Fine Feathered Friend

Night of Nights (Part II)

Star Solo is determined to see Nimbus humiliated onstage during his performance with the Trans-Equestrian Orchestra, to the point where she vows to do anything to make her goal a reality. Nimbus and Octavia are aware of this and invite Mecha along to the concert as a countermeasure. What follows is a tale of backstage battles, blossoming feelings, and one night to remember above all others!

“Nnngh,” Nimbus groaned as Rarity stretched, twisted, and pulled his tuxedo around him as one would stretch taffy, “does it really have to be that well-fitting?”

Rarity looked shocked, relaxing her hold on the suit and allowing Nimbus to sneak in a few quick breaths. “Nimbus, darling, you cannot possibly mean what you say! Of course it has to be well-fitting! You’ll be appearing in front of Manehatten tonight! Now just hold still while I finish.”

“Hoo!” Nimbus exhaled as Rarity tightened the area around his midsection.

“Now stop squirming so,” Rarity sighed. “I thought you EAF aviators were made of sterner stuff.”

“Rarity,” Nimbus gasped, “nothing even comes close to this.”

“I should charge you extra for being uncooperative,” Rarity retorted. “It’s a lucky thing we’re in the season of generosity.”

“Well, for the sake of generosity, could you stop attempting to strangle me?” Nimbus asked as Rarity buttoned the top of his collar.

“You make such a fuss,” Rarity said, “if only Octavia could see you now.”

“What do you mean?” Nimbus asked.

“I’m sure she wouldn’t complain so much about this,” Rarity said, “and don’t try to tell me she has it any easier. She’s going onstage with you, so she gets the same treatment.”

“I guess,” Nimbus sighed, ceasing his struggling and letting Rarity take over. The entire process was still uncomfortable, but he had to admit that Rarity knew what she was doing. Letting her handle the final preparations seemed to be the wise choice. When all of the nipping and tucking was complete, Rarity pushed a mirror in front of Nimbus. The stallion was shocked at how wonderful Rarity’s work was.

“Not bad at all,” he said, “in fact, it’s amazing!” Nimbus opened his wings for a celebratory hover, but Rarity instantly pinned them down.

“Don’t even think about it,” she said, “flight will ruin this suit.”

“Okay,” Nimbus grumbled, folding up his wings.

“You really do look dapper,” Rarity said, “Octavia will love your new look.”

“Why all the Octavia comments?” Nimbus asked defensively.

“Well I always see you two together,” Rarity confessed, “so I naturally assumed-“

“Oh no,” Nimbus said quickly, “it’s nothing like that. We’ve just been hanging out more recently. We’re both pretty excited about this concert.”

“My sincerest apologies,” Rarity said. “I didn’t mean to presume anything.”

“There’s no reason to apologize,” Nimbus countered, “I’m not surprised, really. That’s basically what I’ve been hearing for the past two weeks. Mecha won’t shut up about it.”

Rarity laughed. “I see. Well, unless you have anything else for me to do, you should be on your way.”

“Then I’m away,” Nimbus said, depositing Rarity’s fee on her counter. Then, reaching back into his saddlebag, he pulled out a few extra bits and added them to his fee.

“Keep the change,” Nimbus said as Rarity bagged his suit for him, “and have a merry Hearth’s Warming Eve.”

“You too!” Rarity called out as Nimbus left the shop. She smiled as the door closed, causing the little silver bells Sweetie Belle had hung on it to jingle. She loved Hearth’s Warming Eve more than any other holiday. She hoped she’d done her part to make Nimbus’s first one with his Ponyville friends memorable.

…

Solo Star smirked when she heard the sound of letters falling into her mail chute. She’d been waiting for this day, and it had finally arrived.  She rushed over to the chute and took out several pieces of mail, searching through them until she found one addressed from Nimbus. She opened it carefully, taking out the backstage pass Nimbus had promised her.

“Thank you so much,” she said to nopony in particular, “for the chance to make tonight a night that will go down in history as the end of Nimbus’s musical career!”

…

Mecha looked up as a knock sounded at the door to his workshop.  “Enter if you dare,” he said cheerfully. Nimbus opened the door carefully, to avoid any booby traps his friend had placed without his knowledge.

“You’re safe,” Mecha said.

“That’s really reassuring,” Nimbus said, “especially if you felt you needed a hydra scale explosion to take out the evil version of me.”

“Well, what are friends for?” Mecha asked, shaking Nimbus’s hoof.

