Last extra one for a while. VIGNETTE — AFTERPARTY · 7:34pm Jul 24th, 2022
July 30 – Saturday 8:00pm
Off stage, with their equipment properly set aside, Rarity was the first to squeal out of joy before they all brought it in for a group hug. They posed for Photo Finish so she could snap several group photos before she wrapped up for the evening. That final group image would be a good one to post to the joint social media account with another “thank you” message to their donors.
They didn’t know what to say for a bit. They had worked so hard over the past three weeks, daily and for hours each day, to learn the new songs and choreography, but now it was over. All of that work had come down to less than two hours on stage. They just stood there as best friends, arms around each other, while they tried to regain their breaths and calm their rapidly beating hearts.
Saying it was “fun” didn’t do the evening justice. It was a thrill that would be tough to beat. On top of everything, and certainly adding to their endorphin high, they now had what they needed to cover the entire cost of the exchange program. In one epic move, they had made up for the failed fundraisers. That was a very good feeling.
An “afterparty” at Sugarcube Corner was scheduled. It was a reward for their volunteers for their hard work making the evening a success. It wasn’t just the stagehands and supporting acts, but everyone who had volunteered. The promoters had done so much legwork before the concert, that it was as much the promoters' victory as any of the volunteers on the day of the concert. And the promoters wouldn’t have had the fliers or posters they needed without the work put in by Canterlot High’s digital arts club. Run-CHS was not being left out either. The only volunteers not going were Celestia and Luna. They had kindly declined the invitation.
“Congratulations, Rainbooms,” Trixie said, as everyone who had helped tonight gathered around them. “Trixie is happy you exceeded your goal and loves that she and her band was able to ensure the concert was a success!”
Everyone gave a round of applause for their success tonight.
As the clapping and cheers finished, Principal Celestia joined them. Vice Principal Luna was with her sister, but it was Celestia who spoke for them both. “Congratulations, everyone, for the successful concert. Luna and I were very impressed. We have seen each and all of you do amazing things as Wondercolts, but, once again, we were left stunned at what our students could do. Our current student body is very talented. We got to see so many people shine tonight as you pulled together for an event that will be hard to top. Future generations of Wondercolts will find it difficult to beat today’s success.”
“And with no demons or screwy magic messing it up!” Pinkie Pie added. “All one hundred percent sugary good memories!”
“Absolutely!” Sunset said, grinning with pride from their accomplishment. No magical catastrophe was a very nice change of pace.
“It was nice to not have an interruption,” Celestia said with a laugh. “The way you all pulled together was special compared to any other event CHS has put on. Most events support the school or student organizations, which impacts all of the students at CHS. After all, every student organization is open to anyone who wants to join. Today was distinctly different though, because only seven of you had a stake in the concert, yet a sizable percentage of our student body joined them in order to make sure it was successful and I know a lot more volunteered who were unfortunately unable to be used.
“I know you all want to celebrate and the night is certainly still young enough to do it, but Luna and I need to speak with the Rainbooms, privately.”
The others went to start packing up their equipment. Some people would be dropping stuff off at home before going to the sweetshop so they didn’t have to worry about expensive equipment being in their vehicles. Not everyone could drive or had a car and they were sharing rides with bandmates or friends.
Sunset looked at her phone to check the time. It was barely past eight. Five to eight had been the promoted time for the concert. It was early enough still that the true summer night hadn’t fully set in. They pulled off making the concert available to everyone, including families with younger kids.
Everything had gone perfectly. Better than perfect.
“First off,” Celestia said, once the final volunteers had left and they were alone. “It was a great pleasure to be at the ticket table, taking the donations and talking with different people. So often, we are on the sidelines, watching the students run the fundraisers, as we should be, but it was fun being a direct part and to see how the community beyond our school came together to support you. I am glad you asked us to help because I know it helped ease the mind of some of your bigger donors.” Celestia held out a piece of paper. Sunset took it because she was the closest. “That is a list of the people who spent at least fifty on an individual ticket. I listed how much they spent per ticket and the total tickets bought. There are quite a few names on the list. I only brought it up because, from my experience, you would be wise to send them a special thank you on top of everything you already did during the show. They are not expecting anything extra, but you would still be wise to send something personal. As much as you did tonight, it was for everyone. It is courteous to not single donors out in a public performance, but, if you can, it is also courteous to follow up with the special ones.”
