Vignette - Schoolhouse Rock · 11:26pm Jul 8th, 2022
It’s music time and the Rainbooms had to learn a good deal of new material! The vignette is detailed well, but I needed to build their setlist to properly write it. I’m not putting lyrics in the vignette, so in case you don’t know the songs and want to listen, I put together a Ruby Palace Playlist on YouTube. The playlist is purely supplemental. The songs are in order of their appearance in the story. I did my best to find uploads with lyrics on the screens, but that wasn’t always possible, however, if you set YouTube to play English CCs, sometimes it will add the lyrics to the videos.
July 30 – Saturday 6:20pm
Sunset watched from the sidelines as Rainbow Dash rocked out on stage, supported by Pinkie Pie on drums, Twilight on secondary vocals, Rarity on the Keytar and backup vocals, and Applejack on bass guitar and backup vocals. Right now, it was just the five of them out on stage, rocking out for the crowd as they played their usual songs. The first and second setlists required the band to be split. Now that the Rainbooms had wireless mics, Dash could use the full stage to perform. She didn’t have to be back at a mic stand when it came time for her to sing. Her only limitation was her guitar’s cable.
Tonight was the big night. Music filled Canterlot’s Amphitheater to raise money for their semester abroad. It was a nice, mid-summer, Saturday evening. The sun was basically down, but it would still be light out for a few more hours. The concert had been marketed as a family friendly community event, suitable for all ages. By starting at 5pm and ending by 8pm, families with younger kids would be able to stay for the whole concert. Since the idea for the concert had been Sunset’s, she was their organizer and leader for the event and all of its preparatory stages.
The concert was “free,” but they were asking for donations for each “ticket” to go into their fund for the foreign exchange program. It wasn’t only the Rainbooms performing tonight. They were the headline act, but Trixie and the Illusions had started the evening, with Flash Drive, Flash Sentry’s band, playing second. The Rainbooms were very thankful the two bands had volunteered. It expanded the fundraiser from a music show, to a full concert, and was a better value for people’s donations.
They had a solid volunteer stage crew too. Octavia Melody was their director, helping time the stage crew and ensuring the acts stayed on the Wondercolts’ schedule. Vinyl Scratch was running the soundboard for them, as DJ-PON3. Micro Chips was on lights and some other things. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell, Scootaloo, Snips, Snails, and Babs Seed were their volunteer stagehands; all six were wearing the obligatory all black outfits of stagehands to blend in whenever they had to do something on stage. All of the stage crew were plugged into a separate communication channel. Only Octavia had a microphone, the others were only wearing earpieces to hear her directions. Although she was not a member of the stage crew, Photo Finish was a volunteer; capturing the entire event for the girls with her camera.
People from all across Canterlot had come to the show. Their promotion team had canvassed as much of the city as they could in sixteen days, getting permission from businesses to leave fliers and sometimes put up posters in their shops. Some businesses had passed out the fliers while others decided to leave them in a place for customers to see and decide if they wanted to pick up one. Either strategy was fine and appreciated. Principal Celestia had even sent out a mass email for them to the alumni of Canterlot Highschool with an electronic copy of the flier attached.
With the suggested donation price, they needed to fill the amphitheater seventy percent to hit their donation goal for the night, but they were far from seventy percent. It was packed as tight as it could be for the seats and the standing room in the front was also full. They were at full capacity, basically ensuring they had hit their goal. From what Sunset had been able to see of the crowd, the bulk of people attending were their classmates and many had brought their families with them, but a lot of families without kids attending CHS had come out for some summer fun and there was a significant “older crowd” without kids in attendance as well. The diversity was thanks to their promotion team, CHS’ graphics arts club who had designed the professional fliers and posters they used, and Color Wheel’s father, who printed the fliers and posters for the small “fee” of having his shop’s info on them as an advertisement.
The Rainbooms’ supporting acts wore what they wanted, but Rarity had made the Rainbooms outfits that matched the theme: “Japan.” It was a bit of a loose theme, allowing for Rarity to design them each an outfit that matched both the wearer and the theme. The outfits were white with red accents, with Pinkie Pie as the “accent member” wearing the opposite as everyone else.
Pinkie also was the only one in a hat, to help block the bright stage lights so the drummer could see what she was hitting. It didn’t help that her drums were on a tall platform so her kit could easily be seen by the crowd. She had turned it into the theme. Her kick drum had Japan’s “Rising Sun” flag on the head and there were several other mini flags sticking off of the top of the hi-hat and her cymbal stands. She had switched the color of her drum kit from blue to white and red. Pinkie was even using drum sticks that had red shafts and white shoulders, heads and butts. If the crowd could see them, they looked amazing as Pinkie played the drums or twirled them during one of Dash’s guitar solos.
