Bonus Chapter #2 (pt. 1): Engagement
Note: There will be links to music to help enhance the experience. Sadly, they're all YouTube clips, so I apologize for those of you who are unable to see them due to some technical difficulties.
"On with the chapter!"
Vinyl and Enigma slowly entered the town hall and looked around, unable to keep their jaws from dropping in surprise. The whole building was decorated rather festively, and there was already a fair number of guests that had already arrived.
Their stage had been moved into the hall, set against the wall opposite the door. On it was Vinyl’s DJ stand, with a green-and-yellow maned mare sitting behind it. She was grinning rather broadly, easily manipulating the records with her wings.
Enigma smiled, shaking his head at the sight. “Still too reliant on Glaze, huh?”
The white mare at his side blinked, looking at him in confusion. “You say something?”
He just walked forward, making sure she couldn’t see the nervous look on his face. “Nope.” He glanced back at her, making sure she was following. Of course, in this moment of inattention, he bumped into somepony. He grimaced, quickly turning to the brown stallion. “I’m so sorry... Lyrical?”
Vinyl stepped up next to her fiancé, smiling kindly at the other unicorn. “‘Sup, dude? Your job going well?” She knew that her fiancé was probably wondering if the other pony was an illusion, so she decided that acknowledging the fact that she could see him, too, would help.
Lyrical smiled at the couple, glad to see them. “What’s up, guys? The job’s going good, actually.” Lyrical looks at the DJ’s turntables and spots a pegasus with creamy, yellow fur, and electric lime green manecut similar to Vinyl’s, but a different color. “Hm. Never seen that DJ before.”
Vinyl giggled, draping a foreleg over her friend's shoulders. “That’s Glaze, the only pegasus I know who can DJ!” She paused, placing a hoof on her chin. “Well, aside from ‘Shy. Where is she, anyways?” She glanced around, curious.
Enigma's eyes widened momentarily before he pointed off in a random direction. “Look, a moose!”
The disc jockey turned, confused, to find herself looking at a moose. She waved, a lazy smile on her lips. “‘Sup, Winks?”
The antlered guest briefly waved before going back to his one-sided conversation with a gray squirrel.
“Oh sweet, a moose!” Lyrical said, clearly distracted. “Where was I? Oh yeah! I completely forgot why I was invited here, but then I was all like, ‘Screw it, lets go!’ and stuff.” Then, he felt it. A cold chill going down his spine, his heart racing, and time seemed to slow down in his eyes. He heard a noise. A noise he had heard once before. A noise that was... noisy. Just then, Lyrical’s eyes shot open “A griffon...”
A taloned claw draped over his shoulders, a familiar voice whispering in his ear. “You don’t remember my name, lover-colt? I’m hurt.” She turned his head toward him, a predatory look in her eyes. “Why don’t you kiss the pain away?”
Enigma and Vinyl could only stare in surprise, watching as the griffon attempted to kiss their friend.
Lyrical, shocked and confused, instantly did what he would usually do. He levitated Gilda away from him, stopping her mere inches from his face. Red faced, he backed away slowly. “Bad griffon! Bad!”
She scowled at him, forelegs crossed in annoyance. “You know what? I’m tired playing this silly little game.” She flicked his horn, allowing her to be free of his magical aura.
Lyrical gasped, his face turning red. “Hey! Don’t flick a unicorn there!” Lyrical was embarrassed. You’re never supposed to flick a unicorn there without his/her permission!
She ignored him, going into a full-blown rant. “I’ve tried to be patient - two and a half years! But no, you have to keep acting like you don’t find this-” she turned sideways, giving a seductive shake of her rump, “- sexy.”
The feminine stallion chose that time to speak up. “To be fair, you're more intimidating than attractive.”
She rounded on him, growling angrily. “Oh, can it, dweeb! I'm talking to my Destined, here!”
The brown unicorn had to admit that he liked a mare with attitude, and boy did Gilda have an attitude. “Dat flank- I mean- Gilda, chill!”
“No!” She pulled him close, holding him close by the scruff of his neck. “I will not chill! You are my Destined -the one I'm going to wed- and I want to...” She trailed off, finally recognizing what he’d said earlier. “... did I hurt your horn?” She smirked, tilting his head down, “Let me make it feel better.” With that, she placed a gentle kiss on the tip of his horn.
Enigma leaned closer to his fiancé, confused. “What is the point of this?”
She leaned over as well, whispering in his ear. When she finally pulled away, the pegasus had a dumbfounded look on his face. “Huh... you learn something new every day...”
Lyrical, clearly in a state of shock and, shall we say, ‘happiness’, wiggled. He then snapped back into focus, escaping the seductive griffon’s grip. “No! No! Not here, not there, not on the moon, not in a bedroom, not in your father’s kingdom, not ever! There are colts and fillies here for Fausts’ sake!”
Lyrical chilled out, breathed calmly and slowly. “Okay, so, why are you here, Gilda? Here for royal business or something?”
The griffon smiled, turning from him and teasing him by bringing her tail across his nose. “You could say that.” She pointed at the white unicorn, suddenly serious. “You, pony.”
Vinyl grinned, nodding her head. “Correct on the first try, G!”
Gilda stared at her in confusion for a few seconds before recovering. “I want to do a rap battle.” She glanced over at Lyrical, smirking a little. “I win, then lover-colt has to finally give me that kiss. I lose...” She hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. “... I lose, and I'll do whatever he wants me to. Even... leave him alone...”
The disk jockey was shocked. This, quite literally, came out of nowhere for her. She turned to the other unicorn, wondering if he was alright with this.
