Battle of the Bands
Chapter 1: Shining Who?
"Ladies and gentlemen! I'm your host, Velvet Scarletina, and tonight we've got an amazing show for you! Surely a night you're never going to forget! That's right folks, it's the annual Vale battle of the bands! We've got groups from all over, each with their own style! So let's get the festivities started with our intro act, DJ Ted-3!" Velvet gave a quick curtsy, signaling the dj to start the music before walking off the stage. "Hey Yatsu, is our first act here? They're on in just a few minutes!"
A blonde girl kicked in the door backstage, bass guitar in hand. She wore leather boots, a jacket, and a tank top, with spandex shorts. "Come on! We're on in three! Get the lead out! Sorry we're late!" She strummed a few lines on her bright yellow bass. "Me and ember celica aren't waiting around all night!"
"Yaaaaaaaaang! Could you help please!" cried another girl, her short hair stuck to her head under a red beanie. "At least get the door-ah!" she yelled as the door swung back towards her.
A dark haired girl pushed the door back open, keyboard under her arm, eyes rolled. "Yang, you could have at least held the door. Ruby, mind helping me get set up?" She set her keyboard down before straightening the black bow atop her head.
"Sure thing, Blake! I guess Pyrrha and Weiss are helping No-"
"NORA!" Yelled a redhead as she burst through the door, bass drum held above her head. Her black shirt clashed with the bright pink writing on it with the word 'Boop' across it.
A darker haired redhead and a white haired girl soon appeared, each carrying a drum. "Nora, could you calm down just a bit? Perhaps save your energy for the performance?"
Nora laughed, setting up her kit. "But Pyrrha! Ren's gonna be here! He's even performing with his band!" Her eyes lit up like stars at the thought of her beloved childhood friend. "Besides, if we win then maybe Ren and I could be more than just together and be together-together and thenwecouldholdhandsandgoondatesandthenmaybeonedayevengetmarrie-"
"Enough!" Weiss shouted, getting Nora out of her rant. "We need to get set, make sure we're warmed up, and win this! Enough dawdling you dunces!" The white haired girl finally spoke, bossy as could be.
Yang rolled her eyes at her, grinning wildly. "Oh chill out, Ice Queen. With you and Pyrrha on vocals, Ruby and I rocking it out, Blakey here on her ivory keys and synth, and Nora being well…Nora on the drums, there's no way we can lose! And we still have-"
"Alright everyone, looks like it's time for our first group, let's give a warm welcome to Red Like Roses!" Velvet yelled as the curtain opened on the girls.
Ruby let out an "EEP!" before plugging in her red guitar. "Amps on!"
"Thank you for having us tonight!" Weiss announced, smiling politely. "We hope you enj-"
"WE ARE RED LIKE ROSES! ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR!" Nora shouted, clacking her drumsticks together.
The lights dimmed and Ruby and Yang began on the guitar and bass lines, slowly building up. Lights flashed red and gold on the two as they opened the began singing the opening line, her voice soft and bright.
(This Will Be the Day - Jeff Williams)
They see you as small and helpless;
They see you as just a child.
Surprise when they find out that a warrior will soon run wild.
Pyrrha took over for the second verse, hair flowing as she swayed with the music.
Prepare for your greatest moments;
Prepare for your finest hour.
The dream that you've always dreamed is suddenly about to flower.
We are lightning,
Straying from the thunder,
Miracles of ancient wonder.
At this point, Weiss joined back in, both she and Pyrrha belting out the vocals, Blake on backup, and Nora picking up the tempo and going wild on the drums.
This will be the day we've waited for.
This will be the day we open up the door.
I don't wanna hear your absolution;
Hope you're ready for a revolution.
Welcome to a world of new solutions.
Welcome to a world of bloody evolution.
In time, your heart will open minds,
A story will be told,
And victory is in a simple soul.
The crowd was cheering as Ruby and Yang strummed into the next verse, Pyrrha taking lead.
Your world needs a great defender.
Your world's in the way of harm.
You want a romantic life; a fairytale that's full of charm.
Blake took lead as purple lights began to shine on her, giving her an ominous look.
