Sometimes life can just be a busy mess of everything you don't want to deal with. Sometimes, school, friends and your dreams don't all plan on going in the same direction. Sometimes you get bucked in the face and humiliated. But you gotta g
Sometimes life can just be a busy mess of everything you don't want to deal with. Sometimes, school, friends and your dreams don't all plan on going in the same direction. Sometimes you get bucked in the face and humiliated. But you gotta get up. This story follows Code Levol, your average city pony, and his days at Baleston University. Baleston, yeah its Boston, get over it haha. Really though, I'm just enjoying writing this. This is my rapping oc, and it has my many musical friends strewn throughout it. I hope you enjoy it for what its worth, and maybe find some lessons in it along the way. Characters will be added as the story progresses. Don't worry, we've got some cannon characters haha. Also, i'll change the image when I get around to it.
A bombard of trampling hooves echoed throughout the classroom as students began to leave. Ponies bumped and bustled against each other, trying to snake their way through the crowd to the door.
An authoritative voice called out to the mass, “Now I want you all to have your short stories done and edited for the next class. I’ll accept nothing late.”
The voice belonged to none other than Professor Bindings. The tall, tan-grey earth pony was a master of the Equestrian language and of course, a professor at Baleston University. He held his job in high regard, and was always putting in that extra effort to really leave an impression on his students.
He watched intently on the slew of students leaving his classroom. Although it was a rather large class, 65 ponies, he could still pick out a few memorable personalities. He tried not to play favorites, but somehow these ponies had managed to work their way into his curriculum and even into his mind.
Yes, these were the students he was exceptionally proud of. First and foremost, Nom Nom the alicorn. By no means was he an exceptionally gifted student, nor was he of regal descent. Nom Nom was more accurately an intrepid scholar. Always reading, learning. If he could only get Nom to move his muzzle of out from the cosmology books long enough for him to learn some real Equestrian literature.
Versal was another bright one. He had an aptitude for poetry, but sadly his work ethic was equivalent to that of a tired honey badger. And Dreamweaver the day dreamer. She barely makes half of the classes; however she has the potential to do so well. A shame the two of them don’t try harder.
Lastly, a stallion by the name of Code Levol. A quiet one, that one. It’s nice to see his head always in book. It’s not so nice when you realize that he’s using it as a pillow. However lazy he might be, he has a good head on his shoulders. Not to mention his works. Bindings could not have hoped for a more enthused writer.
Unfortunately, it was the end of the day’s class and everypony was headed off to where ever they might be needed. Bindings had done what he could for the day, and that was all he required. Satisfied with his work, the professor retreated to his desk. Opening an old, tattered book, Bindings sighed.
“Poetry: The Penwell Collection, a classic.”
+ + +
The thick, brown door slid shut, clicking the lock into place. A pair of blue wings flapped lazily, lifting their owner to the lofty bed above. Landing smoothly on the bed of clouds, the pegasus proceeded to cover his ears with headphones. Flicking his power button on mp3, the pegasus allowed himself to drift away into a zen-like trance.
Eyes closed and breath steady, the pegasus smiled. Nothing could ruin his chill time. Nothing at –
Knock Knock Knock!
The dark blue pegasus winced. He took in a deep breath and released it, calming himself. Surely it was somepony else’s door that was being knocked on. He didn’t have to worry about a –
Knock Knock Knock!
“Damn it.” He grunted.
The pegasus removed his headphone, laying them gently on his bed of clouds. After checking to make sure they stayed put, he went to the door.
“Levol, let me in. I’ve got my Cosmology lesson with Professor Orion in ten minutes and I need my notes.”
Code Levol unclicked the lock on the door, letting his friend outside in. The agitated door-knocker rushed into the room. A blur of white and black zipped around the corner of the room, searching valiantly for its notes. And just like that, it was gone.
“Don’t forget to pick up some food on your way back!” Levol yelled after the blur.
The blue pony sighed once more before closing the door. He had had a long day and only wanted to relax with his music. Was that really so much to ask?
A loud banging sound from the floor boards answered that. To anypony else, having your floor erupt into a drum solo for the drunk might be frightening, but Levol and his roommate were used to it. After all it meant one of three things; the green was in, the beer was in, or the girls were in.
Levol looked back to his bed of clouds hovering happily over the floor. The mp3 was still there. Glancing at the door then shifting back to his music player, Levol decided he may as well see what was going on downstairs.
The door slid shut once more, its lock clicking into place as always, but this time with the pegasus stallion on the outside. Levol casually trotted down the long hallway until he reached the stairwell. Not wanting to bother with spending the energy of flying, he decided to just walk down the short way to the first floor.
Levol knocked on the door to the room below, room 126 to be exact, and waited for an answer. Without a word, the lazy door cracked itself open, and a puff of smoke hit Levol square in the face.
Coughing, Levol walked in. “The heck man, it’s worse than a damn volcano in here.”
At the back of the room leaned up against the wall, sat a forest green earth pony. He had a flat black mane, just long enough for it to reach his eyes. Eyes which were currently a redish tan color and a little bit bloodshot. On his flank rested a microphone tied in with a paraph, topped off with a small patch of marijuana. Surrounding the stallion was a cloud of palpable smoke.
“Levoooooooooooooooooooool!” the ecstatic, green stallion called out. “Whazzup dude?”
This was Kushy Kallous. An anti-socialite from Las Pegasus, Kushy managed to get along well enough at Baleston University. He wasn’t too big on getting out to meet people, but made friends soon enough anyways. They were few and far between, but they were enough for Kushy.
“I’m guessing the taps were for green?” Levol chuckled.
“Nah dude, nah.” Kushy said, shaking his head. “It’s important this time.”
Levol raised an eyebrow, “If it’s so important, why are you still baked?”
Kushy stared deeply into Code Levol’s eyes, his face becoming more serious with each passing second. The blue stallion was becoming uneasy and tried shifting his gaze, only to be returned to his staring match.
Then, out of nowhere, Kushy burst into laughter. He was so happy that he fell over and began rolling on the floor laughing.
Still laughing, he managed to get out the sentence, “Zeko’s in it deep this time.”
Hearing Kushy’s roomate’s name, Levol perked his ears up. In need of more information, he grabbed the rolling green pony and held him in place.
“Kush, what do you mean?”
Letting out his residual chuckles, he replied “Kid went and signed himself up for the battle tomorrow night. You gotta snap him out of it. We both know he aint ready.”
“Celestia damn it.” Code Levol snapped under his breath. “Where is he?”
“Dunno bro.” he shrugged “Its dinner time aint it? I know I’m hungry.”
Levol began getting worried. Zeko wasn’t ready for the battles at the Backbeat. And knowing him, he’d probably get himself into more trouble than he’s worth. Levol knew that he had to convince the kid to stay out of it, for his own sake.