Lyrical bit his tongue. Though he was having trouble deciding which of his two crushes he would like to ask out, he didn’t want Gilda to leave all depressed and such. So, he decided to be a grown stallion and do the unthinkable. Of course, he’d have to do it after the battle. “Hmm... fine. I agree.”
The griffon sighed, flaring her wings as if to leave. “I knew you wouldn’t-” She froze, slowly turning to look at the unicorn she’d fell for so long ago. “... W-what? I-I mean, of course you do!” She quickly grinned, going back into her brazen attitude. She grabbed his chin, looking at him with bedroom eyes. “And when I win, I’m gonna show you just what you’ve been missing out on.”
“Yeah, sure fine,” Lyrical said, sighing. “Let’s just get this over with.”
The burgundy stallion returned with a couple headsets tucked under his wings, offering one to each of the contenders. Gilda grabbed hers, putting it on with one talon and moving towards the stage, teasingly shaking her rump at the brown unicorn to fluster him.
Lyrical fitted the headphones comfortably around his head. Satisfied with the bass and volume, he gave Glaze a hoofs up. The canary-yellow pegasus just looked at him in confusion before going back to working on a mix. The unicorn looked at Gilda, who just shook her bum in front of him, flustering him. “Hmmm... You ready, Gilda?”
She turned and smirked, nodding eagerly. “Get ready to lose, my Destined.”
Then the music began. Glaze beamed brightly, raising her head and shouting out to the crowd.
EPIC RAP BATTLES OF MLP!
LYRICAL
VS.
GILDA
BEGIN!
Listen Gilda, you best bring your hardcore skills,
‘Cause when you step up to me, you’ll go home with crushed feels.
The probability of me goin’ with you, is currently at zero.
I’m not your lover, so don’t call me your savior, your hero!
I’ll leave you cooked up, fried and ready to serve,
I suggest you find a new colt, dig him out like a worm.
I’m sorry if I’m a bit firm with my rhymes, stop wasting my time,
Look to the sky, I’ll never go with you, never answer your cries.
You’re gonna be ruing those words you just spat.
I’ll get my guards to bring you to me in ten seconds flat.
So what, you think Pinkie is a better choice than I?
I bet you just want to have a taste of her Pie!
Why can’t you just accept that I’m the one for you?
Even E can see it, and he can’t get a clue! (HEY!)
Trust me, I’ll get you to give me what’s due, ya prude.
Hey! Are you even paying attention to me, dude?
Yea, I’m paying attention, but Gilda, let me teach you a lesson.
Don’t be messin’ with who I love, it’s hard to do a confession.
I don’t consider you less than the party animal herself.
But keep being persistent, I’ll make your life a living hell!
Well, I’ll be honest, I made myself a promise before this rap battle,
I’ll tell ya later, cause It’s making my brain rattle.
Not to be cocky, but you’ll need an army of lyrics to take me down.
Just leave now, I’m not your prince. Find another to fit the crown.
Oh, so you want to be like that? Fine, then!
But you’re not getting any mercy when I take the win!
I’ll leave you wanting so badly you’ll become my sub,
Begging for my attention, or even just a little rub!
Call me mistress even as I serve your stupid flank
I have a paddle back home that’s going to spank
Yo plot. You feeling what I got, or worse?
You’ll be buckin’ lucky that I let you be my first!
The music suddenly screeched to a halt, all eyes on the griffon. She started to sweat, realizing what she just said. “... I- I didn’t...” She growled, glaring out at the crowd. “Forget you heard that!” She stormed backstage, leaving an awkward silence in her wake.
WHO WON? YOU DECIDE!
EPIC RAP BATTLES OF MLP!
Lyrical went silent after Gilda stormed away from the stage. He looked down at his hooves, sighing. “Faust, I’m an idiot.” He looked at the ponies who were looking at him. He stuck his hoof in the air, waving. “Drama.” Everypony understood, then went back into doing what they were doing before. Possibly nothing.
A hoof jabbed at his shoulder. Turning to look at the owner of said hoof, he saw a white face with a disapproving frown. The mare pointed at the curtains, not saying a word. Despite that, it was crystal clear what she meant.
Lyrical nodded silently, but, before he left, he faced Vinyl. “When you call us up, tell us exactly who the winner is. It doesn’t matter which of us won. I screwed up big, so I’m gonna fix it.” With that, Lyrical pulled his hood, casting a shadow over his eyes. He walked away from the stage, and went to go find Gilda.
The griffon in question was hiding behind a grand piano backstage, trying her hardest not to break into tears. “So my Destined doesn’t want me... it’s not the end of the world... I’ll just never marry. Celestia and Luna do it, so it’s easy, right?” She sighed, holding her head in her claws. “Who am I kidding. I’ll be miserable without him...”
Lyrical looked all around, but could not find Gilda. He started to feel bad for her, and he wanted to take back all those words he said, but what’s done is done. He was about to give up, until he heard sobbing coming from down a hallway. He went down said corridor, and saw a white and brown griffon sobbing behind a piano. He gulped as he went to her.
“You’re worthless...” She wiped her cheeks dry, only for more tears to replace them. You had one task... ‘win your true love’s heart’... and you failed... now you’re gonna be forced to marry bucking Blueblood!” Her talons worked ever faster, her anger showing through. “Stupid tears!”
Just then, Gilda felt a hoof tap her beak. She looked up to see a brown unicorn, his hood up over his head. Silver eyes stared out from the shadow it formed, an uncertainty in them.
“Yo.”
Back in the main room of the town hall, Vinyl turned to Enigma, releasing a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “... Well. That was unexpected.” She trotted up to the turntables, smiling brightly at the current DJ. “Great job, Glaze! I see you still have your amazing talent.”