Beware that the light is fading;
Beware if the dark returns.
This world's unforgiving, even brilliant lights will cease to burn.
Legends scatter.
Day and night will sever.
Hope and peace are lost forever.
A red spotlight shone on Ruby as she broke into a guitar solo, backed up by Yang and Nora. The crowd roared as Ruby shredded out notes, grinning wildly as Pyrrha and Weiss began the vocals again.
This will be the day we've waited for.
We are lightning.
Welcome to a world of new solutions.
This will be the day we've waited for.
This will be the day we open up the door.
I don't wanna hear your absolution;
Hope you're ready for a revolution.
Welcome to a world of new solutions.
Welcome to a world of bloody evolution.
In time, your heart will open minds,
A story will be told,
and victory is in a simple soul.
Ruby and Yang finished the song with power chords, Pyrrha and Weiss belting out the final lyrics. The crowd burst into applause, cheering for the girls. Ruby sheepishly ran her hand behind her head, while Yang held up a peace sign, grinning madly. Pyrrha and Weiss gave a quick bow, as Blake and Nora simply offered a wave.
"That. Was. Killer! Let's give one more round of applause for Red Like Roses! We'll have a few minute intermission, and then we'll bring out our next group!" Velvet said to the audience as the curtain closed. "Ladies, that was incredible! Take a rest for a bit, and head to the V.I.P. lounge on the upper level. There's drinks and anything you may need up there, plus you get a great view of the stage!" She headed offstage to help the next band sign in.
Red Like Roses stored their equipment in their designated area before heading up to the V.I.P. lounge. Blake and Yang chatted about the dynamics from the last song, while Ruby began to berate herself.
"Was that good? Did we actually do good or were they just saying that? Maybe I should go back down and work on crescent rose for a bit bef-"
"RUBY. We did fine, you dolt! They loved us! And why wouldn't they?" Weiss cut her off, smiling slightly pompously. "There's no way we can lose this! Now according to the schedule listed here, the next group is called 'Shining Arc'. What an absolutely ridiculous name for a band! What idiots would call themselves tha-"
"Now let's give it up for Shining Arc! These bad boys came all the way from Vacuo city for this, so without further ado, Shining Arc!" Velvet announced, signaling the curtains to open.
Weiss cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "Shining Who? Who in the world names their band something lik-"
The club blackened, and suddenly the sound of drums burst from the back of the stage, with the drummer only lit from behind in silhouette. Soon, a bass guitar was heard as the bassist was lit from behind, with the guitar and guitarist following. They played out a few more notes before the lights flashed on the stage as the lead singer ran out center stage. His blonde hair flying as he broke out into the opening verse with the blue haired bassist and black haired guitarist on backup vocals.
(Chelsea Dagger - The Fratellis)
Owwwwwwwww! Duh duh duh da da da duh duh duh duh duh duh duh
Duh duh duh da da da duh duh duh duh duhhhhh
Do do do do do do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do do do do
"What in the world?!" Weiss yelled, her voice drowned out by the boys on stage.
Well you must be a girl with shoes like that
She said you know me well
I seen you and little Steven and Joanna
Round the back of my hotel oh yeah
Someone said you was asking after me
But I know you best as a blagger
I said tell me your name is it sweet?
She said my boy it's Dagger oh yeah
The drummer let out a quick drum roll before the boys all yelled "HEY!"
I was good she was hot
Stealin' everything she got
I was bold she was over the worst of it
Gave me gear thank you dear bring yer sister over here
Let her dance with me just for the hell of it
Yang cocked an eyebrow as the blonde boy sang and leaned over to Blake. "Wouldn't mind dancing with blondie down there at all." Blake sighed and kept her eyes on the drummer, blushing at the thought of doing the same with him.
Duh duh duh da da da duh duh duh duh duh duh duh
Duh duh duh da da da duh duh duh duh duhhhhh
Do do do do do do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do do do do
Well you must be a boy with bones like that
She said you got me wrong
I would've sold them to you
If I could've just have kept the last of my clothes on oh yeah
Call me up take me down with you
When you go I could be your regular belle
And I'll dance for little Steven and Joanna
Round the back of my hotel oh yeah
The lead pointed up and down as he sang, mimicking the lyrics.
