“Do you have...desires?” the sultry voice of the mare narrator said, the scene unfolding on the TV screen. It was a foggy club, a beat sounding out through the air, the camera focusing on the DJ booth. There, just swaying her hips to the beat, and looking completely different. Vinyl Scratch was, for lack of a better term, fat. Belly, hips, tits, face, all of it was layered in flub that wasn’t there just a few days ago, and yet, the way the mare was wearing the new girth, confidently, it looked rather appealing on her.
“Nopony should have to deny their desires for long.” The voice continued, as Octavia Melody walked onto the scene, looking as sharp as ever, holding a bowl of miniature chocolate squares. “Now introducing All Things Chocolate’s Desire On The Go Chocolate Squares. Feed your desires.” The announcer finished, Octavia picking up a square of chocolate and popping it into Vinyl’s mouth, the pair of them giving one another what could be described as bedroom eyes. “DJ Wubtub sure enjoys it. We’re sure you will too.” was the final phrase, before the camera cut to the logo of All Things Chocolate, ‘DJ Wubtub Approved’ written on the bottom.
Bubblegum Pop glared at the TV screen, before hitting a button to make it slowly rise back into the ceiling. That didn’t help. The commercial was still burned into her irises, her teeth gritting together, hand firmly gripping the edge of her couch. This was exactly the kind of thing that Bubblegum Pop thought she’d removed completely off of the table when she wrecked that dumb DJ’s career. Yet, there it was, plain as day, airing on national television. The first step to a comeback. There was only one pony she could blame this on. Only one pony who deserved the blame for this mess.
“Inkpot!” Bubblegum Pop shouted into her penthouse, the angry voice echoing out through the rooms. There was a crash from nearby, before one of the doors opened up and Bubblegum Pop’s secretary rushed out, hurrying to stand before the filly, sputtering out apologies, but Bubblegum Pop didn’t listen, nor did she care. The filly simply brought down the TV screen again, before turning it towards Inkpot once more, and letting the commercial play out. When the entire thing was done for, Bubblegum Pop sent it back into the ceiling, before fixing Inkpot with her glare. “Mind telling me...EXACTLY what that was, Inkpot?” Bubblegum Pop questioned the shy pony, drumming her fingers on the couch.
“I-It was a commercial, Miss Pop. Fe-Fe-Featuring Vinyl Scratch, Octavia Melody, and some new chocolate and a new name...And Vinyl Scratch was fat,” Inkpot recited what they’d seen on the commercial, voice growing shakier as Bubblegum Pop grew less and less pleased with the answer that Inkpot was giving to her. The filly just stood on the couch, before gripping Inkpot by her shirt collar, her wings flaring out in displeasure.
“No, no, no, you stupid ninny!” Bubblegum Pop hissed, before throwing the shy pony away from her, Inkpot landing with an ooph. Bubblegum Pop began to pace on top of the couch, eyes narrowed at Inkpot. “I told you, to keep an eye on that annoying pest of a DJ, in case she tried anything funny. It should have been easy, considering that she’s scared of her own shadow when it comes to public appearances, hiding behind those stupid shades… So, how did she get into a deal with All Things Chocolate without ME knowing about it?! What in Tartarus is this whole DJ Wubtub gig!?” Bubblegum Pop snapped, Inkpot stumbling back, visibly sweating.
“W-Well, Ma ma...Miss Bubblegum Pop, I tried to inform you about her raise in weight…” Inkpot sputtered, but Bubblegum Pop just fixed the pony with a glare which could bore a hole in somepony unprepared, and Inkpot was totally unprepared for the glare, moving their arms over their head as if to protect themself from the weight of Bubblegum Pop’s ego.
