OCHG Pre-Challenge Results #2 · 4:01am Feb 9th, 2016

XxX_Illuminati_XxX's Submission:

It was Sentinel's turn to sing. He had thought of this for a long time. What to sing was easy.
Something casual? Nah, no one want’s casual. Something Classic? Good, shouldn’t rule it out. Something hip? No, by Celestia I hate hipsters. Something…..that says, powerful but something ponies like. I’ve got it!
He walked out onto the stage, the band was ready for him, all he had to do was sing. If there was any place Sentinel was home, it was showing off in front of a crowd.
He reached the mike and tapped the speaker. A muffled tap could be heard throughout the room.
Looks like it’s all working. Time to do this.
The guitar started playing a slow, almost somber rock tune over the large room as the crowd quieted down.
“Every time I look in the mirror
All these lines on my face getting clearer
The past is gone
It went by, like dusk to dawn
Isn't that the way
Everybody's got their dues in life to pay
Yeah, I know nobody knows
Where it comes and where it goes
I know it's everybody's sin
You got to lose to know how to win
Half my life's
In books' written pages
Lived and learned from fools and
From sages
You know it's true
All the things come back to you
Sing with me, sing for the year
Sing for the laughter, sing for the tear
Sing with me just for today
Maybe tomorrow, the good lord will take you away
Yeah, sing with me, sing for the year
Sing for the laughter, sing for the tear
Sing with me, just for today
Maybe tomorrow, the good Lord will take you away
Dream On Dream On Dream On
Dream until your dream comes true
Dream On Dream On Dream On
Dream until your dream comes through
Dream On Dream On Dream On
Dream On Dream OnDream On Dream On, AHHHHHHH
Sing with me, sing for the year
Sing for the laughter, sing for the tear
Sing with me just for today
Maybe tomorrow, the good Lord will take you away
Sing with me, sing for the year
Sing for the laughter, sing for the tear
Sing with me just for today
Maybe tomorrow, the good Lord
will take you away…”
With his song concluded, and the crowd going wild for the performance, he trotted off stage.
Everypony knows classic rock is the best music.
As Sentinel made his way off stage he caught sight of Coalstone, who strangely enough looked a tad bit nervous, despite his best efforts to remain...Well stone faced.
Taking a quick look at the rather large crowd, he let out a small gulp, “And now we need to perform in front of a large crowd, wonderful. And just when I thought this competition couldn’t be more of a pain in the flank.”
Quickly looking to Sentinel who approached him, “You seem to be handling this little affair pretty well. What did a little singing in the past?”
“Some, just a bit. Occasionally towns would just break into random song, and well, you pick it up.” Sentinel replied.
Coalstone took another look at the crowd, and another shiver ran down his spine, “Don’t suppose you’ve got any tips on how to keep yourself together do you?”
“They’re here for you. I’ve already got them started, just stay confident and sing with a powerful tone.”
Quickly looking around Coalstone took one look at a nearby wall and smacked his head against it, not enough to break it thankfully but enough to shake some sense into him, “Okay, that felt better. Just needed to get my head on straight. Not used to large crowds where all the attention is on me. Makes me a little nervous, but here goes….”
The stone carver slowly made his way onto the stage and to the microphone with the whole crowd growing quiet as he approached, which certainly didn’t help his nerves, “And here comes the eerie silence, wonderful, only thing that could make this better is if they had fruit to pelt me with if I stink….”
He quickly frowned at the sight of a few ponies grabbing some tomatoes from what appeared to be a crate they’d brought with them
“I just had to go and think it didn’t I.”
Once he was at the microphone he quickly let out a deep breath he didn’t know he was holding in, as the sound of the heavy guitars slowly started to build up along with the bass and then came the drums.
Coalstone geared up to sing and looked out at the crowd with a hard look on his face
“Time to Put up or Shut up.”
Once it was time to sing the Stone carver opened up his mouth and let loose his voice with as much fire and might as he could muster.
“All you women who want a man of the street
But you don't know which way you want to turn
Just keep a coming and put your hand out to me
'Cause I'm the one who's gonna make you burn
I'm gonna take you down - down, down, down
So don't you fool around
I'm gonna pull it, pull it, pull the trigger
Shoot to thrill, play to kill
Too many women with too many pills
Shoot to thrill, play to kill
I got my gun at the ready, gonna fire at will
Yeah”
“I'm like evil, I get under your skin
Just like a bomb that's ready to blow
'Cause I'm illegal, I got everything
That all you women might need to know
I'm gonna take you down - yeah, down, down, down
So don't you fool around
I'm gonna pull it, pull it, pull the trigger
Shoot to thrill, play to kill
Too many women with too many pills
Shoot to thrill, play to kill
I got my gun at the ready, gonna fire at will
'Cause I shoot to thrill, and I'm ready to kill
I can't get enough, I can't get the thrill
