The Singer Addresses Her Audience {Open to Fillydelphia}

[Stygg Whitefeather]

”Trot outside and you see the sunshine
Something's in the air today-

So sang Fluttershy quietly to herself behind the a red velvet curtain as she swayed to the music of The Pony Tones, brimming with a smile, as the group finished their final song for the evening as the opening act for Starsong. Between Pinkie-Pie and herself, they had pulled off a decent show, thus far, for the military and the civilains of Fillydelphia. The show, put on by the newly established Equestrian Service Organization, with help from the Civilian Corps and sponsered by the Equestrian Military, provided entertainment to all the fighting ponies under the Crown, and her allies and, in this special circumstance, the civilians caught up in the rebuilding of their once industrial power-house of a city. The organization refered to itself as a 'stable of entertainment for all', focusing on comdey shows, vaudeville, poetry, puppeteering, magic, and most importantly, musical acts. It was, in part, an act of appreciation, part propoganda, and part relief. The ESO had even performed in the Griffon Kingdom following the civil war and was credited with improving overal moral there. Today, however, was for Equestria and the headliner was none other than Starsong, the most famous performer in all of Equestria, surpassing even Saphire Shores – who would have attended this event if she wasn't caught up in Manehatten's troubles.

Fluttershy, as a leading represenative of the Civilian Corps and a celebrity in her own right as part of the Elements of Harmony, she, Pinkie-Pie and Rarity were on hoof to assist with the show and, as seeen by Rarity current on stage singing with the other three members of the group, providing entertainment.

”Fluttershy!” Called rude and loud by a pink part pony appearing behind Fluttershy, who jumped in fright into the air and before she could zip away, floated down realizing it was just her friend being herself – even if 'herself' left Fluttershy with heart palpitations.

”Yes, Pinkie?” She asked between hyperventalated breaths.

”You're on in two minutes, silly-filly.” Pinkie replied with a wide-eyed grin, ”Or did you forget you're our introducer!? Starsong needs the most fantastic, amazing, crazy best introduction ever!” She ended with a long stall, her voice dying into a rasp.

”Oh, but there's just so many... ponies.” Fluttershy said as she peeked out from behind the curtain at the crowds assemblied. They were in the old Fillydelphia stadium, though partially damaged from the occupation, it was still usable if you ignored the occasional pot mark in the wall, the lack of running water, and the fact it was used as an execution platform by the Diamond Dog occupiers for many ponies unfortunate enough to not have evacuated before the city's fall. However, all that was different. Tonight, it was about victory and order; the concert was touted as a backhoof against the Diamond Dogs, drakes and other creatures which sought them all harm. Tonight was about Equestira and its strenght against adversity. And from the cheers of the crowds, the tragedy which befell the city was, at least, forgotten for the night as they revelled in the enjoyment of Equestrian culture.

Fluttershy quivered, anticipating what she had to do next, though only to be pushed by Pinkie-Pie. She shoved her hooves against Fluttershy's flank as she pushed her towards the curtain as the Pony-Tones finished their last song of the night. Fluttershty scraped her hooves agains thte stage floor, fighting against Pinkie's unrelenting force to expell her onto the stage, front and center. She had been fine with voicing the upcoming act from behind the stage but, Starsong demanded a certain presence before appearing – and Fluttershy had somehow gotten herself caught in this demanding web and Pinkie was no console for her apprehension. With one last strong shove, Fluttershy was pushed past the curtains and now sat before the crowd of hundreds of pony eyes, all staring at her, their focus like lasers upon her – waiting.

”I – uh, St- sta-” Her eyes welled up, ”Starsong on next” As she said those words, her wings flapped hard and she took off to stage right.

She ran into Pinkie-Pie who, despite receiving a Pegasus at full speed (for Fluttershy) face first, remained unflinched as she beamed with praise, “”Wow, hear that applause, Fluttershy, you killed them! Not literally though, cause that would be mean and gross and you're like the opposite of that and I'd be so surprised if you could kill like a thousand ponies-” Said the pink pony till her breath was exhausted, then content, with a proud smile, while her pegasus conterpart huddled on the floor, crying and shivering.

There upon Fluttershy's words, emerged Starsong – the violet pegasus with a star cutie-mark, with mic in ear, she addressed the crowd first with a wave of her forehoof, then her voice, thanking all the brave ponies and acknowleding the hardships of all th refuges which watched from the rafters and far-off seats. Military always had the better seats, much to the chagrin of the civilians. She acknowleded the celebration of Equestrian victory, to the applause of all ponies, even retracking once previous statements against political envolvement but, there were extrodinary times. Then, she stated with her first song of the night, to the uproarious appaluse of the crowd.

[Deleted]

Sylvia had been busy wandering the streets of Fillydelphia, wanting to see what there was to see. Oddly enough, many of the ponies were gathering in a large open building. The architecture of this place always astounded her. Of course, she was used to living in caves and tunnels most of her life. Something about this place felt a bit off, as if it had a dark history to it. She could see the markings on the walls the closer she crawled to it. Despite that, though, the music she heard was lighthearted and fun. She couldn't help but be intrigued by the sound.