The pegasus quickly trotted towards the door. Before leaving, he turned back to Kush, “Nom’ll be back from his private lesson soon. I told him to pick up dinner. Just knock when he gets back. If he brought any, he’ll send some down.”
Kushy’s perky voice shifted into a more derisive tone, “You know I don’t trust his teleportation. He’ll probably make me the pizza.”
Levol would have responded and told his friend not to worry, but he had already left to go and find Zeko before it was too late.
The dorm door shut behind the hurried pegasus as he rushed outside. Blurred visions melted together as he shook his head from side to side. He couldn’t find any trace of his friend Zeko. Levol took in a deep breath. It had to be at least a little while before the battle began. After all, he hadn’t even eaten dinner yet.
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle.
The food-less college pony tilted his head to his stomach. On second thought, he hadn’t eaten breakfast or lunch either. Normally he would consider this a poor choice for the day, but food wasn’t exactly plentiful these days. The pizza from Nom would have been a treat, but Zeko’s well being was far more important.
Levol tried to think of all the places that his friends liked to hang out around campus. He knew Zeko wasn’t around the dorms and didn’t think he’d leave for the city, so he knew there weren’t many places to check. After some light internal back and forths, Code Levol decided to head straight for the Backbeat.
The Backbeat was the campus’ underground hangout. The students used it for partying, concerts, and just plain hanging out. It was a rather large building, taking the place of the old West Wing Dorms. Unicorn crafted, it was the standing paragon of architectural beauty. Modern in design, it had a large portion of its walls made from glass panes. These were arranged in such a way so that as the day passed, they would shine different colors onto the interior, effectively making a rainbow clock.
Large curtains waited anxiously at the sides till night would arrive. When the parties would start, the curtains would close off the window walls and allow for the intricate lighting system to illuminate the dance floor. To the side was a fully operational snack bar that the students swore did not sell alcohol at their parties. At the back rested several stacks of amps, a large DJ’s turntable and soundboard. This epic arrangement of musical amplification was the pride and joy of the Backbeat. Here, the brightest aspiring DJ’s could show their stuff at one or more of the club’s many parties.
Other musicians and bands were welcome to take to the adjacent stage. Practices were held at the Backbeat every day, and small concerts were always welcome. Local and student bands reveled in the chance to play in front of an audience, however large or small.
But these were not important to Code Levol. He was far more interested in the other use for the stage. Yes, the only thing on his mind at the Backbeat was the lone microphone, resting on the edge of the stage. That microphone was the only reason Levol even bothered to show up to the Backbeat every Friday night.
Friday night had a reserved line up for the students at Baleston U. It started with free speaking, anypony could grab the mic and talk about whatever they wanted, so long as ponies were interested. Then came poetry, if you really wanted to. And finally, the rap battles. Oh how Levol loved the rap battles.
As a foal growing up in the Baleston City outskirts, Code Levol had a very tumultuous life. Both of his parents worked constantly every day, sometimes not even making it home before he had gone to bed. Little Levol learned fairly early on how to take care of himself. From cooking to cleaning and everything in between, the little blue pegasus had to teach himself. This self dependency morphed Levol into a hardened and distant adolescent.
He did what he could to manage his family situation. Levol knew that his parents cared for him, despite their constant absence, and because of this he made sure to keep the house looking proper for them. If he could get through a day of school, keep the house clean and still get to sit down for a few minutes, he considered it a good day.
With all of this work, it was hard for the growing colt to make any friends. He had a few classmates that would stop by every once and a while, but never had anypony that he could really talk to. Without any pony interaction, Levol left himself very open to other forms of communication. This opened him up to the world of music.
Levol’s experience with music was enlightening to say the least. Having a house to yourself for a whole day would be quiet boring if it was silent. The radio helped alleviate that problem. Each day after school, Levol would walk home, open the door, and immediately flip on the radio.
As soon as the button clicked into place, the young pegasus could feel his entire body relax. It was as if all the tension he had built up in his muscles just evaporated. His gate would settle to a slower, more casual pace. His movements would flow more fluidly, and his dark blue coat would shine a little brighter.
A daily dose of radio could only get Levol so far. His true relationship with music was fostered after he turned the radio off. You see, the genre that the ostracized colt could associate with best was rap. Artists from places all over Equestria could rap, and rap well. Unfortunately, rap music wasn’t suited for the radio and had to be played via CD. Levol didn't mind though. The thought of having his favorite songs at his hoof tips only made his smile bigger.
And so he listened, every day after chores. He listened, he repeated, and he learned. Each song was a new story to absorb, a new life made known to the young pegasus. Be it the story of the filly who lost her parents in an earthquake, or the old stallion who got killed in a robbery, or even of the failed marriage that would never work, Levol took it all in.
Eventually, Code Levol started writing his own raps. Listening to the beats of his favorite artists, he would try to create his own stories and tell them through rhythm and rhyme. Years of practice added up and eventually Levol was able to make full raps and freestyle. It was the beginning of a long road for the troubled colt; a long road in the right direction.
One long and thought-filled walk later, Code Levol had arrived at his destination. The sun was going down, and it looked as though night would fall soon. Without time on his side, Levol snapped himself out of his dazed state and rushed in.
Much to the hurried pegasus’ chagrin, the Backbeat was packed. Ponies of all types were crowding the vital club areas. The bar was surrounded with presumably hammered ponies, not that that concerned Levol too much. Zeko was a pretty good kid and drinking wasn’t exactly his style. However, considering his roommate, Levol wouldn’t be surprised if his friend had some green from time to time.
Odd thoughts aside, the search continued. The DJ booth was packed, though the music wasn’t playing loudly at the moment. Levol decided to head over there first, if for nothing else but to eliminate one possibility.
Anxiously, he tapped a pony from behind, “Hey, you seen a zebra ‘round here lately?”
A blue mane washed over his view as the pony turned to face him. A pair of deep magenta eyes met with the stallion’s. Smile wide on her face, the mare replied “You mean with the spiky hair and the jacket?”
Levol’s eyes shot open, “Yeah actually. Heh, where’d you see him?”
The mare turned around completely, now facing directly at Levol. Her coat was a bright white, completely spotless save for an outstanding black cutie mark. It was a simple show of two eight notes. Her mane was made of two blues, a light and dark, which she had covering half of her face. Levol had thought he had seen all the pretty mares on campus. Levol had thought wrong.
“I think he went backstage. Wanna go look?” she offered happily, displaying a bright smile when she finished. “Yeah, sure.”
The new mare grabbed Levol’s hoof and pulled him along towards the stage. Usually the pegasus would object to such treatment, but considering the circumstances, he didn’t mind too much. The duo pushed the curtains aside and stepped into musician heaven.
Strewn about the room were dozens of ponies and instruments. A multihued stretch of guitars lined the racks by the walls. Musician ponies would walk by constantly, some taking a guitar, some leaving one. One unicorn was busy setting up a drum set in the center of the stage.
