Bitter Memories and Sweet Music

by Bookpony579

Rating: teen
Tags: Equestria Girls, Main 7 (EqG), Drama, Twilight Sparkle (EqG), Alternate Universe, Shadowbolts (EqG)
Length: 10307

Twilight Sparkle comes face to face with some old acquaintances.

When Canterlot High School's Sonic Rainbooms are chosen to represent their school in a city-wide music competition, Twilight is forced to face some old memories, and acquaintances, from her former school.

Published 2018-07-05 02:00:12 UTC
Last updated 2018-07-14 14:48:10 UTC

Chapter 1

It's a new day in Canterlot, and we find our heroes seated with the rest of the school in the gymnasium.

"What do you think this is about?" Twilight asked her friends. They were seated on bleachers that were only used for big gatherings.

"Celestia said she had 'Big News' for the school." Sunset recalled.

"I wonder what it is?" Fluttershy wondered.

"I hope it's 'All you can eat candy day!'" Pinkie jumped in her seat.

"I highly doubt that darling." Rarity, scooching away from a bouncing Pinkie.

"Besides: I think you have enough sugar in your system as it is." Rainbow said as she pressed down on her Pink friend's head, getting her to sit still.

"Here she comes!" Twilight pointed at the stage, where the Principal and her sister were approaching the mic.

"Attention everyone!" Celestia announced, silencing the chatter in the students. "I have some very exciting news for you all! As you recall, our 'Musical Showcase' had some....unforeseen turns. Namely; the Dazzelings." Everyone looked at one another, recalling the siren's attempts to turn everyone against each other to try and take over the world. "Now, this has caused several citizens to become nervous about musical competitions for fear of attracting more sirens. In response to these worries, the Mayor has organized something to ease the public's worries and show that music is here to unite us as well as raise money for the education department."

Celestia took a deep breath before continuing.

"A city-wide school band competition!" This caught the interest of all the students, who leaned in closer to hear it. "Schools from all over the city have been invited to enter one student band to enter the competition and compete against the other bands from other schools, and our school was one of the first to be invited!" The student body cheered excitedly at this. "In addition to that, the winning band's school wins a cash prize!" This evoked even more cheering.

"This is so awesome!" Rainbow whispered. "CHS is going to win for sure!"

"Now, each school can send either the official school band, or a student formed group. This is where the best part comes in!" Celestia nodded to Luna, who, along with a few other teachers, began passing out scraps of paper and pencils. "Since we have several of the latter, we have decided to let the student body decide who to send. On each scrap of paper is the school band along with several other student bands. Just check the box next to the name of the band you want to send and we'll count up the votes! In any case, I believe any one of these choices have a great chance of winning and will do a great job of representing the school!"

With that, there were a few moments of silence as students passed around papers and pencils and checking off their choice of band before passing the notes back to the teachers.

"We've got this in the bag!" Rainbow gloated before checking off the Sonic Rainbooms.

"What does she mean by 'other schools'?" Twilight asked nervously as she looked at the piece of paper.

"Probably other schools in the city." AJ explained, checking off a name. "Like the magic school, or Canterlot Magnate school-"

"-Or even Crystal Prep Academy!" Pinkie exclaimed, folding up her vote.

"Oh..." Twilight's shoulders dropped.

"Are you ok Twilight?" Fluttershy asked, noticing her friend's change in mood. "I know you used to go to Crystal Prep..."

"I still can't believe you went to that jerk school." Rainbow said, passing down her ballot.

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity scolded.

"It's true! Crystal Prep Academy is filled with nothing but uptight snobs who think they're better than everyone else!" Rainbow noticed Twilight looking away. "Uh...no offense."

"It's alright." Twilight said. "That's....a pretty accurate description of it."

"Exactly! They're our biggest rivals! Imagine their faces when we take the prize! Not to mention the bragging rights when we meet again for the Friendship Games!" Rainbow exclaimed

A few nearby students cheered at Rainbows words. It was no secret that CPA and CHS had a bitter rivalry spanning several years, as CPA managed to best the CHS students at pretty much everything, with only a few minor victories on CHS's side. So the though at beating the upperclass school at something as big as this hyped up the excitement.

"Do you guys think Crystal Prep will be part of the competition?" Twilight asked nervously.

"Considering they're one of the best and most prominent schools in the city, I would say it's a definite that they are going to be there." Rarity said as she passed her ballot down. "You'd better hurry darling, everyone is already starting to send in their votes."

Twilight quickly glanced through the list before checking one off and sending it down.

"Has everyone sent in their votes?" Celestia asked. Not hearing any objections, she continued. "Alright then! We'll just take a few minutes to count up the votes and then we'll announce the winners!" With that, Celestia and Luna collected the basket and went behind the curtain, leaving everyone to talk with their friends about the competition and who they voted for.

"I wonder who's going to win?" Sunset asked.

"I hope it's us!" Pinkie said.

"Duh!" Rainbow said, leaning back. "Of course it's going to be us! We're the best band in the school. Besides, we killed it at the Battle of the Bands!"

"Hey girls." The group looked to see Flash Sentry walking up the steps before taking a seat next to Twilight.

"Hey Flash." Twilight greeted friendly.

"So...the competition sounds pretty cool right?" Flash smiled nervously at Twilight, who seemed oblivious. "I voted for your band. You girls are great."

"Thanks!" Twilight smiled back casually. "I voted for the Flash Drives to go. You guys are great too."

"Well I voted for the school band. I think they're pretty good." Fluttershy said.

"What!?" Rainbow gasped. "Why didn't you guys vote for our band!?"

"Because, Rainbow, it is simply not classy to vote for yourself." Rarity pointed out. "I too, voted for the school band. I believe they have sufficient sophistication and rhythm to compete with the other bands."

Rainbow simply pouted at that.

"Aw come on Dashie!" Pinkie said, patting Rainbow on the head like a small child. "I think all the bands in this school are super good!"

"And part of me hopes we don't win." Fluttershy shuddered. "Just imagine performing in front of all those people. Performing for the school is one thing, but the whole city? All those eyes.."

"Me too." Twilight mumbled under her breath.

"Aw come on girls!" Sunset spoke up. "This is going to be fun!"

"Yeah! If we can take down a bunch of mind controlling sirens with our music, there's nothing our band can't handle!" Rainbow stated.

Soon enough, Celestia and Luna walked back out on stage, a piece of paper in hand.

"Thank you all for the wait." Celestia said as she held up the piece of paper. "We have counted the votes and with a landslide win, the band who will represent CHS in the competition will be-"

Everyone listened in anticipation.

Not the sonic Rainbooms. Not the Sonic Rainbooms. Twilight prayed as she crossed her fingers.

