"...got the music, got the music in you."
The Ponytones, including their newest member, ended their signature song on a high note, as always. And as far as Rarity could tell, their performance's conclusion was nothing short of perfect this time around. Roaring applause, produced from dozens of hooves stomping onto the ground below, reassured her of that.
In a moment of throughout satisfaction, she glanced around the room, a warm, generous smile on her face. Of course, this mostly wasn't her special moment. Looking to the yellow-coated mare, standing alongside her, dressed in a similar green sweater, filled Rarity with a delightful mixture of warmth and joy. That filly was almost beaming with pride, watching the ponies assembled before her. And for once, Fluttershy didn't even seem afraid. In fact, she actually seemed to enjoy it, warmed by the feeling of having accomplished something, which only weeks ago nopony would have deemed her ever capable of.
Short, loose phrases from her pegasus friend's muzzle occasionally drifted over to Rarity's ears from time to time. "Oh, thank you," or "You're too kind" were probably the most regular among them. From her words, Fluttershy still appeared awfully insecure and fragile. Judging from the genuine smile on her face however, Rarity could positively tell how much she had grown.
Admittedly, the unicorn mare did fell a little pride herself, after all those past few weeks of hard work.
Rarity took a moment longer than usual for her upcoming announcement, letting her friend bathe in her newly discovered joy just a little longer. She definitely deserved it.
Finally though, after a few more seconds, Rarity got herself up to the stage's front portion, clearing her throat.
"Why, thank you, everyone." She smiled at them one more time. "As you know, this was the last of our regular songs for tonight."
A disappointed groan sounded through the audience. Rarity chuckled for a moment.
"Yes, yes. It always ends too soon, doesn't it, really? But most of you should also know, that we're always open for requests at the end of each show." A teasing grin crept onto her muzzle. "Well? Do I hear any suggestions?"
For a short while, a constant mumbling was heard throughout all corners of the room. All five band members, including Fluttershy, used the time to cast a few glances around, anticipating an answer. Not before long, somepony lifted a light gray hoof on the room's left side, highlighting herself from her peers. Rarity quickly motioned towards their visitor.
"I'm listening?"
"Yeah, thanks," a cross-eyed mare with golden eyes replied. Rarity was more or less sure having her seen somewhere before, but couldn't quite put her hoof on it. She cast an excited look over to the stage.
"Well," she asked. "Do you play any Metallica?"
Within a split-second, the entire room fell silent. Everyone in it, no matter if band member, audience, or staff curiously turned towards the pegasus, who had just pointed out that odd request. As for Rarity herself, she found herself left extremely confused by it.
"Umm...terribly sorry, darling. What was that?"
"Any song by Metallica. Just a general question."
Rarity lifted her head back up towards her colleagues. All of them had already started exchanging nervous glances. Big Macintosh's frown summed up their shared tension pretty well.
"Now, I am very sorry," Rarity stated, as she started crossing the stage from right to left. "But I can't imagine that such raw tastes of music could be considered part of our catalog." Once again, she let her eyes wander over the audience with the utmost care. "Anything else, maybe? We would always welcome..."
"Like I said," the gray pegasus mare started speaking up again. "Any of their songs is fine. There's also slower ones, if you prefer those."
"I am terribly sorry," Rarity repeated, her voice and expression a lot more strict than the last time. "But we simply cannot..."
"Um, Rarity?"
The gentle female voice was barely above a whisper, and yet enough to break Rarity's focus within the blink of an eye. In bewilderment, most of which she sought to restrain, of course, Rarity turned around, facing Fluttershy. Her friend was looking nervously onto the floor in front of herself, rubbing one forehoof against her other leg. She only looked up after catching sight of Rarity's questioning look.
"Well, uh...we can't possibly disappoint our audience like that, can we?" she asked, timidly. "If you don't mind, of course."
"Fluttershy, darling," Rarity answered her, trying to keep her voice down. "I'm always happy about new ideas. But some of them simply wouldn't work for a group like ours."
The timid mare remained silent.
"And how would you have us play it, anyway? We don't even have any instruments."
Fluttershy's eyes turned to the ground. Only casually, and for nothing more but an instant would they dare darting back up to her unicorn friend. Rarity took a few more seconds to wait for a response, but eventually turned back around. She once again cleared her throat, trying her best to suppress a nervous chuckle.
"Very well, then...do I hear any further suggestions?" Finishing the question, she saw a gray hoof rise up. It looked rather similar to the previous volunteer's, but its position had moved a lot closer towards her since then.
"Like I said," a familiar voice suddenly exclaimed from the same direction, repeating itself. "You don't have any guitars or anything. But I'm sure you could still just..."