“Obviously you didn’t try hard enough! Now get out there, and do your job right, or I am going to find somepony else who can do it better than you. I can promise you that if that happens, you are never ever going to have a career near anypony important ever again. If I can take out a prominent DJ and...other musicians, I can wipe you completely off the map. Get me a meeting with All Things Chocolate. I’m sure I can make them see how much of a liability that fat has-been really is...” Bubblegum Pop hissed. Inkpot swallowed a thick lump that had gathered in their throat, before turning and dashing outside of the room. Inkpot had a lot of work to do.
***
Vinyl and Octavia were enjoying a moment of relative peace together. They were seated in Octavia’s living room in her flat, the cellist leaning against the DJ, hand idly rubbing at the dome of off white which Vinyl now called a belly, Vinyl simply relaxing after a session of music making with Octavia. While getting Vinyl back in a good, marketable shape had been a key focus, music was never far from either of them. If anything, Vinyl found that actually getting to work on her turntables while Octavia rocked her cello was some of the most valuable time she’d had throughout this entire fiasco. Now it was time for some equally pleasant cuddle time with Octavia.
“You know, Scratchie...Show Time is off on business, Lyra and Bonbon are busy at their store, there’s no chance of anypony coming in to disturb us. How about we...put this new you to the test, Miss...Wubtub?” Octavia asked, giving a little wiggle of her eyebrows, and a swat to Vinyl’s belly. The DJ blushed brightly, watching her form ripple out from the source of impact, before turning and grinning at Octavia. The cellist moved suddenly, climbing atop the other mare, mounting her belly and locking her arms behind the other mare’s neck.
“That does sound pretty good to me, Tavi…” Vinyl smiled softly, leaning towards Octavia. Octavia leaned towards Vinyl in return, their lips parting softly, anticipation building. This was going to be their first, proper together time since before this adventure of theirs began, and there wasn’t going to be anypony to interrupt them…
Suddenly there was a loud knocking up the door to their shared home, both of them freezing mere centimeters away from actually getting to the kiss they’d so craved. Octavia clenched her fists on the couch the pair of them shared, letting out an aggravated groan. Vinyl softly beat her head off of the back of the couch, joining Octavia in her disdain. Octavia dismounted from Vinyl, before the DJ rose to her hooves. Maybe they’d be lucky and it was just the mail pony here to drop off a package?
Vinyl opened the door to the flat, before suddenly stumbling back and falling onto her plush ass, eyes widening, mouth dropping, a look of horror upon her face at what exactly waited for her on the other side. It was a horror that Vinyl didn’t think she was going to see again till at least Hearth’s Warming, maybe sooner. Not here, not now. Octavia blinked at Vinyl’s stuttering shock, walking over and opening the door a bit wider, before she too froze at the sight of what waited for them on the other side.
Waiting for them was a unicorn stallion, coat the same off white variety as Vinyl’s own, while his mane was a blazing red color, as if the counter point to Vinyl Scratch’s own. He adjusted his own pair of red tinted shades, looking over the pair of shocked ponies, an expression of confusion on his face.
“Um, is now a bad time?” The stallion asked, before Octavia simply shook her head, regaining her composure and straightening up her posture.
“Why, not at all! We just weren’t expecting you, or really, any of Vinyl’s family, Long Play… the rest of the clan isn’t with you, are they?” Octavia asked, cocking up an eyebrow, before leaning out of the door to glance around the hallway to her flat, as if she was expecting the rest of them to suddenly appear and increase the shock that Vinyl was going through. Long Play just chuckled, shaking his head and stepping into the flat, offering Vinyl a hand.
“No, no. I was able to convince them to hold off on a whole family visit. Though, they definitely had a big variety of questions about you, Scritch Scratch. Commercials, DJ Wubtub, really? Is there something going on, lil sis?” Long Play asked.
Vinyl’s cheeks lit up a soft red as she took Long Play’s hand and rose to her hooves, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. “Oh, right, you’ve been out of Equestria on tour, so you wouldn’t exactly be in the musical loop…” Vinyl mumbled, letting go of Long Play’s hand and shifting towards Octavia, hoping the cellist could pick up where she left off. While the DJ was on the rebound from what Bubblegum Pop had done, it was still a sore subject for her to go over.
