Digitized Jockey

Vinyl's time in her cell gave her the breather she needed for her mind to calm down and start thinking rationally (by her standards). She realized she may have acted a little rash and decided to apologize and explain everything to whomever came to interrogate her. In the meantime, she thought about the fight she had earliar and the rings the ponies used as weapons. They looked badass while using them too...

A smile slowly spread across her face. I gotta get me one of those... Her train of thought was cut short when the door opened and two orange ponies wielding long staffs that glowed with the same orange colour stepped in, their faces obscured by black helmets.

"Program." One of them said. "You will come with us."

Vinyl nodded. "Is it alright if I ask where we're going?"

The guards didn't respond as she was led through the halls, Vinyl decided not to push her luck, those staff's look like they would hurt and she felt she was in enough trouble already. Eventually, Vinyl found herself in a semi-circular room. It was distinctly different then the rest of the building she had been in thusfar. Where the hangar and the halls and her cell were covered in orange neon lights, this one was of a pleasent white. Ahead of Vinyl were three ponies in white suits, their heads obscured in shadow. The DJ soon found herself stuck to the floor, no, bolted by strange energy chains. The guards turned and left, leaving Vinyl to the three mysterious ponies standing completely still in front of her. Then, all three took a step, then another, in complete synch with each other. Then the ponies heads came into view and Vinyl's eyes widened in complete shock.

"R-rarity!?"

There was no mistaking it, her long purple mane kept in perfect neatness and made to have a certain allure to it. The unicorn was flanked by two other mares that Vinyl recognized as Aloe and Lotus, the Spa Ponies. The three mares marched toward Vinyl unblinking and seemingly uncaring.

"Guys," She said. "It's me, Vinyl, you know... DJ-P0N3... heh heh..." She began to be increasingly nervous. Not because she was worried they would do anything to her, but because they were undeniably hot. Rarity in particular stole the spotlight but the Spa twins were no dissapointment to look at either. She realized what she was doing and snapped back to reality, they were here in another strange place with her. Vinyl tried to look confident and not flustered despite the blush on her face.

The three mares continued walking toward her, Rarity stopping just in front of the DJ's face, inches away (the distance didn't help her blush), while the twins took a few extra steps and stood facing each side of Vinyl, who glanced at them nervously.

"Guys? What's going on here? What are you all..." She stopped when she felt something on her hooves. Looking down, she saw a black material grow up around her legs, a kind of clothy material forming all around her body, coming all the way to her neck. The twins turned and walked over to the wall, where something popped out. They came back carrying pieces of armour and attached them onto her body. As soon as the pieces came into contact with the suit, they clung to it tightly and the armour pieces expanded, revealing extentions that were previously hidden within them. Rarity levitated another piece of armour and attached it to Vinyl's chest, it extended and connected to the other pieces perfectly. Vinyl looked down, examining her armour when she saw circuits of white light appear start flickering on her legs, then across her body.

"I look like a raver." She said, grinning. "Not bad... oh, okay, the neon white light in a perfect replica of my cutie mark is a nice touch. I approve."

The three mares turned and walked away.

"Wait!" Vinyl called out. "Rarity! You haven't-"

"Was that term directed to me this whole time?" Rarity asked, not looking back. "It's a nice name but it's not my name..."

Vinyl stared, her jaw dropped. "What the buck are you talking about? Hello? Hey!"

"She's different..." Aloe said, her twin nodded.

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Vinyl scowled as she followed the guards, she was angry because three ponies she kinda, sort of, not really knew just brushed her off like they didn't know her... Probably because she didn't really know them. Still, Vinyl was insulted and was getting impatient when she was led into a large circular room. Again, the guards turned and left, the doors closing behind them. Only this time, Vinyl realized, she was alone and she wasn't restrained to one spot. She walked toward one of the black walls and thought she saw movement past them.

"Program." A robotic female voice called out, Vinyl spun around in surprise. From the centre of the ceiling a dark ring was slowly brought down before her. Vinyl recognized it as the rings she saw all the other ponies use.

No, not rings, more like...

"This is your Identity Disc." The robotic voice continued. "Everything you do or learn will be encrypted onto your disc. If you lose your disc or fail to obey commands, you will be subject to immediate deresolution."

Vinyl stared at the disc before her. They were giving her one of these? She took a step toward it, and levitated it toward her, looking at it closely.

"Discs..." She muttered, finishing her trail of thought.

