Belldandy's hooves shook and she took deep, soft breaths. The lights of the theater blinded her to the audience, but she knew it was filled phonies, a large portion who were her own family. They'd all come out to see her try out for the Phonyland Symphony Orchestra. She was aiming high, the highest possible place for her instrument, first chair. But really, any placement would do. She just wanted to play with the symphony and become a the flute solo. She'd heard a lot of caution and misgivings, and frankly she didn't even want to try out for the first chair. But at the behest of her family, she was encouraged to aim for the best spot and see what happened. She'd passed audition after audition until she'd ended up here, on the stage, auditioning for the last time.

"And now, Miss Belldandy playing J.S. Bach's Suite No.2 in B minor, BWV 1067: Badinerie movement." an announcer said softly into the mic. Soft, polite hoof stomps followed. Belldandy exhaled once more and raised her shining nickle flute to her lips.

She personally called this one "The Race" because whenever she played it, she pictured a butterfly and a fairy having a race through a meadow. Her focused turned inward and each bright peep of the flute made her think of the fairy flicking around a flower, or the butterfly darting over blade of grass. The winner always varied, and as she piped out the last note, the fairy and the butterfly cross the finish line in a tie.

Refocusing on the here and now, she heard the polite but enthusiastic applause of the audience. She beamed, her hooves still shaking as she quickly folded up the sheet music she didn't end up needing and walked daintily but quickly off stage into the arms of her mom, Aurora and her dad, Pale who were waiting for her in the wings. The praised her performance and her composure as she broke down her flute and put it back into it's case. "Thank you." she said bashfully. The family stood in the wings and watched other phony as they took to stage and played their solos backed by the Symphony.

The stage dimmed slightly as the judges stood up and filed into the back to discuss their choices. The audience stood and stretched, several phony milling around, talking to each other. The musicians who were trying out did the same, talking to each other, their spouses or close family members. Pale spoke to a phony Bell remembered as someone he'd played with before and Aurora signed the playbills of a couple of young musicians who'd recognized the front singer. Herself? She just quietly took in the atmosphere.

"Mr. and Mrs. Light?" the family turned to see the Symphony's conductor, flanked by the four judges, approaching them. Bell bit her bottom lip. They were approaching her and her family directly, did this mean she'd made her placement? "We don't normally do this, but we just wanted to tell you directly how impressed we are with your daughter. She has talent, real talent. The best player we've ever seen for someone her age." The conductor said with a smiled and the judes all nodded, murmuring in agreement.. Belldandy's heart started to flutter and she stood on her tippy hooves with excitement. "However, her lack of performing experience is holding her back. We simply can't place her in any chair with so little experience."

"WHY THAT'S RIDICULOUS!" Aurora snapped, stamping her hoof down. Bell's eyes went wide in shock. She'd never seen or heard her mother angry before. Even Pale Moonlight seemed to gape at his wife's outburst. "She's talented, practically prodigy, you said so yourself. How could..Can't she..Why, why, I will just give her a job in MY orchestra then!" The flutter fumed.

Belldandy's emotions whip lashed. In one moment, she felt like she could cry. She wasn't going to be placing in any chair even after all her work. In another moment, she felt grateful for the judges and conductor's honesty and praise and could understand why they reached their decision. In another moment, she felt touched. Her mother wasn't going to let anyone reject her and her talent. Bell wrapped her arms around her mom and smiled a little. "I don't want a seat in your studio just because you say so." she said in her tiny voice. "I want to earn it, like how I earned my way here." All of the adults turned to look at her. The conductor, judges and Pale smiled. Aurora's face was a mix of pride and disappointment, but she'd regained her composure.

"That, young filly, is the kind of spirit that will have you playing in one of my concerts sooner then you realize." he paused, then his smile grew warmer. "In fact, it seems like we'll be seeing you sooner then even I realized." He flicked his head in the direction of her tail. Confused, Bell turned around and gasped. Pale and Aurora wrapped their arms around their daughter again and hugged her tightly.

"My cutie mark..I..I got my cutie mark! I..I have to tell the others!" She squeaked, wriggling free of her parents and rushing towards the curtain.

"Er..Bell! Wait Bell..!" her mother called after her, but she was already busting out from wings and onto the stage.

"MY CUTIE MARK! I GOT MY CUTIE MARK!" she shouted to her brother and sisters in their seats before freezing. The crowd and the musicians were all still seated, waiting for the judges to return and announce chair advancements and placements. All attention focused on the tiny, white filly in the center of the stage.

In the back row, the sound of several hooves stomping. Her uncle Draft and her cousins had jumped up and started applauding. It started a chain reaction. Other cousins started applauding, phonies not related to her began to applaud. The sound was thunderous and amazing. The stage started to vibrate. Even the musicians had stood up and began stomping their hooves. Moon, Drama, and Croon rushed onto the stage and dog piled onto Bell, hugging her excitedly.

The conductor and judges waited a long moment before coming out, shooing the siblings off the stage gently and closing out the event by announcing the placements. Back in the wings, her siblings vied for a better look at her cutie mark while expressing their disappointment that she hadn't made the band. That was ok with Belldandy. She'd tried her best and the appearance of her cutie mark cemented what she already knew at her core, that she was born to play flute. It wasn't going to be today, but some day, she'd make that first chair, and then she'd get to share with the world her music of fairies, ghosts, and butterflies.