"THE SONIC RAINBOOMS!"

Of course it is.

The crowd cheered as the Rainbooms stood up and waved, all eager to be part of the competition.

.....Wel, except for one member.

Chapter 2

After school, the Rainbooms found themselves bussed to the Canterlot theatre where the contest was being held to formally register.

When they got to the lobby, they found a few other schools who had picked their bands early waiting to register too.

"I'm going to get forms for the contest. You girls just wait here and I'll be right back." With that, Celestia walked off into a crowd of students and Principals.

"Wow." Fluttershy observed nervously. "Look at all the other bands. They look pretty good."

"Please!" Rainbow waved off her concerns. "We're the best ones here. Right Twi?"

Twilight wasn't listening, as she was looking around the lobby and out the window as though searching for something.

"Twilight?" AJ asked, with no response.

"TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" Rainbow shouted, finally getting the girl's attention.

"AH!" Twilight jumped before realizing it was just her friends. "What?"

"Are you ok Twilight?" Sunset asked. "You seem a little...distracted."

Twilight eyes quickly darted around the room, at anywhere but her friends, and she gave a nervous laugh. "D-distracted? Me? No way! I'm just...scoping the competition and all that...yeah..."

Sunset put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "Are you sure you're ok? You seemed upset on the drive over."

"Are you just nervous about meeting your old friends again?" Rarity asked.

"Uh...actually...." Twilight tried to speak up, only to be interrupted.

"It's understandable your nervous since you competing against them now instead of with them, but I'm sure if we all act like civilized people, we can get though this." Rarity stated.

"Besides, your part of the Rainbooms now! We've got this in the bag!" Rainbow gloated.

"Don't be too sure about that, dearie."

The band turned to see another group of girls standing nearby. There were five of them, each clad in a pristine purple and dark blue uniform slightly customized for each of them.

Twilight gulped when she recognized the girls.

One of the girls stepped forward, she had yellow skin and pink hair with a green streak in it. She gave Twilight a huge, totally-not-fake-at-all smile. "Twilight Sparkle! It's so good to see you again!" The she mumbled under her breath. "Not!"

Twilight felt her heart trying to pound it's way out of her chest.

"Twilight?" Rarity asked. "Do you know these girls?"

"Well....they...uh..."

"Oh don't be shy!" A girl with electric blue hair and goggles walked up to her and wrapped an arm around Twilight's shoulders. "We're old buds from Crystal Prep! Right Twi?" She squeezed a little tighter, making Twilight even more uncomfortable.

"But we're not-"

"Oh! Allow me to introduce ourselves!" The first girl spoke again. She had light blue skin and purple bobbed hair. "I'm Sunny Flare. That's Sour Sweet." She pointed to the Pink haired girl before moving on to the one next to Twilight. "That's Indigo Zap." She pointed to a girl with glasses and two huge light blue pigtails. "That's Sugarcoat." Finally, she pointed to the girl with light pink skin, green hair and headphones. "And that's Lemon Zest. We're the band representing Crystal Prep." She gave the CHS a critical look over before smirking. "I suppose your the band representing Canterlot High?"

"Yer darn tootin!" AJ smiled, walked up to Sunny Flare and shook her hand energetically. "Name's Applejack. Nice ta meet ya."

Sunny managed get her hand out of AJ tight grip. "Charmed." She said unenthusiastically.

"I am Rarity. Keytarist and costume designer for the Rainbooms." Rarity curtsied.

"I-I'm. Fluttershy." Fluttershy whispered, hiding behind her hair.

"Names Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow introduced while pointing a thumb at herself. "Best athlete at CHS and probably in all of Equestria."

That statement caused Indigo to let go of Twilight and walk up to Rainbow. "Oh really? Ready to make that bet?" She smirked.

"Whenever your ready." Rainbow smirked right back.

"I'm Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie announced cheerfully, not noticing the slight tension in the air.

"And I'm Sunset Shimmer." Sunset finished.

"You mean the girl who turned into a demon and tried to take over the world?" Sugarcoat asked in a deadpan voice.

"Yeah...that's me." Sunset answered nervously with a fake smile.

"Hmph, nice to see Canterlot High still has the same standards for competitors as before." Sunny said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rainbow asked, glaring at the CPA girl.

"Just that your school's standards aren't quite....on par with our school." Sunny said with a smirk.

"Why I never!" Rarity humphed.

"Just because you girls saved the world a few times doesn't mean your suddenly good enough to compete with us." Indigo said.

"Exactly!" Sour Sweet smirked. "Our classical orchestra has won several out of town competitions already. How many have your school's won?"

The CHS girls only glared.

"Just what we thought." Sugarcoat stated with a shrug.

"Sorry girls, but I'm afraid it looks like our school is going to take home the prize...again." Sunny said as she flipped her hair.

Lemon Zest snorted. "Specially not when you have Dorkle on your team!" She pointed at Twilight, who looked away in embarrassment.

"That's Sparkle!" Rainbow said, getting in Lemon's face and glaring at her, prompting a similar response from the girl.

"Now let's just settle down here." AJ said, pushing Lemon and Rainbow apart before something started. "Now let's try to have a civil and fair competition, alright?"

Rainbow turned back to Indigo. "Fine. May the best team win."

Indigo smirked back. "Oh. We intend too."

"Come on girls, Principal Cinch must have the forms ready by now." Sunny commanded, causing the other girls to start following her away. "Good luck in the show on Saturday Canternots!"

"That Canterlot!" Rainbow shouted as the CPA girl laughed.

"Well they seem friendly." Sunset sarcastically noted.

It was, thankfully, at that moment that Celestia returned with a form for the girls to sign. "Hello everyone. Making friends with the other schools I hope?"

Her question was only responded with a series of grumblings and 'mehs'.

That night while laying in her bed and staring at the ceiling, Twilight thought about everything that happened that day.

"What am I going to do Spike? I know I've faced actual monsters, but facing Crystal Prep again? I just feel so nervous!" Twilight confided.

Spike looked up from his own bed. "Well you not facing them alone this time! You've got your friends right by your side!"

Twilight sighed. "I know, but...." Twilight took a deep breath. "I know this sounds silly, but...I don't want them to know how much of a loser I was a Crystal Prep."

"You weren't a loser!"

"Thanks Spike, but I have so much now. I don't want them to know what I was like or what happened before I met them." Twilight reached over to the night stand and picked up a framed picture. It was of the seven of them at the county fair. They were gathered together and smiling, despite all the chaos earlier in trying to meet up in time to take pictures and perform. "With the other threats, besides Sunset, they didn't really know me. We didn't have to go to school together or experience any unpleasant memories together. It's just....embarrassing."

