The finals for the Battle of the Bands were already underway, all of CHS attending the event to hear the two finalists and their best performance of the evening. First was Trixie and the Illusionists, already up on stage in their best magician outfits for their band's theme. Although, the song they played was the exact same one they played for the semi-finals, Trixie didn't seem to care much, seeing as everyone in the crowd actually liked it.
[Trixie]
Ya better believe
I got tricks up my sleeve
And I captivate
'Cause I'm powerful and grea-ea-eat
[The Illusionists]
Oh, whoa, oh-oh-oh-oh
[Trixie]
Ya better believe
I got tricks up my sleeve
See me dominate
'Cause I'm powerful and grea-ea-eat
[The Illusionists]
Oh, whoa, oh-oh-oh-oh
While the band was performing, underneath the stage, the girls of CHS, Twilight, and Sunset were trapped with no way out. The door leading in and out of the storage space was unable to be opened from inside, and the trap door remained closed as Trixie's band was performing. Even if they were to shout for help, no one would be able to hear them over the music booming through the several speakers for the audience to hear, nor would any of them want to help them under the sirens' spell. Twilight was still recovering from being stunned by Riku's Thundaga spell, finally able to move as the paralysis wore out, but she sat against the wall in distress. She knew there was no way her spell would work to counteract the Dazzlings' magic when it was a failure waiting to happen.
The others weren't faring well either, being cooped up in one room for the last couple of hours already stressful enough when their school and world was about to be taken over by mystical beings banished from Equestria. The only one still trying to find a way out was Rainbow Dash, ramming into the steel door with her shoulder as hard as she could. Her efforts were to no avail as it still held shut, barely budging it at all.
"Just give it up, Rainbow," Applejack said. "You've been at this for the last couple hours. We're stuck in here."
"It won't even matter," Twilight muttered sadly. "I don't think my counter-spell would have worked anyway..."
"I'm sure it would have worked," Sunset assured.
"Well, it would have if a certain band member didn't keep tryin' to hog all the spotlight," Applejack grumbled, leering at Rainbow Dash.
"Ok, you guys don't need to get all cryptic," Rainbow said. "Just tell Twilight not to get all caught up trying to be the leader of the band."
The girls, except Twilight, facepalmed at Rainbow's obliviousness. "Ah was talkin' about you, Rainbow Dash!"
"Me!? I'm trying to make my band rocks as hard as we can!" The egotistical guitarist cluelessly sparked the growing conflict as Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity glared at Rainbow.
"OUR BAND!" the other four Rainbooms shouted simultaneously.
"This may have been your idea to start a band, but it's not just your band, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack argued.
"I'm the one who writes all the songs!" Rainbow countered, angering Fluttershy more than the timid teen could ever get.
"I write songs!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "You just never want us to play them!"
"And I had the perfect outfits for us to wear!" Rarity said, making Applejack want to pull her hair out from her needless sense to make their band fashion savvy.
"Rarity, no one cares about the costumes!" Applejack yelled. "That's how our first round nearly ended in disaster!"
"That wasn't my fault!" Rarity argued. "And at least I seem to care about giving some creative contribution!"
"Hey! Anybody here remember the fun!?" Pinkie shouted. "I'll give you a hint: IT'S THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF THE RAINBOOMS!"
The girls soon began bickering and shouting over each other, the tension between them finally reaching their boiling point. Sunset was the only one out of the six girls she was stuck with who wasn't either trying to tear at each other's throats or moping in misery. She hoped Sora would show up soon if he stopped Riku and Kairi from trying to kill him and finally get them out. Little did they notice that the negative energy from the Rainbooms was already flowing out from them and up onto the stage, already giving the Dazzlings what they desired.
[Trixie]
Ya better believe
I got tricks up my sleeve
See me dominate
'Cause I'm powerful and grea-ea-eat!
Trixie and the Illusionists' song ended in a burst of fireworks, the crowd applauding their performance. They took their leave, passing by the Dazzlings in their flashier outfits for the finals.
"Try to top that," Trixie mocked.
"Oh no. I don't know if we can," Adagio said sarcastically, she, Aria, and Sonata laughing, knowing they could never be beaten at what they live to do. Just as they were about to walk on stage, they noticed the green mist of negative energy seeping out from the stage floor, filled with Equestrian magic that they were dying to absorb after all these months. "There we go, girls. Dig in, because it's showtime."
The trio stepped out on the stage, catching everyone's attention as a low, hypnotic beat rang around them. Their pendants began glowing, slowly absorbing the energy around them, taking in their fill and growing stronger.
