“I cannot believe you talked me into this,” Beacon Fire huffed, shifting on her hooves as she peeked from behind the curtain. Why were there this many ponies at a silly old talent show?!

“Relax, Bea, you got this,” Pineapple Pizza said. “It’s not that long a song.”

“Besides, you’re the captain of the guard, remember?” Frost Glide said, nudging her shoulder with a chuckle. “You’re supposed to be tougher than this.”

“Right, captain of the guard, not singer!” Beacon hissed.

“Ya got nothin’ to worry ‘bout, Fire,” Ghost Pepper said, walking over and setting a comforting hoof on her shoulder and flashing a kind smile. “Ya sounded mighty good in practice—it’s mostly me I’m worried about. I’ve never played in front of an audience before.”

“You sounded great, too, Pepper,” Pineapple said.

“Yeah, I reckon so. I mostly get it from my pa,” Pepper said with a shrug. “He blows a mean harmonica.”

“And now!” came the booming voice of an announcer on the stage. “Please welcome our next contestants, Captain Beacon Fire and Ghost Pepper!”

Beacon’s ears drooped as the crowd applauded. “Did he have to bring up my rank?” she muttered.

Frost and Pineapple nudged her forward.

“Knock ‘em dead, Bea!” Pineapple hissed.

“Break a leg!” Frost added.

“I’ve never understood that,” Beacon said to Pepper as they headed past the curtain.

“Me either,” Pepper said with a shrug.

Beacon winced at the spotlights as the crowd applauded and stomped for the two performers. Pepper waved to the crowd and made her way over to a stool seated by a microphone on a stand and unslung her guitar. She beckoned over Beacon with a jerk of her head.

The captain gulped and walked up to a second microphone stand, squinting out at the crowd. She glanced back towards backstage and saw Frost and Pineapple nodding her on. Flashing them an uneasy smile, she turned back to the crowd.

“How’s, uh, everypony doing tonight?” she asked with a nervous chuckle. “Tonight, I’d like to sing for all of you ‘Equestria, The Land I Love,’ by Coloratura.”

She nodded to Pepper, who returned it and started strumming on her guitar. Beacon swallowed a lump, shut her eyes, and leaned into the microphone…

“Equestria, the land I love, a land of harmony.

“Our flag does wave, from high above, for ponykind to see…

“Equestria, a land of friends! Where ponykind do roam!

“They say true friendship never ends.

“Equestria, my home!”

As the strumming beside her stopped, Beacon hesitantly opened her eyes. She was abruptly overwhelmed by thunderous applause and the stomping of many hooves—most audibly, from her position, from backstage.

Pepper stood up beside her, setting aside her guitar and nodded to her. The two faced the audience, with Pepper taking off her hat before the two gave their bows. They waved to the crowd as Beacon headed off-stage, while Pepper replaced her hat and retrieved her guitar.

“You were amazing, Bea!” Frost exclaimed, her and Pineapple hugging her.

“I told you you could do it!” Pineapple agreed.

“Heh, thanks guys,” Beacon said sheepishly. “But it feels like my face is on fire right now.”

“Fantastic job!”

Beacon and her friends turned towards the new voice: an aquamarineish-grey earth pony with a curly indigo and opal mane and tail. A cutie mark of multicolored musical notes adorned her flank.

“I can’t say I’ve ever heard another pony sing that before,” she said, beaming at Beacon Fire. “And your friend plays a mean guitar. I just wanted to say thank you to you both, and best of luck with the judging.”

As she trotted away, Beacon spluttered. “Th-That was… Co-Co-Colora…” She trailed off as she flopped over in a dead faint.

Pepper emerged from the stage, eyes widening at the fainted unicorn. “What the hay happened to her?” she remarked.

Author's Note

Fun fact 1: Yes, that pony is who you think she is.

Fun fact 2: Beacon is willing to go above and beyond the call of duty--but she has a bit of stage fright.