Kill the lightsby Background_PonyChaptersCut Like VinylRed waterShowtime on the water frontPrologueCut Like VinylOONTS OONTS OONTS WUB WUB The music pounded in my ears. All I could see around me was laughing ponies shaking glowsticks rhythmically to the beat. I joined them, stomping my hoof loudly and using my magic to control the multi-colored lights shaking above us. I glanced over to the leather couch that sat patiently in the corner of the room. A shadow slunk behind the furniture, and it seemed to be carrying what looked like a small knife. I gasped, but continued to dance. If I focused and kept my eye on the shifty shadow, I could get this stunt on my side. Suddenly, a gleaming blur of silver shot towards me. I haughtily caught it in my teeth and spat it on the dance floor. "Nice try, Brass Boom. This might be your most creative invite for a rap battle yet! Hit it, Tavi!" I shouted, motioning for the red stallion to come forward out of the shadows. "Oh My bucking Celelstia, Vinyl. I'm going to murder you after this." She began to play quick beats on her cello that was sitting patiently next to her. You do your best but it's not quite there. You kick your hoof and say it's just not there! He cut me off. I could tell, his temper would be quick this time around. He licked his lips and began to chant. I be stepping so fresh with the flair from Rarity Scared of me? Shouldn't be, giggle at the ghostly I'm about to toast these letters like Spike Dragon spits legit flames to melt the mic right I grinned devilishly and learned forward. We were forehead to forehead now, in a defensive stance. Let me tell y'all now, I'm a Cutie Mark Crusader You can't stop Vinyl, y'all Gildas, ya haters Twitcha-twitch sense get tense and stand back Work ethic on the track rivals Applejack's Brass Boom gritted his his teeth and pushed forward. Pegasus pony, I been so fly Get hype like "YAY!" ...Fluttershy *"SWAG!"* Derpy with the hooves I prove I got moves You toothless as Gummy, in short, ya rap funny We both repeated the previous raps growing louder with every word. Our eyes locked in a heart-stopping glare. I did everything I could to trip him up. Then it happened. CRACK! A small beer bottle had been brought across the back of my head. I immediately passed out. The ponies above me paid no attention. They just kept dancing. Raving. Having Fun. Shaking Glowsticks. Leaving me passed out on the floor. No one noticed. Not Brass Boom. Nor the Bar tender. Nor Octavia. No one. NO ONE. Red waterWhen I finally regained consciousness, I found I had been thrown into the pool behind the club. Bubbles floated above my head and I saw a trail of a colt's night black tail. Brass Boom's. I tried opening my eyes. Though my vision was blurry, I could see nothing but red water surrounding me. Just to make sure, I let my tongue creep out and take a gulp of the liquid. Sure enough, it had that distinctive metallic taste to it. I attempted to float to the surface and perhaps take a breath of air, but I had no such luck. Brass Boom was clever. He knew I would wake up and try to swim to the top. So of course, He tied me up and weighted me down. Luckily, He isn't the best knot tier. In fact, he barely can tie a bow. I had to cut him some slack. ... Actually, No I don't. Something deep inside me stirred and angered me beyond belief. It was a wave of fury and rage that started in my horn, raced down and made my eyes burn, tensed up my chest, tied my stomach in a knot, and made my thighs ache like I had waked a mile through the desert with no water. I was disgusted. I was feeling such agitation that transcended definition and put all war-anger to rest. I was furious. Enraged. Sick with anger. I gritted my teeth and tried to kick the cinder block so it would snap the rope. The force was more than enough to break the rope and send the stone flying towards the bottom of the pool. As I burst fromt he surface of the luke-warm swimming pool, I could hear a thousand distant yet cheerful shouts and the distinctive 'Wub Wub' of a few of my best tracks. But wait...? I had kept them under serious lockdown. Only Octavia and I knew the code. And you can't get anything out of the regal mare without a dozen or so shots of the hardest cider. Buck. I knew it! I should have kept that in the safe too. Stupid, Stupid, STUPID! Now, Now, Vinyl. Now's not the time to be fussing over your... Hoofpressed. Special Order. Extremely Knock-Your-Horseshoes off cider. Buck. Buck, Buck, Buckedy Buck. All I knew after that were a few distraught grunts, wild splashing, and the squeaking of clammy hooves against gravel. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight! Right up the latter to the roof. I saw Brass Boom with my signature glasses, my favorite headphones, and most importantly, MY records beneath HIS hooves spinning on MY turntables. I cut through the crowd like a dagger through a piece of cake, ears twitching wildly with indignation. "BRASS BOOM!" I spat, the mass of ponies instantly gasping and jumping back. Some idiot thought it was a good idea to shine the floodlights on me, drawing all attention to none other than the almost drowned, almost dead, almost victorious at a rap battle, Vinyl BUCKING Scratch. Before you coud say 'Princess Celestia Sits on her Sister', I was nothing but a white and blue blur racing through a thousand surprised ponies. I kicked over both speakers and threw the turn table off the building. "BRASS BOOOOOM!!" "Vinyl Scraaaatch!!" The red stallion said in a wheedling voice. "Come to finish what you've started?" "Aw, Hey Vinly!! Ish been so long since I've seen ya! Wait... Woah... You have like," A highly drunken Octavia slurred, stumbling over to me. "Three headsh! Ish crashy!" And with that, she fell onto the ground. With a deep growl, I leapt up to Brass Boom and beat a hoof against his chest. He flew backwards, almost falling off the roof. I caught him by his collar just before he plummeted below. I could see his quick, short breathing as I teetered on the edge of the roof. "You knocked me out, threw me in the pool, almost bucking DROWNED me, inebriated my marefriend, ransacked my safe," I got louder with each statement. "stole my records, used my turntables, wore my headphones, and most importantly, BURGLARIZED MY GLASSES!! And you know what?" A devious smile curled across my muzzle. "I BUCKING LOVE IT." With that, I shoved my hooves off of the gutter and pulled him in for a kiss.We fell, gaining speed, our lips still locked. Showtime on the water frontHe struggled. He squirmed, hit my chest, and tried to break free. He should have known. After all that crap and strife, there was no way in Tartaurus I was going to let him off easily. After way more struggling than it should have taken, he finally broke the kiss. "VINYL! YOU BUCKING IDIOT! WE'RE GOING TO DIE! HIT THE GROUND, CRACK OUR SKULLS OPEN, AND DIE," Brass Boom's voice was distraught and fear-filled. "AND YOU KNOW WHO'S FAULT IT IS?!?" I closed my eyes slightly and responded in a surprisingly calm tone. "Your's." "MINE?!" "Yes. Your's." We were five yards away from the ground. "WELLITDOESN'TMATTERNOWBECAUSEWE'REGOINGTODIEOHGODILIVEDAGOODLIFEPLEASEHEL-" Just three inches from the ground, I used my magic to stop us upside down. "Wuh?" "Like I was saying. Your's. You were the one that challenged me to a rap battle. You were the one that knocked me out. You were the one that threw me into the pool in the back. You were the one who got Octavia drunk. YOU WERE the one who drugged the code out of her. YOU WERE THE one who stole my fame; my records. YOU WERE THE ONE WHO USED MY HEADPHONES AND WORE MY GLASSES. Hell, you're lucky I didn't drop you." "FINE! DROP ME! I DON'T CARE!!" He squealed, thrashing about in the glow of my blue magic. "You sure about that?" "POSITIVE!" "Oookay!! Boop!" And with that, I let my magic falter and he dropped like a rock into the pool. "Naive, Naive Brass Boom. Always the cart before the pony with you. Fire, Ready, Aim, if you may." I said in an amused tone. "Well- I- Just- SH-SHUT UP!!" Brass Boom dove under and took in a mouthful of water. He surfaced and shot a jet stream of slightly bloody, slightly slobbery water and me. "Two can play at that game, Brassy! CANNON BAAALLL!" "AU-" "Gotcha!" "Not so fast, Vinyl! " The red stallion brought a hoof down on the top of the water and made a huge splash. "Wat're y'all doin down der?" Octavia shouted. "ooo lookie a poolie. Weee!" She jumped off the roof in a surprisingly piggish swandive. "Cannon Ball!!" "Eek!" I giggled, playfully shielding my face. "'Tavia, that was a swan dive!" "Yeah.. But I brung Boze!" She raised a bottle of vodka and passed a stout can of cider to Brass Boom. As we looked up, we could see the whole party jumping off the ledge. "Is Like hopy foot all ovreh gain!" Octavia shouted once again, throwing her hooves up in the air. "What?" "Nothin! BOZE FOR AWE!" Pegasi, earth ponies, and unicorns alike were all dropping like flies into the swimming pool. "KARAOKE!!" Some one shouted. They were responded by a couple dozen shouts. "ME FIRST!" "I WANNA DUET WITH YOU!!" "I CALL GOING LAST!!" "MUFFIN!" Surprisingly, none of them thought to climb out of the pool. "Brass Boom! There's a piano in the shed next to us." I whispered. "I want to duet This Day Aria with you!" He blushed red under his fur. "R-really?" "Yes, really, you old fart! Get your flank into gear!" Soon enough, we had set up the piano and wireless mic. *Tap