“Merry Hearth’s Warming Eve,” Nimbus said to his friend. “You prepared for tonight?”

“Without a doubt,” said Mecha. “I’ve got gadgets galore for this little mission of yours…”

Nimbus nodded. “Just remember- I didn’t invite Star Solo just to have her pranked. We won’t take any action if it looks like she’s just there to meet the band and watch the concert. Understood?”

“Oh, of course,” Mecha said. “But… I can’t even use just one little-“

“No,” Nimbus said, “we’ve got to show Solo some holiday spirit. If we just decimate her with prank wars, she won’t learn anything from this.”

Mecha sighed. “I suppose you’re right. By the way, how’s Octavia? You ask her out yet?”

“Arrrgh!” Nimbus said, “how many more times am I going to be asked that question today?! It’s not like that at all! We’ve just been getting together more often to prep for the concert.”

“Right,” Mecha said. “Suit yourself. I’ll meet you at the train station at noon for the train to Manehatten.”

“Great,” Nimbus said, “I understand that Solo will be on the train as well. This’ll be your first chance to get a good look at her, and perhaps see if she’s up to anything.”

“You got it,” Mecha said.

“Cool,” said Nimbus, heading for the door, “then happy holidays!”

“And the same to you,” Mecha called out as Nimbus shut the door and headed back farther into town. There was one more thing he had to do.

…

Octavia didn’t exactly know what to expect. Nimbus had stopped by earlier before heading into town to state that he would be meeting her at the train station instead of her house. Good-natured as she was, she didn’t ask why, but she couldn’t help but wonder why Nimbus had chosen not to stop by for their usual pre-concert chat.

“Ready, Vinyl?” Octavia asked.

“Just a minute,” Vinyl Scratch said from upstairs amidst several large crashing sounds. Octavia winced. The room would be a mess yet again.

“Okay, I am totally set!” Vinyl said, coming down the stairs in a black coat with glowsticks stuffed into both of its front pockets. Octavia grinned. It wasn’t hard to be amused by her roommate, who took concerts like this very seriously.

“Well,” Octavia said, throwing her scarf around her neck, “let’s get to the train station, then.”

They stepped outside, the snow crunching under their hooves as they headed towards the station. When they arrived, there were several ponies standing around the train in black suits. Octavia ignored them and took a seat. Nimbus was supposed to arrive any moment now.

“Hey, check it out,” Vinyl Scratch said, pointing out past the train, “giant snowball!”

“Octavia squinted in the direction Vinyl was pointing. Sure enough, there was something large and white headed for the train station at high speed. She couldn’t tell what it was, though. As it came closer, she could hear the sound of something roaring through the air.

“Vinyl…” Octavia said, “I don’t think that’s a snowball.”

Finally Octavia could make out the shape of the approaching object. It seemed… something was flying straight towards them and kicking up a wake of snow in front of it- hence the snowball appearance. Just a few feet away from the train station- and the train- the object skidded to a halt, and when the snow finally cleared, Octavia saw Nimbus, standing hooked up to sleek, red chariot.

“Your chauffer has arrived,” Nimbus said, bowing to Octavia. One of the black-suited ponies approached Nimbus.

“Are you Captain Nimbus?”

“I am,” Nimbus said.

The pony cleared his throat. “Then I must insist that you take the train. We’re your security detail for the concert.”

“It’s fine,” Nimbus said, “relax and enjoy the train ride. I brought my own security.”

“Oh?” the pony said. Without answering him directly, Nimbus unclipped a radio from one of the chariot’s handles and spoke into it.

“Detail, front and center.”

Without any prior indication, four Pegasi dropped out of the sky and stopped next to Nimbus. Like him, they were all wearing EAF flight suits. “Satisfied?” Nimbus said.

“That… will do, I suppose,” the security pony said.

“Here,” Octavia said, handing the pony a few tickets, “you and your detail can take our first class seats. We won’t be needing them.”

Mecha walked around the corner just in time to see Octavia climbing into Nimbus’s chariot. Nimbus opened his mouth to speak, but Mecha beat him to it.

“Oh no,” he said, “don’t even think about it! I’m not setting hooves within a hundred feet of that contraption! I’m taking the train. It’s safer.”

“Do what you want,” Nimbus said, “but statistically, flying is the safest way to travel. And the coolest.”

“Have fun freezing yourselves up there,” Mecha said. “I’ll be on this lovely, heated train doing work.”

Nimbus smiled. “See you at Manehatten, then.”

