It was a fine spring morning in Equestria. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and everywhere you looked it seemed like everypony was happy.
But nopony was more happy than Sweetie Belle. In fact, she was happier than she had ever felt before, and she didn't particularly know why. She was just happy to be who she was.
And so it was, that on this beautiful day, Sweetie Belle was strolling through town. All the while singing a little tune to herself, and went it something like this:
There's music in the treetops
And there's music in the vale
And all around the music fills the sky
There's music by the river
And there's music in the grass
And the music makes your heart soar in reply
In her mind, Sweetie Belle imagined her parents and her sister Rarity listening to her sing, and they were all showering her with praise for her beautiful singing. "Oh, thank you all. Thank you all so much. You're too kind." she said to herself, not really caring whether or not anypony overheard her talking to herself.
But suddenly, Sweetie Belle became aware of the fact that she wasn't alone. As a familiar voice called out "Wow! I don't think I've ever heard such beautiful music before."
Sweetie Belle gasped, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom had overheard her singing. Normally, she would've blushed in embarassment, but now she was more worried. There was a reason why she never tried to let her voice stand out when singing in a group, a reason she really didn't want to disclose. "Oh... You... um... you didn't just hear me... um..." she stuttered, unable to come up with the right words. She wanted to say "You didn't just hear me singing. You must've been imagining things." But the words died on her tongue.
"Singing in the most beautiful voice ever?" Apple Bloom replied "Cause we did."
"Your voice was kind of hard not to recognize, even if this is the first time you've ever really sang on your own." Scootaloo added.
"I gotta say, your performance was amazin'!" Apple Bloom cheered.
"Why have you been trying to hide this from us all this time?" Scootaloo asked.
Sweetie Belle didn't reply, she just gasped and murmered to herself. "I should've known this would happen sooner or later. How could I have been so foolish?" she thought to herself.
"You're such an amazing singer, Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo spoke up.
"How come you've always been tryin' to hide it away?" Apple Bloom asked "I can only really think of one or two occassions where you took the lead with singin'."
"You girls are just exaggerting my singing skills." Sweetie Belle replied "I'm not that great of a singer. I'm sure there are hundreds of ponies at school that can sing better than me."
"Are you kiddin', your voice was like a little slice of heaven!" Apple Bloom said eagerly.
"With ice cream on top." Scootaloo added.
"Singin' must run in your family, cause your sister Rarity's part of that hit local sensation called the Pony Tones." Apple Bloom told Seetie Belle "Along with my brother, and even Fluttershy herself."
"That's my big sister, she's always been a good singer, unlike me." Sweetie Belle replied.
"Sweetie Belle, why are ya so unwillin' to to acknowledge what's obvious?" Apple Bloom asked "Your voice is so amazin'! You should put it to good use, and join the school choir."
"Yeah! It'll be so amazing!" a familiar snooty voice called out. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle recognized at once who it was. None other than Diamond Tiara, and needless to say, they were not happy to see her.
"Go away Diamond Tiara! This is a private conversation and nopony invited you!" Scootaloo said crossly.
"Exactly, I invited myself." Diamond Tiara replied.
"Just what are you doin' here anywhere?" Apple Bloom asked, shooting Diamond Tiara a death glare "Aren't there are other ponies you have to pick on to make yerself feel better?"
"Oh come on, are you still upset with me for what happened during the flag carrying competition?" Diamond Tiara replied "I said I was sorry for taking it so far. Besides, you blank flanks need somepony like me around to encourage you. If it weren't for me, you'd have never met each other."
"That may be, but that doesn't mean you have a right to just push us around!" Scootaloo snorted "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't push you into the dirt this instant!"
"I'm merely here to offer Sweetie Belle some 'helpful' advice." Diamond Tiara said in an oily voice.
"I don't want your help, Diamond Tiara!" Sweetie Belle replied crossly.
"But you most certainly need it." Diamond Tiara said smugly "And I'm only gonna say this once. If you're thinking about joining the school choir, think again! There's only room for one pony with a talented singing voice, and that's me!"
"The only reason you're even in the choir to begin with is cause your father pays a lot of money to the school!" Scootaloo snorted "At least Sweetie Belle has a chance to make it on her own talents, and not because she knows somepony who can pull some strings."
"Oh, by all means then, join the choir if that's really what you want to do." Diamond Tiara taunted "You'll be there on stage, basking in the spotlights! The center of attention! A shining star! Everypony staring at you, judging you. All of them jealously noting how they could be better than you. Why wasn't it them? And then, when you choke, they'll turn on you. They'll become a seething, angry mob. And you'll be horribly humiliated, never able to show your face in Ponyville ever again!"
Poor Sweetie Belle was on the verge of tears by the time Diamond Tiara had finished, both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were cross. "You've got some nerve makin' Sweetie Belle feel bad about her singin'!" Apple Bloom spoke up.
"Have you no shame?!" Scootaloo added.
"I'm just telling it like it is, it's not my fault if your friend can't handle the truth." Diamond Tiara replied, and walked away.
"Don't mind Diamond Tiara, she's just jealous." Scootaloo said, trying to comfort Sweetie Belle.
"She thinks nopony should be more important than her." Apple Bloom added "But we'll show her! When you become the lead singer in the choir, she won't have anythin' to gloat about!"
"No." Sweetie Belle said seriously.
"Beg pardon?" Apple Bloom asked.
Sweetie Belle sighed "I said no. I'm not interested in proving a point to Diamond Tiara."
"Don't you want to let everypony know about your wonderful singing voice?" Scootaloo asked Sweetie Belle.
"I would love to, really." Sweetie Belle replied "But I can't."
"And why not? I don't see what's holdin' you back." Apple Bloom said honestly.
"That's just it, something is holding me back." Sweetie Belle explained.
"And what would that be?" Scootaloo asked.
"Well, you see... I have-" Sweetie Belle began.
"Spit it out already!" Scootaloo demanded.
"Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom replied.
"How can we help her if she won't tell us what's wrong?" Scootaloo asked.