[The Dazzlings]
Ahh, ah-ah, ahh
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah
While the sirens began their song, running up to the hill looking out at the amphitheater, Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Spike reached the top. They froze when they saw the sirens were already on stage, their song stronger as they seemed to have absorbed the magic from the girls underneath them.
"Oh no! We're too late!" Sora said. Riku and Kairi made sure their headphones were on their heads as tightly as they could, picking a random song from the long list of tunes Vinyl had put into her spare MP3 players, while also putting it up loud enough to drown out the Dazzlings' hypnotic vocal chords. "They're not going to win! Let's get the girls out of there!"
With Sora leading the way, Riku, Kairi, and Spike followed, running around the stands to avoid being spotted by the singing trio casting a stronger spell with their newly regained magic.
Sunset gasped as she heard the sirens begin their performance, looking back at the arguing bandmates. "Girls, stop arguing!" she said, getting their attention, though it appeared to be too late. "This is what the Dazzlings wanted all this time! They're already feeding off your magic!"
"But how?" Applejack asked. "It's the magic of friendship. There's nothin' negative about it."
Sunset looked back at Twilight, still down about her failure to stop the sirens, which meant it was up to her to fill in for the Princess of Friendship. "Ever since you girls started this band, you've all been fighting over the smallest things that don't really matter for the band itself...I didn't say anything because it felt like it wasn't my place to interfere." She looked down at her hands, her true reason not saying anything was due to her not feeling part of the group and the darkness within her threatening to take over again. She wasn't going to let the darkness haunt her anymore as it had in the past few months, taking Sora's words to heart. She looked up with more confidence, her friends waiting for her to continue. "I'm still new to this 'friendship' thing, and I still have a lot to learn. But if you don't work out the small problems that turn into big disasters from the start, then the magic of friendship can be turned into something else."
Twilight looked up, surprised by Sunset's words. She had been so worked up trying to figure out the counter-spell, she didn't even pay attention to all the arguing the girls were in. She stood up and approached Sunset.
"I can't believe I didn't see any of this," Twilight said. "I was supposed to be the one with all the answers after everything I've been through in the past. All I've done was let you all down."
"I don't think anyone's supposed to have all the answers others want you to have," Sunset said. "But you can count on your friends to find it for you. Sora surely did earlier, and I'm sure he wouldn't have been who he is today without the friends he's made."
"...You're right. And I think you helped me find the solution we need." Lifted by Sunset's speech, Twilight summoned her Keyblade. "Stand back, girls. I'm going to try to get us out of here. The Dazzlings haven't won yet!"
Tapping into her Harmony Links, Twilight focused more on the strength from the Element of Honesty, her muscles growing a little more as her power increased. The others backed away as the princess charged forward, pulling her blade back for a powerful swing that will send the door flying off its hinges. Suddenly, the door opened up, Sora yelping in surprise as Twilight came rushing at them, the powered up princess crying out as she couldn't stop her swing. Sora managed to get out of the way and avoid the swing, but Twilight stumbled and ended up tackling Riku, sending the both falling to the ground.
"...Uhh, we could have just gotten the door for you," Sora said.
"What took you so long?" Twilight grumbled. She pushed herself up on her knees, her apology to Riku for ramming into him halting when she saw the headphones he fixed as he sat up. "...Why are you wearing those?"
"Not sure if he can hear you," Sora answered for Riku since he was listening to what was currently playing to drown out the harmonizing sirens. "Out of all the other people at CHS, Vinyl managed to avoid getting caught by the sirens' spell the other day because she was listening to music with headphones on. Play any loud enough music that's stronger than theirs, it blocks out their magical singing."
"Oh..." She noticed Kairi was wearing a pair of headphones too, giving her a wave. "That makes sense. Louder music wins over musical spells if somepony can't hear it." Twilight and Riku stood up, she and the rest of the girls seeing the disheveled state the three Keyblade wielders were in. "...You three ended up fighting?"
"For a long while, but thanks to Vinyl and her music blasting right in their faces, it cancelled out the mind control they were under," Sora explained.
"And Sora wouldn't have survived without my help," Spike added as he leapt into Twilight's arms. "Riku and Kairi had him on the ropes, but I bit Riku on the leg to stop him from stabbing him through the head with his Keyblade. He's kind of a bit down after I told him what he did to you earlier under the sirens' spell."
Even though Riku couldn't hear what was being said, he knew they must have been talking about him while under the effect of the Dazzlings' magic. Twilight saw him avert his eyes from hers. She didn't really blame him for attacking her since he was under a spell, though they'll have to make up for what had happened once the sirens are finished.