Loud clatters bounced around the room; the clashing of steel on wood, the crackling of amps being plugged, the din of singers practicing. Lights flickered on and off, the tech ponies setting everything up for the night…and morning. The stage was being set.
“Come on.” urged the white unicorn, tugging me further.
The clopping of our hooves on the floor was inaudible against the rest of the room. Levol had no clue of where he was being led. Having been backstage many times before, he knew the area well, however he had never seen it so crowded with ponies. What else was going on?
“Uh hey, unicorn girl. Where –” he was cut off.
“I have a name you know.” She pouted, finally letting go of his hoof.
Code Levol rubbed the back of head, “Sorry, I uh, never asked. What is your name?”
Before she could answer, a gruff voice called out from the crowd “Vinyl, aren’t you gonna set up the booth?”
His new acquaintance waved, “Of course, I’m just helping this guy out first!”
The owner of the mysterious voice worked his way past the throng on ponies to reach the two. He was a rather tall stallion, even managing to have a few inches on Levol. He carried himself in a stately manner, despite his apparently rebellious outlook. Resting calmly on his face was a bold yellow pair of shutter shades. Adorning all four of his legs were silver rings, shimmering from the mobile light sources.
Now within hoofs reach, he asked “What’s this you’re up to this time?”
The unicorn mare that Levol had been starting to meet left his side and headed straight for the new stallion. The stylish mare gave the bright blue stallion a peck on the cheek, walking by him slowly, brushing him with her tail.
“I’m just being a good friend, like you’re always on about.” She mocked lightly.
The stallion cracked a smile, “Well I’m glad to see you finally warming up to some other ponies, but we’ve got to set up the booth for the concerts tonight.”
Hmmph!
Vinyl stamped her hoof, groaning. “Fine, I’ll go set everything up.” As she walked away, the two stallions could hear her whining about how she ‘always had to set up the booth.’
The new blue unicorn turned to Levol and held out a welcoming hoof. “Hey there! My name’s Dubious Trance. Don’t think we’ve met before.”
“Nah, I don’t think we have.” Levol bumped his hoof with Dubious’. “My name’s Code Levol, but y’all can just call me Levol.”
“So what has called you to the behind the scenes Backbeat today?”
“Well, usually I’d be here for the battles but –”
“You mean you’re a rapper?” Dubious cut him off.
Levol scratched his head, still worried about finding his friend before time ran out. Red eyes inspected the room hastily, finding no trace of Zeko. Teeth pressed deep into Levol’s lower lip. Dubious noticed the unresponsive pony’s odd behavior and spoke up.
“Hey Levol, are you doing alright?”
The flustered pegasus ruffled his feathers, trying to shake away his nervousness. Realizing he wasn’t going to find his friend from this angle, he turned to face Dubious once again.
Levol came clean, “Look, my friend is here somewhere and I really need to find him before he does something he’s gonna regret.”
The affable smile on Dubious’ face wilted away, “What kind of trouble are we talking here?”
The pegasus sighed. “He signed himself up for a rap battle tonight. He’s not that good yet, and I don’t think he knows what he’s in for and”
“you don’t want him to get completely trashed and have all the rappers trash on him before he has a chance. I hear you.” Dubious finished the sentence for him.
“Yeah. I know how harsh some of these rappers can be. Kid’s not ready for that yet.”
Dubious put a hoof on Levol’s shoulder, “What’s he look like?”
“He’s a zebra. Need anything else?”
“Got it.”
The duo retreated to their own halves of the enormous building, each with the intent of finding the condemned zebra. With a new friend on his side, Levol felt reassured that he would be able to find Zeko. Perhaps then he could convince him to back down. That was until, he bumped into an old friend of his.
Oof!
“Hey watch where you’re going you –” the dark red stallion paused. “Well look who it is, Little Levol. Come to get whooped in the battle again?”
“Oh shove it Versal, I don’t need this from you tonight.”
A sly grin crept its way up the unicorn’s muzzle. Darkened eyes glinted in the technicolor room. A deep red hoof planted itself on the ground, mere inches away from Code Levol.
Versal stared down arrogantly at Levol, “Oh I betchu don’t. Not after last time at least.”
Levol turned his head to the side and snorted. His left hoof whipped around, knocking Versal’s firmly planted hooves off center. The confident visage washed away to fear as the stallion toppled to the tiled floor.
“Watch where you put those hooves, Derpal. Can’t have you falling all over the place, now can we?” Levol remarked snidely.
Versal shook off the fall with ease. He wasn’t damaged physically, but his reputation was certainly at stake, especially considering who he was dealing with.
Code Levol and Versal had never truly gotten along. Coming from two completely different areas of Equestria, the rapping ponies couldn’t manage to see eye to eye. It didn’t help that Versal was a unicorn supremacist. He thought that his horn and magic made him far more capable than the other species. Sure, the earth ponies had their strength, and pegasi their speed, but unicorns were masters of magic. They could do everything, even that which was thought only capable by other species.
Growing up in the harsh streets of Detrot, Versal learned how to survive quickly. Orphaned at an early age, the estranged colt didn’t have a strong parental push to do the right thing. Luckily, he had an older brother who was always looking out for him. Starstring, as he was called, was Versal’s caretaker and taught him everything he would need to know to live on his own.
Starstring was several years older than Versal, and as hard as he tried, was unable to stay with him at the orphanage. As with all good siblings, Starstring promised Versal that he would make a name for himself. Tears were shed, but the two brothers stayed strong.
Versal was determined to emulate his brother and become successful as well. However, with a large track record of procrastination behind him, maintaining a job was difficult for the then young stallion. What’s more, the unicorn had yet to acquire his cutie mark, making a steady job even harder to find.
Instead, Versal found fame in the underground music scene of the busy city. He had always listened to old hip hop and rap music and was excited to get involved with them himself. One night, while enjoying himself at a party, Versal managed to insult one of the underground’s top rap battlers. Needless to say, he was immediately wrapped into a battle with the verbally abusive pony.
Knees clacking, the dark red stallion tripped his way up to the stage. The challenge was unexpected, and he had no time to prepare for the ensuing rap battle. His aggressor was first to go, ripping through syllables like they were paper. Versal bit his lip in anticipation.
Finally, after what seemed like hours of torture, Versal was hoofed the microphone. Holding it in his left hoof, the scared stallion scanned the boisterous room. Echoes of screaming and cheering bounced all around. A lump worked its way up into Versal’s throat. The top pony looked at him and laughed.
Ready to drop the mic and leave, Versal caught himself on the cries of one pony. Somepony out in the crowd was yelling ‘You can beat him Verse!’ Versal didn’t know where the voice came from, but he didn’t care. He gripped the microphone tight with his hoof and began attacking his foe vocally. Each line was a gumball, rolling off of his tongue and sticking his opponent right in the eye.