"For the last time, no!" Rarity shouted, stomping a hoof onto the wooden planks below her.
A few dozen eyes turned towards her in surprised expressions. She quickly realized these words having obviously come across a lot more hostile and vigorous than originally anticipated. Which made her draw in and out a few calming breaths, closing both eyes for a moment. She needed not lose her concept because of one confused mare.
Rarity's eyes closed in frustration, as a soft, tender voice spoke up from behind her.
"Um...Rarity? Are you sure you would want to disappoint anypony like that? Maybe we could...uh...I'm not sure..."
Rarity quickly turned herself around one more time, casting a stern look to her pegasus friend, urging her to be quiet.
"Eep," Fluttershy winced, and ducked her head. "Sorry. I-I'm sorry. I'll just..." She stuttered along some more, starting to back away from the audience. Rarity felt a cold shiver run down her spine, as she saw the initial fright and nervousness, which Fluttershy had fought back just days ago, gradually reappear in the mare's eyes. She lifted up a hoof, and wanted to say something - anything to comfort her, but it already seemed too late for that.
Fluttershy's eyes flickered form one part of the room to the next, probably always focusing on some more of the ponies in the audience, casting those confused looks over to her. In addition, her breath became a lot more rapid with every second. She constantly increased her pace, backing down from the crowded room, towards the stage curtain. When she stood only another three or four feet apart from it, the confused, and intimidated pegasus mare turned her entire self around, dashing off the stage.
Mouth agape, Rarity looked at her bandmates in confusion. They returned her expression with equally bewildered faces, a sense of horrible uneasiness filling the air between them. In the end, it was Big Mac, who let out a growling gulp, before eventually approaching the audience.
"Well," he started in his typical accent. "Ah'm sorry t' say this, but there'll probably be no more of us ta be seen t'night. 's been a pleasure singin' here, an' we hope y'all enjoyed it as well..."
"I don't understand," a familiar voice from the front row interrupted him. "Are you gonna play the song, or what?"
Another approximate fifteen minutes of awkward persuasions and apologies later, Rarity finally got herself to the backstage area, where she let out a long, frustrated sigh. She felt herself desperately in need of some fresh air right now, and thus decided to move out through the back door, after dropping a note with Big Mac that she'd take a minute or two before joining them again.
To her surprise, Fluttershy obviously hadn't ran off home, yet. Instead, she was sitting on the grass just outside the door, casting a mortified look down at her hooves. Her face couldn't have expressed more disappointment. Which meant disappointment in herself, or so Rarity feared. Even though she could understand the emotion all too well at this time.
"Oh...h-hey Rarity," she mumbled, slightly looking up.
Rarity took a moment longer to examine her friend's face. She seemed devastated, but there were no tears. And by the looks of the dry coat around her cheeks, there hadn't been any. Which was something, to the very least.
"Darling, I'm sorry," Rarity pointed out, placing a hoof onto Fluttershy's shoulder. "But we cannot accept every request made. Sometimes it's just...not working out for us."
"I understand," Fluttershy whispered. "I guess I just didn't want to disappoint my very first audience." Her eyes moved upwards with care, slowly meeting Rarity's glance.
She didn't look away. That was something just as good.
"Unexpected things happen at shows, you'll get used to it. Maybe next time, we'll have a better request than that." Rarity gave her friend a genuine smile, just before pulling her into a tight, gentle hug. Fluttershy reacted slightly reluctant at first, but eventually just let it happen.
"There will be a next time?" Fluttershy asked, her voice more quiet than ever.
"Why of course, darling," Rarity replied, releasing her. "Always assuming that's what you want."
Fluttershy quickly returned her smile. A soft, timid nod from her followed, bringing a wave of tremendous relief to Rarity.
"I know what would cheer you up," she replied. "It might not be time for our weekly get-together, but granted your...well, partial success today, maybe we could make an exception. There is something to celebrate, after all."
Fluttershy's smile widened. "The spa, then?"
"Anything for you, darling."
As the performance had ended, and the band gone offstage, dozens of ponies rushed through the theater's front doors, out into the open. A lively chatter filled the air around them, the town's latest gossip mixing itself with discussions over the performance, as well as its sudden ending, of course.
It only took a few minutes, until the entrance area was emptied out, again. Most had left for some other public places in town, or just gone their separate ways home. A small layer of dust, thrown up by the dozens of hooves, was hovering a few inches above the ground. After a short while, the doors opened one more time, making room for a cross-eyed, gray-coated mare. She wore a rather disappointed look on her face.
"Darn it," Derpy Hooves mumbled to herself, frowning. With a shrug, she added, "well, few things work on first try. Just gotta ask for Slayer next time."
