Cheering crowds, excited fans, passionate music lovers. Those were the kinds of ponies who were behind the red velvet curtains, and if Songbird were to be honest, she was afraid of disappointing them. Currently, she was pacing in the backstage of her largest performance in over six months.
She obsessed over every little detail; her two-sided mane had to be perfect, not a single hair overlapping the other side. She couldn’t make a mistake, so she warmed up her voice and over-practiced every step of her choreography. Every glance at the mirror meant more anxiety and more pacing, leading to more stress. Every attempt to steer herself away from possible mistakes just increased the chances of failure.
It had been over a month since the incident, and her wings had been diagnosed by several doctors to be unlikely to recover enough for flight. Nonetheless, even if she hadn’t suffered such a huge dent to her pride, she still suffered from the pain of the memories that went along with it.
With the upcoming concert however, everypony was just excited to see their star again, safe and alright. As much as she disliked it, her wings had to be bandaged to prevent her from bleeding too much, especially not on stage. In front of thousands of ponies. The thought just stressed her out more.
A hoof settled down on her shoulder, which calmed her down, but only slightly. “What am I gonna do out there, Rara?” she asked desperately. “I’m a bundle of nerves; there’s no way I’ll be able to finish the performance flawlessly!”
Rara clicked her tongue. “You don’t need to be flawless, Songy. They’d be happy just to see you doing what you love again. You have to calm down a bit.” She moved Songbird onto the chair near the mirror and began to massage her shoulders.
Songbird appreciated the comfort being offered to her, but she knew that Rara couldn’t understand what she was going through. As an earth pony, Rara wouldn’t know the joys of flying like a pegasus, something she would have loved to rectify, but…sometimes fate could be cruel.
She glanced at Rara with a sad look in her eyes, her long hair not quite covering them. “A pegasus doesn’t just lose the gift of flight and walk away from it unchanged, sweetheart. The fact that they’re walking just pushes the point home. I… I really like to fly, Rara. Other than singing, flying is–was–a really big part of my life. Like every pegasus, I dreamed of being a Wonderbolt for a little while, and even after I became a singer I always incorporated flying routines into my live performances. It made me feel free, like I could do anything. How do you think I feel now that it’s gone?” The sad look evolved into one of despair as tears welled up in her eyes.
Rara opened her mouth then promptly closed it, looking away in thought for a second, “Y’know, I used to have a hobby like that too.”
Songbird quirked an eyebrow. “Rara, honey; you know my wings were more than just a hobby to me.”
“I know it’s not anywhere near as important to me as your wings are to you, but I used to really enjoy camping,” she answered with a melancholic look. “Me and my pal AJ–you remember her, right?–used to get into all sorts of trouble at Camp Friendship. Anyways, after I came home with my cutie mark, I knew I wanted to do more than just singing. I do love music; it’s my special talent after all, but I wanted to experience what the world had to offer. So I volunteered on as many camping trips as I could find, just so I could experience it.
“When my manager started sponsoring me a few years later, I had less time to search and take part in them. Eventually, he put a stop to it all together, and began molding me into Countess Coloratura.” She frowned at the memory. “Now that I’m free of him, you’d think I could go back to that. But I have so little time for something that takes so much investment that nowadays I’ve almost given up on it entirely.”
Songbird knew there were plenty of differences between their stories, especially the extent of the consequences, but she held her tongue. “Well, I know you well enough to know that you’re about to say something profound. Out with it.”
Rara smiled at her words and nuzzled Songbird’s mane. “Well, I’m telling you to show that even when something you love is taken from you, you’ll have a chance to experience it again sometime. It might take awhile before you get to, but it’ll be well worth the wait, I’m sure of it.”
Songbird was pondering over Rara’s words when a scratchy voice shouted from outside the dressing room, “Songbird Serenade on in two minutes, we need to hurry up here ponies!”
“Well, wish me luck,” she said as she got up from her chair, brushing her mane to cover her face. As she walked toward the stage she tossed a look back. “Oh, and Rara?”
“Yeah?”
Songbird smiled. “Thanks.”
Rara smirked. “No problemo, Songy,” she said jokingly before blowing a kiss.
Songbird felt her cheeks flame slightly and hoped Rara didn’t notice. “You’re so bad with pet names,” she laughed out.
“I know.”
“Introducing, Songbird Serenade!” the announcer called out while she walked slowly onto the stage, now in front of the red velvet curtains. As she neared the microphone, a stream of negative emotions welled up inside of her. Fear of disappointing the crowd, that had been waiting so long to see her again. Sadness for her broken wings, and the likelihood that she’d never fly again. Anger at the incident that broke them, and her sponsors for letting her perform on a faulty stage.
All that negativity vanished as she heard the crowd roar in excitement at her arrival. It reminded her of why she loved music, because of how it brought ponies together in times of hardship, and united them under a common love.
“Hello, everypony,” she said as the crowd’s cheering died out, a neutral expression on her face. “I’m glad to see so many bright faces here tonight. I’m sorry it’s taken so long for another show, but you all know what happened.
“Regarding that, while there are a few permanent injuries that I may never come back from”—she glanced to her bandaged wings briefly before turning her sights back to the fans in the stadium—”I assure you all that I am back and ready to perform for you tonight.
“Tonight’s opening song is a brand new piece, written over the time I’ve been out of commission. It’s written for somepony very special to me, who helped me even at my lowest. Now, I’m going to be honest, not even a few minutes ago, I would’ve been scared out of my mind about coming on stage for you all, afraid that I wouldn’t live up to your expectations after the wait. Now though, after a little chat with them, it’s the best I’ve felt since the incident.”
Songbird paused for a moment to look into the red-topped VIP booth, spotting Rara staring at her from inside, starstruck on the verge of tears. She gave her a quick wink with her own misty eyes before spreading her bandaged wings slightly.
“Ladies and gentlecolts, I bring you; Falling Up!”
A smile crossed her face as the lights dimmed on the stage, signaling the start of her newest masterpiece. The backup dancers were in place, the visual effects were perfect, and the stadium was packed full of ponies.
None of that mattered to her anymore as she sang, not just for the crowd, but for her.
This one’s for you, sweetheart.