The yellow pegasus grinned back, pushing her neon-green shades back up. “No problem, P0N-3. It’s the least I can do!”
“There’s one thing I don’t understand, though.” The dark red pegasus stepped forward, narrowing his eyes slightly. “Why do you always autotune your voice?” Of course, he knew the answer. He just wanted her to let go of her crutch.
Her jaw popped open in shock, a small squeak coming out. Quickly, she cleared her throat, giving a shaky smile. “Oh, n-no reason. I just think it s-sounds better this way.”
Enigma facehoofed, groaning softly. I guess she just isn’t ready to-
“Hey ‘Shy, what’re you doing on the stage?” Came a voice out from the audience at the front.
All three of them turned to the source of the voice, a cinnamon-colored unicorn. For some reason, he had three swords strapped across his back, each one catching the glare of the spotlight.
The pony behind the turntables gulped softly, clearly nervous. “W-who are you talking to? I’m not this ‘Shy’ pony.” She extended a hoof, trying to deflect the words. “My name’s Glaze. And you are?”
The pony looked a bit amused at her comment. “Don’t be silly, ‘Shy, I’m your big bro, Cinnamon. And when did you give yourself the name of the doll I gave you?”
The couple between the supposed-siblings looked between the two, completely confused. The white mare lifted her shades, looking at the other unicorn with a bemused expression. “I don’t know who you are, Cinn, but this is my friend, and I say I know her very well. She’s Glaze, and-”
Cinnamon’s eye twitched when he heard that nickname. He really hated ponies giving it to him since that one time. “Don’t call me that.”
She quirked an eyebrow, staring at him. “Why, bro? Is it because you’re as ugly as it?” She giggled, shaking her head. “Sorry, bad joke. You’re not ugly.” She glanced at the swords on his back, confusion on her face. “Kinda wondering why you have-”
“You named your persona after a doll?”
The effeminate stallion held a hoof to his mouth, trying his best not to laugh. The other pegasus was frowning softly, ducking down as if she were trying to hide behind something that used to be there. “Don’t laugh...” She turned to the mysterious stallion, her lip quivering. “P-please, Cinnamon...”
Vinyl looked at the two of them, surprised and slightly annoyed at being interrupted. She leaned close to Glaze, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Without warning, she reached out with her magic and swiped the neon-green shades off. Magenta eyes looked at the pegasus.
Teal tear-filled eyes looked back.
The neon glasses fell onto the turntable with a clatter, the white unicorn too stunned to focus her magic. The needle slid off the record with a loud scratch, drawing the attention of everypony there. “... ‘Shy?”
Fluttershy -for that was indeed who it was- glanced at each of them, then at the large crowd. Every single one of them knew her secret now. “I...” Her voice caught in her throat and, before anyone could say anything, she ran off, crying. Vinyl, feeling awful about this, chased after her, trying to make it right.
Cinnamon likely didn’t know what to think of this, much less of what to do when his vision was filled with burgundy fur and maroon eyes. “Good going. Now she likely feels as though she can’t show her face in public again. You happy?”
The brown unicorn gave back a stare to the effeminate pegasus. “Me? I was saying hi to my sister. Just who do you think you are to accuse me of anything?”
“I’m someone she confides in.” He gestured to the crowd. “She told me that she DJ’s to bring smiles to others’ faces. She doesn’t want recognition; to her, the happiness of others is enough. Not to mention her stage fright! But you,” he poked a hoof into the other stallion’s chest, growling. “couldn’t just call her Glaze when she was clearly imploring you to do so!” He shook his head, grumbling. “And ponies call me dense...”
The stallion started glaring daggers at the ‘mare’ who was clearly calling him a bad brother. “I dare you.”
Enigma blinked, momentarily forgetting his ire in newfound confusion. “What?”
The unicorn’s horn started to glow, and the aura extended out into the air to form a sword, which was now threateningly close to the other pony’s neck. “I dare you to call me a bad brother again. I lived and grew with her for years and I always supported her, always cared for her! I was always there when she needed me. So if you really think I don’t care for my little sister, then say it right in front of my face, filly.” He said the last few words while pushing the magic blade closer to the ‘mare’s’ neck, just touching the skin through burgundy fur.
Now, Enigma was completely calm throughout the whole soliloquy, up until he heard ‘filly’. At that, it was as if a switch flipped in his head. His usually bright maroon eyes gained a fierce appearance, his wings extending in anger. He sat there for a moment, just looking at the pony in front of him. Then a smirk appeared on his lips, one of his hindlegs kicking the turntables, causing the needle to fall. “Not.” He reached back, sliding off his saddlebags, which hit the wood stage and caused it to crunch under its weight. He pulled a wooden sword - a bokuto - out from one of his saddlebags and cracked his neck, never taking his gaze off the unicorn. “A.”
Then he vanished.
Cinnamon looked surprised to see the ‘mare’ suddenly disappear out of his line of sight. He quickly turn looking at his surroundings, until he heard the ruffle of wings coming from above him. He only had time to look up to see the dark red pegasus dive bombing directly at him.
“MARE!” He brought his bokuto down, hitting the unicorn across the face and through the stage underneath him. His eyes gleamed momentarily, quickly going into the theta-wave state like he’d been taught to do. “Get it BUCKING RIGHT!” He stared down into the hole, wanting to be absolutely sure that he wouldn’t be caught off-guard.
Suddenly, a trio of air blades flew out of the hole. Enigma, almost caught by surprise, let his instincts take over and was able to dodge each of them as they came at him. The air blades passed through a section of the ceiling, forming what appeared to be a triangle.
