The crisp air was warming as a crowd had been collecting outside ponyville. A music show was nearing its start.
"Vinyl I have to admit, I'm quite curious what this newcomer will bring to the table." Octavia locked her eyes upon the signature shades the popular DJ was well known for "even said he was inspired by you."
For weeks news had been spreading of the stallions first live performance plans. Of course his music was well known even by the two icons. His style has always been unique.
"His tracks have been good. But good music is nothing if you don't have a good stage presence." Vinyl pointed out. "My shows sell out cause I make it an experience."
"And my shows are well received for their elegance and simplicity."
Vinyl nodded in agreement. The streets were decorated with spooky decor showing off the fall season's biggest holiday. Nightmare Night. Which was what this new artist's music was always themed around.
Octavia turned and checked the clock resting against the stage. 7:26. The show would be starting in four minutes. The crowd was chatting among themselves. Several ponies had noticed the two famous mares and huddled around the barriers.
Vinyl had been mailed a pair VIP tickets weeks prior. So the two famous mares had a small area off to the side of the main stage. A handful of other musical icons were there as well.
Songbird Serenade. Coloratura. A small collection of members of the canterlot orchestra. And on the direct opposite side of the stage's base was a small area reserved for princess twilight and her five friends.
The stage was glowing under a royal purple string of lights. A small mare trotted confidently across the stage's platform. Her hooves stopped in the center as she cleared her throat to test the microphone she held.
"Tonight is a very special Nightmare Night celebration." Her voice was that of an announcer. The crowd grew quiet. all eyes focusing on the stage. "A breakout artist is making his live performance debut, I welcome you all to the first live performance of, Crimson Moon."
With that the mare trotts off to the side and disappears off stage. The moon was perfectly framed by the stage. Suddenly the lights all shut off. Plunging the crowd into the darkness.
"You all have heard my famous collection of 'Nightmare Night SoundBites'. Now it's time for me to give you something on a whole new level." The voice was slightly high pitched for a stallion. But had all the signs of a showpony.
Lights shot back to life as the glow of the moon was highlighted with lines of purple and blue lights. Two crimson spotlights turned to focus on a stallion. His right rear leg was wrapped in rope and he was hanging, almost lifeless. Some of the crowd erupted in gasp and sounds of shock.
Through the large speakers began a jingle of the old Nightmare Night tune. "Nightmare Night, what a fright, give me something sweet to bite" the filly-like voice repeated and each time it became slightly more distorted and demonic in tone. The hanging stallion slung his wings outward and suddenly the jingle was replaced with the howl of a Timberwolf.
The pegasus was wearing a black bodysuit, the only color visible was his bright crimson eyes. Now the sound of bells and the plucking of strings could be heard. He had always used several instruments in his tracks. The eerie sound of a piano creeped into the back layers of the mix.
Octavia was impressed by the variety of instruments used in this crescendo. And Vinyl was enjoying the careful fade of each instrument into its layer in the mix.
Once the tune had settled into a rhythm the black suited pegasus flapped his wings and hovered above the stage in the crossing of the crimson spotlights. The rope falling free as gravity was the only thing holding It in place.
The tune bounced as the familiar jingle fillies would sing came back lining up perfectly with all the instruments. Vinyl counted the repetitions. The third time the jingle played out the young voices faded out after the word 'something' and in its place the pegasus' voice almost growled "sweet to bite"
With those words the famous heavy bass distortion struck as the different Instruments fell back in the mix to give way to a heavily distorted bass drop. As the electronic sounds layered over the already present instruments the crowd cheered.
Vinyl was reminded of her own style with the heavy distortion and electronic beats bouncing along such a famous jingle. Octavia wasn't as much a fan as her roommate, but even she could appreciate the careful fades and mixes of so many instruments.
Crimson turned his attention to the crowd. Flying out over it pumping his forelegs to the beats as the crowd joined in the same motion. His bright eyes scanned the crowd. Gauging how much they were into the music. He knew opening with a new track would be risky but felt he needed something big to get the crowd in the right mood for the rest of his set.
He landed in the center of the stage where his equipment lay out with various screens set up showing the different layers and each with separate controls to alter the sound the crowd hears.
With a beautiful rising in the beat he brought the bass down hard and the ponies close to the stage could feel the vibration from the heavy distortion. The track carried this heavy distortion for a few beats before giving way to the higher pitched tunes that made up the bulk of the track.
'This will be a good first performance. Everything will be fine, just focus on the music.' Crimson shoved the worry from his mind as He focused on his music and hyping the crowd between bass hits.
The concert had gone remarkably well for the first time show pony. There had been only two cases of security involvement. Once for a mare that had collapsed in the front row as the vibration of the bass had sent her over the edge in more ways than one. And the other when a dark coated stallion had a little too much cider and tried to force his way on stage.
"I am thrilled to hear you enjoyed the show princess. I knew I had to break the mold and this was my end result" crimsons soft natural voice carried through the small group of VIP guests. "I'll be sure to set up another show for next year's Nightmare Night."