Tap Tap* "This thing on?" *BWEEEEEEEEEEEW* "Eugh! Yes, it is very much on." I tested the microphone, and sure enough, it worked, loud and clear. The splashing and gossiping titters quieted immediately when the first note of the piano was played. "This day is going to be perfect, the kind of day of which I've DREAMED since I was small," I sang. It was weird to hear my voice so clearly on a dingy old mic in a swimming pool in the smack dab middle of Ponyville. "everypony will gather 'round, say I look lovely in my gown, what don't know is that I have fooled them all!" "This day was going to be perfect," Brass Boom crooned. "the kind of day of which I've dreamed since I was small... But instead of having cake, and all my friends to celebrate, my wedding bells, they may not ring for me at all." I was surprised. Out of all the ponies I'd think of as having a voice like liquid silver, Brass Boom was on the very bottom of my list. "I could care less about the dress..." "Must escape before it's too late..." "Finally the moment has arrived..." "Oh the wedding we won't make, he'll end up marrying a fake," I expected the next notes to be a disaster. "Shining Armor will be..." But no. He hit the notes perfectly. Not too high, not too low. "Mine, All Mine... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" ProloguePushy. Loud. Obnoxious. Hyper-active. I've been bombarded with insults and curses, yet I never let them get under my skin. She was the dam that kept all the anger from rushing out of me in a flurried, furious rage. She would keep me from slicing up those lamed-winged idiots that kept returning to my club and trashing my music. I would just keep raving and ignore their insults. Then, it just became too much for me. Early one morning while I was at home, they had kicked in the door and broke most of my records. They popped the switches off of my turn table, spray painted the dance floor black, smashed the strobe lights, dumped about 90 gallons of our best cider on the floor, and invited me to a bonfire that destroyed my passion and my job. I screamed. I cried. I even attempted suicide. I was on the brink of insanity. Being of an unsound mind. Staying in a dark, barren room facing the corner. But she taught me that we're worth so much more, and I new she'd always be there for me. Always. Almost always. Never.
Cut Like VinylOONTS OONTS OONTS WUB WUB The music pounded in my ears. All I could see around me was laughing ponies shaking glowsticks rhythmically to the beat. I joined them, stomping my hoof loudly and using my magic to control the multi-colored lights shaking above us. I glanced over to the leather couch that sat patiently in the corner of the room. A shadow slunk behind the furniture, and it seemed to be carrying what looked like a small knife. I gasped, but continued to dance. If I focused and kept my eye on the shifty shadow, I could get this stunt on my side. Suddenly, a gleaming blur of silver shot towards me. I haughtily caught it in my teeth and spat it on the dance floor. "Nice try, Brass Boom. This might be your most creative invite for a rap battle yet! Hit it, Tavi!" I shouted, motioning for the red stallion to come forward out of the shadows. "Oh My bucking Celelstia, Vinyl. I'm going to murder you after this." She began to play quick beats on her cello that was sitting patiently next to her. You do your best but it's not quite there. You kick your hoof and say it's just not there! He cut me off. I could tell, his temper would be quick this time around. He licked his lips and began to chant. I be stepping so fresh with the flair from Rarity Scared of me? Shouldn't be, giggle at the ghostly I'm about to toast these letters like Spike Dragon spits legit flames to melt the mic right I grinned devilishly and learned forward. We were forehead to forehead now, in a defensive stance. Let me tell y'all now, I'm a Cutie Mark Crusader You can't stop Vinyl, y'all Gildas, ya haters Twitcha-twitch sense get tense and stand back Work ethic on the track rivals Applejack's Brass Boom gritted his his teeth and pushed forward. Pegasus pony, I been so fly Get hype like "YAY!" ...Fluttershy *"SWAG!"* Derpy with the hooves I prove I got moves You toothless as Gummy, in short, ya rap funny We both repeated the previous raps growing louder with every word. Our eyes locked in a heart-stopping glare. I did everything I could to trip him up. Then it happened. CRACK! A small beer bottle had been brought across the back of my head. I immediately passed out. The ponies above me paid no attention. They just kept dancing. Raving. Having Fun. Shaking Glowsticks. Leaving me passed out on the floor. No one noticed. Not Brass Boom. Nor the Bar tender. Nor Octavia. No one. NO ONE.
