Vinyl and Octavia were walking to the store when a strange stallion walked forth, looking like he’d had quite the night, handing them a paper in slurred speech.
“Tag Shleam Tourny Dj thing go ther…” Before he could finish his sentence he passed out in the road, causing Octavia to jump. Vinyl picked up the paper, and read it aloud.
“Ponyville Tag Team Mixer Battle Royal. All musicians welcome.” Vinyl turned to Octavia.
“Vinyl, don’t even think about it.”
Not even hearing Octavia Vinyl started talking to herself. “This will be a great way to get back at Neon Lights for showing me up at that club. Knowing him, he won’t turn down a chance to show off his skills. He’ll be in a surprise when I take the stage against him with Octavia.”
Octavia facehoofed. “Vinyl, what makes you think I’m going to join you in this, battle royal?
Vinyl perked up. “What? Did you say something? C’mon we have to go signup!” Vinyl ran off towards the town hall.
“Dammit Vinyl..” Octavia ran after her.
When the two arrived at the sign up stand, Neon Lights was there. When he finished writing his name, he turned and saw Vinyl.
“Hello there Ms. Scratch. May I ask you why you have graced me with your presence?”
“Oh stuff it Neon, you know why we’re here.” Vinyl responded with a harsh tone.
“We’re?” Neon looked around only seeing a dark maned, dark coated pony who seemed to know nothing about mixing, or music for that matter.
“Yes, we’re. Me and Octavia are gonna blaow you away with our teamwork.”
Octavia facehoofed.
Neon laughed. “Haha.. You think you can beat me with her? She looks like she knows nothing about music!”
Octavia spoke out. “Hey! I know more about music than you’ll ever know. I happen to be the lead cellist in the royal Canterlot symphony!”
“Then what are you doing in a rundown town like Ponyville? Ms. Cellist.”
“I.. I came to Ponyville to settle down with Vinyl.”
“Oooh, a washed up cellist and a watered down DJ. I’m so scared.”
Vinyl was furious. “Well, who’s your partner? Because I know you’ll need help when we step on that stage.”
“Oh, just some guy who wanted to partner with me. I forgot his name, not like I’ll need it when I school you in the first round.”
Vinyl was fighting back the urge to just hoof Neon across the face.
“Oh, and I hope you don’t plan on staying here after I school you and take your fans. Not that you have any! HA!” Neon was using everything he could against Vinyl in this battle of words.
Vinyl was picking up her hoof to swing at Neon, but before she could a grey blur shot by her eyes.
“Octavia!”
“GAHD” Neon’s snout was oozing blood. “Control your bitch Vinyl!”
Vinyl gave him a swipe across the face.
“OW! I WON’T FORGET THIS! REMEMBER THAT WHEN YOU’RE ON STAGE!” Neon ran off, shamed that he just got swiped by two mares in the same minute.
“Octavia! What was that!?”
“He was insulting you! You just expect and let him do that!”
“YE-Maybe.. Okay, it was pretty funny watching him run off like that.”
“So.. Who was that?”
“You don’t know!?”
“I do, but.. Who exactly is he?”
“That’s Neon Lights. Only 100 points from beating me on the top ten list of DJ’s in all of Equestria.”
“Oh. So, what about what he was saying? About you being watered down?”
“I would lie and stuff.. But you’re you so.. He’s right.. Alot of my fans are leaving because I don’t make music that often anymore..”
“Oh.. Dammit Vinyl..”
“What?”
“Why not?”
“Because, I’ve been more focused on you and us.”
“Vinyl, you know better than to be distracted from work!”
“I know but..” Vinyl smiled, “I keep getting distracted by those sexy flanks.”
“Vinyl, I appreciate what you are saying but, you should give your fans what they want.”
“But Octy.”
“No.”
“Bu-”
“No Vinyl. Here, I know what’ll get you in gear.”
“Tavi. No, anything but that.”
“If you don’t get another song out.”
“Tavi. Please no.”
“I will take your speakers.”
“Tavi. I love n’ all. But please.”