The princess smiled and nodded before returning to her group of friends. The red eyed pegasus looked around the backstage area for anyone else he hadn't yet talked with. And noticed the pair of mares coming in through the curtain.
Octavia had a heavy buzz from a lovely scotch she had purchased about halfway through the event. While vinyl was only slightly affected by the light drinks she had consumed. Both mares noticed the stallion approaching but it was Octavia who spoke first.
"You must be-" a hic caught her off guard mid Sentence "Crimson. Right?"
"That's me. I'm guessing you have some feedback?" His eyes looked to the white unicorn.
Vinyl paused. She had just noticed the red and black mane of the stallion in front of her. She remembered it from somewhere but she shook the thought and answered the previous inquiry. "Some of the bass hits were a little heavy but that's just a personal preference."
"Yeah, ponies love the distortion. And it fits well with my spooky theme." His eyes scan Octavia. He spots the half empty bottle of themed scotch. "Enjoy my homebrewed scotch I see"
Octavia gives a smile and a nod. Vinyl adjusted her eyes and a moment clicked in her brain. "Were you in the Nightmare Night music competition in Canterlot a few years back?"
He tilted his head and smiled upon realizing who the white unicorn was. "Vinyl. I haven't seen you in years and come to find out your the world famous DJ that inspired me to perform live."
Octavia raised an eyebrow. "You two know each other?"
"Well we met during a show of mine in Canterlot years ago. But it was after that Nightmare Night competition that we lost contact and it wasn't long after that I started going by the stage name 'DJ PON-3'" Vinyl smiled at her roommate.
"Yeah we stopped talking after I beat you in that competition. That's the only time you ever got second place." Crimson smiled before a whistle caught his attention. "Oh hey I have to do a few things before I pack up for the night. I'm doing a meet and greet Tomorrow in town Square at noon. We can catch up then." The red eyes turned and walked off to mingle with the other musical icons.
"You must tell me more about him vinyl. I am curious what history you two have." The pair of mares turn to leave the backstage area.
"Alright. But let's get home first. Then I promise I'll catch you up." Vinyl gave her signature smirk that Octavia had come to adore. And the two departed to return home.
The door to the cottage shuts with a small click as Vinyl turns the lock. Octavia trots over to the couch and plants herself into the cushions. "Now, now Vinyl. I've waited very patiently." The usual fancy undertone was no longer in the mare's voice.
"Well, I must admit you've been patient with me, which I still wonder how you manage." Vinyl walks over and gives Octavia a nuzzle. The two mares have been close for months now but neither was quite willing to take the step of admitting feelings.
"So let's start at the beginning. Just old friends, or something more back then?" The earth pony's eyes carried a look of care. Vinyl knew that Octavia simply wanted to understand. She had never judged anything Vinyl told her. Even some of the crazier stories of her teenage years. "And I'm going to assume there's a good reason he hasn't been brought up before."
"Well we met at a show like I said. He was a fan of dubstep and the electronic music I was good with. We were pretty good friends after hanging out a couple times. I even helped him make a track of his own." Suddenly a light blush spread across the white muzzle under her glasses.
"Just friends then?"
"Well this was back when I was still experimenting. And we did get really close cause we both loved the same type of music and ended up working together for a while." Vinyl couldn't hide the fact she was smiling at the memories. Her grin earned a small giggle from her roommate, which only turned her muzzle a brighter shade of red.
"Good memories of him, hmmm?" Octavia was enjoying the cute blush upon the Mare standing next to her. "You are aware that even if you had dated him, I wouldn't judge you for it. He seems like a nice stallion." The tipsy smile made the words all the more adorable to Vinyl.
"Well we were together briefly. We both figured if we were partners, we might as well have been… partners, y'know." The white unicorn blushed deeply as the words left her tongue. As much as she hated to admit it, that relationship was the first time she felt real magic with somepony. That is before she met Octavia, of course.
The warmth in her cheeks only deepened as the thought passed. "So what happened at that music competition? Since it seems that's when you felt out of contact. And i'm assuming… broke up?" Octavia's voice quivered, the sound of uncertainty creeping in.
Vinyl sat down upon the edge of the couch and patted her shoulder signaling Octavia to lay her head. "Well we worked on a track for the competition together. You got a month to make an original track in the theme of Nightmare Night."
"What happened?" Octavia shut her eyes as she lay her head back and got comfortable against the mare's shoulder.
"Well, we both hadn't realized that only single artist tracks were eligible for the competition. So we had collaborated. He made the first part of the track in his 'spooky' style, and I made the second half with a more traditional DJ flare." The Mare took a deep breath as the blush started to dissipate from her muzzle.
"And when it came down to it. His part of the track was easier to finish. Cause my part of it built off the beats and rhythm of his half." She let out a sigh of defeat. Sinking into the couch. "His track beat mine because of that small detail and we got into an argument over it that night." A breath caught in her throat as she tensed up, the memories of that night seemingly causing some discomfort "He claimed his plan was to let me enter the original track as my own. But the two halves had such a different style that he worried about a disqualification. I didn't believe him." Vinyl paused, taking a deep breath.