Enigma chuckled, keeping his gaze on the hole. “Yer kiddin’, right? Ya couldn’t hit th’ broadside of a barn with lousy aimin’ like that!” He covered his mouth, quickly realizing that he’d slipped into his natural country accent on accident.
Nothing happened for a moment. Above him, three cuts appeared in the ceiling, making a section of the roof fall down. Having taken him by surprise, it landed on top of the pegasus, causing him to lose his breath.
“Is that the best you got?” A voice came from the hole. From it the unicorn rose back to the stage without a problem, a trail of blood was visible coming out from his head. The swords were out of their sheaths, two of them held in each forehoof, while the third one was in his mouth. “‘Cause I didn’t even feel that.”
He stared up at Cinnamon, confusion clear on his face. “Who are you, Zoro?” He grunted and stood up, bringing the section of ceiling, easily five times his size, with him. He could swear that he heard someone in the audience complain about just getting the town hall repaired. He flung the piece of architecture out of the building through the open front doors and turned back to the unicorn, standing stoically. “You think you’re so tough?”
The unicorn looked back at him, the rage still present in his eyes. “Want to find out?” He lowered his stance, preparing to counter an attack from his opponent. “Come and try me.”
Enigma tensed his muscles, ready to exploit any opening the unicorn gave. He flared his wings and launched himself straight towards the unicorn, who in turn started to swing his swords to block his attack.
Just when the two stallions were mere meters from each other, a figure appeared between them, raising a pair of shimmering cello bows, stopping the ponies right in their tracks. The air currents caused by the attacks rushed past the turntables, knocking the needle off the record.
“Boys! Always so violent and stupid.” Octavia said before pushing against the swords, sending both rivals away from each other. Enigma stumbled a bit from the sudden push, while the unicorn was barely even fazed.
“Who the hay are you, and why did you stop me from crushing that ma-” He stopped suddenly, remembering what the other pony said. “stallion? He challenged me and he deserves to taste my blades.”
Enigma shook his head, muttering to himself. “I so would’ve won... weapon or not...” He flinched at the pointed look the gray mare gave him.
She turned back to the brown unicorn, looking him straight in the eye. “He happens to be my friend, and the fiancé of my best friend. So I politely request that you forget whatever happened and leave him alone.”
“No. He asked for it the moment he hit me with that stick, so unless he beats me, or somepony else beats me in his name, I will not forgive him.” Cinnamon said, puffing steam out of his nostrils as he glared to the mentioned stallion.
Enigma pulled on the sides of his face and stuck his tongue out at the other stallion, clearly taunting him.
Octavia groaned at the stallion’s stubbornness, not noticing her friend’s actions. I hate his kind, always going with outdated codes of honor. She sighed softly before addressing the unicorn again. “I’ll fight for him. He has more important matters to attend to.”
The pegasus was about to complain to her, wanting to really teach the pony a lesson. A hoof on his shoulder stopped him. He looked back at the owner, his beloved fiance, who was giving him a pleading look.
He quietly sighed, unable to argue with her. “I’ll do it for you Vi.” She gave a small smile in return, glad that he wasn’t in any more danger. He turn back to the other stallion, giving him an even look despite the glare he received. “For the sake of my love, I hoof this fight over to Tavi.”
The sophisticated mare had to fight to keep herself from facehoofing at the nickname. It’s better than “Octy,” at least. “If I win, you will forgive the transgression of my best friend's fiancé, as well as apologize to the owner of this place for making a new skylight in Town Hall.” Octavia said, her gaze never leaving the unicorn’s.
“And if I win, he owes me an apology for ever thinking of me as a bad brother to ‘Shy.” He stopped for a moment, eyeing the mare in front of him a bit before smirking. “And I get to have dinner with you tomorrow.”
Octavia blinked, taken aback by the sudden request. She quickly regained her composure, nodding stoically. “Fine, but don’t think you’re going to win.”
“Okay. So this is fair, here are the rules for this fight: no magic, no tricks, no backing out. We go all out against each other in a fair fight of skill and strength until one of us is no longer able to fight back...” The unicorn said before walking towards the front door. “I think outside is the best place for us to fight.” He said, giving a deep glare to Enigma as he passed by him.
He stuck his tongue out at him once more, annoyed by his attitude.
Octavia sighed to herself, not really wanting to deal with something like this right now. She trotted towards the door, head held high, following the unicorn while maintaining some degree of dignity.
A white hoof stopped her. “Octavia, send him to the hospital for me.” Vinyl smirked a little, wanting to see him pay.
Octavia smiled to her friend, a bit amused by the comment. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he feels sorry for attacking your fiancé, and make sure he atones for his sins.” She gives a reassuring smile, placing her own hoof over the unicorn’s. Vinyl grinned, trying her best to hold back her laughter. The gray mare stared at her blankly, confused. “What’s so funny?”
“N-nothing.” The disk jockey snickered, shaking her head, almost unable to hold her laughter back. “G-go on, don’t leave your coltfriend waiting~” The cellist rolled her eyes, disregarding the jab. She quickly walked outside, leaving the room rather silent after such a serious situation.
Vinyl trotted back to her turntables, thinking about the cinnamon-colored stallion - or, more specifically, the swords on his back. “I wonder...” She started the music back up, the gears in her head turning as a small smile started to form on her lips.
Vinyl and Enigma decided to let the playlist just run for a bit, sitting down at a table near the front door. Maybe they wanted to see the fight up close, but they didn’t really have a good viewing angle. It seemed as though they’d taken the fight away from prying eyes.