Red waterWhen I finally regained consciousness, I found I had been thrown into the pool behind the club. Bubbles floated above my head and I saw a trail of a colt's night black tail. Brass Boom's. I tried opening my eyes. Though my vision was blurry, I could see nothing but red water surrounding me. Just to make sure, I let my tongue creep out and take a gulp of the liquid. Sure enough, it had that distinctive metallic taste to it. I attempted to float to the surface and perhaps take a breath of air, but I had no such luck. Brass Boom was clever. He knew I would wake up and try to swim to the top. So of course, He tied me up and weighted me down. Luckily, He isn't the best knot tier. In fact, he barely can tie a bow. I had to cut him some slack. ... Actually, No I don't. Something deep inside me stirred and angered me beyond belief. It was a wave of fury and rage that started in my horn, raced down and made my eyes burn, tensed up my chest, tied my stomach in a knot, and made my thighs ache like I had waked a mile through the desert with no water. I was disgusted. I was feeling such agitation that transcended definition and put all war-anger to rest. I was furious. Enraged. Sick with anger. I gritted my teeth and tried to kick the cinder block so it would snap the rope. The force was more than enough to break the rope and send the stone flying towards the bottom of the pool. As I burst fromt he surface of the luke-warm swimming pool, I could hear a thousand distant yet cheerful shouts and the distinctive 'Wub Wub' of a few of my best tracks. But wait...? I had kept them under serious lockdown. Only Octavia and I knew the code. And you can't get anything out of the regal mare without a dozen or so shots of the hardest cider. Buck. I knew it! I should have kept that in the safe too. Stupid, Stupid, STUPID! Now, Now, Vinyl. Now's not the time to be fussing over your... Hoofpressed. Special Order. Extremely Knock-Your-Horseshoes off cider. Buck. Buck, Buck, Buckedy Buck. All I knew after that were a few distraught grunts, wild splashing, and the squeaking of clammy hooves against gravel. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight! Right up the latter to the roof. I saw Brass Boom with my signature glasses, my favorite headphones, and most importantly, MY records beneath HIS hooves spinning on MY turntables. I cut through the crowd like a dagger through a piece of cake, ears twitching wildly with indignation. "BRASS BOOM!" I spat, the mass of ponies instantly gasping and jumping back. Some idiot thought it was a good idea to shine the floodlights on me, drawing all attention to none other than the almost drowned, almost dead, almost victorious at a rap battle, Vinyl BUCKING Scratch. Before you coud say 'Princess Celestia Sits on her Sister', I was nothing but a white and blue blur racing through a thousand surprised ponies. I kicked over both speakers and threw the turn table off the building. "BRASS BOOOOOM!!" "Vinyl Scraaaatch!!" The red stallion said in a wheedling voice. "Come to finish what you've started?" "Aw, Hey Vinly!! Ish been so long since I've seen ya! Wait... Woah... You have like," A highly drunken Octavia slurred, stumbling over to me. "Three headsh! Ish crashy!" And with that, she fell onto the ground. With a deep growl, I leapt up to Brass Boom and beat a hoof against his chest. He flew backwards, almost falling off the roof. I caught him by his collar just before he plummeted below. I could see his quick, short breathing as I teetered on the edge of the roof. "You knocked me out, threw me in the pool, almost bucking DROWNED me, inebriated my marefriend, ransacked my safe," I got louder with each statement. "stole my records, used my turntables, wore my headphones, and most importantly, BURGLARIZED MY GLASSES!! And you know what?" A devious smile curled across my muzzle. "I BUCKING LOVE IT." With that, I shoved my hooves off of the gutter and pulled him in for a kiss.We fell, gaining speed, our lips still locked.