"Forcin' her to tell us won't make things any better." Apple Bloom told Scootaloo "If she wants to tell us, she will. And we have no right to force her."
"No, Scootaloo is right." Sweetie Belle said with a sigh, and explained what was troubling her "I have... stage fright." she admitted. There was a long and akward pause, nopony dared to say anything.
Both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked at Sweetie Belle, then at each other, then back at Sweetie Belle. At last, Apple Bloom spoke up. "Well, Applejack and Big Macintosh always tell me that the only way to overcome somethin' like stage fright, is to work your way up to performin' in front of a crowd."
"What do you mean?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"What she means is, you can still join the choir, but you don't necessarily need to be lead singer right away." Scootaloo explained "As you get use to performing in front of crowds, you can work your way up. And eventually, your stage fright will disappear."
"That... sounds like a decent idea I guess." Sweetie Belle shrugged.
"Then let's head to the choir meetin' and tell Miss. Cheerilee you're lookin' to join!" Apple Bloom encouraged, and the three fillies set off for the schoolyard.
The meeting for the Ponyville School Choir began inside the school itself. As was the case with many after school activities, Cheerilee was there to supervise the students and make sure everything ran smoothly.
Just before roll call could begin, the Cutie Mark Crusaders came bursting through the door. "Miss. Cheerilee, there's somepony who'd like to join the choir!" Apple Bloom and Scootaloo said at the same time.
Cheerilee smiled "Well, we're always glad to have a new face join us." she said sweetly "Who's the pony that wishes to join us?"
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo promptly nudged Sweetie Belle forward, before the filly could bolt and run away. "Uh, I guess that pony is me." Sweetie Belle said nervously.
Cheerilee continued to smile, she'd dealt with this sort of behavior before. A lot of students who first joined the choir were often nervous, but in time the nervousness often went away. "Now Sweetie Belle, there's no need to be shy. All of your fellow choir members will glad to see you."
"They will be?" Sweetie Belle asked nervously.
"Of course they will be." Cheerilee replied, and guided Sweetie Belle over to the other choir members. She recognized a few faces, such as Dinky Hooves, Rumble, Featherweight, Pipsqueak, and even Silver Spoon.
"Good luck Sweetie Belle." Apple Bloom called, as she and Scootaloo headed for the door. Non choir members weren't allowed in during rehearsals, unless they were family members of one of the students in the choir.
"You'll do great, we're sure of it." Scootaloo encouraged, and the two of them left the room.
"Everypony, we have a new addition to our cast." Cheerilee announced, calling attention to the new comer. "I'd like you all to give a warm welcome to Sweetie Belle." Everypony did so, except for one filly.
Diamond Tiara was cross, she thought that Sweetie Belle was coming to take away her position as lead singer. "What's she doing here?" Diamond Tiara hissed.
"Diamond Tiara, I'm only going to warn you once, so you'd better listen." Cheerilee said sternly "Sweetie Belle is here to try out for a position in our choir. I don't care what sort of disagreements you two have had in the past, while she is here you will treat her with the respect she deserves. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Miss. Cheerilee." Diamond Tiara replied reluctantly "Welcome to the choir, Sweetie Belle."
"Make no mistake, if I catch you give me Sweetie Belle a hard time, I will take away your position and have you kicked out of the choir. I'm sure your father will not be happy to learn that his little princess was being a brat." Miss. Cheerilee warned, then she turned back to the choir as a whole. "Now, if there are no further interruptions, let's head for the stage."
"The stage?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"It's the stage in the park." Pipsqueak whispered in reply.
"That's where we go to practice everyday, and where we go to have tryouts." Silver Spoon added "The only positions available right now though are for backup singers."
"What are backup singers?" Sweetie Belle asked, as she and the other choir members followed Cheerilee to the park.
"Singers that only perform if something happens to one of the main singers, like sickness or injury." Rumble explained.
"So, does that mean I don't have to practice all the time?" Sweetie Belle asked hopefully.
"Backup singers still need to rehearse with the others, that way they can be ready to take over whenever they're needed." Ruby Pinch replied.
"What are you so worried about?" Featherweight asked Sweetie Belle.
"I have stage fright." Sweetie Belle replied.
"So? Miss Fluttershy has stage fright as well, and she's part of the Pony Tones." Featherweight said "I don't see how that's any different."
"She had friends like Rainbow Dash and Rarity to help guide her through it." Sweetie Belle told Featherweight "I don't have anypony. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo aren't part of the choir, so the best they can do is cheer me on."
"But you have all of us now, except maybe for Diamond Tiara." Pipsqueak spoke up.
"But you're not my friends." Sweetie Belle said sadly.
"We could be if you gave us a chance." Silver Spoon offered "Unlike Diamond Tiara, I'm willing to work with a new member. Don't tell her I said this, but she was every bit as nervous as you were when she first tried out. And she only had me to help her get through it."
"Obviously, that's no longer the case, and she seems to have forgotten about it." Sweetie Belle said glumly, eying Diamond Tiara. The two fillies had not spoken a word to each other since Sweetie Belle had walked in the door.
"Here we are." Cheerilee called, as Sweetie Belle layed eyes on the very same stage that she had seen her sister perform on several times while with the Pony Tones.
"Good luck Sweetie Belle, you'll need it." Diamond Tiara taunted "A pity your friends couldn't come to see you."
"Just don't let her get to you." Pipsqueak encouraged Sweetie Belle, as the filly made her way up to the stage.
Cheerilee was already sitting in one of the judges' seats, along with Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara.
Sweetie Belle gulped, as she looked out across the stage. All she had to do was sing, but just looking at the judges made that almost impossible. What if she blew it? What if she went on stage, and she forgot the lyrics to whatever song they asked her to sing? What if her voice was too loud or too soft? What if Cheerilee had been lying to make her feel better, and there weren't any positions available on the choir? What if she sneezed or coughed while singing? What if Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara conspired to give her a bad review, and sink her chances? All these scenarios ran through her head, as did at least a dozen more.