"Well, they were gonna have to know about it sometime, right?"

"I guess...."

"Besides, they're your friends! You've literally saved Equestria like, half a dozen times already. That's not something those Crystal Prep girls can claim right?"

"Yeah..."

"Exactly!" Spike hopped onto Twilight's bed and looked her in the eyes. "You're worth more than all of them combined!"

Twilight smiled and hugged her pet close. "Thanks Spike. What did I do to deserve a friend like you?"

"Well....you could sneak me some of your leftovers once in a while." Spike gave a sly smile.

"Nice try."

"Worth a shot." Spike shrugged before nuzzling his owner and friend. "Just try to forget about those girls, ok? They don't know you like I do and I think you're great!"

Twilight blushed at this comment.

Spike hopped back to his own bed and settled down for the night. "Now try to get some sleep. You've got a lot of practicing with the girls before the show on Saturday."

"You're right. Good Night Spike."

"Night, Twilight."

But as Spike drifted off to a good night's sleep, Twilight's mind still help uncertainties and worries.

Chapter 3

The next day seemed a little better to Twilight as she and her friends headed to the theatre to begin practicing.

"Why do we have to go all this way to practice? We can just use the music room back at school." Fluttershy wondered aloud why they were on the bus.

"Well they just want the students to feel more comfortable practicing on a real live stage." Rarity explained. "And it will help them decide how they want to set up the stage before they perform. This will be a great help as I have so many ideas already and I need to get a sense of the atmosphere. Not to mention costumes-"

"None of those are going to matter without a winning song!" Rainbow pointed out. "I was thinking about 'Shake your tale'."

"That's sounds great!" Sunset nodded.

"And maybe you or Rainbow can take over as lead singer!" Twilight offered.

This caused the girls to look at her in confusion.

"But...your the lead singer." Fluttershy said.

Twilight shifted nervously in her seat. "I was just thinking that maybe we should take turns with the whole 'lead singer' thing and I can step back as back up vocals...or not at all..." Twilight said that last part in a whisper.

Rainbow walked over to Twilight seat and put a comforting arm across your shoulders. "Aw, your just nervous about our first big gig! Don't worry about; it's gonna be great! You singing is gonna blow the competition away!"

Twilight gave a forced smile, hoping her friend was right.

When they arrived, workers helped unload their instruments while a helper for the show directed them to what was going on.

"You're a little early. The last group is still going on. But you can just sit and relax until they're done." With that she led them to the backstage area and left. Once their instruments arrived, the girls gathered them up so they could practice as soon as possible.

In the meantime, they listened to the beautiful classical music playing through the curtain.

"Oh my!" Rarity gasped. "How lovely!"

"They sound pretty good." AJ noted. "I wonder what school they're from?"

"Well, let's find out." With that, Rainbow led the group to the side of the stage and looked.

Rainbow's eyes turned into pinpricks at what she saw.

Rarity's jaw dropped.

And Fluttershy covered her mouth in surprise.

"Uh oh.." Pinkie said when she saw who it was.

There, on the stage playing a beautiful classical melody, were the Shadowbolt girls from the day before. Sunny Flare was gracefully playing on the grand piano that had been moved in, Lemon Zest was gently banging on a large single drum, Sour Sweet was sweetly playing a flute, Sugarcoat was playing a cello with precision and Indigo Zap bow zoomed over her violin.

Overall, it was easy to see why these girls had won music competitions.

"I think we're in trouble." Sunset stated as they watched the Shadowbolts.

"It's going to be fine guys." Rainbow quickly assured them, trying to hide her own nervousness. "We're still an awesome band and there's nothing we can't handle."

Twilight really hoped she was right, for different reasons.

Soon enough, the Shadowbolt practice ended and they gathered up their instruments and headed off the stage.

"Like our performance?" Sunny asked smugly. Then she noticed the Rainboom's own instruments. "I see your all going common for the show."

The Rainbooms all glared at Sunny at that comment, but Twilight and Fluttershy couldn't help but notice Indigo and Lemon eyeing their rock instruments with longing looks.

Rainbow quickly stepped forward. "Just waiting for you slowpokes to finish so we can get our practice session in."

"Just what are each of you girls playing?" Sugarcoat asked.

"Well I'm rockin' on the lead guitar!" Rainbow announced, giving an impressive strum. "Applejack's chillin' on the bass. Pinkie's keeping the beat on the drums. Rarity's going classy on the keytar. Sunset's grooving on the rhythm guitar. Fluttershy's keeping it soft on the tambourine." With each announcement, Rainbow pointed to the respected Rainboom and their instrument before finally getting to Twilight. "And last but not least, Twilight's
drawing in the crowd with her awesome vocal cords."

That last statement caught the Shadowbolt's attention.

"Wait, Twilight's your lead singer?" Lemon snorted before she and the other Shadowbolts burst out into laughter, causing the other girls to openly glare at them and Twilight to look away in embarrassment.

"Do ya'll have a problem with that?" AJ asked coldly, lifting an eyebrow at them.

Indigo managed to stop her laughter for a minute to get her words out. "Wow! I knew you guys were desperate for talent, but I didn't know you were scrapping the bottom of the barrel!"

Rainbow got in Indigo's face and gave her her most fierce glare. "And just what is that supposed to mean!?"

Before another argument could break out, a new voice made itself known.

"Ladies."

The cold and authoritative voice caught everyone's attention and caused them to turn to the new arrival.

She was a tall woman, almost as tall as Celestia, waring a formal and spotless dress suit with her hair neatly done.

Twilight recognized her the moment she heard her voice.

After a quick scan of the group, the woman approached Twilight.

"It's good to see you again Twilight." She said stiffly.

"G-good to see you too Principal Cinch." Twilight replied back.

Unlike Principal Celestia, Cinch was a cold and hard woman who didn't really care much for the students themselves so much as what they could offer the school. Twilight had been scared of her when she went to Crystal Prep, and still was....just a little.

Even the other Shadowbolts seemed intimidated at her arrival and looked at her nervously.

"I assume you and these....other girls are Canterlot High's representative in this competition?" She asked, eyeing the other Rainbooms.

"Yes, we're in a band together."

"The Sonic Rainbooms!" Rainbow cheered. "We're going to rock the competition!"

Cinch merely raised an eyebrow in contempt. "I...see. It's nice to know Canterlot High still sticks to the....wild way of doing things, instead of sticking with a sophisticated tradition." This comment did not fly over the girls' heads.

Cinch turned back to Twilight. "Twilight, while I have no hard feelings, are you aware just what kind of message you were sending by leaving Crystal Prep Academy and transferring to Canterlot High on your own accord? Especially just before your...destiny was discovered?"

