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                  Ponyville's Crazy Train                  
                  -by Asterian Starfall-                   
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                        All Aboard!                        
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All Aboard!
Ponyville. Home of some of the best and most innovative musicians in the world. DJ P0N-3, Octavia, and Lyra all live in this quaint little town, yet it is from the smallest packages that some of the best stars in the musical world have risen. And today, it is possible another one may be able to place her hoof down into the history books, but who could that be?
Just outside of Ponyville's main plaza, two blocks west of the clock tower, lay a small brick-and-mortar building, somewhat hidden amongst the cloned buildings that lay on either side of it. The front was largely undecorated, save for small carvings on the faux columns that guarded the front entrance. So what made this building special? What ties this under-appreciated music appreciator and this seemingly random building together?
The building so happened to be PonyvilleLive, the town's premier radio station, and the pony happened to be Azura Peavielle, the town's local rock-and-roll artist. Azura stood just outside her entrance, tying back her baby-blue mane in her headband. It might have been just a regular yellow headband, but it made her stand out from the crowd. That, and during the summer, it helped keep the sweat out of her eyes and off her face. Azura was never one to settle for simply blending in to anything. To her, blending in was just another way of saying that you were hiding something. She felt like blending in meant you did not have anything to share with the world, and that was nothing like her. She felt that she had been gifted with a talent that few possessed and fewer understood, and ever since she discovered her calling, she wanted to share it with the world. Her affinity of rock-and-roll went beyond just a simple talent. It became a lifestyle for Azura. The headband, the attitude, everything. It all just clicked for her, and it was nice to cut loose every so often. That didn't mean she did not know responsibility, just that she knew what it meant to have a good time and forget about those responsibilities for a bit.
Right now, however, she was about to face what was possibly the biggest hurdle of her career, and that was applying for the PonyvilleLive's vacant time slot. Her arrogant smile shone almost as brightly as the mid-day summer sun. "How cool would it be to let me DJ for these guys? Show Ponyville what good music is really like?" She was, of course, talking about music from an era that seemed all but forgotten to time. "Van Manelen, Journey, Maretallica... That one might be strong, start out slow, Azura." She kept going over everything in her head time and again, almost scrambling to make sure everything was set up right for her interview. "Headband? Check. Tail Wrap? Check. Music sample? Check. Music player? Ch-" The mare went from appearing relatively nervous to downright frantic as she plunged into her saddlebag, desperate to find her sample of music she had collected. "Are you kidding me?!" She was no longer content to merely think out her worries, instead shouting them for ponies to hear. Fortunately, the fact that she had literally plunged head-first into her bag somewhat muffled her screams. "How could you forget that? Ugh, if this costs me this job, then so help me my name isn't-"
"Azura Peavielle?" a somewhat haughty voice rang out behind her. With as much grace as a wounded dove, Azura retracted her head from her bag, but much to her embarrassment, a good deal of her personal items came flying out of the bag with her, including her headphones, her MP3 player, and a couple of discs of her music samples. "A-Ah, yea- Oh, for pony's sake!" Azura rolled her eyes and immediately bent down to pick up the former contents of her bag. Meanwhile, the pony above Azura appeared to grow more impatient with each passing second, yet she merely stood there, not offering much of a hoof in the way of picking up the mess. "My name is Viola, Miss Peavielle, and I will be conducting your interview... preferably today, if that can be arranged." Azura, once she had deposited her belongings back into her back, looked back at Viola. This light purple pony certainly did not seem to be in the best of moods, and that notion was only reinforced by the way she was tapping her hoof against the concrete steps. "You're late already, so please, shall we?"
Azura laughed nervously, trying her best to defuse the situation. "Sorry about that, Viola." Despite the informal use of her name, Viola managed to over-look the transgression, simply turning around and leading Azura down the hall. Several other ponies sat there in the main lobby, and another employee sat behind the desk trying to seem too busy with paperwork to tend to the others. After a short series of turns, Viola opened a door in front of Azura, waving her inside with a firm "After you". Azura nodded slightly, and upon entering the room, she could instantly identify it as a radio booth, as obviously given by the control panel with copious amounts of buttons, dials, and switches. "Whoa," she voiced. "This is wicked!"
"Just as I suspected," Viola mused. "She is just going to be yet another one of those 'original, new-age' children that unleash those headache-inducing monstrosities that pollute the airwaves these days. If I have to deal with another DJ-P0N3 impersonator..." Viola let the thought idly fade away, taking a small breath to compose herself as she closed the heavy sound-proof door behind her. She then turned to face Azura, who seemed to be regaining her confident facade once more. "Please, Miss Peavielle," said Viola as she pointed to a chair opposite of her own. "Take a seat so that we can begin."
