Vinyl examined her masterful sketch from earlier on in the week. Sitting dead center in the once-white paper was a large semicircular grandstand with an audience of ponies crammed around it. Standing speakers overshadowed the set like skyscrapers on each side of the stage. Musical notes blasted from the towers, blowing away the encompassing crowd like wind molding waves across the face of the ocean.

Above the scene hung rows of lights that pointed in each and every direction. The musician Vinyl drew – essentially a black-and-white copy of herself – was as white as the untouched portion of paper could get. The performer, centered on stage and within the image itself, was like a blazing bonfire emitting a light around which ponies gathered and danced. Exposure to the luminescence was marked by shades of gray that turned black near the edges of the paper.

The enlightened artist of the image was surrounded by a mixing table, accompanied by countless electronic devices, sound system equipment and synthesizers alike. They formed a horseshoe around the blissful performer, laying wires beneath her hoofs to form a carpet of cords.

With a deep breath Vinyl looked up from her drawing. From where she stood near the entrance of the performance hall the real life stage was almost a complete replica of her sketch, only that which stood before her was much more colorful with its settled dark blues and violets. When she had requested that everything fit her layout as closely as possible, she hadn't imagined that the academy maintenance crew could stir up almost an exact copy. From the towering speakers to the strings of lights, almost everything was there before Vinyl’s very eyes.

Beaming with pride and anticipation, the DJ glanced over at her roommate, Twinkle, who also stared with widened eyes and an astounded smile.

“You ready for this, Twink?” she asked.

The stage crew began testing the lights as they buried the hall in black and then began flashing the entire spectrum of the rainbow across the chamber. First they went off one by one, and then they blinked in perfect clusters of color.

“If I make it through these blinding tests, I should hope that I’ll be prepared,” Twinkle replied with a quick succession of blinks.

“Look on the bright side: even if you're blind you can still appreciate my show,” Vinyl said with a smirk. “Hopefully things'll turn out like I want. I'm only a bit nervous 'cause of havin' to tie in an organ and all. Tell me again, why did you include that other mare in all this?”

“You mean Melodia? Well, even though I want to hear your specific music, Vinyl, I thought it would be nice to have a mare like her be able to 'strut her stuff' while she’s here.”

Vinyl laughed. “Mare of the Organ? Please, she gets heard by anypony who’s not deaf and lives in the dorms. She plays almost every other day in the afternoon.” The DJ shook her head and dropped the topic. “Whatever, in any case I didn't think we’d mesh that well, but since we had somethin’ in common, things worked out all right.”

Twinkle cocked her head and grinned. “That's wonderful! If I may ask, what is it that you two share in common?”

Vinyl scratched her head. “Do I say it? Eh, I guess: we have a mutual hate toward that snob from the performance the other night.”

Twinkle gasped, “O-Octavia!?”

“Yeah... sorry Twink,” Vinyl shrugged. “I know you idolize her and all, but there's just some history you have to understand: I've been compared with that snooty-nosed 'artist' my whole music career. Now, I don't know about Mare of the Organ, but in my case I'm kind of a big deal in my circle of music-”

“My full name is Melodia, thank you,” came a voice from behind, to which the roommates swirled around. “And I'll have you know that I'm not a fan of hers for the same reason: Octavia nabs all the attention. The difference, Vinyl Scratch, is that I am in the same realm of music as her. That unfortunately talented mare-”

“That and you’re not that popular,” Vinyl added as she poked her fellow musician, who snorted in reply. “Whatcha think of the set-up, Mel? Looks different now than when we practiced just a few hours ago, yeah?”

“For the hundredth time, please call me ‘Melodia’,” the mare corrected with clenched teeth. “Regarding the lay-out, I suppose it's... interesting. Here I thought your drawing was exaggerating the look and scale a bit, but it seems the stage crew took your rendition quite seriously.”

“Well, set-up’s no joke for me,” Vinyl stated with a puff of her chest. “I’ll have you know I take my stage presence and everything just as seriously, too.”

“Apparently you aren't taking that into account with mine,” Melodia whined. “Why does the organ seem so isolated in the back? Can't you open things up a bit so that I can be seen at least a little bit?”

Vinyl glanced at the organ which sat to the rear of the stage, a position from which it could not move. Its silver shimmer hid beneath the shade of the curtains, and its distant position made it feel more as though it were hiding nearby behind a hill rather than far away on a level plane.

“Trust me, I appreciate your participation and all, Me-lo-di-a,” Vinyl jeered, “but this is a DJ Pon-3 concert, not a duo. Don't you pee your pretty pants; ponies'll see you back there on your pedestal, oh mighty organist.”

“You mean on my stationary bench?” Melodia growled. “Humph. I suppose it'll help me save face and escape more easily should your little ‘experiment’ fail tonight.”

“Don't say that, Melodia!” Twinkle begged like a frightened filly. “The last thing I want is for this concert to fail. You two put in so much effort, I’d hate to see you discouraged... especially Vinyl.”

“Aww, thanks Twink,” Vinyl said. “But don't you worry; as long as I get one pony bobbing a head out there tonight – which I know I'll see tons doing anyway – I think my hope in all you bookworms'll be restored.”

“Vinyl Scratch! Wow!”

The triangle turned to face a violet unicorn enter into the performance hall with violet irises shot about until the entirety of the morphed chamber – unfamiliar as a new wing in the castle – had been taken in. Her tinted coat matched the darkening hues of the night, with remnants of the pink retreating skies lying within light streaks in her mane. She carried a saddlebag loaded with books but meandered as though the bundle were as light as a feather.

“Speakin' of bookworms,” Vinyl mumbled. “How's it goin', Twi?”

“Things are going pretty well,” Twilight answered. “I came a little early to see how things were going, and it looks like it’s coming along pretty well. Are you guys ready?”

“Ready as a bee in a field of flowers,” Vinyl said as she struck a pose. “I've got my work cut out for me, too. You gonna swing by and check out the show in an hour?”

“Will I?” Twilight asked. “Of course! With Hearth's Warming Break starting tomorrow morning, I really don't have much to do.”

“Huh, what's that sayin'? You wouldn't have come otherwise?” Vinyl asked as she pretended to cover her aching heart.

“That's not what I meant!” Twilight gasped. “What I was trying to say was that-”

“Twi, Twi, Twi! Don't sweat it,” Vinyl cracked up as she patted her friend on the back. “I think we're gonna test some stuff out for now, though, so you might want to disappear for a bit. Otherwise, be back here in a few, okay?”

“Sounds good to me,” Twilight said as she backed her way out into the foyer. “Have fun getting ready!”

“When it comes to jammin', I always have fun,” Vinyl said. “Later!”

The DJ closed the door to the wing, the sound of the heavy wood door a statement of closure. Twilight stared at the detail on the door for a moment, unsure of what else to do, before turning to face the open space of the entrance hall behind her.

A few ponies were walking in and out of the foyer, their expressions all delighted. Twilight felt the same as her peers; some time for independence had finally arrived in the form of a week-long break. Twilight's independence, of course, was spent on simply more reading and studying, but the feeling of choosing what work to cover next equaled any other pony's passion regarding escape from the daily grind.

With the thought in mind, Twilight lifted a book from her bag and cracked its spine. The pages of the tome flipped to one side or the other, leaving the mare with the middle two pages between which sat a bookmark. She sat herself down, placed the book on the ground, and found exactly where she had left off last.

“Page two hundred and twenty-six,” Twilight read to herself aloud. “Wonder how far I'll get this hour!”

Next Chapter: Chapter 16 (Episode 5): Rowdy Rumble Estimated time remaining: 8 Hours, 7 Minutes