A stallion was sitting at a table, his head held in his hooves. He appeared to be in deep thought. He looked outside to see a family of earth ponies slowly walk through the street. At a glance, he saw that they weren’t the most fortunate family there was. Saying that they were in rags was an understatement. He ran through the door, calling them down. “Here, take this. Celestia knows you need it more than I do.” He gave them a bag filled to the brim with bits before smiling at them. “Take care of your family. They need you.” He walked back in without telling them his name. He didn’t want any recognition. The smiles of the poor family was enough to fill him with glee. He sat down again with a smile. He didn’t notice that he was sitting near the couple.
Enigma glanced over, having seen the act of generosity. “Hey, that was a nice thing you did, there, man...” He gave him a small smile.
Moonfeather jumped up, gasping. He calmed down quickly, but blushed in embarrassment. “Uh... I don’t really need thanks... Really, I didn’t even know you were watching me. I’m usually really secretive about doing that kind of thing...” Moonfeather stood up, walking over to Enigma. He stretched his hoof out to him. “I’m Moonfeather... and you are?” He tilted his head.
The burgundy pegasus chuckled, taking the offered hoof and shaking it. “Enigma.” He wrapped a wing around the white unicorn next to him, catching her attention. “This is Vinyl Scratch. You probably know her as DJ P0N-3, though.”
The mare rolled her magenta eyes, smiling and nodding at the other unicorn. “Nice to meet you, dude.” She put a hoof to her chin, thinking a bit. “Can I call you ‘Moony’?”
Moonfeather smiled as Enigma introduced himself and Vinyl. “Nice to meet you, too!” After she asked if she could call him Moony, though, he stiffened. But he recovered quickly. “W-well, if you want to, I have no problem with it, Miss Scratch!” He looked around. “Not really much music here, is there? Do... do you have a piano or keyboard anywhere?” He gestured to his Cutie Mark - a piano - blowing his silky crimson mane out of his face.
Vinyl noticed how he stiffened when she called him “Moony.” A small, devious smile formed on her lips. This could be fun... “I think there’s one backstage, but I want to ask you something first.”
Moonfeather raised an eyebrow, although all that was visible was his eye widening. His eyebrows weren’t visible under his jet-black fur. “Sure, go ahead. What do you want to know?” He hoped she didn’t notice his tense moment. ‘Moony’ had been a childhood taunt for him. But Vinyl didn’t seem to be a pony that would use it in a mean way.
She turned and gave a discrete wink to Enigma before walking around the table, leaning close to him. Her soft breath could be felt against the fur of his ear. “Do you... find me attractive, Moony?” She couldn’t help but tease him, taking his tensing the wrong way.
Moonfeather blushed deeply. In all honesty, he did, but he glanced at Enigma. He wondered what would happen if he spoke the truth. Would the feminine pegasus hate him, or do even worse things? He heard rumors about a factory. Hopefully they were just rumors! “W-w-well, I-I-I-uh...” He quietly coughed, trying not to blush. “I do,” he admitted, tensed again. Her breathing in his ear didn’t help at all.
Vinyl giggled, playfully tapping his shoulder with a hoof. “Glad you think so. Sadly, I’m taken.” She walked back over to her fiance, putting a visible sway in her step. She gave him a little wink and pointed to the ring on her horn. “Engaged and everything. Sorry, dude.”
Were Moonfeather a pegasus, it would’ve looked like he was about to take off. He rubbed the back of his neck, unable to hide his disappointment. “Why are the good ones always taken?” He asked himself quietly. He slumped down in his seat, willing his metaphorical wings to fold. “S-so about the p-piano?” He glared at Enigma, although it was completely unintentional. Note to self: apologize later!
The feminine stallion recoiled at the glare, not expecting that at all. “It was a joke, man. Besides, someone like you? You’d probably find a nice mare without a problem. I hear Applejack’s not taken...” His voice trailed off and he motioned to the stage, where Vinyl’s equipment was set up. “The piano’s backstage.”
“S-sorry, Enigma, sir...” He didn’t want to tell about his multiple personalities, especially not during an engagement party. He stood up, sweating. “Thanks for the directions. And... thanks for the encouragement. Isn’t Applejack that mare at Sweet Apple Acres?”
The pegasus opened his mouth to respond. However, at that exact moment, a loud crash was heard from behind the curtains.
A head poked out from the middle of the dividing cloth, a distinctive polychromatic mane framing the face. “Nothing wrong here! Certainly didn’t mess up a trick, nor cause damage to a piano!” The head retreated back behind the curtains, and the sound of frantic shuffling could be heard.
Moonfeather jumped up, running to the backstage area. He looked at all of the damage. The wall had been broken through, leaving a lot of rubble. He was about to ask if the mare was okay, until he saw what happened to the piano. His eyes dilated to pinpricks, his whole body shaking. “What. The. Buck?!” He ran to the piano. It appeared to have been broken into many pieces. “How in the name of H-Tartarus could this have happened?!” He looked to the only pony there, the mare with the polychromatic mane and tail, a fire in his eyes. It was even worse than when Pinkie thought Applejack broke a Pinkie Promise. “You! You did this!” He marched to her, air coming from his nostrils almost comically. “Do you know what you’ve just done?!”
She stared at him, confused. “I damaged an instrument that wasn’t expensive. I don’t see what you’re getting so worked up over.” She picked up a piece of wood, flipping it in the air. “See? It’s balsa.”
Moonfeather’s crimson mane fell, covering his eyes. “You... don’t have... the slightest idea!” He levitated into the air, his eyes blood red. His black fur turned white. His mane and tail appeared to have caught on fire. “WHY WOULD YOU EVEN THINK OF DOING SOMETHING AS IDIOTIC AS THIS?! DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING IN THAT THICK SKULL OF YOURS?!” To emphasize it, he knocked on the side of her head, still seeming to be on fire.