"H-Hu-What?" Azura asked confusedly. Once she figured out that Viola was motioning to sit down, she did as she was instructed, and Viola trotted around to the desk chair, flipping through a few pages she had laying on the desk. "So," she began. "It is under my impression you are trying to obtain the vacant slot for our radio programming, correct?" Azura excitedly piped up with a, "Yeah! I think I could bring a lot of listeners to the place!" The mare was practically humming with energy, as if she had tapped herself into the booth's power supply. Viola's expression remained one of slight contempt as she went on with her next question. "Okay, so I see you have one reference from Mr. Rising Star... although I am not sure how that is relevant to radio work." Azura brought up a hoof, motioning it around to provide emphasis as she explained. "But isn't he supposed to be one of Manehattan's best pop artists? I mean, his last album nearly went platinum!" Viola pointed her pen at Azura with a stern look. "Nearly is not the same as actually having one, and his accomplishments have no impact on your own, Miss Peavielle." Azura opened her mouth wider to retort, puffing up for a split second before resigning, unable to think of a counter-argument. "Sheesh, she's a buzz-kill," Azura told herself.
"Now, do you have any such experience as a personality? Do you identify well as an entertainer?" Viola seemed to have released a bit of tension from her voice, and Azura immediately replied. "No offense, but is that a joke? I used to play a DJ over at Sugarcube when they'd adult's night!" Viola had to restrain a sigh. "What exactly is adult's night at Sugarcube Corner?" The question felt like it was a trap, but Azura was too enthusiastic to care. "Oh, it's awesome! Everypony'd get in right around seven, and the whole place pretty goes from 'mom-and-pop bakery' to this rad nightclub! Don't get me wrong; I like the Cakes'... cakes... Their parties, though, are cool." Viola seemed to have lost a bit of her cool. Her eye twitched, and it was enough for Azura to register. "Are you okay, Viola?" Azura asked. Viola replied through gritted teeth, "I am fine... Miss Peavielle." She certainly did not sound fine. She nearly forgot to keep her poise and etiquette in line. "I have one final question for you, and then I believe we shall be done." Azura sat upright in her seat and braced herself.
"You have no professional references, but experience as a nightclub disc jockey. What makes you think that you can be a radio host?" This did not feel like a question. It felt like an attack. Azura's mind seemed to go into overdrive, scrambling to come up with a decent argument, or at least some form of counter-attack. She took a long, deep breath to steady herself, and her previously energetic aura became that of a seasoned professional. "Because, Miss Viola, I know when to be myself and when to appeal to other ponies. I'm not some psychiatrist, but I know what makes ponies tick, and I know that music can inspire and bring ponies together. And no offense, but what makes you think I can't be a radio host?" This time, it was Viola's turn to open her mouth for a retort, only to shut it again. Both of them sat there for a few seconds, keeping to their own thoughts as time felt like it was stretched.
As was typical by now, Viola took the lead and broke the silence. "I think that that is all we need, Miss Peavielle. Thank you for your time." She rose from her desk chair and opened the door for Azura, holding her clipboard under her arm. "After you, please," she said. Azura almost dropped down from her seat, a little bit deflated as she felt like she may have answered that last question the wrong way. "Did I say something wrong? Did I just say it wrong? Ugh..." She looked at Viola, pausing slightly to ask, "When am I goin' to be hearing from you?" Viola's face remained as still as granite as her deadpanned, "Soon." With her vague answer, Azura walked out of the room, whereupon Viola slowly followed her to the front door. The clerk behind the counter almost seemed to stare at Viola before giving a nod to Azura as they passed by. Azura kept walking forward, looking back to see if Viola would respond. She gave a shake of her head, and the clerk looked disappointedly back down at her papers. "Uh-oh... That's never good..."
Viola opened the door for Azura once again, and Azura slowly stepped back out into the hot outside air. She heard Viola call out to her, "Good day, Miss, and we will contact you shortly." Just after that, the doors shut behind her, and despite the humid, boiling air, Azura felt her blood freeze. Did she get the job? Such a query is only answered by the passage of time.
Two days later...
Just outside of Ponyville's main plaza, two blocks west of the clock tower, lay a small brick-and-mortar building, somewhat hidden amongst the cloned buildings that lay on either side of it. The front was largely undecorated, save for small carvings on the faux columns that guarded the front entrance. Azura stood just outside its front door, nervous once more about what lie in wait for her on the other side. It felt like she had been hit with a case of déjà vu as a certain pony came to greet her at the door. "Ah, Miss Peavielle. Come in," said Viola in her exquisite tone. She seemed a little more content with Azura now, though for what reason remained unknown. Azura walked through the portal to inside the station. "If you will follow me, Miss, we can get to the point." Azura resisted the urge to scoff at Viola, instead just quietly following behind her. "So much for thinkin' she'd be nice."