I was good she was hot
Stealin' everything she got
I was bold she was over the worst of it
Gave me gear thank you dear bring yer sister over here
Let her dance with me just for the hell of it
The vocalist backed off as the drummer, guitarist, and bassist broke into a trio.
The drummer's spiked hair bounced as he beat on the drums, his chest muscles doing the same through his white shirt. The buttons were completely undone, leaving nothing to Blake's, or anyone else's imagination.
The bassist wore goggles over his eyes, grinning madly as he flipped his blue hair back and forth to the music. He looked up into the VIP area and grinned at Weiss, causing her to blush.
"Why the nerve of him! How dare he just-" she began stammering, again drowned out by the music as Ruby and Yang laughed at her.
Nora's eyed were glued to the guitar player, his long, black hair tied down his back, the one streak of magenta waving as he played his solo. "GO REN!" she screamed, causing him to smile.
The solo began to pick back up and the singer stepped forward again, having been dancing to the music.
Chelsea Chelsea I believe when you're dancing
Slowly sucking your sleeve
The boys get lonely after you leave
It's one for the Dagger and another for the one you believe
Chelsea I believe when you're dancing
Slowly sucking your sleeve
The boys get lonely after you leave
It's one for the Dagger, another for the one you believe
Duh duh duh da da da duh duh duh duh duh duh duh
Duh duh duh da da da duh duh duh duh duhhhhh
Do do do do do do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do do do do Yeah!
"Thank you ladies and gentlemen! I'm Jaune Arc, singer of Shining Arc! Give it up for Lie Ren on guitar, Sun Wukong on drums, and Neptune Vasilias on bass!" Jaune announced over the cheering crowd. We'll hopefully see you all in a bit!" The other boys raised their fists in the air, cheering as they walked off stage.
Velvet walked back center stage as the curtain closed. "Wow! That was something special! That's gonna be a hard act to follow, so we're taking a fifteen minute intermission! Give one more big cheer for Shining Arc!"
The crowd cheered once more as the dj began to play general club music. Yang was still on her feet, cheering for the boys.
"Yeah Shining Arc! Bet ladykiller down there wouldn't mind taking a Xiao Long look at me-HEY!" Yang shouted as she was dragged back to her seat by Weiss.
"Yang, focus! They were good. VERY good. We're going to have to step it up in the next round if we even want a hope of winning this, so we need to set some rules, now." The heiress declared, earning a groan from her bandmates. "Hush! Now, rule number one, no talking directly about any of our songs to the other bands. We don't want them knowing anything that could give them an edge in this competition. Number two, and Xiao Long this goes out ESPECIALLY to you: No flirting with any other band! They are the enemy, and we need to crush them!" Weiss slammed her fist down on the table, startling the dozing Ruby.
"WAH!" Ruby cried as her hands flew up in defense. "Wei-" she yawned. "-ss! Calm down! So the boys were good, doesn't mean we can't beat them next round!"
"Oh we were just good huh? Guess we'll have to pick it up next round!" Sun said from the stairs, leading Shining Arc to the girls table. Sun plopped down next to Blake, who flushed as his arm went over her shoulder. "Sup losers?"
Weiss' jaw dropped at Sun's actions. "How dare you! We were in the middle of a priv-" She was silenced as a hand went on her shoulder.
"Hey there Snow Angel, he doesn't mean any harm, just a friendly guy is all. Speaking of friendly, I'm Neptune." Neptune flashed her a charming grin as everyone else watched in horror.
After a moment of silence that seemed like eternity, Weiss let out a giggle. A/N: Had this been an anime, everyone would have fallen over stunned, but this is real life. Come on now.
"Well Neptune, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Weiss." She said prim and proper.
Everyone let out a sigh as the bomb was defused, Weiss offering Neptune a seat next to her. Jaune and Ren began walking to join the group.
"Hey girls, I'm-" Jaune started before being bowled over by Nora tacking Ren to the ground.