“And this list is the ‘can’ in your statement,” Sunset said with a nod.
Sunset looked at the paper. Fifty wasn’t a lot for a ticket to a full concert, especially for some of the famous performers, but they were not famous and more importantly that was five times what they were asking to be donated for each ticket. The Rainbooms, specifically Twilight, had crunched the numbers before they set the suggested donation at ten. They appreciated every donation, no matter what the size. They knew some people would be able to donate more and others who couldn’t donate the suggested “price” for various reasons, but they also knew that the donations would quickly add up if they got a lot of people to come. That was the beauty of having the event be free, but asking for some form of donation for a “ticket.” It was flexible to meet the financial situation of everyone attending, while also raising the funds they needed.
However, spending five times the suggestion was a big shock. Sunset had expected a big donor to be someone who spent twenty on a ticket, twice the suggested donation. The people on the list either really believed in the girls or in the exchange program. They saw a value in the fundraiser that went far beyond getting to hear live music. There were names on the list that had spent ten, fifteen, or twenty times the suggested donation and even a few who spent up to fifty times the suggested donation per ticket. The list was proof of how they completed their total fundraising goal, not just the goal for the evening.
Sunset began to regret not pushing the idea of the concert at their first planning session. Then she remembered that a huge part of their success tonight came from lessons learned at the previous ones. The idea of inviting alumni came from meeting them at the bake sale and they still didn’t think to invite them to the fashion show. They spread the word so aggressively to ensure they would have people show up, unlike other events. The same with having it open to a much wider audience, including families. The whole point of the program requiring them to fundraise was to learn the lessons they did along the way, from both their successes and failures.
“Oh!” Rarity exclaimed, clearly having a great idea. “I know what we can do! Photo Finish was taking pictures all night. I know she got a great group shot of the seven of us right after we finished. We can pick the best and have them made into a custom postcard to send to our special donors with a personal message written on the back. Like people do with Christmas cards. Or maybe something like an adjusted wedding invitation, with a layout that has a main picture and some smaller ones. We can figure that out later, but there are a variety of designs available to pick from and adjust to our needs.”
“That is a wonderful idea,” Luna said. “I recommend that you pick one of you all performing together but before Run-CHS joined you. The finale was amazing, to say the least, but for a custom thank you card, you will want the photo to be just the seven of you since you were the focus of the night. If the design you choose has more than one photo slot, you can pick what you want for the extra photo slots, but as much as the supporting acts were a huge help to you, I still suggest choosing ones that focus on the Rainbooms. The other acts were there to support your headline act as much as the donors were there to watch it. This night was all about you and it is you who will be sending the cards, not your volunteers.”
“I’m bringing my computer to Sugarcube Corner,” Sunset said. “Photo Finish will be downloading copies of what she took to it while we celebrate. I understand she has a new digital camera that can take Four-K photos, but that they also are big image files and can be slow to transfer. Four-K means what she got will have a very good image quality and that is better when making custom cards.”
“That is great,” Celestia said. “You couldn’t have guessed you would need them for this.”
“We almost didn’t have her here,” Rarity explained. “She didn’t contact us about photos until last week. We didn’t think to ask her because we were a little busy trying to not just handle the logistics of the concert, all while also learning the new songs. I still can’t believe we learned that many in less than three weeks.
“Scrambling this together felt like it was more last minute than it was. Still, I barely had time to make the outfits necessary. I actually didn’t do anything except the outfits and learn songs. I’m so happy Fluttershy had that kimono because it really brought the whole theme together, more than anything I could make, especially since the second setlist was acoustic and slower. I took a look at it and kimonos are quite complicated to sew. The irregular shape takes a special set of skills to learn how to properly form it and that one is a simpler style. I never would have had time to make one and it was the best thing to have her wearing on stage for that setlist.”
“It all looked great,” Celestia said. “From the cleverly coordinated outfits, to the stage set up, and the choreography. It didn’t look like three weeks of preparation; more like three months. Fluttershy, I was aware that the Rainbooms had some Japanese songs in the setlist, but I didn’t know it was your suggestion until Sunset said it on stage. That was a great idea. The second setlist was very unique and special. Splitting up for the first half was a wise move. The show had great pacing and you gave Fluttershy the breaks she needed. It was very well organized and executed.
