1_9_Music_is_Art

Digital_Hex- - - - - - - -A fan-fiction by Digital_Hex

Chapter 9

        “-and welcome to Music is Art.”

        The entire class was silent. Well, more like pinned to the back of their seats as the final bass chord resonated through their bodies.

        “Now, this is going to be a fun semester,” Miss Clef said as soon as the violent sound was finished. I looked over to White Cross, expecting her to be cowering in fright. Instead, she was leaning forward with a devilish grin on her face, obviously had enjoyed the blast.

        “We have much to cover, such as the history of music, why music is so important to Equestrian culture, yadda-yadda, all that manure.”

        A few students chuckled while Miss Clef didn't so much as break into a grin, instead levitating her perched glasses and breathing onto them softly, rubbing the lenses against her coat before returning them to her muzzle.

        “But for now, WHO WANTS TO MAKE SOME MUSIC?!?” she practically shouted, receiving much enthusiasm from the class. White Cross was even waving her hooves above her head frantically, a big smile plastered on her face.

        Maybe I'd judged this little filly wrong.

        After that, we were paired up into groups of three for a little “meet-the-class” project. Between White Cross, the pegasus next to us, and myself, we had to have been the most anti-social group in the room. While everyone chattered away, we kind of just sat there awkwardly.

        “So...” I finally spoke up after a few uncomfortable minutes had passed by. I turned to the pegasus. “What's your name?”

        “Oh, it's... Midnight...” he whispered. Jeez, this guy was even more reclusive than I was. I at least had my sarcasm and natural charm to fall back on, this guy was worse than a doormat.

        “Digital Hex,” I said, pointing to myself. “White Cross,” I said as I turned my hoof to White Cross, who was suddenly as bored-looking as she normally was.

        Midnight nodded in a jittery way before snapping back to cowering.

        I sighed. I used to be like that, I knew where he was coming from.

        “So, do you play any instruments?” I asked, taking a chance. Hey, the fact I was instigating a conversation from him was a big step for me.

        “Y-yeah,” he muttered.

        “What do you-” I didn't get to finish my sentence because I suddenly saw Heat charging my way.

        Please, not this again.

        Heat snapped his wings, launching himself into a seat behind me. Miss Clef had her back turned, and she wouldn't be able to hear anypony over the din of the other students.

        “I obviously didn't get to finish what I was saying,” he spat at me, grabbing at the hide in the front of my neck.

        “You stay away from her. You hear?”

        As he said this, he pressed a hoof against White Cross, attempting to push her away. She fought back valiantly, struggling to refuse to budge. It was a losing battle.

        “Excuse me,” I suddenly heard from my side. Both Heat and I turned to see Midnight glaring daggers at Heat, a small smirk on his face.

        “What?” Heat asked.

        “Leave him alone. Last I checked, physical contact against another student is considered assault.”

        “What are you, a snitch?” Heat spat at him.

        “Let him go,” Midnight demanded, ignoring the question.

        “I don;t think so. Again, what are you, a sni-

        I swear I saw Midnight's eyes gloss over red, if only for a second.

        “Nah, I'm a shield,” he interrupted before twitching ever so slightly.

        A second later, Heat was flying across the aisle. He crashed into the wall away from us.

        I turned back to Midnight, who was glaring after Heat. Miss Clef was now looking over towards us, a confused but slightly irritated look on her face. Heat saw this as he pulled himself up and growled before trotting back over to his group.

        “Midnight, what was that!” I said, somewhat impressed.

        “Oh that? That was-” He suddenly shook rather violently before his eyes shrank to pinpricks.

        “It- it was nothing...” he whispered, going back into his crab-like attitude.

        I was amazed at this rapid transformation. He goes from shy kid to ultimate bully-kicking bad-ass, only to revert back to shy kid. This guy was AWESOME!

        “Well whatever it was, nice one,” I said, lifting my hoof towards him. He looked at it wearily before slowly bumping his own against mine. I swear he even smiled a little bit.

        Midnight slowly opened up. He was from Ponyville, but he really didn't know anypony due to being a social hermit. Sounded familiar. He was a pretty nice guy, being quite honest. He got along well with White Cross, and it didn't take long for White Cross and Midnight to start conversing through paper.

        The whole meeting phase lasted a good twenty minutes, in which we learned a bit about Midnight. He'd gained his cutie mark, which was a shield with a pair of wings opening from it, pretty much the same way that he'd tossed Heat around earlier. He apparently was known around school for his actions, but in a way that after it happened ponies would talk about him for a few days and then completely forget he existed.

        Sounded dreamy.

        “Alright, class. I hope you all had enough time to meet, because we're going to have a little competition here.”

        I swear I heard everypony in the room lift an eyebrow at her.

        “Choose one member of your team for a music battle. I'll give you all a minute to decide. The genre is random, so I'd recommend choosing someone who is flexible.”

        The two in my group instantly began prodding me to go up. White Cross was at a disadvantage because she was incapable of speech, so any type of singing contest would have kicked our team out instantly, while Midnight flat-out refused to go up.