"REN! That. Was. Amazing! You guys were so cool and Jaune was like DER DER DER DER DER DER and Sun was like BOOM BOOM BOOM BA BOOM BOOM and Neptune was like DUH DUH DUH DUH DUH and you were like WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWO and-"
"Nora?" Ren interrupted.
"Yes Ren?"
"It's nice to see you too." He smiled at her, causing her to blush.
Nora reached out with one free hand, poking him on the nose. "Boop!" She smiled as she got off of him, dragging him to her seat to talk.
Jaune remained laying on the floor, stunned by Nora. Yang walked over and leaned down to him, knowingly giving him a generous look. "You alright there, ladykiller?" She grinned.
"Wha?" Jaune stammered before his vision came back into focus with Yang's chest right over his eyes. "Ah! I, uh!" His eyes quickly darted to hers, blue meeting violet. She smiled honestly and helped him to his feet.
"So, Jaune was it? I'm Yang, and you were great down there! Where did you learn to bust a move like that?"
Jaune grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Well these things tend to happen when you have seven sisters."
"Oh that makes sense. I've got a sister to-SEVEN SISTERS?!" Yang shouted, the music going silent as she did. A blush crept to her face as the silence continued for a few more seconds, before the club went back to normal.
Ruby stepped forward, lightly clearing her throat ."Ahem, what Yang was trying to say is that she has a sister too! Me! Hi, I'm Ruby, remember?!" She bounced as she spoke, her voice filled with excitement.
Jaune looked at Ruby, a confused look on his face before turning into a wide grin. "RUBY!" he shouted, picking her up and swinging her around, causing Yang to frown for a split second before she smiled again.
"What was that?" She thought. "Ruby…Jaune…mind explaining?"
Ruby rolled her eyes at her sister. "Yang, how could you forget Jaune?! He lived next door to us in Patch when we were little!"
Yang thought back, remembering brief images of a blonde boy playing with a toy sword in his backyard. "Now that I think about it, I remember a scrawny boy playing hero by himself from time to time."
Jaune blushed as Yang giggled at him. "It was cute, Jauney, don't worry." She smiled at him again.
Pyrrha stepped up to Jaune, hand going onto his shoulder. "Well Jaune, I must say your singing was impressive! Did you study anywhere?"
He blinked at her before laughing a bit. "Me? I wasn't that good, honest! I was singing in the showers in the locker room one day, Neptune told me he and Sun were looking to form a band, and the rest is history. Plus, I wasn't singing anything like down there, just my old summer camp's theme song…" He thought happily.
Pyrrha smiled at him, "Well it was wonderful!"
Yang frowned as Pyrrha flirted with Jaune, Ruby taking notice. "Yang, what's going on with you? Do you like Jaune or something?"
"Wha- Ruby that's ridiculous! Don't be…I mean how could I possibly…okay maybe my fellow blonde over there is cute, and he killed it on stage, AND we've known him forever and it only recently slipped my mind, but come on. Like him?" Yang flushed at her last few words.
Ruby rolled her eyes. "Hey Pyrrha, can you come over here for a second? I need to go over our next song with you! Yang, go talk to him!"
Pyrrha began to walk over, crossing paths with Yang, both feeling the tension in the air. "Hey Jaune, why don't you sit with me for the next song? We can catch up and stuff!" Yang said, eyes gleaming at him.
"I uh, well sure Yang! Anything to sit by a pretty lady like you! I mean-uh, yes!" Jaune blurted with false confidence as Yang laughed.
"Come on ladykiller, let's have a seat"
A/N: So that's chapter 1! A bit rough, but nothing too bad! Obviously I plan on going more into Jaune/Yang/Ruby's pasts with each other, so stay tuned! Also, Nora being adorable in this chapter warms my heart!
Cinder: Almost as much as I warmed Pyrrha's heart!
CQ: GET OUT OF HERE WITH THAT PAIN.
Cinder: Fine. *WALKS OFF*
CQ: ANYWAYS! OH! Also, the songs played this chapter were 'This Will Be the Day' by Jeff Williams and 'Chelsea Dagger' by the Fratellis! Please review! Thanks!