“Hook my cello in and play for three hours straight.”
“THREE HOURS!?”
“Yes. So, are you going to go home and write another song?”
“YES MA’AM!”
“Before you run off. There are a few things you need to know.”
“Don’t say it..”
“Please allow me to join in. Because I am not using a fancy computer to make my music. I will use my cello.”
“Anything else?”
“You might want to put our names on the bill.”
“Oh, right!”
Octavia chuckled. “Dammit Vinyl, why did I fall in love with a mare like you?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the two arrived home, they began work immediately. Vinyl scratching records while Octavia plucked strings on her cello. Since the concert was in a week, they had plenty of time to work, but no matter. It was never enough when you had a deadline.
Vinyl had a surprise planned for the crowd. One that Neon could never match up to. Especially not on the spot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few days after signing up, the two hit a breakthrough. Octavia would lead while Vinyl backed her up. Then when the crowd was in awe of Octavia’s new electric cello, Vinyl would come in with heavy bass and drops off of the Canterlot mountains.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the day finally came, the two were well rested and ready to knock the crowds socks off. Vinyl made her hair extra messy, and Octavia wore an electric purple bow place off her pink one.
On their way to the town hall they ran into Neon Lights.
“Oh, so you decided to show?”
Octavia spoke before Vinyl could even breathe in. “At least we aren’t going to play some washed up mainstream music. We worked all week perfecting a ne-”
“DON’T TELL HIM!”
Neon raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you think the crowd is going to like some boring cello?”
Vinyl took off her glasses. “You know what Neon. Shut up.”
“Ooh, so creative.”
Vinyl merely grabbed Octavia’s hoof and pulled her towards the stadium.
“That pricks gonna get what’s comin’ to him. Just you wait Tavi. Just you wait.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The battles went on, Solos with Vinyl and Neon murdering the competition. Tag teams where Octavia played near impossible chords on her cello, and Vinyl backing her up with complex beats that only she could master. While Neon and his unnamed partner were dropping duel beats literally blowing away opposing contestants. The battles went on for hours. Soon, contestants started dropping out. After nearly all of the last contestants dropped out. Vinyl and Octavia were placed against Neon. It was then when the hooded partner of Neon’s pulled off his cloak.
“BEAT DROPS!?” The entire crowd, including Vinyl, and even Neon gasped out.
“Beat, Drops?” Octavia asked Vinyl.
“He’sonlythebestmixerinallofEquestria! No-one could ever hope to beat him on those lists!”
“And- Wait, where are you on the list?”
“I’ve been at the number two slot for three years. Neon right below me.”
“And now we have to beat him? In front of all these people?”
Vinyl spoke in a high voice, “Yeah.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?”
“Celestia take me now.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Vinyl and Octavia made it to the stage, Neon taunted Them.
“HA, GOOD LUCK SCRATCH! I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHY YOU-”
He was cut off when a blue hoof was shoved into his mouth.
The announcer came on the stadium speakers. “WELCOME FILLIES AND GENTLECOLTS! WE ARE GATHERED HERE TONIGHT, BECAUSE WE NEEDED TO FIND OUT WHO IS THE BEST DAMN MIXER IN PONYVILLE!”
“ON THE RIGHT, NEON LIGHTS AND BEAT DROPS!”
The crowd cheered out, Vinyl even noticed some girls sighing in love.
“ON THE LEFT, VINYL SCRATCH AND OCTAVIA MELODY!”
The crowd cheered out, but not as loud as they did when Neon and Beat were announced.
“CONTESTANTS, BEGIN!”
Octavia trailed in with a low chord, shaking the loose dirt and even some young colts and fillies. While Vinyl followed up with a rising whirring sound. Soon Octavia was playing a quick rise, following up with a slow electric slide up and down the scale. Vinyl complemented it with a simple beat with snares and drums. To finish up there turn, Octavia performed a quick noted solo, while Vinyl made a drone of low bass.
“HAHA, THAT ALL YOU GOT!” Neon shouted across the stage.