When he had finished, the crowd was already ablaze. Every pony was chanting his name; “Versal! Versal! Versal!” It was then that he felt an odd tingling sensation. It was going down from his back to his legs, forcing him to turn to find its source. As he turned, his eyes lit up, indulging in the most precious sight the stallion could witness. Resting on his once blank flank was a cutie mark. A drawn microphone on a piece of paper now adorned the rapping pony.
That night, Versal left the party with not only his pride intact, but also a purpose. He knew that he would be successful like his brother one day and now he had the opportunity to do just that. This newfound inner strength did come at a price though as Versal’s ego exploded into astronomical levels.
And that is where these two don’t agree.
“Very funny,” Versal spat “but we’ll see whos laughin’ after I beat you in the battle tonight.”
“Sorry Verse, but I ain’t even in the battle tonight. In fact, I was supposed to be doing something else.”
The unicorn laughed in disbelief, “If you had real plans then why are you here?”
Levol was about to answer, but was cut off by the sound of curtains drawing. A deathly grimaced washed over his face. Versal noticed this and took advantage of the situation.
“Somepony on stage there, Little Levol?”
“Luna Damn it.” He whispered.
Levol ran up to the side of the stage, trying to see if he could make it before they started. Versal darted after, not wanting to lose his prey. The two ponies trampled the others who were waiting patiently backstage. For one reason or another, they had to reach that stage.
A booming voice resonated within the room, “Alright everypony, who’s ready for some RAP BATTLES!?”
It was Vinyl. She was standing behind the DJ booth with Dubious at her side. Instead of showing her beautiful magenta eyes, she wore thick blue shades. They complimented her mane well.
Dubious, less involved with the booth than his marefriend, noticed Levol and Versal behind the curtain on the side. He had an apologetic look on his face as he pointed to center stage with his hoof.
Two figures stood head to head, their eyes burning into each other brains as the seconds ticked. On the right was a short white unicorn with flaming red hair. His tail was short cut leaving a very visible cutie mark. The cutie mark itself was a purple dunce cap and Levol knew exactly why. This was Pyrox, a sophomore that Versal had taken under his wing, so to speak.
Levol didn’t know too much about him, other than that he was always seen hanging around Versal and acted pretty much the same. Needless to say, the two didn’t get along well either. However, Pyrox was not Levol’s main focus.
Standing opposite to him on the left was an all too familiar face. Zeko’s striped body permeated the essence of the stage. The lights seemed to both imprint and reflect off of his ever changing body color.
Code Levol was surprised to say the least. Zeko was standing proud on the stage, ready to battle. Levol had been sure that he would’ve been shaking by now. The pegasus mustered a smile, but his gut was telling him it was too early for that.
Vinyl levitated a microphone to her mouth, “Alright folks, we’ve got out contestants right here. Our pony on the left, or should I say zebra is MC Zeke. We know those zebras got a way with the rhyming, so let’s see what this motherbucker brings to the table!”
The crowd went wild. Of course, the crowd was already wild with drinks and friends, so it didn’t take much. Zeko’s facial expression didn’t change. Levol’s gut twisted again. Vinyl moved on to Pyrox, “And in this corner, the baddest of the bad, the fire spitter himself, you know him for his lovable arson jokes, Pyrox!”
The crowd didn’t stop, they just got more and more rowdy. These were ponies who either loved rapping and hearing battles, or were just so drunk they enjoyed whatever was going on. Sometimes both.
“Let’s get this beat pumpin’!” Vinyl yelled, telekinetically tossing the microphone to Zeko.
The zebra tried desperately to catch the falling object, but had to fumble it about in the air before getting a grip. Finally his demeanor had changed, although it was not what Levol had hoped for.
Pyrox laughed, “You gotta be kidding me. This scared friggen zebra thinks he can take my attack when he can’t even handle the microphone?”
The crowd laughed with him, pointing and jeering at the poor young rapper.
“Princesses damn it all!” Levol cussed at the inevitable fate.
“Oh this is gonna be good.” Versal mocked behind him.
Vinyl dropped the needle on the record. The music began to blast from the stereo system. There was no going back now.
The beat bumped from the stereo system. Every head in the audience turned to face the stage, anxiously awaiting the competitor’s vocals. Several of the more rowdy ponies were banging their heads to the beat and starting small mosh pits. Zeko looked down at the microphone in his hoof, watching it wobble back and forth as he trembled. He tried to look back up at the crowd, but each time he did, their mocking glares shattered what little concentration he had left.
Slowly, he lifted the microphone to his mouth.
“M-m-m-my name is…my name is…” he stuttered.
“What’s that? Can’t hear you ze-ze-zebra boy?” Pyrox ridiculed.
The beat continued on, even without Zeko rapping to it. Most of the audience was in an uproar laughing at his failure. Zeko wasn’t sure if he could handle much more of the humiliation, but was too scared to step off stage.
Realizing his opponent wasn’t going to move, Pyrox levitated the mic out of his hoof. A cruel grin cracked its way up Pyrox’s face. The delightfully oppressive unicorn waited for the next downbeat before he unleashed himself on Zeko.
“The hell bro? Your mind must be slow Ready to blow, but just stood there choked. Think ya can rap, but just spit shit and crap. This here stage is a trap for your ass. Think you're friends with Levol? He’ll just revel in your misery. You’re slithery Like a snake tryin’ to escape the stage This must be fake. A dream it seems Y’see this is what happens if ya mess with me Showin’ my supremacy. Yeah I’m a pretty menacing You sicken all of us Stricken with fear. I caught your bluff But enough is enough. You’re not tough You’re a frickin’ striped freak Who thinks he’s an emcee But whose lyrics are empty”
Pyrox dropped the microphone on the floor. He chuckled and just shook his head at Zeko. Versal was laughing hysterically behind Levol. He even managed to fall over he was laughing so hard.
“That – ahahaha – that’s what you’ve trained him to be!?” The antagonizing pony laughed.
He took this opportunity to stamp down on Versal’s leg with his back hoof, making Versal jolt up in pain.
Code Levol shot him the death glare, “Shut up Versal.”
Currently unable to get up, Versal could do nothing but smile back at him. “Have fun.” He joked.
The music cut, and Vinyl looked down at the poor zebra with sympathy. She knew he was the one that Levol was trying to find, and now understood why. Unfortunately, it was her first night DJing for the rap battles and she wasn’t sure if she should get involved.
The crowd cheered exuberantly for the victor of the battle, and Pyrox took his time to revel in it. Zeko was too dumbfounded and distraught to move from the stage, which didn’t help the excessive jeering.
Before anything worse could happen, a dark blue hoof stamped on stage. Without the music, the resonant stage floor carried the sound around the large room. Though the crowd did not cease its boisterous mockery, many eyes did come to the stage once more.
