This New Rhythm

Story 5

Prologue: Nerves

By: FluttersIsAwesome

It was about 10:30 A.M. I was at the spa with Octavia and Rarity, but I was only there because they asked me to come. Octavia was the one that asked me to come, since she didn't want to be alone while she was visiting Ponyville. I was never really into getting gussied-up like they were, so I just sat in a chair and read. I was flipping through the pages of the newest issue of Jazz Hooves, one of my favorite magazines, when one particular article caught my eye.

"Ha! Another one shot down."

Octavia was sitting under a hair drier and Rarity was in the middle of a mud bath when they both looked at me and spoke in unison. "Say what?"

I held up the magazine, keeping my hoof on the page with the article. "Fashion sensation, Sapphire Shores, rejected after attempting to ask music star SlyColt for a date. This has been the third mare that the singer has shot down, claiming that 'I'm not into her type. Way too prissy for me. I'd be much more interested in a wild party mare rather than somepony like Shores.'" I grinned. Sly was one of the most famous singers for Stuck in Your Radio, and he was my favorite. I had never seen him in person, but I have seen a few of his T.V. appearances. He had always been my musical idol since I first heard him back when he was the lead singer for Silverback. It was disappointing when the band broke up, but when I heard he was still singing solo my heart skipped a beat.

Rarity jumped up. "Again?! Does the article say anything about previous attempts?"

I read through it again. "Nope. Why, has she asked before?"

Octavia nodded after the hair drier was lifted off of her. "Yes, Miss Shores attempted to court Sly once before, with a similar outcome."

A voice came from behind us.

"Yeah, Beat's never been into to mares like her."

It was Rainbow Dash's older brother and famous flying racer, Nova Dash. I remember him coming to visit Ponyville for the end of racing season, but it was odd seeing him here. Hell, it would be odd to see any colt in a spa. He had one of the spa workers massaging all four legs and his wings.

I tilted my head. "Nova? Heh, you're one of the last ponies I would've expected to see here."

He grinned at us. "Hey, racing puts a lot of stress on my wings and muscles. If I don't take some time to relax and give them time to cool off, I'll end up in a world of hurt."

Octavia piped up, and she sounded a bit annoyed. "Did you refer to him as 'Beat'? Just because you gained fame on the racetrack doesn't mean you can address a respectable pony so informally."

He nodded. "Yeah. I got a chance to talk to him once when he performed at last year's Haytona 500. He's a pretty cool guy."

Rarity looked at him oddly. "But I thought his name was Sly."

Nova laughed. "Who names their foal Sly?" He looked up and paused. "Then again... who names their foals Rainbow and Nova... well whatever. Anyways, his name's Beat Dubstep, SlyColt is just a performing name."

I moved my goggles under my eyes to look at him clearly. "And you said what now?"

Nova chuckled again. "Which time? You mean when I said he's not into mares like Shores or when I said he's a cool guy?"

"The former." I was eager to find out if Nova knew anything about Beat's interests, so I began tapping my hoof.

He nodded. "He told me that he thought chicks like Shores were way too boring for him." His eyes widened and he grinned as he recalled what Beat told him next. "He actually told me he wouldn't mind meeting a certain mare by the name of DJ PON3."

I glared at him. "You're kidding, I can tell." I really couldn't, but I highly doubt somebody as big as Sly would even know who I was. I claimed to be his biggest fan, sure, but that never gained points for anypony.

However, he shook his head. "Nope. He said he heard one of your songs playing at the studio, since his manager liked listening for potential talent. Beat told me he had stacks of records from local artists that played in the places they visited. He asked who it was, and when he found out, he wanted to meet the mastermind behind the music."

Rarity turned to me when she saw my eyes widen. "I also heard the next stop on his tour around Equestria was going to be here in Ponyville!"

I nearly fainted. SlyColt, my musical idol, was coming to Ponyville. What's more is that he was interested in meeting me. I looked at Rarity inquisitively. "Really now? Any idea when he'll be here?"

The unicorn shook her head. "No. I merely heard that his next stop was here, I'm not sure exactly how long it will take."

I sighed. I honestly didn't feel like waiting. However, I jumped up again when I came to a realization. "What if he wants to hear my music?"

Octavia put a hoof on my shoulder. "Simple. You do what you're best at. Making music."

I hardly found this encouraging. "But what if he doesn't like it? What if he doesn't like me?"

Suddenly, all three of them began laughing. Octavia was the first to end it, though. "Really? Don't be absurd, your music is wonderful to ponies with his taste. Of course, I myself find it irritating and uncouth, but-"

Nova put his hoof over her mouth. "You're not helping!" Then he turned to me. "Vinyl, try not to be nervous. Think about it like this: your musical idol is coming to Ponyville, and you're finally getting a chance to see him in the flesh. Don't worry about whether or not he likes your music, just be happy that you're getting to see him."

I looked at him for a moment. He had a point, and I did feel a bit less nervous after his pep talk. I got up and ran back home. I was sweating, and Sly hadn't even arrived yet. I wasn't extremely nervous; I was a famous DJ myself, so I didn't think I had anything to really worry about. When I got home I grabbed a quill, ink, and a large stack of parchment so I could try and write something new.

Being famous doesn't make you immune to artists' blocks. A few hours after I had exhausted myself and covered the floor with failed attempts, Octavia came in.

"Good Lord, what have you been doing in here, darling? This place is a complete mess!"

I lifted one of my hooves up weakly. I was on the ground and barely had the strength to get up. "Making... music... isn't... easy..."

She shook her head. "Well I just found out when he's going to be arriving."

Somehow I instantly found the energy of 100 unicorns. I jumped up and almost bowled her over. "When?!"

She shook me in an attempt to calm me down, and I when I finally was, she spoke. "Tomorrow at 1:00 P.M. It's also his last stop, so he said he'd be staying for two weeks to rest."

My eyes became as wide as dinner plates. "You're kidding!"

When she shook her head, I jumped on her and wrapped her in a hug. "Thanks for telling me!"

She cracked a smile and returned my hug. "That is what friends are for, Vinyl."

As I got up off of her and turned to leave, she grabbed me. "Keep working. The news report said he was holding a contest. The pony that submits a musical piece and he chooses it will get to spend a day with him, and he will be using the piece in his new song."

"Really? That would be cool." Next Chapter: Chapter 1: Hard Work Estimated time remaining: 29 Minutes