Sweetie Belle of the Ball

by StageQuill

Before The Grand Galloping Gala

Author's Note:

So! Sorry for the delay. I've been really busy (School, rehearsing for an after-school theatre camp, writing my own original material, annoying siblings, holidays, laziness... etc.) so even though that's a terrible excuse, please don't hate me. Please comment! Feel free to give me feedback and tell me every little thing that you think sucks so I can make it all better. I'm sure a lot will suck in this first draft.

*Nervous happy face*

Scootaloo laughed at her own story. "So then, Diamond Tiara-"

"Sweetie Belle! We need to test your mic!" Sound Board bore down on the other fillies. "Get in the audience, you three. This isn't a playground!"

They cowered back, looking to Sweetie Belle for help, hoping for her to tell the grumpy stallion that her friends could stay with her.

Sweetie Belle shrugged. "You guys should go sit in the front row. I saved seats just for you!"

Sweetie Belle turned, giving her full attention to Sound Board. "Testing- Testing-" Scootaloo back at Sweetie Belle, then at Apple Bloom. She felt her ears droop.

Apple Bloom looked at Scootaloo and Babs. "Come on. Let's go find our seats."

Scootaloo glanced back at Sweetie Belle and opened her mouth to call to her friend, then promptly shut it and turned to Apple Bloom. "Okay."

Scootaloo followed the apple cousins dejectedly back to their seats. Why would Sweetie Belle ignore them like that? She was always the one who made sure everypony was okay, the one who never wanted to leave anypony out. She was like her sister, the Element of Generosity, in that way; Even when Scootaloo had become obsessed with flying during the Flag carrying audition, and Apple Bloom was willing to turn her back, Sweetie Belle had hesitated. But now- What had Canterlot done to Scootaloo's friend?

Apple Bloom turned to Scootaloo as they settled in her seats. "Ah guess the stress got ta her" Apple Bloom said, as if she had read Scootaloo's mind. Scootaloo sighed.

"She doesn't seem too stressed." Scootaloo shot back, slouching into the velvet seat.

"Maybe she's pretending.." Babs said halfheartedly.

"Yeah! Maybe the stress is gettin' ta her so much that she's pretending that she's fine!" Apple Bloom suggested brightly. Sound Board shot her a 'be quiet' look.

"You fillies'll have to leave if you don't be quiet!" Sound Board told them. The Cutie Mark Crusaders huddled in their seats, again looking to Sweetie Belle, who shrugged. Babs blew her hair out of her face in a small puff. Sound Board turned and put his hoof to his lips in an angry 'shh' gesture.

"Can I sing now?" Sweetie Belle asked. Sound Board nodded and climbed back to the tech box. Stagelight Counted off.

"One. Two. Three." The orchestra started to play. Sweetie Belle counted eight beats and began.

---

"Sweetie Belle! Stay still so I can do your mane properly!" Rarity said sternly. Sweetie Belle stayed still, trying not to wiggle. "Okay."

The thought of singing in front of Canterlot's finest citizens filled the filly with excitement. Her stomach didn't have butterflies- it had whole pegasi flying around in there. Was she nervous? She felt like she should be. Maybe there was a little nervousness floating around in her brain- But she was mostly excited.

"Who's going to be in the audience, Rarity? I forgot." She hadn't really forgotten. She just wanted to hear her sister recite all the famous names and voices who would be watching her in an hour.

"Oh, darling- Sapphire Shores, for one. And you simply cannot forget Fancy Pants and Fleur Dis Lee! And in the Royal Box, the Princesses- but you knew that." Rarity started braiding the other side of Sweetie Belle's mane. "And Photo Finish!" Rarity twirled Sweetie Belle and began pouring glitter on her mane and face. "You are going to shine tonight in a Carousel Boutique original!" Rarity proclaimed happily. "Do remember to tell ponies about me if they ask you where you got your dress."

"I will." Sweetie Belle answered. "When do I sing?"

"Soon, Sweetie." Rarity stopped primping the little filly and stood back. "Perfect. You are a wonderful model." Rarity told Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle grinned, knowing that was high praise from her sister.

"Thanks, Rarity. I love you." She tried to nuzzle her older sister, but Rarity stopped her.

"Don't muss your mane and dress." Rarity said. Sweetie Belle nodded. "I love you too, darling. I'm sure our parents will be very proud tonight."

Sweetie smiled. Stagelight poked her head into the dressing room.

