Nuit Blanche

by nightwalker

Playing Records and Pushing Buttons

Vinyl and Octavia looked over just as Jazzie bounced up. “I’ve been looking all over for you, Octavia! I’m so glad that I finally found you.”

“Hey Jazzie,” said Octavia with a slight smile. “Have a good time princess watching?”

“Oh yeah! Yeah!” Jazzie sat down on the edge of the platform below them. “It was really cool, actually. The two of them went all around the market and talked to a whole bunch of the ponies. Well, Princess Celestia did a lot of the talking. Princess Luna just looked at stuff mostly. And poked at it.” Jazzie’s ears folded back. “She uh, has a real thing about her personal space. Gets very shouty about it.” Octavia and Vinyl, too, couldn’t help laughing at the deep blush that bloomed on Jazzie’s cheeks.

“She actually really liked the blacksmith stuff, though. Started talking in that old-timey way they said she has to one of the griffons, asked if he was an armorer and such. He seemed surprised at the question but was able to tell her that his great grandsire had been one for the last great griffon king, Guto, before his family came here. He actually offered to let her have a few swings with his hammer. Heh, I think she might actually have done it too if it wasn’t for everypony around her. Said something about it being ‘improper for a princess’, though I could totally tell that her sister would have loved to see her do it.”

“That does sound like an interesting time.”

“Totally was, yeah. Hey, you remember how you said Princess Celestia was when she visited the orchestra a few months back, all formal and reserved? Tonight she was like a totally different pony. Smiling and laughing, just really friendly with everypony around her. Kinda reminded me of how Golden Cantabile will tease her little sister, Mezzo. It was just so odd seeing Princess Celestia acting like a big sister and not… well, a princess. I do feel a bit sorry for Princess Luna, though. She seems a rather awkward, and there’s the whole thing with her banishment and suddenly being back again. Most ponies seemed good around here but a few just didn’t seem to know how to act, you know?”

“I think that was probably the point for tonight,” Octavia said after a little thought. “We all grew up knowing her as the Mare in the Moon, the banished Nightmare Moon. I think that might be why the palace put it on, to show her that ponies really do appreciate her night now. And to show ponies that she’s not some monster who’d want to bring about endless night, that with her back, there will be a light in the darkness and we don’t have anything to fear from it.”

“Well, I for one certainly couldn’t do my job if it wasn’t for the night,” commented Vinyl. “I’ve tried outdoor concerts and stuff during the day, but it just never looks as good as what I can do with a dark background to work with. Speaking of, I’ve got a second set I should start prepping for soon.”

“Oh, don’t let me keep you!” Jazzie exclaimed. “I was planning on heading out myself, but I wanted to catch up with Octavia first. I ran into a bunch of friends from work and we’re heading down to The Mocking Horse Tavern. They’re doing this whole drunken mural thing where they open a barrel of cider for the room, and then try and paint as you drink. It only ends when the barrel is empty. Fermata already tried it, said it was a blast!”

“If it’s alright with you, Jazzie, I’m going to have to pass,” said Octavia as she started undoing the saddlebags. She fished out her last chocolate bar. “I’m gonna hang around here for a bit, check out the music and probably head home after.” She knew she had Vinyl’s attention by the way the unicorn shifted about at that last part.

“Aw, okay, Octavia.” Jazzie looked disappointed as she strapped on the bags, but like so many things with her, it was fleeting. “At least it looks like you had a good time. Glad that I dragged you out of your apartment after all! Good night, you two!”

“More like you prodded me out,” Octavia laughingly replied. “Good night, Jazzie!”

The two ponies on the sofa watched the cobalt-blue unicorn get lost in the crowds.

“Heh, where did you ever find her?” Vinyl asked. Catching something out of the corner of her eye, she looked down to see half a chocolate bar in Octavia’s hooves being offered to her.

“School, actually,” replied Octavia as she bit into her half. This bar was laced with crushed cacao nibs throughout that gave it a pleasant crunch. “We met in 8th year music. Our instructor, Common Time, insisted on broadening our horizons. He knew what styles of music we were comfortable with, which we preferred. So he partnered us with ponies of completely different styles and made it our major assignment that we were to learn what they played.” She snapped off another chunk of chocolate.

“Jazzie made herself my friend, regardless of what I may have thought at the time. We’re still friends for the same reason that Time put us together; she keeps me from getting too comfortable, from getting stuck in a rut.” Octavia looked over at Vinyl and smiled. “If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have bothered with this fest at all.”

“Well… I think we can all agree that would have been a mistake.” Vinyl moved a bit closer, and Octavia could see herself reflected purple in the DJ’s sunglasses. “Now, I believe you also said something about checking out the music before heading home.”

“I believe you said something about having to get ready for a set soon.”

“And I believe you said something about DJ-ing being nothing more than putting on records and pressing buttons.”

Having seen similar looks during her years of playing for the nobility, Octavia put on her best haughty expression, complete with raised eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’re going to try and prove me wrong.” She pressed a hoof to her chest. “I am never wrong about things in which I am always right.”

