To say the hall was crowded would have been an overstatement, with more than half of the seats being unoccupied. Still, considering the size of Crystal Prep’s theatre, there were plenty of visitors in the audience. Looking through the gap in the curtain over the ranks, Lemon noticed pretty much everyone she had invited to her band was there. Either they were curious to see if it was a mistake not joining, or just wanted to make fun of her if they failed afterwards. In general, there seemed to be mostly Crystal Prep students sitting on the ranks, easy to recognize by their uniforms, the snobbish look on their faces and the books lying on their laps, with most of them learning and only a bunch engaged in relatively friendly conversation. There were also a few other boys and girls from outside Crystal Prep, presumably Canterlot High students who had come for Octavia – Lemon even spotted the white-skinned girl that had shared her jam with her at the friendship games. Although occupied with her music player, she did look up at the stage once. Seeing Lemon at the curtain she grinned, giving her a thumbs-up, which Lemon gladly returned. Her eyes then caught glimpse of two rather striking teenage girls in the back of the theatre – mostly striking because of their hair, one having tied her long blue strands into a ponytail while the other one carried the mother of all curly afros on her head. She seemed rather annoyed, probably by her seat neighbor kept babbling with an almost stupid grin on her face. There were also a few adults in the audience, though it was really mostly teenagers. A little nervous Lemon kept looking over the seats, searching for a specific group…

Almost Lemon jumped in surprise. The girl who had addressed her winced as well, taking a step back and lightly colliding with the girls behind her. As Lemon turned to them, relief immediately replaced her shock.

“Sorry” Sunny apologized, rubbing her arm. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“We’re here to wish you good luck, obviously” Sugarcoat replied, in her usual fast-paced, dry manner of speech, bearing her usual passive-aggressive, straight face.

Sour smiled at Sugarcoat. “You’re really selling the point, Sugar♥” she cooed, before dropping her bright smile to scowl at the blunt girl. “Can you even try to sound any less motivating?” Sugarcoat just shrugged.

At the same time, Indigo stepped in front of Lemon. “We just wanted to see you before your performance” she said, patting Lemon’s shoulder. “You know, to make sure you’re not having stage fright or anything – and to see you one last time in case you become a rockstar and forget all about us” she added with wink.

Chuckling Lemon placed her hand on top of Indigo’s. “Don’t worry” she said with a smug smirk “I’ll be sure to come by and rub my fame into your faces!”

Meanwhile Sunny had pulled the curtain a little aside, peeking at the audience. “I must say, I am surprised you managed to get the school theatre for your first performance” she said as she looked over the ranks.

“Yes, a really great place for your first show!” Sour chirped, before asking more sternly: “But seriously, how did you do it?”

“She probably bugged Cinch for an hour until she gave in annoyed” Sugarcoat deadpanned, causing Lemon to grin slyly.

“Nice outfit, by the way” Sour remarked as she looked over Lemon. Glaring down her own clothes she frowned. “Rocking out in these uniforms probably wouldn’t have worked very well…”

While still wearing the skirt and footwear of the standard Crystal Prep uniform, the rocker girl had exchanged the jacket and blouse for a loose purple shirt with ripped off sleeves. Over the front of the top, there was the yellow image of four heavily stylized lemons arranged like an inverted L, one having a circle around it. Black wristlets with spike were tied around her wrists, while a spike collar was hanging around her neck. Stretching out her arms and turning her upper body from side to side Lemon presented herself to her friends. “Thanks! Had to wear it under the uniform though cause there was no time to go home and change.” She pulled at her collar. “You gals ever noticed how hot it is in some classrooms?”

Pulling her head back out between the curtains, Sunny then noticed two other girls slowly walking from the back of the stage towards them. One was dressed in striped pants and gloves, a sleeveless dark top with white markings and a yellow skirt that was longer on the back than the front, alongside a pair of purple high-heel stilettos. The other wore a black tuxedo with a pink bowtie, giving her a very forma land elegant appearance. “And these are your bandmates?” Sunny asked as the two girls stepped behind Lemon.

Lemon turned her head around. “Oh yeah!” she confirmed, introducing everyone. “Guys, these are Tavi and Hot Stuff. Tavi, Hot Stuff, these are the guys.”

Raising an eyebrow Sour gave the former siren a curious glance. “Hot stuff?” she repeated

Aria shrugged. “Last name’s Blaze” she told her. “Though honestly, I have no idea what’s going on in our little rebel’s head.”

Though the gap was closed, Indigo glanced over to the curtains. “So, this is your big moment.” A sigh slipped through her lips. “You know, I kind of regret now not having joined when you first asked.”

