Meet The Mares: Sunny Rays · 2:27am Feb 22nd, 2022
There’s only so much that can go into a story, especially one with as many characters as 16 has. So I’m opening the floor to asking these characters questions. Post your reply with any questions you have and Sunny Rays will be happy to answer them (I’ll be editing this blog to add those questions). Sweetie Swirl is our last remaining pony and will have her interview posted when her chapter is done.
Interview subject #15: Sunny Rays
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/789330
Cutie mark?
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/silvervectors/art/Merry-May-Cutie-Mark-318347637
Thanks to Feathermay, I discovered that pony names don’t translate to English quite as well as everyone originally thought. What’s the most direct translation of your name?
She Who Is As Warm As The Rays Of The Sun
You were on the very first busload of ponies brought to the consulate the day the portal opened. Is that correct?
That’s right. I sat next to Flitterheart and we’ve been besties ever since.
Relationship status?
Single. She sighs.
Favorite part of living on Earth?
I’ve got a chance to reinvigorate my music career. The problem with being a child star is your fans aren’t all that accepting of change. Growing up was rough. Once my voice changed, my album sales plummeted. I’m hoping that humans who’ve never heard my earlier work will be more accepting of my mature, adult voice.
What’s your favorite song? Specifically, your favorite song that our audience on Earth might know?
Do you have all day? Back in Equestria, I recorded a number of covers, and that’s my goal to break into the American music scene too. I prefer to write my own songs, and of course I’m biased towards those. Each of my original compositions is like a foal to me.
My first album here on Earth is all about sunny cover songs. If we go by the original recordings, my favorite from those is Rod Stewart’s Walking In The Sunshine. If we go by the songs themselves, I’d have to go with Glen Campbell’s Sunny Day Girl. And I’m really proud of my cover of Sunshine On My Shoulder. I gave it a bit more oomph than John Denver did, and I feel like that’s the song I did the best with ‘making it my own’.
My next album is a bunch of rainy day songs, and I’m going to follow that up with snow-themed songs. If they do well enough to establish me, I’m going to release an album of new material – all lyrics composed in English instead of Equestrian.
Sunny Rays’ Sunny Faves is doing pretty well on the charts. Can you let us in on what songs you’re going to cover on your next album?
Raining Cats And Ponies will feature the following: Carpenters’ Rainy Days And Mondays, Neil Diamond’s Rainy Day Song, Dan Fogelberg’s Rhythm Of The Rain, Phil Collins’ I Wish It Would Rain Down, Poco’s Midnight Rain, Gordon Lightfoot’s Rainy Day People, B. J. Thomas’ Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, Foreigner’s Rain, Tamyra Gray’s Raindrops Will Fall, Oleander’s Rainy Day, CCR’s Have You Ever Seen The Rain, The Lovin’ Spoonful’s Rain On The Roof, A Flock Of Seagulls’ Rainfall, and a few more. There are so many songs about the rain that it’s hard to narrow it down. It’s also hard to find unique song titles. There must be more than a dozen different songs just titled Rain.
It’s also challenging finding songs that are appropriate. My music’s clean, I insist on it. The record label wanted me to record Raining Horses but I took one look at the lyrics and flatly refused. If I can get permission, I may do a cover with revised lyrics. On paper, it’s the perfect song for my album…
Of course, the songs won’t all be on the same disc. I don’t understand why, but the record label insists that various stores and countries get to have exclusive tracks. So it’ll be almost impossible to get all of the songs. I don’t agree with it, so I’m mixing things up my own way. Barry Manilow did a song called Rain also, and my cover of that one is going to be a Japanese exclusive track in place of the Foreigner song of the same name.
Favorite TV show?
I’m partial to sitcoms like Full House.
Not American Idol or America’s Got Talent?
Nope. I’ve lived in the music industry most of my life. It’s a 24/7 job. In my downtime, I want to be able to lose myself in something cute or funny. Preferably both. Inspiration can come from anywhere, and I can and have dropped everything to create. I’ll always be Sunny Rays, and I’ll always have a back catalog of songs ponies and humans both will have access to. That means the simple act of trotting down the street to the store can result in anything from being hounded for an autograph or heckled by someone who isn’t a fan.
Favorite movie?
Music & Lyrics.
Favorite color?
Sunshine yellow!
What do you miss about Equestria?
You’ve probably heard this answer a few times already, but controlled weather. I may have gone into the music industry, but weatherwrangling’s in my blood. When it gets stormy, I want to be up there in the clouds, fighting them to bring sunny skies.
What’s it like working with the weather? As you can imagine, humans have no experience with that.
A storm is a lot like a song. A feral storm is chaos, akin to jumbled notes and random lyrics. Like a song, the components to build a proper storm are there, but it’s only through skill that one can turn it into something more than a sum of its parts. A storm is beautiful in its own way. For those of you without controlled weather, that likely sounds callous, but where I come from we don’t have rogue weather except along the coasts and around the Everfree Forest. That’s where you’ll find the most skilled weather pegasi. Generations of my family have worked the weather along Equestria’s northwestern coast, in the Seaddle-Tackoma-Vanhoover region. I even put in some time working as the weather manager of Yakyakima before coming to Earth, though I should note that Yakyakima is about two hours inland. I was young, inexperienced, famous, and related to upper management. They wouldn’t have put me in harm’s way even if I’d’ve begged them to.
