//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Poor Rarity // Story: Find the Music in You // by SterlingC //------------------------------// While the Cutie Mark Crusaders went off to search for their creature-loving friend, two stallions and a mare trotted towards Carousel Boutique. Each of the ponies wore a green sweater with a gold-green striped bowtie, proudly tidying their clothes with their hooves. Each of the ponies had one thing on their minds: the Pony Tones were back in business. The Pony Tones are Ponyville’s most renowned singing group. Despite the acclaim they received as a group in Ponyville, the quartet shared an even greater distinction. The Pony Tones are the only Equestrian barbershop quartet to have singers featuring both genders. It wasn’t that mares and stallions were against singing together. Most, if not all barbershop quartets were traditionally comprised of either all-stallion or all-mare singers. Furthermore, the differences in the vocal ranges of mares and stallions made it harder to compose music suitable for mixed barbershop quartets. That, along with the fear of losing the rich textures that all-stallion and all-mare quartets made formed a taboo against mixed singing quartets in Equestria. But for the residents of Ponyville, that didn’t matter. If the four ponies sounded harmonious and inspiring, they’d listen to them any day of the week, irrespective of the singers’ genders. And that they did ever since The Pony Tones came to being almost a year ago. Even with the fiasco dubbed ‘Filli Vanilli’, Ponyville proudly elevated the quartet to celebrity status. While the Pony Tones took a break due to the busy lifestyles its singers maintained, no pony forgot the Pony Tones, especially the singers! The three ponies arrived just before the entrance to Carousel Boutique and greeted each other with warm hugs and hoofshakes. “Hey Big Mac! Are things going well with you?! Hopefully you’ll try harder not to lose your voice to the turkey call again!” Toe Tapper joked. “Ee-nope,” Big Mac replied with a straight face. Torch Song couldn’t help but giggle as well, especially since she remembered that he lost to Pinkie Pie after winning the competition six years in a row! “Alright Toe Tapper. That was pretty funny, but we gotta get inside Carousel Boutique now." Torch Song exclaimed, knocking quickly on the purple door three times. After a few seconds of waiting, Rarity opened the door with a happy smile! “Well hello there!” greeted Rarity. The soprano’s eyes then sparkled. Her uniforms were being worn once again! She couldn’t help but admire the genius in simplicity that was her Pony Tone uniforms! “Ohhh! I still remember those uniforms any day! They’re those of The Pony Tones, the ones I made!” Rarity eagerly tip-toed in place, elated that The Pony Tones were coming together once again. Big Mac stood behind Top Tapper and Torch Song without emotion. The other two ponies simply scratched their heads, noticing that Rarity wasn’t wearing her uniform! “Ummm… Rarity… where’s your uniform?!” The blue stallion and cream mare inquired. Rarity quickly jumped before she gave a sheepish smile. “Oh right! I forgot! Today we’re having our Pony Tones reunion! I’m so sorry! I get carried away when I see my stylish designs worn so beautifully! I’ll get my uniform! Please do come in and make yourselves comfortable,” Rarity trotted upstairs to her room, keeping the door open as her fellow singers entered the Boutique. Once the other singers entered the Boutique, Big Macintosh closed the door. The three ponies then gathered around the main room and conversed about the songs they they would sing for their first rehearsal back from their seasonal break. “So now that we’re here, what should we sing first?” Toe Tapper asked the other singers. “Why not ‘Oh Susanna’? It was a crowd favourite when we sang it before Ponyville’s Running of the Leaves!” answered an enthusiastic Torch Song. “Ee-yup,” Big Macintosh agreed with a warming smile. “It’s certainly a favourite for Big Mac, especially since it reminds him of the Apples!” Toe Tapper remembered, with both Torch Song and Big Macintosh nodding in unison. “Well that’s that then! We’ll warm up with ‘Oh Susanna’ before we continue with the rest of our songs! We’ll let Rarity know once she gets dressed!” Torch Song engaged with her hooves. Just as the matter was settled, Rarity trotted down wearing her green uniform! The other singers looked up to the stairs, admiring her beauty. “Wow… you’re looking great as always on that uniform Rarity!” complimented Torch Song, with Toe Tapper and Big Macintosh enthusiastically bopping their heads up and down. “Why thank you Pony Tones!” Rarity giggled as she rejoined the others. “Anyway, with every rehearsal, we must always start with warm up exercises