Miss Cheerilee let us borrow the Ponyville Schoolhouse for rehearsal today and the only one coaching me right now is Rarity. The rest of us Pony Tones are waiting outside, after finishing practice with the musical sections they're in charge of. I was the only one left.
"Let's take it from the refrain one more time, Fluttershy."
"Whoa whoa oh WHOA! Whoa whoa oh WHOAAA!"
"Sweet Celestia... That was spectacular, darling!"
"Did I crack the windows? I'm so sorry!"
"Nonsense, you were perfect! To put it like Applejack, I honestly think that between you and me, you showed no signs of struggling whatsoever!"
"Oh thank you, Rarity! I really tried my best, didn't I?"
"I know you always do, but there's something else to it that makes you stronger. How do you do it?"
"I'll be kind enough to share!"
There lived a little bird in the forest. It had been singing songs ever since it was born. It learned how to sing from papa bird, mama bird and all the other birds in the vicinity. It would sing everyday.
One day, while the little bird was singing on the branch of a tree, it got interrupted by the sound of a little colt. The little bird looked down. A colt was pointing at it with his finger and saying, “What a sad haunting melody!”
The little bird was taken aback. At first, it felt that it did not appreciate the feedback. It thought that it had sung very well. It was even proud. But as the little bird started to reflect, it realized that the colt was pointing out something that it had missed previously. The colt’s observation was not about its vocal ability, but about the song.
Indeed, the song that it had sung was a rather sad one. It was about the trials and tribulations of being a bird. It was a song that its parents, friends and neighbors had been singing. Now, every bird in the forest had been chirping the same chorus every day.
The little bird felt a disconnect.
"This song is not about me,” it thought. "Am I about misery, worry and failure. I want to write and sing my own song. A song that will reflect my truth. A song that will reflect who I am.”
So the little bird decided to do things differently. It started with some chirps here and there. Then it became practicing over and over again the same lines.
Obviously, it was not easy trying to be different. All the other birds thought that it had gone mad. They tried to dissuade the bird, “….But we have been singing the same song for centuries!!!”
Papa bird and mama bird shook their heads sadly. Clearly they could not understand the inner motivations of their little child.
To get away from all the distractions, the little bird decided to move its nest a little further away. It wanted to practice in peace. And that was what it did. It exiled itself to the wilderness of its undiscovered self. While the little bird felt lonely at times, it felt driven on its path to sing something of its own.
Finally, the little bird thought that it was ready. It knew that the song was not perfect, but perfection was not what it was looking for. It also knew that while the first song was rehearsed, there will come a day when singing from within would come spontaneously and naturally.
So the little bird flew to a tall and majestic looking tree. It tried to get started. But no hum or note came out. For a moment, the little bird thought that it had lost its voice. It felt embarrassed.
Then, the little bird decided to gain its composure. It steadied itself. It understood that it was less about the song. The courage to sing that was far more crucial.
Soon, the little bird got over its initial anxiety. It found itself singing on and on. The little bird sang from its heart and determination to reach out to the other birds, hoping they could understand it finally.
And as it sang, all the other birds gathered round. They listened intently. For a minute or two, there was no movement in the forest. Even the breeze stood still for not a single leaf on the trees rustled.
Every creature – not just the birds – drew in their breaths. They stood enraptured. The singing was beautiful in the song’s meaning.
In essence, the little bird was singing about the greatness of being a little bird. Soon, the other birds caught on. Each in their own voice.
A harmonious blend of music gradually filled the crisp air, enveloping the forest in the warm embrace of a beautiful dawn. A new day has begun for the nature of the birds.
"I am rather touched by this, Fluttershy, but what does it have to do with your voice?"
"I am this bird. I want to sing my own song.
I want to live my dreams. Dreams that reflect who I am. I may be shy, but that doesn't keep me from pursuing them."
"That's what I like to hear from you!"
"But, it doesn't stop there. I have actually came across those birds a few days after I got my cutie mark. Once I understood what they were singing, I knew exactly what I needed to do. My voice was decent at the time, but the birds taught me about not being afraid to bring my voice higher and higher."
"So, they are your coaches?"
"Yes, and I still have them with me. I can never stop thinking about them, which is what drives me to continue singing. You know well as much as I do that letting go is not easy for me, Rarity."
"I do, and letting go is also difficult for other ponies as well. You should always continue to think about the inspirational things that make you who you are."
"It only took me one bird."