Twilight knew Cinch was talking about her bonding with the Elements of Harmony but didn't understand what else she could be getting at. She did remember that the woman was obsessed with the image and reputation of her school, though.

"By leaving, you are sending the message that Canterlot High's curriculum is in better form than Crystal Prep. Especially given that you were one of our top students. And by discovering the Elements of Harmony over there, you are trying to show people that Canterlot High has some special significance in the order of things."

"W-well I didn't so much 'discover' them-" Twilight tried to explain for but Cinch interrupted her.

"Given that you are an exceptionally bright student and gifted mage, I would have expected you to know better, and to remain in a program that would have truly helped you reach your full potential." Then, surprisingly, Cinch smiled. "Of course, we all make mistakes when we're young. And there's plenty of time to rectify them."

"What-"

"I'm sure your parents would understand if you tell them you've changed you mind and would like to go back to Crystal Prep."

"HUH!?"

"Of course, your friends are invited too." She turned to the shocked Wondercolts. "I'm sure we can find sufficient scholarship money given your unique talents and recent successes. The Elements of Harmony would be an excellent addition to Crystal Prep, and I'm sure you and your families will appreciate a magic program with more recourses and better opportunities than what I assume Canterlot High has."

For a moment the students, both Wondercolt and Shadowbolt just looked at her with shocked expressions.

Finally, Twilight spoke up.

"I'm sorry Principal Cinch, I appreciate the offer, but I'm going to stay at Canterlot High."

Cinch's eyes widened, actually surprised that someone would actually turn down her offer.

"I'm with Twilight on this one." Rainbow said. "I'm sure your school's great and all, but I'm staying loyal to CHS."

The rest of the Rainbooms either nodded or voiced their agreements.

Cinch stood up strait, hiding her indignation with a poker face donned by professionals. "Well, I admire your loyalty and support for you school, however misguided it may be; and I suppose I'll just have to accept your decision for now. But once the contest is over and you have the chance to see Crystal Prep Academy's true superiority, I'm sure you all will rethink your opinions." She turned to her own students. "Come along ladies, we must return to school at once. There is no such thing as too much practice."

With that, the Shadowbolts and their Principal went their way.

"Well she seems nice." Sunset stated, crossing her arms.

"Can you believe the nerve of that woman!?" Rarity fumed."Insulting Canterlot High and then suggesting that we all transfer to Crystal Prep!?"

"Forget about them." Rainbow said, heading out on to the stage. "We're not gonna beat them by just sitting around! Let's get to practicing!"

The others quickly followed behind her....except for Twilight who mentally forced her feet to move.

Author's Note

Happy Birthday to Me!:twilightsmile:

Chapter 4

Once they had their instruments set up, the Rainbooms were all set to practice.

"All right everybody!" Rainbow announced. "Let's get ready to rock! Celestia said she checked and the officials said it was alright if we ponied up so don't hold back!"

The other girls grinned and got their instruments ready, except for Twilight, who gripped the microphone as though her life depended on it.

"Okay, a 1, a 1, 2, 3, 4!"

"We've just got the day to get ready
And there's only so much time to lose
Because tonight, yeah, we're here to party
So let's think of something fun to do"

While the other girls let themselves be absorbed into the music and ponied up, Twilight still clung to the mic and looked around nervously, the Shadowbolt's laughter from earlier still ringing in her head.

This did not go unnoticed by Sunset, who stopped playing and quickly got the others to stop too.

"Hang on everyone!" Soon enough, all was quiet again and the girls returned to their normal forms as Sunset approached Twilight and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Twilight? Are you ok?"

Twilight took a deep breath, trying to bury her nervousness deep inside her. "Yeah...just a little overwhelmed by the stage is all." She looked out in the seemingly endless rows of seats, which would soon be full of people watching them.

"Are you quite sure darling?" Rarity asked while observing Twilight. "You don't really seem like the kind of girl to get stage fright. Not to mention you've been on stage plenty of times before, for performing and academic competitions."

"It's all right Twilight." Fluttershy offered her a comforting smile. "I get stage fright too! Thats...kind of why I picked the tambourine. So I wouldn't be out in front." She shuddered at the image of being the center of attention.

"Well, it's just-" Twilight tried to get her words together when Pinkie interrupted her.

"Yeah! Believe it or not, I used to get super super nervous performing in front of others too!" Pinkie explained with all her natural cheeriness. "But Maud taught me a trick to help me with that. I just had to imagine everyone in the audience in moose costumes!"

"Moose costumes?" Twilight repeated in confusion.

"Yup! After all, who looks scary in a moose costume?" Pinkie laughed. "After that, the audience become too silly to be scary! It was just like my Granny Pie said: I just had to giggle at the ghosties and they stopped being scary!"

"Huh." AJ shrugged. "I heard you were supposed to imagine them as a bunch of chickens. But I guess the moose costume thing works too."

"Actually, it's about the Shadowbolts-"

"Aw forget about those gals. Twi." AJ waved them off. "They're just a bunch of bullies trying to get under your skin."

"Yeah! They're just trying to psyche you out before the contest!" Rainbow argued. "They don't know how cool you are like we do!"

"Y-you do?"

"You betch'ya!" Pinkie said.

"Twilight, your way better than those jerks from CPA." Sunset said. "They're not the ones who faced Discord, the Sirens and me and won."

"Yer one of a kind sugarcube!" AJ smiled while Rarity and Fluttershy nodded.

"See Twi? You've got nothing to worry about!" Rainbow said. "Besides, the audience will probably be too focused on my sweet guitar moves!" She grinned while Sunset and AJ rolled their eyes.

"Remember, we're right here beside you Twilight." Sunset gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze, making Twilight smile a little.

"Thanks girls."

"Now let's get back to practicing! Times a-wasting!" Rainbow commanded as everyone got back into position.

Twilight managed to forget about the Shadowbolts and just have fun playing with her friends....at least for a little while.

A slightly younger Twilight stood on the stage with the spotlight on her, crying and covered in gunk and surrounded by darkness.

"Aww look, the poor baby's crying!"

"Guess she's not as powerful as she thinks she is!"

The echoes of laughter continued and Twilight, helpless to stop it, let streams of tears down her cheeks.

Twilight awoke with a gasp.

She looked around-and took a sigh of relief upon seeing she was still in her bedroom before checking the bedside clock.

3:00 am.

She groaned and fell back against the pillows.

Why can't I just let this go? Why can't I just be happy for my friends and the school? Why does this have to happen now of all times?

Either through force of will or plain exhaustion, Twilight managed to enter a dreamless sleep for the rest of the night.

The next few days went by pretty smoothly, with no more run-ins with the Shadowbolts or their Principal to stir up old memories. The Sonic Rainbooms were prepared to perform.