“Playing songs with both languages in the lyrics…” Celestia smiled coyly. ”Well I know it couldn’t have been easy for any of you, but bringing an element of Japanese musical culture to the people who just donated to your upcoming trip there made the concert extra special. Talking with some of your big donors after, they expressed how impressed they were that the Rainbooms pulled off singing in two different languages. It doesn’t matter if you personally only sang in English, or not at all in Pinkie Pie’s case, what matters is that you did it as a band. People were very impressed.
“Also, Fluttershy, it was good to see you step into the limelight for once. You did an amazing job in it. You owned the stage, like you belonged there. I hope to see you doing more in the future, perhaps even giving Rainbow Dash a break from lead vocals when you perform as a band.”
“Thank you, Principal Celestia,” Fluttershy replied, blushing. “It was a lot of fun singing in Japanese. Wearing my kimono was also fun and more importantly, it helped give me the strength to be able to do it. We chose to fight my stage fight smartly, rather than trying to muscle through it. We did a lot with the organization of the setlists, and in other ways, to give me those moments where I could fight smarter, not harder. Personally, I just had to close my eyes and forget I was singing in front of other people. I had to sing for myself. Well, until the fourth set when I was on a roll and nothing could stop me. Then I was singing for the crowd more than I was singing for myself or the Rainbooms. Maybe I will challenge Dash on lead vocals.”
“Hey, let’s not get too crazy and take away my spotlight just yet,” Dash playfully shot back. “I’m the awesome one people come to see. You all are there to help me look good.”
Everyone laughed. Dash was obviously joking with the over bloated ego talk.
“Well, Fluttershy, your smart tactics worked,” Luna said. “No one knew that was what you were doing. The people that know you were impressed and happy to see you taking such a big step. Public performances are not easy, but you made it look easy. That is what counts. All of you, you all made it look natural and second nature, which fully immersed everyone in the music, giving them an amazing experience. One they will surely remember.”
“Sunset laid down some seriously awesome double language lines,” Rainbow praised. “I mean, before you did the second set, you knocked yourself down about not being able to sing in Japanese. Plus, we all were practicing together and we saw you make a lot of mistakes, even two days ago in our final practice before we rested our voices. Honestly, I wasn’t sure going into the concert if you were going to try, or pitch them to Fluttershy, but then you seriously nailed it out there.”
“Thanks,” Sunset said, feeling her cheeks flush as she smiled. “I just had to let go and go with the beat. I know the lyrics backwards and forwards, my problem during practices came from trying to be perfect. About when I was talking to the crowd, I had to build Fluttershy up some more so they were extra hyped for what we had planned. They needed to understand that it wasn’t easy to do and why we would have to rely on her so much.”
“And you did just that,” Celestia said. “We will leave you to pack up and then go celebrate. Again, congratulations on the concert’s success and on meeting your total fundraising goal. We are proud of each and every one of you.”
They bid Celestia and Luna goodnight and got to packing. They each had plenty of stuff to break down and pack up, but that was also what their stagehands were for. That and almost everyone else from the other bands were still around. A few had to bolt since they were rides for others and getting to the afterparty on time meant they needed to leave sooner. Everyone available helped the Rainbooms pack up so they all could get to Sugarcube Corner sooner. As the saying went, “many hands make for light work.”
Sunset took her guitars home before she headed to the afterparty. She didn’t bother to change. She was enjoying the outfit she had performed in, even if she was a little sweaty. No one would care and they probably wouldn’t even notice.
It was just before nine when she got to the sweetshop. The door had a sign that read “closed for a private event.” The Cakes had to rely on their already limited staff during the concert so they could attend and then they “closed” early, on a Saturday, just so they could host the celebratory afterparty.
The Cakes were not losing money though. Twilight’s parents, Night Light and Twilight Velvet, had found out just how big their volunteer base was and how much effort they were putting into the concert. Without telling them, they set up the afterparty so the girls couldn’t pass on it. The cost couldn’t have been cheap, but they had wanted to do it so that the volunteers were thanked for going above and beyond like they had. Now that the trip was fully covered, they didn’t have to pay anything to send Twilight. The afterparty couldn’t have cost anywhere near the other half of the exchange program.
The Cakes had been really kind to them, not only for letting them put up posters, but they were handing out fliers with every order and putting one on each and every delivery they made. Every day they delivered a lot of orders all over the city. The Cakes had been crucial for spreading the word.
