It was late in the afternoon, and the school bell for CHS had long since rung. However, rather than pour out of the front doors in a mad bid to get to their homes or other hang-out spots, the students there instead began to walk calmly together in the direction of the adjacent gymnasium. Everywhere one looked, they could see excited and even somewhat nervous expressions, and it was not long before the reason for this became clear. For there, hanging above the doors of the gym, was a great banner, marked with the words "School Talent Show Tonight". Many of the students were eagerly chatting away with each other over this, as they were usually prone to doing whenever some big event was hosted here. And so, eventually, all of the audience and even a few participants, began to make their way through those open doors.

As the sun finally began to show the first signs of setting, the crowds had fully gathered, and the gym was abuzz with frantic gossip and speculation over what was about to be seen. However, at this moment, it was what lay behind the scenes where the real interest lay. Standing behind the great red curtain, together in a group, was a trio of girls who, at one point, had been greatly derided by their fellow students. Adagio, Aria and Sonata. The Sirens. They were here, standing alongside many other students who, from a glance, seemed to be gearing up for a performance. And it was not long after when the voice of Principal Celestia could be heard, calling out the first contestant. Those students were Snips and Snails, both garbed in what appeared to be cheap magicians outfits, who promptly left for the stage beyond the curtain.

Although, as they left, and the audience began to applaud their entrance to the stage, Sonata began to look increasingly nervous, taking slow steps backwards, catching the attention of her sisters.

"I...I can't do this!"

But, before she had the chance to turn around completely, she was halted as Aria grabbed a hold of her arm. As Sonata turned to her elder sister, it was Adagio who spoke up, talking to her in as calm a voice as possible.

"It'll be fine, Sonata. We'll just go out there, do our thing, and then come off."

But Sonata was clearly unconvinced, continuing to shake her head frantically.

"But...but...but what if we haven't gotten good enough? What if we haven't done enough practise? What if they still hate us? They're gonna throw stuff at us again, I just know it!"

Adagio opened her mouth to speak, ready to calm her younger sibling down once more. But, before she got the chance to do so, another familiar voice began to call out to them.

"Your sister is right, Sonata. Things will be fine."

Turning, the three Sirens looked on to see Sunset Shimmer approach, walking to them with a friendly smile.

"I know it's been difficult for the three of you. But..."

Gently, she raised a hand, placing it upon the blue-haired girl's shoulder, before continuing.

"...trust me when I say this. You've all come a long way since you first started your singing lessons. Fluttershy is really impressed with you girls, and if she thinks you're ready to sing, then you're ready."

At the mention of her singing teacher, Sonata seemed a bit calmer, though just barely. And it was here that Aria decided to add her voice to this mix.

"Look at it this way. If they do hate us already, then singing isn't gonna change their mind much. And we wouldn't be here if we weren't satisfied with what we can do. It cant get worse for us, so all we can do is go up."

Sonata stared at her, clearly struggling to take in what her sister had just said to her. Adagio and Sunset, however, turned to one another, casting a glance at each other before looking back to Aria, with Adagio raising an eyebrow as she spoke.

"By your standards, sister...that was rather upbeat and optimistic...even if it was a little dour for the rest of us."

Aria flipped one of her pigtails aside after hearing that, letting out a dry chuckle. But, rather than retort to her sister's words, she was halted when, at long last, the voice of Celestia could yet again be heard beyond the curtain.

"And lastly, we have a singing act tonight, by three of our...newest students. Please give a warm welcome for Adagio, Aria and Sonata."

Unlike every other act, however, this announcement was not met with a loud applause, but rather just a few stray claps. Needless to say, this didn't do Sonata's nerves any favours, and in truth, even Adagio and Aria were looking like they were having second thoughts at this point. Seeing all of them look this way, Sunset weighed her options, before starting to develop a small smile. Clearing her throat a little, she gained the attention of the other three, and spoke softly to them.

"Don't worry...you're friends are all here."

