//------------------------------// // Rap Battle #27: Results and Aftermath // Story: Epic Rap Battles of MLP // by enigmaMystere //------------------------------// Vinyl stood in a grassy field, carefully finishing up the final arrangement of sticks and rocks. “...and...there we go!” She stepped back, grinning brightly at the set-up. Throughout the field stood a dozen ‘ponies’ made up of any loose objects she could find. There was an emerald glow within the eyes of each of the figures, courtesy of the magic-imbued crystals inside of their heads. She took one last cursory look at each of them, pausing at one near the edge of the clearing. She frowned, her fuschia eyes trailing over its form. “...something’s wrong with this one...what is it?” Her gaze went from the crooked wooden ‘horn’ on its forehead down to its bare back. Her eyes lit up in excitement. “That’s it!” She grabbed a couple of large, hole-filled leaves, placing them on the back of her creation. “There. Now you match your brethren!” She gleefully trotted back to the center of the field where her V-Rifle and a small pack lay. This time will be different. On her way, she passed by a lone figure laying on its side. A flash of guilt crossed her face, but she quickly shook it off, continuing to her equipment. I’m sure it will be different. It has to be. She carefully put the harness on her back, tapping the side of it. The gem in the center flickered to life, projecting a few words in the corner of her shades. Lives Remaining: 5 Enemies Remaining: 12 Friendly: 1 She frowned, tapping the side of it a few more times. Lives Remaining: 2 Enemies Remaining: 12 Friendly: 1 Satisfied, she nodded, picking up the Mk. IV with her magic. She lowered a microphone on her headset, suddenly serious. “Prepare the simulation.” Around her, the forest melted away, transforming into tall, formerly-pristine buildings. The rock and wood of the figures morphed into black chitin, their eyes blinking for the first time as they came to life. She glanced over at the lone figure, catching a glimpse of dark red between the charcoal bodies. Her teeth ground together, and her ears were filled with the sound of hissing and a barely-perceivable whimper. Her eyes, usually bright and playful, were now filled with pure venom. She took a calming breath and cleared her mind, her body tensing ever so slightly. “Begin.” As soon as the word left her mouth, three of the creatures leapt at her, their fangs bared. She saw this and smirked, leaping up into the air above their heads. Down below, the trio slammed into each other, unable to stop in time. She flipped the V-Rifle down at them as they looked up at her. Time slowed to a stand-still, the humming of her weapon the only indication of movement. Their eyes widened in horror as she braced herself against the gun, her lips parting slightly in a snide grin. Wub-a-dub-dub, mutha- BASS CANNON KICK IT! A blast of lightning shot out of the barrel, surging down at the unlucky individuals. The trio were sent flying in different directions, singed by the powerful shot. Vinyl, herself, was sent further into the air due to the recoil. Enemies Remaining: 9 Two more of the little insects saw this as an opportunity, flying up into the air above her. They folded their wings in, letting themselves freefall at her from opposite directions, a green fire forming around their bodies. She saw this and, seeing that they’d hit her if she didn’t move, quickly came up with a plan. Naturally, she aimed her weapon upwards. “Going down!” She shot once more, sending herself crashing to the ground. The enemies above her, surprised by this tactic, smashed into each other with a sickening crunch. Vinyl got up and shook herself off, used to getting hurt like that. This didn’t stop the hologram on her back from counting it against her, though. Lives Remaining: 1 Enemies Remaining: 7 She groaned, rolling her eyes. Stupid device. She glanced around, noticing that three of the enemies were surrounding the pony on the ground. The other four were standing in a half-circle in front of her, keeping her from progressing to her goal. Her eyes narrowed dangerously at them, annoyed. ...just like back then... She shook her head to clear her mind, raising up the V-Rifle. “Not this time, bros.” She leapt forward into the middle of them, knowing that they’d try to surround her. Hook... As they started to close in on her, she curled herself up into a ball, still in mid-air, a small smirk on her lips. ...line and... They came into