He started with a quick rise in tempo and was playing beats like there was no tomorrow. Whilst Beat was playing a simple rise and fall. When Neon reached the peak he dropped with a low drooning sound.
Octavia responded with a quick series of notes and breaks. While Vinyl raised the beat, and when Octavia played a whole deep note that would seem impossible on a cello, the beat dropped. The crowd went wild, and Neon recoiled with a quick whirring of notes off scale. It was then Vinyl knew. Neon was panicking. This was the perfect time to get the crowds attention. She put her beat on autoplay and walked up to the mic. Octavia noticed and played a simple chord streak of medium tempo.
“HEY EVERYPONY, I WANT TO TELL YA’LL SOMETHIN’!”
The crowd went wild, Vinyl used her magic to start a rise, which led her to calling out a simple but clean rhyme.
“I’M THE D TO J TO THE P-O-N-3 AND AIN’T NO OTHER PONY DROP THE BASS LIKE ME! I’M VINYLICIOUS!”
Vinyl then used her magic to toss her glasses into the crowd, revealing her ruby eyes. The crowd was going insane, from her perch, Vinyl could see people fighting over her glasses, and she found it amusing.
“Oh yeah? Well, I’m the N to the E to the O to the N, and ain’t no pony.. Erm.. Ain’t no other pony.. DAMMIT!”
Vinyl nearly fell over laughing at Neon trying to win the crowd over. When she got back to her post, they finished up with a fade of the melody, in which Octavia played quick notes in succession while Vinyl rose up scale. The song finished in perfect harmony with a perfect cello bass combo.
When the crowd died down, the announcer came on.
“AND THE WINNER IS… VINYL SCRATCH AND OCTAVIA MELODY!”
The crowd cheered more than they had all night, and Vinyl forced a sloppy kiss to Octavia. When they looked out unto the crowd, they could hear the crowd cheering out, “VINYL, VINYL, VINYL!”
Vinyl walked up to the mic, “Hey guys, if anyone here should be applauded it should be Octavia.” Octavia’s dark grey face turned red at all the attention she got from the electric DJ.
The crowd obliged, however, they didn’t leave Vinyl out. “VINYLTAVIA, VINYLTAVIA, VINYLTAVIA!”
“Er, what?”
When the two left for home, they could hear whispers about them. About their new style, and about them. As Vinyl looked around she could see stallions in utter disbelief that Vinyl Scratch, Dj-Pon3 was a fillyfooler. She also found a red stallion that seemed awfully large compared to others she knew. He had on Vinyl’s glasses and every time someone looked his way he said “Eeyup.”
Neon stopped them on their way, he was accompanied by Beat.
Beat spoke first, “I have to hand it to ya, I’ve never seen anything like that.” He swept his red mane out of his eye. “Go on boy, say it.”
Neon tried to look away, but Beat wouldn’t let him. “Say it.”
“I’m.. I’m sorry, I never should have said those things.. I accept you as the better mixer, and I aspire to be like you.”
“That’s nice n’ all. But you know what I think’ll make it all better?”
“What?”
Vinyl turned to Octavia and nodded. And the two spoke in tune.
“If you promise you’ll never play such a horrid beat ever again.”
“Wha..”
Vinyl spoke, “I mean, you didn’t even lead into it. You just put the middle of the song at the beginning.”
Octavia, “And you went too high, if I weren’t wearing earplugs I would’ve gone deaf.”
“Plus, you seemed to disclude Beat from almost the whole song. When that beard should’ve been playing more than just a back beat.”
“I mean really Neon, I don’t even know what you were doing up there. It’s like you were-”
Neon blurted out before he took anymore criticism. “I TOLD BEAT I COULD BEAT YOU ON MY OWN AND DIDN’T NEED HIS HELP! OKAY!?”
Vinyl and Octavia facehoofed.
“Dammit Neon..”
Author's Note
Omg.. How to write wubz.. I have no clue. Also, Beat is a random character I made up on the spot, so if your OCs name is Beat Drops, oops. Anyway, I have to go do other stuff, like write more shniz. BYE!