Putting her head back Octavia looked up to the ceiling. “I wonder if you’ll still say that after our performance” she murmured.

Lemon’s friends stared at her, looking a little worried. In an instant Lemon threw her arm around Octavia’s shoulders, startling the cellist. “Don’t listen to her” the lead singer yelled with a big grin. “We’re gonna rock this thing!”

A slightly uncomfortable silence fell over stage. Eventually, Sunny cleared her throat.

“Whatever it is, we’re gonna hear it in a moment” She winked at Lemon. “We should head to our seats now. Break a leg!” Waving at the three girls she walked off the stage. The other three Shadowbolts followed her, of course not without wishing their friend good luck as well.

Lemon looked after her friends until all of them had left. Looking over her shoulder Aria followed her gaze, bearing an unusually soft expression.

The green-haired girl turned her head, smirking deviously. “Don’t worry – they are usually not that much sugar and sunshine.”

Aria smirked back. Just then, the light shining through the curtain was getting dimer, while the murmurs of the audience quieted down. “I guess it’s show time, ladies” Octavia said. Despite trying to sound cheerful, one could clearly hear the nervousness in her voice.

“Hooray, can’t wait for the boo-screams” Aria moaned. She didn’t even try to hide the sarcasm in her voice.

The three girls walked over to the instruments standing in the center of the stage. “Chill, dudes!” Lemon told them, grabbing the mic holder. It was located a little in front of the other instruments. “Everything’s gonna be fine – we will blast ‘em out of their seats!”

Behind the keyboard with her thumb-drive Aria rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I expect the hall to get emptier as we play.” She sighed. “Alright, let’s get this over with.”

Octavia sat down on the chair next to her cello. As she took her bow leaning against the instrument, she threw a glance towards their lead singer. “Hey, Lemon, um…” Her fingers fumbled around her bow, her cheeks turning a little red as she flashed a smile. “While I’m still not fully convinced how well our performance will be received, I must admit that I did have a lot of fun in the past few days.”

The Canterlot student nodded. A bit hesitant, she turned her head to the former siren who was preparing her keyboard, the cellist looking somewhat bashful. “And Aria, I… I am really sorry how I treated you. Despite your past and your attitude, you’re actually okay.”

Without looking at her Aria waved it off. “Forgiven, forgotten.” She then stood straight, looking sternly at her bandmates. “Okay, enough with the sap – the curtain’s gonna roll up any moment. And remember: Once the first tomato comes flying, I’m out.”

Lemon chuckled, and even Octavia giggled a little. They then turned silent as someone’s head poked through the rift in the curtains. Lemon recognized the woman as one of her music teachers. “Are you ready?” the adult whispered. Her tone wasn’t strict, but she sounded stressed – an impression matched by her slightly messy hair and the wrinkles under her eyes. As Lemon nodded the middle-aged woman immediately pulled her head back through the curtains, and Lemon could hear her walk to the edge of the stage. A few seconds later the leftover murmurs from audience muted completely.

All three girls stood on the stage, facing the curtains. Octavia’s fingers nervously fumbled around the bow and neck of her cello, and even Aria lightly tapped on the keys of her instrument. Lemon, holding the mic holder with both hands could feel her heart beating steadily louder. Gone was the smile on her face, replaced with a look of anxiety. Then, she could hear the teacher loudly calling out towards the audience:

There was some mild applause, with a single whistle mixed in (which Lemon was sure came Indigo). All three girls then watched the curtains splitting apart. Though the light was dimmed Lemon was still had to squint her eyes as it shone on the stage. When she opened them again her gaze then fell upon the ranks of the audience, with her schoolmates and a bunch of strangers staring at her.

Their number had only slightly increased from when she had peeked through the curtaisn, and a lot of seats were still unoccupied. However, facing the audience with the mic in her hands, the hall suddenly didn’t seem as empty to Lemon anymore.

Her fingers grabbed the steel even tighter. Letting go with one hand she waved towards the audience, smiling nervously at them. Sweat was running down her face as her eyes darted around the seats. When she spotted the heads of her friends poking out somewhere in the middle she relaxed slightly. As the mellow applause quieted down she threw a look over her shoulder at Aria, who glanced back at her. When the green-haired girl nodded the former siren took in a deep breath, her hands on the keys. Closing her eyes, she pressed one of them.