Well...almost all of them.

Twilight Sparkle was getting her books sorted before heading to the final practice when she ran into none other than Flash Sentry.

"Hey Twilight!" He greeted with a smile. "All set to perform tomorrow? You girls are going to be amazing!"

Twilight smiled softly. "Thanks Flash. Are you coming to the show?"

"Are you kidding? The whole school's going to be there! You've done so much for us, the least we could do was come to support you guys."

Twilight's eyes widened. "T-the whole school?" She quickly swallowed her nerves and put on the same fake smile she wore for her parents when they told her they would come too. "T-that's great! I can't wait to see you guys there!"

Now Flash wasn't a genius like Twilight was, but he knew when something was wrong with someone. "Are you alright?"

"Of course I'm alright! Why does everyone keep asking me that!?" Twilight realized she was shouting when she saw Flash's shocked face. "Oh. Sorry."

"Twilight, I know something's going on. Are you nervous about the show tomorrow? I know Crystal Prep's going to compete and that you used to go there-"

"Of course I'm not nervous!" She snapped at him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get to rehearsal." Without letting him get another word in, Twilight quickly walked away.

Flash was just left standing there, rubbing the back of his head, knowing that something was wrong but couldn't figure out what.

Author's Note

Okay, big news:

My family and I are heading to New York City for a few days, which means this may be my last post for a while if I can't get another one done by tomorrow morning.

So just be patient and I'll see you all in a few days!

Chapter 5

Saturday came with much excitement.

Most of the Rainbooms had just arrived at the theatre along with the other schools performing. They got there a little early to have time to set up, get into costume, and just relax before going on.

Soon enough though, waves of people were coming through the theatre, signaling that the contest was about to start soon.

"Are ya finished yet Rarity? The show is going to start soon?" AJ asked as Rarity finished up on her makeup.

"Almost..."Rarity mumbled as she finished the design. "...and done!" She stepped back, examined everyone and admired her work. "I must say, I think I have outdone myself."

"You always say that." Rainbow pointed out as she admired herself in the mirror, silently admitting that Rarity had done a great job.

The costumes were each big, bold and loud, and Rarity had painted unique symbols on each of their faces, the whole thing was reminiscent of records from their parents attics.

Fluttershy peeked at the crowd behind the curtain and gulped. "Boy. T-there's so many people here tonight!"

Pinkie hopped on top of her and peeked out too. "Look! The whole school's here to see us!" She pointed to where the students of CHS were seated. "And our families too!" She pointed to a few rows where the parents and siblings sat. "HI MOM! HI DAD! HI MAUD! HI-" Pinkie waved wildly to her family before being pulled back backstage by Sunset Shimmer.

"Ssshh! I think the contest is starting!" Sunset said as she watched a monitor showcasing what was happening on stage. It showed the mayor walking up to a podium and addressing the audience.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to the first ever Canterlot inter-school Battle of the Bands!" She waited for the round of applause to die down before continuing. "Ever since the...incident with the sirens, I've heard many concerns addressing musical competition or just any large gatherings of musical artists in general. This Battle of the Bands is meant to demonstrate that there is still friendly competition in music."

"Yeah, right." Rainbow mumbled, recalling the Shadowbolts.

"And we have also taken extra care to make sure there won't be any...unexpected infiltration this time. Now, each band was selected by their school to represent them and are considered the best that school has to offer. Throughout the show, me and several other judges,' Cute to a panes holding several people with an empty seat for the mayor,"will rate and compare the bands. After the final band plays, we will compare scores and decide the winner. The winning band's school will receive a generous cash prize to be spent on school actives and curriculum needs. We also like to thank you for coming, as each ticket purchased goes directly to education fund. Now without further ado, let the Battle of the Bands begin!" More applause. "First up, The Canterlot Magnet's official school band." With that, the mayor took a seat at the panel as the podium was moved as the first band took the stage and began to play.

"Man! I can't believe we're the last ones on!" Rainbow complained. "I want to show the city how the Rainbooms rock!"

"Be patient darling! This way, we get to finish the show with a bang!" Rarity giggled.

AJ looked at the monitor showing the band playing. "Boy, first band and the competition already looks stiff."

"Don't worry about them, you guys are going to be great."

The girls turned and saw Flash Sentry approaching them.

"Hey Flash!" AJ greeted warmly.

"What are you doing here?" Sunset asked.

"I just came by to wish you girls luck." Then he began rubbing the back of his head nervously. "And to check up on Twilight. She seemed a little upset when I talked to her yesterday. Is she alright?"

The Rainbooms looked at each other with worry, having some idea about what he was talking about.

"Well....she was super duper nervous about performing." Pinkie admitted.

"The first day we rehearsed here, I thought she was going to faint!" Fluttershy chimed in.

"But we thought it was just stage fright, or the fact that she was dealing with jerks from her old school." Sunset explained. "She did seem a bit annoyed yesterday too, but the rest of the week's been good. So we thought she was fine."

"Now that we're on the subject." Rainbow began looking around. "Where is Twilight? I though she said she was coming with her parents."

"Well, I saw them in the audience, so she must be here somewhere." Fluttershy concluded.

"Well she better be here soon! She needs to get into makeup and costume!" Rarity exclaimed.

"There she is!" Pinkie pointed to a familiar purple skinned girl walking towards them.

"Twilight! There you are! We were worried about you!" Sunset explained as everyone rushed towards her.

"Sorry guys. There was a bit of traffic getting here because of the contest and all. "Twilight explained. However, something sounded off...

"Hey, what's wrong with your voice?" Pinkie asked. "It's sounds all sore and hoarsey."

Twilight put on a sad smile as she explained while rubbing her throat. "Sorry girls, but I think I caught laryngitis last night. I don't think I can go on." She explained with a rough and cracking voice.

"Are you kidding me!?" Rainbow exclaimed. "Right before the contest!?" She received a harsh elbow in the rib courtesy of Applejack.

Glaring at her rainbow haired friend, Rarity walked up to Twilight and gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Don't you worry about it darling. We all know this isn't your fault. You just go home and get some rest. I'm sure one of us can fill in for you."

While the other girls were offering their sympathies, Sunset immediately sensed something was off.

"Oh, so sorry to hear about that Twilight." Sunset said as she slowly walked towards her friend. "You know whats a great treatment for that?"

"What?"

"A good stomp on the foot." Sunset replied casually before stomping hard on her best friend's foot.

This cause Twilight's eyes to immediately go wide as she let a yelp and began jumping up and down, clutching her aching foot.

"Ow! What was that for!?" She yelled in a.......wait a minute....