Back when she lived with her father, she always admired the birds and phoenixes that would sing in the forests. Music was always fascinating to her, and she had heard some examples from the Gryphons she had stayed with. The music here sounded very complex, with harmonies and different instruments. She wasn't aware that a famous Pony was going to take the stage.

Afraid to intrude, the dragon looked up at the stadium to find a place to rest and listen. She spotted a building overlooking the stage, and with a powerful leap, she was off into the air, her wings carrying her high above. Scrambling onto the rooftop, she wasn't sure if anyone caught sight of her. Though she had the affidavit from the Princess granting her permission, she wasn't sure if she would incite a panic by appearance below. She just hoped she didn't draw anypony's eye.

Settling in on the roof, she realized she had one of the best seats, being able to see with her keen eyes what was going on below. The music rang through the air, not too loud, not too soft. Sylvia gave a satisfied grin and rested her chin on the ledge of the roof to listen in, her tail thumping along with the beat.

[Blink]

Blink could hardly help but tap her hoof to the beat as Starsong's music rang throughout the building. The mare had talent, it had to be said. As for Blink herself, she had one of the better seats, traded from an officer who hadn't wanted to go. Some soldiers could get so stiff. She promised herself there and then (for maybe the hundredth time) that no matter where she got in the ranks or how hard the war hit her, she'd always have time for entertainment.

For a moment she could've sworn a shadow passed over her, but just then Starsong's song ended and she began speaking again in preparation for the next. Keeping her attention on the singer, Blink didn't bother looking up. After all, it was probably just some pegasus going for a better vantage. That happened at basically every show of any kind.

[Selenia]

Selenia sat about halfway up in the stands, gently bobbing her head along to Starsong's rhythm as she watched the throng of ponies in general admission dance and sing along. Music always had that amazing capacity to cool nerves, and Selenia's had been frayed before she decided to take the night out on the town. As her necessities in Canterlot had been wrapped up, she had been constantly dreading being teleported to the Labyrinth. Through talking with Red, seeing her parents, training and talking with Sturmurfer and Klepto, it was like a constant itch at the back of her mind. The order for all military to head to Fillydelphia was a short sidestep, but the anxiety kept creeping back into her thoughts. It reminded her of a quote from one of her favorite books, 'I don't want to be in a battle, but waiting on the edge of one I can't escape is even worse!'

She felt practically paranoid by the time the train pulled up in Fillydelphia. How would her parents feel? What would Red say if he saw her cracking under the pressure like this? She'd go mad trying to wait for it, so with great effort she decided not to. Distractions were the order of the evening, and Starsong's concert provided the perfect avenue to take her mind off her 'impending doom' as Red had put it. One quick hayburger later and Starsong's melody was working wonders. She had never been one for concerts, they were either too loud or too expensive, but military decree had her holed up in Fillydelphia for the time being, so she might as well enjoy it while she could.

[Fantasy Script]

After an uneventful ride with the airship, time mostly spent chatting with Lucky about inane things Script finally found himself in Fillydelphia. The City was quite different compared to Canterlot and not a place the enchanter had heard much about, except the generally known, or studied extensively as he had done with Ponyville and Canterlot. Still, it was an interesting experience. There were still marks from the attack, not all damage could be dealt with as swiftly but it was certainly an improvement from what it must have looked like when diamond dogs and the like were wandering the streets.

What he didn’t exactly expect was to be part of a huge concert.

Mostly because it really didn’t seem like the type of thing he would be deployed for, a huge concert. His mind kept racing, wondering what was going on, because there must be something going on, for them to be stationed in such numbers right here… something was off. Then again, maybe he was just being paranoid, again. There really seemed nothing too threatening here. Except of course the huge crowd, which he greatly disliked, thankfully most of them were rather well disciplined stallions and mares of the military, especially in their block since they got the prime seating… still. Too many ponies in one place for his taste.

As a cruel twist of irony, thanks to him watching only the ponies around him and fidgeting because of that, he missed the huge dragon passing overhead, though honestly had he known, it wouldn’t have really worsened his mood or anxiety that much… probably… maybe.

The music at least was easing his mind slowly, allowing him to focus on something other than the huge amount of ponies all around him. Being able to watch a Starsong concert for free certainly was a treat for the poor Stalliongrad enchanter. A drastic change, he mused, from his former life. Purpose had given him a way to deal with his past’s ghosts and Lucky at least helped to lessen his scowl… sometimes. He tapped his forehoof to the beat just enjoying the music.

[Javelin Razorwing]

    Recent events unfolded quickly. The forces in Canterlot were mustered and then shipped en mass to Fillydelphia via airship. Javelin wondered why they even bothered to ship her battalion to Canterlot in the first place if they were just going to be right back in Filly a week later. Although, considering the constant turmoil of war and how circumstances could change at any moment, it must have seemed prudent at the time. Now, in an effort to improve morale and give the troops a bit of relief from the tedium of their duties, a great concert was arranged. Javelin Razorwing sat with her squad among the military ponies who occupied the first half of the stadium. Hundreds of ponies filled the stands while even more had flown up to the rafters above.