I shoot to thrill, play to kill
Yeah, pull the trigger
Pull it,
Pull it, pull it, pull the trigger
Oh
As the the sounds of the guitars and drums kicked up and Coalstone found himself at the part of the song where there was no singing, hopped up on adrenaline, actually started to head bang, with his mohawk now looking much wilder than usual and even start to kick off with his hind legs, and despite being pumped on excitement he quickly got an idea.
“Lets Kick this into High Gear.”
Quickly pushing onto his front legs, he jumped into a windmill to the growing excitement of the crowd. Building up momentum he spun faster and faster before leaping into the air as the song prepared to continue before landing on his hooves right in front of the mike.
“Shoot to thrill, play to kill
Too many women, with too many pills
I said, shoot to thrill, play to kill
I got my gun at the ready, gonna fire at will
'Cause I shoot to thrill, and I'm ready to kill
And I can't get enough, and I can't get my thrill
Cause I shoot to thrill, play it again
Yeah
Shoot you down
Yeah”
“I'm gonna get you to the bottom and shoot you
I'm gonna shoot you
Oh hoo yeah yeah yeah
I'm gonna shoot you down yeah yeah
I'm gonna get you down
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Shoot you, shoot you, shoot you, shoot you down
Shoot you, shoot you, shoot you down
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, ooooooh
I'm gonna shoot to thrill
Play to kill
Shoot to thrill
Yeah, ooh yeah”
By the end of the song Coalstone had been singing at the top of his lungs, sweat actually pouring from his face, yet the crowd was exploding with applause allowing him to keep going as the hard rock boomed throughout the hall.
With a final bellow of the last lyric, Coalstone let out a sort of “cool” pose near the end, which combined with his now sweat covered and more disorganized mohawk, got more than a few of the girls in the audience going a little crazy.
Of course after the adrenaline started to wear off and he realized what had just happened, he quickly gave a bow and made his way back behind the curtain, before sitting himself down to catch his breath.
Reneighah’s heart pounded as she watched the crowds cheering quiet, and Coalstone gave her a hint of a smile. She felt her hooves shaking, her chest twisting with a sudden rush of stage fright. Her eyes closed for the briefest moment and she focused on breathing. Her body began to feel calm, but the nervousness was still there.
“Now or never.” She grinned. After a brief nod to her teammates she walked out to the microphone, her song already in mind. Okay, I guess I might as well keep the pattern, classic rock it is. She took another breath, and let her voice rang out.
Well you're the real tough cookie with a long history
Of breaking little hearts, like the one in me
That's okay let's see how you do it
Put up your dukes, let's get down to it
Hit me with your best shot
Why don't you hit me with your best shot?
Hit me with your best shot
Fire awayyyyyy!
She grabbed the microphone in her hoof, her nervous energy guiding her as she heard the cheers of the crowd. Lets keep this going.
You come on with a come on, you don't fight fair
But that's okay, see if I care
Knock me down, it's all in vain
I'll get right back up on my feet again
Hit me with your best shot
Why don't you hit me with your best shot?
Hit me with your best shot
Fire away
Well you're a real tough cookie with a long history
Of breaking little hearts, like the one in me
Before I put another notch in my lipstick case
You better make sure you put me in my place
Hit me with your best shot
Come on, hit me with your best shot
Hit me with your best shot
Fire away!
Around the second verse she heard the band join in, and relief coursed through her as the crowds continued stomping their hooves. There was a brief pause in the song to catch her breath, the strain of the song affecting her. The band behind her played, and she smiled at her happy audience, continuing to repeat the final verse.
Hit me with your best shot
Why don't you hit me with your best shot?
Hit me with your best shot
Fire awayyyyyyy!
With a final flip of her mane, she gave a shout of triumph into the mic, stepping away from the center stage. Reneighah’s eyes were filled with relief as she drank in the sight of the roaring crowd. She gave a graceful bow before gliding off the stage. On the side of a curtain there was a splatter where someone had thrown a tomato. She shrugged and forcefully smiled it off. Can’t win them all I guess. I have a feeling there was some prejudice involved there. She glanced at the cheering crowd, wondering how many had ever seen a zebra. The mare shook her head. Doesn't matter anyway, looks like they enjoyed the performance.
“Not bad.” Her teammates smiled, she laughed in relief and sat down. Her hooves were still shaking, but now out of exhilaration instead of regret.
“You guys were awesome out there. I… never really sing that much.” The zebra said. Coalstone snorted.
“You think I’m Sapphire Shores?! I think it was a miracle that I was able to go in front of that crowd at all.”
“Yeah.” She smiled. “Turns out that singing just involves really loud shouting,” To this Centurion rolled his eyes.
“Well, I hope we sounded better than just shouting.” He said. The zebra smiled.
“Trust me, that was epic.”