“Alright, lil’miss always-right,” said Vinyl with a chuckle before hopping off the sofa. “Follow me and I’ll show you how it’s really done.”

The two ponies made their way through the plaza towards the stage. Despite how late it had grown, the crowd was still a pretty good size and all the merchants were still there. As they passed by, Octavia managed to spot the progress that the blacksmiths had made on their bench project, the perch now secured to the base. Vinyl flashed her artist’s badge at the security pony handling the stage and trotted around back, Octavia still in tow. The timing proved good as the DJ on stage just finished wrapping up his set and told the crowd that DJ Pon3 would be replacing him shortly. Octavia could swear she heard hooting and clapping from the audience at that.

The two DJs greeted each other when he got backstage, exchanging the typical smalltalk Octavia was familiar with amongst professional musicians. He quickly packed up his kit while Vinyl worked to unpack hers, and headed out.

“If you wouldn’t mind giving me a helping hoof with these cables, that’d be great,” said Vinyl as she pushed past Octavia. There wasn’t much to it, but she was glad to help.

“Okay, now hop up here. I want to show you what being a DJ is all about.”

The stage that had been set up for the DJs to use during the fest wasn’t the largest, with just enough room for Vinyl, Octavia, and Vinyl’s equipment. Vinyl had Octavia stand in front of the whole thing as though she were the one the crowd down front was here for.

“Now what you have here,” Vinyl explained as she slid up behind Octavia, “are the instruments you use to reach out and wub your audience.”

Octavia barked a laugh, staggering back a bit. Her back bumped against Vinyl’s barrel, the unicorn’s forehooves wrapping around her own to keep them both steady. “You’re awful,” she admonished softly.

“Sorry, couldn’t resist,” Vinyl replied softly next to her ear. Octavia could tell she was smiling. Leaning her head away, Vinyl continued, pointing to the different parts as she went. “As I was saying. This is a deck. You’ve got turntables on either side and the heart of the whole thing, the mixer, in the middle. That’s where the magic happens.”

“It still looks like putting on records and pushing buttons.”

Vinyl snorted, her breath ruffling Octavia’s mane. “I’d like to see how good you are at pushing buttons lil’miss always-right.”

Octavia’s muzzle spread in a grin as she barely repressed a shiver. “Oh, you want me to push your buttons, do you?”

Vinyl squeezed her with her forehooves, nuzzling along her neck from her shoulder to the base of her ear. “You’ve been doing that all evening already.”

This time Octavia couldn’t help the shiver, her tail dancing about behind her. A bit of a thrill went through her as she looked out over the ponies gathered before them. “You know… I don’t think this is quite the show they were expecting here.”

Vinyl lifted her head away from Octavia, though still keeping her forehooves firmly in place, as she looked over the audience. “No, I suppose not.”

From the corner of her eye, Octavia caught the blue glow of Vinyl’s unicorn magic as a pair of headphones settled over her head, though only the housing away from Vinyl settled over her ear. She felt a pair of cords snake by them and into the mixer, a reassuring “thunk” coming from the headphones as the plug made contact.

“Good night, Canterlot!” Vinyl called out. Turning a little, Octavia could see the DJ had on a pair of headphones as well, though only using one side. Hers had a microphone on them. As Octavia moved, Vinyl kept a comfortable grip on her, her rear hooves planted just outside Octavia’s own. “Are we all having a good time at the festival tonight?”

The crowd cheered loudly in answer.

“That’s what I like to hear! No, actually I like to hear it louder!”

The crowd obliged, roaring louder.

“That’s better! I’m DJ Pon3, with a special guest tonight,” she squeezed Octavia, “and we’ll be making sure that things are kept lively for the next few hours. For now, let’s make enough noise that ponies on the next tier won’t be able to sleep through it!”

The crowd seemed to really like that idea.

“Here, give me your hooves,” Vinyl instructed, the mic off, and Octavia obliged. Vinyl laid her own on top and threw a quick band of magic around them. She used Octavia’s hooves to press several buttons on the mixer, starting up a pulsing beat. “We’ll start with something old school simple, Drum and Bass, and then move into more proper techno.” Her forehooves held Octavia firmly around the barrel, her hips swaying and pressing forward along with the rhythm of the music, all while dancing her hooves over the mixer before them. “After that…” She nuzzled along Octavia’s neck and over her ear again. “We’ll see what you’re capable of handling.”

Octavia couldn’t help her smile. She’d already picked up the rhythm of the main bassline and was getting an idea of the mixer’s different effects based on what Vinyl pressed, twisted, or slid about. She pressed back against the DJ’s embrace, rolling her hips in time with Vinyl’s.

“I think I can handle a lot.”

Vinyl grinned. “Show me.”

Author's Note:

The more technical descriptions of music given by Vinyl and occasionally by Octavia are almost wholly my own opinions, others' opinion, and research here and there on the web. If you're more into the electronic music scene or industry than I am, and think I did a poor job of things, I apologize for that and would be interested in hearing why and how.