"We're ready when you are, Sweetie Belle." Silver Spoon called.
"Don't be shy, just give it your best shot." Cheerilee encouraged.
"We don't have all day you know." Diamond Tiara said seriously "If you're gonna sing, then get on with it! Otherwise, get off the stage and stop wasting our time!"
Suddenly, Sweetie Belle forgot all about being nervous. Suddenly, all she could think about was proving Diamond Tiara wrong. She trotted forward, and cleared her throat. "What do you want me to sing?" she asked the judges.
"Whatever you feel like." Cheerilee said in reply "Just make sure it's school appropriate."
Clearing her throat once again, Sweetie Belle took a deep breath, and began to sing the first song that came into her mind:
Hush now, quiet now
It's time to lay your sleepy head.
Hush now, quiet now
It's time to go to bed.
Drifting, off to sleep
The exciting day behind you.
Drifting, off to sleep
Let the door of dreamland find you.
Hush now, quiet now
Lay your sleepy head.
Hush now, quiet now
Time to go to bed.
As soon as she had finished her song, Sweetie Belle stood on the stage and waited for her results. She realized now that she'd been trying a little too hard, and as a result her singing had been a little bit off key. It probably wouldn't be noticeable to the average ears, but the judges were certain to notice.
"Oh, I hope I didn't mess up somehow." Sweetie Belle thought to herself, as the judges debated about the quality of the performance they had just heard.
"Well, that was a fairly good first performance." Cheerilee spoke up "I think it could be a little bit better, but it's still probably one of the finest auditions I've ever heard. What do you think, girls?"
"It's not bad, but it could be better." Silver Spoon said in reply "For a potential backup singer, that's above and beyond what I was expecting. With a little practice, it could probably be the greatest singing voice since Sapphire Shores herself."
Now, all eyes were on Diamond Tiara. She could still deny Sweetie Belle a position if she felt her performance was terrible. And considering how much of a threat she deemed Sweetie Belle, it wouldn't take much encouragement for her to say Sweetie Belle's performance was bad. Seconds passed, and Diamond Tiara said nothing. She just looked at Sweetie Belle, her eyes making the filly feel like a bug under a microscope. At last, she spoke up and said "I hate to admit it, especially since you're still a blank flank and all, but that performance put most of the choir's first auditions to shame. And we really could use your voice. I guess I have no choice but to agree with Miss. Cheerilee and Silver Spoon."
"Then, it's settled. Welcome to the Ponyville School Choir, Sweetie Belle!" Cheerilee announced.
"I'm in?" Sweetie Belle asked, unwilling to believe this was true. It had to be a dream, it just had to be.
"Yes you are." Cheerilee smiled "Everypony, please welcome our newest back up singer, Sweetie Belle." The colts and fillies in the choir didn't need to be told twice, and clapped their hooves together in thunderous applause.
"Congratulations, Sweetie Belle." Silver Spoon said kindly, as Sweetie Belle made her way down from the stage "I knew you could do it."
"We're so lucky to have you join us!" Pipsqueak added "With you in our group, we'll be the newest singing sensation in Ponyville!"
"That seems like a bit of an exaggeration." Sweetie Belle replied "But, I am glad to be here. I guess I should be grateful."
"Indeed you should be, especially considering who you have to thank for letting you join." Diamond Tiara spoke up, working her way past the other choir members.
"Just leave Sweetie Belle alone, she's been through enough already!" Featherweight hissed.
"I'm just making sure Sweetie Belle knows her place." Diamond Tiara replied, and turned to Sweetie Belle "I was nice, and agreed with the others. But don't start thinking you're suddenly hot stuff, just because you're in the choir. I still have my position of lead singer, and you're just a simple back up singer. I out rank you, and I have no intention of giving up my position anytime soon."
"What are you trying to say?" Sweetie Belle asked suspiciously.
"All I'm saying is, know your place." Diamond Tiara said ominously "If I tell you to jump, you say 'How high?'. And when I tell you to sing, you say 'Name the song.'. Do I make myself clear?"
Sweetie Belle gulped "Yes." she replied nervously.
"Good." Diamond Tiara smiled, and she turned around and walked away.
"I'm sorry about Diamond Tiara, really I am." Silver Spoon apologized "She's usually not this bossy or rude."
"Considering the way she normally acts, I have a hard time believing that." Sweetie Belle said doubtfully.
"Just try your best to ignore her." Silver Spoon encouraged "As long as we're on the choir together, the least we can do is get along. And truth be told, I'm getting tired of Diamond Tiara always telling me and the other members what to do."
"Uh, thanks, I guess?" Sweetie Belle replied. She was still getting use to being part of the choir, and Silver Spoon's sudden friendliness towards her was more than a little off putting. After everything she'd been made to endure under Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara, it was hard for her to believe that either of the two could be nice.
Pretty soon, the time came for the choir to practice, and Sweetie Belle soon pushed any thoughts of Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon to the back of her mind. She just focused on trying to sing in time with the other choir members. Before she knew it, practice had concluded, and it was time for the choir members to head home.
"Don't forget to report back here after school tomorrow." Cheerilee called, as the colts and fillies prepared to leave "We've got one more rehearsal session, and then we have our first performance the day after that."
Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were waiting for Sweetie Belle at the Cutie Mark Crusaders club house. The two of them had spent the afternoon looking around town for new opportunities to earn their cutie marks, but they had found nothing. They were happy for Sweetie Belle, since she was almost certainly enjoying her time with the choir, but at the same time they missed her very much.
They were most surprised, however, when Sweetie Belle came bursting through the clubhouse door. "Today was the greatest day of my life!" she said happily "I can't wait to go back there tomorrow afternoon."
"When's your first performance?" Apple Bloom asked Sweetie Belle.
"It's the day after tomorrow." Sweetie Belle told her friends.
"Where's it gonna take place?" Scootaloo asked.
"Well, actually, I'm just a back up singer. Unless one of the other singers gets sick or injured, I don't perform." Sweetie Belle explained.