#Shrekt's Submission:

Nova held up his ticket And looked at it for a moment, “Well here goes nothing. Las Pegasus” He was teleported from the room along with the stuff he was carrying, as he appeared in Las Pegasus with a large grin on his face, “Home, sweet home.”
“Darn it. Why did I have to land there?!” Golden complained. He whispered the name of their destination as instructed. And for his obedience he ended up in the fountain near the concert area. He couldn’t help but suspect this was payback for his sabotage. Or maybe it was just the sick humor of the crazed god. Frankly all he cared about in the moment was he was covered in head to hoof in water and there was a slight breeze intensifying the cold he felt exponentially.
Lucky was the next to arrive in the town of lights. When she saw Golden;s misfortune she tried to help him out of his predicament. And with some effort she managed to free him from his freezing hell.
“Yo, are you SERIOUS?” Spark gapped, materializing just in front of the fountain where Golden Horseshoes had his unfortunate landing. Her amazement was well deserved, for before her, and the rest of the gang, was a gigantic towering stadium hall, rivalling even the mansion’s proportions. Lucky Stars and Spark stood slack-jawed together, but Nova looked on with a sense of familiarity and an unwavering smile.
“Come on guys, let's go already, my brother and sister should be inside already, helping *with preparations!!!.” Nova ran into the concert with his equipment.
“S-since when did his siblings have anything to do with t-the c-competition?” Golden whispered to Spark as they followed after Nova.
“Why? Can’t handle a couple dragons?” Spark whispered back, the opportunity snapping some sense back into her. “Come on, I’m not about to be outrun by a teen! Let’s go!”
“I could always throw you,” Golden half joked. He and the ladies took off running to meet their reptilian friend’s speed and then some. They arrived inside the concert area.
“Hey guys, I’mgonna startsettingup, tellmeifanythingchangesbye.” The dragon ran off with his gear, at a speed that was uncommon for a pony or dragon his size.
“Did he just ditch us? That squirt,” Golden said annoyed.
“Hey, if he wants to miss out on Las Pegasus’s greatest concert hall, that’s fine by me. Golden, Luck-” Spark said, pausing. “Lucky? You alright?” Lucky Stars only followed behind, shaking a little bit, her eyes never leaving the stadium’s ceiling. “You seem a little out of it...” The earth pony blinked out of her state and shook her head, looking at Spark.
“I’m fine, thank you, it’s just...” Lucky began. “This challenge, music isn’t really my forte, is all.”
A pink dragoness walked towards them with a friendly smile, “Good thing you have my brother with you then.”
“And you are?” Golden asked the pink dragon.
She giggled slightly, “Right, my names Tierra Blaze, and my brother up there on the lighting is Shadow.” The black and green dragon waved as he worked. A signal below from the stage caught Shadow’s attention, then, and he responded with a nod and a turn of a lime light.
“Hello, little ponies,” said a towering alicorn, standing center stage, with the light pouring directly on her. Not that she wasn’t illuminated enough on her own. “...And dragons, I suppose. My name is Candle Light, and I’ll be your coordinator for the evening,” she smiled. A flash of light and a spiral of flames later, and the group found themselves on stage with her, with lights of their own shining on them. Once everypony was there and accounted for, Candle nodded and began to pace her way around them.
“As you know, publicity and good reputation are something that we at GOB Inc take very seriously. It’s why we don’t,” she said, staring Golden dead on, “encourage sabotagery, of any sort, but rather positive image inducers, like a good record or album out and on the radio.” She put her hoof down and turned to the ponies, with a stern expression.
“Which is why you’d better be some damn good singers.” Duly noting the slight panic in the trio, especially in Lucky Stars, she shrugged and continued her walk.
“You’re here today for confidential reasons, that can’t be explained just yet. The only thing I can say is that being musically talented works out for you, here. You’ll be singing in front of a few musical experts, taking turns between one another, and trying to impress the judges with your ‘raw talent.’ The winner of this pre-challenge gets awarded a $100 head start, so ey. Take this seriously.”
“Word of advice,” Candle Light said, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I’d try extra hard, on this one. I’m personally rooting for Team Xxx_Illuminati_xxX, and I’m on the panel of judges, so... good luck to you, is all.”
“Big talk coming from the first person who got eliminated,” Golden whispered under his breath.
“Well I see the saboteur would like to go first,” Candle Light said her eyes narrowing on Golden. Golden dumbly pointed his hooves at himself. Candle Light slowly confirmed what she had just said, and in a flash of flame, teleported herself to the judges panel. To her left was a faceless, generic mare, much like their waitress a few mornings before, and to her right, in front of a nameplate with “Simon” inscribed on it, was a...cow?
Lucky Stars and Spark were shifted back, behind the towering curtains providing a backdrop for the stage, where they found Nova waiting. He had his arms out, trying to catch his balance, as if he was just teleported there himself.
A bright, glowing monitor sat opposite the stage, with a live feed of the stage and its happenings displayed, beckoning them further backstage to watch. All three stepped closer together, as a background track began to play out of speakers hidden all over the stadium.
Golden took a big breath and steadied himself. He would not allow that loser to get the better of him. He was going to show her up. No matter what it took. And he thought he had just the song to do just that.