It can also be dangerous. More than one song is dedicated to the memory of a pegasus lost at sea. Chord N. Lighthoof has practically made a career out of such tragic songs. But the sacrifices of those noble pegasi mean those that live in the towns below remain safe.
Do you have a car?
A 1981 Toyota Celica SunChaser. That’s a convertible, of course. I love going topless on the sunny days, though convertibles and rain don’t really mix. I think you humans call that carpooling, right?
Emil: What was the favorite food/drink that you discovered on human-Earth?
Buffalo dip. Plumsweet modified the recipe so it doesn’t have chicken. She uses zucchini as a filler in place of meat. I’m a fan of hot and spicy, though it’s challenging to find recipes that are both spicy and vegetarian. Curry’s another good choice, and there are lots of vegetarian curries out there.
Snowliasion: So as always though I know the answer oh sunny songstress, favorite colleague?
Flitterheart. She’s my muse.
Snowliasion: Also didn't cover Walking on Sunshine?
I did, that’s on Sunny Rays’ Sunny Faves, currently in the top twenty on the Billboard Hot 200.
The track list for that is as follows:
It’s A Sunshine Day (The Brady Bunch)
Sunshine On My Shoulder (John Denver)
You Are My Sunshine
Sunny And 75 (Joe Nichols)
Walking On Sunshine (Katrina and the Waves)
Here Comes The Sun (The Beatles)
Sunshine After Rain (Natasha Thomas)
Sunshine Girl (Britt Nicole)
Sunny Days (Faith Evans)
Sunny Side Of The Street (Rod Stewart)
Walking In The Sunshine (Rod Stewart)
Sunny Day Girl (Glen Campbell)
Sunny Disposition (Neil Diamond)
The Sun Always Shines On T.V. (A-ha)
The last three are exclusive tracks for Amazon, Target, and Walmart respectively. I recorded fourteen songs, but you only get twelve when you buy the album. I don’t think it’s fair that you have to buy three copies of the album to get all the songs, but I don’t make the rules.
Dan: Have you ever seen the Phantom of the Paradise?
I’m afraid I haven’t.
Dan: I'm not much of a pop-music fan, but the Goethe and Dorian Gray themes are delightful. Maybe you could send a DVD back to the Countess and ex-bandmates and Svengallop's mother.
Human technology hasn’t made that much of an impact in Equestria just yet. I’d be better off sending an LP, which isn’t a bad idea in all honesty. Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll send some samples to Coloratura and Carol Sing. I’m done with Svengallop, and any mother that could raise a colt as rotten as him isn’t worth engaging with.
penguincascadia: What happened to Taylor Swift's early songs sounds kinda like what could have happened to you if you hadn't bought your contract out. What do you think about the treatment of artists on Earth?
I hadn’t heard about that, so I looked into it. Ouch. She’s one of the greatest musicians of the era and I’d love to collab with her someday. The flipside to that is she’s still got her fortune, and I spent a good chunk of mine to get out of that contract. I don’t regret it, because it’s about the music, not the money. There’s something invigorating about creating a song, hoping to convey the emotions felt when writing it. Conversely, I love to put my own spin on classics, showing the world what the songs mean to me.
It seems like Earth’s music industry may be even more cutthroat than Equestria’s. You’ve got those executives who crave money, and others who desire power, and a bunch who want both. They’ll take their fair share and the artist’s too if they aren’t careful. Just like Svegallop. Sign some starry-eyed kid to a contract they barely understand then get rich off them. Then the power-hungry types want control. People who are only interested in money can be rationalized with, you can appeal to their greed. Like I did when I bought out my contract. What did Svengallop want more than anything? My money. So I gave it to him so he wouldn’t have power over me anymore.
But those who crave the power? They’re like… like a certain pony I can’t talk about anymore. But they’re worse because they get away with it. I’ve heard horror stories of what some artists have had to do to get a break. Especially females. It’s not right, it isn’t fair, and if someone tries that on me I’ll buck ‘em right in the kneecaps. As Iron Will says, ‘If somepony makes unwanted moves, hit ‘em with your hooves.’
I’ve had a good run. I’m not willing to ‘do what it takes’ if that means doing something I don’t want to do, or worse, hurting someone else. Even if I never have another hit, I won’t stop making music. If I end up selling homemade tapes at a flea market, I’ll do it just to get the music out of my head into the heads and hearts of others. I wonder if artists and authors feel the same way? A love for their medium that transcends success. It’s great when you can make a living doing what you love, but it isn't always possible.
penguincascadia: Have you been to see the counterpart of your home region here on Earth, the Seattle area?