“Hey!” She growled, smacking his hoof away. “I’m more intelligent than you, featherbrain! You’re getting worked up over a silly piano!” She huffed, shaking her head. “You don’t know how to properly treat a Wonderbolt, do you?”
Moonfeather took a deep breath. He returned to the ground, seemingly calm. “Look, I don’t know who you are... but pianos are actually valuable... and they’re important to me.” He gestured to his Cutie Mark, a Grand Piano. “And I don’t think a Wonderbolt would screw up so badly that they’d crash through a wall, and absolutely destroy a piano. Who are you, anyways?” He tried to remain calm, although he was seething with rage. Where are Vinyl and Enigma? he wondered.
She gaped at him in shock. “You mean you don’t know who I am?” She didn’t wait for an answer, taking to the air and striking a pose. “I’m Rainbow Dash, the best flyer ever!” She grinned, waiting for the awestruck response she was sure he’d give her.
Moonfeather stared at Rainbow Dash. “Best flyer, eh?” Then how did she crash? “Well... look, I’m sorry that I snapped... but I seriously need to know, why would you do that? I think you should apologize. You kinda crashed an Engagement Party in both contexts.” He blew his mane out of his face again.
“Well sorry for trying to avoid a flock of geese!” She rolled her eyes, marching over to the hole in the wall. “Didn’t expect to survive a crash like that, though. The town hall’s not very durable, it seems.”
“No... I mean apologize to Vinyl Scratch and Enigma. They should be coming in at any minute...” He sighed, holding a few pieces of the piano.
“We’re already here, dude.”
They turned to look at the couple who had just walked through the curtains, staring at the destruction around them. The mare was stunned, while the dark red stallion had a neutral expression on his face. “Well, glad to know that this is hidden from the rest of the guests.”
“Well... I guess we have a problem here. An impasse, if you would. Vinyl, Enigma, can you help us out here? We both think that we’re right...” He didn’t know how to settle it, but he gazed at the piano pieces again. “That is, if you don’t mind!”
Vinyl sighed, placing a hoof over her face. “Sounds like we’re about to have another rap battle...” Enigma nodded, walking back out to get the headsets for the ponies.
“Uh... What? Rap battle? Oh! I didn’t mean to impose... Um... I thought that those were staged and rehearsed when I saw them. I didn’t know that you actually did them on the spot.” He shifted uncomfortably.
Vinyl quirked an eyebrow at him, unamused. “Moony, there’s no way that most of the ponies could do a rehearsed rap battle with raw emotion behind them. Trust me, Tavi tried that when we did it, but she quickly resorted to ‘winging it’. After that, she actually did much better.”
Rainbow couldn’t help but laugh, hearing that name for him. “Y-your name’s Moony? What, did your parents hate you, or something?” She jabbed him in the side, giving him a playful grin.
Moonfeather blushed deeply. Then, Rainbow mentioned his parents. He trembled with rage. “... Mention parents...” he muttered quietly, only those two words intelligible. He had been abandoned at birth, so it was a sensitive topic, as well as the teasing name, ‘Moony.’ Doing both at once probably wasn’t a good idea on Rainbow’s part.
Soon her fiance came back with the headsets, and she levitated one over to him. “Here, put this on.”
Moonfeather grabbed the headset, putting it on, his mane covering his face. One of his other personalities was slowly creeping through. “Rules?” He growled, still trembling.
Vinyl blinked, surprised by the change as well as the question. “Never had to explain the rules before...” She cleared her throat, giving a sheepish smile. “Uh... no physical violence, two turns each, with eight lines per turn... I think that’s it?” She turned, watching as Rainbow put her own headset on.
“Fine. Rainbow. If I win, you don’t fly for a month. You will also repair the wall, and buy a new piano. I also want an apology. Deal?!” He demanded, moving his mane so his eyes were visible, a look of pure rage-much different than before-was on his face. It was almost as though he was a different stallion.
Her jaw dropped in shock, but she quickly recovered, staring daggers at him. “Fine. But if I win, you...” She trailed off, trying to think of something embarrassing for him. Suddenly, it hit her, a sly grin forming on her lips. “Have to walk around with a sign on your sides that says ‘I dream of kissing Applejack’s flank’ for a week!”
“Is that seriously the best you can do?’
She snickers, covering her mouth with a hoof. “Oh, there’s more! You’ll have to pay for the damages and ask Applejack out... while wearing the sign.” There’s no way AJ won’t kick his flank for that!
“Deal.” He spat on his hoof before holding it out to the cyan pegasus.
She spat on her hoof as well and smacked his hoof, grinning slyly.
Soon enough, the two were out on the partially-destroyed stage, facing each other. Vinyl sat behind her turntables, preparing the music for their rap battle.
“Let’s get this over with, wanna-be. Can’t wait to see you grounded!”
Rainbow sneered, cocky as ever. “You’re going down, Moony. I’ll see you in the hospital.”
Before he could question what she meant by that, the music started playing, and the white unicorn shouted out to the crowd.
EPIC RAP BATTLES OF MLP!
MOONFEATHER
VS.
RAINBOW DASH
BEGIN!
So here we have the infamous Rainbow Dash
Don’t you stop to think if what you do is just brash?
Twilight can barely stand your string of boasts
But then again, to her, you’ll all just be ghosts!
Now, please, I don’t really mean to be bold
But isn’t all your bragging gettin’ a little bit old?
Take it from me, there’s many things that you lack
I’d be willing to bet you can’t even make a good come-back!
Who is this loser coming up against the Dash?
He’d better look out, coming in with that trash!