The stage also had two standing Japanese flags flanking it. They were planning to project on the backdrop later, so they couldn’t hang the flags up, but it looked great having them on stage. All of those details, big and small, came together to add an extra, deeper, layer to their performance. It would only get better when the seven of them finally performed together.
Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna were helping too. They were the ones at the table for the ticket “sales”. All of the Rainbooms had to be backstage getting ready, making them unable to collect the donations. Having students volunteering would have been fine, however having the two adults, already trusted to run a high school, sent a subtle message to donors that they could be trusted with the money. That was an especially important message if they had any large donors.
Sunset’s vision had the Rainbooms with no downtime. Everything was supposed to flow smoothly once they had started their first setlist. Someone would either be on stage entertaining the donors, or playing a transition while they changed songs in a set. There would be no silence in between songs. Even the transition between supporting acts were very short. Dash had started playing before the Flash Drives were even off the stage.
As the five of them finished the last song on the playlist, Snips and Apple Bloom brought out microphone stands and mics to center stage. It was a smooth transition between the musicians and the two principals who were coming onstage to update the crowd. Vice Principal Luna was carrying the board with their thermometer donation gauge on it, which was currently covered until they did the reveal. The switch was so short, the audience was still applauding the performance.
“Thank you, everyone,” Principal Celestia said, which quieted the crowd. “The Rainbooms will be out again shortly. They are changing sets. In the meantime, we have an update for you about the donations received. I know we have plenty of people attending who know nothing about the girls or the foreign exchange program. We are so happy to have community members from all walks of life in attendance and are thankful for your support of the girls. For those who do not know me or my sister, I am Celestia, Principal of Canterlot Highschool, and Luna is our Vice Principal. Canterlot High is a public school serving our city. It has been a joy to have Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Twilight Sparkle attending CHS. The Rainbooms is the name of their band.
“For those who don’t know about the girls or the fundraiser, participating students in the foreign exchange program get to spend a semester in another country, going to school there, learning the culture firsthand, and experiencing all that the place has to offer. They will live with their ‘exchange family’, people who have opened their homes to have an exchange student stay with them for that semester. The program also requires accepted participants to fundraise at least half of the costs. The program is competitive and has high entrance standards, most students who apply get denied, yet all seven members of the Rainbooms were accepted to go to Tokyo, Japan for the upcoming fall semester.
“Raising funds helps the participants take ownership of the program and their own success while they are studying abroad. So far, to raise money, the seven of them have done a car wash, pet wash, fashion show, and the largest bake sale Canterlot High has ever seen. Outside of the fashion show, they have been your typical fundraising event. With how skilled at music the girls are, I am so glad to see them taking advantage of their band to put this concert on. It is a unique fundraiser many students can’t do, and as principal, I love seeing our students come up with unique fundraisers and school events. The girls have certainly been working hard and everyone’s support has been amazing. It has been a real pleasure to watch the community come together and support them in this endeavor. As their principal and vice principal, we want to personally thank all of you for your donations and support. Each of you gave what you could and you have made a big impact on their lives. I know they won’t waste this opportunity.”
Luna presented the thermometer board to the crowd. It was still covered. Sunset couldn’t see how filled the thermometer was from where she was standing, off the stage. None of them could. They all had to wait for Principal Celestia to announce it.
“As you may have seen while getting tickets, their suggested donation per ticket would have filled the meter halfway,” Principal Celestia said. “Thanks to all of you.” Luna pulled away the sheet and held the board high for the crowd to see, “They have exceeded that mark and made it all the way to not only a hundred percent, but well above it! Tonight, you broke the thermometer!”
The crowd cheered for their collective success in breaking the thermometer. The Rainbooms couldn’t cheer, because they didn’t want to be heard while backstage. They ended up just hugging each other and high fiving. Sunset had her acoustic guitar on, so she could only high five her friends.
“Because of everyone’s generosity,” Principal Luna said, pausing to let the crowd quiet down and hear the announcement. “They didn’t just exceed what they were hoping for tonight, but now they have each raised enough money to go without having to pay anything out of pocket! Your donations mean that they are on a nonstop flight to Japan!” Luna was forced to wait as the crowd roared in celebration. “As a school and their principals, we will miss them in the fall and look forward to their return for the spring semester so we can hear all about their adventures. However, the girls have set up a social media account you can follow to get their updates while they are in Japan. It is a joint account, so they will all be posting stuff to it as much as they can. The information on how to find it and follow them is on your tickets. Thank you everyone!”