"Let's not wait any longer, y'all!" Applejack said. "Time for us to prove we still have the magic of friendship in us!"
"Right. And we need to fight fire with fire if we're going to win this." Pinkie squealed in excitement at Twilight's words.
"Yay! The band's getting back together!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"We're getting OUR band back together," Rainbow corrected, no longer letting her ego as band leader get into her head as she now realized that the fate of their world was really at stake.
"But what version of the counter-spell are we going to use?" Rarity asked.
"I don't think it really matters what we play as long as we play a song together," Twilight said.
"And I know a song Fluttershy wrote that would be perfect." Fluttershy gasped in surprise as Rainbow suggested one of her songs, feeling elated to finally play something she wrote.
"But, since we're savin' the world and all, Ah think we should dress in style," Applejack said, looking over to Rarity.
"I thought you'd never ask." Rarity pulled a mobile hanger she had brought with her earlier that had the outfits she designed for her and the Rainbooms for the finals. Sora slumped over and groaned, completely giving up with Rarity's fashion trending for a band when they need to save the world. "Well, at least they're fashionable without any added accessories that could get in the way of anything."
"As long as they don't have anything magnetic, fine by me," Sora uttered, running a hand through his hair in slight annoyance, but he dropped his disdain as he focused on their plan. "Let's get going. Grab what gear you have and follow me."
After the Rainbooms gathered their instruments that fell with them, Pinkie only able to bring her drumsticks, Sora, Riku, and Kairi lead the way as the group traveled around to reach the hilltop where they would meet with Vinyl.
The Dazzlings continued vocalizing, their pendants glowing as they charged their magic to fully unleash their power on the audience listening to them. They got their full attention, mostly due to their spell on them as they planned to put them in a deeper trance to control.
Ah-ha, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ha, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
[Adagio Dazzle]
Welcome to the show
[Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk]
Ah-ah-ah-ah, ah
[Adagio Dazzle]
We're here to let you know
[Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk]
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
[Adagio Dazzle]
Our time is now
[Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk]
Ah-ah-ah-ah, ah
[The Dazzlings]
Your time is running out
[Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk]
Ah, ah, ah
As the Dazzlings "entertained" everyone, the Rainbooms were finally dressed up in their outfits, the heroes standing on the hill as they looked down at the amphitheater. Riku and Kairi kept their headphones on, not knowing how far their magic will reach, unable to do much to help, otherwise end up having their protective headgear slip off and be affected by the sirens again.
"Ok, so how exactly are we supposed to play over them from here?" Rainbow asked.
A car horn honked behind them, Vinyl pulling up the hill in her Convertible, colored white and blue while matching her style. "'Sup, guys! Hope I'm not too late!"
"A car?" Riku facepalmed as they saw no sign of her gear the DJ promised to bring. "How are we supposed to play music to reach out to everyone with a car's stereo system!?"
"Dude, you haven't seen nothing yet." Vinyl pressed a button on the dashboard, which began to transform her vehicle into a full set booth for a DJ to entertain an audience. Flashing lights, lots of speakers, a rainbow soundscreen on the front, a turntable replacing the dash of her Convertible, and plenty of ports to patch in musical instruments for their notes to be heard through the speakers. Riku's jaw dropped in shock while everyone else was already excited to put Vinyl Scratch's setup to the test. "Told you I had to get my gear back at my place. Can't exactly drive this to school without getting into some kind of trouble if something activates my custom mixer/ride."
"...H-How?" The stunned Keyblade Master muttered, his eye twitching as he shakily lifted a pointed finger at the vehicle-turned DJ mixing booth.
"Riku, you're really going to question how this is possible when we can turn our Keyblades into gliders?" Sora asked. "Now, quit gawking and let's set everything up!"
Everyone quickly began setting up the Rainbooms' instruments, hooking them up to the DJ mixer/vehicle to take on the Dazzlings and fight music versus music. Pinkie had her drums, no one bothering to question where she pulled the heavy drum set from out of nowhere as they were definitely needed.
[The Dazzlings]
Feel the wave of sound
As it crashes down
Sora looked back as the Dazzlings began singing again after warming up more of their vocals. The sirens unleashed a red sound wave, their pendants glowing brighter as the wave of musical energy flowed down on the audience. They grew lost in a deeper trance, staring at the stage like mindless zombies as their eyes were only focused on the performing trio. The gems unleashed incredible magical power, making Adagio, Aria, and Sonata hover in the air, the red light engulfing them as they began to transform.