"Please synchronize your disc to you by placing it on your back." The voice ordered. The unicorn obeyed and recalled where she saw the discs on all the ponies backs she'd seen since coming here. Grabbing the disc with her hoof and placing it on her back. She heard a click and felt something... become a part of her. She realized her disc was imprinting all of her knowledge and memories into itself. She felt... connected to it.

Let's test this out..

Moving in a flash, she drew the disc and swung it to one of the walls, it bounced off and flew towards another wall. Vinyl blinked, she felt it bounce off the wall, it was so weird! But so much more awesome as well. She didn't even need to look, she could feel it bounce off the other wall and another wall. She could feel it flying toward her at a highly dangerous speed-

"Oh sh-" Vinyl spun around and used her magic to grab the disc out of the air, stopping it just before it sliced her head off. Her eyes widened and an incredibly large smile appeared on her face. She nearly died from her own newly acquired weapon, that was so cool!

A sound was heard and Vinyl turned to see the walls lower, revealing other rooms with several other ponies all looking around.

"Programs." The voice said again. "Prepare for non-lethal Disc Wars training exercise..."

Vinyl blinked, and her smile turned into a sneer. Perfect...

She grabbed her disc with her hoof, twitched it and the outer ring glowed with white humming energy. Vinyl swung her disc towards the nearest pony, who was watching two other ponies duel. He didn't notice the DJ's disc until it was too late. Vinyl felt her disc hit the stallion hard in the side, there was a bright flash, and she saw him go flying into the ground, stunned. She turned and saw another mare throw her disc at Vinyl, who deflected it easily. With her disc knocked away, the mare was defenseless against Vinyl's counterattack. As soon as she was down and the disc returned to her, Vinyl galloped to where the fighting was heaviest.

With a sonic blast spell, she knocked a group of ponies away and threw her disc at another stallion who was too shocked to react in time. Vinyl jumped, caught her disc in the air and slammed it into the head of another unicorn, knocking him out cold. Vinyl stood up and saw the fighting had stopped, everypony was looking at her with shock. She smiled.

"Anypony who takes me down will have earned the Scratch's respect so... " She spun in place, flourishing her disc. "...Who wants to try me first?"

The other fighters glanced at each other, then at Vinyl, and charged, a few throwing their discs at the DJ. Vinyl avoided them all, grabbing one disc with her magic and flinging at another combatant, knocking him out. Whether it was skill she had earned when given the disc, or she was born with it, she used her Identity Disc like she had used it for years. She knew how to throw it, when to let go, and she never missed her mark, even when aiming for a particular spot on a wall, so it would ricochet and strike a combatant in the flank. It a matter of moments, Vinyl stood standing alone among the rest of the combatants who were all stunned, defeated and unable to move.

Vinyl, panting, brought her disc in front of her. She smiled, no pony knew more about discs then her, both in Equestria and here. She lifted her disc with both hooves triumphantly, this disc was hers, this was what she was, this was Vinyl Scratch...

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"She's good. Very good," a guard commented

Crom looked down at the training arena, though his face was emotionless, his mind was calculating millions of numbers per second. Never before had he seen such raw talent in a program.

But she's not a program, a part of his mind said. He shook his head. It was ridiculous, Commander Trixie was right, there are no such things as Users.

But she mentioned Equestria, the part of his mind persisted. Who else knows of the term? Only the Commander, you, and the Interface...

His mind began running the calculations, the evidence was piling against him. It seemed she had to be a User. Eventually, he sighed. There isn't enough evidence yet...

"Put her in the public arena." He ordered. "We'll have her fight one of our warriors and see how she does in a live match."

The other guards nodded and moved to retrieve Vinyl from the training arena.

"Wait!" A voice called out, Crom spun around and saw Trixie emerge from the shadows. "Put her with one of the User-believers. Her own kind."

"Commander?"

"Trixie sees the doubt in your face, Crom. Trixie will put that doubt to rest by showing you that this program is not a User by having her strike down one of the programs who stubbornly holds on to that ridiculous belief."

Crom thought this through, it wouldn't make sense for a User to derezz a program who is loyal to that belief. But it was risky.

"Commander," Crom said. "If she refuses to kill her combatant, then that will only support the belief-"

"You're treading a dangerous line, Crom." Trixie warned, her horn glowing. "Don't cross it..."

Crom closed his mouth and nodded quickly, her turned to the guards.

"You heard the Commander, set the program up against a User-believer, one of the ones we have imprisoned."

One of the guards smiled.

"Sure thing, we'll put that Email script up in the games, I've been looking forward to getting rid of that program for a while..."