We get in our way
Tripping on our feet
Filling up our heads too much
With words too hard to speak
Drowning in a place
Where the night can not escape
Commit ourselves into the depths
Exposed against a page
[Pre-Chorus]
Caught in a phrase
An echo in our minds
A flash, a flood
And it's burned into our eyes
[Chorus]
And I can't explain enough
And I won't let it last the night
I'll show you that the image is still there, unseen
It's darkest before the light
If we shut our eyes to see
The things that we have lost inside the lines between
[Verse 2]
Between the black and white
Where everything goes grey
And everything is unsaid, undone
And the negative bleeds away
To reveal the memory
That we've waited so long for
The image shifts as the acid drips
Down the paper to the floor
[Pre-Chorus]
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
We're so nervous to see
If we've let too much in
If we were out of focus or out of frame
I know it's a moment of truth
If a recollection reflects reality
Or if it's lost forever
[Chorus]
[Outro]
I can't explain enough, and I won't let it last
The image is still there, unseen
Nova, Lucky, and Spark all sat slack-jawed, with their eyes glued to the monitor.
“Did you know he could do that??” Spark asked, shifting slightly to Nova, with her voice a little more than a high squeak. Nova shook his head slowly, watching the screen, which depicted the panel scribbling their results onto small slips of paper, before fading to black.
“What a ripoff,” Golden complained as he was teleported to the room of his teammates. “The jerks didn’t even tell me what I got!” In a huff he picked a nearby seat and sat on it with as much force as he could muster.
Lucky Stars was growing more and more visibly nervous. Her usually-neat bun was coming undone, and her teeth were going to chatter down to dust at this rate. She looked from Golden, to Spark, to Nova, then back at Golden, and gulped.
“Hey! I wasn’t that bad!” Golden defended.
“I-it’s not that! It’s just, the way this works...you’re just out there and then you go??” she chattered. “Like without any preparation at all? How do you know what you’re gonna sing? How do you know the words? How do y-”
“Hey, hey!” said Spark, sticking a hoof in Lucky’s mouth.
“Well, you wanna hear a trick I learned for when I do these kind of gig?” Nova asked as he took off his headphones and looked up from the laptop he was working on.
“Yes please.” Lucky asked as she walked over to Nova, who began to give her tips on what to do.
“You’d think they’d already grab one of you guys already. I wonder what's the holdup,” Golden thought aloud.
“They’re probably just seeing which one of us will be more caught off guard by thERIOARGHEGH!!!”
And with that, Spark was teleported onto center stage.
The limelight beat down, and the glares from the judges were piercing, and the pegasus stood petrified, until...a familiar, mellow tune started to play.
“No way...” she mouthed to herself, smiling. “I used to sing this to my sister!” With a smile and a deep breath, she started to sing.