You can't turn away
We'll make you want to sta-a-a-ay
We will be adored
Tell us that you want us
We won't be ignored
It's time for our reward
Now you need us
Come and heed us
Nothing can stop us now
The Dazzlings shattered the red veil of magical energy that shrouded them as they pulled off a similar pony transformation just like the Rainbooms. They grew equine ears on top of their heads, their hair grown out longer to form tails, but on their backs were fins in the shape of wings nearly similar to their siren forms back in Equestria. Sora looked back at the band, seeing the girls were all set up with their instruments, Twilight with a microphone, Vinyl sitting in her booth, and Riku, Kairi, Sunset, and Spike waiting on the sides of the DJ mixer.
"Ok, girls, now or never!" Sora shouted as he leapt up on top of Vinyl's transformed vehicle/mixing booth, summoning his Keyblade in one hand while the DJ tossed him a mic, catching it in the other. "Hey, sirens! You want a fight!? Well, here it is! Hit it, Rainbooms!"
Hearing Sora's voice amplified by his microphone, the Dazzlings looked out at the hill, surprised to see him still alive and the girls freed from underneath the stage they hovered over without no one noticing. Their hypnotic music was soon drowned out by the upbeat song played by the Rainbooms, Sora joining in as he would take part in the "battle" in the Battle of the Bands.
[The Rainbooms and Sora]
Oh-oh, oh-whoa-oh
I've got the music in me
Oh-oh, oh-whoa-oh
[Twilight Sparkle]
Don't need to hear a crowd
Cheering out my name
[Sora]
I didn't come here seeking
Infamy or fame
[The Rainbooms and Sora]
The one and only thing
That I am here to bring
Is music, is the music
Is the music in my soul
Sora dropped hid mic back down to Vinyl and jumped high in the air, himself and the Rainbooms transformed in bright flashes of light. The girls' magic as they played gave them the usual effects of their transformation: pony ears, long tail, appropriate extra appendages their pony doubles back in Equestria have for all except Pinkie and Applejack, but they also had the same transformed mane colors like the powers the Mane Six had in their recently given rainbow powers. Sora underwent the same changes through the power of his Harmony Form, though without the added highlights or streaks like the girls.
[The Rainbooms]
Gonna break out (Out!)
Set myself free, yeah
Let it all go (Go!)
Just let it be, yeah
Find the music in your heart
Let the music make you start
To set yourself apart
As Sora hovered above everyone, he summoned the Keyblades of Harmony, levitating them above the girls that hold their respective element. He and Twilight both rose their arms into the air, summoning the Ultima Keyblade and the princess's powered up Keyblade with her rainbow form in their hands. The magic released from the band's music began to break the spell on the audience as they looked back, staring in awe at the heroes. Even with the flashy transformation and Sora's confident grin, Adagio wasn't the least bit deterred.
"Well, they didn't kill each other," Aria uttered. "At least he was distracted long enough."
"Hey, there's that spirally weapon of his!" Sonata said cheerfully, only to groan in disappointment. "Too bad he's gonna use it on us."
"No matter," Adagio said, brushing off the fact the Rainbooms and Sora were out of their predicaments. "Sora should have done something to us, but it's his own hubris that's his downfall. If they want a real Battle of the Bands, then let's battle!"
[The Dazzlings]
What we have in store (ah-ah)
All we want and more (ah-ah)
The Dazzlings brought the audience's attention back to them, their magic stronger as they were closer to the unfortunate crowd.
We will break on through (ah-ah)
Now it's time to finish you!
The sirens' eyes began glowing red, their pendants glowing brighter until they released a bright flash of light. Shooting out from their bodies were apparitions of their true bodies, hovering in the air above the amphitheater as they stared down at the opposing teens on the hill. As sirens, with hooved forelegs, a long, fish-like tail, a long fin running down their back, and bearing a gem similar to what they wore embedded in their chests, their scales were colored like the ones from the legend when Star Swirl banished them: Adagio with yellow scales, Aria with lavender scales, and Sonata with blue scales.
"Ok...That doesn't look good," Rainbow commented.
"I don't think those are just simple illusions," Twilight said. "That's what they really look like...And with the magic they stole when you girls were fighting, they've regained all the power they lost a thousand years ago."
"They may be at full power, but that doesn't mean they're no match for us!" Sora landed in front of the Rainbooms, bringing his Keyblades to their appropriate positions around him as he held the Ultima Keyblade firmly in both hands. "Just focus on playing the music and unleash your magic. I'll take these sirens head-on and keep you covered."