Showtime on the water frontHe struggled. He squirmed, hit my chest, and tried to break free. He should have known. After all that crap and strife, there was no way in Tartaurus I was going to let him off easily. After way more struggling than it should have taken, he finally broke the kiss. "VINYL! YOU BUCKING IDIOT! WE'RE GOING TO DIE! HIT THE GROUND, CRACK OUR SKULLS OPEN, AND DIE," Brass Boom's voice was distraught and fear-filled. "AND YOU KNOW WHO'S FAULT IT IS?!?" I closed my eyes slightly and responded in a surprisingly calm tone. "Your's." "MINE?!" "Yes. Your's." We were five yards away from the ground. "WELLITDOESN'TMATTERNOWBECAUSEWE'REGOINGTODIEOHGODILIVEDAGOODLIFEPLEASEHEL-" Just three inches from the ground, I used my magic to stop us upside down. "Wuh?" "Like I was saying. Your's. You were the one that challenged me to a rap battle. You were the one that knocked me out. You were the one that threw me into the pool in the back. You were the one who got Octavia drunk. YOU WERE the one who drugged the code out of her. YOU WERE THE one who stole my fame; my records. YOU WERE THE ONE WHO USED MY HEADPHONES AND WORE MY GLASSES. Hell, you're lucky I didn't drop you." "FINE! DROP ME! I DON'T CARE!!" He squealed, thrashing about in the glow of my blue magic. "You sure about that?" "POSITIVE!" "Oookay!! Boop!" And with that, I let my magic falter and he dropped like a rock into the pool. "Naive, Naive Brass Boom. Always the cart before the pony with you. Fire, Ready, Aim, if you may." I said in an amused tone. "Well- I- Just- SH-SHUT UP!!" Brass Boom dove under and took in a mouthful of water. He surfaced and shot a jet stream of slightly bloody, slightly slobbery water and me. "Two can play at that game, Brassy! CANNON BAAALLL!" "AU-" "Gotcha!" "Not so fast, Vinyl! " The red stallion brought a hoof down on the top of the water and made a huge splash. "Wat're y'all doin down der?" Octavia shouted. "ooo lookie a poolie. Weee!" She jumped off the roof in a surprisingly piggish swandive. "Cannon Ball!!" "Eek!" I giggled, playfully shielding my face. "'Tavia, that was a swan dive!" "Yeah.. But I brung Boze!" She raised a bottle of vodka and passed a stout can of cider to Brass Boom. As we looked up, we could see the whole party jumping off the ledge. "Is Like hopy foot all ovreh gain!" Octavia shouted once again, throwing her hooves up in the air. "What?" "Nothin! BOZE FOR AWE!" Pegasi, earth ponies, and unicorns alike were all dropping like flies into the swimming pool. "KARAOKE!!" Some one shouted. They were responded by a couple dozen shouts. "ME FIRST!" "I WANNA DUET WITH YOU!!" "I CALL GOING LAST!!" "MUFFIN!" Surprisingly, none of them thought to climb out of the pool. "Brass Boom! There's a piano in the shed next to us." I whispered. "I want to duet This Day Aria with you!" He blushed red under his fur. "R-really?" "Yes, really, you old fart! Get your flank into gear!" Soon enough, we had set up the piano and wireless mic. *Tap Tap Tap* "This thing on?" *BWEEEEEEEEEEEW* "Eugh! Yes, it is very much on." I tested the microphone, and sure enough, it worked, loud and clear. The splashing and gossiping titters quieted immediately when the first note of the piano was played. "This day is going to be perfect, the kind of day of which I've DREAMED since I was small," I sang. It was weird to hear my voice so clearly on a dingy old mic in a swimming pool in the smack dab middle of Ponyville. "everypony will gather 'round, say I look lovely in my gown, what don't know is that I have fooled them all!" "This day was going to be perfect," Brass Boom crooned. "the kind of day of which I've dreamed since I was small... But instead of having cake, and all my friends to celebrate, my wedding bells, they may not ring for me at all." I was surprised. Out of all the ponies I'd think of as having a voice like liquid silver, Brass Boom was on the very bottom of my list. "I could care less about the dress..." "Must escape before it's too late..." "Finally the moment has arrived..." "Oh the wedding we won't make, he'll end up marrying a fake," I expected the next notes to be a disaster. "Shining Armor will be..." But no. He hit the notes perfectly. Not too high, not too low. "Mine, All Mine... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
ProloguePushy. Loud. Obnoxious. Hyper-active. I've been bombarded with insults and curses, yet I never let them get under my skin. She was the dam that kept all the anger from rushing out of me in a flurried, furious rage. She would keep me from slicing up those lamed-winged idiots that kept returning to my club and trashing my music. I would just keep raving and ignore their insults. Then, it just became too much for me. Early one morning while I was at home, they had kicked in the door and broke most of my records. They popped the switches off of my turn table, spray painted the dance floor black, smashed the strobe lights, dumped about 90 gallons of our best cider on the floor, and invited me to a bonfire that destroyed my passion and my job. I screamed. I cried. I even attempted suicide. I was on the brink of insanity. Being of an unsound mind. Staying in a dark, barren room facing the corner. But she taught me that we're worth so much more, and I new she'd always be there for me. Always. Almost always. Never.