"Glad to see your voice is back." Sunset replied casually, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms.

Twilight's eyes widened when she realized the ruse was up.

"Oh...hey! Would you look at that..." She gave a nervous chuckle, noticing her friends flat looks.

"What was that!?" Rainbow asked.

"Twilight Sparkle, just what in Morrigan's name what is going on?" AJ demanded.

Twilight looked around the room nervously, trying to find the right words. "Well...I just...you see..."

"Is something going on over here?"

Everyone turned around and Twilight went pale when she saw Principal Cinch and the Shadowbolts standing there.

Author's Note

The costumes the Rainbooms are wearing: the 80'sish styled ones from the shorts.

Okay, this is my last post for a few days. See ya!

Chapter 6

Twilight went stiff when she saw Principal Cinch standing there. Beside her were the Shadowbolts, each now wearing fancy black and white orchestra outfits.

"Oh! Um...nothing! Just...warming up for the show!" Twilight quickly replied with the rest of her friends quickly nodding along.

Cinch raised an eyebrow but appeared to accept the answer as she focused her attention on her former student.

"I suppose, in the spirit of good sportsmanship, that I ought to wish you and your school best of luck for the contest. I can certainly imagine you certainly appreciating it yourself considering what happened last time."

Twilight flinched while the rest of the CHS crew just looked on in confusion. The Shadowbolts were smirking wickedly at her, some even trying to hold back their laughter.

Cinch continued. "When I learned you were the lead singer for you band, I naturally became quite concerned given your....previous attempt at singing at Crystal Prep. Of course that was a long time ago and I'm positive you've moved beyond that. I'm sure you'll be fine singing in a spotlight in front of an enormous crowd of strangers along with your friends and family whom I'm sure you'd want to impress in a contest with enough prize money to greatly benefit your school. Surely there's no reason to be nervous." She gave a small, cruel smile when she noticed Twilight beginning to sweat. "I'm glad we have that all cleared up. I hope to see you after the competition." With that, she and her students promptly walked away, leaving Twilight alone with her curious friends.

"What was that about?" Rainbow asked.

"Twilight...what she said. Does it have anything to do with why you tried to get out of the contest?" Sunset deduced, looking at Twilight.

Twilight just stood there for a moment, feeling like she couldn't breath. Her friend's eyes were trained on her, and she could feel her heart trying to burst it's way out of her chest. She shut her eyes in an attempt to block it out....and the sounds of laughter echoed all around her, closing in and trying to suffocate her...

"Twilight?" Flash took a step towards her....

.....right before she disappeared in a flash of light.

Everyone blinked at the empty space of air where their friend had just been.

"What happened? Where'd she go?" Flash asked worriedly, looking around.

"She must have teleported!" Sunset realized. "Come on, there's still time before we go on, let's look around."

Twilight sat defeated in a spare prop room, wallowing in solitude until Sunset opened the door.

"Twilight there you are!" She exclaimed with relief. "We looked everywhere for you!"

Behind her, Twilight saw the rest of her friends looking at her in worry. Sunset quickly took a seat on a box next to Twilight and put a hand on her shoulder. "What's going on? Why did you teleport away?"

Twilight just buried her face in her skirt. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Twilight.."AJ started as she and the rest of the group took seats around Twilight. "We ain't gonna judge ya, we just want ta know what's going on."

"We just want to help you Twilight." Fluttershy pleaded.

"You wouldn't understand." Twilight mumbled into her skirt.

"Try us." Rainbow demanded, folding her arms.

Twilight finally looked up and saw all of her friend's looking at her with concern. She took a deep a breath.

"Allright, I'll tell you."

Everybody leaned in as she began to tell her story.

"First thing you should know: I was a loser at Crystal Prep. I was a nerdy, introverted girl at a school full of overachievers who love bragging about their accomplishments and crushing anyone beneath them to get said accomplishments. So...no friends for me. Not that I ever really bothered trying to make friends."

Everybody looked at her, slack jawed.

"Back in freshman year, I still had some hope of at least getting them to like me, so I auditioned for the acapella team. I liked singing so I thought it would be a good chance to round out my curriculum and have fun while doing it. But at the audition..."

A few years ago...

Twilight looked around her, to see the auditorium was full of students here to either audition themselves, support their friends....or make fun of those who messed up on their auditions.

"Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight jumped when she heard her name called. She took a deep breath and headed onto the stage. At the table in front of it sat Principle Cinch, the supervisor for the team, and the student captain.

She took another deep breath before starting on a popular song that had come out earlier that year.

The judges were nodding and Twilight let herself get lost in the rhythm, beautifully belting out the words with all her heart when....

*SPLAT!*

Twilight suddenly found herself covered in some sort of greenis-blusigh-greyish gunk. She looked up and found a younger Indigo and Lemon up in the rafter, snorting and holding a tipped over bucket.

Soon enough the whole auditorium was beside themselves with laughter, pointing at Twilight and even taking pictures with their phones.

While the adults tried to get everyone under control, Twilight could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Without waiting another moment, she turned and ran off the stage, the laughter fading the farther she went.

Finally, she reached a bathroom and managed to get to a stall before vomiting.

Cadence soon arrived, but the damage was done. Indigo and Lemon managed to sneak out without getting caught and the whole thing was ruled as an accident, Cinch managed to hush the whole thing up, but the students continued tormenting Twilight about it for days afterwards, and right up until Summer vacation.

Twilight swore off doing anything on stage unless it had something to do with academics. She didn't even have the courage to point the finger at Lemon and Indigo or even tell her parents the full truth of the matter, fearing she might make things worse, especially since Indigo was a star athlete at Crystal Prep and everyone counted on her to bring home most of the athletic trophies.

All Twilight could do now was try to survive to graduation without anymore attention grabbing incidents....

Author's Note

I'm baaaaaack! Who's ready for some emotional turmoil!?

Chapter 7

Present day:

"...and ever since then I've just tried to be as invisible as possible at Crystal Prep, but they still made fun of me, not just for that incident, but for being so smart, being so powerful....or for just being me! I was too scared to tell my parents what was going on, after all they were so proud of me for going to my brother's high school. When I saw them a few days ago I just....froze up. And when I realized I was gonna have to sing in front of them again....I just chickened out. Things have so great for me ever since I got to Canterlot High that I was...scared that you would all find out how much of a loser I was at Crystal Prep you all would just...think I was a loser too. I'm sorry about trying to fake my way out of the contest, I was just too scared to think rationally. I'd understand if you'd all want to stop being my friends." Twilight looked at the others, who were all now wide-eyed and opened jawed as they processed what she just told them.

Finally, Rainbow pulled herself together, stood up, walked over to Twilight, and kneeled down to eye level.

