Waves and Stripes

Pepper waved her hoof in the air, rioting the crowd as she turned up the volume. She had one her trade-marked purple shades, shaped like curvy diamond, almost a star. She had taken her tongue piercing out for this performance. For she had to rap along too, which wasn't easy with a gawdy piece of metal in your mouth. She scratched the tunes on her DJ stand. She was up slightly off the beach ground on a platform, with a nice square of flattened sand in front for dancing. It was dusk, and ponies were already getting out the glow-sticks and setting up the bonfires. The sea looked beautiful, so many hues of purple and orange, scarlet and gold, bouncing up and off the crashing waves.

Ponies danced on the flattened sand, singing with the music, laughing when they lost being in tune do to her suddenly speeding it up, scratching it, or flipping over the record. Putting the stand on a heavy beat, she took up a microphone and lowered her headphones, making the crowd cheer. It was time to rap. After thinking for a moment, she began.

"Yo ponies, yo zebras, yo griffins too! Let me just say I'm thankful for you! Up with me dancing, prancing, to my tunes, knowing anypony else are either mad or lunes. So let's do it on the beach and go with the waves. The sea so divine as I issue my rhyming saves. Just look over your heads and stare at the clouds, hueing in the lavenders, pinks, no color loud. But then look past the face and stare to the sea, right where we're meant to be, where the colors are like dreams and play their own melody, and you have to simply wonder how the sun, only fire, can be! Such a luminescent spirit, alive while we swim, sleep while we dance away, though not minding our music unlike the neighbors at bay."

She was on beat and she was fast, but not so much you couldn't understand her. And something that made her special as a rapper is that she added melody to all her rap. Sometimes it was light, but it always there. If you didn't have melody, you couldn't call it music. Then you're just reciting poetry.

Curtain stood close to the stage, her head almost dizzy with the amount of dancing she was doing. Ever since she had left Ponyville her time in Canterlot had been nothing short of amazing. She had found a fun group of ponies which had invited her to come to this seaside concert. She admitted, it was really cool, and fun to! She tried her best to cheer the loudest out of all the ponies, hearing her favorite artist live just filled her with so much excitement she barely could hold it in.

Pepper continued rapping, more and more melody mixing in the longer she sung. Her hips swayed so much she felt like they could simply pop out of her torso, and she definitely didn't have any problem with stage presence. She would trot around the stage liked she owned it. Well, she did. But even if she didn't, she'd still be filling it up with her sashaying body and more-so with her full, in-tune voice. She neared close to the front edge of the stage as she sung a particularly depth-y part, kneeling as hooves came up to high-hoof her, or in some cases of wild fans, simply touch her.

There was one mare in the front that was a little different then the others. Most of these ponies, other then a few stalkers, or fanfilly/colts, simply screamed and danced because they could, not caring who was performing or how good they were. Once it got later in the night, it would most likely get wilder, where some ponies would simply flail, the cause usually being a little too much cider. But this pony... she seemed like she was listening, truly enjoying her music. Pepper couldn't ask more from a fan, or maybe just a regular pony. It was her life to make others happy, through their ears and their hearts. She'd never say that out loud though. A bit gushy for her tastes.

The zebra smiled, stopping while the instrument solo came on. She held out a hoof to the mare in the crowd. "Hey, you! Wanna come up?" Pepper asked, tilting her vibrant purple shades, showing off her even vibrant-er eyes. "Come on, it'll be fun!" She exclaimed, taking hold of the mare and pulling her onstage. She did this to a few other ponies too, so it didn't seem like she was giving a special treatment to the mare.

And she sung. And she danced.

Curtain laughed as she was pulled onto the stage. To be onstage, with Peppermint Cane, that was one thing, yet another entirely was that Pepper herself had pulled Curt onto the stage. Curtain watched a back up dancer show her the essential moves, then she began to put all she could into it, not so much as to overshadow the music, yet as to emphasize, to show others, that this music, was meant for more than dancing to. The thrill of the stage ate away her sadness, her loneliness, and all the aches and pains she'd met. Consuming her, thoughts entered her mind, memories of shows done in the past, audiences cheering her name, costumes swirling about her. She couldn't take it, she had left the stage behind. Her beaming smile faded to a frown, but she knew better than to take the spotlight by dancing out of beat or leaving the stage, so she quietly waited, dancing all the while, till she had a chance to leave.

Pepper continued singing and rapping, swaying back and forth in rhythm as she bobbed her head. Everything was going wonderfully. It was only late dusk and ponies were already chanting her name, yelling out the lyrics they had memorized. There was no denying. It felt good. Real good. Even now, it was like a melody-enwrapped dream, and she could feel every beat, every note, ever word, pulsing beneath her skin and in her heart. It sometimes made her think about her cutie-mark. It was obliviously a peppermint-cane forming a music note, but her actual name still didn't make sense. Maybe because she had a more pony name, instead of a zebra one. Not to mention she never received her official tribe name, since she had never actually been to her homeland.

But you know what? She didn't care. Her cutie-mark could have been a pine-apple shaped like a duck and she would still make music. Pepper gave a little more spirit then usual into her next few lines of song, reassured.

