Breaker Field, Manehatten
December 16th, Year 22 under the four princess
Even under a light blanket of snow and night, Manehatten was as restless as ever. From the cultural district along the south bank to Celestial bridge in the northwest that connected the city to the mainland, the whole city was filled with an ever present hustle and bustle that could only be found in the major population centres of Equestria. With Hearth's Warming just around the corner, there was an extra sense of goodwill in the air, helped by the fact that there were several seasonal events going on throughout the city at any time of day or night. Right now, the most notable of these events was the Sounds of Unity Concert, a gathering of musicians from every corner of Equestria, playing every variety of music as a cultural showcase of what ponykind could do.
This year, the concert was based at Manehatten's biggest venue; Breaker Field. Ordinarily a hoofball stadium based in the heart of the city by day, it's central location and huge capacity made it a regular choice for major events by night, tonight was no different. The stadium was packed with tens of thousands of ponies and the air inside was currently filled with the sound of the Canterlot Philharmonic Orchestra at work. The music carried through to the backstage areas, where dozens of organizers, stagehoofs and performers were setting up for upcoming acts, checking everything was going smoothly or simply taking a few minutes to relax while they could. Off to one side, a trio of those set to go on stage soon were circled around a barrel, passing the time with a combined game of blackjack and truth or dare.
"Come on, Deep Note, it's your round." Sweetie Belle said happily as she adjusted the cards held in her pale green magic. No longer the filly who couldn't bring herself to sing alone, she had grown up into a beautiful mare. Her body was sleek and elegant, reminiscent of the type more commonly seen in Canterlot, her mane vibrantly styled, yet looking as if she didn't need to do a thing with it, a silver microphone adorning her flanks for her cutie mark. At her words, a green pegasus stallion sitting back against the wall chuckled and checked his own cards.
"Okay okay, hit me," Deep Note replied, brushing gold coloured mane out of his light blue eyes and taking another card from the deck, nodding slightly at what he'd got. "As for the truth or dare...Truth."
"Is your accent from south Equestria?" The third in their game asked, carrying a slight Trottingham accent of his own. He was another pegasus stallion, light brown with a striped red and orange mane, white muzzle and hooves and a flaming guitar cutie mark. Despite his distinctive colours, the most notable thing about him was the case of heterocromia in his eyes, green in the left, blue in the right.
"Yes, Burning Axe, from the southeast coast to be specific." Deep Note replied, stretching his wing slightly and moving a hoof down to get an itch on his cutie mark, a bass clef. Burning grinned and nodded as he took a card and held it down before he could look at it.
"Thought so. Truth."
"Do you really have a home in the Everfree forest?" Sweetie Belle asked, hoping to get an answer to one of the most common legends among musicians.
"It's, more of a cave fixed up to feel like a house," Burning Axe admitted before finally looking at his card and dropping his hoof onto the barrel, showing a two, a five, a six and a ten. "Bust...I'm done. Thanks for that, I should probably see how the rest of the band is doing though."
"Alright, we catch up tomorrow and see how the show went?" Deep asked as Burning got up, the two of them hoofbumping as Burning nodded and headed off to find his band. Deep took advantage of the extra space round the barrel to stretch his wings properly as Sweetie lifted her fifth card from the deck.
"Hmmm, how about...Dare."
"I dare you to sing something that doesn't involve so much rock." Deep said with a grin, which slowly faded as he realised that Sweetie was wearing a sly smile in response to that challenge.
"Actually, that was the plan tonight. The attempt at harder music put my career in the gutter so I'm going back to what I know...Honestly, I doubt I'd be here tonight if I hadn't made that choice." She looked down slightly at the memories of poor performances, being utterly savaged by the newspapers and that one night her and Deep had spent on the town. That was all past now though, tonight was a fresh start.
"Well, that's a brave choice and I'm sure it'll pay off." Deep said reassuringly, his smile giving her enough of a boost to regain her composure.
