The bass boomed.
The people jumped and shouted.
The song blasted through the park.
This was the type of lifestyle that Vinyl Scratch, better known as DJ Pon-3, adopted since she was a filly.
Just the sight of thousands of people wearing glow sticks brought a smile to the DJ's face. She watched the crowd through her sunglasses. Watched as they jumped up and down to the beat and yelled out their excitement. Vinyl bobbed her head as she scratched and modified the song to her, and her fan's, liking. Too much would destroy the song. Too little would earn a couple of lawsuits. As she edited the song, she held the other half of her headphones while the music played through them. She loved this, and she'll never get tired of it.
The song came to a close and she grabbed a microphone and turned it on. "Thank you Manehattan for coming out to Wub-a-thon Tour 17!" Vinyl thanked. The crowd cheered in response.
"But alas, we have come to an end. But don't forget to purchase my latest album, Syndicate!" Vinyl added. The crowd cheered and began to disperse. Vinyl wiped some sweat off her forehead and drank some water while her sound crew took care of her set up. As she was going back stage, Neon Lights, her friend and fellow DJ at Scratched Records, approached her with a smile. "Nice job out there, Vi!" he congratulated as he lifted his hand.
"Thanks, N!" she thanked as she accepted the high-five. "There were a lot more people than last year. I thought I was going to get stage fright!"
"No kidding!" Neon laughed as he led her back to the tour bus. "Oh, by the way. Somebody's decided to make a surprise visit."
"Who?" Vinyl wondered as they boarded the bus.
"That would be me, Ms. Scratch." a voice answered. Vinyl's mind clicked as she recognized a voice she hadn't heard since she went to her first concert. Vinyl looked and on one of the sofas that decorated the bus, sat one of the DJ Legends of Equestria, DeadPon3. Vinyl's mouth curved upwards and her inner fangirl escaped as she squealed in delight. Vinyl, during her "fangasm," mindlessly put DeadPon3 in a big hug. She realized what she did and backed away with a bright blush and a chuckle. "Sorry about that, Dead." Vinyl apologized as she grabbed a bottle of Hard Cider. "Long time. Want one?"
"Sure." Dead answered as he caught the bottle that was slung towards him. "Nice job out there, kiddo."
"Thanks." Vinyl replied as she handed Neon a bottle and opened her own. "The fans think so, too."
"No kidding." Neon chuckled. "You're the hottest DJ on the charts. Both in music and figure." Vinyl slammed her foot into his shin and Neon chuckled and sat down.
"So what brings you to the Bus?" Vinyl wondered.
"Well, this." DeadPon3 replied as he took out a rolled up magazine.
Vinyl took it and unrolled it. Her mouth gained five tons and dropped. The magazine was from Music Now!, a magazine she's appeared on countless times before, and had a picture of her and DeadPon. But this time, she's caught by surprise. The title of the magazine read: "DJ Pon-3, the Newest Legend!" She flipped to the article and read aloud. "With the recent release of DJ Pon-3's newest album, Syndicate," she read, "Her NCR (National Chart Ranking) climbed a stunning fifty points!"
"Holy shit!" Vinyl exclaimed as she looked at Neon. "Fifty points!?"
"Continue." DeadPon chuckled.
"That makes the young and stunning Vinyl Scratch in the Top 5 DJ's of Equestria, better known as the Legendary DJ's!" she resumed. "In addition to that, her spot on the radar has grown bigger than DeadPon3 and Neon Lights combined!"
"Damn." Neon exclaimed.
"This is amazing!" Vinyl cheered as she placed the magazine on the counter. "I've finally achieved every DJ's dream!"
"You do know what in means by "combined," right?" DeadPon wondered.
"Wait....so I'm...." Vinyl's gears in her mind turned and her face changed to that of shock. "N-N-Number O-O-O-One in Equestria!?!?!?" Vinyl wobbled lightly as her mind took too much to handle.
Neon caught her as she fell and sat her at a table. Her gave her some water as she looked over the chart of the DJ's in Equestria on the next page. It was true. She was the greatest DJ in Equestria. By a motherfucking landslide. Her DJ Rating was an impossible 154 while DeadPon3's was a 124 and Neon's was a 97. Vinyl threw her hands up in victory. She finally did it. Her lifelong goal had been achieved. Realization struck Vinyl as the bus started to pull away from the outdoor amphitheater. "I have to tell Tavi!" she told.
"I'm sure she'll be happy to hear the news." Neon nodded.
"How is the cellist, by the way?" DeadPon3 inquired.
"First, she's taken, by me." Vinyl informed.
"Wasn't trying to steal her." he replied as he put his arms up defensively.
"Second, she's alright. She's got a concert going on right now so I can surprise her with dinner when I come home." Vinyl added.
"Pizza again?" Neon chuckled.
"Nah." Vinyl answered with the shake of her head. "I'm going to be cooking. I've been practicing behind her back."
"Nice." Neon chuckled.
"Oh I can't wait to see her reaction." Vinyl sighed.
The lights clicked on.
The cellist walked to center stage and sat next to her large instrument.
She waited for the applause to stop and brought the bow to the strings.
Then, she played.
The form, her elegance and technique. One continued to compliment the other.
As she played the last note of the last movement, the crowed rose in a roaring applause. The calm, quite, and elegant life was the one she, the Octavia Philharmonic, chose. She is the exact opposite of her, former, girlfriend. But even though she broke up with the latter, she didn't want to leave her.
She stood and bowed politely to the crowd with a sweet smile. As she carried her cello and bow back stage to place them in their case, she caught sight of one of her members in a quartet she plays in, Woodwind. He was the type of stallion you would find in Canterlot. Calm, collected, and very good at playing the clarinet. His signature brown and black jacket complimented his blond and highly-cared-for hair which was in his signature swept back ponytail. "Good show out there, Tavi!" he congratulated the lady.
The only response was a groan. "I told you to stop calling me that, Wood." the female repeated for what felt like the fiftieth time.
"Oh," he nervously chuckled, "M-My bad."
"What do you want?" she asked politely in her level-headed tone as she opened the case to her cello.
"I just wanted to drop by and say that you have been invited to play for the Princesses next week." he announced.
She froze before she could set her bow into the case. Playing for the Princesses? she thought in her going-the-speed-of-light mind.
"Personally." Wood added.
Her mind shattered into pieces the size of an insect. It was her lifelong dream to play for the Princesses. In the biggest and grandest stage of all. The Royal Music Hall. She didn't realize it at first but her vision started to black as she swayed back and forth. Woodwind acted fast enough to catch her and began to fan her. She laughed hysterically as she began to slip out of the faint. "You okay, Octavia?" Wood asked, suppressing a smile and laugh.
"I-I-I-I will...." she huffed as the cellist sat up and looked at the remains of a bow in her hand. "Blast..."
Now Wood couldn't contain it. He let go of her and fell over in laughter. She shot her signature blushing glare at the clarinet player. A look she would frequently use at Vinyl. But that was the past. Wood stopped his laughing fit and stood. "I'll make sure to get a ticket for next week." he stated as Octavia locked her case shut.
"I'll see you then." Octavia smiled as she walked out the back door.
The only thing that she could think of on the walk home was what she would play for the Princesses. But oddly enough, so was Vinyl. Why was the obnoxious DJ in her mind? Was it the glare? The laughing fit? What was it that reminded her of Vinyl Scratch? She didn't know. All she had to focus on was the coming week.
And the performance.