Sunset looked around the shop, doing a quick count. Not everyone had arrived yet, which didn’t surprise her. Sunset walked over to Photo Finish and pulled out her laptop. She unlocked it and the photographer pulled out her camera's SD Card and a USB card reader to begin uploading the photos from the evening.
Vinyl Scratch came over and handed Sunset a CD case. She lifted her glasses and winked. Then she was gone, back to where she had been sitting with her ice cream sundae and laptop. She was probably mixing some tracks.
Sunset looked at the CD. On it was written “The Rainbooms: Exchange Program Fundraiser Concert (Live).” The sly disk jockey hadn’t spent the night simply running the soundboard; she had recorded the concert. Having a recording of their performance was an amazing gift. There was a good chance they were not going to perform the songs they had learned for the concert again because they had Japanese lyrics. It only worked for tonight because of the appropriate theme. There was one possible exception: the songs by Dizzy Sunfist because they were written in English. Sunset hadn’t asked about recording the concert because she knew recording live music could be very tricky and required special equipment to capture it. Equipment that wasn’t cheap. There was a very good reason why most things were recorded in a studio, where they could account for every sound, but apparently their DJ friend had the equipment and skills to pull off recording a live concert, while simultaneously running their sound.
Pinkie Pie hopped into Sunset, wrapping her in a hug for greeting. “Whatcha lookin at?”
“Vinyl recorded the concert,” Sunset, showing Pinkie the CD.
“Wow!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “I’m going to go thank her!”
Pinkie Pie hopped away and Sunset went to get a malt while the computer did its thing. The Rainbooms were going to say a few words once everyone had arrived, but there was no reason not to get something before then. While she was waiting for her order to be made, Sunset replayed the highlights in her mind. She didn’t notice Flash Sentry join her side as he waited for his order.
“Hey, I see Vinyl gave you a copy of your performance,” Flash said, pulling Sunset back to the present. “She gave me one too. I had no idea she had the equipment for that.”
“Neither did I,” Sunset said with a grin as she picked the malt Misses Cake set in front of her. “But I am thankful she did.” She looked around. They were down Applejack, Apple Bloom, Rarity, and Sweetie Bell. Otherwise, everyone else was there.
“Care to join us?” Flash asked as he picked up his banana split. “At least for a bit.”
“Sure,” Sunset shrugged, following Flash over to the table where his bandmates, Brawly Beats, Ringo, and Sandalwood, were chatting with Micro Chips, Octavia Melody, and Color Wheel. It was fun hanging out with a group that came from radically different backgrounds and talents, yet could still be friends.
“Sorry we’re late, y’all!” Applejack said, extra loud from the doorway. It caught everyone’s attention. “Is anyone missing?”
Sunset saw Rarity, Sweetie Bell, and Apple Bloom by the counter. Sunset was sure everyone was there and no one spoke up.
Applejack continued. “Well then, y’all, I know that as organizer of this event, Sunset would like to say a few words.”
Sunset stood up and moved to the middle of the sweetshop, malt in hand, where she could see everyone. The Rainbooms gathered together near the counter.
“I think saying that today’s concert was a success is an understatement,” Sunset said. “Each of us wants to thank each and every single one of you. We had the donors we had and they felt confident in donating what they did because of you. This party is for you. If you missed it, we exceeded tonight’s goal so much that we also reached the point where our semester abroad is entirely covered!”
Everyone clapped. Cheering inside the shop would have been too loud.
Sunset continued. “As I look around the room, I recognize everyone, but I don’t know you all. CHS is large enough that even as much as we have come together as Wondercolts, we may not really know everyone in the school. Especially when a new batch of underclassmen join us every year. That is what makes our Wondercolt bond so amazing. It doesn’t matter if we directly know each other or not, we all share that bond. I know that the school in Japan won’t have a mascot or school teams to rally to. That’s not part of their school system. It’s hard to compare the somewhat radically different systems, but I can confidently say that having a mascot for the student to rally to is a strength we have with our system.
“A strength that directly gets reflected in the numbers. Unlike a dance or other fundraisers, the only ones with a stake in the success are the seven of us. Club fundraisers still help the student body because CHS clubs have an open-door policy. Our numbers, just for this event, was a total volunteer count of fifty-seven!” Sunset let them clap for a bit. “Breaking it down; we had nine in the stage crew, seven total for our supporting acts, twenty-six designated promoters, and another fifteen in other roles. That isn’t counting people like Type Set, Color Wheel’s father who donated the promotional materials or the Cakes, who added our fliers to their deliveries.” Sunset turned around and saw both of the Cakes standing behind the counter. “Thank you, Mister and Misses Cake, for all you did.”
