//------------------------------// // Everypony Likes To Sing // Story: Truth In Song // by bigbear //------------------------------// Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, cantered down the wide staircase in Princess Twilight Sparkle’s crystal tree castle. Their hoofbeats clattered on crystal floors and echoed through the halls. Without conscious thought, the girls adjusted strides until their hooves struck the floor in rhythm. The sound of their hoofbeats reinforced each other, louder, but in harmony. “Anypony know what this is about?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Twilight’s note said she wanted to see all of us in the basement of her castle just after sunset. It also said we might be here a for a while, but there’s no danger.” replied Rarity. “I like the part about no danger,” whispered Fluttershy. The girls reached the bottom of the staircase and entered a great underground hall, longer than the width of the trunk of the tree castle. Like the rest of the castle, the floors, walls, and ceiling were shades of translucent and opaque crystal. Magic lights in glowing crystal chandeliers illuminated the hall. Banners hung at intervals from the ceiling, tapestries covered the walls, and rugs stretched across the floor. A raised stage dominated the far end of the hall. In the center of the stage, a full length mirror with a baroque frame stood tall, surrounded by equally baroque scientific and mystical devices. Arcs of lightning connected the mirror to the devices. The girls recognized this magical mirror: a portal to a strange world of two legged doppelgangers and a former foe. On a stand near the mirror, a great book lay open and glowing. Arcs of lightning occasionally jumped between the glowing book and the mirror. The colors in the face of the portal mirror glowed and swirled. Giant speakers flanked the stage on left, right, and downstage center. Stage left, Vinyl Scratch held court, surrounded by her mixing board and throne of DJ gear. Thick cables ran like an army of snakes across the stage, connecting everything. Vinyl had her head down, muzzle and forehooves obscured by racks of equipment. Stage right, Twilight fiddled with a forest of microphones on stands. She spotted the newcomers. Her face lit in a great grin. “Hi girls, come on up! I hope you are in good voice tonight.” The girls walked across the hall and up onto the stage. The sounds of their hoofbeats disappeared as they walked onto the carpets. They were wary; all previous interactions with the portal mirror had lead Twilight into danger. But she seemed happy, almost chipper, so they didn’t voice their concerns. “Spread out, there’s a microphone for everypony.” Twilight waved a hoof at the mics. “What the hay is this about, sugarcube,” Applejack asked. “Are we making a recording?” “Not just us…” Twilight smiled. Tap, tap, tap. “Is this thing on?” Vinyl Scratch pumped a hoof in the air indicating everything was working on her end. The image in the swirling mirror shifted with every sound. “Our Vinyl has given us the go signal. You sound like you’re in the room with us,” came a reply through the speakers. Perfect sound quality made them sound like they were standing on the stage. The speaker did sound a bit nervous. The girls looked at each other. The voice was familiar. Then their eyes went wide together as they recognized the speaker: Sunset Shimmer! Sarcasm and menace dripped from Sunset’s voice the last time the girls heard her speak. She’d absconded through the portal mirror with Twilight’s Element of Magic, one of Equestria’s most powerful magical treasures. Twilight had followed Sunset through the mirror, retrieved the Element, and returned with a story of Sunset being reformed after a magical battle. But the only positive words the girls knew about Sunset were Twilight's stories. The last they had ever seen or heard from her was the night she stole the Element. “Let’s get this show on the road.” Twilight stepped up to her mic and looked at her friends. “Sunset and I were corresponding through Princess Celestia’s magic books when we realized that all my friends on both sides of the mirror liked to sing. We sing in Equestria all the time. And I’ve sung with Sunset and the girls on the other side of the mirror. They even have a band!” “The Rainbooms!” called out Rainbow Dash’s voice through the speaker. “Creepy… but cool!” replied Rainbow Dash from on stage. Twilight put a hoof over her microphone and nodded to Vinyl Scratch. She nodded back and pulled down a row of sliders on her board. “I know I kind of dumped this on you girls, but… surprise!” Twilight shifted her weight on her hooves, nervously. “You don’t have to sing if you don’t want to. Sunset and I just thought this might be a fun way for everybody to… get to know each other.” “Everybody, not just everypony, eh Twilight.” Applejack smiled. “I’m always up for singing with friends.” The other girls nodded and murmured assent. Fluttershy whispered, “So long as everypony else is singing…” Twilight’s smile got even broader. “Thank you girls. Thank you all.” She pulled her hoof away from the microphone and nodded to Vinyl. Vinyl pushed all the sliders back up then waved her hoof in a circle. They were recording. “Welcome, everyone to this interdimensional concert and sing-a-long. I suppose introductions are in order. I’m Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. We’re recording with Vinyl Scratch from the basement hall of my castle in Ponyville, Equestria.” “I’m Sunset Shimmer. I’m on guitar and playing with our versions of Twilight’s friends: Applejack on bass guitar, Rainbow Dash on lead guitar, Rarity on keytar, Pinkie Pie on drums, and Fluttershy on tamborine. We’re recording this