“You know the overnight sensation of Bubblegum Pop?” Octavia informed, “Let’s just say that while she was on the rise, a variety of scandals popped up around the music ecosystem for quite a wide group of musicians. I was able to stamp mine into the dust, but Vinyl here… Now, we’re in the process of rebranding her and getting her back onto her hooves. The weight gain is a little unconventional, but it was decided to be the best and most impactful option.”
Long Play gave a small nod, glancing between the pair of them. “So, let me get this straight. A little filly get uppity, spread some rumors, and your entire musical career fell to shambles,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest, leaning against the doorframe. “My little sister, the pony I intended to let carry on the family DJ legacy, got taken out by some minor high school bullshit? You can’t be serious. Now your plan is to just get fat, and star in some chocolate commercials? What’s to stop this filly from screwing you over all over again, pushing you farther away from music? Making you curl up and mewel for mama like a foal at the slightest sign of drama? That she won’t turn your whole new weight into a laughing stock? Honestly, Pops ain’t even dead yet and he’d be rolling in his grave.” Long Play snorted, Vinyl only blushing all the harder. Octavia opened her mouth, intending to tear into stallion like there was no tomorrow, but Vinyl raised her hand, holding Octavia off from setting into her brother.
“I expected that sorta thing from Guitar Riff… But, you’re right.” Vinyl sighed, looking to the floor. That was the biggest chink in her armor. Vinyl’s confidence was always a shaky subject, and all Long Play had was good points. If she was going to really stand up to that filly, and get back to the top, Vinyl was going to need to know how to take on a bully without defaulting back to Octavia. This was just how Long Play did things, and Vinyl knew that if she wanted his help, she was going to need to nip this in the bud right now. “But, as true as that all might be, I can still beat you in a music competition.”
Both Long Play and Octavia froze at Vinyl’s sudden declaration. It was a little known secret that among the Scratch family, there was a bit of a music pyramid. At the top, was Vinyl’s parents, Sunlight Sonata the double bassist and Bass Drop the DJ. From there, it went Long Play, and below him was Guitar Riff the rocker and Synchro Beat the pop star, while at the bottom rested Vinyl herself, the ‘classical DJ’ so coined thanks to her collaboration with Octavia. You could challenge to move up and down the pyramid, but nopony had really done that since they’d gone off onto their own musical careers.
“Well. I guess if you want to prove that the filly was right, I can humor you. Maybe you can salvage something and pick up your old violin from home. I’m sure Octavia’s ensemble could use another stringed instrument.” Long Play smirked. Vinyl rolled her eyes, before beginning to walk towards the sound studio within the flat. Octavia followed closely next to Vinyl, simply wrapping an arm around the mare and giving her a squeeze.
“You can do it, Scratchie.” Octavia smiled. There was no point in asking if Vinyl thought she could take her brother on, or even showing a hint of doubt. Octavia knew how huge of a step this was, for Vinyl’s confidence and musical prowess. Vinyl’s brother had always been a bit of an inspiration to Vinyl, an inspiration and a hurdle to get over. Thus far, Vinyl had been unable to get close to topping the hurdle, but the fact that she challenging Long Play now simply showed the progress Vinyl had made with her confidence. If she could actually beat Long Play, that’d be something else entirely.
The sound studio of Octavia’s flat was a large, circular room, more like an arena really, set off to the far end of the flat. It was filled with a variety of instruments and sound equipment, more than any average pair of musicians could ever need, but Vinyl and Octavia were not your average pair of musicians either. When the passion and thrill of music was truly in the air, well, the splinters and small debris of instruments of yesterday made it evidently clear what the pair of them were capable of. Long Play looked it over quietly, before walking over to one of the turntable stations set up.