I mean, just look at him! He’s a walking wastebasket,
With almost no way for me to mess him up, yet
I never back down from a challenge like this.
So just shut up while I give you my two bits
Worth of whoop-flank I’m uncanning for you.
I guess you’re just too young to see what’s true!
Wait just a minute, I don’t think that’s what you meant
In a rap battle, you shouldn’t really compliment
Me! All those ponies out there are just watching a bore
With your simple raps, I just can’t see what they adore
Making jokes about my younger age?
Please, you’re fumbling! Just trying to make me rage!
Why don’t you learn? Face it! I’m Equestria’s only true hero!
Now leave, Rainbow Crash, before I divide you by zero!
Now who said that being a mess was good, Feather?
You’re messed up in the head and under the weather.
Making you rage is the point of a rap battle.
What’s wrong, you baby, you lost your rattle?
I’m a star athlete, and the newest Wonderbolt!
I doubt you can claim something like that, colt.
Why don’t you write down your sorrows - key in a tune?
It’s probably easy for you, ya wanna-be emo moon!
WHO WON? YOU DECIDE!
EPIC RAP BATTLES OF THE OC’S!
The athletic pony chuckled, holding a hoof out to the unicorn. “So, do you feel better, Feathers?”
Moonfeather was panting, trying to keep calm. “Better? Heh, I feel great!” He had let out a lot of steam. “But, you know... When you asked about the nickname ‘Moony,’ and asked if my parents hated me... that really hit deep. I was actually abandoned at birth...” His voice cracked as he remembered. “I... I just don’t...” He trailed off, hiding his face behind his mane. He felt tears roll down his cheeks.
Rainbow stared at him in shock. “I... I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
Moonfeather shook his head. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know.” He smiled at her through his tears. “Now, about Applejack... even if I win, I think I’ll ask her out anyways,” he said, sticking his tongue out.
The pegasus rolled her eyes, smiling playfully. “Whatever, Feathers. You’ll still have to ask her in that sign if I win, though.”
“Come on. Why don’t we get something to eat? I’d like to get to know you. ‘Best Flier’ comes with paparazzi, you know. I’ll be the first.” He motioned towards one of the tables. “My treat for yelling at you like I did.”
Rainbow put a hoof to her chin, pretending to mull over that idea. “Hmm... sure. I’d like that.” She started over to the table, smirking at him over her shoulder. “Don’t get any ideas, though. I have a coltfriend.”
He laughed. “Oh, don’t worry about that. I have plans.” He looked over his shoulder at Vinyl and Enigma. “Congratulations, you two!”
They waved, smiling calmly, though Vinyl was the only one to speak. “Thanks, Moony. Good luck with AJ!” She leaned into Enigma, smiling softly.
A tall, white pegasus descended behind the pair, his crimson eyes locked on Vinyl.
The said mare turned, noticing the stallion. She smiled, waving a hoof. “Hey! What’s up, dude?”
“Not much, Vi, mostly just my stupid job. Well, that and Pinkie inviting me to every party she throws. So, what’s this party for? They all start to blend together after a while. I’m betting it’s something like a ‘Gummy-Still-Doesn’t-Have-Teeth Party,’ what about you guys?”
Vinyl coughed into her hoof, trying to hide a smirk. “Actually, dude, it’s an engagement party. Enigma and I just got engaged.”
The stallion laughed at this, smacking Enigma on the back. “Nice one, Vi, but I don’t think that’s it. No offense, but I don’t think E’d get the hint if you shouted ‘I love you and want to have your foals!’ in his ear. It’s a nice thought, though.”
The couple stared at each other, feeling a little uncomfortable. The dark red pegasus chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s true... we’ve actually been dating for quite a while, now...”
“Commitment to the joke, nice. It’s really inspiring.”
Vinyl sighed, pulling her mane to the side and revealing the golden ring on her horn. “It’s seriously not a joke, Capp.”
“Well, excuse me for choosing to believe the more likely option. I mean, you guys are adorable together, and I’m really happy that the ship ‘came in,’ so to speak, but it didn’t seem like either of you would ever get the nerve to tell the other of your feelings,” Capp said, running a hoof through his mane.
They blushed, and the pegasus wrapped his wing around his fiancée. “Well, she almost didn’t. I can’t believe I was so blind... I guess that her first reaction to me was a little more influential than I thought.”
“Yeah, don’t care anymore,” Capp said, waving a hoof dismissively at Enigma. “Yo, Pinkie,” he called into the distance, “you owe me fifteen bits!”
“Oki doki, Loki!” came the reply from a box of dandelions (of all places).
“Anyhoof,” he said, turning back to the couple, “I need to get over to that buffet. I smell roses!” He then flew past Roseluck, knocking her over to get to the roses on the table.
The couple stared at this scene, baffled. Vinyl turned to her stallion, an eyebrow quirked. “...he’s still better at social interactions than you were, E.” She giggled, taking the playful hoof to her shoulder.
Because I lack the self-control to keep myself from posting this finished section. 
The next one won't be out for a while, though, as there's still that one person who needs to finish his part for it. 
If you're looking for the description of who the OC's belong to, you're gonna have to wait for the last part of this chapter. 
And yeah, Vinyl's that much of a tease. 
So, how many references can you count? 
Also, don't forget to vote!~
Have a nice day!
Enigma out.~
Stats
Page generated in 0.047 seconds
Total duration
1,146 users online
2,377,959 hits today, 2,814,898 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
You ended with my part?
How sweet, that deserves a comment.
The most obvious reference here is to "Epic Rap Battles of MLP" by Enigma Mystere.
Well, that and One Piece.
Well, here we are again. Might I say congrats on getting this done.