An emotionless blue pegasus walked across the stage. As with any new object, he became the center of attention for the crowd. For some he was a familiar face, for others a new experience and for others still, a nightmare to be relived. At least, that’s what he would like to fancy himself as.
Without a second glance, he used his wing to scoop up the microphone from the floor while he walked over to the booth. He leaned over the front and whispered something to the two ponies sitting behind it. The bright, neon maned unicorn nodded his head.
Again, the music started to play. When the down beat hit, the pegasus let loose a torrent of bars down on Pyrox.
“Oh I’m sorry, what’s the ringing in my ear Sounds like a dunce is tryin’ to grind gears A little unicorn, who’s born without a working horn So it only serves as an annoyance just like a thorn Now this thorn in my side thinks he’s good Thats funny, when did good become should Go die, go ahead try and give it a second time No lie, I’ll let you, go ahead py Tounge tied? Thought so Doubt you will ever leave a mark though I spark those, lines like a typewriter On fire, your situation is dire So leave Zeko alone, just go home Or ill hafta rap my lyrics, tap tap, on your dome So go zap yourself out, your boss is there waiting Bet it feels like shit to be number two, just sayin’”
There was no shortage of noise after his performance. It ranged from applaud to booing to confusion and more. Although there was no clear tone in the room, one thing had been made evident and that was Pyrox’s rage.
“What, you think you can just come on stage without expecting me to retaliate? I’ll burn you, Levol!” he shouted, fuming. Levol was more than ready to take on Pyrox for a second verse, but was interrupted by the sensation of having the microphone ripped from his wings.
Versal limped to the stage, carrying the stolen microphone with his magic. He scowled at Levol, but a hint of satisfaction hid behind his visage. “Let it go Pyrox. This clown doesn’t know the first thing about rapping.”
Turning to the booth, he called out to Dubious, “Hey Trance, get that beat back on track!”
Levol looked at the red unicorn with somber disbelief. Surely he wasn’t going to start up an entire battling cypher with this madness. Levol just wanted grab Zeko and leave, but he knew well enough that you can’t step down from a battle once you were called out. Versal must’ve known what Code Levol was thinking, because as soon as the downbeat hit the speakers, he lit up.
“Now... You know the name don’t even need to say Cause I’m universally known for the words I spray When I get on the mic spitting people stop and take a listen When you hop on people start a dissing Like “Levol? The same one in class Taken a snooze in the back? Steady acting a ass?” MC? I’m not seeing it You not a ninja, I’m just not believing it A pegasi I hear your roommate is higher then you After this ass kicking should I get you a pillow too? After all that’s the only time you’re winning In the one place that your dreams always seem to be living Now a simple mission for me is a simple test I’m the best when I spit it then my case rest Just like your zebra friend though I have to admit He choked, but he did better than this one trick”
Finished, the satisfied unicorn tossed the microphone up in the air. Levol was quick to snatch it up with his wing before it hit the floor. He knew Versal was trying to make him angry, and tried to keep himself calm.
The crowd stood tense under the tension. There was a light murmur, but everypony kept it low, waiting for the response.
Levol was completely serious now and didn’t hold anything back.
“Woah, woah, wait up, lemme get this You think something you said would get me pissed? I’m too back for that, don’t be tellin’ me crap This is a battle, but I’m getting’ ready for a nap You’re boring, all your lyrics just leave me snoring I’m a pegasi, yeah, I can fly, you call me Soarin’ I’m like a wonderbolt, you dolt And my lyrics will snap you like I crack a thunderbolt Sure I sleep in class, and my friends like the grass But that doesn’t mean I wanna deal with your whack ass And leave MC Zeke out of it Your beef’s not with him, don’t get me shoutin’ I’m better than you on all accounts In fact, I don’t see you passing math, can you count? Yeah sure, you’re universally known But not for being good, for sucking, your mind blown?”
Eruptions of sound came from all corners of the party hall. Shouts for Versal and Levol continuously overpowered each other. Pyrox and Versal stood together on one side, standing triumphantly on stage. Levol stood on opposite to them in front of Zeko, trying to keep him hidden from the others, as if he actually could.
Dubious whispered something into Vinyl’s ear, and she walked out to the stage. Levol politely hoofed her the microphone.
“Alright party ponies, was that not the best show you’ve ever seen!?” she roared to the crowd.
The crowd roared back with unintelligible responses. Vinyl took that as a yes.
“So which side won? We got Levol on this side!”
The room shook with cries of approval and enthusiasm. Levol’s eyes shifted slightly to see Versal’s expression. He thought he would’ve been worried, but Versal was just standing there feeling good about himself.
“Aight, aight, I can literally feel the love for these guys. Now what about Versal?”
To Levol’s chagrin, the crowd cheered just as much as they did for him, if not more. Versal and Pyrox simply hoof bumped and stepped to the front of the stage.
Snatching the mic from Vinyl’s hoof, Versal addressed the crowd “See ponies? This clown doesn’t know a damn thing about rapping! I’m the best, and don’t you go forgetting that!”
With the crowd still in cheers, Levol grabbed Zeko by the scruff of his neck and pulled him off stage. He didn’t want anything to do with a ‘good-game hoof shake’; not with Versal at least.
Shamed, losing an important battle for his friend’s honor, Levol just wanted to go back to his dorm. So that’s just what he did. Silently, he walked back behind the curtain and headed for the door.
“I’m sorry Lev.” Zeko moped.
Levol stopped walking, his muscles tensed a bit “Don’t call me that.”
Zeko bit his lip “Right, I’m sorry. I just, I thought I was ready.”
Raising a hoof to his face, Levol just shook his head. “Next time, just listen to me when I say things, aight Zeke? I know what I’m talking about.”
“But I was able –”
“No Zeko, you weren’t. I know rap and I know performing, you weren’t ready for the stage.”
“Apparently neither were you.” Zeko snorted in anger.
The pegasus’ red eyes flamed in heightened intensity. His hair began to stand up and darken. His coat started to shift from its normal dark blue to a brick red color. His breaths became frequent and loud. Face muscles tightened, his left eye twitching sporadically.
Levol’s mind started to blur out. He was losing control of his body, unable to even tell where he was. His vision started to spin, and the flashing lights didn’t help much. Senses scrambled, a new consciousness awoke to recapture sanity.
“Shut. The. Hell. Up.” The new being growled.
Zeko’s legs trembled similarly to how they did on stage, “Oh shit, Code Red.”
Without another word, he turned around to run. Unfortunately for the terrified zebra there were three ponies standing behind him, blocking his exit.
“Where ya headed MC Zeke?” Pyrox cackled.
“Out, I want out.” He trembled, not even hiding the fear.
