Hi everyone! Thanks so much for clicking on my story. (:

Although I've been hovering around FF for a few years now and I've always loved to write, this is the very first story I've published! It's going to have at least one, maybe two more chapters to it (I think) but I would absolutely love to receive any and all comments/criticisms you have for this first chapter!

"Okay class, before I let you go for the day I have one more piece of exciting news... it involves the annual Ponyville fair!" Miss Cheerilee announced brightly. Sweetie Belle exchanged grins and winks with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, knowing that just like always the three of them were thinking the exact same thing. If there was even the tiniest chance for the trio to earn their Cutie Marks with Miss Cheerilee's exciting news then they were going to take it!

"This year the Mayor wants to put together a Choir and Orchestra to perform for everyone who attends the fair!" Miss Cheerilee beamed around at the eager faces of her young students. "Auditions for both the choir and orchestra will be held in three days' time, on this coming Saturday. It's open to absolutely any-pony and the Mayor has promised it will be a lot fun for every-pony involved! And if you don't want to perform, there's also the option of writing a song for the musical groups to perform instead," Miss Cheerilee smiled encouragingly.

Sweetie Belle tried to suppress a heavy sigh of relief as Miss Cheerilee finished her announcement. She loved singing but the idea of performing made her legs weak… at least now she could still be a part of the performance at the festival from behind the scenes. And she could definitely earn her Cutie Mark by writing an original piece of music! Sweetie Belle tuned the rest of her teacher's spiel out as she fantasised about what a songwriter's Cutie Mark would look like… A sheet of music? A cloud of music notes? A pen and a blank sheet? The possibilities were endless!

A few seconds later the bell rang, releasing a stream of eager little ponies and drowning out Miss Cheerilee's parting words to her rambunctious class, just like it did every day. Jarred out of her daydream, Sweetie Belle scrambled out of her chair and raced to catch up with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.

"Did you guys hear that?! We could get our Cutie Marks for music," she gushed as soon as her hooves had made it out the school's front doors.

"You betcha! If I don't get my Cutie Mark for being a wicked flag carrier at the Games, I'll definitely get it for my awesome shredding skills on the electric guitar," Scootaloo bragged as she darted off towards the rack where she kept her scooter during school hours. As she made her way back to the steps where Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were waiting for her she whirred her wings extra fast and did a quick spin to show off for her friends.

"Very impressive," Apple Bloom winked at their friend, "But I'm not sure whether they accept electric guitars in orchestras... I'm thinkin' of the double bass! I don't think there'll be very much competition that way," she added by way of explanation, catching sight of Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo's sceptical expressions.

"Whatever. I bet I can find something else for the orchestra... It has to be real loud though so I stand out in front of the crowd!" Scootaloo bellowed, charging down the steps on her scooter and leading the way for the other two.

"Well I'm thinking of writing a song for the performance instead of actually playing something," Sweetie Belle announced, grinning at her friends. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom exchanged glances and then turned back to her with huge smiles.

"Awesome! You should totally write a rock ballad," Scootaloo told her. "I could so help you out with that! I know all there is to know about writing a rock ballad," she boasted, whirring her wings and spinning her scooter in a circle for emphasis.

Sweetie Belle chewed at her lip, surprised by the pang of irritation she felt at Scootaloo's words. Normally she loved help from her friends, but Scootaloo's suggestion of writing a rock ballad for a choir and orchestra to perform was just silly and Sweetie Belle didn't want to be the one to have to tell her, nor the one who would turn in such a piece of music for the Mayor and the rest of the Ponyville fair organisers to see. Before she could figure out a tactful way of telling her friend so, Apple Bloom cut into her thoughts.

"Why don't you audition for the choir, Sweetie? We all know you have an amazin' voice! You could totally be one of the soloists," Apple Bloom claimed, nodding her head enthusiastically.

Sweetie Belle instantly opened her mouth to protest but the words died in her throat at the word 'solo.'

"H-hold on, Miss Cheerilee didn't mention nothin' about a solo!" She exclaimed, feeling a sudden rush of excitement which was just as quickly dampened by a flood of nerves. A solo was Sweetie Belle's dream, but she couldn't stand the thought of all those eyes trained solely on her. Still, if there was a chance that she could sing a solo… Apple Bloom sensed her friend's hesitation and decided to seize the chance to encourage her.

"It was in the last part of Miss Cheerilee's speech!" She explained, bouncing around Sweetie Belle in excitement. "She said that in addition to the regular auditions just to get into the choir or the orchestra they're also going to be auditioning for soloists! Just imagine Sweetie, it would be so cool, standing up there in front of everyone and the only one anyone's interested in hearing is you!" Apple Bloom beamed, going in for the kill with her last words, imagining that Sweetie Belle would be as eager for the spotlight as she and Scootaloo were.

But Sweetie Belle blanched at her friend's well-intentioned words and shook her head vigorously, wincing slightly as she imagined those eyes trained on her. The shock of hearing about the solos was fading and she was silently telling herself off for tuning out of Miss Cheerilee's speech and not being more prepared for the news. Although she had a strong desire to sing and perform pulling at her, it was overwhelmed by her nerves and she knew there was absolutely no way she could get up there and perform for everyone at the Ponyville fair.

"No, that's okay," she told her friend, trying to ignore the way Apple Bloom's big grin slipped off her face and the confused What'd I do? glance she shared with Scootaloo. "I really want to write this song for everyone to perform. In fact, I already know some of the lyrics and I don't wanna forget them, so I'm gonna got to Rarity's place… I'll meet you later, okay? Byeeee!" Sweetie Belle rambled, whirling around and taking off in the direction of Carousel Boutique before her friends could question or encourage her decision further.

Back at Rarity's boutique, Sweetie Belle shut herself inside the room reserved for her during sleepovers and settled down with a few blank sheets of music in front of her. Despite what she'd told her friends, she didn't have any brilliant ideas for this song she wanted to write and she wasn't sure where she would get any. But the music was due in three days and after she'd left her friends in such a rush and without a proper explanation she was determined to produce something great, so it wouldn't feel like she'd lied to them so badly. Sweetie Belle smiled to herself as she heard Rarity banging about in the room next door to hers, the familiar sounds of her sister constructing outfits and decorations for the fair lulling her into a writing mood. Sweetie Belle carefully lifted her pen and gently touched it to one of the sheets in front of her, feeling a small spark of inspiration. She was going to write something Cutie Mark worthy, she could just feel it.