The Fight Ballads

by screenaholic

Chapter 3

The music pulsed through the club. Through the dance floor, across the bar, and through everyponies ears. And all of it came from her. Every beat, every wub, every bass drop, all came from the tips of her hooves and magic tendrils. Every button and switch on her equipment was practically in constant motion, and Vinyl Scratch watched them all through her glasses. However, these weren't any ordinary glasses.

They were a fine blend of magic and technology that gave her one more connection to her music. They displayed equalizers, tracks playing, audio waves, mix levels, and a plethora of other information from her music. DJ glasses weren't that uncommon in her industry, but hers one of a kind. They were more sensitive than most, giving her readings so fast few other ponies would be able to keep up with the flow of information. And on top of that, their distinctive style have become a symbol. More ponies knew DJ PON-3's glasses than her real name.

"That's it everypony, I want to see those tails bounce!" Vinyl shouted into the microphone. "I'm gonna be here all-wow!" Vinyl felt a strong hoof grab her shoulder and spin her around. After completing the 180, she found herself face to face with a familiar gray cellist.

"You are going to buy me a new bow, now!" Octavia shouted at the DJ.

Oh this is great. Vinyl subtly slid a hoof across her equipment. "Octy! You came to see my performance, I'm so touched."

"Oh please, I would never willingly listen to this modern day drivel. I'm only here because you broke my bow!" Octavia shouted.

"Sorry to break it to you Octy, but I don't sell cello bows. Try a music store," Vinyl teased.

"A music store?! The bow you broke was handcrafted from timber wolf wood! The hair was from Kurt Maresur, the late director of the Manehatten Phillharmonic! It was priceless, not something you can pick up at a common music store! And I told you not to call me Octy!" Vinyl could clearly see the anger in the cellist's face.

"Well then Tavi, if the bow was so priceless, what do you want me to do about it?" Vinyl was trying to push her further and further to the edge.

"You are going to buy me a new one. One of the highest quality I can find," Octavia shoved a hoof sharply into Vinyl's chest.

"Oh am I now? As I recall, it was your fat flank that hit the case," Vinyl teased.

"Why you-"

"I don't think it's my responsibility if you knock over your own cello case."

"You listen here you scoundrel, you threw me into my case. And furthermore...is my voice coming through those speakers?"

"Took you long enough to notice Tavi." The DJ floated her microphone in between the two of them. "I turned down the music and turned up the mic as soon as you got here. My flanks been to the audience, but I'm willing to bet they've been watching us this whole time. Am I right?"

"What?" Octavia looked around Vinyl to see that the entire club was indeed staring at them. "Why in Equestria would you do this? Are you just trying to embarrass me?"

"Of course not Tavi. I'm an entertainer, I'm just trying to put on a good show for my ponies." She turned her head to the crowd. "Is it working?" She was met with uproarious applause and turned back to the cellist. "So, you want a new bow, and I want to put on a show, so how about a little competition?"

"What are you talking about you crazy pony?"

"Simple, we show off our talents for the crowd. If you win, I'll buy you a new bow, any one you want. But if I win, you have to stay and listen to my whole set, and I expect the same compliment I gave you after your performance."

"Show our talents? Here? That's hardly fare! This crowd of degenerates will surely chose your chaotic so called 'music' over my art."

"Music?" The DJ cocked her head questioningly. "Who said anything about music? You and I both know we share another talent. Why it's the very thing that brought us together."

Octavia stared at the DJ for a moment in confusion. "You can't mean..."

"So how 'bout it Tavi?" The DJ lowered her glasses and cocked an eyebrow. "You up for a little sparring match?"

"You can't be serious."

"Oh I am. Unless you're to chicken that is."

"Oh please, you are so immature. Do you really expect that to work?"

"What do you think folks?" Vinyl said as she turned towards the crowd. "It sounds like she's scared to me." The crowd shouted cheers at the DJ, a few even throwing a few jests at the cellist. "I guess these classical types don't care about entertaining the masses, but I suppose that's obvious with the boring music they play."

The instant Vinyl felt the hoof on her shoulder again she knew that her taunts had worked. As the hoof spun Vinyl around the two once again found themselves face to face. One wore a satisfying glare of anger, the other an annoying smirk of victory. "You're on."

"Perfect, then if you would please take your place on center stage, I'll be right down."

"Fine." The cellist turned and walked out of the DJ's booth.

"Alright everypony," Vinyl said as she turned back to her equipment, "I'm gonna need you to clear the dance floor." All the ponies complied and cleared off the dance floor as Octavia walked to the center. "Alright, this has to be good..." Vinyl mumbled to herself. She flipped through her records, looking for the perfect song. "No, no, no." She started searching the library of her computer. "Damn it, nothing...wait a minute." She opened up a separate folder and looked at the track inside. It was something she had been working on for a long time. Nopony but her had heard it before. She glanced at the cellist waiting for her and decided it was time to change that. With a stroke of her hoof, the track began playing.