The girls had some issues with their early fundraising events, setting them far behind their goal. Reaching their final goal tonight was unexpected and it really put the pressure on Sunset Shimmer. She knew she wasn’t alone in feeling that pressure. They now had to make sure this was an epic concert which everyone in the crowd would all remember fondly. They had a good shot at meeting that new goal because of their supporting acts and what the Rainbooms had in store.
Sunset turned to Fluttershy who was beside her. “This is it, almost time for us. Come out after I do the transitional talk, setting the crowd up for the next set. I will specifically introduce you and call you forward.”
“Okay,” Fluttershy nodded.
The second setlist was just Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy. Delaying Fluttershy’s arrival on stage kept her out of the spotlight as long as possible. She didn’t need to be on stage, in front of everyone, while Sunset spoke to the crowd. The less time that Fluttershy was in front of people without performing, the better to combat her stage fight. What she was about to do was big and Fluttershy wanted to push herself. It had been her suggestion to help her succeed. They were fighting her stage fright smartly, not with brute strength. I would also make her entry even better.
Principal Celestia gave the transition. “Now it’s time for some more music! Give it up for the Rainbooms!”
The crowd applauded as the two school principals left the stage and Sunset walked out to the center. The crowd was clearly on the edge of their seats in anticipation for what was coming. Sweetie Bell and Snails had been ready for the principal’s exit and brought out a tall stool, setting it just off center on the stage, on a blue painter’s tape mark on the floor that the crowd couldn’t see. Then the two of them took away the microphones as Sunset got to the center of the stage. It was a flawless transition facilitated by Octavia.
Sunset sat on the stool and pulled the cable off of where it had been taped to the underside of the seat. DJ-PON3 turned Sunset’s mic on and Sunset saw her flash a thumbs up to let her know she was live. Sunset’s acoustic guitar was part electric, meaning it could be fed into the sound system without losing its iconic acoustic sound. She plugged the cable into her guitar.
“Thank you everyone,” Sunset said to nicely silence the applauding audience. She began softly strum some notes for background music while she spoke. “The Rainbooms have some special things planned for tonight. The others came out as Flash Drive finished, kicking off their entrance with as big of a bang as they could, immediately launching into Rainbow Dash’s favorite song, ‘Awesome as I Want to Be.’ So, please forgive the short speech I would normally have done during the transition between bands.
“For those who don’t know me, I am Sunset Shimmer and the lead organizer for this event. In the Rainbooms, I typically am playing rhythm guitar and am a secondary vocalist. I see a lot of faces I don’t recognize, which is awesome to know that we succeeded in reaching out across the whole city to touch each of you and that we have all of your support. We wanted everyone and anyone to feel comfortable coming to the concert and it looks like we achieved that goal."
Sunset shifted her strumming from random notes to a simple arpeggio in C Major, “A semester in Tokyo, Japan will not be easy, so knowing we have your support is crucial to our success. I know it was just said, but the donations really mean a lot to us. Saying thank you just doesn’t cut it. I hope the rest of the concert we have planned will convey our gratitude. Before we move into our next setlist, I wanted to take the moment to publicly thank our volunteers."
The arpeggio took on more complexity, adding another octave and additional ups and downs in the middle of the ascending and descending chords. “As soon as we let our classmates know we were putting this on, we had a bunch of people wanting to volunteer. We were swamped with requests. Our final volunteer list has too many people on it to name them all, but we are very grateful for everything done to help us tonight and make this show more than we could do alone. From designing the fliers and posters, to the people promoting the concert, or our amazing stage crew and supporting acts, they really took this concert to the next level and we are very thankful that we can provide as much as we can to our audience. The same for Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna helping tonight. The two of them have been a big positive influence in all of our lives."
The arpeggio evolved again, adding sharps and flats as her fingers traversed the fretboard. “I also wanted to take a moment to highlight someone else special in the seven of our lives, our Japanese Language teacher, Sakura Sensei. I see her out there, sitting in the crowd! She has been supportive of each of us and really put a lot into helping some of us reach the required proficiency in Japanese to be eligible for the program. Without her help, all seven of us would not have been eligible for the program. Going together as best friends was what would make the exchange program extra fun and special. I don’t know if we can ever fully express our gratitude to you, Sakura Sensei, for all you have done to prepare us for the program.
“There were rigorous academic requirements we had to meet to ensure that we can handle the switch. The last thing we need to be worried about is failing our classes. If we are, we can’t take advantage of the rest of the unique opportunities we will have presented to us on this four-month exchange. There will be enough challenges to overcome. We don’t need to have academic ones, that could have been averted, added to the list. We look forward to facing those challenges, overcoming them, and growing through the experience, both individually and as best friends. We also look forward to sharing those experiences with you on the social media account you heard about."