Mecha grinned and waved to Nimbus as he stepped onto the train. Before he was fully in, though, he turned back.

“You two look really good together, you know that?”

Nimbus’s face flushed a brilliant crimson and he felt his stomach drop. Behind him, Octavia was guffawing most uncharacteristically for someone of her poise.

“Well, heh heh,” Nimbus said to Octavia, “let’s be on our way, shall we?”

“Oh, just a moment,” Octavia said, stepping out of the chariot and turning to Vinyl Scratch. “Vinyl, would you like to come? There’s room for another.”

“Maybe on the way back,” Vinyl Scratch said. “This one’s for you guys, though.”

“If you say so,” Octavia said, climbing back into the chariot. “I’m ready now.”

“Alright,” Nimbus said. He then switched to an “official-sounding” voice and spoke again. “Thank you for choosing the Equestrian Air Force as your travel provider direct to Manehatten today. There will be no complimentary food on this flight because I don’t have any. However, the view’s to die for. You have two options for today’s flight: the slow, boring, let’s-not-pass-the-train, poke-me-in-the-eye commuter flight, or the super-fast, awesome, scenic, leave-the-train-in-our dust, EAF super flight.”

Octavia paused for a few moments, pretending to consider her options.

“You only live once,” Nimbus said.

“Then I choose the second option,” Octavia said.

“Okay then,” Nimbus said, pawing the ground, “then you’d better strap in, because we are cleared for a military departure from this place!”

On the train, Mecha, who had been watching the whole thing, facehoofed himself. Nimbus was behaving cheesier than the average pizza. He found it hard to believe that Nimbus himself still hadn’t realized what he and most of Ponyville already suspected. Heck, Octavia didn’t even seem to know just yet that the two were becoming close. Mecha decided to ignore the ponies’ antics outside and focus on locating Star Solo.

“Alrighty,” Nimbus said to Octavia, “you secure?”

Octavia nodded.

“Good,” Nimbus said, “because here we go!” Nimbus ran forward and extended his wings, building speed. The chariot’s runners (a custom option installed by the chariot rental ponies at Nimbus’s request for snow landings) slid easily through the snow. Suddenly, Nimbus pulled up into a near-vertical climb, streaking for the clouds above. Nimbus heard Octavia whoop in surprise, then clap a few times. When Nimbus broke the cloud layer, he rolled inverted for a few moments, and then righted himself. Behind them, their EAF escorts followed, keeping mostly out of sight.

“And that’s how you do a takeoff,” Nimbus said to Octavia. Below, he could hear the train leaving the station.

“Wonderful,” Octavia said, “how high can we go?”

“Let’s find out,” Nimbus said, going into a climb again. This time, they kept going until the sky began to get dark.

“This is as far as I can go safely for you,” Nimbus said to Octavia. Any higher and you risk altitude sickness.

“To hay with it!” Octavia said, “let’s keep going!” Nimbus shook his head and kept going. They were extremely high now- high enough to see stars. Octavia opened her mouth in a huge smile at the wondrous sights around her. Then she began to feel dizzy. Nimbus saw her head droop and instantly dove back down to a safer altitude, taking care to descend gradually, to avoid causing Octavia’s system any trauma.

“Octavia,” Nimbus said, “you okay?”

“Wha-?” Octavia said, bringing her head back up and shaking herself awake, “that was wonderful!”

“And dangerous for you,” Nimbus said, “let’s get you down to a more comfortable altitude.” Nimbus dove rapidly towards the ground, pulling up with a few feet to spare. When Octavia looked over the side of the chariot, and found herself only about ten feet above the snowy ground.

“Isn’t this a bit low?” she called out to Nimbus over the whistling wind.

“Nope,” Nimbus said, “I’ve got an EAF waiver for ELL flight!”

“ELL?” Octavia said, confused, “what’s that?”

“Extremely Low Level,” Nimbus called back, turning into a sharp bank. “Hello?” he said, “what’s this?”

“What’s what?” Octavia said.

“Seems we have a train to catch,” Nimbus replied. Then Octavia saw what he was talking about. The train from Ponyville was just to their right. Nimbus diverted course and pulled up next to the train, peeking into each window. They passed Mecha, fiddling with some small black bags filled with a deadly-looking powder that Nimbus instantly recognized as powdered Hydra scale. Not exactly legal, but nopony was going to try to stop him. He felt sure of that. Next up was Vinyl Scratch, who when passed, pressed her face up against the glass and waved. Octavia waved back cheerfully. Finally, they came to the first class section, where they could see the security detail enjoying a meal, as well as none other than Star Solo herself, glaring out the window.