If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea,
I'll sail the world to find you
If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see,
I'll be the light to guide you
Find out what we're made of
When we are called to help our friends in need
You can count on me like one two three
I'll be there
And I know when I need it I can count on you like four three two
You'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
Whoa, whoa
Oh, oh
Yeah, yeah
If you tossin' and you're turnin' and you just can't fall asleep
I'll sing a song
Beside you
And if you ever forget how much you really mean to me
Everyday I will
Remind you
Ooh
Find out what we're made of
When we are called to help our friends in need
You can count on me like one two three
I'll be there
And I know when I need it I can count on you like four three two
You'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
Oh, oh
Yeah, yeah
You'll always have my shoulder when you cry
I'll never let go
Never say goodbye
You know you can
Count on me like one two three
I'll be there
And I know when I need it I can count on you like four three two
And you'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
Oh, oh
You can count on me 'cause I can count on you
She closed her eyes as the track stopped, and whispered to herself...
“Love ya, Beauty.”
“Never thought she could sing. She’s pretty good actually,” Golden observed. A swirl of flames later, and Spark was back with the three, teetering a little.
Nova quickly did tapped a few more buttons before he was called next, “Guess I’m up next.”
“I guess calling you up was unexpected. Darn gods gotta mess with my mind like this,” Golden said rubbing his temple.
Golden turned to find Lucky sitting on a chair in the corner. She was huddled in the fetal position. Golden thought Nova’s tips may have just made her more nervous than she already was.
“Guess they just know I'm carrying stuff with me.” Nova chuckled as he was walked off onto the stage where a booth appeared, he then hooked up the laptop and pressed a button, as a soft melody began to play, while his fingers danced across the keys and triggers.

A hundred thousand stories have filled my head
As I look for the answers in what I've read
Secretly waiting for my life to change
And with this transformation, something's strange
Now my world is bigger than I know
I'm losing all control
I never thought I'd make it...
Now I know
This world spins faster than you know
And I'd give anything to show what I'm trying for
Just what I'm fighting for, oh...
This world spins faster than you know...
Every single heartbeat is something new
And now that I'm immortal, what will I do?
Somehow my wings are a symbol of a bigger change
But still a thousand questions fill my veins.

Cause this world is bigger than I know
I'm losing all control
I never thought I'd make it...

Now I know
This world spins faster than you know
And I'd give anything to show what I'm trying for
Just what I'm fighting for, oh...
This world spins faster than you know...

And in a hundred years will I still be the same?
Will I outlive the ones who know my name?
Can I let go of my eternal burning flame?
Without shame?
Without pain?
All the same,
Who's to blame?
And in a thousand years will I be all alone?
Will this still be the place that I call home?
And will I settle down, or will I start to roam
Far from home?
Time has shown
What I've known
Turned to stone...
Cause this world is bigger than I know
I'm losing all control
I never thought I'd make it...