        Reluctantly, I trotted up to the stage. Five other ponies were already up there, with two more making their way up after me. Heat grinned angrily at me as he took his place on the other side of the stage floor.

        “Alright, now choose a partner to compete against.”

        All of us looked at her like she was crazy. We didn't know anypony else up there, nor what they specialized in!

        In a confused mess of shuffling and murmuring, ponies eventually began partnering up. I saw the choices slowly begin dwindling, and that's when Heat and I locked eyes. A duel.

        I trotted right over to him, sitting on my rump as he did likewise, both of us staring straight ahead. This was going to be a battle for the ages, musical style.

        “Alright, I'll randomly assign a style for each of you,” Miss Clef said as she clicked a button on her laptop, looking at the screen before pointing at two giggly mares near the front of the group.

        “Opera. Go.”

        The two mares let their jaws drop, looking between each other and the teacher in shock. Apparently they didn't know how to sing opera.

        “Can't sing opera?” Miss Clef asked them. They shook their heads no.

        “You're out. Next group!”

        A stallion and a mare, seemingly friends, approached Miss Clef next.

        “Screamo.”

        They looked at her before smirking. The mare gave Miss Clef the name of the song they wanted.

        The next three minutes just about ruptured my ear drums. Heat was in similar pain.

        “At least they didn't have top do opera,” I joked. “That would be a bastard child I would want to kill with great disdain.”

        Heat chuckled a second before realizing he was supposed to not like me and went back to glaring ahead.

        “You,” Clef said, pointing at the mare. “You out-performed your competitor. You win. Sit.”

        The two shared a shocked look before shrugging it off and returning to their seats.

        “Next!” Miss Clef demanded. And so it went. The next group, two stallions, went up.

        “Country.”

        The stallions managed to stumble there way through a quick country song, but it was obvious that they weren't used to that genre.

        “Neither of you win. Sit in shame,” Miss Clef demanded, pointing them to their seats.

        Suddenly Miss Clef pointed at Heat and I.

        “You two, rap. Go.”

        I swallowed hard, but Heat immediately jumped at the que, leaping straight up and soaring into the middle of the stage. As soon as he set his hooves on the stage, he began his angry rap.

You never know, where you're gonna fucking go,

But that don't mean nothing, no,

Cuz you're gonna show, blow, so-

        I interrupted him, sliding into the center of the stage, blocking him from the audience in a maneuver I never would have done before. Why? I was literally throwing myself out to the class. Yeah, talk about grabbing their attention.

Turn around, look at me did I say you could speak, NO!

Should have known, what you thinking man, think this is a solo?

Listen up, you little pup, I'll lay you out like a throw rug

Beat you in the back then go around and hang you up-

Think you're pretty funny, huh

Think that you can take me on?

Come on bring it on you little

Half-pint, light it up!

           I grinned, sharing a showdown with Heat. This was going rather well, I thought. We began circling the center of the stage, eyes staying locked.

Bring it on? I'll bring it on

Too bad you won't keep it on.

See this rhyme that you were spinning?

Boom- what? Now it's gone.

It's really gone, out of sight.

What did you want me to light?

I see nothing here, nothing there, nothing nothing around here

You really playing cocky when you don't know what you're up against.

Play this game? I'll play this game!

Then guess what? You will pay!

You gone and pissed me off son,

Now let's see if you can make it rain-

        I received a round of laughs and cheers from the room, and was surprised that the lighting had been changed. Whereas the last two songs had been relatively duets, now it was a flat rap battle between the two of us. Two spotlights followed us, tracing our circles as we continued pacing around each other.

That's some mighty strong words for a little tiny guy.

Did you hurt yourself trying to think all that up on the fly?

I must admit, pretty good but son you ain't seen nothing yet.

I'm just getting started boy, let me teach you a lesson-

Actually, dear sir, you just used a double negative,

And while I'm guilty of this too you did it quite like a dumb prick!

You haven't seen anything, ain't seen something, anything but that,

I'll let this one slide for now, but I won't cut you any slack-

I received some hoots from the audience for my little jab at Heat.

Very clever, very good. Looks like you might be kinda good.

However you need to learn the basics,

This isn't your grammar school.

I don't care, not today, whether I say what I say

Makes any sense or not, because I'm about to make you stop

Breathing as I tear you up, chew you up and spit you out.

You say that you can handle me?

Come on, give me your best shot!

Let's take a look at what you say, you say you're ready any day.

If I were to schedule Saturday, would be ready to play?

No, you stupid cock, you would wuss out, you got no spine!

This battle is won by me, this isn't yours, it is mine!

Look at where we've gone, didn't you start by saying where you'd go?

What you saying now, you're going to reschedule? Where'd you go!

I thought that you were ready, thought that you were psyched to go!

Guess I was wrong about you, that's a shame, I really thought it was for

A battle you would bring, you say you've brought, but I'm still standing here.

I don't know who you are, but I'm Digital Hex, the champion!

Heat started to try and return, but instead just smirked and raised his hooves in defeat.

        “Give,” he said.

        … Huh. My first rap battle, and I won. Who'd have thunk it?