The arpeggio evolved a final time, the entire down progression shifting up two octaves. “But onto the reason why you are really here; the music. The Rainbooms had to learn new songs for this concert. A good number of new ones and what’s next is one of tonight’s gems. Since we are going to be in Tokyo, the theme for the Rainbooms has appropriately been ‘Japan.’ As you probably noticed, the others were wearing white and red and so am I, the same colors as the national flag of Japan.
“The seven of us are more than bandmates. We are best friends and we decided as a group, while we were picking classes for our junior year, to work hard and try to get into the exchange program, so we could go to Japan together. To be eligible, we needed to have taken at least a year of Japanese. This isn’t a vacation. Our entire school day will be in all Japanese, so we had to become proficient in the language. Pinkie Pie and I started Japanese our sophomore year, before we even considered the exchange program, while everyone else had to start taking it their junior year.
“That is, except for Fluttershy. Fluttershy started taking Japanese freshman year because that is how much she loves Japan and Japanese culture. She is probably the most excited out of all of us for this exchange program, although you would never guess it. She hides it well. All seven of us are proficient in the language while Pinkie Pie and I are considered fluent in Japanese, but Fluttershy is smooth; exceptionally fluent. It is second nature to her.
“I say that to preface the next music set I’m about to start. Speaking in a language is different from singing in it. While singing, you often have to do things with syllables in each word to match the song, like holding a syllable for the exact timing of an extra-long note. Hitting each note in Japanese isn’t easy either. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, and Rarity currently can’t sing in Japanese. They just need more time with the language and the exchange program will give them that time. Pinkie Pie is a drummer who can’t hit the right notes in any language.” The crowd laughed at the friendly poke at the red headed drummer. It was commonly joked that drummers were only drummers because they couldn’t sing or play the guitar. “As for me, I can’t consistently hit the correct notes while singing Japanese lyrics. At least, not enough to sing a full song, only short lines and bits. However, Fluttershy can absolutely sing in Japanese.
“So, to fit with the theme and at her own suggestion, Fluttershy is going to come out and sing some of Japan’s biggest acoustic hits, which are also some of her personal favorites. We know listening to songs in a foreign language you can’t understand can take away from the experience, but we’ve got you covered. On the stage’s backdrop, we will be projecting the artist’s name, the song title, and the lyrics in both languages, so you can follow along and fully enjoy the music."
Sunset built the arpeggio into a crescendo, matching the notes to her words and accompanying the final syllable with a strum of the entire chord that reverberated and resonated throughout the entire amphitheater, “Without any further ado, making her debut as a soloist, give it up for Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy walked out to the center of the stage to stand beside Sunset. Her cheeks were beet red because of the crowd’s cheering and certainly some of it was nerves. The bright stage lights made her red cheeks more obvious. The crowd was not only cheering because of how special the upcoming set was going to be, they were also loving Fluttershy’s outfit.
Fluttershy was wearing a komon, a women's casual kimono. The one she was wearing was made of cotton and was dyed a sharp sapphire blue with some strings of white flowers patterned around it. Fluttershy had gotten the kimono for Christmas and it had been special ordered from a company in Tokyo who specialized in making kimonos for both domestic and international sales. This was the third time she had worn it; the first being on New Year’s Eve and the second being her birthday party. Not many people had seen her in it. It was a treat that fully immersed the concert goers in the theme and took the upcoming set to a whole new level.
Sunset didn’t wait for the final resonating chord to quiet before she began to strum her guitar again, this time the melody for the next song. This was a huge step for Fluttershy to take and they didn’t want to give her a moment where her usual stage fright might take over. They had to keep things flowing so Fluttershy could focus on the songs and didn’t overthink the rest of what was happening. Overthinking sank all of their boats at times and Fluttershy couldn’t afford to sink right now.
Fluttershy had been the one to suggest doing some songs in Japanese to fit their theme. The only problem was as Sunset said, none of them could learn to sing the foreign language lyrics in the short time they had. That was why Fluttershy decided to take this big step. She wanted to do this for the crowd and for herself, more than she feared being in the spotlight.
“The first song is by TORi and is called ‘In the Rain’,” Fluttershy said. She closed her eyes so that she could make it through the song without freaking out. To her, it was like she was singing just to herself, but her voice was crystal-clear as she sang each note perfectly.
The lyrics on the backdrop helped everyone in the crowd. They would have been lost otherwise. Sunset lightly tapped the stage with her foot to signal to Micro Chip when to change the lyrics.