"Ah, that's a bummer!" Scootaloo replied.
"You've got such an amazin' voice. It's a real shame that hardly anypony's gonna get to hear it." Apple Bloom added.
"I'm sure they will eventually." Sweetie Belle said honestly "But for right now, I'm fine with just being a back up singer. Especially since it leaves me time to still be a Cutie Mark Crusader."
"You know, when you put it like that, it doesn't sound as bad." Apple Bloom admitted.
"I know." Sweetie Belle replied "But enough about me, what have you two been up to while I was away? I didn't miss anything important, did I?"
"Of course not. We saved all the best stuff for when you get back." Scootaloo explained.
For the rest of the day, Sweetie Belle and her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders spent their free time trying to earn their cutie marks in bug collecting. Despite some rather impressive progress, the three fillies agreed that they didn't want to spend the rest of their lives hunting for bugs, and that it was obvious they would have to look elsewhere for their cutie marks.
The next afternoon, Sweetie Belle parted ways with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, and headed for the stage in Ponyville Park. She arrived to find that Diamond Tiara was waiting impatiently for her.
"It's about time you showed up, I was beginning to think you'd changed your mind." Diamond Tiara said crossly.
"Stuff and nonsense Diamond Tiara." Sweetie Belle huffed "I'm here now, so you can quit your worrying."
"You're just lucky I've got more important things to deal with right now." Diamond Tiara replied, as Sweetie Belle took her rightful place among the other choir members.
Was it Sweetie Belle's imagination, or were they short a member? She didn't have to wait long to find out, as Cheerilee conducted role call.
One by one Cheerilee called out the names of each choir member, starting with Diamond Tiara. But when she got to Ruby Pinch, there was no reply. "Has anypony seen Ruby Pinch lately?" she asked. The filly had been present at school the last time Cheerilee had checked, but that had been at least an hour ago.
"Leave it to Ruby Pinch to be late!" Diamond Tiara complained "Doesn't she realize how important these rehearsals are?!"
"Now Diamond Tiara, let's not jump to conclusions." Cheerilee said sternly "I'm sure that there's a perfectly good explanation for Ruby Pinch's abscence."
No sooner had Cheerilee spoken those words, when Berry Punch came running up to the stage. She signaled Cheerilee over, whispered something to her, and took off.
"Is something wrong with Ruby Pinch?" Sweetie Belle asked when Cheerilee came back.
"She's fine. She just came down with a sore throat and needs to rest for a couple of days." Cheerilee explained "Unfortunately, that means we'll be down one of our main singers for the performance tomorrow."
Sweetie Belle gulped upon realizing what that meant. Sure enough, Cheerilee came over to her and said "Sweetie Belle, we need you to take Ruby Pinch's place until she's feeling better."
Sweetie Belle froze "M-me? Y-you want me to take Ruby Pinch's place as a singer?" she asked, wishing nothing more than to be at home at this particular moment.
"Yes. Is there a problem with that?" Cheerilee asked.
"I..... I..... I can't do it." Sweetie Belle whispered nervously.
"What was that? You're gonna have to speak up Sweetie Belle, I can't hear you." Cheerilee replied.
"I can't do it." Sweetie Belle answered softly.
"Sweetie Belle, I still can't hear you." Cheerilee said seriously, trying her best to keep her voice in its calm and gentle tone "Speak up, please."
"I said I can't do it!" Sweetie Belle blurted out, much to everypony's surprise. When Sweetie Belle realized she'd unintentionally attracted the attention of the entire choir, she squeaked and her cheeks turned bright red from embarassment.
"What do you mean you can't do it?!" Diamond Tiara asked crossly.
"It means I can't do it." Sweetie Belle replied "Why is that so hard to understand?"
"Why can't you do it?" Diamond Tiara insisted "You're a back up singer. You're suppose to take over when this sort of stuff happens."
"Back off Diamond Tiara, can't you see you're not helping?" Rumble replied, coming to Sweetie Belle's defense "If she says she can't do it, then she can't do it."
"Yeah, you have no right to force her to do something if she doesn't want to do it!" Featherweight added.
"I'm surrounded by idiots!" Diamond Tiara said and put a hoof to her face "Don't any of you realize what will happen if Sweetie Belle doesn't perform tomorrow?! We'll have to call off the whole thing, and we'll be the laughing stock of the town for weeks!"
"No we won't." Silver Spoon replied.
"Either way, we can't just call off our performance. Not at this point!" Diamond Tiara insisted.
"Unfortunately, Diamond Tiara is right." Cheerilee said glumly "It's not easy to book this stage, let alone get it booked for an entire performance. I could try to talk to Mayor Mare, but at this point I don't think I'd be able to unbook the stage in time."
"But I can't perform, I have stage fright!" Sweetie Belle protested "If I go up there and see all those strangers looking at me, I'll freeze up and completely ruin the whole thing! I know I will!"
"Well, what if you didn't actually have to go on stage and perform?" Pipsqueak suggested.
"What do you mean? Is that even possible to do?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"It's simple, it's called lip syncing." Pipsqueak explained.
"Lip syncing?" Sweetie Belle asked, she'd heard about it but she still wasn't sure how that was going to help.
"All we need to do is put you behind the curtain, and let Ruby Pinch move her mouth as if she were singing. But she won't be, you'll be singing for her." Pipsqueak told Sweetie Belle.
"But our voices don't sound even remotely similar. Everypony will know it's me." Sweetie Belle said nervously.
"Not if we use 'this'!" Pipsqueak explained, and pulled out a microphone stashed among the stage equipment.
"Just what is that?" Sweetie Belle asked Pipsqueak.
"It's a special microphone." Pipsqueak explained to Sweetie Belle "Once it's magically enchanted, it will do all the work necessary to make ponies believe Ruby Pinch is singing, and not you."
