//------------------------------//
// Who Do You Think I Am? 
// Story: Rebirth of Harmony 
// by WanderingPhysicist 
//------------------------------//

        Apple Bloom, Raindrops and Octavia lounge backstage at a town hall. The Elements and Trixie are meeting with the press and a large crowd of Trottingham. A curtain parts. Razzly trots backstage, clutching her chest.
        ‘Are you okay?’ Apple Bloom asks.
        Razzly nods, panting.
        ‘Nervous being in front of so many ponies,’ Octavia notes.
        The filly nods. ‘Y-yeah.’
        ‘Come on. I’ll take you back to the hotel.’
        Octavia puts a hoof around the filly and leads her away.

        Back at the hotel, Octavia sits with Razzly. The filly sips a drink, frowning.
        ‘It is okay,’ Octavia assures. ‘Stage fright happens to all of us. I was scared my first time performing in public.’
        ‘It... It isn’t just public speaking. I can’t stand the attention being an Element of Harmony brings me. When I am out with Alba, she gets all the attention because she is also a princess, but when it is just me...’
        ‘You are naturally shy. It is understandable.’
        ‘I am a burden to the team... If I could quit, I would to save them the hassle of dealing with me.’
        Octavia laughs. ‘What burden? You are a valued friend to us all. Element or not, Alba would love you just the same.’
        ‘Alba is a good friend...’ Razzly looks up. ‘You were shy too?’
        ‘Scared, not shy. There’s a big difference.’
        Razzly frowns. ‘Oh.’
        ‘But... I can teach you some techniques that will give you more confidence. The principles should be the same.’
        The filly smiles and nods. The door opens, and Trixie leads everypony inside.
        ‘We’re back~!’ the performer sings.
        Alba gallops into the room and hugs Razzly. ‘There you are!’ she cries. ‘I was so worried about you!’
        ‘I-it is okay. I-I was just here with Octavia.’
        ‘I’m sorry we ignored you. We should have been nicer.’
        ‘I-it’s fine. Really.’
        ‘You sure?’
        Razzly nods.
        ‘Great! Trixie knows a great place in town, and we’re all going to dinner.’
        The other filly looks away.
        ‘Razzly and I were planning on staying in and having room service,’ Octavia says.
        ‘Grilled portobello the size of your head,’ Trixie casually mentions.
        Octavia’s eyes go wide behind her sunglasses. She shakes her head. ‘N-no. I’m staying here with Razzly.’
        ‘Go ahead,’ Razzly says, smiling. ‘I wouldn’t want you to hold back on my account. Besides, Alba will be here with me.’
        ‘I am never leaving you again,’ the princess huffs.
        ‘What about our training?’ Octavia asks.
        ‘W-we can work on it tomorrow.’
        Octavia smiles. ‘It is a deal.’
        The mare gets up and joins the others. They wave and leave.
        ‘What deal?’ Alba asks.
        Razzly smiles weakly and tells her friend about the conversation.

        Razzly opens her mouth, but no sound comes out. She squeaks and looks away. Octavia sighs and shakes her head.
        ‘It is okay,’ Alba assures. ‘You’ll get it.’
        ‘At this rate, it will be by the time you turn eighteen,’ Octavia grumbles.
        ‘I’m sorry,’ Razzly whispers.
        ‘Just start at a volume you are fine with,’ the mare advises. ‘You don’t have to be forceful right off the bat.’
        Razzly nods. She takes a deep breath and exhales, ‘My name is Razzly. N-n-n-ni-ni...’
        The unicorn squeaks and clams up. Alba claps.
        ‘Much better,’ Octavia compliments. ‘We’ll keep working on just this phrase. Remember, believe in the you who believes in yourself.’
        Razzly giggles and nods. There is a knock on the door before Trixie enters.
        ‘One usually waits for a reply,’ Octavia snorts.
        Trixie scoffs. ‘This is important. Have you seen the news today?’
        ‘We’re in Trottingham,’ the other mare moans. ‘Most of that is tabloid tripe owned by Mardock.’
        Trixie levitates the paper in front of her. ‘At a recent event hosted by the Elements of Harmony, one member of the group was conspicuously absent. The Element of Generosity, one Razzleberry Souffle, was seen slipping offstage early and never returned. Generosity must not mean giving time to the public. When asked for comment, the group’s manager [The Great and Powerful Duchess] Trixie Lunamoon simply responded that Razzleberry is shy.’ She lowers the paper. ‘It goes on like this for another paragraph.’
        ‘Was the title really necessary?’ Octavia sighs.
        ‘How dare they say that about Razzly!’ Alba yells. ‘They should be ashamed of themselves!’
        ‘It is just a tabloid. Nopony believes those.’
        ‘This is the city’s biggest paper,’ Trixie replies. ‘It is their most reputable.’
        Octavia tilts her head. ‘Why does it have a Page Three spread on Milky Way then?’
        ‘Listen, this is a big deal. It hurts the group as a whole.’
        ‘We’re going to be moving on soon. It won’t matter when we reach the next city.’
        ‘It is still a very mean thing to say,’ Alba huffs. ‘Right, Razzly?’
        The others look. Razzly has pulled a blanket off the bed and is wrapped up, sobbing.