“She looks pleasant,” Nimbus remarked, and Octavia laughed. The two pulled up and over the train.

“Right,” said Nimbus, “sightseeing’s done. Let’s hit Manehatten!” Nimbus formed back up into a formation with his comrades and banked back on course to Equestria’s largest city.

…

Mecha smiled to himself as he finished tying up his last bag of powdered Hydra scale. He’d spotted Nimbus and Octavia a few moments ago, and could only imagine how furious Star Solo must have been to see them. He’d only run into her once before, and that encounter had hardly been a pleasant one. She’d shoved him out of the way while heading to the lounge car, and it had taken every ounce of self-control Mecha had to keep from attacking her. He consoled himself with the fact that he’d easily be able to make up for the even later. Now he had a job to do.

He trotted into the train’s restroom, opened up his saddlebag, and pulled out a hat, overcoat, and notebook, as well as a false reporter’s badge and pencil. He knew there was only one way to get close to Star Solo. Before opening the door, he slipped a small and tightly-sealed bag into his pocket. When he emerged, Mecha looked like a completely different pony- a reporter to be exact. He proceeded to first class, where he crept up behind Star Solo, notebook in hoof.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Mecha said, “may I have a brief word with you?”

Star Solo turned and looked at Mecha in disgust. “Oh… a mud pony. Haven’t I seen you before?”

“Yes you have, you twit,” Mecha thought, “you shunted me out of the way not thirty minutes ago.”

“We may have run into each other, but I don’t believe we’ve officially met. I’m Mecha, music reporter for the Canterlot Times.”

“Oh?” Solo said, suddenly interested. “Then please, ask any questions you would like!”

“Alright,” Mecha said, taking a seat right next to her, causing Solo to squirm uncomfortably. “First question, then: is it true that the reason for this train ride is that you’re traveling to the Trans-Equestrian Orchestra concert?”

“It is.”

“And in that case, am I also correct that you were, for lack of a better term, beaten in the auditions by an amateur?”

Star Solo bristled. “When did you find out about that?”

“It’s no secret,” said Mecha, “plenty of musicians know.”

“Well if you must know,” said Star Solo, “I let him beat me. After all, this is the season of generosity. I simply wanted to give him a chance. But…”

“But what?” Mecha pressed, jotting something down in his notebook.

“I’m afraid I don’t have very high hopes for him. You see, he lacks the years of education that other ponies have.”

“Other ponies such as you?” Mecha asked, seething on the inside. Nopony could talk about his friends like that. There would be hell to pay tonight for that comment.

“Well… I suppose I could qualify for that category, yes,” said Solo.

“One final question, then,” Mecha said. “Do you believe, then, that Nimbus won’t represent Ponyville well?”

“That is correct,” Solo said, “unfortunate, but correct.”

“Thank you very much,” Mecha said, closing his notebook and forcing a smile. “It was a pleasure to speak with you.”

Star Solo said nothing; instead she simply waved Mecha off.  She didn’t notice as Mecha’s hoof brushed over her traveling bags. As he went back to his seat, Mecha began plotting. Solo had officially pushed the wrong buttons, and even if she wasn’t planning on any mischief, which by now Mecha severely doubted, he would have some form of vengeance.

Looking at the now empty bag he drew out of his coat pocket, Mecha smiled. His vengeance, it seemed, would be quite forthcoming, too.

…

“And there she is,” Nimbus said, banking over the grand city, “beautiful Manehatten. Now I just need to find the concert hall…”

“I can help you with that,” Octavia said, looking below, “it’s right on the coastline.”

“Great,” Nimbus said, heading for the coast. As they reached it, Nimbus began to follow the shoreline.

“Dead ahead,” Octavia said, “it’s the big glass building.”

Nimbus almost forgot to flap his wings when he saw the concert hall. It was massive, for one, and its shape was almost similar in appearance to a seashell, with a massive wall of glass facing out towards the city as the main lobby.

“Impressive,” Nimbus said, lowering his altitude until he was cruising above the street to the hall. They touched down just outside the front doors and a valet Pegasus pony instantly walked up to Nimbus.

“May I take your chariot, sir?”

“Of course,” Nimbus said, unhitching himself as the valet hitched himself in. Nimbus then went to the back of the chariot and helped Octavia down, grabbing their luggage as well.