"I see where you're going with this, Pipsqueak." Rumble spoke up "We can get somepony to cast a voice modification spell on the microphone, then we tweak it until it sounds as close to Ruby Pinch's voice as possible. Then, Sweetie Belle can sing into it, and nopony in the crowd will know she's singing. They'll think it's Ruby Pinch."
"And you blank flanks really think that will work?" Diamond Tiara asked crossly.
"You got a better idea?" Pipsqueak replied.
Diamond Tiara didn't answer, she just growled angrily like a dog that had just had its tail stepped on. Then she said "Go ahead, try your little lip syncing plan for all I care! Just don't come crying to me when it doesn't work! I'm out of here!" And she stomped angrily away without another word.
"There's just one problem with your plan, Pipsqueak." Featherweight said nervously.
"And what's that?" Pipsqueak asked innocently, he thought his plan was fool proof.
"Sweetie Belle's the only unicorn in the group besides Ruby Pinch, and neither of them know any voice modification spells!" Featherweight explained.
"That won't be a problem at all." Pipsqueak smiled.
"And why won't it be?" Featherweight asked.
"Because we're not gonna get a unicorn to cast the spell, we're gonna use an alicorn." Pipsqueak explained.
"You really think Princess Twilight is going to help us?" Featherweight asked Pipsqueak.
"Of course she will. She's always willing to help ponies in need, and Sweetie Belle is really close to her." Pipsqueak replied "How could she say no? Sweetie Belle and I will get her to cast the spell, the rest of you just focus on finding Ruby Pinch and explaining the plan to her." And before anypony could say anything in protest, Pipsqueak grabbed the microphone and Sweetie Belle, and dashed away.
Silver Spoon shook her head "I really don't think his plan is going to work."
"Like it or not, it's our best option at the moment." Rumble said seriously "Now let's go find Ruby Pinch, and hope that whatever she's come down with isn't contagious."
Twilight Sparkle was incredibly surprised when Pipsqueak and Sweetie Belle practically burst through her front door as soon as she had opened it. In a matter of seconds however, she was able to decipher what Pipsqueak was saying (when you'd hung around Pinkie Pie for long enough, you started learning how to translate speeches delivered at what seemed to be the speed of light). "You want me to help Sweetie Belle lip sync at the choir performance tomorrow?"
Pipsqueak nodded "She's got stage fright really badly, if she goes out there and sings in front of the crowd, she'll choke. This is the only way the performance can be saved."
Twilight sighed, and lit up her horn. "Alright, give me the microphone and I'll see what I can do. It's been a while since I tried a voice modification spell, so no promises."
"Please Twilight, you have to try." Sweetie Belle pleaded, shooting Twilight her best pair of puppy dog eyes.
Twilight tried her best to ignore the look Sweetie Belle was giving her, as she grabbed the microphone with her magic and placed it on a nearby table. Then, flapping her wings, she began to fly around her library in search of a book that contained the proper spell. "I know that book on voice spells is around here somewhere." she said to herself. Book after book was tossed aside, as Twilight searched every shelf from top to bottom.
Pipsqueak and Sweetie Belle watched in amazement, as books big and small alike were flung across the room, only to end up stacked into neat piles for rearrangement later on.
At last, Twilight cried out "A-ha! Here it is!" And exactly five seconds later, the biggest book Pipsqueak and Sweetie Belle had ever layed eyes on landed on the desk in the center of the room. The massive thud made them jump.
"Sorry about that, but I've found the book that contains the proper spell." Twilight explained, as she flew back down and turned the thick pages until the one she wanted appeared. After looking at the spell, and reading over the instructions, Twilight's horn sparked to life, and a violet red glow surrounded the microphone. There was a blinding flash of light, and then the microphone thudded back down onto the table.
"Did it work?" Pipsqueak and Sweetie Belle asked.
"Try it out and see for yourself." Twilight encouraged "That's the only way we'll know for sure."
Sweetie Belle gulped, but reluctantly picked the microphone up with her magic. "Check, check, check. Is it working?" she said into the microphone. The microphone repeated "Check, check, check. Is it working?" in a voice that sounded nothing like Sweetie Belle and almost exactly like Ruby Pinch.
"It worked!" Pipsqueak said happily.
Sweetie Belle was ecstatic, and began bouncing all around. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!" she cheered, hugging Twilight tightly "You're so amazing!"
"Oh, Sweetie Belle. It's nothing." Twilight smiled "I'm always happy to lend you my help whenever you need it."
"You're almost like an aunt to me! You're always so friendly and cheerful, and willing to spend time with me or help me out!" Sweetie Belle told Twilight "What would I ever do without you?!"
"Settle down Sweetie Belle, please." Twilight replied, patting Sweetie Belle lightly on the forehead to calm her down. Once Twilight was convinced the filly that was in a more tranquil state, she cleared her throat and changed her tone to sound more serious. "Now, pay attention Sweetie Belle. This is very important."
"I'm all ears, Twilight." Sweetie Belle said with a squee.
"The spell should last through all of tomorrow, but there's at least a ten percent chance that it will wear off at some point, including during the performance in the park." Twilight said seriously "If that happens, your lipsyncing will be exposed, and everypony will know that it's you who's singing."
"Why are you telling me this?" Sweetie Belle asked nervously, her happy mood completely fading.
"I'm just warning you so you'll be prepared." Twilight replied "If the spell fails during the performance, please promise me that you won't do anything stupid. I know how serious stage fright can be, but you can't let it control you."
"I'll try my best." Sweetie Belle said sincerely "I hope that the spell holds."
"I hope so too Sweetie Belle, but remember what I said." Twilight said seriously.
"You'll be there to see the performance, right?" Sweetie Belle asked Twilight.
"I'll try my hardest to be there." Twilight replied, and when she had finished speaking Pipsqueak and Sweetie Belle left. Once she was all alone Twilight sighed to herself "Please, Sweetie Belle. For the love of Celestia, don't freak out if the spell fails while you're lip syncing." Twilight thought to herself.
Pipsqueak and Sweetie Belle raced back to the stage to tell the other choir members the good news. And when they learned that Ruby Pinch had agreed to their little "secret", they approached Cheerilee with their plan.
