Not Touch.” He pulled it and the sound of many pistons in action filled the building. Mumbo and Tango had gone inside and looked on at what was happening. Mumbo had a look of anxiousness and Tango a look of excitement.

  The seating area’s back half started flying into the air with the help of flying machines. In the place of where those seats once were more pistons pushed in another section of floor with seats already in place. On the sides of the building, more rows of seats (both on the top and the bottom) appeared aligning themselves up with the others. Everyone present looked in awe at the work of the Redstone except for the engineers. They were either cheering or smiling with pride at their handiwork. 

  ”Since when is that a thing?! Holy heck!” Bdubs voice rang out from the other side of the stage. He and Scar were looking at the new rows of seats with surprise. 

  “Since the last show!” Tango yelled back proudly.

  “We designed and installed it after seeing how cramped the last one was. I can’t believe it actually worked!” Mumbo included.

  “I may have tweaked a few of the timings just so it could run smoother. I feel like it could have become a mess if those weren’t correct.” Doc said.

  “Do you think this might be enough seats?” Ren asked.

  “Better hope so!”

  “Well then, let’s rehearse our parts everyone!”

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  Ren was relaxing under the shade of a tree near his house on Loser Island back on the world of Hermitcraft. He watched with a grin as Sandy Cat tried to catch Pamela’s tail and she would just swing it even more to mess with her. He was tired, to say the least. They had all been working hard on getting everything right for the big show the next day. After a quick meeting in the morning with the other Hermits, they all decided it would be a good day to rest up before their time to shine. And boy was Ren glad they did.

  His stomach rumbled as continued to watch his animal companions. Probably best I eat now. He stood up and entered his little shack before pulling out some meat from a chest. He tossed it into the furnace and sat down, looking out the window as he waited for his food to be ready. He stayed like that for a bit before the sounds of Pamela and Sandy Cat caught his attention. Earlier they had been mostly quiet with Pam mooing every once in a while. Now, it sounded like they were panicked. Quickly, Ren grabbed a sword he had left leaning on the side of the door as he exited to see what was the problem. 

  Sandy Cat has hovering a few blocks above Pamela’s reach. She seemed to be trying to scratch whatever was holding her up. While not obvious at first, there was a ghostly figure whose face he couldn’t see under its dirty blonde hair wearing a red sweater. 

  “What the-“ he muttered under his breath before Sandy was dropped and the Ghost floated towards him speedily. Ren stumbled back in fear and clutched his sword tightly. 

  “What are you?!” he cried out, fear laced in his voice.

  “Hmm. You are the actor Ren the Dog, right? I have some business with you.” A male, British voice spoke with a bit of a ghostly echo to it. “You see, I need your help with a little something and I wish for you to comply.” Ren gulped nervously.

  “What do you want?” 

  “Merely to participate in your next show. Why, I was once a grand actor myself before I died! Plus, I heard that it is going to be a big one.”

  “W-well, it is a Wild West themed show this time. Maybe come back for the Halloween show?” Ren replied nervously after hearing out the Ghost. He admittedly had no idea why it would want to participate in that one but maybe he could help for the October or December shows. Those usually involved spirits in some way.

  “No. I will participate in your next show and you can’t tell anyone. Understood?”

  Ren looked down and sighed. He had to admit that it wouldn’t be the first time performing with Ghosts but the others have always known. He was very much tempted to just tell the Ghost to buzz off and leave him alone if it just came to bug him about the show.

  “Hmm… That cow looks just about ready to be eaten. And that cat looks like it would make an excellent friend for me.” The Ghost chuckled as it floated over to Pamela and Sandy Cat. 

  “Don’t you dare touch them!” Ren growled, his ears laid back against his head in anger.

  “Oh dear. Seems like I got the puppy upset.” The Ghost chuckled again, more out loud than earlier. It picked up Sandy Cat again who tried to hold on to Pamela and held her close to itself. Sandy Cat kept wriggling in its grip trying to get down.

  “You’re a feisty one, little kitty. I could care for you better than a dog or a cow could.” It murmured softly, seeming to scratch her behind the ears. Sandy just tried harder to get out of its grip.

  “Let her go! She doesn’t want to be with you!” Ren was standing next to Pamela who nudged his free hand and mooed in worry. 

  “I’ll make you a deal then. I’ll leave your pets alone with the condition that I’m able to participate in tomorrow’s show. What do you think about that?” Ren hesitated before finally speaking up.

  “Fine. It’s a deal.” he growled out.

  “Perfect!” Carefully, the Ghost lowered Sandy Cat on top of Pamela. “The only thing better than cats is being in a show! See you tomorrow, Ren the Dog.” It speedily floated away in the direction of the Cowmercial District where the portal to the Hub was.

  Ren waited until the Ghost was completely out of sight before slumping against a tree, his sword dropping from his hand as he wrapped his arms around himself. He was physically shaking and trying to take deep breaths to calm down. Fear and worry about what the Ghost could possibly do started to cloud his mind. He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Sandy Cat leaning her head against his leg and Pamela nudging his arm. He sat down, his back against the tree. Sandy Cat curled up on his legs and Pamela laid down placing her head on Ren’s lap. Ren petted her and softly scratched Sandy behind her ears. Her gentle purrs and Pam’s quiet breathing calmed Ren down significantly. They gave him courage to deal with whatever the Ghost would throw at them.

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  It was finally the day the Hermits were waiting for. They had already rehearsed and made sure that everything was perfect. Scar and Bdubs fiddled a bit with the details in nervous excitement and the Redstone engineers kept checking up on the Redstone that made the stage turn and manage the lights. Some of the Hermits that weren’t part of the actors or tech group cleaned every bit of the building and made sure that it looked very pleasing to the eye. 