“So where to?” Nimbus said as the chariot left and he and Octavia headed inside.

“Well, if you’d like to follow me, I think it’s time to go meet the band,” Octavia said, smiling.

Nimbus grinned from ear to ear. This day was just getting better by the second.

…

Star Solo set her bags on her hotel bed and headed into the bathroom for a brief shower. As she stood under the warm water, she began to think of the best ways to get back at Nimbus. Electronics failures were a good start, but she’d already seen one of those go wrong when she attempted the same with Octavia. She’d learned from then on out to always have a backup plan. She recalled a pamphlet she’d read on the train about the Trans-Equestrian Orchestra. Apparently the band used pyrotechnics as a central part of their show.

“Pyrotechnics…” she mused aloud, “now that could be interesting.”

She climbed out of the shower and used her room’s intercom to order some steamed oats through room service. Then she began slipping on her concert clothing. She’d have to get over to the concert early if she wanted to scope out possible sabotage locations. As she put on her velvet purple dress, she suddenly felt a sharp stinging sensation on her flank. She cried out, but didn’t notice the small, golden scorpion crawling away from her- a little present from Mecha. He’d planted a honey scorpion (a species plucked straight out of the Appaloosa Desert) into her bag.  She shrugged the encounter off and went back to dressing. As she finished, however, she noticed that her head felt odd. The entire room seemed blurry, and she had trouble keeping her balance. Then there was a knock at the door. Star Solo stumbled to the door like a drunk and opened it. There, standing before her, was what she perceived as the most beautiful stallion she’d ever seen.

“Er… room service,” the stallion said, handing Star Solo a plate of steamed oats.

“I’m not hungry anymore,” Star Solo said, dropping her voice into a seductively low tone, “why don’t you come in here with me for a little while?”

The room service attendant began to back up. “Er, ma’am, I’m afraid I can’t do that. I have to maintain a strictly professional relationship with my customers.”

“Then let’s make this… professional,” Solo crooned, batting her eyelashes.

The attendant reached for a radio on his belt.

“Calling your friends up here? I like that. The more the merrier.”

“Security, this is Friendly Service reporting from the fifth floor, room 5B37. I have a situation up here.”

“On our way,” the attendant’s radio squawked.

“Oh, your name is Friendly Service?” Solo swooned, “that’s positively wonderful. Can I expect some friendly service from you?”

“Ma’am, please-“ Service said, “if you go back into your room now and just eat your food, we can pretend this never happened.”

“Hmm… make me,” Solo giggled, draping a foreleg over Friendly Service’s shoulder.

When security arrived on the fifth floor, they found Friendly Service being dragged rear-hooves-first into Star Solo’s room.

“Release the attendant!” a bulky stallion said, picking up Star Solo and throwing her across the room. Solo hit the wall and collapsed, giggling while two other stallions cuffed themselves to her and dragged her out of the room, leaving a very bewildered Friendly Service sitting on the floor and wondering if he’d really just gone through everything he’d seen.

…

Octavia led Nimbus to a room in the back of the concert hall where several surprisingly (to Nimbus) ordinary-looking ponies were seated, fiddling around with instruments.

“Nimbus,” Octavia said proudly, “I’d like to introduce you to the Trans-Equestrian Orchestra.”

Nimbus’s jaw dropped as one of the ponies stood and approached him. His Cutie Mark was a half note, and his coat was black with a gelled, purple mane.

“So you’re Nimbus,” he said, “pleased to meet you. I’m Bold Mic, the band’s lead singer.”

“Hello… sir,” Nimbus said, “thank you so much for accepting my audition.”

“Think nothing of it. You kind of blew everypony else away. We’ve still got the recording, actually.”

“Wait,” Nimbus said, “I was recorded?”

“Correct,” Bold said, “and I must add that on behalf of the rest of the band as well as myself, all of us are proud to perform alongside one of Equestria’s defenders tonight.”

“Well, I’m proud to serve,” Nimbus said. “I can’t wait for tonight!”

Bold Mic laughed. “I’ll bet. I’ve got your music if you’d like to have a look at it. We were going to start rehearsing soon.”

“Works for me,” Nimbus said, bending down to unpack his saxophone while Octavia started setting up her cello. Nimbus smiled as he began playing his warm up scales. Somehow he felt he’d fit right in with these ponies.