"I don't know about this." Cheerilee frowned "Lip syncing can be a very bad thing. If it's exposed, we could end up getting a lot of angry letters. And that is the last thing this choir needs."
"But Miss. Cheerilee, this is the only way Sweetie Belle's gonna be able to perform." Pipsqueak spoke up "If she doesn't lip sync, the whole performance will be a disaster and we'll be the laughing stock of the town for weeks."
"That seems a bit excessive." Cheerilee replied.
"Twilight specifically said there's only a ten percent chance of the spell failing during the performance." Sweetie Belle told Cheerilee "And as long as it doesn't, nopony will ever known who's really singing."
"I don't know, I really don't know." Cheerilee sighed.
"Come on Miss. Cheerilee, Fluttershy got her start lip syncing for Big Macintosh when he got a sore throat. And everything turned out okay in the end." Silver Spoon said honestly.
"Just because it worked out for the Pony Tones, does not mean it's going to be the same for us." Cheerilee said seriously "The Pony Tones were a local group founded to perform for charity events, and special occasions like birthday parties. And Fluttershy is a respected member of society, not to mention a close friend of Equestria's newest princess. We, on the other hoof, are an official school choir. We are held to different standards in comparison to the Pony Tones. I'm sorry, but my answer is no!"
Diamond Tiara was furious at such a decision. "I don't care if Sweetie Belle lip syncs or not, she can do whatever she wants for all I care!" she said crossly "There is no way I'm letting this performance get canceled, not after everything I, I mean we, have worked so hard for! The show must go on! And one way or another, I'm going to make that phrase a reality! If that means one of our members has to lip sync, so be it! I'll even take the fall if it'll encourage you not to cancel the performance!"
Everypony was shocked, including Cheerilee. But there was no use in trying to argue with Diamond Tiara at this point.
Cheerilee sighed "Well, I guess my decision's been made for me. Even if I don't like it. Our performance for tomorrow will go on as scheduled, and Sweetie Belle will lip sync behind the curtain for Ruby Pinch."
"Thank you Miss. Cheerilee!" Sweetie Belle said happily "You won't regret this."
"I sure hope not." Cheerilee thought to herself.
And so, the plan was put into action. Sweetie Belle didn't say anything to anypony she met about her planned lip snycing, the few who already knew swore to secrecy.
Convinced that nothing could go wrong, Sweetie Belle was happier than ever the day of the performance. Her enthusiasm made it hard for her to focus on anything else, but somehow she managed.
"Are you absolutely sure ya can't come to our meetin'?" Apple Bloom asked Sweetie Belle after school was done for the day.
"Mom and dad said they wanted me to come home as soon as I could." Sweetie Belle replied, telling her cover story. She hated lying to her friends, but they would suspect something in an instant if she said she was needed at the stage. She hadn't told them about her intent to lip sync, and she was going to keep it that way.
"Well, don't let us stop you." Scootaloo said with a smile "But all the same, you're really going to be missing out."
"I'm sure I will be." Sweetie Belle nodded, and she set off. Once she was certain that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo couldn't see her, she headed for the park. The performance wasn't scheduled to start for a little while, but she wanted to get there early and make sure the microphone still worked. That way, if it didn't, she could take it to Twilight and have the spell recast before the performance began.
By the time Sweetie Belle arrived, the rest of the choir was already there. Cheerilee was running them through a last minute rehearsal, to make sure everypony was ready.
"I'm here." Sweetie Belle called, as she joined the others on stage "Is everything ready?"
"It should be." Pipsqueak replied "But why don't you do a mic check, just to be sure?"
"Good idea." Sweetie Belle said, and headed back stage. It didn't take her long to find the microphone. Once she had found it, she picked up and said "Check, check, check. Is it still working?" And the microphone repeated back "Check, check, check. Is it still working?" in the same voice as last time. Sweetie Belle nodded to Pipsqueak to let him know that the microphone still worked.
"Okay, we're all set." Pipsqueak said to Cheerilee.
"Alright then, places everypony." Cheerilee instructed, as the audience members arrived and began to take their respective seats.
Just as she had promised, Twilight came to see the performance. As she took her seat, she was surprised to see both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were among the audience members. "What are you two doing here?" she asked.
"We couldn't really think of anythin' to do without Sweetie Belle that wouldn't involve us gettin' our cutie marks." Apple Bloom explained.
"So we thought we'd come down here and see the performance, even if Sweetie Belle's not gonna be on stage, singing with the others." Scootaloo added "I just wish Diamond Tiara wasn't able to perform, and Sweetie Belle was taking her place as lead singer. That would make this way better."
"Shh, it's starting." Twilight whispered, as the lights on the stage dimmed, and Cheerilee stepped out from behind the curtain.
"Hello everypony." Cheerilee greeted with her usual cheerful smile "So nice of you all to come. It gives me great pleasure to present to you now, the talented colts and fillies that are the Ponyville School Choir!" And one by one, as each of the choir members emerged from behind the curtain, the audience rose to their hooves and applauded fiercely. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were surprised at how many ponies applauded for Diamond Tiara, and how few applauded for Silver Spoon.
Once all of the choir members had taken their respective places, the applause quited down. With a cue from Cheerilee, the colts and fillies began to sing, and Sweetie Belle began to lip sync. And this was the song that they began to perform:
Row, row, row your boat
Gentley down the stream.
Mearily, mearily, mearily
Life is but a dream.
Row, row, row your boat
Gentley down the stream.
Mearily, mearily, mearily
Life is but a dream.
Row, row, row your boat
Gentley down the stream.
Mearily, mearily, mearily
Life is but a dream.
From behind the curtain, Sweetie Belle was enjoying herself enormously. Without the worries of a crowd of total strangers staring at her, and silently judging her every move, singing was actually quite fun.
Unfortunately, the fun didn't last long. Without warning, the spell suddenly began to fail. Sweetie Belle tried her best to mask her voice, but it was no use. In a matter of seconds, the spell had worn off, and now Sweetie Belle's voice could be heard loud and clear throughout the entire park.
