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// Truly Outrageous 07: The Fifth Member 
// Story: Sunset Shimmer and the Holograms 
// by ratedoni 
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If there was one thing that people could trust Vinyl with would be with a mixing table. For anyone else not in the music business the huge amount of levers and dials would be like something out of a sci-fi movie and their imaginary ships. Every dial did something and Vinyl knew the usage of every single one.

Around the local music community she may have been known for her usage of heavy bass and dubstep but that was not all the mute girl wanted to hear. She knew that music in general was important, no matter the genre and no matter the artists… well, with several obvious exceptions.

Her parents did all they could to reassure Vinyl that her physical limitations were not important and she believed in them. No one in Canterlot High even made mention of that, no one laughed or bullied her due to it, hell, not even Sunset at her worst did anything to Vinyl. The blue haired girl had found home, friends and inspiration in those school halls and she had done her best to help defend them.

But beyond her vocal cord problems she had found another way to communicate, one that allowed so many people to truly hear her. Music was not a hobby for her, it was who she was; be it from the stage or behind it just like she did at the battle of the bands. So when Rarity appeared one day at the recording studio with a voice recording she was all for it to check it out.

Many students just took for granted the way the school was always surrounded by music and singing from the others students, but Vinyl knew and understood that whatever magic Sunset had brought into their world was surely affecting in some way. It was possibly the greatest gift to the world Sunset could have given her and she was grateful. Sunset had a voice that sometimes even surprised Vinyl and she had been on the business since she could reach the mixing table.

The first time she had truly heard Sunset was at the battle of the bands, when she had turned the tables on the sirens and for all purposes saved the world. Since then she had met with the girls and heard the way Sunset could sing. She had perfect control on her voice, a vocal range that could make R&B singers green with envy and she could change her pitch to mimic others. The first time she had heard her sing in the voice of Princess Twilight she had been beyond surprised. She used the same voice, true, but the way she could also mimic the cadence and feeling of Princess Twilight almost knocked Vinyl out.

So when Rarity brought the recording Vinyl knew there was something special in the voice. The fashionista probably had an idea of what she had in her hands, or probably it was just a hunch of hers. The two began working on a tune that could bring the energy and the feeling in Sunset’s voice to the max and after a couple of days of working Vinyl was sure she had found the answer and the internet seemed to agree.
Watching the numbers of a song you worked on go up and up without stopping, just gaining speed, made Vinyl jump up and down alongside her father who also caught on to what Vinyl had done and the opportunity they had in their hands.

Finding new artists was a job her father relished upon and this was something up his alley. They knew that Jem –only Vinyl knew who was the real singer- would be swamped by artists and record studios, but Lightshow Records, the company of Vinyl’s dad had the upper hand with Vinyl being a friend and helper of the girls. And the gamble had paid off in spades now that Jem had her new band ready and already jamming.

Vinyl was grinning from ear to ear at the way the band was playing and singing in unison, as if they had been doing this from the very beginning. Moving dials and changing small parts of the recording she found the sweet spot and let the music dominate the studio.
Sonata’s guitar was crisp and precise, maybe she didn’t have the technique of more experienced players but the way she was rocking alongside her band mates showed the way she felt the music, as if it was alive and she was simply moving alongside the music.

Zecora was also to the point, guiding the rest of the girls and adding a flair on it that seemed directly from any fashion catwalk. It was as if Zecora was building a road where the rest could walk on. She was sensual, elegant and radiant, the perfect combination of black and white just like her zebra style of dressing.

Rarity was good, she had no doubt about it by this point, but more than that she had quick fingers and an eye to detail that fit perfectly in the quartet. The fashionista had agile fingers that seemed to move through the keys at a flashing speed but it was her presence that made her look almost ethereal and it was not just because of the pony magic.

And Jem… well, what could Vinyl say about the Sunset Shimmer that was singing her heart out alongside her new and old friends. This Sunset was free of her doubts, no more self-confidence problems for the girl now that she had found her center. She was shimmering just like her name. Her voice smooth and almost sexual in its tone, it was truly a voice that could take you on a trip.

She also had to give credits to Fluttershy and Sunset on writing lyrics. Ignition, Space, Love was a great song that worked perfect with what Sunset was planning for the beginning of the Holograms. This was the beginning of their travel through the cosmos and they were taking their fans alongside them. Jumping into the unknown but clearly enjoying every moment and every experience.

That the four girls felt this confident after just practicing the song for fifteen minutes left Vinyl astounded. That they could already play the song and were already making small changes to it to adjust it to the way Zecora and Sonata played was enough to make Vinyl believe that the girls were going to take the stage by a storm.

Look out world, Jem and the Holograms were ready for war. And Vinyl would be 100% behind them.