"Thanks. Considering what I've got planned for tonight, I'm hopeful." Sweetie smiled again, back to her usual cheery self, as Deep took his next card and looked them over.
"Okay, truth...I think I'll stand this time." He commented, putting his own five cards face down. Sweetie gave a slight squee at the opportunity and leaned forward slightly in anticipation.
"What're you doing for Hearth's Warming?"
"Me? Oh err, well...I was actually planning on spending it in Ponyville. I have a pen pal that lives there and I wanted to surprise them. What about you?"
"Actually, I was going to do the same. My family and best friends still live there and it's been months since I had a chance to visit."
Deep opened his mouth to reply, though any attempt to say anything was cut off by the sound of the nearby PA system crackling to life. Both of them immediately looked up at it, knowing it was being used to announce the performance order for those going on stage tonight.
"Next performer, Sweetie Belle, please make your way to the singer entrance."
"Shoot! I'm up, you'll have to tell me the result later." Sweetie said as she stood up quickly, dropping her cards back on the barrel and stepping back before closing her eyes. She'd checked out the entry point earlier for just this moment, focusing hard on holding the mental image of it as her horn glowed brightly.
A flash surrounded her and she opened her eyes again, staggering slightly from the drain on her magic as her mental image had become her physical location. Teleportation was a very handy spell and she was lucky enough to have had Princess Twilight Sparkle help her learn such advanced magic when she was growing up and that she had proven capable of controlling it. A decade ago, a move like that would knocked her flat for an hour, but now she enough control to keep going. She shook her mane slightly and focused again, realising the organiser next to her was so focused on their notes that they hadn't even seen Sweetie arrive next to her. The security guard standing by at the entry point had though, tensing up slightly at her sudden appearance before relaxing as she recognised her.
"Whoa! How'd you do that?" They exclaimed, green eyes full of awe. Sweetie giggled slightly at the reaction, her own eyes glancing to the pony's body just to confirm who it was. While most of it was covered by white protective panels and her head was similarly covered, she could see and hear enough to settle any doubt in her mind.
"Oh, that was just a little something a princess taught me years ago. How things going for you? All good tonight?"
"You know it. Good luck out there." The guard replied, looking out at the stands. Sweetie followed her gaze, silently hoping that not too many of them were going to be against her being out there.
She was vaguely aware of the announcer building up his spiel to announce the next performance, elements of the orchestra staying on stage to perform with her. The organiser signalled for her to head out and she swallowed her nerves. Time to do what she did best. As Sweetie stepped forward she looked toward a case filled with instruments just out of sight of the audience, all laid out neatly and labelled by their owner. Fortunately for her, she still had enough magic to perform a telekinesis spell for several minutes right now. Her own silver coloured microphone was gripped in her magic and brought over to her as she stepped out of the exit point and the spotlights turned onto her, ears ringing as tens of thousands of ponies reacted to her arrival.
As feared, she could hear a few boos coming from the nearest crowd members, though the cheers almost drowned them out completely, the vast majority of the audience did indeed seem to be on her side. Her smile grew and she put her hoof up to wave to the crowds as she approached the stage set up in the centre of the field, turning on the spot to make sure everypony in the audience had a chance to see it. By this point most of the musicians had left the stage, leaving only several members of the strings section, their conductor and a pianist. That was all she needed to back her up tonight.
"Thank you everypony!" She called to the audience, getting some more cheers in response as she stepped onto the stage. "I don't have words for how much this support means after everything that's happened this year. Reimaging myself for harder music hurts too much when I stumble into it as hard as I did. I think it's a safer bet for me and your ears if I stayed with something softer."
She knew it wasn't the best joke she'd ever made but at least one or two of the other musicians were trying to stifle a giggle, enough to make her smile to herself. Once they'd regained their composure she looked to the pianist and nodded, watching as they started to play a familiar melody, the stadium practically going silent as the audience ponies recognised it.