The serene echo of a bright voice filled the theatre. Aria held it for a few seconds before adding in a second, deeper note. Their synergy sent a shiver down the spines of nearly everyone in the audience, the voice sounding like it was coming from the depth of the ocean. Switching the position of her fingers Aria replaced the high note with a slightly deeper one, making the melody sound dimmer, before changing to a higher again. The tunes of her former siren voice created an ethereal ambience, that was lulling in the audience. Yet in the serenity of the song there also lay a hint of aggressiveness, the uneasy sensation of something eerie approaching – some of those who listened felt like a hand was slowly inching towards them, reaching for their very souls. As if she knew of the effect of her music a smirk formed on Aria’s face, the usually bad-tempered teen looking as if she was enjoying herself.

In the middle of Aria’s atmospheric, subtly haunting chorus of electronic siren sounds, Octavia raised her bow. Fingers on the neck of her instrument, she softly stroke the strings of the cello. Long, deep notes were the result of her play, blending in with Aria’s tunes. With a look of deep concentration on her face she played a rather calm background melody, luring out subtle notes from her instrument and leaving Aria’s music in the foreground. Still, her play greatly affected the tone of the song, the slow and soft cello notes bringing in a certain sadness into the song. Already tense from Aria’s play several boys and girls all over the hall were getting goosebumps. With each tune, the audience felt as if they were lured deeper and deeper into the sea with all its beautiful wonders, while at the same time being exposed to the dangers that lurked in the water, all the while sensing the melancholy of the ocean’s vast expanse.

For a while the instruments carried the song on their own. Just as the verse seemed to be reaching its end, the melody slowing down and becoming quieter, Lemon leaned towards her microphone. The look on her face was unusually focused, while at the same time she radiated calmness. Head raised she took in a deep breath, before pushing the microphone to her lips. As the instruments picked up their pace again, Aria’s alluring siren sounds and the melancholy of Octavia’s cello were joined by the clear, bright voice of Lemon. It was almost as if a bell had been added to the song, the teen’s voice and the lyrics she sang perfectly fitting the aquatic, slightly dampened tone of the melody.

Good evening y’all, we’re just here to tell
Ladies, gentlemen – you’ll fall to our spell~♪
Yes, our time is now – oh, this is our age
We will steal your soul – welcome to the stage ~♪

By that point there wasn’t anybody left in the audience who didn’t feel a chill all over their skin. Many slumped down in her chairs with their eyes closed, as if they were letting themselves sink into the sea. Those who allowed themselves to be put in a cozy trance however didn’t notice the pace of the song was starting to pick up: Slowly Octavia was stroking harder on the strings, while Aria switched faster between notes. At the same time, Lemon’s voice was becoming more passionate with each word she sang, the quiet bell sounding steadily shriller.

On this very night, we will rock your world
You’ll scream our na-ames, with your toes curled ~♪
No holding us back, we will make you see
That music is the, keeeeeeeeey♪

Holding the note Lemon’s voice got steadily higher. Aria also played steadily higher notes, the two girls seemingly competing with each other. Octavia accompanied their “duet” with a mixture of fast-paced cello-accords, before ending in a long, deep note. Suddenly, all three girls stopped. Being completely under the music’s spell several people in the audience ceased to breath for a moment, absolute silence hanging over the concert hall. Spreading out her legs Lemon raised a hand into the air. With a wide grin she snatched the microphone out of its holder, holding it vertically to her lips.

The music kicked back in, a lot more joyful than before – it almost sounded like dance-music, Octavia and Aria playing fast-paced accords and tracks in perfect harmony. In an instant, a large amount of students jumped up from their seats, some of them dropping books that had been lying on their laps. No traces of the melancholy that had settled over them were left as they began cheering loudly at the band. Despite the commotion, the music was still clearly audible, Lemon walking up and down the edge of the stage as she continued to sing lyrics from several combined songs of her bandmates, mixed with some lines of herself.

Rock on Sunny days, may not make a change
But a single voice can make the world rejoice~♪
So dance to the beat! Come one, feel the heat
we’ll take all the fame, cause this is our game! ~♪

Lemon kept singing while Aria and Octavia played until the song was over. The first song was followed by the second, the second by the third, and so on. The whole evening the audience kept dancing and banging their heads to the music, each song making them more ecstatic than the last. Though surprised by how well their performance was received, Octavia and Aria enjoyed every second of it. The Canterlot High student played with a silent passion that burned from every stroke on her cello, while the former siren grinned deviously in satisfaction as her fingers danced over the keyboard. The one who was clearly enjoying herself the most however was Lemon, moving happily over the stage with a wide smirk on her face. The strain on her voice caused it to crack sometimes, even getting a little hoarse, but nobody seemed to care. While she wasn’t a professional musician,everybody could feel her passion and joy for music, and soon the entire audience had been infected by it.