…

Hours later, Nimbus was already starting to feel exhausted. Not only did he have to worry about playing the music correctly, he also had to deal with stage directions. For a show like this, Bold Mic had explained to him, it was important to remember where you were at all times, lest you catch some fireworks straight in the flank. Still, despite the dangers and constant preparation, Nimbus felt that the experience thus far had been rewarding. For the first time in his life, he was playing with a full band who enjoyed music as much as he did. When the band launched into another one of their flashy rock songs, Nimbus almost didn’t notice Mecha slip in the doors to the auditorium. He motioned for Octavia to accompany him and they met the stallion at the front of the stage.

“What’s up?” Nimbus asked Mecha.

“You weren’t kidding when you said Star Solo was a grade-A jerk,” Mecha said. “She’s probably getting that aphrodisiac pumped out of her system right now…”

“Oh no,” Nimbus said, “you didn’t prank her, did you?”

“Of course I did,” Mecha said, “I can only sit through so many insults. And besides, I pretty much confirmed that she’s expecting you to fail tonight, which means she’s going to have a hoof in some attempted sabotage.”

Nimbus rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I guess it’s okay then.”

“By the way,” Octavia added, “the show starts in less than an hour. If you want to be ready for Solo, I’d suggest you make your way backstage.”

“Already on it,” Mecha said, brandishing yet another false ID card- this time a backstage access card.

“Cool,” said Nimbus, “we’re counting on you, Mecha. The show must go on!”

“Oh it will,” Mecha called back, “even if I have to burn down the auditorium!”

Octavia laughed nervously. “He’s joking, right?”

Nimbus’s face was emotionless. “No. If I know Mecha, he’s not kidding. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come down to that.”

“Backstage, everypony!” Bold Mic called out, “they’re letting ponies in now!”

Nimbus hurried backstage with Octavia. The best night of his life was about to begin.

…

Star Solo rubbed her swollen left flank. According to the emergency care center down the street from her hotel, she’d been injected with an aphrodisiac… by a scorpion. Not only was she humiliated, but she was forced to undergo the painful process of pumping the drug out of her system. Now she was on the warpath.

She stepped inside the auditorium, heading backstage with the pass Nimbus had given her, completely oblivious to Mecha, who was watching her from the shadows. As she reached the stage door, she could hear the music beginning. The lights were still down, so she’d have to work fast. Solo located one of the “fire tubes,” which were essentially metal tubes that shot up pillars of flame when active, and began to run her hoof over its surface until she found a small valve. She squinted at it through the dim light and could just make out a message saying “warning: do not close valve while pyrotechnics are in use. Pressure buildup can cause an explosion.”

“Perfect,” Solo whispered, closing the valve. All she’d have to wait for was the pressure build-up. The explosion would be small enough to be nonlethal, but just enough to worry security and close down the concert. When her work was complete, she slipped back into the shadows, standing center backstage. As soon as Solo took her eyes off the valve, Mecha darted forward and started to reopen the valve when he noticed something. Below the valve was a port for a secondary hose, undoubtedly for connecting a reserve supply of fuel for the fire. Mecha had seen piles of hose sitting around backstage, and suddenly he had an idea…

…

When the lights went down, Nimbus took his place at the side of the stage. He wasn’t due on yet, but he wanted a good view of the performance.

“I want to take you back four hundred years,” Bold Mic said to the audience, his voice cutting through the darkness, “to a little town in the center of Equestria…  a town by the name of Ponyville.”

Nimbus could hear the first notes of the concert emanating from Octavia’s solo cello. They sounded mournful, almost, but passionate. There was life in each phrase- a story, as it were.

“Now in this town, as happened every year, the first flake of snow fell from the sky and landed next to a band, playing carols on the side of the street. And when the musicians saw that flake of snow fall in front of their eyes, they knew that Winter had truly come, and they began to play with a new energy!”

Nimbus got ready for what was coming next, and was not disappointed. Without warning, one of the guitar players performed a sharp, loud riff, starting the concert. At the same time, flames shot up from the sides of the stage, and lights swept over the audience. Nimbus’s heart soared with inspiration at the sight. When he looked back at Octavia, he could see her working the cello furiously, keeping up with the fast guitar players and drums. Nimbus grinned like a child in a candy store as the thumping bass shook his very core. So far, this concert was more than living up to what he’d expected.

…

Mecha silently crept under the stage with a piece of industrial tubing over his back.

“That looks about right…” Mecha said, widening the gap slightly between two floorboards. He then pinched off the end of the tube and stuck it up into the floorboards. If this worked, he’d get his revenge and the chance to experience what very well might be the coolest finisher the Trans Equestrian Orchestra had ever done.