leg-reach. Sinker! She planted her left foreleg on the ground and shot her other legs out, clocking each of them in the jaw. She placed her hooves back on the ground, grinning at the three unconscious forms on the ground. Enemies Remaining: 4 She blinked, confused. Hold on...I could’ve sworn there were- Her thoughts were interrupted as a rustle came from behind her. With a sigh, she swung her hindhoof back, kicking the one who tried to sneak up on her in the face. There we go. Enemies Remaining: 3 She glanced over at the remaining three. Alright, this is going better than expected! She grinned, approaching the small group. I’m almost done, and in only two minutes, too! A chill went up her spine. ...two minutes...no... She peeked over her shoulder, seeing a rapidly approaching wall of magenta. No. She turned back around and rushed at the three remaining enemies. She launched herself at them, hindleg-first, teeth clenched. Dynamic entry! One of them saw her coming and ducked. No! She slammed into two of them, sending them flying. Enemies Remaining: 1 The remaining foe saw the wall coming and grabbed onto the injured pony’s tail, a fire in its eyes. A split second later, it hit. Maroon eyes locked with fuschia in a moment that felt like a lifetime. “NO!” Vinyl was helpless. The insect-like creature was sent flying, taking the friendly with it. She could hear the cry of the pegasus as he was forcibly separated from her. “VINYL!” Simulation Terminated All Your Love Is Belong to Us The cityscape dissolved around her, the forest quickly taking back the space that was rightfully its own. Each of the charcoal forms around her returned to stone and wood, the separate elements falling apart. All the while, the white unicorn continued to stare off into space, her mouth agape with shock. “...I...I still couldn’t do it...” She fell to the loamy soil, a single tear falling down the edge of her cheek. “...I’m so sorry...” A short distance away, an indigo glimmer emitted from a shattered rock - a promise for a solution. Things were going smoothly for Rarity. She had successfully completed an order for Fancy Pants and his wife and just sent it off. She wasn’t sure what they needed silk vests for, but she knew better than to ask them in-pony. No, that sort of information was what her gossip sources were for. She walked up the stairs to the living area of Carousel Boutique, intent on getting ready for bed. A small splash caught her attention, making her ear twitch slightly. Sweetie Belle, I swear... She silently stormed over to the bathroom that her guests used and pressed an ear to the mahogany. That’s strange. I can swear I hear two voices in there. She quietly cleared her throat and knocked, hearing the voices stop in response. “Sweetie, are you alright in there? You’re not making a mess, are you?” “I’m fine, Rarity!” It was definitely her sister’s voice, though there was a small squeak in the middle of her sentence for some reason. “I’ll clean up the water after I’m done!” The fashionista was still rather suspicious, but she didn’t have any proof something was off. “Alright, Sweetie. Make sure you’re out soon, though. You don’t want to get your hooves all pruney! Trust me.” She shivered slightly at the memory, heading off to her own bathroom. On the other side of the door, the white filly sighed, releasing her death-grip on her friend’s mouth. “That was close.” He rubbed his somewhat-sore jaw with a claw, frowning slightly. “I really hate having to sneak around like this. I mean, what’s to say that they won’t be alright with us dating?” Sweetie flailed her forelegs, eyes wide in horror. “Are you crazy?! After Rarity took a switch to you and Twilight tried to lock you in your room, you think they’ll be alright with it?!” The dragon shrugged a little, honestly unconvinced. “Maybe they’re being over-protective because we’re trying to be sneaky about it, you know?” They looked at each other in silence for a few moments before the little unicorn sighed. “Let’s talk about this later. You should go back to the library before Twilight starts looking for you.” He sighed, gently placing a claw on her shoulder. “Fine.” He pulled her close for a short, chaste kiss before moving towards the window, where a small rope was hanging to the ground outside. “Night, Sweetie.” She smiled softly, still blushing a bit from the kiss. “Night, Spike.” Fluttershy sat in the corner of the booth, feeling a little nervous. She actually had a reason this time, though - she and Daring had