before our warm up song!” suggested Rarity, who looked forward to beginning The Pony Tones’ first rehearsal in months. The other ponies immediately trotted to their positions, beginning their warmups. The first fundamental rule for a successful singer is to always warmup before any prolonged period of singing. The Pony Tones performed all sorts of warmup exercises that ranged from arpeggios to scales to even humming. After an intense five minutes of warmups, the four singers took a few minutes to compose themselves and their breathing. Then the all-important question arrived. “So Pony Tones. Which song shall we warm up with?” Rarity asked, unaware that the Pony Tones already chose a warmup song. “What about something slow like ‘Marressee Waltz’ or ‘The Way you look Tonight’? It’ll certainly help us practice our breathing, since we’re in sore need of that today,” Rarity proposed. The other singers snickered in response, leaving Rarity to scratch her head. “What’s the matter? Why are you all snickering?” interrogated Rarity as she pouted. “Well… actually Rarity, we wanted to start with something silly today,” Torch Song giggled in response. “Yeah! We wanna start with song that’ll get us into the spirit of singing!” elaborated the lanky stallion. “Ee-yup!” Big Macintosh agreed emphatically. Rarity became even more confused now. “Guys, this isn’t funny. Be serious! Which song are you talking about?!” Rarity asked again, oblivious to the song the others chose. “We wanted to warm up with ‘Oh Susanna’ Rarity!” Torch Song keenly jumped. Rarity’s mouth immediately opened wide, horrified at the song they selected. “Yeah! We need a funny song Rarity! Plus, you were a great Susanna when we last sang it just before the Running of the Leaves!” Toe Tapper broke out in laughter alongside Big Macintosh. “We. Are not. Singing. ‘Oh Susanna’. Ever Again,” Rarity sternly replied, crossing her hooves in disgust. “Aww Rarity! Lighten up! Ponyville loved it when you got that banjo stuck on your back hoof!” Toe Tapper cried out, unable to contain his amusement. “Ee-yup!” Big Macintosh uncontrollably laughed alongside the blue stallion. “That was not funny! I could have gotten hurt! And no I don’t want to act like a country bumpkin ever again!” fumed the white mare. “Well… Rarity… You gotta admit… you had a lot of fun being one when Trenderhoof was in town! You even organized a fashion rodeo just for him remember?!” Torch Song snickered alongside the other ponies. “You will never speak of that again,” growled Rarity, grabbing an unsuspecting Torch Song with her hooves. “Okay okay! I won’t mention him again! Calm down Rarity! We’re just singing this as a warm up! You don’t have to act all southern, even at the concert ok?!” Torch Song shouted, desperate to be let go of Rarity’s wrath. Rarity let go of Torch Song before giving out a deep sigh. “I’m really sorry for acting the way I did. Acting out of style at the Fall Weather concert, along with what transpired with Trenderhoof just… struck a few nerves. That’s all,” Rarity apologized to the other singers. The two stallions soon stopped laughing, realizing their thoughtlessness to Rarity’s feelings. “We’re sorry for laughing the way we did as well Rarity,” apologized Toe Tapper. “It’s just that… well… that concert was particularly memorable for Ponyville,” Toe Tapper giggled as Big Macintosh nodded with a straight face. “Well, that same audience teased me and my amazing Southerner impression for a whole week after we performed that song, and you all made me do it!” Rarity recalled, crossing her hooves. “We didn’t know about that part!” exclaimed a surprised Torch Song. “You never told us about that! We never meant to humiliate you! Plus, you agreed to it!” the cream mare continued. Rarity rubbed her chin with her hooves again, beginning to remember the events that occurred as the song was being prepared… “Well… I guess it was fun acting silly on stage for once. But I absolutely hated the humiliation I suffered afterwards,” remarked the purple-maned mare. The other singers nodded in unison before Torch Song replied, “Well you don’t have to do all those crazy things Rarity. We can just sing the song as is and come up with some other dance moves later! After all, we still have about a month until our first concert back, and we’re holding rehearsals twice a week!” The two stallions shuffled her hooves beside Torch Song giving a puppy-dog smile. Rarity sighed again before giving out a weak smile of resignation. “Well… I guess we can sing the song again, but only if I don’t have to act like that Dear Susanna ever again!” negotiated Rarity. “Deal! Now let’s start our warmups! We already wasted enough time arguing as is!” directed Torch Song as the rest of the singers lined up to begin their warm up with ‘O Susanna'...