To make matters worse, in her panic over the situation, Sweetie Belle began bumping into things. And her magic seemed to develop a mind of its own. Before anypony could realize what was happening, Sweetie Belle's magic brought down the curtain. The choir members screamed, and ran for safety, just barely escaping before the curtain crashed onto the stage.
Everypony looked at the stage, and gasped. Sweetie Belle had dropped the microphone, but everypony could still see her clear as day, now that the curtain wasn't there to hide her.
Sweetie Belle froze right on the spot, unable to say or do anything else. She just waited for the crowd's inevitable reaction to her secret.
Nopony said anything for a moment, not even the choir members, Cheerilee, or Twilight. At last, the tense silence was broken, as the crowd began to clap and cheer loudly, some even whistled in approval.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were speechless, they could not believe their eyes! "Why didn't she tell us about this sooner?" they thought to themselves.
Unfortunately, Sweetie Belle was anything but happy. In her mind, the crowd wasn't cheering, everypony in it was glaring at her. Some were even laughing directly at her. It was just like Diamond Tiara had said, they were all jealous of her, and it would only be a matter of time until they turned into an angry mob determined to drive her out of town. With tears in her eyes, Sweetie Belle took off, not particularly caring where she went. All she knew at the moment, was that she wanted to be as far away from the crowd as possible.
"What is goin' on here?" Apple Bloom asked Twilight.
"Did you know something about this?!" Scootaloo asked furiously.
"It's a long story, and it's one that I don't have time to explain right now!" Twilight said seriously "We've got to find Sweetie Belle!"
"But where can she be?" Scootaloo asked "With how fast she was running, she could be anywhere! We'll never find her!"
"Not necessarily." Apple Bloom replied "We just gotta figure out where she'd go to get away from the crowds. Where's the one place she'd think she'd be safe in, and the one place the crowd wouldn't think to look?"
"The clubhouse!" Twilight and Scootaloo realized at once.
"Then for corn's sake! Let's go!" Apple Bloom said seriously "Right now, she needs our help more than anythin' else!" And with that, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Twilight, headed for the CMC's clubhouse at Sweet Apple Acres. Unknown to any of them, a certain pink coated filly had overheard, and she was anything but pleased.
"How dare Sweetie Belle get all the attention!" Diamond Tiara thought angrily to herself "It's me they should be praising! I'm the one who convinced Cheerilee to go through with the lip syncing plan!" And before anypony could stop her, she angrily set off for Sweet Apple Acres. "I'll show them! I'll show them all! If I have to convince Sweetie Belle to never set hoof on a stage again, SO BE IT!"
It didn't take long for Twilight, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo, to arrive at Sweet Apple Acres. Sure enough, Apple Bloom's hunch was correct.
"I saw Sweetie Belle run past here earlier. Looked like she was in awful hurry to get to the clubhouse." Applejack told them "Someone or somethin' must've scared the livin' daylights out of her, cause she seemed like she was in the midist of a full on panic attack!"
"Then there's no time to lose!" Twilight seriously, and she, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo, headed to the clubhouse. It didn't take them long to find Sweetie Belle. Her tear stained hoof prints left an easily traceable trail.
Sweetie Belle was sobbing to herself inside the clubhouse, hoping beyond hope that nopony would think to look for her. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Sweetie Belle? You in here?" Twilight called.
"Go away!" Sweetie Belle said crossly.
"Come on Sweetie Belle, come out and talk to us!" Apple Bloom pleaded.
"We just wanna help." Scootaloo added.
"I said, go away!" Sweetie Belle said again, and continued to sob.
Using her magic, Twilight picked the lock to the door, and entered the clubhouse. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo followed her inside. "Sweetie Belle, you were really great out there." Twilight said kindly, placing a hoof on Sweetie Belle's back.
"Yeah! You were great!" Diamond Tiara spoke up, walking into the clubhouse with a look that made it quite obvious nothing good could come out of it.
"Go away Diamond Tiara!" Apple Bloom hissed.
"Sweetie Belle is in no mood for your bratiness!" Scootaloo added.
"You misunderstand, I just want to help my fellow choir member." Diamond Tiara replied, walking past both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. "That was totally unbelievable, Sweetie Belle." she said to Sweetie Belle.
"It was?" Sweetie Belle asked, unprepared for what was to come next.
"Yeah! I mean, the curtain came up and there you were, singing in front of everypony!" Diamond Tiara said, putting great emphasis into every detail "And you know, I don't think anypony was jealous, 'cause there certainly wasn't an angry mob! But it must have been horrible standing there on stage, all eyes glued directly on you! It's like you were living your own personal worst nightmare!"
As soon as Diamond Tiara had finished, Sweetie Belle burst into tears all over again. "It was! It really, really was!" she said sadly.
Twilight, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo all glared angrily at Diamond Tiara. But Diamond Tiara took no notice. "What? Was that too much?" she asked sarcastically "Oh, I've ever so sorry. It's not my fault if Sweetie Belle can't handle the pressure. If she doesn't like ponies judging her, then she shouldn't be in the choir, plain and simple."
"Don't listen to her, Sweetie Belle!" Twilight pleaded, but it was no use. Sweetie Belle bolted, and ran from the clubhouse with tears in her eyes.
"Now look what you did!" Scootaloo said angrily to Diamond Tiara "You made Sweetie Belle's stage fright even worse!"
"Well, it serves her right for stealing my thunder with the lip syncing fiasco!" Diamond Tiara replied "You blank flanks are so ungrateful. I agree to stop picking on you all the time, and then the instant I start picking on you again you say I cross the line. Then, when I apologize, you say I'm not truly sorry. And then, when I try to help you out with a problem, you push me to the side the instant things go wrong, and say that I'm just jealous! Well you know what, if you want to treat me as your enemy, then that's fine by me!"
"Diamond Dazzle Tiara, I cannot believe what I have just heard!" a familiar voice said crossly.