  Then there was Ren. He was in his dressing room waiting for the show to start. He was nervous, but not because of the show. Usually when he got nervous before shows it would wear off as quickly as they came. Not this one though. He was nervous about what the Ghost might do. He hadn’t told the others as it instructed him to and acted as if nothing was wrong to keep suspicion off him. He hoped that the Ghost wouldn’t be such a big deal and just told himself that it wouldn’t do anything. 

  A knock at Ren’s door startled him out of his thoughts. He took a last look at himself before turning and opening the door as he put on as much of a real smile as he could. Unfortunately for Ren, it was Joe at the door, who could read him like one of the many varied books he always carried in his satchel. 

  “Howdy Ren! I happen to see that you seem distress. How may I be of assistance before your grand performance?”

  “It’s just show nerves. No big deal. What’s up Joe?”

  “I was sent to inform you that we are about to commence. Are you certain you are alright? We can wait for a bit if you wish.”

  “No no no. I’m okay Joe. Really. Thanks for asking though. Umm... I’ll be over there in a sec.”

  Joe gave him a long thoughtful look before giving a curt nod and walking over to the stage area. Ren sighed in some relief. Joe was one of the directors and playwrights and he felt that he always had an obligation to check up on everyone before a show, even if it isn’t for his own plays. He is selfless like that and Ren understands his intention, being a playwright himself. 

  “You look nervous, Ren.”

  Ren turned around and saw the Ghost from the previous day seeming to sit on his vanity table facing him. The Ghost was a little less transparent which made more of its features visible. Yet even with it being more visible, Ren still couldn’t see its face under its slightly bushy, dirty blonde hair that cascaded just a tiny bit past its shoulders.  It was wearing grey trousers along with red shoes and its red sweater that seemed to be just a size too big. What really stood out to Ren was a few certain details on it. Its clothes were torn in some places and seemed to have old dried blood on it. It put Ren’s hair on end and made him back up slowly. To say that he wasn’t scared would be lying.

  “Are you scared, little puppy? I thought you were a brave boy.”

  “Not a brave enough boy for this!” Ren turned to get out the door and search for Cleo before feeling a cold sensation of a hand pushing him harshly back inside with enough force for him to fall. He looked up to see the Ghost gently close the door before turning to face him. It walked up to him and Ren scooted backwards until his back hit the wall. The Ghost kneeled in front of him and Ren shut his eyes, fearing the worst would happen. The Ghost took in the sight of Ren cowering away with his eyes shut tight and his ears pinned back in fear before using its hand to make Ren face him. Silent tears stained Ren’s cheeks as he slowly opened his eyes.

  “For a werewolf you are very cowardly. Let me fix that for you.”

  Ren saw the Ghost completely vanish into thin air before feeling a presence in his mind suppressing him. To his credit, he held his own pretty well against it before he lost his battle for consciousness. The Ghost, now in the body of Ren, stood up, dusting itself off before exiting the dressing room with a malicious smirk.

  “It’s show time!”

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  That week’s newspaper spoke about the murderous rampage of Ren the Dog, a famous actor and friendly local werewolf, at the Hermits’ Theatre. The victims consisted mostly of some of his friends along with a few others that tried to defend themselves from his relentless attacks. The death count was of 14. Luckily for everyone else, the ice magiks user Etho, admin Prince Xisuma Void, skilled PvPers Wels Knight and False Symmetry, and local undead expert Zombie Cleo managed to stop Ren the Dog and the bloodthirsty Ghost that had apparently possessed him. Ren the Dog was sadly too majorly wounded for even Stress Monster, healing magiks user, to help and he sadly became the Ghost’s 15th victim. The Ghost was luckily captured and banished quickly by Zombie Cleo to the depths of the Underworld for judgement. The following is the list of the victims of the now called “Theatre Ghost”:

BDoubleO100

Cubfan135

DocM77

GoodTimesWithScar 

Iskall85

ImpulseSV

Joe Hills

Keralis1

Mumbo Jumbo

PixlRiffs

Ren the Dog 

Tango Tek

Vintage Beef

Zedaph

ZloyXP

  Ren had always enjoyed the feeling of joy when he heard the audience cheer him on from their seats. He was an actor and a very fine one at that. He could easily get into character and pull off some cool tricks. And to call him an improv king would be a bit of an understatement. It was his passion and there was no denying he loved his job.

  What a misfortune it was to be center stage…

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Started: 4/22/20   
Finished: 4/30/20

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Welp... now for the "Fun Facts / Important Info" :D

Quick Story Notes:
-Ren's theatre team is made up of only his friends. No strangers.

-Grian is an unknown ghost who possess Ren (most popular actor)

-never mentioned by name

-"Theatre Ghost"

-Ren ends up actually Perma-killing Doc and everyone else including himself because the Ghost uses him to kill in the Hub

-the Hub is in an original world so Respawning isn't guaranteed and if you do Respawn it take a really long time (often traumatizing for the person Respawning)

-original idea from “Candle Queen” : “A diva is always center stage.”

-started a vague idea for something to go wrong with da boi

Fun Facts:

-864 tickets were sold if the tickets sell for 8 diamonds and Keralis had 4 shulkerboxes of diamonds from ticket sales

-normally the theatre can hold about 500 people but with the machine that the Redstoners created they can seat up to 900

-the Hub has a copy of shopping districts of different servers in which people can get  a glimpse of the life and economy of those servers

-the Hub is where everyone will return to if kicked/banned/removed from worlds unless they are sent to a predetermined world

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If you are still confused by some aspect of the universe that "Center Stage" happened in just let me know. I'll do my best to answer quickly.

~pony

Story word count: 2737

Posted: 5/9/20