Not yet, unfortunately. New Jersey’s on the opposite end of the country, and we haven’t gotten around to taking vacations yet. I’ve only been to New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania, but once I get a tour going, I’m going to see all fifty states! I’m not sure about other countries yet. I don’t know how much of a hassle that would be considering I’m an Equestrian citizen living in the United States. I'll have to talk to Ploomette about that. I'd love to see as much of Earth as I can!
Spamotron: To human ears at least, all ponies seem to have some degree of instinctive musical ability. At least enough to participate in Heart Songs. Humans vary a lot more than that. What was it like the first time you heard someone completely tone deaf? Would that be considered a disability in Equestria?
My ears flattened, and I couldn’t help it. It was involuntary. If you see a pony's ears completely flatten while you're singing, you should probably stop immediately. Equine ears are very expressive, and when it comes to body language, more trustworthy than facial expressions. Some ponies, like Ploomette for example, have spent years practicing how not to give away their feelings, but for most ponies, look at their ears.
Feathermay's not a good singer, by her own admission. Despite that, she's fully capable of harmonizing with others during Heart Songs. Her singing voice sounds nothing at all like her talking voice, almost like when a television show or movie casts different actors to provide the speaking voice and singing voice for the same character. She’s still better than many humans I’ve heard.
As for it being a disability, Feathermay’s not considered disabled in the least. As long as a pony embraces Harmony, they can sing a Heart Song.
RoyaleFanaticGal: Hey Sunny Rays, since your name is Sunny Rays, I was wondering if you like Summertime, because you have sun in your name?
I do! Summer is my favorite season, and I love sunny days. There’s nothing more relaxing than sunning yourself on a cloud on a summer afternoon.
BirdsBooksBrownies: I seem to recall hearing a rumor that Svengallop was down on his luck after the Apple festival fiasco.
We should all be that lucky, but no, he’s as slimy as most of your politicians here on Earth. He always finds a way to come out on top, even when he loses.
RoyaleFanaticGal: What is your favorite musical heard on Earth? Like famous Hamilton and Broadway musicals?
This is probably clichéd, but I’m partial to Cats, personally. Another of my favorites, Rock of Ages, takes a lot of potshots at the music industry. I also like jukebox musicals that are based on an artist’s back catalog. You know you’ve made it in the music scene when you’ve inspired someone else to write a work of fiction based on your music. Maybe someday somepony will write a musical based on my work!
RoyaleFanaticGal: Have you heard of Rachel Platten yet?
I find her quite inspirational. Fight Song was written at a low point in her career, and is about believing in yourself and not giving up that fight. I didn’t have to struggle to become famous – a series of fortunate events landed me at the top of the charts in Equestria at a young age. My fight has been since then, trying to stay relevant in an ever-changing music scene with a voice that’s betrayed me as I’ve aged.
Have you ever seen the Phantom of the Paradise?
I'm not much of a pop-music fan, but the Goethe and Dorian Gray themes are delightful. Maybe you could send a DVD back to the Countess and ex-bandmates and Svengallop's mother.
What happened to Taylor Swift's early songs sounds kinda like what could have happened to you if you hadn't brought your contract out. What do you think about the treatment of artists on Earth?
Have you been to see the counterpart of your home region here on Earth, the Seattle area?
So as always though I know the answer oh sunny songstress, favorite colleague? Also didn't cover Walking on Sunshine?
To human ears at least, all ponies seem to have some degree of instinctive musical ability. At least enough to participate in Heart Songs. Humans vary a lot more than that. What was it like the first time you heard someone completely tone deaf?
Would that be considered a disability in Equestria?
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Thank you! Your questions have been replied to.
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Thank you!
And thank you for the question!
Pony_FanaticGal: Hey Sunny Rays, since your name is Sunny Rays, I was wondering if you like Summertime, because you have sun in your name?
I do! Summer is my favorite season, and I love sunny days. There’s nothing more relaxing than sunning yourself on a cloud on a summer afternoon.
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You're welcome, and welcome to FimFiction!
I seem to recall hearing a rumor that Svengallop was down on his luck after the Apple festival fiasco. I am guessing that word got out and he lost a lot of his clout.
That may not happen on earth as much as I would wish otherwise.
We probably wouldn't get along very well beyond a very casual fan/artist kind of thing. I am a total wimp regarding spicy foods, give me a crisp but not overly hot or cold day. I enjoy most but not all musical genres and my singing extends to pretty much singing along at church or in the bathtub and that's about it.
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While not set in the same continuity as this story, I've written about Coloratura and Svengallop's split before.
Here I Am
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Thank you for the question - I've added this answer to the blog entry:
What is your FAVORITE musical people heard about on Earth? Like famous Hamilton and Broadway musicals?
This is probably clichéd, but I’m partial to Cats, personally. Another of my favorites, Rock of Ages, takes a lot of potshots at the music industry. I also like jukebox musicals that are based on an artist’s back catalog. You know you’ve made it in the music scene when you’ve inspired someone else to write a work of fiction based on your music. Maybe someday somepony will write a musical based on my work!
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Thank you for the question, as always! This has been answered in the blog.
A Model UN group is visiting to meet the Duchess. Will you join them for karaoke and blow them all away with Heaven's Divide?