accidentally interrupted a date. She glanced over at the one pony she didn’t know - a tan pegasus. The mare was currently twirling a lock of her two-toned red mane, trying to act as if she wasn’t annoyed that she and her marefriend’s private time was invaded by two pegasi she didn’t even know. Her green eyes couldn’t hide her ire, though. The two former-competitors, on the other hoof, were busy arguing. The Element of Kindness took one of her earbuds out, trying to see where they were in their fight. “-you know you’ve always been jealous that I was more popular in flight camp. Hay, I bet that’s why you were desperate enough to do that shamble of a flick.” “You shut up! I-” The adventure-loving mare stopped, something suddenly coming to mind. She turned to her yellow friend, eyes narrowed. “‘Shy, why were those so bad, anyways? I know for a fact that those events didn’t happen.” Fluttershy gulped, wishing very much that she could just move through the corner of the room. Sadly, that wasn’t an option for her. “...um...i-it wasn’t my choice...they did it without consulting me...I-I only found out about it when it was too late...I’m sorry...” Daring sighed, placing a hoof on her friend’s back. “It’s fine, ‘Shy. Let’s just take care of business here so that these two-” “Vinyl.” The four pegasi turned to the voice, seeing a burgundy pony kneeling in front of a white mare, a black box in hoof. “Oh my Celestia, is that-” “Shh!” “I’ve known you for the longest time, before even meeting you in-pony.” The pegasus hesitated, his cheeks becoming even darker than normal from the blood flooding them. “It’s been quite a ride, but I want to slow down and settle. With you.” He flipped the lid of the box, revealing a golden band with a decent diamond in a fixture. “It took a few months of saving my bits, but I was finally able to afford the perfect ring. And now I ask you...” He held it up a little higher, a smile on his lips. “...will you marry me?” The unicorn put a hoof to her lips, staring at him in stunned silence. Finally, after a few moments, she pulled it away, a nervous smile on her face. “Let me think about it...” The stallion’s face fell at hearing this, and Fluttershy’s heart went out to him. Poor Enigma. That’s how Vinyl usually refuses-  The white mare lifted the pegasus’ chin and kissed him on the lips. She pulled away, smiling playfully. “The answer’s yes.” "You know what this calls for?" The couple jumped in surprise, staring at the pink pony that popped out of their table's vase. "A PARTY!~" Said mare then raced out, acting as if she didn't just make everypony confused out of their mind. The timid mare stared in surprise. ...um...glad I was wrong? She turned to look at the other mares at her table and had her surprise doubled when each and every one of them had their wings flared out behind them. ...oh my... The military mare was the first to talk, though her voice sounded a little hoarse. “...that was hot.” Daring poked at one of the candlesticks adorning the table, blushing brightly. “I have to agree.” Spitfire turned to the monochromatic-maned mare, frowning slightly. “I thought you were straight?” The adventurer stared back, confused. “I am.” She shook her head, holding up a hoof. “Look, I don’t want us going off on another tangent. I have something to say before my sister announces who won.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “I was wrong.” Silence. She peeked an eye open, seeing all of the mares staring at her - two in confusion and one in bemusement. Daring sighed, holding up the golden feather she’d found. “I wasn’t wrong about this belonging to you, but I did find out that this is a primary feather. For a pegasus, those never come out naturally. One has to tug on it a lot for that to happen.” “So what I’m trying to say is...” She sighed once more. “I’m sorry, Spitfire.” “Apology accepted.” The two sisters stared at the Captain in shock. They hadn’t expected her to accept the apology so readily. She really is understanding. Fluttershy cleared her throat, pulling out Vinyl’s phone. “O-okay, then. The winner is...Spitfire.” She nodded a little, smiling in satisfaction. “Knew it.” She turned and called over her shoulder. “Hey, Soarin’! You owe me twenty bits!” The stallion in question groaned, his face planting itself on the oak of one of the restaurant’s tables. “We’ll, um, leave you two alone, now.” The siblings rushed out the door, leaving the couple together in their private booth. Let’s give them a little privacy, too, shall we?