…

Nimbus picked up his saxophone and adjusted his suit, bringing out his own little surprise. He was wearing the Unifier on a silver chain around his neck. It had been Rarity’s idea, and though hesitant at first, Nimbus decided that, as Rarity put it, it would “make a bold statement.” Nimbus listened to the music onstage. The concert was reaching its middle, and his part was coming up.  When the current song ended, Bold Mic spoke again.

“In the town square, a young jazz musician stood in the snow. Under his hooves, he had an old and ragged hat, which generous passersby threw bits into every now and then. His marefriend had left him earlier in the week, when he lost most of his money to a robbery, and he was doing all he could to earn back what he could…”

A single blue light fell on Nimbus as he played the first few notes of his song- a slow blues phrase. The crowd was completely silent. Outwardly, Nimbus showed no emotion, but inwardly, he was preparing himself. His song was supposed to characterize the emotions his character was going through. And in just a few seconds…

Nimbus raised his saxophone as he let the notes fly furiously. The guitar and drums joined him, and he could hear Octavia’s cello as well. Nimbus’s spirit was high- nothing could have brought him down now. It went on like this for the duration of the concert, as Nimbus’s character in the band’s Hearth’s Warming Eve Story became more involved, until finally the last song arrived. Nimbus watched as the stage went dark, and a blue light appeared over him, while a second light appeared over Octavia. As Bold Mic Spoke, Nimbus began to circle Octavia, approaching her slowly as she played her cello.

“As our jazz musician walked into the town hall, he saw a crowd of little fillies and colts gathered around a familiar pony in the center of the room, next to a roaring, warm fire. He didn’t dare show his face, for he knew the pony to be his love- the same one who had left him. But as he listened further, he could hear the mare playing a piece that the two of them had often played together in the past. Without even thinking about it, he pulled out his saxophone. Then the mare played three notes- a simple call and response. When the jazz musician had been around, he’d answer the three notes with three of his own. But tonight, no notes echoed back to the mare. She was about to put away her cello when she looked out into the driving, swirling snow and played the notes one last time.

Octavia played three notes on the cello, and Nimbus answered with three from his saxophone.

“When she heard the notes, she knew he’d come back, and when he entered that room with his saxophone in hoof, they embraced and apologized to one another. The children, bless their souls, cheered, and demanded an encore. Obliging, the two musicians, now together again, picked up their instruments, and for the first time in days, played together.

Nimbus and Octavia launched into a saxophone-cello duet, weaving in traditional Hearth’s Warming Eve melodies as lights danced among the crowd. The band joined in, creating a veritable wall of harmonic sound. Nimbus was having the time of his life. He and Octavia took center stage, where they were lifted up into the air on two pedestals, playing on. Nimbus got ready for the final note, which he knew was coming soon. Suddenly, the band dropped out as he and Octavia finished their duet. On their last note, the guitar squealed to life again, and the pyrotechnics went off… including Mecha’s big finish.

Behind the musicians, and exactly in front of where Star Solo was standing, the hose connected to the fire tube had taken about all of the pressure it could handle. Without warning, it exploded upwards in an impressive fireball as the band closed out the concert with their last note and Nimbus and Octavia, still in character, embraced onstage. The audience went wild, clapping and cheering. Nimbus saw Bold Mic take a quick glance back at the source of the explosion, confused, then turned towards the audience and bowed. Nimbus, Octavia, and the rest of the band followed suit and Nimbus walked up to Octavia and high-hoofed her onstage.

“This is all thanks to you!” he said, “without you, I wouldn’t be up here today!”

“Oh Nimbus,” Octavia said, “thank you so much. You’ve been the most wonderful student.”

The two held hooves and bowed, amidst a wave of applause, and at that moment, Nimbus felt that he couldn’t possibly be anyplace better than right here, right now.

…

When Nimbus and Octavia finally emerged from the concert hall, they could see a dirty, scorched, and bedraggled mare crying to herself as she sat in a snow bank. The two rushed over to help her, but froze when they realized that the mare was none other than Star Solo.

“Star?” Octavia said without a trace of hostility in her voice, “is something the matter?”

“Please,” Solo said, “you don’t want to spend time here with me… I tried to ruin everything, and I got what I deserved.”

“What do you mean?” Nimbus asked.

“Th- that explosion,” Solo sobbed, “I set that up. But it backfired on me.”