        By the middle of the night, Alba has coaxed Razzly out of hiding. The young unicorn is still upset about what was written about her. There is a knock on the door before Trixie enters.
        ‘You know she is upset and you still barge in?’ Octavia grumbles, stepping from a shadow.
        ‘This is important,’ Trixie huffs. ‘I was able to contact the author of that article. I explained to him how much it upset dear Razzly and asked for an apology.’
        ‘He better have given one,’ Alba snorts.
        ‘Not exactly. It seems that Rarity was quite popular in Trottingham back in the day, so the town developed a soft spot for the Element of Generosity. He would only issue an apology if Razzly would grant him a short interview.’
        ‘H-h-how short?’ the scared filly asks.
        ‘I don’t really know, but he understands your situation and will keep it simple.’
        Octavia scowls. ‘You agreed to allowing Razzly to be interviewed by one of these Trottingham tabloid hounds?’
        ‘I’ll be there to make sure it doesn’t get out of hoof.’
        ‘And I’ll be there to slit his throat when he starts asking obscene questions! Which will probably be at the start of the interview!’
        ‘Just because you have had trouble with the tabloids in the past doesn’t mean everypony has.’
        ‘I never had trouble with them because I avoided them because they are a plague!’
        ‘The reason you avoided them is sitting on your face.’
        Octavia gasps and touches her sunglasses. She growls and charges forward with her hidden blades out. Trixie calmly keeps the attacker at bay with her magic.
        ‘St-st-stop it!’ Razzly squeaks. ‘I’ll do the interview. Just stop fighting...’
        Octavia retracts her blades. ‘Sorry. I overreacted.’
        ‘We can help you with you assertiveness training the rest of the night,’ Trixie offers.
        ‘Th-thank you. I-I’d like all the help I can get.’ The filly’s stomach growls. ‘I also missed dinner...’
        ‘We’ll have something brought to you right away,’ Trixie laughs.
        Razzly nods. She leans against Alba and takes a few deep breaths.
        ‘Don’t worry, Razzly,’ her friend assures. ‘Everything is going to be fine.’

        Trixie escorts a reporter into the hotel room. Most of the group is out for the day, allowing Razzly to be interviewed in peace. Octavia lurks in the shadows, watching the reporter.
        ‘As you can see, we travel in luxury, but we do spend as much time seeing the cities we travel and meeting everypony we can,’ Trixie explains.
        ‘Which is why you, the princess and the Element of Generosity are all staying in today,’ the reporter retorts.
        The performer scowls. ‘We are here to support our friend. We don’t want a repeat the harsh reporting you did.’
        ‘Well, seeing how you, not she, greeted me, the odds of that happening are really low this time.’
        ‘How hard is it to understand that these sorts of meetings are uncomfortable for her? It doesn’t speak ill of her that she is shy. You wouldn’t have judged Fluttershy for her apprehension, so please do the same for dear Razzly.’
        ‘But Fluttershy wouldn’t have needed a separate interview since she wouldn't have ducked out of the first meeting.’
        Trixie sneers at the reporter. ‘Fluttershy was a good friend. Do not talk as if you knew her.’
        The reporter sighs. ‘Can I please speak to Miss Souffle?’
        Alba comes out of her bedroom. ‘Razzly will be here in a moment. She’s having a slight panic attack.’
        ‘Great. An Element who panics at the thought of a friendly interview. How is she going to hold up if she is called on to use her Element in an actual situation?’
        ‘Razzly is doing the best she can!’ Alba snaps. ‘She’s young and away from her family for the first time. Of course she is scared.’
        ‘There are a lot scarier things out there than me. I cleared my schedule for this meeting but if it is not going to happen, I will be justified for what I end up writing.’
        The reporter turns to leave. The bedroom door creaks open. Razzly stands in the doorway. Her eyes are closed, and she is breathing heavily.
        ‘W-w-w-who th-the h-h-h-hell d-d-do y-you th-think I-I am!’ the filly yells. Razzly nearly falls, her legs are shaking so much.
        The reporter smiles, calmly goes to a table and sits. ‘From where I sit, I think you are the bravest filly I have ever met.’
        Razzly smiles weakly and trots to the table to begin her interview.

        Dark figures stand behind a barrier. A beam shoots past and destroys a metal plate in front of them.
        ‘And that was only quarter power?’ a figure asks.
        ‘Yes, sir. We have had a hard time adapting the technology to our own.’
        ‘How long until full power?’
        ‘Uh, well...’
        A door opens behind the figures. An envelope is given to the lead figure.
        The figure laughs. ‘It seems we have found a crack worth exploiting. See if more can be found. They all have weaknesses, even if they try hiding them.’ The form leans back. ‘Looks like the two of you have a lot of results to get and soon.’
        Two surprised squawks are heard as the subordinates get back to work.