"Twilight." Rainbow spoke slowly and clearly, which was rare for her. "I may not be the element of honesty, but what I am about to say is the one hundred percent honest truth. Do you understand?"

Twilight nodded slowly, and prepared herself for the rejection.

"You, Twilight Sparkle......are the most awesome person I have ever met." Rainbow said with the utmost seriousness.

This time it was Twilight's turn to jaw drop.

"Twilight..." Sunset gripped her shoulder. "You are not a loser!"

"Yeah! You're amazing!" Pinkie chimed in.

"Plus, your so kind and understanding. You're always willing to help others when they need it." Fluttershy smiled comfortingly.

"The only thing I'm sorry for is that you had to go through that all by yourself!" Rarity cried out.

"That must have been so awful for you." Sunset sympathized.

"It was humiliating..." Twilight sighed, remembering her experience.

"Listen." Rainbow commanded, still looking Twilight in the eyes. "I don't care what some stuck up snobs think of you. I think your awesome, and if anybody else thinks differently, then they're the loser. They don't deserve you. And no matter what happens or already happened, we'll always be your friends, no matter what!"

Twilight just sat there, stunned before tears started gathering in her eyes and she wiped them away, smiling.

"Thank you...all of you...."

Pinkie than gave Twilight one of her patented Pinkie-comfort-hugs, making her feel even better. She even giggled a little.

"Up next, Crystal Prep Academy!"

Everyone jumped a little at the announcement.

"Oh my! They're on already?" Rarity asked, checking her phone.

"Time goes by when you're getting emotional." Pinkie said simply.

"We'd better hurry back. We're on right after them." Rainbow said, heading to the door.

Twilight felt her nervousness return. "But, I don't know if-"

"It''s alright sugarcube." AJ said. "You don't have to sing if you don't feel comfortable enough. One of us can fill in."

"She's right darling." Rairty agreed. "We wouldn't make any one of us go one if we were feeling so upset. Just try to relax and we'll meet up after the contest, is that alright."

"Well, if you girls don't mind...thanks." Twilight gave a smile smile as the girls went off, leaving her alone with Flash.

"Are you sure you're ok?" He asked with concern.

"I guess..." Twilight sighed and sat back down. "I still can't believe I'm so scared of standing up to them, even after everything I've faced!"

"Twilight, it's alright." He sat down next to her. "Everybody's afraid of something."

"Even you?" She smirked at him.

"Even me." He admitted, smiling. "For instance, did you know I'm scared of heights?"

"No." She looked at him in surprise. "Really?"

"Yup. One time my dad took me up on a ferris wheel when I was a kid and I looked out the window, next thing I knew I was throwing up in the cart!" They both began laughing at the memory.

"Yeah, my brother can relate. I remember him getting airsick on Admiral Fairweather's Wild Ride at Pony Island! It's almost impossible to get him on an airship without throwing up!"

They both laughed some more.

"I'm just saying there's nothing to be ashamed of. Anything else you're scared of."

"Snakes."

"Snakes?"

"Snakes." Twilight replied seriously. "They are the symbol and epitome of evil. They live on almost every continent, around six hundred of them can be classified as venomous, and a decapitated snakes' head can still bit even hours after getting cut off, and those bites usually contain a huge amount of poison."

"Wow." Flash's eyes widened.

"Which kinda makes it hard for me to talk to gorgons unless they're wearing those hat things." Twilight explained sullenly.

"Well, compare facing a snake to facing the Shadowbolts. Which one would you rather do?"

"Well, they kind of are like snakes..."

"Twilight."

"I know! I know! I just....don't have a rational explanation for it!"

Flash rubbed the back of his head for a minute, thinking hard, before finally getting an idea.

"Well....what made you become the lead singer for the Rainbooms?"

Twilight looked surprised again. "Because they asked me to."

"You could have said no. Or asked to be a background singer."

"I guess..." Twilight looked away.

"So why did you do it? What gave you the courage to do it when you were facing down the sirens?"

Twilight was quiet for a minute, thinking, before finally speaking up.

"Well...I love to sing. And I had my friends right beside me. I knew...as long as they were there, I could do anything."

"There you go."

"What do you mean?"

"You're friends are still going to be right beside you, even on that stage. You can't let anybody scare you out of doing something you love."

"But I am!"

"And that's why you have your friends right there: to help you when you feel scared and nervous. Think of it like back at CHS, your friends are right beside you, supporting you. And not just on stage, but all around you. I told you the whole school came out here to support you guys. Win or lose, we'll never abandon you." Flash smiled.

Twilight felt more tears well up in her eyes as her mouth broke into a smile. Before Flash could react, Twilight had her arms around him.

"Thanks Flash." She said as she hugged him tight. "You're a really great friend."

Although he felt a little disappointed at the word 'friend' he was happy to be able to help as he hugged her back.

"So..I'll see you after the show?" He asked as she broke the hug.

"The show! I gotta get ready! I'll see you later!" With that, she rushed off to the changing rooms.

He watched her go, still smiling, before heading back to his seat in the audience.

Author's Note

One more chapter!

Chapter 8

The Rainbooms listened with apprehension as the Shadowbolts finished their performance and received a very loud applause.

"Oh! I think they were even better than before!" Fluttershy worried.

After they left the stage, the Shadowbolts headed straight for the Rainbooms.

"Liked our performance?" Sunny asked smugly.

"The audience certainly did." Sour added with a smirk.

"Just you wait!" Rainbow stepped forward. "Once we're done, the only thing the audience will remember will be our awesome performance!"

"Oh please!" Indigo scoffed. "They'll be too busy remembering our performance to even notice yours!"

"And the last show of the day will be....the Canterlot Sonic Rainbooms!" The Mayor announced.

"Well good luck girls!" Sour told them as they headed for the stage. "You'll need it!"

The Rainbooms scowled as the Shadowbolts howled with laughter.

"Ok girls! We can do this!" Rainbow said.

"Even without Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.

"Not anymore!"

The Rainbooms turned around and were shocked to find Twilight Sparkle standing there, in full costume no less.

"Darling what are doing?" Rarity asked in surprise. "I mean the costume does look fabulous on you, but what are doing wearing it? We though you wanted to sit this one out?"

"I did." Twilight admitted. "But Flash and I talked, and he helped me realize how ridiculous I was being. All that stuff in the past did hurt....but it's still in the past. All that matters is now. I have six of the best friends a girl could ever ask for, and I'm not about to let some bullies make me too scared to perform with them!"

"Yay!" Pinkie cheered. "Group hug!" With that, she gathered in everybody and they all hugged each other, smiling.

"Um...The Sonic Rainbooms?" The Mayor asked into the microphone.