Diamond Tiara gulped, she knew it at once who it was. Sure enough, a familiar brown coated stallion with a thick black mane and a cutie mark consisting of three money bags appeared. "Daddy? What are you doing here?" Diamond Tiara asked.
"I came to the choir performance to see you, and it's a good thing I did." Filthy Rich explained "I'm very disappointed in you for what you said and did. You know better than to pick on others for their insecurities!"
"But daddy-" Diamond Tiara pleaded.
"Don't you 'But daddy' me young mare!" Filthy Rich scolded "You're coming home with me, right now! And once you're home, you will write 'I am very, very, very sorry for what I did to Sweetie Belle.' at least one hundred times!"
"One hundred times?!" Diamond Tiara complained, as Filthy Rich grabbed her hoof and took her away.
"You're right, one hundred times isn't the right amount! One hundred twenty times is more appropriate!" Filthy Rich replied "And if you complain even more, it'll be one hundred thirty times, do I make myself clear?!"
"Yes daddy." Diamond Tiara said sadly.
"Good. And while you're at it, we can discuss your resignation as lead singer of the choir. After what you did today, I think you need to learn a little lesson in humility." Filthy Rich added, and he and Diamond Tiara headed back home.
"Well, that's one problem taken care of." Apple Bloom said, once Filthy Rich and Diamond Tiara had left.
"But we've still got to find Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo replied.
"Unless she ran into The Everfree Forest, Applejack is sure to have seen her. So, we should probably check with her and see if she can point us in the right direction." Twilight suggested.
Just like before, Applejack was able to tell Twilight, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo, where and when she'd seen Sweetie Belle. "Looked like she was headin' back towards the park. Probably figured everypony there already left." she told them.
"Thank you, Applejack. You've been a very big help tonight." Twilight said kindly.
"Just happy to help, now go!" Applejack replied.
It didn't take long for Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Twilight, to catch up to Sweetie Belle. They found her on the outskirts of town, leading towards the park.
"Sweetie Belle, thank goodness we've found you!" Twilight said seriously.
"You totally blew my mind with your singing!" Scootaloo exclaimed.
"It was incredible!" Apple Bloom added "It's a shame you were wastin' it on lip syncin'."
"You were fantastic, Sweetie Belle." Twilight said with a smile "And everypony else feels the same way. Even Diamond Tiara."
"Well, thank you all. I'm glad you enjoyed it." Sweetie Belle replied "Because I'm never going to sing in front of anypony ever again!" Twilight, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo, gasped in shock.
"Are you kiddin' me?" Apple Bloom said crossly.
"You can't let what Diamond Tiara said get to you." Scootaloo added "She's going to learn her lesson, and you can take her position as lead singer. Everything's going to work out."
"No it won't." Sweetie Belle replied glumly.
"I just don't understand why, Sweetie Belle." Twilight said firmly "Don't you want to sing?"
"Yes, more than anything. But not if it means having to hide my voice away. Unfortunately, with my stage fright, that's all I can do." Sweetie Belle explained "I want to perform more than anything, but my fears hold me back. It's stupid, I know, but it's how it is."
"It's not stupid at all. Fluttershy was in the same boat as you, not that long ago." Twilight told Sweetie Belle "And she overcame her stage fright eventually, by taking baby steps. She never gave up, and bit by bit she was able to work her up to singing with The Pony Tones on many occasions. And, for all her babbling, Diamond Tiara was right about one thing."
"You're joking right?" Scootaloo said with an angry glare.
"Allow me to explain." Twilight said, and cleared her throat "When that curtain fell, and everypony saw you singing, you lived your worst nightmare! But ask yourself this 'Was it really that bad?'."
"Yes." Sweetie Belle replied weakly.
"Well, what was so bad about it?" Twilight asked Sweetie Belle.
"Was it the thunderous applause?" Scootaloo asked.
"Or the praise for your fantastic singin'?" Apple Bloom added.
"What are you trying to say?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Don't you think that, perhaps, your stage fright is preventing you from seeing the reality of the situation?" Twilight explained "Look around you. Nopony was booing, or saying bad things about you when they heard you singing. So what did you hear, before your fears took over?"
"I could hear ponies cheering, and applauding." Sweetie Belle replied "And your point is?"
"If you can learn to overcome your stage fright, and not let it get the best of you, I'm sure you'll find that everypony will be looking forward to seeing you on stage. Sometimes, someponies won't be impressed, but you can't let all the negativity and worst case scenarios bring you down. In the end, you should strive to improve yourself, and be the best that you can be." Twilight said to Sweetie Belle.
"That's it? That's all I have to do?" Sweetie Belle asked. Twilight nodded. "Gosh, I feel so stupid that I didn't know that earlier." Sweetie Belle replied, now feeling much better.
"It's okay, Sweetie Belle. Nopony's perfect, and we all make mistakes." Twilight said kindly "But, do you think you're ready to perform with the Ponyville School Choir again?"
"I guess." Sweetie Belle shrugged "But tell Miss. Cheerilee, that I'm not interested in taking Diamond Tiara's place as lead singer. That's a position that I want to work my way up to on my own. It wouldn't feel right to have awarded to me."
"That's fine by us." Apple Bloom said honestly.
"Just remember that you can always come to us for support." Scootaloo added.
"I will." Sweetie Belle replied "And thank you all. You're all the best friends anypony could ask for."
"Think nothing of it, Sweetie Belle." Twilight smiled "Now, what do you say we head to Sugarcube Corner, and I'll buy you a milkshake?"
Sweetie Belle was delighted, and agreed without hesitation.
A few days later, Silver Spoon was promoted to lead singer of the Ponyville School Choir, much to everyone's satisfaction.
As for Diamond Tiara, she was demoted to back-up singer, and Sweetie Belle took Silver Spoon's place as a forward singer.
"I'll get there someday." Sweetie Belle thought to herself, as she looked at Silver Spoon coaching the other choir members "But for now, baby steps everypony. Baby steps."