"Sora!" The fully powered Keyblade wielder looked back at Riku and Kairi, their Keyblades summoned in their hands. They both tossed their weapons at him, quickly catching them as his Ultima Keyblade hovered with the other six Keyblades. "Knock them around a few times for us!"
"Be careful!" Kairi said.
Sora nodded his head, levitating Way to the Dawn and Destiny's Embrace in an orbit around his body as he gripped the Ultima Keyblade back in his hand. "Alright, Dazzlings. Time to face the music!"
The Rainbooms began rocking out on their instruments as the sirens' astral bodies began to fly toward them to counter back their powerful song spells. Sora ran forward, gaining enough speed before flapping his wings and shooting off from the ground toward the attacking sea ponies. The magical shockwaves began splitting the sirens apart, avoiding their musical counter-spell as they tried to attack the girls. Sonata flew closer, but Sora intercepted her, ramming into the illusion with a hard slash of his Keyblade. Though it did great harm, it only made the Sonata down on the stage wince, her magic still holding strong as she struggled to break away from the teen up in the sky.
Aria flew down to help Sonata, to her dismay, but as she got closer, the Keyblades of Harmony retaliated and slashed wildly. Completely caught off guard, the lavender siren was repeatedly struck, his back completely turned to her yet able to counter with the nine Keyblades in his possession. After slamming Sonata down toward the ground, Sora turned his attention to Aria, thrusting his arms forward to send them flying toward her. She unleashed a powerful wail, pushing the blades back from the powerful shockwaves, but that only served as a distraction as she was struck by magical projectiles coming from the Rainbooms.
As the girls played, they each took a turn performing a solo, unleashing their magic as the cutie marks of their respective owners fired from their instruments in the musical sound waves from each note they made. Aria was struck by a wave of butterflies, making her roar in irritation as they surrounded her. Sora pulled back his blades as he watched them pink fluttering lights surrounded the siren and began glowing, Twilight using her Keyblade magic from below to assist and add a bit more power to her friends' magical music playing. The glowing lights soon exploded into shocking electricity, zapping Aria and stunning her as she fell, only to quickly recover and fly back.
Sonata lunged at Sora as his back was turned, only for several magical apples and lightning bolts flew straight at her, each of them coated in fire and ice. She shrieked as the freezing apples struck her back, getting Sora's attention as she was suddenly lit on fire by the flaming lightning bolts. Sonata began flailing around, both her apparition and real body screaming erratically as the siren flew around, trying to quell the fire enshrouding her with the speed she was moving, though it didn't do much until the fire died down a moment later. She didn't have time to breathe a sigh of relief as Sora flew above her, taking each Keyblade in his hand and using Strike Raid, sending each blade spiraling down on Sonata. Each one hit their mark, sending the siren staggering about as she failed to get away.
He didn't notice Adagio sneak up on him, lunging toward the teen and sending them hurtling toward the ground. "You should have stopped us when you had the chance!" Adagio mocked with a smirk. "We should be thanking you for giving us plenty of time to get the magic we needed, and we'll commemorate you as the dumbest hero of all time when we take over this world!"
"I told you we were going to stop you before you think you've won!" Sora grabbed Adagio's torso, sending them flipping through the air as he aimed her down at the ground. "Don't underestimate me just because I let you three go easily earlier!"
Planting his feet on her chest, Sora pushed off hard, sending Adagio crashing to the ground. He flipped around, flapping his wings hard into a swift dive, aiming his, Riku's, and Kairi's Keyblades down at her. The siren shrugged off the landing, moving out of the way right before Sora landed on her and thrust the three Keyblades down on her. He looked up after pulling out all three blades, spiral jumping to the side as Sonata tried to rush him again, slicing her a few times before landing back on his feet.
"Ow! That hurt!" Sonata whined. She turned around to try and tackle him again, only to freeze in place as all nine Keyblades were aimed at her. "Uh oh."
Aria spotted Sonata surrounded by the floating Keyblades, but as she was about to let out a spell with her voice, Pinkie and Rarity provided backup with their solos; magical blue and yellow balloons and blue diamonds fired at the lavender siren's side. The gems, upon contact, made Aria's astral body feel heavy with an added Gravity effect thanks to Twilight's magic, and the balloons popped, sending her flying into the air and falling even harder with each gem that hit her.
Sora pointed his finger out, holding it in the air, making the Keyblades shimmer for a brief moment. He then swiftly swung his arm around in every direction, controlling each blade individually as they were flung straight through Sonata. The siren yelped in pain as each Keyblade struck her, trapping her as they moved faster and faster. Adagio flew in and let out a vocalized sound wave, creating an impenetrable barrier around Sonata, held up as she sang.