Nimbus almost laughed out loud, but restrained himself. Mecha had evidently worked his magic. “Listen Solo,” he said, “is this because of the auditions?”

Star Solo nodded. “I was jealous, but not just because you’d received that part in the concert. I was also jealous because you’d become such good friends with Octavia- something I never could have done. After the concert I thought about what I’d done wrong, and then I realized it- I’ve been a stuck-up know-it-all this whole time.”

She turned to Octavia and sniffed. “Can you ever forgive me?”

Octavia looked up for a moment, then back down at Star Solo. “Well, you really were a selfish, attention-seeking jerk before…”

Star Solo was on the verge of tears again.

“But I can forgive that,” Octavia said, helping Solo up out of the snow.

Nimbus looked back as soon as he heard the sound of approaching hoofsteps just in time to see Mecha approaching. When the black Earth Pony saw Star Solo in tears, he opened his mouth to speak, but Nimbus raised his hoof to his lips, mouthing “shush.” Mecha complied.

“Now then,” Nimbus said to Star Solo, “why don’t we all head out and get a good Hearth’s Warming Eve dinner before heading back to Ponyville, eh?”

“Dinner?”

The group turned as Vinyl Scratch approached, wearing several Trans-Equestrian Orchestra t-shirts.

“That’s right,” Nimbus said, “my treat. What do you say?”

“I say I’m in!” said Mecha.

“I’ll come if you’ll have me,” Star Solo added.

“Dinner it is, then,” Octavia said.

Nimbus turned to Octavia. “Then I guess I’d better go get that chariot. I’m famished! Do you want to come along?”

“Of course,” Octavia beamed, “we shall make a grand procession, we two musicians…”

Nimbus laughed. “I’m not so sure about a grand procession, but I could do a loop in front of the lobby if you want.”

Octavia chuckled at Nimbus’s joke. They walked around the corner of the concert hall, heading for the chariots, but Nimbus stopped suddenly.

“What is it?” Octavia asked, “forget something?”

Nimbus shook his head. “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s…” He paused. Octavia was still staring at him, waiting for him to speak.  Looking at her, he was reminded of their performance during the concert, and how differently he’d seen Octavia under those stage lights. There had been something more about her… she’d been more than just a teacher, and maybe more than just a friend.

“It’s… I guess what I wanted to say was…” Nimbus sighed. “What would you say to going out and getting dinner on our own sometime?”

“I think I’d like that,” Octavia said. “How about this Saturday?”

“Saturday?” Nimbus said, caught off-guard at the abruptness of Octavia’s answer. “Uh… yeah. Saturday’s great!”

“Come on,” Octavia said, laughing and pulling Nimbus along by the Unifier, “let’s get our chariot.”

As the two walked into the night, the snow continued to fall, dusting the ground with a fine layer of white crystals. For Equestria, the Hearth’s Warming Eve snowfall marked the end of yet another wonderful year.

But for Nimbus and Octavia, it seemed, it also marked a beginning.

...

Epilogue

The valet from before watched as Nimbus and Octavia approached, pushing their chariot out as they approached.

“I trust the concert was a success?” he asked Nimbus. The orange Pegasus nodded.

“Very much so.” He handed the valet a few bits. “Merry Hearth’s Warming Eve, and thanks for taking good care of this chariot.”

“It was no trouble at all,” the valet said, smiling. Before Nimbus could leave, however, he asked a question.

“Sir, if I may- is that the Unifier around your neck? The device that set Equestria free from Eclipse?”

“You have a sharp eye,” Nimbus said, “that’s the one.”

“Well this may sound a bit silly,” the valet said, “but may I touch it?”

“I don’t see why not,” Nimbus said, holding the chain out to the valet. The valet Pegasus touched a hoof to the green gem and instantly drew in a sharp breath. Nimbus saw his eyes widen, then relax.

“A powerful artifact, to be sure,” the valet said. “I’m honored to be in its presence.”

Nimbus smiled. “Well we must be going,” he said, helping Octavia into the chariot and hitching himself up, “have a good night and take care!”

“And you as well,” the valet whispered as Nimbus and Octavia left. Once they were out of sight, he disappeared around the corner and spread his wings, taking flight and heading out over the ocean, slowly turning north. As he left the city behind, a green light suddenly enveloped his body. When it faded, his physical features had transformed into those of a nightmarish, insect-like creature: a Changeling. As he flew on towards his destination, he smiled wickedly. His superiors would be pleased to hear what he had to report.