    A Starsong performance really was something to behold. She was extremely talented and the fact that she was singing at the concert that night had been enough to make Javelin squee with excitement. The young mare had closed her eyes and was bobbing her head to the tune, lost in the music. She was only a recent convert to the Starsong fandom. Javelin loved Sapphire Shores, had listened to all of her albums during her teens. The first time she heard Starsong sing Javelin was convinced it must have been Celestia herself. She had been quickly chastised, Celestia didn't sing, silly filly. That was Starsong, probably the best singer in Equestria for a hundred years. And thanks to modern technology, they could listen to her whenever they wanted! Although, the tinny recording of a song recorded in a studio hundreds of miles away replayed on a temperamental phonograph paled in comparison to the real thing.

    Come to think of it, Javelin's record collection had probably been destroyed along with her parent's home... Bah, now was not the time to think! It was time to appreciate the arts, to laugh and to enjoy oneself, something that Javelin intended to do to the best of her ability.  

[Stygg Whitefeather]

Starsong had now completed her first set of inspirational, pulse pounding, and patriotic songs which proved to rally the soldier ponies in the stands. They cheered, they cried, they called for songs she never performed (as is always the case) but, no pony could say it was not having the intended effect that which it was set-up for. As Starsong addressed the crowd, approaching the front and center, she waved to the audience.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed into her microphone set, "And my thanks to all you brave soldiers out there!" There was a great roar from the audience, "Without you, we wouldn't be here today, back in this great city - and, though we've all suffered loses and heartache, we have not lost our spirit! Proof of that is all you here with me tonight - everypony, give yourselves an applause." A roar of hoof-stomps shook the stadium. "And when you're marching tomorrow, defending Equestria from those Diamond Dogs, Drakes, and all manner of mean creatures - remember tonight, remember who you're fighting for out there in the field, do it for all those happy faces behind you - your family, friends, and all those not here with us today. Prevail; for your Princess, your comrades, and for Equestria!"

After her brief interlude, Starsong begun a lively rendition of the Equestrian Anthem. While over the stadium, streaks of color shoot across the sky, trails left by a pegasus unit in maneuvers. Then, from very high above, a twinkle of something rabidly descending towards the center of the stadium. It grew closer, and closer, approaching at near unbelievable speed before it suddenly exploded in brilliant rainbow which lit up the night sky like if an entire firework display was condensed into a single great rocket - a Sonic Rainboom. A moment later, even before the audience could recover from the brilliant display, a rainbow maned pegasus in a Equestrian Stars uniform landed on stage beside Starsong, waving to the crowd. As Starsong's rendition of the anthem ended, she motioned to the pegasus, "A round of applause for Rainbow Dash!" Another uproarious applause befell the stadium and Rainbow Dash bowed a few times before slipping off backstage. With that, Starsong broke into another roaring song.

[Deleted]

Sylvia's reptilian head bobbed to the music. As Starsong addressed her audience, the teenage dragon rested her chin on the edge of the building to listen in. Though she didn't take part in whatever war was going on, she still felt she did her share of help. She did stop the one dragon from causing more havoc here. That had to count for something, right?

Her golden eyes turned upward as the elaborate display was overheard. She froze, hoping that the Pegasi above didn't see her as a threat. Thankfully, they continued on their way, and she saw the twinkle in the sky. She was nearly blown away by the amazing display of colors that flowed across the air in a powerful wave. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. She could barely take her eyes away from the shimmering lights, almost falling into a trance-like state as they danced across the sky. It took the applause of the ponies to snap her out of it, and she shook her head, trying her best to snap out of her stupor and concentrate on the concert once more.

"How did they create quite a sight? "She wondered. She had been so entranced that she hadn't heard that it was a mere Pegasus who created it. She did her best not to dwell on it.

[Blink]

Blink couldn't help but gasp. A sonic rainboom! They really went all out for this display. She could feel the ripple in the air even from here. She stamped her hooves enthusiastically against the ground, joining the raucous applause for the aerial display. She was honestly surprised when Starsong burst into song again before it had even fully died down, but the amplification spells did their job. While she could be a bit cynical at times, Blink had to admit that Starsong certainly knew how to speak to an audience.

[Selenia]

Selenia idly smiled. A rousing speech, a war speech, like the ones in the books. Depending on who was watching and how the following day went, this one might be written down. The soldiers would remember it for sure. Starsong's melodious anthem was followed by the Element of Loyalty rocketing onto the stage, rainboom in her wake. Selenia hadn't seen one in years, but it was just as spectacular as she remembered; some nice fireworks for the crowd. It was nice to know that the six of Equestria's greatest modern-day celebrities/defenders were alongside them. They weren't soldiers, but the six of them combined had seen more concentrated action than most of the military. Their exploits were practically legend, and seeing them up close only perpetuated the sense of disbelief. They were just normal ponies, normal ponies with lives and jobs and friends. Not to imply anypony in the military didn't have any of that, just that they had enlisted; they had signed up with the pretense and expectation of conflict. Those six were the Elements of Harmony, they wouldn't have asked for this. Unfortunately, war would make soldiers of everypony.