Now I know
This world spins faster than you know
And I'd give anything to show what I'm fighting for
Just what I'm dying for, oh...
This world spins faster than you know
This world spins faster than you know
This world spins faster than you know
Nova paused and looked up as his siblings clapped and smiled at him. He then took his stuff and walked off the stage as the judges scribbled on the papers.
“What the hell is this? How are all of my team members so good at singing??” Spark asked, throwing her hooves up in frustration and awe. Deep down, though, she was especially proud of her little dragon.
“N-n-not all of th-them...”
Lucky was still in her nervous state. However she had managed to move from the fetal position to merely laying on her back. Golden took solace in the fact some progress had been made. And then Nova’s sudden appearance in the room sent her back into her fetal position.
“Guys. You think you can help me here?” he said through clenched teeth. Spark nodded her understanding and flew up to the shivering mess of pony.
“Hey, it’s...okay? It’s okay, Lucky,” she said, awkwardly. “Since, uh, the other team has only three ponies...” she said, mulling it out in her own brain as the words were spoken. “Maybe only three of us had to sing?” She topped it with a comforting smile, though exactly how comforting was up for debate.
“Actually, only ONE of us had to sing,” Golden said confidently pushing out his chest.
“Yeah. Nova did sing really well, didn’t he, Goldie?” Spark said grinning.
The dragon in question paced back and forth in thought, trying to think of a way to have her sing without freaking out, after a moment his eyes went wide, “Guys, come here, I have an idea!”
“Which is?” Golden asked.
“First, I need a some cloth…” Nova gave a smirk to his teammates.
Lucky appeared on the stage with a black blindfold over her eyes, silently praying for it to go well. She turned around to where her team mates should have been, and she was met with faithful cheers. A step, and a deep breath later, and the music began to play.

I met a man without a dollar to his name
Who had no traits of any value but his smile
I met a man who had no yearn or claim to fame
Who was content to let life pass him for a while
And I was sure that all I ever wanted
Was a life like the movie stars led
And he kissed me right here, and he said,
"I'll give you stars and the moon and a soul to guide you
And a promise I'll never go
I'll give you hope to bring out all the life inside you
And the strength that will help you grow.
I'll give you truth and a future that's twenty times better
Than any Hollywood plot."
And I thought, "You know, I'd rather have a yacht."
I met a man who lived his life out on the road
Who left a wife and kids in Portland on a whim
I met a man whose fire and passion always showed
Who asked if I could spare a week to ride with him
But I was sure that all I ever wanted
Was a life that was scripted and planned
And he said, "But you don't understand —
"I'll give you stars and the moon and the open highway
And a river beneath your feet
I'll give you day full of dreams if you travel my way
And a summer you can't repeat.
I'll give you nights full of passion and days of adventure,
No strings, just warm summer rain."
And I thought, "You know, I'd rather have champagne."
I met a man who had a fortune in the bank
Who had retired at age thirty, set for life.
I met a man and didn't know which stars to thank,
And then he asked one day if I would be his wife.
And I looked up, and all I could think of
Was the life I had dreamt I would live
And I said to him, "What will you give?"
"I'll give you cars and a townhouse in Turtle Bay
And a fur and a diamond ring
And we'll be married in Spain on my yacht today
And we'll honeymoon in Beijing.
And you'll meet stars at the parties I throw at my villas
In Nice and Paris in June."
And I thought, "Okay."
And I took a breath
And I got my yacht
And the years went by
And it never changed
And it never grew
And I never dreamed
And I woke one day
And I looked around
And I thought, "My God...
I'll never have the moon."
“Holy shit,” they all whispered at once. Every single person in the vicinity went slack, including, surprisingly, Candle Light. The goddess quickly recovered, though, and furiously scribbled onto her judgement sheet, but Lucky’s teammates weren’t so quick to come back.
The blindfold they had fastened to Lucky’s head fell to the ground revealing the teacher’s eyes. They were red and puffy.
“Is she going to cry?” Golden asked worried.
Nova glanced back at his older brother, who nodded and disappeared in the shadows that led to the stairs to the lights. Nova grabbed his two nearby teammates and ran to their remaining one who stood alone upon the stage.
Once there, Spark embraced the very anxious teacher. Followed by the small dragon. Lastly the boxer joined in, sniffing a bit. Though if asked he’d claim he had just been hit by something very hard to deal with. Nova then glanced up at the lights, sending out a flame from his nose, just before the lights went out, leaving everyone in darkness.
“Did did we win?” Golden asked in the darkness.
Spark chuckled lightly, “Just shut up.”
“Nova. Your claws are tearing in. Can you ease up on that?” Lucky asked nearly sobbing. Though now more out of pain than nervousness.
“Oops. Sorry,” Nova said bashfully.
“GAHH, Shadow, if I find out you turned out the lights, your scales are good as gone!!!!” Tierra roared in anger. Uproarious laughter could be heard from the rafters.