It started slow. Vinyl took off her glasses and set them on her console. She calmly walked out of her booth and onto the dance floor, standing across from Octavia. "You ready Tavi?"

"Absolutely." The two stood, eyes locked on each other. The music was building, and Vinyl waited for what she knew was coming. She grinned when she heard the break.

"Dr-dr-drdrdrdrdrdr-drop the bass!" They charged at each other, Vinyl on four legs and Octavia on two. As they neared, Vinyl put all of her weight into her left forehoof, and lifted the other three hooves off the ground. She used the planted hoof as a fulcrum, and spun her body counterclockwise, lowering herself and extending her right hind leg. Octavia leapt over the sweeping leg, and DJ proper. As she landed she spun around to see Vinyl use the momentum of the sweep to perform a short windmill before launching herself back onto her hooves. "Classic Tavi, always running. You never stand and face the attack."

"Will you never shut your mouth?!" Octavia charged back at Vinyl, right forehoof cocked. She threw a cross, and Vinyl ducked her head to dodge it. Vinyl countered with a right uppercut, but Octavia leaned back and Vinyl hit nothing but air. Octavia acted quick, and wrapped both forehooves around the raised hoof. She twisted her body and yanked the captured appendage over her shoulder. Vinyl was lifted off of the ground, over the cellist, and slammed onto her back. Octavia kept hold with her left forehoof, and raised her right to strike the fallen DJ. Vinyl spun her body on the floor, and used her hindleg to swipe the cellist's hooves out from underneath her. Both of the mares scrambled back to their hooves as quick as they could.

"This is great stuff Tavi, they're eating it up," Vinyl said as she looked around at the cheering audience.

"Wonderful, I'm glad they're enjoying it," Octavia said sarcastically.

"I bet, actually entertaining a crowd must be a new experience for you."

"I will destroy you."

"Come and try." The two met in a flurry of flying hooves.

"Kick her flank PON-3!" Vinyl heard somepony in the crowd shout.

The DJ turned towards the voice, "Don't worry, I-OOF!" Octavia took advantage of her opponent's distraction to land a powerful right hook.

"So easily distracted." Octavia hit Vinyl with three rapid blows to the chest, knocking the wind out of her. The DJ stumbled back trying to catch her breath, but the cellist didn't give her the chance. The gray mare grabbed hold of the white with both hooves, and put all of her strength into a throw.

Vinyl was rocketed through the air, and crashed against one of the twenty-five hooves columns supporting the lights. The poorly constructed column was already weakened from years of use, and the collision of the DJ sent it over the edge. Several warped supports snapped from the impact, causing the entire column to collapse. The two sides of the square light fixtures surrounding the dance floor that the column supported fell to the ground on one end each.

Octavia walked slowly towards the center of the crash, ignoring the terrified crowd. "Now, are you going to buy me a new bow, or must I continue beating sense into you?"

Vinyl sat slumped against the fallen wreckage, coughing slightly. "You kidding Tavi? I'm just getting started."

"Give it up Scratch, even you have your limits."

"You're right, I do." As Octavia finally reached the DJ she thought was defeated, Vinyl leaned back and shot a hindhoof straight up, catching Octavia in the chin. "But you haven't seen them yet." She jumped to her hooves and hit Octavia with a rapid one-two punch before turning and hitting her with a strong buck. The cellist was knocked a good twenty hooves across the dance floor.

As the cellist laid on the floor, failing to regain her senses, Vinyl listened to the song reaching it's climax. She used one of the fallen supports as a ramp, running quickly up it. She got half way up at the break, and looked down at the prone mare. With a grin on her face, she leapt from the support and threw her body into a suicide. "Dr-dr-drdrdrdrdrdr-drop the bass!" Vinyl shouted the end along with the track, as her body fell in a "J" shape straight down towards Octavia.

The shouting snapped Octavia back to her senses just in time, and rolled out of the way just before Vinyl landed on her shoulder blades. "AUGH!" Vinyl shouted in pain. "My shoulder!"

"Serves you right," Octavia weakly said weakly, still on the ground near by.

"Really Octavia, now? I think it may be broken."

Octavia laid in thought for a moment, and began to feel guilty. "...I'm-"

"SCRATCH!" Vinyl turned to see the club's owner standing in the door way of his office. Oh shit. "What the hell did you do to my club!?"

Comments

[Sasha Nein]

lol

...yup, that about sums up my thoughts.

[reader238]

wow viny you decide to have a sparing match in a club that doesn't belong to you there is a reason all fights are usually taken outside lol but it was still bad ass

oh and btw this is a really good example on my philosophy of what the quickest way to end a fight is "break something"

[screenaholic]

2464659
Are you referring to the light fixtures and the dance floor they crashed on, or Vinyl's shoulder?

[reader238]

2467790 vinyl's shoulder,