Eventually, they had played all songs they had practiced. After one final encore all three girls stroke a pose, and under thunderous applause the curtains began to close. “THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT!” Lemon shouted before her face vanished behind red fabric. Even when they were closed completely she could still hear the cheers from the other side, many of them shouting her name.

It wasn’t until the applause had died down that Lemon realized her own breathing, her chest throbbing heavily forth and back. Sweat rolled down her pink face in thick beads, and her legs were numb from walking around the stage for several hours. Still, her face carried a large smile, radiating genuine joy as she turned towards Aria and Octavia. They looked equally exhausted, but also very happy. Panting Lemon took in a deep breath, her voice a little raspy as she spoke: “That… was…”

“AWESOME!!” Surprised Lemon and Aria looked at Octavia, who was holding her arms up in the air. Noticing the awkward glances her bandmates were throwing at her, the cellist blushed. “I-I mean, it was a very good performance” she said more reserved. She then winced slightly as Lemon pulled an arm around her and Aria, pulling both girls closely to her.

“Told’cha it was gonna work out.” With a wink she said to Aria: “And you were afraid they’d boo us off the stage!”

The former siren chuckled. “I admit, bathing in thunderous applause did feel nice – not as good as feeding on their hatred and manipulating their will, but whatever.”

Lemon released her bandmates. “I do have to say” Octavia said as she adjusted her bowtie “While it sounded rather good during rehearsal already, I didn’t think this mash-up of genres would be so well received.”

Proudly Lemon stuck out her chest. “See? You should have trusted me and my radical master-plan from the beginning!”

Aria raised an eyebrow. “Master-plan? We just kept fighting and trying to play over each other until we accidentally busted out a jam that didn’t sound horrible.”

The spirit of Lemon dropped, but only for a moment. “Eh, don’t care.” Excited again, she raised her fist. “All that matters is that Zest for Life is gonna rock the world!”

Octavia coughed. “I’d prefer the formulation ‘please the audience with their performance’” she stated.

Lemon looked a little oddly at her bandmates, but eventually shrugged it off. “Whatever floats your boat. Fact is, this band will hit it big!”

Lemon nearly jumped when someone cleared their throat behind her. She turned around, her eyes widening as she saw who was standing there. “P-principal Cinch!” she stuttered. “I-I didn’t know you were watching.”

Aria and Octavia also stared in surprise at the headmaster of Crystal Prep Academy. “I admit, this is not an event I would usually go to in my free-time” Cinch stated, her voice as stern as ever. She furrowed her brows, making her look even more strict. “But, I take it as my duty to inspect all concerts held at this school – to make sure nothing is played that could damage our reputation.”

Lemon grinned nervously. “Are you, um, here to congratulate us to our good performance?” she asked carefully.

From her pocket, Cinch pulled out a small cloth. “Miss Zest” she said slowly, taking off her glasses and cleaning them. “When you asked me to reserve the stage for a concert, you said it was for a school band you had recently founded.”

The principal held her glasses up to the light, squinting her eyes to see if they were clean. “A school band means it is formed by members of our school” she explained as she put her glasses back on her nose. Through them, she sharply looked at the two girls at Lemon’s side. “But I am pretty sure if I were to look into the school register, I will not find the names of your bandmates – or am I mistaken?”

Lemon felt her heart sink. “Well… um…” She rubbed the back of her head, exchanging glances with Aria and Octavia. The latter’s worry was apparent, but even the usually uncaring ex-siren seemed concerned. “N-no, Ma’am” she eventually admitted.

The principal nodded. “I thought so. In that case, consider your band dismissed.”

Dumbfounded Lemon, Aria and Octavia stood in front of the principal, unable to speak. Cinch on the other hand just stared back as if she had just said something completely casual. After finally regaining her senses Lemon shook her head, angrily glaring up to Cinch.

“Now hold it, lady! I-I mean Principal Cinch” she quickly said, shrinking slightly under her cold eyes. “Y-you can’t forbid us from meeting up and playing music!”

Aria, the shock only slightly showing on her dour face, nodded. “Yeah, that’d require you to be a witch or something – which really wouldn’t surprise me, to be honest” she deadpanned, looking over conservatively clothed woman.

Cinch scowled at Aria, before setting a more composed gaze at Lemon. “That, I indeed cannot” she admitted. “But I can restrain the access to the music room for non-students of Crystal Prep Academy.” Leaning closer to Aria she whispered sharply: “And if you were going to this school, you’d be in deep trouble for that comment, young lady!”