And yes, I got over not appearing. 
On the flip side, if you wonder where Trixie and Blueblood are, Blue took her on a night on the town. He seemed... very happy about something. Wonder what it was...
2454116
"Dude, that was originally a reference to a meme 'ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US'. Sorry to burst your bubble."
Lyrical
Rainbow Dash
In that order.
Aww, does this mean the contest deadline has come T.T So close.
But still, awesome chapter, but thats usual, so you probably don't need me to tell you that.
Ah, my jealousy of the OCs and Ponysonas in this story rises...I wonder if I should show my crappy self-insert I've came up with
2456485
the contest deadline is actually when the next q&a chapter comes out.
2456508
Ah, okay then
Gilda, and RD. Two best friends win!
Second music choice was awesome.
I'm pretty certain Gilda and Moonfeather deserves the title of victor.
Gilda
Moony
So is it in two parts or three? (I feel like I've heard the answer before but am too stupid to remember
)
Lyrical and Moonfeather got my votes.
I'm tempted to do a rap battle between my OCs Boomdrop and Razortongue for the comments and my journal.
Rocky and Bullwinkle reference sighted!
Lyrical, Dash
Aw sweet! It's starting! I can't wait for my part, but for now, I gotta go, so this WILL be read later.
2456881
"Glad someone caught that! Thanks, dude!"
2456967 I saw it falling, so I naturally caught it.
2457004
"Lol, good one!"
...i'll never understand why she says acronyms as they look...
Lyrical and Moonfeather. Winners.
Lyrical and rainbow dash
Also., the V-rifle wins
Also., the V-rifle wins
Whoops did I post that twice
I vote Lyrical for the first battle, and captain Jack Harkness for the second.
Lyrical and Dash.
Lesse..
Lyrical won the first one, but I think it was close. If Gilda hadn't rushed past her destination, she could've won.
As for the second one, Dashie won. Also, I think that Moonfeather kind of goes into the 'Mary Sue'-direction... Says the guy with an OC who's a black unicorn pirate with bat wings and a red eye, supposedly being Discord's grandson...
Yeah, but at least my reason for you to have wings is believable. And you don't have a multiple-personality-disorder OR were abandoned at birth. You weren't even bullied!
Whatever. I just hope Pinkie can hook me up with a bearable Alternate-Universe AJ if Moonfeather gets the original
Anyway... That's my opinion and I stick to it! Nice chapter, and I hope to see the next one as soon as possible.
2456508 My entry for the contest still is valid, right?
-Jolly Roger
And the Captain!(Go home, Capt'n. You're drunk. No, I'm not. *hic*)
Ref: Rainbow saying, 'My two bits' is Saberspark, right?
Also, Lyrical and Moony are the winners for me :)
Lyrical won
Rainbow won
Lyrical
Moonfeather
In that order!
Moonfeather and Gilda
Lyrical won the first one, no doubt.
The second one, however is a difficult choice.... But I say MoonFeather.
To the battles: Lyrical, then Moon. Moony gets points off for scraping the bottom of the barrel, though - Rainbow Crash is too mainstream. :trixiehipster: Also, winning the battle is all he gets credit for. He has a couple of character flaws I take issue with.
Frankly, I'm more interested in the battle going on outside between Octavia and Fluttershy's Big Bully Bad Brother Forever! (Shouldn't that be over by now? Rats, we must've missed it.) Seriously, the fact that his cutie mark involves violence is a big warning sign. Who let this armed thug in, anyway? And he claims to be directly related to a pegasus who grew up in Cloudsdale? ("I was always there to protect her"- You did a lousy job of it, judging by how crappy flight school was for her! Besides, wasn't that Rainbow Dash's role?)
2457309 Some advice: Click the trashcan icon to delete the superfluous comments. Making another comment just worsens the issue, after all! In addition, the pen icon lets you edit your comments so you can consolidate what you have to say into one comment and fix any other errors you may have made!
2460029 Don't worry. Cinnamon comes back in another part. I won't say when and what happens next, though.
-Jolly Roger
rainbow dash won (and I really hope you write Applejack's reaction to the sign if Rainbow comes out on top)
Rainbow won (And I'm not just saying that because I want to see the sign)
moonfeather won
P.S. im not sure if we are suppose to vote for the LYRICAL VS. GILDA if so Gilda won
2460029
"Both problems fixed (don't know what was up with that non-colored line). And the 'thug' was let in because there were at least two different ponies that could take care of any problems that could arise - Tavi and I!"
2461815 Oh, you!
2460029 Character flaws? Send me a PM to tell me what you mean.
not sure if we are supposed to ask our questions for the Q&A chapter here, but I'll ask anyways:
Hey Vinyl, everypny sees you as a party hard, play hard kind of pony, one that does not stay still, so how does it feel to be married and to shock us all by doing so?
2467328
only if it's a reference to hard reset in the canterlot wedding episode.
2467291
"I've heard it said both ways on the show, dude."
2452500
"At what point did you start to lose track, dude? We'd like to help, but we need to know where your troubles began."
Lyrical and moonfeather won
There are ships everywhere run for your lives
Lyrical and Moonfeather win
2470416But I can't swim.
Lyricist and Moonwalker, eeyup.
2485219
...well then... 
i guess dashie isn't happy. 
"Wow, Lyri and Moonfeather are actually winning, so far. Who knew?"
"WHAT!? ARGH!"
2456967 Hey, Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of a hat!
Again?
Nothing up my sleeve... hey presto!
RAAAAAAWWWWWWRRRRR!
You've got the wrong hat...
2485230
"HAH! Another pony got the reference! This is so great!~"
to be clear, vi wanted me to put that in there.