Sunset transitioned into the next song, “Stella Rium” by Kano. Then it was onto the faster paced song, “Daybreak Frontline,” Kano’s cover version. Sunset played a longer transition to allow Fluttershy to regain her breath before she started playing “Futariboshi” by ShounenT and then she flowed into “Yūhisaka” by Chōcho. Sunset was proud of Fluttershy for literally stepping out into the spotlight. It was amazing to be physically beside her friend as she made such a big, personal step in her life. It had been huge just to have her on the stage singing backup and none of them had ever expected to see her intentionally step into the spotlight. Fluttershy had come a long way and the crowd was loving the experience she was giving them.
Fluttershy’s eyes were still closed, but her voice was gripping as she sang everything with a voice that was full of passion, yet still crystal-clear. The crowd only saw her in her kimono and heard the passion in her voice, not that her eyes were closed. Sunset transitioned into the last acoustic song, which was a longer song at a little over five minutes in length. It was a slower love song, “Kanade,” by Sukima Switch. As Fluttershy sang it, the rest of the Rainbooms slowly and quietly came out, taking their positions on the stage. Any instruments were also plugged in.
As the final guitar note ended, Pinkie Pie began a fast beat with her kick drum. Sunset stood up, unplugging her guitar before swapping it with Scootaloo for her electric guitar. Snails got the stool out of the way. Having stagehands, and ones being given great commands by a director, made everything flow so much smoother. They couldn’t be even half as smooth as they were without them.
As Sunset plugged the cable into her electric guitar, she spoke to the crowd, mustering all of the energy she could to pump them, and herself, up. “No concert with a theme of ‘Japan’ would be complete without some J-pop songs! That’s right! The Rainbooms have a surprise setlist to play for you!” The crowd cheered and Sunset strummed out a power chord on her guitar, holding the note as she continued to address them. She didn’t have long to transition the crowd without messing up their rhythm. Pinkie was still pounding out the same quick beat on the kick drum. First, Sunset had to introduce the members for all of the people who didn’t know who they were. It mattered a lot more than usual since these people had just donated their hard-earned money to them. Each member would wave when Sunset introduced them. “On drums is Pinkie Pie; on lead guitar is Rainbow Dash, who also is usually our lead vocalist; bass guitar is played by Applejack; rocking the keytar is the beautiful Rarity who also makes almost all of our performing outfits; and last but certainly not least, on backup vocals is Twilight Sparkle. Everyone, we are the Rainbooms!”
Sunset let the crowd cheer for a moment, but then she had to run a quick explanation for their next setlist. “For those of you who don’t know anything about Japanese pop music, the songs often are a fusion, using English lyrics at times for a variety of reasons. Rock and pop music has a special place in Japanese culture, but is seen as a western thing they imported into their culture. Using any English words in a song is a powerful connection that boosts a performer’s image. Fluttershy is going to cover essentially all of the Japanese lyrics in the songs for us and, like before, the lyrics and such will be displayed for you to enjoy.”
Dash knew that was the last thing Sunset would say and immediately began with some lead guitar power chord riffs, which became a short guitar solo, all the while Pinkie kept the same quick beat going on her kick drum. The solo hyped the crowd up like the Rainbooms wanted. Since Twilight didn’t have an instrument, she was in charge of the small remote to change the lyrics. It was easier than having Micro Chips try and balance the light show and the foreign language lyrics he didn’t understand.
The backdrop changed to show Miyavi’s song, “New Gravity,” which started off in English. Rainbow let loose, jumping into the song. As Rainbow played and sang, it gave Fluttershy the time she needed to reset her mind for the big shift in music styles. “New Gravity” was a “blistering rock track” that had almost a minute and a half of singing and playing by Rainbow Dash before it switched to Japanese lyrics, where Fluttershy seamlessly took over.
Rainbow Dash always loved power rock songs and Sunset enjoyed using her pedals to distort her guitar’s sound to match the original song as best as she could. Applejack was rocking out with her bass guitar, literally rocking to the music while she played their bass rhythm. Rarity was more reserved as she stood back-to-back with Twilight, who had no instrument and wasn’t singing backup. It was why the remote was in Twilight’s control, but she still had to look good on stage.
All of the Rainbooms had worked hard to learn the songs. The notes were not hard to learn. The tough part was also the most important. The songs originally were performed with instantaneous switches between the two languages that flowed smoothly. To the artists, the song was essentially in one language. The Rainbooms had to be just as fast and smooth switching between whoever was singing lead and Fluttershy.