A large brown alicorn nodded at Pyrox and the unicorn stepped to the side. He hadn’t been present on the stage, but was often seen hanging with Versal. He was also a rapper, and was known for his prominent enormous afro mane.
Versal spoke up, “So Levol. About my leg earlier.”
Levol didn’t say a single word, but turned around with impressive speed and knocked Versal in the jaw with his forehoof. The arrogant unicorn took the blow and forced his head forward against the force of the hit.
Disgust in his eyes, Versal used his horn to blast Levol away with a pulse of magic. Instead of falling over, he only managed to skid his hooves across the floor. Both ponies were filled with a vengeful drive to fight, but neither was entirely sure what the other could do.
Versal spat a pellet of blood to the floor, “Impressive Levol, I didn’t think you had it in you.”
“Call me Red.” He replied before flashing his wings.
In a flash, the pegasus bolted into Versal, smashing the both of them into the floor. Versal’s two companions jumped to pull Red off of him. Both legs kicked out, stopping them from advancing any further. Still, it was enough of a distraction for Versal to concentrate on his magic again.
The sly unicorn faded into the floor, leaving a black pool of wispy shadows behind. Red jumped up, trying to get his bearings.
“Too scared to fight me Versal?” he yelled to the nothingness.
“Not quite.” An undetectable voice whispered.
Red looked around, but couldn’t find its source. Hooves appeared from black holes all around him, bashing him all over his body. He had no way of blocking it, so instead he just covered his head. Versal’s onslaught from the shadows didn’t cease. Red tried to move, but each step led to another spot being opened up.
Finally, he lashed out with one of his hooves, hoping to hit Versal through the portals. He had no such luck and only managed to get himself knocked to the ground.
Content with his physical victory, the antagonizing unicorn reappeared in front of the downed Red. He waved to his two slightly dazed friends to follow him. They complied and the trio began their departure.
Red raised his head, desperate to protest, but Pyrox kicked him before he could say anything. Red watched the three walk away as his sight faded to black. As he passed out, his last thought rang inside his mind.
“When do you think he’ll, Hiccup, wake up?” asked a voice from above.
“Jush give the colt a shecond, ok Berry?” slurred another.
“If I throw him a party, he’ll hafta wake up! Otherwise he’d miss his won party, and that’s not very nice.” Giggled a third.
Code Levol blinked slowly, allowing his pupils to adjust to the new light. The first thing he saw was a blue foreleg extended in front of his face. He tried moving his own, and watched as the leg in front of him twitched.
He thought to himself, ‘So I’m back to normal again? I wonder what happened.’
“Hey I think he’s awake! Wakey wakey sleepy jeepy!” the high pitched one said.
“Schleepy jeepy? What’re jou talkin’ abut Pinks?” the first voice questioned.
The second voice rattled his head, blinked rapidly and took in a deep breath. After he felt sufficiently focused, he walked over to the collapsed Code Levol.
Concerned, he asked “You actually awake down there?”
His tone was much clearer, and his words more enunciated. Levol was unsure if he had just been mushing their words together, or if they themselves were slurring them. Unfortunately, he himself was not yet ready to give a full response, and simply grunted in return.
The second voice, who was clearly a stallion told Code, “You’re gonna hafta get up buddy.” And then to one of the others, “Sober up Berry, we gotta get this guy on his hooves.”
The mare known as Berry completed the same motions as the stallion, even in the same order. Almost instantaneously she was rejuvenated. Revived with mental control, the two ponies grabbed Code and lifted him onto his hooves. At first he wobbled back and forth, but the others helped him regain his balance until he could manage to stand.
“I can’t believe you two,” gasped the third one, “You just shake off being drunk like Applejack shakes apples off of a tree. I just don’t get it!”
The two laughed in unison. Both meant to make a response, but the stallion spoke first, “Wow Pinkie, something that even you don’t understand? I think we’ve made a record here.”
Smiling, he decided to tack on the conversation to a more imperative task. Continuing with the previous statement, the stallion addressed Levol “Now like Pinkie said, I had a lot to drink last night, but I definitely remember your coat being red, not blue.” He tapped his hoof to his chin, “Come to think of it, I remember you being both.”
Still groggy with his head in the clouds, Levol answered, “Red.”
“Oh so it was red? Weird, I thought –”
“No.” Levol interrupted, shaking his head “Wait.”
“What is it?” Berry asked, placing a comforting hoof on his shoulder.
“Did you say I was…red?”
“Yes sirree! Red as red velvet cake! Oh. My. Gosh. I love cake! Do we have any cake?” ranted the pink pony.
Levol’s nerves tensed up, forcing him to bite down on his lip excessively. Troubled eyes quivered as the pegasus stood entranced by this new information. Almost immediately he did a one-eighty and began pacing back and forth hastily. All the while he was muttering unintelligible words under his breath.
The stallion, whose name was still unknown to Levol, watched the panicking pony ponderously. His companions did much the same, however with varied levels of interest. The purple hued earth pony known as Berry wobbled by the stallion’s side. Despite having somehow magically reversed the effects of the alcohol, she was still not at a full functioning capacity. Although interested, she clearly wasn’t fully aware of the situation. The pink earth pony, Pinkie, was much more sporadic. She bounced about, seemingly unaware of anything going on in the now empty room.
“You doin’ alright over there?” the stallion asked.
Levol stopped in his tracks, looking straight up. His eyes met the stallions and buried deeply into them. “Tell me what happened,” he said with unemotional decree.
“Starting where?”
“I don’t know, whatever you saw.”
“I saw you rap up a storm on stage against these two other guys that we’re making fun of this zebra kid. Gotta say, you managed to impress me; you have some lyrical skill on you. But the crowd cheered louder for the other guy it seemed, so you took your leave and walked off stage.”
Code began to look very worried again, “You mean I was Red while I was on stage?”
“Nah, nah, let me finish. You see, me and my girls Berry and Pinkie were over by the bar having a few drinks, you know, enjoying ourselves. But then we saw your zebra friend book it out from backstage to the door.”
Levol interrupted, “Zeko? Is Zeko ok? What happened to him?” The stallion placed a hoof out in front of him, “Calm down, its ok.” The inviting smile on his face showed Levol that he had nothing to fear.
“Anyways, he was going so fast that I knew I wouldn’t be able to catch up. But I did wanna know why he was running, or what from. And as any curious pony would, I propped myself up and began the trek to the stage. Berry tagged along, so with the two of us stumbling out way it took longer than it should have.” He laughed as he spoke, recounting the events as if even the most serious of situations was humorous. “And when we finally reached backstage, we saw the other rapper beating up a pony that looked just like you, but the color red.”
“Oh dear Celestia, no. You’re telling me I got in a fight...” Code Levol’s tone changed from agitated to angry, “and lost!?”
“To be fair, that other guy was a unicorn and was using his magic on you.”