"So tonight, I'm performing a classic by the pony who inspired me to be a singer in the first place. This one's for you, Rara." Sweetie swallowed the last of her nerves down and lifted her microphone up, her inherent talent gathering in her voice as she took a breath and hit her cue.
"I'm here to show you who I am
Throw off the veil, it's finally time
There's more to me than glitz and glam, oh-whoa
And now I feel my stars aliiign"
That feeling inside her, that sense of belonging, that she was doing what she was born to do. After months without it, Sweetie Belle was beginning to feel that she was back in her element. She could hear the rest of the musicians starting to join in with their parts, the silence around them of thirty to forty thousand ponies watching and listening. Nothing, not the chill in the winter air, not what anypony around her might be thinking of this change, not even the past few months of worry that her career had completely tanked, could distract her from putting her soul into this song.
"For I had believed what I was sold
I did all the things that I was told
But all that has changed and now I'm bold
'Cause I knowww"
This was her moment.
"That I am just a pony
I make mistakes from time to time
But now I know the real me
And put my heart out on the line!"
The crowd was starting to wake up to the song by now. Sweetie could only see a few faces from her position but each of them seemed to be enjoying the show so far. Seeing those smiles was what made it all worth it. Sweetie's own smile grew as the stirring in her heart grew, the emotion in her soul ready to go all out.
"And let the magic in my heart stay true-uu-uuu
Whoa-oh oh-oh
And let the magic in my heart stay true-uu-uuu
Whoa-oh oh-oh
Just like the magic inside of you"
Her ears twitched as the sound of voices became more prevalent in the crowd, it didn't sound like the usual murmurs of ponies talking to each other though. It took a moment with how varied they were, but she realised that hundreds of them were starting to steadily join in. The experience was only getting better and she wasn't going to let it ease up now.
"And now I see those colours
Right before my eyes
I hear my voice so clearly
And I know that it is right"
Those lyrics had never rung truer for her, singing hadn't felt quite this good since she'd got her cutie mark. The crowd singing along was steadily growing, their voices mixing with her own as she raised her head to the snowy night skies, singing her heart out and loving every moment of it.
"I thought I was weak, but I am strong!
They sold me the world, but they were wrong!
And now that I'm back, I still belong
'Cause I knowww"
She knew alright, this was who she was meant to be.
"That I am just a pony
I make mistakes from time to time
But now I know the real me
And put my heart out on the line!"
By now it felt like half the stadium was singing along, embracing her return to her classic style. She was embracing it just as hard, putting her very soul out on the line in her passion. For herself and for everypony listening out there, she was ending on a high note.
"And let the magic in my heart stay true-uu-uuu
Whoa-oh oh-oh
And let the magic in my heart stay true-uu-uuu
Whoa-oh oh-oh
Just like the magic inside of youuuuu"
She brought her head down again and put a hoof to her heart as the music started to die down, slowly spinning in place to sing her closing line to everypony present.
"Just like the magic inside of yooouuuuuuu"
The stadium exploded in cheers and applause the moment the song ended, numerous ponies getting up and giving a stomping ovation. Sweetie lowered her microphone as she took a needed breath, blushing slightly at just how much of a reaction she was getting. She knew she wasn't as good as the original had been and yet everypony had loved it, including her. Her hoof went back up, waving to the crowd, turning every which way to make sure those with cameras got a clear shot.
"Thank you everypony, that felt incredible! I hope you enjoy the rest of tonight's acts as much as I enjoyed that one." With that, she turned and headed for her exit point, a chorus of cheers following her in.
As soon as she was inside she was met by a storm of applause from dozens of performers and stagehoofs who had gathered to listen. She steadily made her through the gathered crowd, shaking hooves and nodding at each compliment to her performance as she headed toward an area where she could put her microphone away and check out. Much as she loved the show atmosphere, with the combined magical fatigue and waning adrenaline starting to pile up on her, her mind was rapidly drifting toward simply heading home and getting some sleep. She had another job to do in the morning and it wouldn't do the stay up as late as she used to.