//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: The Fight Ballads // by screenaholic //------------------------------// Vinyl Scratch trotted down the streets of downtown Manehatten, head bobbing to the beat thumping through her headphones. It was the the dead of the night, around 3:00 AM last time she checked, and there was barely anypony else walking around. The moonless night sky left the only illumination in the city to the streetlights, roughly a third of which were broken in this part of the city. Most ponies avoided this neighborhood, but it was the quickest route to Vinyl's apartment from the club district, so she found herself in it a good bit. Vinyl was nearly lost in the music blasting in her ears when she heard shouting coming from a dark alley she was passing. "Huh?" She said as she put her headphones around her neck and looked down into the alley. "Come on baby, why don't you give us a good look of that plot?" Vinyl saw four large stallions forming a ring around a mare with her back to the wall. "That is not going to happen, now if you stallions would kindly step aside I'll be on my way." The mare wore a pink bow tie, and had a gray coat with a long groomed dark gray mane and tail. Vinyl could barely make out her cutie mark in the darkness, but it appeared to be a purple treble cleft. "We'll gladly step aside, once you give us a little shake," said a blue stallion taking a step closer. "I have told you before, that will not happen. Now I suggest you don't come any closer." That filly's pretty brave, she doesn't look nervous at all. "Don't be that way sweet cheeks," a pink stallion said as he took another step forward, "all we want is to see that juicy flank." This has gone on long enough. "Hey, pretty in pink!" Vinyl shouted as she walked towards the group. "The lady said to beat it!" The pink stallion spun around to face Vinyl head on while the other three turned their head. "What did you call me?!" The rage in his face was clearly visible. "I called you pretty in pink. Whatchu' gonna' do about it?"" Vinyl said with a grin. Bring it on big boy. "You little-" Pink wasn't able to finish his insult. While Vinyl occupied him, Octavia had walked up behind him and grabbed his left hind hoof with her left fore hoof and brought it into the air. "Hey, what are yo-ARRRGGH!!!" The stallion screamed in pain as Octavia struck his elbow while firmly keeping his hoof in place. Vinyl could just make out the sound of breaking bones. "I told you to not get any closer," the mare said as she let the pink stallion fall to the ground. Holy buck, that filly's tougher than she looks. "You, you little bitch! Kick her flank boys!" Pink shouted as he clutched his broken leg in agony. Things are getting hairy, time to step in. "That's the last mistake you're going-" The large green stallion was cut off as Vinyl charged forward and drove a fore hoof into the back of his head full force, driving his face straight into the ground. "You colts really need to learn when to shut your-hey!" Vinyl was interrupted as the blue and yellow stallions grabbed her from either side. "You should have stayed out of-" The gray mare caught the yellow stallion with an uppercut, knocking him off of Vinyl's right side. She was standing on only her hindhooves, and stepped her left hind hoof in front of blue, twisting her body and slamming her left forehoof into his nose and knocking him back. She fights biped? Vinyl didn't have much time to contemplate the mare's peculiar fighting style as the three stallions were rising again to their hooves. "You boys want some more? Come get it." As they charged at the DJ she dropped onto her back in a spin, breaking into a windmill. As they got near her she caught each of them in the jaw with her spinning hind hooves. She then broke the spin and pounced onto blue, tackling him to the ground and pummeling his face with her forehooves. Meanwhile yellow and green attacked the other mare, but all of their attacks were either easily dodged or knocked aside by the mare's strong forehooves. As yellow threw a right punch at her, she grabbed it with her left forehhoof and stepped in close. On the step in she used her right to punch him in the gut, followed by an elbow to chest and back hoof to the face. As yellow staggered back she went to engage green. "A little help?!" Blue shouted as hey vainly attempted to protect his face from Vinyl's onslaught of punches. Yellow rushed to help his companion, turning and bucking Vinyl straight in the face. As his hindhooves made contact the DJ was thrown off of the blue stallion and into a nearby wall. Yellow walked towards Vinyl as she was trying to reorganize her thoughts. "That's it you little bitch. I'm gonna make sure you don't see the sunrise. The other mare's ears perked when she heard this, and she turned to see yellow walking towards the white mare slumped against a wall. She caught a punch from green in her hooves, and using her body as a fulcrum threw him over her shoulder and directly at yellow. The two stallions collided right as Vinyl got back on her hooves. "All of you give up this foolishness and leave. NOW," the gray mare said to the four stallions on the ground. "Or you can keep letting us kick your flank if you want," Vinyl said with a smirk. "Forget these bitches boys, let's get out of here," pink said as he managed to get back on his three good legs. The four stallions ran out of the alley as fast as they could. "That's right, keep running!" Vinyl shouted after them. "Let us see those flanks bounce!" She joked. "Ahem," the gray mare said to get Vinyl's attention. "Thank you for your assistance, as unnecessary as it was. Are you alright?" "Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" Vinyl asked. After a moment she realized her nose was bleeding, and she wiped the blood away. "Oh you mean this? I'm fine, it takes a lot more than that to take me down." "Right, of course it does," the gray mare said with an unsure glance. "At any case, I must be on my way." With that the mare began to walk out of the alley. "Hold on a minute!" Vinyl shouted as she trotted after her. "Where'd you learn to fight like that? Not many ponies fight biped." "That's none of your business." "Can you at least tell me your name?" The mare stopped and sighed. "I suppose I owe you that much at least. My name is Octavia. Now if you'll excuse me, I really must be off." She said as she once again trotted off. "Octavia?" Vinyl said to herself as she stood in the alley. "Where do I know that name from?"