Summer came as suddenly as it ever did. One day, Sweetie Belle was sitting in class for hours studying math, science, and geography, and then the next she was free with the ringing of the final bell.

As she walked out of the classroom on the last day, she looked around. The too-small classroom felt so large now that it had emptied out for the day. The erasers were cleaned and put up, desks cleaned out, and cubby racks bare.

It had been a long year, but definitely one of the best. Scootaloo had finally gotten her cutie mark—followed by celebrations both public and private for her success—and Babs Seed had even come down for an action-packed Nightmare Night. The school had served as a pillar to all that, a sturdy base that drew them back day after day, and it was almost a little sad to leave. But then, it would be waiting for her in the fall, and Sweetie Belle had a whole three months of fun to get started on.

Sweetie Belle scooted out the door under the watchful gaze of her teacher, Ms. Cheerilee, who shut the lights off and followed the new teenager outside. Scootaloo and Applebloom were waiting for their friend under the spreading oak tree a little down the lane. Soon, the three of them set off toward the sun-baked fields outside Sweet Apple Acres.

All three had long ago since gotten their cutie marks, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy a little adventure now and again. They trotted away, chatting excitedly between them. Summer!

The vacation passed, largely unnoticed by the rambunctious Cutie Mark Crusaders, with the speed and grace of childhood. They knew that, when they returned, life would be far different. It would be their ninth year in the Ponyville School, marking them officially as teenagers.  It meant harder classes, longer times studying, and also more responsibility. Staying up an hour later, going farther away from Ponyville all on her own, and maybe a chance to stay at home all by herself. The possibilities would be, like, endless.

One long day fell into another and soon they had piled on top of each other until, suddenly, it was almost over. The days grew long and the heat of mid-July began to wane with the coming of September.

For herself, Sweetie Belle began to grow anxious as she thought about the coming school year. Many times, she would take the portable record player her sister’s rich coltfriend had bought for her—Don’t worry, Sweetie Belle, I promise you he’s changed!—and lie out in the grass behind her parents’ house while she thought about the coming school year. Would she feel any different? Would ponies in town react the same toward her? More importantly, when would she start learning about something that had to do with her cutie mark?

In those tumultuous times between question and answer, she liked to look at the stars while listening to her record player. With a calculated amount of whining, she had amassed a sizable library of vinyls. A few of them were the usual fare for mares her age—Sapphire Shores and DJ Pon-3 to name a few—but a good bit of it was more unconventional fare. Sultry Strings, Fats Clef, Smooth Groove and his Del Tunes, Jenny Eat World, and Steve. The way the guitars sung and the bass moaned, the way the singer didn’t just raise his voice above the instruments but instead moved in harmony to the rest . . . it excited her.

When she wasn’t off with the Crusaders or pulling in her share of work at the boutique for a bit and a half an hour, that’s where she’d be. Her and her music. No matter the troubles that weighed on her, she could lose herself to a twelve-inch vinyl record.

Then, like a lightning strike, it was over. Summer ended, and the schoolhouse raised its flag and opened its shutters once more. The little foals stood in their lines with doting parents nearby and piled eagerly into Ms. Sparkle’s classroom. There, they would eagerly learn their letters and number and colors and how to tell the difference between noon and midnight.

The trip to Ms. Cheerilee’s classroom wasn’t marked by excitement so much as weariness. The same classroom, the same books, and the same feeling of instant longing for summer once each student passed the threshold into the room.

Which was why, on that day, it was something entirely new that ignited the students’ collected interests. It was colorful, it was bold, and it was also a poster four feet tall and placed on the side of the schoolhouse.

“Did you see what it says?” whispered Featherweight to Dinky.

“I heard it’s for some prep school,” Silver Spoon said to Diamond Tiara.

Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. “If it was a prep school worth going to, I would have heard about it already.”

A new poster? Sweetie Belle sighed when she realized that she must have missed it on her way in. Too much thinking about the new school year, of course. She caught Scootaloo’s attention, and the pegasus filly shook her head. She hadn’t seen it either.

Ms. Cheerilee took that moment to walk in, however, and the first lesson of the year began and everypony forgot about the “new” for a short while.

“That sign needs more exclamation marks,” Scootaloo snarked.

The trio of Crusaders stood outside the schoolhouse, wasting their lunch period by craning their necks up at the poster. Its edges were tacked to the wall and a small breeze tugged at one of the corners. All the stenciled, bold letters were colored in a glaring red the screamed against the black background.

MUSICIANS WANTED!!!

DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?!

ONLY THE BEST NEED APPLY!!!

FOR SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES,

STUDENTS MUST INQUIRE FOR TEST!!!

TEST ADMINISTERED BY FEATURED MUSICIANS, INCLUDING:

DJ PON-3!!!

OCTAVIA PHILHARMONICA!!!

SAPPHIRE SHORES!!!

AND MORE!!!

APPLY TODAY!!!

There was a small wooden box below the poster with a mail slot on the top. Applications were taped to the wall above it, and a few had been taken already.

Applebloom scratched her head. “What do you think that test is for?” she asked.

“Beats me,” Scootaloo said, “but last time I checked, I wasn’t a musician.”

They both looked at Sweetie Belle. The white unicorn stared up at the poster even still, a hoof on her chin. Her eyes kept playing over the words until they burned into her mind. Musician. She was a musician! But then under that, Only the best need apply.

“Are you going to apply, Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo asked.

Sweetie Belle hung her head. “I don’t know,” she said. “It’d be kinda cool to see if I got accepted, but . . .”

“But what?”

“But I don’t know if I’m good enough! It says they only take the best,” Sweetie Belle cried.

Scootaloo laughed. “Oh c’mon, you know it’s probably for some after-school thing or summer camp for next year. I’m sure you’ll get in easy; we’ve all heard you sing, and you listen to music all the time.”

“It might be fun, too, to audition in front of famous ponies,” Applebloom chimed in. “Ah mean, it’s not everyday you get to see them up close.”

“Vinyl Scratch and Octavia live in Ponyville already,” Scootaloo said.

“Well Ah didn’t know that!”

Sweetie Belle stepped forward to the applications. Each one was simple: just a space for the name, address, and type of musician for each applicant. At the bottom was a small reminder that auditions would begin in October.

Her hoof hesitated, but eventually she took one and headed off to lunch with her friends. After all, what could it hurt? Like Scootaloo said, it was probably for some dinky summer camp, and at least it would give her a chance to see some famous ponies up close for once.

She filled out the application during afternoon classes, marking the blank they left for type of musician as “Singer.” When the first release bell of many rang, she dashed outside and dropped the slip of paper through the narrow slot in the box. Just like that, she was done.

By the time she caught up to her friends, Sweetie Belle had practically forgotten about the whole thing. Why worry? It probably wasn’t something to get excited about anyway.