"We're opening the house. Be quiet and ready." She winked. "Break a leg."

Sweetie Belle nodded. She was too excited to think of anything but the performance.

Rarity looked at Sweetie Belle and slipped out of the dressing room.

Sweetie Belle looked at her hooves. They shook slightly. She remembered her Ponyville performance and took a deep breath. 'The princess are more important than Diamond Tiara. The princesses like my singing' Sweetie Belle thought. She took another breath.

Sweetie Belle heard the curtains open and polite applause as Stagelight Glow stepped out. A 'tap tap' of a microphone being tested rang out.

"Is this working? Okay! Hi everyone!" Stagelight began. "The crowd applauded politely. "We're all here today to hear a very special filly, handpicked by the princesses themselves, specifically Princess Twilight Sparkle, to perform at the Grand Galloping Gala. This is her first performance in front of a large audience, and I'm sure you'll agree that she has a very special talent, even without a cutie mark. Presenting- Sweetie Belle!"

The crowd applauded politely again. The applause got louder as Sweetie Belle walked out on stage, and she could hear her friends in the front row cheering louder than anypony else. She smiled at them. The applause died down.

"Hello everypony." Sweetie Belle said into the face mic that Sound Board had attached. The mic pack itched slightly under her dress, but she couldn't scratch it. "Thanks for coming. I guess I'll start singing now."

The music started. Sweetie Belle's hooves were sweating. She looked to her friends in the front row for encouragement and began to sing. The smiled at her supportively.

As Sweetie Belle sang, she loosened up. A warm feeling spread through her- Not the kind of warm feeling she had felt when she was embarrassed by Diamond Tiara. This was a good feeling. She broke eye contact with her friends and looked out over the audience. The lights hid most of the audience from her, but she tried to make eye contact and to connect with other ponies. Her voice rang through the theater. There was a moment of silence as she finished the song. She gulped. Had the fancy ponies not liked it?

Then the applause started. This wasn't the polite, snooty applause of before. This was full-on, eardrum-shattering, floor-breaking applause. This was the kind of applause that famous ponies that Sapphire Shores got for their songs. Sweetie Belle bowed, unable to conceal her grin, and left the stage. The curtain closed.

"Encore! Her singing has such magics!"

"I do agree. Encore! Brava!"

One by one, the audience of fancy ponies began to shout. Stagelight appeared behind Sweetie Belle.

"What do I do?" Sweetie asked, panicking. "I only prepared one song!"

"You sang the Heart Carol beautifully." Stagelight whispered. "Now go on and sing!"

Sweetie Belle nodded. She took another deep breath and went out onstage. The moment she stepped out, the audience went dead silent.

"Um... I'm going to sing the Heart Carol now."

The music for the Heart Carol filled the theater and Sweetie Belle began to sing. She got the same feeling of warmth for this. She looked out over the audience, but didn't noticed her friends trying to catch her eye and smile until the end. She looked at them briefly and then looked away at the rest of the audience. They all needed attention more, right? Her friends knew her all of the time. She sustained the last note for a long time, longer than tradition called for, and the crowd went wild. They applauded louder than a hundred Pinkie Pies. Sweetie Belle bowed and left the stage. The curtains closed. Stagelight gave her a wide grin.

"That was excellent."

Sweetie Belle was too happy to speak.

After the performance, Sweetie Belle was ambushed by her friends.

"You did great!" Scootaloo squealed. Babs blew a strand of hair out of her face and nodded, smiling.

"Ah can't wait 'till Diamond Tiara finds out 'bout this!" Apple Bloom grinned.

Sweetie Belle smiled back. "Thanks!"

A wave of ponies pushed her friends aside.

"Miss Belle, may I have your autograph?" a unicorn levitated a paper for her.

"Do you have a pen?"

"Over here, Miss Belle!" A dozen cameraponies cried. Sweetie Belle tried to look in all twelve directions at once, blinded by flashbulbs everywhere she looked.

"Miss Belle, how does it feel, having so much success as a filly?" A newspaper reporter pushed to the front of the pack.

"It's really-"

"Who made your dress?"

"My sister, Rarity. She-"

"Autograph?"

More and more unicorns levitated paper and pens. Pegasi dropped from above, and earth ponies pushed the rest of the ponies in the group. Evidently, not only high class ponies had come. Or, maybe even high class ponies could behave like fools sometimes.

Comments

[joyous_blossom_is_hear]

Wow...i feel bad for sweetie belle...