with our Vinyl Scratch in the auditorium at Canterlot High School on the other side of the portal mirror.” “We are the Rainbooms!” called out Rainbow Dash’s voice through the speaker again. “Still cool!” replied Rainbow Dash from on stage. “You won the coin toss, Sunset.” Twilight glanced at the portal mirror to confirm it was still working. “Rainbooms go first.” “This is how we like to open Rainboom sets,” said Sunset’s voice. “Feel free to stomp along with the beat. Pinkie?” They heard drumsticks tap together four times, then the boom of a pounding Bass Drum. Pinkie quickly matched the beat with her hooves: Stomp, Stomp, Clop. Stomp Stomp, Clop. The mirror pulsed with every beat. The Rainboom’s instruments, and then their voices, quickly joined in over the speaker. Rainbow Rocks We used to fight with each other That was before we discovered That when your friendship is real Yeah, you just say what ya feel “It’s very… loud,” Fluttershy whispered through her pink mane. Twilight swayed back and forth and bobbed her muzzle to the beat. “Just let yourself feel the music.” In the second verse she started singing “Oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh” in counterpoint. Rarity picked up the second counterpoint, and by the third, all the girls on stage had their muzzles in the air and were singing along into the microphones. Sunset sang Twilight’s part, “Or you can sing like a star”, then all the Rainbooms brought the song home, and ended with, As we learn how the rainbow… Rainbow Rocks! “Woo Hoo!” Everypony on the stage cheered and stomped their hooves in appreciation. The ice had been broken. “Since we’re doing rainbow songs,” said Twilight, “here’s one we sang after a particularly tough adventure.” “You mean after a terrifying battle with the fate of all of Equestria on the line?” Applejack smiled. “She means it was Tuesday.” Rainbow Dash grinned from ear to ear. Twilight smiled, raised a hoof, and pointed at Vinyl Scratch. She spun a disk and the sounds of jazzy strings rose from the speakers. Twilight opened solo. Let The Rainbow Remind You Each one of us has something special That makes us different, that makes us rare Fluttershy did her solo, then all the girls on stage joined in. By the final reprise of the chorus, the Rainbooms had joined as well. Their combined voices thundered. The music died down to a lone mandolin, and Twilight finished the song solo. Let the rainbow remind you That together we will always shine When the song ended, the hall rang with clapping and hoof stomping. “More rainbows!’ cried Pinkie Pie’s voice from the other side of the mirror. “Guess who inspired this song. One, two three, four…” A bass guitar strummed to open the song, then Applejack’s voice came through the speaker. Shine Like Rainbows Once upon a time You came into my world and made the stars align A solo followed in Rarity’s voice, then all the Rainbooms joined in. Twilight blushed initially, but by the second chorus, all the girls in the hall were signing too, and everyone finished up the song with, We shine like rainbows We shine like rainbows “That’s a very good song!” Rarity shook her head so the curls in her mane lay just so. “You girls have put together a fine band. What’s the first song you ever sang together?” There was a moment of embarrassed silence. “Oh, yeah,” said Sunset’s voice, “The Rainbooms and Twilight have got to sing ‘Help Her Win The Crown’. Even Snips and Snails were dancing in the hall to that one.” Rarity whispered to Sunset audibly through the speakers. “We don’t have to sing that song if it’s too painful, dear.” “It’s a good pain, Rarity,” Sunset’s voice whispered back. Twilight stepped up to the mic. “Sunset, I’ll sing it on one condition. You have to join me. The solo needs to be a duet.” Sunset paused for a long moment, then spoke up, “Deal. Then you have to let let me set the stage. “Friends, I was not always a good person. I arrived at Canterlot High School all alone, and decided I didn’t want anyone to have the power to hurt me ever again. So I spent three years using lies and gossip to break up any groups that might threaten my position as Queen Bee of CHS. Unfortunately, that included present company.  “Then Twilight followed me back to CHS, and in three days, got the girls here back together and they all took the school away from me. This song, sung to everyone in the cafeteria at school, was where they started to turn it all around. Stomp along, to ‘Help Her Win The Crown.’” Help Her Win The Crown (The Cafeteria Song) Hey, hey, everybody We've got something to say We may seem as different As the night is from day The Rainbooms, minus Sunset Shimmer, sounded a little tentative as the song started. But, drawn in by the infectious beat, they all sang, Helping Twilight Sparkle Win the crown! Twilight and Sunset raised their voices together for their duet, and everyone else went quite. I'm gonna be myself No matter what I do And if we're different yeah I want you to be true to you If you follow me We'll put our differences aside We'll stick together and Start working on that school pride! Now everyone had the beat, and all the Rainbooms and all the girls in the hall sang the chorus together six times, and ended with, Jump up make a sound Stomp your hooves turn around Canterlot Wondercolts Help her win the crown! Both groups finished the song, then broke into happy laughter. Pinkie pulled everypony on stage into a group hug. “Whew.” Twilight wiped a hoof across her brow “Let’s take a break. Vinyls, do you want to take the next set?” Both Vinyls picked the same back beat, then both played the same opening riff. By unspoken agreement, they alternated musical phrases, and both halls filled with the sounds of electronica.