"I knew you had more tricks under your belt," Sora said, pushing himself off the ground, summoning his Ultima Keyblade back in his hand. "But let's see if that spell is able to protect you!"
Sonata looked up and let out a shriek, the loud, shaky sound wave reaching Sora's ears. He yelled and held his head, stopping in place as the shriek echoed even louder in his own head. Seeing Twilight in trouble, she let out a few vocals into the mic, her Keyblade glowing as she swung it in her telekinesis, firing her own magical sound waves toward Adagio as she stopped her protective barrier singing. Growling in irritation, the yellow siren took in a deep breath and let out a louder, shriller, vocalized wail. The attack not only shot back Twilight's wave, it also sent Sora flying back and reached the Rainbooms, nearly knocking them over.
Sora managed to recover after the ringing shrieks stopped, hovering a few yards away from the others. He looked up, Sonata and Aria joining Adagio's side. They released a powerful vocalized wail Adagio made earlier, but their combined power made it far stronger than usual. Sora quickly called forth the Keyblades, connecting them together by their guards to make a nine-pointed shield, casting a strong barrier around him and his friends. As the sound waves struck, his shield didn't keep their voices out, and it was already starting to give as he struggled to push back. The Rainbooms were pushed back along with him while Riku, Kairi, Sunset, Spike, and Vinyl held onto the DJ's mixer/Convertible for dear life.
The sirens' singing grew higher and higher in pitch, strengthening their spell while Sora grunted heavily, pouring as much of his own magic into his shield. The barrier began to crack until it finally shattered, Sora gasping in shock as the Keyblades were flung away and the girls were knocked over, Twilight losing her grip on her microphone as it was flung over to Sunset. The trio of sea ponies let out a swift vocal chord out at the end of their long-winded wail, striking the teen hard. Sora let out a painful scream, flung back by the impacting sound wave, smacking the ground hard as he rolled back to the others until he smacked into the front of Vinyl's soundscreen, surprisingly not damaging it as it stopped him.
"Sora!" Kairi cried out with worry as she and Riku ran up to him. Sora could barely hear anything, only the loud ringing of the sirens' song deafening him, groaning in pain as the vocals made his body numb along with the harsh landing. The Princess of Heart called her Keyblade back to her, casting Curaga on him, which thankfully helped stopped the echoing singing rattling his skull and his injuries. "Are you ok!?"
"Yeah, but those three are tough," Sora said, wincing a little as he stood up. The sirens from both the stage and the air smirked, their power far stronger than him and the Rainbooms, even with the power of the Elements of Harmony. "They must have absorbed so much negative energy, their magic will easily break through against us...We need more magic..." His equine ears perked up as he got an idea. "...Wait..." Sora looked at Sunset, picking up the microphone as she stared up at the sirens with worry. "Sunset! We need your help!"
"Me? But, what can I do?" Sunset questioned, confused by Sora's request for her help. "I don't have the power to use the Elements of Harmony. I don't have any magic in this world."
"No. Sora's right," Twilight said as she got up on her knees. "You're just as much a part of this group as much as any of us."
"We're supposed to show those sirens the magic of friendship, and we need all of our friends. That includes you," Sora said.
Sunset wasn't exactly sure she could really benefit in helping Sora and the Rainbooms stop the sirens. She may have been a unicorn at first, but she wasn't destined to be an Element of Harmony like Twilight. She began to doubt herself for a moment, but with the fate of this world, everyone at CHS, and her friends standing before her about to fall to three magical beings, she had to do something to help. Sora's words earlier back at the school, where she needed to wait until it was the right time for everyone to see she has changed for the better, now couldn't be any better time. She promised herself her past would not bother her today or in the future, and today, she was going to put her problems behind her.
She looked at her friends, asking for her help, nodding her head with a determined gaze. She might not contribute much, but they needed her, just like the girls needed help stopping their fighting and see why they weren't getting along in the band. Sunset stepped forward, taking off her jacket and tossing it aside, metaphorically tearing away a part of her that brought her down the wrong path as she now sees the light in her. After Vinyl checked to make sure her setup wasn't messed up from the sound wave and Sora crashing against it, she brought the music back with some synthetic drum beats as the other girls slowly got back up from their fall. Sunset held the mic up to her lips, Sora and Twilight stepping forward as she began to sing, adding her own strength for her friends' music.