"Gah!" Rainbow exclaimed. "We've gotta get on stage!"

"Just a minute darling." Rarity pulled out a powder brush and began to touch up Twilight's make up. "As much as I appreciate you coming back, you really must work on your make up skills."

Once she was done with that, the girls finally headed out on stage.

The Sonic Rainbooms stood on stage, instruments in hand, looking at the vast crowd before them.

"Oh my..." Fluttershy tried to hide herself behind her tambourine. "They looked smaller in the screen."

Twilight looked around, feeling nervous at all the eyes on her until she spotted her family, smiling and waving at her with pride, then she saw all her classmates cheering and finally Flash Sentry, who gave her a warm and comforting smile and nod.

"We can do this girls." Twilight assured them, smiling sonfidently as she took hold of the microphone. "Now let's rock this place!"

With their spirits lightened, the Rainbooms began to play:

"We've just got the day to get ready
And there's only so much time to lose
Because tonight, yeah, we're here to party
So let's think of something fun to do"

Quickly, people were tapping their feet and nodding their heads to the beat as the Rainbooms played.

"We don't know (we don't know) what's gonna happen
We just know (we just know) it's gonna feel right
All our friends are here
And it's time to ignite the lights!"

The girls were soon glowing as they gained pony ears, wings and longer hair, causing the audience to cheer in excitement as many of them got up on their feet to dance as the colored lights were activated.

Twilight felt herself lost in the music, sensing the the good vibes around her, and let the magic out of her, letting herself pony up.

"Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight
Shake your tail, shake your tail
Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight
Shake your tail, shake your tail!"

One the side of the Stage, the Shadowbolts stood there, stunned at the performance they were seeing.

"They're good..."Indigo admitted reluctantly.

"'Good'? They're amazing!" Lemon argued back.

"They are quite good. They have a lot of energy and passion and it shows in their performance." Sugarcoat stated. "Unlike ours."

"So what you didn't get it right the first time"

Sunny looked at her classmates hesitantly. "Did...you guys know Twilight could sing like that?"

Most of the girls shook their heads in shock while Indigo and Lemon looked away, their expressions unreadable.

"We don't know (we don't know) what's gonna happen
We just know (we just know) it's gonna feel right"

Everybody in the audience, even the judges were up and dancing to the song. Many were laughing and dancing with their friends and family.

"Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight!"

As with all things, the song soon came to an end as the final beat was struck, the girls ponied down, and they ere greeted with deafening applause, particularly from the CHS students.

The girls gathered up in a line, held hands, and gave a group bow, smiling from the excitement.

But none of them, not even Pinkie, were beaming as hard as Twilight was.

The girls left the stage as the judges took a few minutes to look over the results and decide the winner.

"Did you see that!? WE WERE AMAZING!" Rainbow exclaimed, smiling.

"That was so exciting!" Fluttershy squeed.

"Yeah! We were all like wah wah wah wah wah! And they were like 'oh yeah! Uh huh!'" Pinkie demonstrated by first air shredding on a guitar and then doing dome dance moves.

Twilight giggled and was about to saw something when she noticed some familiar faces in front of them.

"Oh, um...hi guys." She hesitantly greeted the Shadowbolts. What was really odd was that they didn't look smug or arrogant. Rather, they appeared....demure, standing up straight with their hands either folded in front or behind them.

"Hey, Twilight..."Sunny said nervously, avoiding eye contact.

"What do ya'll want?" AJ asked, glaring at them.

"We just umm..."Sour couldn't seem to find the right words.

"You guys were...pretty good out there." Lemon admitted, surprising the Rainbooms.

"You were certainly far above most of the other competitors." Sugarcoat acknowledged.

"Yeah..you were alright.."Indigo said softly.

To say the CHS girls were shocked was an understatement. Most of them had their jaws wide open and pupils like pinpricks. They couldn't even seem to process what was happening.

"Wow. Um...thanks." Twilight finally managed to reply.

"That's....real polite of ya'll." AJ managed say.

"Indeed. You girls were...quite good yourselves." Rarity shakily put together.

They entered an awkward silence that before anyone could make even more weirder....

"Look! They're going to announce the winner!" Sunset pointed to the screen.

The Mayor was walking to the center of the stage, a piece of paper in hand as she approached the mic.

"Hello everyone! I would like to thank all of you once again for supporting these students and education department! I would also like to give thanks to the students for their wonderful music they provided us with today! And, without further ado, the winner is...."

Everyone held their breath in suspense as she looked at the paper.

"...THE CANTERLOT MAGNET SCHOOL!"

The audience cheered as the students went on stage to accept their prize.

"Aw man!" Rainbow groaned.

Aj patted her friend on the shoulder. "It's alright sugarcube. We did our best."

"Plus, they were really good." Sunset said.

"Second place goes to the Canterlot Sonic Rainbooms, followed by Crystal Prep!"

This caused Rainbow's eyes to brighten. "Yes! We still beat them! I mean we didn't win, but we still placed ahead of them!"

AJ coughed, before pointing the very much still there Crystal Prep students.

"...Oh, right. Sorry." Rainbow blushed and gave a nervous grin.

"...Well....congratulations, I guess...."Sunny said hesitantly.

"Thanks." Twilight said.

Finally, the Shadowbolts walked away towards a frowning Cinch.

"Well that was weird." Sunset noted.

"No kidding." Rainbow agreed.

"I wonder what that was all about..."Twilight wondered.

Everyone soon was filing out of the theatre while the staff began cleaning.

In the lobby, the Rainbooms ran into a few friendly faces...

"There you are!" Celestia greeted them with a bright smile. "You girls were fantastic!"

"Indeed. It was a remarkable performance." Luna praised.

"Sorry we didn't win the prize money." Twilight apologized.

Celestia waved the issue aside. "Don't worry about it. If we needed money that badly, we can do another fundraiser. But for now, let's just celebrate on a job well done!"

"Whoo-hoo!" Pinkie cheered. "Party time!"

As the girls discussed the details of the party, Twilight found herself alone with Flash.

"Hey. Sorry you didn't win, but you girls really rocked it up there!"

Twilight smiled. "Thanks. Especially for that talk before, I really needed that."

Flash just shrugged. "Anytime. Now Pinkie mentioned something about a party?"

Twilight giggled. "You're invited. I'm sure she'll be happy to have you."

"That's great, but I think she's going to have her hands full..."

Flash quickly led them to the front doors and opened them...

...revealing the large crowd of CHS students clapping and cheering for them!

"I'm going to need a lot more snacks..."Pinkie observed.

Twilight just giggled and went out to greet her classmates.

Author's Note

Done! And on the one year anniversary of me being on the site to boot!