Did those words of comfort completely alleviate the Sirens' fears? No. Were they now brimming with confidence at the prospect of what they were about to do? Again, no. But, at the very least, it gave them enough of a push for them to be willing to go out there at all. So, after letting out a deep sigh, Adagio gave Sunset an appreciative nod, after which she gestured to her sisters, both of whom starting to now follow her out onto the stage. Sunset stayed behind, watching as the girls made their way beyond the curtain. Through the gap they left behind, the former unicorn could see the crowds they would be performing for. It was, sadly, as Sonata had feared. There were many looks of wariness or even outright fear in that audience, with many no doubt remembering what happened the last time these three sang in public.

Still, the silver lining in all of this was that things were not entirely grim-faced out there. There were, sparsely, a few smiles scatted throughout, mostly from the Siren's established friends. Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity and Twilight all looked out from their various spots, giving them silent nods of encouragement. And elsewhere, there were other looks of confidence, from Flash all the way to Aria's boyfriend, Wiz. Looking out at those many faces, Adagio turned to Aria, then to Sonata, before looking down at the ground. They knew, in their hearts, that this was it. Do or die. Everything they had been working for since they first became friends with Sunset and the others had led to this one moment. And so, letting out another sigh, Adagio muttered under her breath.

"Well...here goes nothing."

After taking a few deep breaths, Adagio nodded to another figure on the side of the stage, who promptly started turning on an already-prepared music system. A pleasant-sounding tune began to play out across the gym, and as this happened, the three girls began their own song. It started off low at first, just the basic sound of them humming, but, over time, they started letting out real sounds with their voices. As this went on for a minute or two, a lot of the hostility in the audience began to waver, though only a little. Granted, what they were singing was by no means as enchanting or beautiful as the voices they'd once had, but even so, it was being sung well, and the voices they had now were still pleasant to listen to. Seeing that change in looks out there, the girls started to up their tempo a bit, singing faster as the moments went on.

This carried on for some time before, at long last, Adagio broke this pattern by letting out the start of an actual song. Her voice was good, the result of a lot of practise, and it wasn't long before her sisters started to follow her example. And here, as they sang, their real strength in music was revealed. While they may have been decent enough on their own, it was when they sang together that the genuinely great-sounding notes started to be heard. The three had excellent harmony, and, as they continued on with it, Sunset and the rest of their friends started to smile even wider upon hearing it. As for the rest of the crowd, many of them were unsure about how they should be feeling about it, which was a sentiment plastered all over their faces. However, they remained transfixed by the song, listening well as it continued.

But, as people so often say, all good things must come to an end, and eventually, the song did too, ceasing on a similar low note to how it had started. With the singing done, the three girls looked out upon their audience, waiting for some kind of reaction. But, for a time, silence was all they got. Sonata, reverting back into nervousness, gripped onto her microphone, counting the seconds as they rolled on. Even their friends, out in the crowd, didn't know what to do in the face of this overwhelming lack of reaction. But, just as things seemed their bleakest, a noise could be heard. It was, without a doubt, the sound of clapping. One person, though who, they could not say. But, this one clapping started off another, on the other side of the gym. And then another, and another, until, in the end, the entire gym was filled with the sounds of a couple hundred students, all showing their approval.

The Sirens stood dumbfounded. Clearly, this had not been what they expected, and yet, here they were, receiving genuine applause from an audience that, no so long ago, they had tried to mind-control. Looking to each other, and then to the crowds once more, they saw that their friends in particular were showing clear excitement, with Pinkie leaping out of her chair and giving a hoot or two. It took a while, but eventually, Adagio cracked a smile at all of this, followed shortly by her sisters. And when that happened, they took a sweeping bow to their admiring audience. After rising, however, instead of staying there, they turned, making their way once more to the backstage. There, Sunset was waiting for them, looking to them all with a smile of her own.

"So...how did that feel?"

Adagio paused, considering this question, looking to her sisters on occasion as she did so. Then, after a long wait, she exhaled, looking to Sunset with a genuine smile, and giving her honest answer.

"For the first time...it felt real."