After another series of twists and turns, she stopped in front of an office door, one that had a name-plate on it which read: "Wavelength, General Manager". Azura's eyes seemed to widen a bit, and she gulped a little as Viola said to her, "Once we are through this door, please try to act in a proper manner?" Of course, anything with Viola's voice sounds more like a demand than a question at this stage. Azura came to and hesitated a little with her answer. "U-Uh... Yeah. I can do that." Viola's face was still cold and hard as ice as she twisted the door-knob, revealing a brown pegasus stallion chattering over the phone about a rather intense matter. "Look, I don't care about how many songs you can play!" His voice seemed to rattle the walls with each syllable. If it was not for the impeccable sound-proofing on the rooms, Azura probably could have heard this stallion's voice carry from the other side of town. "I care about finding out ways to keep twenty-three-year-olds  from changing their dials! If you lose so much as half a rating point, I will fire you!" Just when the stallion seemed like his anger had reached the boiling point, it all vanished, and he spoke in a much calmer, yet still commanding, tone. "How's that for 'real'?" He practically dropped his phone down onto his desk before slouching back in his chair with an exasperated sigh. It was at that moment that he noticed the two mares standing in the doorway. "Oh, Viola, come in! I didn't see you there!"
This pony was definitely in one of those odder groups when it came to how their emotions worked. Within the time of one minute, he went from seething fury to authoritative overseer to friendly boss. "Maybe good managers are just like that," Azura said to herself, dismissing the thought. Viola chimed in immediately after the stallion, and for once Azura saw what the purple pony looked like when she smiled, even if this one was a bit forced. "Mr. Wavelength, this i-" Wavelength had held up a hoof to cut off Viola. "Viola, you know you can use first names here. Stop being so uptight all the time! Save that for the shows!" Evidently, Azura was not alone in thinking that Viola's curl could do with some unwinding.
"Well... This is Azura Peavielle. She is the one I told you about." Viola managed to finish that thought, but Wavelength had risen from his chair, moving over towards Azura with a grin that would split the average pony's cheeks. "Azura! My name's Wavelength, or you can call me 'Wave' if you'd like." As far as managers went, he had an easy-going attitude about him, assuming one did not agitate him. "Yep, that's me!" Azura replied, throwing all manner of professionalism out the window and just being herself. "So, what else did Viola tell ya 'bout me?"
"Well, she didn't say much, but I took a look at your credentials, made a few calls, and they checked out. You seem like you've got talent, but..." Wavelength went back over towards his desk, sitting down while silently motioning for the two mares to sit. "You know how a clock works, Azura? There's all the parts inside 'em, and you remove one piece, or if the piece doesn't cooperate with the others, the clock stops. See what I mean?" Azura, who was now sitting to Wave's slight left, gave a nod in response. Wavelength clapped his hooves together and explained his analogy. "Good! Then you know what I mean when I say you can be world-class like Viola here, but unless you can get along with everyone here, you won't be here." Viola's pupils shrank a little at the mere thought of what that could mean. "Azura, I'll make you a deal. The show will be yours i-"
"YES!" Azura practically leapt from her seat, throwing her hooves into the air to the surprise of the other two in the room. Several seconds later, she realized she was not dreaming and sat back down, feeling a burning embarrassment flush across her cheeks as she cleared her throat. "Sorry 'bout that. Continue?" Wavelength snickered a little. "Well, you obviously want this job, which is good, because you get your own show, Azura, but first, you'll have to last a week on the air alongside the only show without a co-host..." Wavelength's eyes flashed over to Viola, who looked like she had received news of a family member dying. "No, no, no, no, no, M-Mr. Wavelength!" Viola almost pleaded to avoid having to tutor Azura. "W-Why me?! I've only had my show for two months, and there's far more qualified ponies who work for the station that you could have train her!" Wavelength closed his eyes and let out a slightly heavy breath. "Viola, this isn't about training and you know it. This is about seeing if Azura here can fit in amongst the PVLR family, and if a head-bangin' gal like her can work with a sophisticated mare like yourself, then she's certainly got everything down. Tartarus, she's been a DJ for... How long, Azura?" Azura's eyes might as well have been glowing topaz gems at this point in time. "About a year and a half!" she exclaimed with more enthusiasm than needed. Wavelength's eyebrows seemed to shoot up a bit before turning back to Viola. "So she's got the experience and training, even if it's self-taught. You're still training her, now, don't read between the lines on that. The fact is, Viola, that it's been two months since you've been here, and I haven't seen you even try to make friends around her. I'm not one to force these sorts of things, but just try it."