Levol shook his head. Nothing was going his way, and each part of the story just made things worse. Although disheartened by the possibility of it getting even worse from there, he begged the mysterious stallion to go on.
“Not much else happened from there. Berry and I were too far gone to be of any help, and they were leaving just as he got there anyways. I saw you collapse to the floor and get knocked out. Then, like magic, your coat went from a deep red into what you are now. It was only then that I recognized you as the rapper from on stage.”
“But then how did I wind up here, by the bar?”
The stallion shied away, scratching his head and failing miserably at giving an it-wasn’t-my-fault smile. “The thing is, Berry and I, we…” his sentence trailed off. “We kind of tried to pick you up and bring you over to the bar.”
“What do you mean by ‘kind of’?”
“We dropped you. A lot. Like, a ton of times.” he replied while both of them stepped back slowly.
“Why were you even carrying me over there in the first place!?”
“I wasn’t gonna just leave you there! But I also really wanted another mug of cider. And the two things were just so far away. Since I couldn’t bring the cider to you, I decided to bring you to the cider. There were just a few bumps along the way.”
Code Levol was about to yell at the two for being so careless, but before he opened his mouth decided against it. After all, these two were kind enough, even while drunk, to think about helping him out. He didn’t even know these ponies.
“Wow, I, uh, thanks. Really, thank you.” He said humbly. “I don’t believe I caught your names. Or at least, your full names.”
The stallion was the first to respond again, his tongue ever quick, “My name’s Rhyme Flow. Feel free to call me Flow, or Flowny if you prefer. To my left is Berry Punch, she makes the most amazing drinks you’ll ever taste.”
The purple earth pony with the grape cutie mark smiled at his remark. She hadn’t said much throughout the whole situation, but then again, it didn’t lend itself to much.
“And over here,” Rhyme Flow motioned with his hoof to an empty space “was Pinkie Pie. She likes parties and can get a bit, out of hoof, if you know what I mean.”
“I’ve noticed.” Levol responded dryly. “And what do you do, Flow?”
“I flow, you know, that’s how it goes.”
Levol chuckled, “Hey that –”
“Rhymed?” Rhyme Flow raised a playfully sarcastic eyebrow.
“Yeah, haha. My name is Code Levol. You can just call me Levol if you’d like. Or Blue, I don’t mind.”
“What about you being half red and all that?”
Levol let out a hefty sigh. “Y’all wanna walk with me back to my dorm? I think there’s a lot to cover, if you’re interested.”
Rhyme Flow looked over to his two companions. The trio nodded to each other with a collective smile. “Let’s go.”
The three ponies made their way outside of the complex. The night sky was lighter than usual with a considerable amount of stars in the sky. There was a soft breeze in the air, but nothing too chilling for the group.
Flow looked over to Levol, “So, what’s the deal here Levol?”
Taking in a deep breath, the blue pegasus responded “Depends, what do you wanna hear first?”
“Ooh, me first! Me first!” blurted the hopping pink pony.
“Pinkie Pie was it? Yeah, what do you wanna know?”
“I just love doing characters! I mean, I can be just about anypony I want. I do impressions and I –” she was cut off by Berry.
“Pinkie, before you go into all of your impressions like I know you will, why don’t you ask your question?” she said in an endearing, almost parental voice.
“Oh, pfft, fine.” Pinkie joked it off. “What I waaaanted to know was how you do your characters so well! I mean, you can even change colors without using paint!”
“Pinkie I don’t –” Berry stopped, this time cut off by a hoof from Levol.
“It’s fine, really. Actually, that’s one of the things that I wanted to at least explain. You see, I’ve got this, uh, condition I guess.”
Rhyme Flow bumped in, “Condition?”
“Yeah. I’ve got something called Multiple Personality Disorder. It’s kind of hard to explain in detail, but basically, I’ve got more than one pony living inside of my mind.” Levol’s composure began to fade as he spoke. His gate quickened and became shakier. Sweat was trickling from his forehead to the ground below. “It’s, well, um, it’s not my favorite part about myself. Ourselves. However you wanna say it. But I, uh, I have two other ponies in my head. And they are both pretty bad, as you already saw with Red.”
Rhyme Flow nodded his head, his eyes steady on Levol. “So tell me, how does it happen?”
The blue pegasus opened his mouth as if to speak but then closed it again. Thinking deeper he replied, “I… I’m not entirely sure.”
“So its like a surprise!?” Pinkie Pie blurted out.
“I guess you could say that.”
The pink pony was ecstatic about that fact, “I’ve got a cousin named Surprise! You know she’s a pegasus too. She’s white though, and she’s got a really pretty yellow mane that’s poofy like mine! Surprise loves to party too and she’s so nice and really funny!”
Code Levol half-smiled, “I don’t think it’s as nice of a surprise as your cousin. In fact, I don’t think it’s completely unpredictable.”
“How do you mean?” Berry inquired.
“Well, most of the time when I get really mad I begin to lose control.”
“Ten bits says that you weren’t too happy about the battle.” Rhyme Flow nudged.
“I guess I owe you ten bits then. Cause its true. I don’t really think I was in any condition after that battle to control them.”
Berry Punch yawned and then asked “So are you controlling them right now?”
“Kind of. I’m pretty aware of everything going on right now, so I don’t really have to control them. It’s only when I start losing focus that things go downhill.”
“Aren’t you afraid of what they might do if you lost control?” she continued, her voice slow and weary.
“Yeah. Always have been. But there isn’t much I can do about it. Just try and stay relaxed.”
Rhyme Flow let out a hearty laugh, “If you’re trying to stay relaxed, I don’t see how you could possibly keep rap battling.”
Code Levol glared at his new companion. “You wanna go, Flow?”
The earth pony put his hooves up in peace, “Hey now, I’m not trying to start anything. I’m just saying it’d make more sense for you to stay out of tense situations than throw yourself into them.”
Levol shook his head, smirking to himself. “The stage is where I let loose man. All those pent up emotions, built up anger and hate. I get to release all of that on the stage. If anything, battles save me the most.”
Rhyme Flow took a good hard look at Code Levol, trying to size him up as a pony. From what he had gathered, Levol was a very protective friend. The way he stood up for his Zebra friend was proof of that. He seemed light hearted enough, but had too much baggage to stay that way for long. The pegasus seemed lost in a way, unsure of what to do. Above all, he was stubborn. Not a terribly bad quality, but his excess of it was going to get him in more trouble then he could handle.
“I see.” Was all he said in response.
Levol stopped before a large building with many windows. The group followed his lead and waited for his next action. He seemed to have regained some of his composure compared to earlier, but was still rather shaky. Berry’s eyes were dropping and it didn’t look like she had much energy left. She was holding herself up by leaning against Rhyme Flow, who didn’t have any problem with that. Pinkie was the only pony who seemed wide awake. Whatever those two had done to relieve their drunkenness, it seemed to be wearing off.