[Sunset Shimmer]
You're never gonna bring me down
You're never gonna break this part of me
My friends are here to bring me around
Not singing just for popularity
The sirens rolled their eyes, their futile attempt to try and out-sing them hopeless as their power was stronger than theirs. Twilight stood by Sunset as they sang together, the rest of the Rainbooms joining in as they began playing their instruments again, while Sora continued walking forward, calling back his Keyblades as they swung in time with the beat.
[Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle]
We're here to let you know
That we won't let it go
[The Rainbooms]
Our music is a bomb and it's about to blow
[Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle]
And you can try to fight
But we have got the light of
[The Rainbooms]
Friendship on our side!
"They can't be serious," Adagio muttered. "Let finish this once and for all!"
The sirens flew down to attack, but the Rainbooms increased the volume of their song. Kairi and Riku gave Sora their Keyblades again, along with Twilight as all ten Keyblades flew around them in an orbit, remaining vertical as they spun faster and faster. Sora, Twilight, and Sunset raised their hands up, the blades glowing a bright light, powered by the Rainboom's magic released from their music.
Got the music in our hearts
We're here to blow this thing apart
And together, we will never
Be afraid of the dark
The trio swiped their hands to the side, releasing a powerful shockwave of light all around them. The apparitions were struck, sending them flying back to the amphitheater, the wave reaching the Dazzlings as well as the audience. The girls on the stage gasped in shock as their power began waning, dropping to their feet as their eyes returned to normal. The crowd had also been freed from the sirens' control as they looked back at the music, watching the Rainbooms' performance as the spell was fully broken.
"W-What!? What is this!?" Adagio exclaimed. "Our spell is broken!?"
In the stands, Flash shook his head after the spell broke from the Rainbooms' power, looking back at the group standing on the hill. His memory was a little fuzzy, but seeing Sora and Twilight here to save them from whatever mess they got into now was a relief. It was then that he noticed Sunset was singing with the band, never really knowing if she was actually a part of the Rainbooms or just hung out with the girls as they practiced.
Here to sing our song out loud
Get you dancing with the crowd
Suddenly, Sunset began glowing as she floated up into the air. The others watched her in surprise as Equestrian magic began to show itself from inside her. Equine ears appeared on top of her head, her red and yellow hair growing longer to form a tail, and an orange aura-like horn grew out from her forehead. She looked at her horn, highly shocked, but incredibly ecstatic, unsure how she was able to transform like the other girls, but that didn't stop her from feeling like a part of the group.
As the music of our friendship
Survives, survives!
Soon, the crowd joined in, as well as Riku, Kairi, Spike, and Vinyl. The magical lights coming from the Rainbooms and Sunset began rising up into the sky, along with the Keyblades as they formed a massive orb of swirling light and harmonic magic above them. Sora knew what would come next as the Keyblades of Harmony beckoned him, bounding up into the sky and flying up in front of the sphere.
[All sans Dazzlings]
Got the music in our hearts
We're here to blow this thing apart
And together, we will never
Be afraid of the dark
The ten Keyblades floated in front of magical sphere, spaced out around it as Sora flew up to the center. He slowly spread his arms out as a pair of large blueish-white translucent wings spread out with him, the energy from the giant ball of light whirling away the dark clouds around it. It soon began to form into something larger, Sora staying in place as he raised his arms up in the air, commanding the Keyblades to aim down at a certain point, the Keyblades of Harmony charging a light matching their colors at the end while the remaining four shined a white light.
Here to sing our song out loud
Get you dancing with the crowd
"This can't be happening!" Adagio shouted. "We're supposed to be stronger than them!"
"We can't even use our magic after that light hit us!" Aria exclaimed.
"Uhh, girls?" Sonata uttered fearfully.
"WHAT!?" the other two sirens angrily shouted, Sonata pointing a shaking finger up into the sky.
They looked up, gasping in fear at what was above them. The sphere of light had formed into a giant alicorn of glittering light, its mane and tail the flowing rainbow power of the Elements of Harmony. Sora hovered at its hooves, smirking confidently as he saw the looks on the Dazzlings' faces.
"Oh no," Adagio muttered. "What's that going to do?"
As the music of our friendship
Survives, survives, survives!
Sora thrust his arms forward, firing all ten Keyblades' light in the center before him and the alicorn behind him. The lights merged into a large sphere of swirling light just like the spirit behind him earlier, the alicorn rearing back on its hind legs with its wings flared out and horn glowing brightly. From the hill, the Rainbooms, Riku, Kairi, and Sunset mimicked Sora as he grabbed his Keyblade, twirled it and aimed down at the sphere of light.