“I’m sure you know the rules set forth by our ancestors. Me Vs. You, no outside help, so your marefriend is gonna just have to be moral support. Sure you can still even handle a solo act, Scritch Scratch, or are you only worth some spit while you got your special somepony to pick up the slack?” Long Play taunted, not letting up in his teasing. Vinyl simply rolled her eyes, walking over to her own turntable DJ booth, made as such thanks to the various stickers and colored marks across it.
“Yeah, yeah. I know all the rules. I’m not gonna need her help to beat you anyway,” Vinyl responded, blowing a raspberry at her elder brother. Long Play got into position, a turn table flanked by a pair of massive speakers. On the other side, Vinyl took up position, while Octavia moved in besides her, clearly away from her cello, so relatively powerless when it came to facing off in a musical competition. Long Play had no worries of Octavia interfering, especially without her cello. He had no idea about the power of her vocal range, unlike all the patrons of Mighty Meals and Music buffet. This was probably for the best.
The pair of siblings faced each other down, their faces set. The pair of them moved as if a mirror, pulling eye shielding shades from seemingly nowhere, removing the smaller sets the pair of them wore, before placing on the more obscuring set. Octavia almost felt bad that Show Time was going to miss this, but at the same time, she got the feeling that this wasn’t the type of show that you displayed to the masses. Even her being here was slightly intrusive, but Octavia wasn’t going to be going anywhere during this. This was something the mare had to see.
For the pair of DJs, this wasn’t simply a matter of tossing music at one another. This was a battle of magical prowess and wills. To prove that their brand of musical expertise was the superior of the two. To show that they belonged on the higher rung of the family pyramid. Vinyl was a bit of an expert when it came to mixing orchestra. Symphony, and stringed instruments with electronics and symphonic systems, the composer of the modern age. Long Play, better known as 33 1-3 lp, was more raw and natural with his beats. Octavia felt a swelling in herself, a burning anticipation. Now she’d get to see, first hand, what happened when two ponies like this clashed.
The air itself grew heavier, the horns of the unicorns lighting up, while a small buzz filled the air, their speakers being activated. It was time to get to the thick of it. Their speakers ignited like cannons going off, and the battle of music had begun. If Octavia had to describe the experience, it was like watch professional fighters, trading blows without ever having to approach one another. Unleashing powerful snippets of their own musical flavor, to be compared and contested with what the other DJ had to provide. For Vinyl, it was physically and mentally taxing. She had to do this, of that there was no doubt in her mind.
Briefly, Vinyl’s mind flashed back to foalhood growing up with Long Play. He had always wanted to be a DJ, to work with records and sound systems. Vinyl had wanted to play in orchestra, before a rather fateful competition against other foals who sought to play strings in the orchestras of Equestria proved they all had something that Vinyl didn’t. The ability, to not want to fill whatever they played with improv to try and improve it. Vinyl had been crushed, and it’d been Long Play’s words that snapped her out of it. Was she going to let a bunch of old snobs decide what she could and couldn’t play, or was she going to pick up the pieces and make it work for her? Could Vinyl really beat the stallion who had helped her get where she was, so many times through her life?
Suddenly, the mare snapped out of her trip down memory lane, Vinyl Scratch tugged firmly back into the present. That was when it dawned on her, how her body moved to the music. How the music flowed through Vinyl in ways she hadn’t experienced since she was a filly just playing for her family. The whole reason she’d gotten into this business of music in the first place. Because she enjoyed working with the music, showing off exactly how good she could be, seeing the proof of her skill in the reactions of the listeners, that is, until she’d started to perform for bigger crowds, anxiety and doubts settling in that Vinyl just wasn’t ready to fight… but no more.
If Vinyl wanted to get anywhere, if she wanted to be able to stand on her own two hooves, and not have others constantly worrying for her. Vinyl was going to prove right here, right now, that she could handle herself just fine. That her music, that her confidence was enough to topple even her own big brother. Plus, there was something oddly giddy about the feeling of music moving through her new, surplus frame. Dropping hard enough beats that she could feel the reverberations in her gut. The thought was enough to make Vinyl snicker. Maybe with enough training, she could make the jiggling work for her in music making?