Code Levol rubbed his leg anxiously, “This is my dorm. Thank you guys, you know, for helping me out and everything.”
“No problem Levol, we were happy to help.” Flow smiled, offering a hoof.
Levol accepted and the two bumped hooves together. He finally felt relaxed again. His personalities had settled and the events of the past night were becoming less and less important.
Letting out a deep breath, the blue pony grinned, “You know, I’d hate to leave y’all hangin’ like this. Why don’t you guys come on in and grab a bite?”
The mustard colored earth pony shook his head, “There’s no need. We’ve got places to be actually and –” he was cut short by a loud snoring sound.
Berry Punch had managed to fall asleep against Flow’s side. She was snoring quite loudly and would not move. Rhyme Flow, not wanting to wake his friend, turned back to Levol.
“Actually, do you happen to have a free bed?”
The pegasus pushed open his dorm’s door, “Plenty.”
The group sauntered into the untidy dorm room. It was devoid of all life, except perhaps the pile of resin left in the trash can. Had Levol remembered to take it out at any point in the week, it probably wouldn’t have smelt so miserable. However, it was not a common custom of the duo to clean their dorm. NomNom was never around long enough to care, and Levol was too lazy to bother. The guests didn’t seem to mind so much.
Levol scratched the back of his head, “Oh…right.”
He was of course referring to the two large cloud beds floating quietly on the other side of the room. Because both students possessed wings, they had no need for grounded beds. They hadn’t exactly been prepared for having an earth pony sleep over.
“Hold up, I can fix this.” Levol assured.
Drifting over to his own bed, the blue pegasus used his wings to dexterously mold the cloud. He pressed it downwards and crafted it more solidly in hope that’s it would support the sleeping pony.
Motioning Rhyme Flow over, the two ponies carefully placed Berry onto the soft, white cot. Pulling their hooves away ever so slowly, they sighed of relief when they realized that it would hold.
“See, it’ll hold just fine.” Levol said nodding.
“You really don’t mind her staying here for the night?” the mustered colored stallion questioned politely.
“Dude, s’all good. No worries.” the deep blue stallion grinned.
Rhyme Flow took a look around the room, his eyes scanning the small space for all of its intricate details. Taking small steps, he kicked around the trash on the floor just to get by.
Slightly cringing he asked, “Um, do you clean often?”
Code Levol only managed to laugh as a response. Settling himself he explained his situation.
“Nom and I ‘aint in this place all too often. When we are, we’re either asleep or just vibin’. I mean, when he uses the place to study he makes me clean, but it’s all good.”
“Hmm, I think you mentioned having a roommate before. Where is he anyways?” Flow questioned before frantically looking around himself, “Speaking of which, where’s Pinkie Pie?”
Just then, the two heard the banter of another two ponies somewhere outside of their dorm. It was clearly between a mare and stallion, but the voices were not entirely discernable. The conversation sounded extremely one sided, but it wasn’t until they got closer to the room that they could hear the conversation.
“Wow!” Pinkie gasped, extending her jaw far past its appropriate flexibility. “You’re an alicorn! Oh my gosh, you’re like, a princess aren’t you!?”
Her light beige partner placed his hoof to his forehead and sighed. “No, I’m not royalty. Just your average pony.”
“But you have wings! And a horn!” she yelped, grabbing both.
The alicorn seized up, having two rather tender areas be attacked so unexpectedly, “Gah! I would appreciate it if you could refrain from such actions. My wings and horn are not your playthings.”
The overly energetic pink pony did not seem to pay him much attention and rambled on as they entered the room. The alicorn did not seem to pay her much mind either, having had his fill of the insane mare.
The door flung open with his heavy push, revealing two stallions, one familiar, one not so much and a mare. His eyes glazed over the room with mixed emotions. They finally settled on Levol, who was now standing awkwardly in the center of the room with his best I-Can-Explain look on.
“Hey Nom.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Didn’t think you’d be back this early.”
“It’s three in the morning, I didn’t think you were coming back at all.” He rebutted.
“Three? Damn, I guess I was out for a while…” Levol replied, drifting off in thought. “But that doesn’t explain why you’re back so late.”
“To be fair, it’s your fault. You’re zebra friend was causing quite the ruckus downstairs. Mr. Kallous helped settle him down, but I wanted to be sure.” It was nom’s turn to ask the questions. “And who might our new guests be?”
At this point, Pinkie Pie chimed in with her usual buoyant self. “I’m Pinkie Pie!”
NomNom’s head drooped, his voice exuded surrender “I know. You’ve told me as much at least a half dozen times now.”
The mustard colored earth pony held out his hoof, “I’m Rhyme Flow and my friend over there is Berry Punch.”
Happy to meet a sane pony, Nom swiftly grabbed Flow’s hoof and shook it. “I am NomNom, aspiring cosmologist.”
Code nudged Flow in the sides and half whispered to him, “He means stars and junk.”
The light beige alicorn rolled his eyes at the gesture, but did nothing more to the situation. Instead, he went to his bed and floated onto it daintily.
“I’m going to sleep. It’s been a long day. I recommend you all do the same.” He yawned. “From what Zeko told me, you haven’t had it easy. We can discuss it in the morning.”
And with that, he let his head rest itself in the crevasse of his pillow and allowed his eyelids to close softly. The three remaining ponies looked back and forth at each other. The unspoken consensus told them they should probably get some sleep as well.
Despite her ecstatic persona, the pink party pony did tire. She carefully crawled into the bed next to Berry Punch and proceeded into a deep slumber. Rhyme Flow and Code Levol however were left bedless as the dorm room could only accommodate two beds.
“Hey man, we can crash on the lobby couches.” Code motions to Flow, leading him out the door, closing it quietly.
The two take the last moments of their waking night to converse a bit more. The walk wasn’t too far, but the weight of the day had finally crashed atop to the ponies and left them exhausted.
“So, Rhyme Flow. What’re you even doing here?” Code asked in between yawns.
“I’m on a trip to Canterlot. I’ve got a big performance in my future.” He replied, smiling as wide as he could.
“Wow, so you must be a really famous rapper?”
“Well, not quite. Not yet at least, but I’m hoping this could push me into the scene.”
Levol nodded, “I here ya. I’m hopin’ I can get there one day. I think it’d be mad cool.”
Flow put his hoof and Levol’s shoulder and turned to him, “Hey, practice and keep improving yourself. You’ll make it one day.”
The rapping pegasus chuckled and fell down. Luckily enough for him, they had already made it to the couches. From rapping to fighting to traveling, Code Levol was far too tired to continue with any action, even talking.
Rhyme Flow threw up his legs and crashed on the adjacent couch cushion, mumbling to himself as he too entered dream land. “One day we’ll make it, all the real rappers….”