Octavia felt the heartbeat quicken in her ears, she could tell Vinyl felt uneasy. "Guessing that was the fight that led to…" she felt no reason to finish the sentence as she had felt a drop of liquid land against her head. She shifted to bring her eyes up to meet Vinyl's. A few tears began to fall from the white cheeks. Octavia felt a burst of confidence, leaning up and bringing her lips to meet Vinyl's. They both melted into the kiss for a few moments before they pulled away in unison.
"I… thanks Octavia. That helped." The red was made all the more obvious by her white coat. She relaxed into the soft cushions of the couch.
"How about we just relax. We can worry about him tomorrow." She nuzzled into her friend's chest relaxing. Letting out a sigh of contentment.
The next day.
Crimson had been hanging out with fans and signing whatever item was brought to him for the signature portion of the small event. He didn't have a huge fan base but he attracted a lot of attention for his performance because he was one of the few artists that made themed music for the spooky season.
The small crowd enjoyed the chance to meet the popular artist and see him outside of his preforming attire. His red and black mane was shining under the sun. His orange coat no longer covered in a black bodysuit. Most ponies still were amazed that his eyes weren't contacts.
"Yeah most people think I use contacts. But my eyes are naturally this bright." His soft voice carried across the handful of fans that still remained around him.
"What gave you the courage to perform live?" A young grey filly had worked her way to the front of the group and asked him with a sweet voice. "It must have been so scary"
He looked down at the small filly and gave her a generous smile. "Well I had heard how much ponies enjoyed DJ PON-3 in concert so I thought I could perform for Nightmare Night. It wasn't an easy decision but I gave my fans an experience unlike anything else." He shifted on his hooves and noticed a small poster tucked under her wing. "Want an autograph for your poster sweetie?"
The young eyes when wide with joy. "Really?! You'd do that for me?" He nodded and took the poster with a smile.
"Whats your name darling?"
"Lunar Flower" her voice was soft and weak. She tried to seem braver than she was but he just smiled and signed the poster and left a small note for her.
"I left a little surprise on it for you" he passed the poster back and let her little eyes scan the words he had written under his signature.
'You can do anything you put your mind to. Stay brave, Lunar flower' she read the message with a giddy smile and practically flung herself forward to hug his forelegs. Her small stature prevented her from reaching higher.
"I'm glad you like it. If you're ever feeling down just read that poster." He patted her mane as she hugged him. It was moments like this that made performing worth it. These close interactions with fans was what he lived for. If he could make a difference to even one pony the stage fright would be worth it.
"Thank you Crimson Moon." She stepped back after a few moments. She waved one last time before vanishing through the crowd to return to her home.
He had a few more conversations before he decided to take a short break to get a snack. He wasn't hungry but he needed a break from all the attention so he called out to his crowd "I'm going to have a short snack break. I'll return in thirty minutes to meet anyone who hasn't gotten their chance."
The group wasn't happy but ultimately respected his decision. Most of the ponies that had gathered milled about outside the bakery as Crimson went inside to order a small apple pie. "How much for that one?" He pointed a hoof to the pie on display.
"Three bits. What do you think of ponyville?" Mrs cakes voice was joyful and upbeat as she stood opposite him.
"I'll take one please." He raised his right wing and grabbed five bits from a small pouch. He had a surplus after the performance sold out. "Keep the change. And your small town has been a pleasant change from the hustle and bustle of Manehattan that I'm used to" He passed the bits to Mrs Cake and took the pie from the counter.
"I'm happy to hear it. We don't normally get big shows in town. Especially at this time of year" she turned to scan the Nightmare Night decorations she hadn't had time to take down.
"I found a niche and filled it." He retorted as he turned to trot to a table humming a small tune as he stepped.
"Enjoy the pie" Mrs cake called out as he turned away.
He gave her a nod as he sat the freshly baked pie down and took a seat to enjoy his meal.
Meanwhile
Vinyl had slept in as usual. Octavia had already been practicing for an hour when she heard her roommate fall off the bed with a thud.
"Ughhh I hate morningssssss" Vinyl groaned as she rolled to her hooves.
"Are you alright Vinyl?" Octavia had grown accustomed to hearing her roommate tumble when she first awoke from a slumber. Yet she still worried when it happened.
"I'm fine, Octy." Her voice was scratchy as she was still attempting to wake up. "Just not a morning pony" she added with a slight goan.
"Well, we could still make it to your friends meet and greet if you'd like" she returned her cello to its stand as she made the small walk to the bedroom. Vinyl had just slid her purple shades onto her muzzle. "Sleep well?"
"I had a funny dream, but otherwise it was a good night's rest." She shook her head as she stretched out her hind legs. "How time is it anyway?"
Octavia stood in the doorway for a moment. "I believe half past twelve." She hadn't checked the clock in a few minutes but it was a safe estimate.
"Let me grab a snack and we can head out." Vinyl slid past her roommate and started towards the pantry.