During the third set, they were not doing any background singing or switching the English lyric singer in the middle of a song. Instead, with the exception of Pinkie Pie, they each had picked a song to learn to sing with Fluttershy. It gave each Rainboom a moment to shine in front of the crowd, although they had to share the center stage spotlight with Fluttershy.
Fluttershy had the most difficult job. Not only because of the fast changes, but because the songs were covering a variety of genres. Japan’s pop music scene was full of boy bands and each song had a different beat and feel. Fluttershy had been amazing while singing the acoustic songs, but she began to shine even more as the beat was kicked up and she truly lost herself in the music. The kimono didn’t fit with such upbeat music, but no one watching cared. The crowd liked seeing her in a kimono.
Rarity sang after Rainbow, having chosen Daichi Miura’s song, “Be Myself.” The song was mostly in Japanese and heavy on the electronic sounds, which was perfect for Rarity’s keytar. Rarity had chosen the song because it gave her the opportunity to leave her usual spot in the back and come out to the center stage.
Applejack had picked Fantastics’ song, “Time Camera,” because it was a synthetic beat that was better on the keytar than the bass guitar. The song allowed her to pass her guitar to a stagehand, so she could focus on singing lead, which wasn’t normal for her. She too had fun taking the opportunity to be in the spotlight for once. She even danced a bit.
Sunset chose to go with a J-pop love song by King & Prince, “Cinderella Girl”, because she could sing the Japanese parts in the chorus. She too passed her guitar to a stagehand to focus on singing. The chorus for “Cinderella Girl” often flipped every other word between Japanese and English, which couldn’t be sung smoothly if they switched singers for single words. Sunset didn’t want to split her focus between the guitar and singing. She needed to be focused entirely on her vocal lines. Sunset nailed her dual language chorus and Fluttershy flawlessly covered the verses for Sunset. Even when Fluttershy had to flip to English words, she was as smooth as the original artists were.
Twilight picked the song “Paprika”, which was such a hit internationally that it was covered by another Japanese artist, Foorin team E, who recorded an all-English version of the song. The lyrics had been professionally translated for the band’s cover so that they still fit with the song’s melody with some minor adjustments to account for the differences in the two languages. Even being sung in English, the song still had the distinct J-pop feel to it. It gave Fluttershy a much-needed break from singing.
With Twilight singing in center stage, Fluttershy exited the stage, disappearing into the back. They had been unsure how long Fluttershy could be in the spotlight. It had been a shared spotlight, which helped, but as excited as Fluttershy was, as much as she wanted to push herself, she had made it clear she was unsure how long she could last in the limelight. That was why they had broken up their master setlist into a few setlists. It allowed them to be fluid and adjust the master setlist on the fly, if necessary, in order to support Fluttershy.
Fluttershy hadn’t left the stage because she couldn’t take the spotlight anymore. They had a fourth setlist to play and Fluttershy hadn’t signaled that they needed to cut anything. She had only left to change into a new outfit that was better suited for the fourth set than her kimono. It might have been a casual kimono, but the crowd saw it as special and the equivalent of black-tie attire. Plus, it was impossible to dance to pop music in a properly fitted kimono. With Twilight’s song being last, it gave her the time to change. Fluttershy was ready on the side of the stage before Paprika was over.
As their Japanese lyric singer, Rarity had designed something fitting to make Fluttershy pop from the rest of them. Fluttershy was now in a red tracksuit accented with white and sporting an extra-long jacket that she left unzipped, exposing her red tank top. The back of the jacket had Japan’s “rising sun” flag on it, outlined in gold to separate it from the red fabric. The jacket reached all the way down to Fluttershy’s knees. It was loose enough to allow for modern dance movements, and the fabric would also have a delay to any pops and smoothly flow as she danced. Whenever Fluttershy’s back was to the crowd, the “rising sun” flag would be displayed, loud and proud, covering for her. With her back to the crowd, Fluttershy could take the moment to outsmart her stage fight if it popped up. It would look planned; not like she was covering up her fear or recomposing herself.
With Fluttershy ready and the crowd cheering them on, they once more kicked the concert to the next level. Fluttershy came back out to center stage while the others launched into the song which started in English, and turned her back to the crowd to intentionally show off the flag. Snow Man’s song, “Snow World,” was an energetic, bouncy song which was chosen because it started with the English lyrics: “Let’s go, We are “Snow Man.” So we are gonna make a story! So let’s go, We are Snow Man, So Let's show you how we party.” The lyrics were a perfect match for their upcoming trip. Plus, they had been able to smoothly swap the band’s name, Snow Man, for Rainbooms. The projected lyrics had “Snow Man'' crossed out with “Rainbooms” written above it in a different font and color so that the crowd knew they had changed it and what the original lyrics were. Minus Pinkie and Fluttershy, the rest of the Rainbooms sang the English opening. Fluttershy spun around to face the crowd as she began to sing the Japanese lyrics. The crowd cheered at the dramatic vocal entrance by Fluttershy.