“Oh no worries, dearie,” Misses Cake said. “It was no trouble, and fun!”
Sunset nodded back and continued. “Those numbers also don’t include Principal Celestia and Vice principal Luna, who we are very appreciative of the direct role they played in the event. The numbers are impressive, but I wanted to go past that. We had volunteers who worked before the show and then a separate set that were during the show. It was said to the crowd, so they knew the volunteer support we had, but it wasn’t said by us to you. So, thank you, each and every single one of you, for all you did. We got to bow to the crowd as they showered us with applause, you didn’t. So, the Rainbooms wanted to applaud you all for your hard work.”
Sunset clapped and so did the rest of the girls.
Flash Sentry spoke for his band, “It was a blast to be a part of it. We all have watched you each work so hard; first with the grades and classes, then in the fundraising. How could we not want to help out our fellow Wondercolts with our best skill, music, while you put on the concert of a lifetime?” His bandmates echoed his sentiments.
“All y’all’s help is still very appreciated,” Applejack said. “Wondercolts or not, well, bein’ Wondercolts helpin’ each other is what makes it so special. We have an amazin’ community. We are glad y’all had fun helpin’ us.”
“I never had time to say it before, but you guys rocked the house,” Rainbow added. “Both bands. Seriously, I was afraid that we had bitten off more than we could chew and that the people would be left wondering why either of you weren’t headlining while we supported.”
Everyone laughed at Dash’s admission.
“The stagehands did a great job,” Octavia added. “I know I made the six of you nervous when we had our talk a few days ago, going over the expectations and commands, but tonight you all were sharp and listened well. You were invisible yet always present, just like professionals.”
It was clear that Octavia’s words meant more to the six of them than thanks from the Rainbooms. That was perfectly fine. They had ended up working much more for her than they did for the Rainbooms.
“Everyone rocked their roles!” Moonwalk exclaimed. “I’m just psyched we could be a part of the experience. Since Run-CHS doesn’t sing, we usually get left out of the musical stuff. The Rainbooms may have been low on energy, but you still had enough beat left in your steps to rock the ending.”
“We had no idea you had that many Japanese song’s planned,” Pop added. “Even after working almost daily with you for the last week and a half on the finale, we had no idea you had kept so much hidden from us. We knew you were doing some other J-pop songs, but it was jaw dropping what you pulled off.”
“That was the plan,” Rainbow said, winking. “We couldn’t show anyone our full hand. Or rather, we didn’t want to show anyone our full hand. Octavia, Micro Chips, and Vinyl needed to know for timing, so they were exempt from that rule.”
“It would have been groovy if we had been able to dance for you in a few of the earlier songs,” Rhythm said. “But I get why you wanted to reserve us for the finale. It was the right move.”
“It was a lot more epic having you come out at the end to surprise the crowd,” Sunset said. “We were already wowing them enough as we started the J-pop setlist. It would have blunted how amazing you were if you had joined us earlier, but I agree, it would have been fun if you could have been out there longer with us. Especially after all the hard work you put in to help us.”
“We really needed your energy for the finale,” Rarity added. “The same with your help, Flash, delivering those lines. Of course, the concert was more than the finale. It was sort of the finale to our fundraising. A finale in which you all participated and performed your roles phenomenally. We appreciate everything done to help us.”
“To everyone, for our success,” Sunset said before lifting her half-finished malt up high. “I raise my malt to you! Enjoy the afterparty!
Quite a few people laughed at Sunset’s closing pun. The Rainbooms split up, going to hang with a variety of people. Sunset went back to Flash and the others. The night was still early. She would celebrate with everyone before it was finished.
Give me Ruby Palace, I hunger for it
5674839
So do I! I am working on it. In between school, I sketched out the chapters. I'm over 150 planned, some with more planning than others. It's a big project along with the big projects in my life. Aka, masters thesis and independent study that is almost finished.
5674863
When do you think the first chapter will release I want to mark it on my calendar.
Equestria sword art online was my favorite story on this site and I want to see more of it.😄
5674872
If I knew, I would give you it. My original projections had me releasing it by the end of 2021, but health and school derailed my life. Hopefully by January I'll have chapters rolling out.
5674958
Thank you for a release date even if it is vague I can't wait!