Octavia’s eyes flicked between both of the competing, watching their movements. The flickering of horns and flurry of movements never ceased. Reverbs and pounding beats shook the air, the sliders of Vinyl’s turntables never ceasing in movement, Vinyl’s hands seemingly glued to the records which she had chosen to play. Octavia felt a slight pang of envy, watching the pair of them wield magic to enhance their music making skills, doing things that she’d have trouble keeping up with. If Octavia was to tell the truth, she was surprised at which the skill Vinyl was displaying. She had seen her play in public, and private, hundreds of times before, but never quite like this. Watching the pair so intently, Octavia began to notice the difference in the playing of the pair. Vinyl was throwing everything she had into the turntables. Long Play seemed much more relaxed, but the contest pressed on.
The musical clash between the pair came to a close, Long Play stopping casually, his own music slowly dying off. Vinyl danced and played for at a few minutes more, before finally sputtering to a halt as well. The contest was over, Vinyl standing there, drenched in a layer of perspiration, out of breath, horn sparking off slightly from the amount of magic she’d let off. Long Play stood across from her, not nearly as affected as the mare, yet Octavia could tell even from her spot across from him, that Long Play was almost as winded as Vinyl. Nopony said a word for a while, just standing there, letting the music in the air slowly fade out. Finally, Long Play reached up and removed the shades from his face, a large smile spreading across his face.
“Well, I’ll be damned. Seems that my little sister really isn’t as helpless as it looks. Also seems that your waistline isn’t the only thing that’s gotten bigger, Scritch Scratch. You might just be able to handle a filly after all.” Long Play smirked, stretching out before beginning to walk away from the the turntables and towards the exit. Vinyl smiled quite wide, before just slumping against one of the large stereos she’d been using in the dual, sliding down the length while making a sound like an deflating balloon. Octavia smiled at Vinyl, intending to commend her, before she saw Long Play simply walking outside of the room out of the corner of her eye.
“You’re leaving so soon? You only just got here! Plus, all you did was get into a musical battle with Vinyl,” Octavia declared, having chased Long Play out of the room while Vinyl rested.
“Yep. That’s actually more than I intended to do in the first place.” Long Play paused on his walk towards the exit, looking over his shoulder at Octavia. “But, she doesn’t need my help. That’s the most confident I’ve seen Vinyl in...yeesh, I don’t know how long. Back when we were kids, she would have never had the guts to challenge me to a musical battle. All I wanted to do was make sure my little sister wasn’t gonna get herself hurt,” Long Play said, before turning his back back to Octavia again.
“You’re a right asshole sometimes, you know that right? The least you could do is say she won, or that you love her,” Octavia accused, but all that did was bring a chuckle out of Long Play.
“And you’re a crazy twat, but I’m pretty sure you can give Vinyl all the love she can handle. As for who won...I guess Scritch Scratch is just going to have to come home sometime to check up on the leaderboards herself. See ya later, Octopus. I’ve got bigger fish to fry. The musical underground needs me. You get the idea. Just tell her to stay focused on what she loves. Don’t end up like this little filly.” Long Play waved, exiting out of the room. Octavia stared after him, quite annoyed, before just sighing. He probably had a point, too. Octavia didn’t dwell on the matter. She simply walked back into her music studio, before lifting Vinyl up in her arms bridal style, displaying her earth pony strength easily.
“Let’s get you into someplace more comfortable, and then we can cuddle more properly, eh?” Octavia asked, the ivory mare simply pressing herself into Octavia, arms wrapping around the neck of the earth pony, and Vinyl nodding her head. The smile on her face was wide and genuine, the excitement of the mare plain and on the surface. Vinyl didn’t have to say any words, Octavia could see it herself.
It didn’t matter what Long Play put on the leaderboards back at home. In Vinyl’s heart, she’d won. If she could take on Long Play, Bubblegum Pop wasn’t going to be any problem at all.