This girl band, made up of five high school girls, may not be technically professional, but their music is incredibly infectious.
Sunset Shimmer had listened to their rehearsal once yesterday, and with today's official performance, combined with the stage lights and the enthusiastic atmosphere, even she couldn't help but tap along to the beat.
It's just that the lead singer is trying way too hard.
In this newly formed girl band, the members' playing skills are uneven, and Rainbow Dash, the lead singer and guitarist, is a bit of a show-off; her energetic performance on stage feels like she's dragging the entire band along with her.
But who would have such high expectations for a student band on a volunteer stage? As long as they get the crowd hyped, it's a success, and besides, everyone on and off stage is having a great time right now.
After the performance, Rainbow Dash threw her guitar pick into the audience.
Whether intentional or not, Sunset Shimmer reached out and caught the guitar pick as it flew toward her face. At that moment, Rainbow Dash spotted Sunset Shimmer in the crowd and waved at her while being dragged offstage by Applejack.
Sunset Shimmer held the guitar pick and was speechless to find Rainbow Dash's autograph on it, but she still tucked it into her pocket.
Thanks to this performance by the Rainbow Sonic Boom Band, Sunset Shimmer was now genuinely interested in the guitar.
However, she would probably look for a used guitar at a thrift store first, then find some tutorial videos online to figure it out on her own.
As for asking Rainbow Dash or Trixie for advice? Spare her. She was currently desperate to stay away from these friendship-obsessed maniacs to avoid any more trouble caused by 'friendship'.
The stage lights dimmed again, and those standing close by could see figures moving about, clearing the stage, pushing away the drum kit, and setting up Trixie's magic props.
Just as planned, after the Rainbow Sonic Boom Band finished their closing performance, it was time for Trixie's main act, even though there were only two performances today.
During the stage change, audience members could go grab some water or a cupcake, and Sunset Shimmer was looking for a way to get rid of the bottle of apple soda that was giving her a headache.
"The rock band's performance was super cool, right? I only found out today that the school had another band called 'Sonic Rainboom'."
Before Sunset Shimmer could squeeze her way out of the crowd, she ran straight into Flash Sentry, who had returned.
"Ah... yeah! It was great."
Sunset Shimmer responded awkwardly. She had just been thinking about tossing the soda, but she hadn't expected to run into Flash Sentry again, which meant she had to keep holding it for a while longer.
However, these repeated 'accidental' encounters made Sunset Shimmer certain that Flash Sentry had some motive.
"Flash Sentry, is there something you need from me?"
Sunset Shimmer was a straightforward person; as long as the topic or person wasn't too sensitive, she usually chose to ask directly about whatever was on her mind.
"Me? No, it's nothing. I just happened to run into you again, you know? After all, we go to the same school..."
Sunset Shimmer raised an eyebrow, looking at the incoherent Flash Sentry in front of her with a puzzled expression.
"...Alright, fine. I just wanted to ask, are you into rock music?"
Sunset Shimmer's gaze made it impossible for him to hide his true intentions, so he decided to just be honest with her.
"The first time I saw you, I felt like you had a special vibe, and I guessed that we might share some common interests..."
Flash Sentry scratched the back of his neck. The dim lighting hid the boy's shyness, and he couldn't quite bring himself to look Sunset Shimmer in the eyes.
Sunset Shimmer picked up on the slightly ambiguous atmosphere of the conversation and realized Flash Sentry's intentions, causing her to be shocked.
Are you kidding me? She didn't want to deal with 'friendship' here, let alone anything beyond it, especially when the person in question was just a human ape with the intelligence of a pony!
Buddy, perissodactyls and primates just don't mix, seriously.
"Wow... Flash Sentry, I can understand your curiosity about a new student, but you know... I'm new here, and I've never really been involved with music before."
Sunset Shimmer's smile became a bit forced. She didn't want to get involved with him, but she didn't want to hurt his sincere feelings either.
"I hope you understand what I mean."
"You're right! But I actually... didn't mean it like that. I just meant that maybe we could be friends."
Although Flash Sentry often played rock with his friends, that didn't mean he was a rebel; if anything, he was essentially just a shy and conservative boy at heart.
Although meeting Sunset Shimmer for the first time yesterday had caught his eye, he hadn't thought that far ahead. He just felt that Sunset Shimmer had a vibe that he liked, so he had been trying to figure out how to get her contact info so they could be friends and hang out sometime.
But a teenager's thoughts are often both simple and ambiguous. It was best not to start this if she didn't have to; Sunset Shimmer didn't want to inexplicably become a 'heartbreaker' who toyed with people's feelings.
Sunset Shimmer, who hadn't wanted to interact with Flash Sentry in the first place, now wanted to get away from this suffocating situation as quickly as possible.
If anyone could help her get rid of Flash Sentry's advances right now, she would be willing to make friends with the M5 and Trixie, or even reconcile with Aurora in person.
Fortunately, the stage transition didn't last long. A spotlight above the stage clicked on, interrupting Flash Sentry once again. The gymnasium's lights and everyone's attention were now focused on the white-haired girl on stage, who was wearing a top hat and a cloak.
"Oh my god! Why is she still wearing that strange outfit? It's covering up the clothes I worked so hard to style for her!"
Rarity, hiding behind the curtain, watched as Trixie made her entrance. Her vision went dark, and she clutched her forehead and fell backward, landing gracefully in Applejack's open arms.
"At least you accounted for her hat and cloak beforehand, right? It doesn't look out of place."
Knowing Rarity's obsession with fashion, Applejack offered a few words of comfort.
Under everyone's gaze, Trixie stepped onto the stage and gave her opening remarks:
"Dear students! Teachers! Welcome to 'Trixie's Great and Incomparable Magic Show, Performed with Utmost Gratitude Especially for Canterlot High School'!"
With that, Trixie conjured a few pigeons from her sleeves and released them, drawing gasps and cheers from the crowd.
"Oh... that name is definitely long enough."
Rainbow Dash, also hiding behind the curtain, couldn't help but grumble at Trixie's back.
On the other side, Fluttershy buried her head in Pinkie Pie's arms, shivering, and didn't dare to look at the magic show on stage. For once, Pinkie Pie didn't say a word, gently stroking Fluttershy's back to comfort her.
After all, Trixie needed some Small Animal actors for her magic show, and they had gone to great lengths to convince Fluttershy.
They had agreed beforehand that these animals were participating voluntarily. Although everyone says that animal performances shouldn't be encouraged, there was no stopping the animals from insisting on performing.
"Now, it's time to witness a miracle!"
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