Stepping forward Octavia cleared her throat, putting on a diplomatic smile. “Please, principal, I know Aria and I are not attending this school, but Lemon is!” Her voice was polite, but with a ring of despair. “Clearly there is a paragraph for other students to perform as well as long as the band leader is going to this school, is there not?”

Cinch harrumphed. “Maybe in a lax school like Canterlot High” she told the girl disdainfully. “But here, we take our rules serious, and accurately follow them.”

With each word of the principal, Lemon could feel her heart sink deeper. “But…”

“No buts, Miss Zest” the principal cut her off, glaring sternly at all three of them. “If you want to practice, you must do it somewhere else. End of the discussion.” Standing absolutely straight she turned on the spot, leaving three crestfallen teenagers behind. “Not a bad performance, by the way” she suddenly said over her shoulder, causing the three girls to jolt up in surprise. “Nowhere near levels where it could actually be considered worth listening to, but for second-rated music, it was rather entertaining.” Aster saying that she walked off the stage, her pointy high heels clapping on the steps.

The girls stared after her for moment, not saying anything. On the other side of the curtain, they could hear the audience getting up from their seats and leaving, their footsteps and mumbles filling the theatre.

Lemon, Aria and Octavia looked at each other. Their expressions ranged from sad and angry to disappointed. “And… what now?” Lemon asked, looking somewhat helpless.

Octavia scratched her chin. “How about we practice at Canterlot High?” she suggested, a sliver of hope hanging in her voice. “I’m sure Principal Celestia and Vice-principal Luna won’t be as strict as your Cinch.”

Aria shook her head. “Don’t wanna be the party-pooper, but I’d rather avoid running into anyone at your school. And I’m sure they wouldn’t be happy to see me too…”

Octavia as about to reply something, but stopped. “I… guess you’re right” she eventually admitted.

“Don’t you guys have a garage or something where we can practice?” Lemon asked.

“Really wish I had” Aria sighed, rubbing her forehead. “I know some people who’d deserve to be locked up in it from time to time – especially around TV time.”

“And I’m afraid our garage is reserved for my father’s new car” Octavia said, shuddering slightly. “One scratch and I will be grounded until college.”

“Also, I don’t have a keyboard at home” Aria told her bandmates “And I can only afford to loan one on two or three days per month. And I have to share it with my roommates, which means I basically have to fight for every second I can play on it…”

There was another moment of silence, the three girls exchanging worried glances. “So… that’s it?” Lemon finally spoke what everybody thought. “The band’s over?”

Although she felt rather down, Lemon forced herself to smile. “Oh well… that’s okay, I guess. Tis was a blast while it lasted, so-”

Lemon didn’t really know what to say, but it didn’t matter. As she was still fumbling with the right words Octavia suddenly threw herself around her, tightly hugging the punk rocker. After staring in surprise for a moment, Lemon patted the back of the cellist with a smile.

“Now come on” she tried to comfort her. “It’s not like we’re gonna have to stop being friends or anything – we have each others’ numbers, remember?”

Releasing Lemon from her embrace Octavia slowly nodded, but with a sad look on her face. “I know” she said, wiping a finger through her eye. “But still…” She sighed. “You know, if not in a real band, maybe we could still hang around sometimes and play music? I have my own cello, you have your voice, a-and I’m still we’ll find something for Aria. It might not be very professional, but…”

Lemon smirked. “You sure it won’t hurt your future career?” she asked with a wink.

Both girls laughed. As Aria cleared her throat they turned their heads towards her. “Don’t wanna cut the goodbyes short, but tuxedo girl and I shouldn’t miss the last bus out of the city” she reminded them.

Lemon and Octavia hugged each other once more. “You text me, okay?” Octavia asked.

“Sure, Tavi” Lemon assured her. With a glance at Aria she added: “And you too, Hot Stuff!”

The former siren shrugged. “Whatever. See ya” Both she and Octavia headed off the stage, Octavia waving at Lemon before she left. As Aria was about to go down the steps however she stopped. She looked over her shoulder, smiling bashfully at Lemon. “And… thank you. It felt nice to be on a stage again.” Then, before Lemon had any chance to reply, she hurried off.

For a minute, Lemon stood alone on the stage. On the other side of the curtains, she could hear the last members of the audience leaving, some of them singing or humming their songs. When the last one had left, the door closing behind them, it was completely silent in the theatre.

Lemon took in a deep breath. Hands inside her pockets, she slowly began to walk off as well, leaving the stage behind.

Zest for Life!

by AppleJTZ

Up to eleven!