After the song finished, the Rainbooms moved into “Backwards” by Daichi Miura. The Rainbooms slowed down after the second song. They had gotten a great jump on the fourth setlist, but now they needed to conserve their energy for the upcoming finale. They had six more songs planned in between, starting with “Kami Wa Saikoro Wo Furanai” by Meguru Meguru and then “Born to be Wild” by JO1. The other four were by Dizzy Sunfist: “Into the Future,” “So Beautiful,” “Diamonds Shine,” and “Summer Never Ends.” The songs were not slow paced, but the Rainbooms calmed their on-stage energy while still putting on a good show. They knew slowing down a bit would pay off during the finale.
Dizzy Sunfist was a three-person, girl led rock band who produced songs that were much closer to the Rainbooms’ normal repertoire. It was easier to cover them without worrying about how they sounded since it was a female singer; compared to the other songs that originally had male singers. Since they were covering the songs, they could and did add their own flair, but they also were introducing the audience to these bands and J-pop. They wanted to give the artists and the genres their due. They had skipped plenty of amazing songs and bands because they couldn’t do them justice, especially with Fluttershy being their only Japanese lyric vocalist.
The songs chosen from Dizzy Sunfist were written by the band entirely in English, allowing Fluttershy to step back, out of the spotlight, and take a well-earned breather and rest her voice for the finale. Rainbow took the lead with Sunset, Twilight, and Rarity providing backup vocals. Every Rainboom needed the mental break from switching between languages as they prepared themselves for their finale. Even if they were not singing, ensuring they were playing together required them to follow the lyrics as they switched between both languages, which was an extra strain on their minds. It was fun to cover a Japanese band that did songs entirely in English. It was also nice because everyone in the amphitheater could easily enjoy and fully appreciate those songs.
“Grandeur” was their “finale” for the concert and where they had to put the bulk of their energy. It was an electro swing dance song with fast lyrics and beat, by the Japanese boy band, Snow Man. It had a lot of flipping between blocks of Japanese lyrics and English lyrics, giving the Rainbooms plenty of opportunities to switch singers during the short burst of English lyrics, in an attempt to mimic the nine-member boy band. They “simply” had to match the energy of the dance song, which wasn’t an easy feat after everything they had played.
Since it was their finale, they were going big, but the Rainbooms needed some help to pull the finale off. As Rarity started “Grandeur” on her Keytar, they were joined by Run-CHS, Canterlot High’s resident modern dance experts. They cartwheeled and flipped out onto the stage to start dancing. Rarity had the five members — the twins Pop and Lock, Moonwalk, Rhythm, and Party Machine — in red hoodies, white sweatpants, and white ball caps. Run-CHS would be providing the bulk of the dance energy for the song, the exact boost the Rainbooms needed.
As a bonus, Run-CHS could do the complex modern dance moves the Rainbooms couldn’t. Modern dance with instruments was basically impossible and the Rainbooms had different levels of ability when it came to modern dance. Run-CHS was not on stage to be backup dancers. They were a critical part of the choreography for the finale. They often were in front of the Rainbooms so the crowd could enjoy their amazing, flowing, popping and locking, moves. They gave the crowd and the Rainbooms everything they had.
The Rainbooms were not leaving all of the dancing to Run-CHS. At different points of the song, they each handed off their instruments to a waiting stagehand so they could dance center stage for a segment, often working with one of the members of Run-CHS. Even Pinkie Pie left her drums for a brief dance. Fluttershy snuck her dance in during the first chorus’s drawn out English lyrics. It had taken a lot of time to learn the choreography that Run-CHS had planned for them. For their individual showcase dances, each Rainboom danced within their comfort zone, but gave it their all. The crowd loved watching the Rainbooms be fully immersed in the song.
The last verse had a big chunk in English, but none of the Rainbooms were going to sing it. The original two singers had a deeper voice with an aggressive edge. None of the girls could make the lyrics sound right. They could do a lot with the seven different voices in their band and they had specifically picked songs they could pull off covering with their range, however, “Grandeur” was a song they couldn’t pass up. Because of the lyrics and energy, it was the perfect song to cover for a finale.