Challenge Prompt:

As both teams presented themselves, Candle Light was just getting off the phone with GOB who was still in the middle of his meeting with the VeggieCo CEO. The alicorn noticed the team members filling the stage one by one and quickly told GOB she needed to go. She stared at them all blankly.
"I just received a phone call from GOB saying he's most pleased with all of your talents. Especially yours, Miss Stars. GOB even said he wishes to make a record deal with you if you're willing."
"Oh, I wasn't that good..." Lucky said with a blush.
"As I was saying, you all did very well with your singing. It was to GOB's pleasure that team Illuminati decided to do a series of classic rock songs. Something GOB truly respects. Unfortunately, it's not up to him to make the decision who wins the pre-challenge. It's the judges, and I have their decisions right here." Candle said as she held up three cards with writing on them. She proceeded to read off the votes. "I'll read mine first. Congratulations #Shrekt, you've earned the first vote. The second vote goes to... Ah, Illuminati! Well done! The final, tie-breaking vote submitted by Simon the cow who so graciously accepted our invitation to be a guest judge, goes to..." A long pause followed Candle. Before she could say anything, Golden was close to shouting out again but was quickly stopped by Nova who latched onto the boxer's head to silence him.
"The winner of the pre-challenge is #Shrekt! Congratulations, you've earned the $100 dollar head start. Be sure to thank Lucky for the win FYI, Simon made it perfectly clear the rest of you had the talent of a five-year-old at a school talent show." Candle said, angering the majority of #Shrekt's team members, all except Lucky of course.
"Now, I'm sure you're all wondering what the challenge is. Well, this is where teamwork really comes into play. Each teammate will have a different job and that job will be paid depending on your quality of work. If you do a bad job, you'll be paid less, if you do a terrific job, you'll be paid more. The three jobs are:
Drivers for the Metal band from the airport to here; the stage in which they'll perform. The driver's job is to pull a carriage with the band members of five all at once from the six miles away to here. If you get them here on time, you'll be paid an average amount. If you get them here early, you'll be paid even more, and if you get them here late, you will be paid very little.
The second job is guarding the band against being rushed by the fans as they perform. There are psychos who will tear these musicians to bits if they can get their dirty hooves on them.
The third job probably the easiest of the bunch. It's to simply check the legitimacy of the backstage passes. After the show, certain fans will have backstage passes. Surely enough, there WILL be counterfeit passes and your job is to check for those passes. Be weary, they may or may not respond with violence and try to barge their way in backstage. How will you tell the difference? The legit passes have the binary code: 01000111 01001111 01000010. The counterfeit will either have different or no code at all. Check for the codes on the back. Decide among your teammates who gets which job. GOB and I wish you luck.
GOB sat across from Veggie. The two barely spoke to each other and only stared at one another. GOB broke the silence of course.
"So... You want to sue me?"
"Yes, actually. I know your little henchman attempted to sabotage my business. You had no right to do such a thing and I wish to sue you and your company for attempted sabotage of a licensed business." Veggie threatened.
"Please, Veggie, don't make me laugh. I have some of the best lawyers money can buy. From Robert Shapiro to Thurgood Marshall, you can only dream of winning me in court, missy." GOB said with a smile as he proceeded to light a thick Cuban cigar.
"You underestimate me, Mr. GOB," Veggie said.
"Name one of your lawyers..." GOB said.
"Well, the two most successful lawyers I have are Robert Kardashian and Alan Dershowitz..."
'Damn, she has Dershowitz!'
"Hm..." GOB vocalized as he rose from his seat. He went towards the back of his office towards a stand that had a bottle of brandy with two shot glasses. "Care for some brandy, Miss Veggie?" GOB asked.
"No thank you, I don't-" Veggie was interrupted.
"In my office, you do." GOB stated as he secretly slipped a cyanide pill in her drink. Making sure to stir it so it doesn't show, he brought it to the goddess.
'Okay, Hades, do your stuff...' GOB thought as he placed the small glass before Veggie. She looked at the drink for meer seconds before looking back up at GOB.
"You slipped a Jimmy, did you?"
GOB kicked his table in frustration.
"What makes you say that?" GOB asked with an innocent smile.
"Add attempted murder to the list of lawsuits..." Veggie said into a voice recorder she had magicked up.
"We're going to be here for a while..." GOB stated as he slumped in his chair.