Viola was sweating bullets, and she looked like she might even faint. Even her harsh, posh tone withered away as she tried to steel herself for any sort of retort. "B-But..." Only there was no argument to be had. Defeated, she took a sharp breath in and gave a deep sigh before opening her mouth once more. "Okay. I'll do it." Wavelength clapped his hooves together once more before looking to them both. "Great! Azura, you're hired provisionally as of now. Now... Viola has her show to do today, but if you come back tomorrow, I think we can get your situated. Sound good?" His face bore a rakish smile as Azura nodded once more, beaming ear to ear. "Sure thing! Uh... What time?"
"Come in at two o'clock, Miss Peavielle, and please refrain from being tardy," Viola answered, interrupting Wavelength. The stallion's expression drooped a little before he nodded to Azura. "Yeah, right around two, Azura. And like she said, don't be late. Dead air isn't something I tolerate here. Period." Somehow, his tone shifted from a cheerful, devil-may-care attitude to a serious, harsh monotone, if such a tone could ever exist. Azura couldn't help but scoff at them both, waving a hoof around in the air, as if to speak from them. "Don't worry! I'll be here."
"Well, then," Wavelength began again, rising up from his chair. "I think we're all done here. Now, Viola... Azura... You two mares play nice, now, you hear? The last thing I want is another incident that's broadcast over the air." They both nodded a final time, and Wavelength lead them to the door, opening it for them to exit. "After you, Miss Peavielle," came the same exact voice recording that seemed to emanate from Viola. "This is going to be a loooong week..." Azura did pass through the door, however, and once she had, Viola followed closely behind, before shutting the door and pointing an accusing hoof at Azura. "Listen here, you little filly!" the lavender mare hissed, lowering her voice so that Wavelength nor any others would hear them. "I've been going after this prime spot for long enough that it should be rightfully given to me, and I am not about to allow some uncouth little 'Miss Angsty' take it out from under me. If you know what is good for you, you will not be here by the end of the week, do you understand?!" This was something that had clearly been building up since they received the news that Azura would be working there. This time, it was Azura's eyes that contracted to pin-prick size. She stood there as Viola tried to tip-hoof above her, using her best intimidating glare she could give. "Bucking Tartarus, if looks could kill, this gal's face would be the bloody knife at the scene," Azura managed to string together mentally, retaliating at in her own hushed whisper-yells. "Look, Viola, we're stuck together, and right now, I hate your guts! But I don't give two bits about that 'prime' slot, whatever the Tartarus that means! I just wanted a job here, but if you're not going to leave me a choice, then you've got a war on your hooves you won't win! So think on that, you Celestia-forsaken pain-in-my-plot!"
Viola's jaw might as well have fallen off her face at this point, completely dumb-struck by the language used by the younger musician. Azura turned around with an indignant frown, trotting off in an overly-exaggerated strut to try and mock Viola. As Azura rounded the corner, she could tell it had succeeded, as she could her a series of noises that sounded like spluttering, or a desperate attempt to avoid shouting. She snickered triumphantly and walked out towards the front door, content to come back in the afternoon. If Viola wanted war, then war she would get.
The next day...
Azura could hardly sit still. Here she was, finally a radio DJ. Of course, she had to tolerate Viola, but she had finally made it in the world! She felt like she was floating on thin air as she kept drifting away, caught up in a daydream that started the moment she entered the studio... "And this is the mute dead-switch button... Azura? You okay?" The voice of Wavelength snapped the blue mare out of her stupor. "H-Wha... Yeah. Sorry, it's just a lot to take in all at once." Wavelength chuckled to himself, while Viola stood quietly beside him, concealing an eye-roll which she made sure Azura could see. "Well, anyway, the mute dead-switch is really a 'cough button'. Hit it if ya need to, and don't let go until you're done. Other than that, I think that's really it..." Wavelength turned back around towards Azura and grinned at her. "You think you're ready for your first show, kid?" Azura could only nod at the question, leaving Wavelength to slowly trot towards the door. "Then you two play nice and try to make this show a good one!" He closed the door behind him, and the instant he did, Viola piped up. "Looks like we are working together after all."
Azura replied, "Not sure how I feel how that, but for the sake of the show, let's just call a truce." Viola seemed to smirk. For the first time since Azura saw her, that face bore a grin. A venom-coated, wry grin, but a grin nonetheless. Viola blinked in slow motion, almost like a cat before putting out a hoof. "I think I can live with that... for now." Azura returned her own hoof and put on a brazen facade, shaking Viola's own hoof. "Let's get this thing done, then!" Azura could have skipped her way into the control booth, closing the door behind her as she sat down in her chair, acquainting herself with the various buttons of the control panel once again. Despite Wavelength having explained them, she barely remembered half of what he had said.