Then she looked over her shoulder at the first mare she brought up on stage. It seemed like she was trying to smile, but fell weak half-way. She was still dancing, but there was no soul to her step, the moving of hooves. Pepper knew that look. She gazed at her for a few more moments, trying to understand.

Then a sharp screech went through the air, like a microphone too close to a speaker. Well, that was exactly what it was. But it was also because a certain colt, one who seemed to have had a little too much cider, had set one of the main cables on fire, along with the small platform. It was quickly put out, but the DJ station and mic was still dead. The tech ponies announced they'd have it back running in and hour or two, but almost everypony simply left. whether to go home, lie on the beach, have some late night swimming, go to another shore performance, whatever their plans were.

But Pepper put a hoof on the mare's shoulder before she had a chance to run off. "Hey! Sorry about that. That wasn't supposed to happen, but I guess you already know that, right? But, did you enjoy it?"

Curtain smiled slightly, riding herself of past memories. "Yeah, it was truly amazing, thank you for allowing me on your stage. Performers like you go through so much just to bring us simple ponies a piece of your heart, don't they"

Pepper smiled, a playful, harsh smile, yet it had a certain understanding kindness that you couldn't find with a lot of ponies. "Yeah, I suppose we do. But isn't that why we perform? Why we sing, dance, act, juggles? That feeling of being ABLE to share a piece of your mind and soul to other ponies, and them enjoying it, accepting it...?" She sighed nonchalantly. "I suppose you don't understand... Though, what do I know. You seem to know how it feels to be an entertainer then simply as a spectator..." She said, raising her eyebrow curiously.

Though, in all honesty, she knew that this mare definitely had a bigger part of the performer part of life then merely someone who listened and watched. She just wanted her to say it for herself.

She was at a loss for words. However, it was an expected one. Peppermint Cane had seen right through her. Anxiously, Curtain turned slightly, her flank catching the light, revealing her cutie mark, the masks of tradgedy and Comedy, overlaid with a lit candle. Curtain truely missed preforming, yet it was useless. She had no where near any of the skill nesscary to preform on Bridleway.
"One could say that. I'm meerly just a former performer however."

Pepper scoffed. "Merely? Merely?" She said, seeing the mare's cutie-mark. A fine cutie-mark it was, to say too. "You know and have felt wonder and anguish and grief and love just for an audience who want to be entertained. Don't diminish yourself. It's not flattering, and just makes me want to punch whoever didn't give you the role." The zebra said shortly. She blinked.

"Oh, I apologize! I am Peppermint Cane. I work as a party DJ and or rapper, whichever fits your fancy." She said, holding out a hoof. "And who are you, miss actress mare?"

Curtain blinked, then she adjusted herself uncomfortably. "Curtain Glow. A Former member of the Ponyville Players and soon to be student at the School for Gifted Unicorns." Her name was one she didn't share often, as she cared not for her own exhalation through her works, not that it mattered, her name wasn't known well really. She was a member of the trade, no, former member, and that was all.

Pepper's eyes widened in slight surprise, "Oh, Curtain Glow! Yeah, I know you! I never got to see one of your shows, but one's I did sure did hear a lot about you!" She made a small humming noise, followed by a pop of her lips. "Why'd you quit anyway? I can tell you still long for the stage. Somethin' happen? Movin'? Family? Just didn't fit the hoof quite right? ...Or maybe, didja quit for... love?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows, before chuckling.
She gazed at the mare's face. Her grin dimmed at the almost sad look in Glow's eyes. Ah. So that was it, wasn't it? "Aw, don't tell me they laid you off! A skilled good-lookin' mare like you has no right not to get the main part of every show!"

Curtain blushed vividly. "I'd say no such thing. I'm not exactly pretty, nor skilled. I just take on a character and put me in their hooves. Enough about me however. Madam, would you please tickle a filly's ear and do tell me, how you got so excellent?" She asked, quickly attempting to change the subject.

Pepper laughed at Curtain's prominent blush, then continued even harder at her question. "Excellent? Excellent? I'm sorry, but it has been a long while since a pony has called me excellent! I mean, sure, rough, wild, groovy, up-beat, sure, but excellent? Even if you hadn't told me, I would still know you are an actress! Your vocabulary and voice has a certain... poise, to it." She explained, tossing a hoof.

"But... you really want to know how I became, as you say, excellent?" She asked, her tone dropping slightly, her eyes becoming slightly more serious, yet still shining with a grin. The zebra leaned in closer to Curtain.

"I don't give up." She whispered. "I know that may seem a bit cliche, but it's because it's true. You can't take no for an answer. You have to just stride forward and practive through the sweat and tears. And be different. Make sure to show your true self. Was I turned down for my attitude and quicksilver tongue? Yes. But a lot of ponies are looking for that. Something different. Everypony is different. Their just afraid to show it. But you NEED to, to get anywhere." She said, before popping back to her more normal self.

"Enough of that! Aye, you've eaten yet? Because I'm STARVING!"

"I'm sorry, I have, though I should be going, I start entrance exams in a few days, and need to build up strength, Adieu mademoiselle." Curtain said quickly, realizing the time. "I'll see you around, alright?" She shouted happily as she turned and walked off, inwardly taking a note of yet another pony she found, a musical performer at that, even if a rapper, appreciated her work.