The song slowed down, shifting pace before it rose to where it would explode into the climax and where the last block of English Lyrics would have to be quickly whipped out. As the music peaked, Flash Sentry slid into center stage, in an all-white outfit and a microphone in his hand. On cue he rapid fired the final English lyrics to the beat: “I'm gonna survive, I wanna catch my dream. So, let's get it started with you. We can fly, unbreakable. I can show you my brightness.” The crowd roared, loving Flash Sentry’s bonus moment. Flash Sentry had nailed the lines and the tone. He was gone as quick as he appeared while the Rainbooms and Run-CHS finished out the song.
The last bit of dance choreography was while Pinkie Pie and Rarity finished playing the song out. There were no lyrics to be sung and they only needed the drums and keytar, so the rest of them danced in a line at the front of the stage, in tandem with a member of Run-CHS. It wasn’t too complicated of dance moves, but it was a perfect finish to the song. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootaloo were kneeling in the back, holding their guitars for them so they could dance freely.
They were all tired, outside of Pinkie, but they had a “going away song” planned for after their finale. That way, they didn’t have to worry about doing an encore. “Grandeur” was the perfect finale, but it was not a good song to suddenly end on, at least not without an encore. They knew they wouldn’t have the energy for a proper encore if the crowd called for it, so the “going away song” was their planned sort of encore to finish out the night, while not distracting from their big finale.
Their “going away song” was an inspirational J-pop song full of great motivational messages. As planned, Run-CHS stayed out with them, this time truly dancing backup for them. “Stop for Nothing” by Fantastics was chosen to let everyone know that despite the challenges they would face in the exchange program, as the lyrics said, they would “stop for nothing.” It also gave Dash a final guitar solo which she ensured was epic. Like in her earlier song with Fluttershy, Sunset was able to cover some of the chorus lines that flipped back and forth between languages, reducing the load on Fluttershy.
The song had an abrupt end, which was a good thing. Because of their flowing transitions between every song, it was clear that the Rainbooms were done for the night. Run-CHS made a quick exit to keep the focus on the Rainbooms. The crowd gave the Rainbooms a standing ovation with a louder roar than they had gotten all evening, which was impressive considering the noise the crowd had made several times over the concert. DJ-PON3 had cut their instruments and mics off from the speakers, so they didn’t have to worry about them making unwanted noise. The Rainbooms quickly lined up at the front of the stage and bowed together, three times, to thank everyone as they were applauded. They needed to get off the stage quickly, without looking rushed.
As they moved to exit the stage, Flash Sentry came out, microphone in hand, to cover their exit with some closing words.
“Thank you everyone, for coming out,” Flash Sentry said. “I know the Rainbooms had fun, to put it lightly, and so did the supporting acts. As I am sure you noticed, or maybe you didn’t because they did such a great job, the Rainbooms are exhausted. They gave it their all for you with a significantly longer setlist than they have ever played before! With the effort they put out tonight, I gladly took on the responsibility of saying their closing words for them.
“First of all, a special thanks to all of you, their amazing donors who not only got to the concert’s donation goal, but exceeded it to the point that they now have their exchange program fully funded! Also, a big thanks to all of the volunteers who helped pull this off. That includes the surprise dancers for the finale, Run-CHS!
“Remember, the girls have a social media account where they will be posting updates while they are in Japan. If you want to follow them, that info is on your ticket or you can find it by searching for the Rainbooms’ social media page. I’m happy to say that we finished a few minutes before eight. That was the Rainbooms’ goal, to make the concert available to everyone, including families with little ones who go to bed earlier. They wanted you all to be able to stay for the whole concert and have good, quality time and fun as a family. Regardless of age or who you are with, it sounds like everyone had a great time. That’s all the Rainbooms had for me to say. Have a good evening and safe travels home!”
Nice. I really enjoy the contents in this vignette. And thanks for providing the Ruby Palace Playlist.
How many more vignettes until the main story?
5671250
Well, I am supposed to be writing Ruby Palace, primarily, but School takes priority. I'm a bit scattered for all of it, but have a decent bit written. I haver one more Vignette written, with 5 more planned. For the main story, I've got 7 "pilot episodes" (may add another one or two because of the vignettes), plus 30 linear chapters written and some 15 non-linear chapters written.
When the story is released, It will start with all of the pilot episodes, the vignettes compressed into 2-3 chapters, and the first 2-3 chapters. I want to stay on a weekly release, so I need to be far enough ahead for editing and writing to be able to keep to that.
5671192
I'm, glad you enjoyed it. It was fun to write, albeit a pain. It went through 4 iterations. lol. I'm glad the playlist was enjoyed. I would edit/write with those songs playing, so it was nice to put it together for the readers.