"Time for your curtain call!" he called out as the alicorn stomped down and fired a powerful beam of magic of both Elements of Harmony and light.
Merging with the light in front of it, the beam grew in size and shot down at the theater. The apparitions of the sirens immediately evaporated from the air, the trio on stage screaming as the light engulfed them in the powerful magic. In the light, their pendants began glowing, trying to protect them, but the combined power was far too great as the gems cracked and shattered to pieces. The audience cheered at the grand finale the Rainbooms performed, the magic from the girls fading, making the alicorn also disappear as they themselves celebrated their victory.
Back on the stage, Adagio, Aria, and Sonata were blown back when their gems had shattered, miraculously unharmed from the magical beam. As they sat up, the three sirens were confused, expecting to have been incinerated by the strong light, though they lost their fin-like wings and ears. They looked down at where they stood, gasping in horror as they crawled up to the shattered remains of their pendants. The gems were completely destroyed, barely leaving any magic left in them. They stood up, the audience's eyes on them, hoping they still had some magic in them.
[The Dazzlings, off-key]
We will be adored
Tell us that you want us
We won't be ignored
It's time for our reward...
Everyone immediately began jeering at the sirens, their horrible singing far worse than anything they ever heard, even Snips and Snails' terrible rapping in the first round. It was as they had feared: without their pendants, their gems, the source of their power, they can no longer perform any magic. The crowd then began throwing stuff at them, kicking them off the stage and wanting no part in them ever being in their town again. The sirens fled off the stage, clutching their useless gems in their hands as they escaped.
"I don't understand!" Adagio whined. "We had more power! We had their Equestrian magic! We should have taken over this pathetic world easily! Curse you Rainbooms! And curse you, Sora!"
Spiraling down and landing in front of their path, Sora's Ultima Keyblade struck the ground, making the Dazzlings yelp in surprise. Sora dropped down in front of them, landing on the guard of the Keyblade as the six others in his Harmony Form floated in their positions around him. He waved a finger at them to taunt them, knowing they were completely powerless against him now.
"No chance of escaping, ladies," he said, jumping off his perch and pulling his Ultima Keyblade out of the ground. "Told you you three weren't going to win. And ironically, we went on a hunch having Sunset Shimmer help us. Turns out she's not so much of a monster anymore after helping us stop you." Adagio growled and let out a shriek, momentarily forgetting she doesn't have her magic anymore. Sora winced, though not in serious pain, his equine ears pressing down against his head in reaction to the siren's atrocious voice. "...Ow. Were you gargling nails before you ran?"
"Adagio, we lost," Aria grumbled. "We're completely useless now."
"You ruined everything!" Adagio shouted. "Even without our power, I still have my fists!"
The leader of the Dazzlings screamed and ran forward, throwing a punch at Sora. He grabbed her hand, twisting her arm around her back and turning her around, locking her arm in place as she grunted in pain. He spotted them picking up the shattered gems that hung off their pendants, forcing Adagio's hand open and took the shards she held. He examined them, noting they shimmered when they sang.
"...No way," Sora said, slightly surprised and amused, grinning like an idiot as he looked at Aria and Sonata. "You three call yourselves sirens? When your true power actually came from these gems? Wow. I feel kind of bad for you..." His grin turned into a frown, tightening his hold on Adagio's arm, almost feeling like he would break it off at any moment. "Too bad I don't after you two used my best friend and girlfriend against me."
"But we are sirens!" Sonata argued. "We're fantastic singers!"
She began vocalizing, which unfortunately sounded off-key and with no rhythm. "Ugh. Am I the only one with any common sense?" Aria asked herself. "Yes. You're right. Our power came from our gems. That's how we got stronger...and our singing talents came from them as well."
"I knew those gems had to be special when Adagio reacted harshly to me the other day." Sunset overheard them as she and the others ran off to find Sora, no longer bearing her equine ears, horn, and tail. "No wonder you were so protective of them. They were a part of you like with those illusions of your true selves earlier."
"And without them, they're no longer considered sirens," Sora summarized.
The others soon arrived behind the amphitheater where Sora and Sunset were with the Dazzlings, Riku and Kairi having given back the headphones Vinyl let them borrow as they took Sonata's and Aria's arms behind their backs, the remaining two sirens surrendering unlike Adagio. "So, since it doesn't seem like you're going to kill us, what are you going to do to us?"
"I'm sure behind a prison cell in Canterlot would be a good idea, since you three are no longer a threat to this world or Equestria anymore," Sora said. "You three are going to meet the princesses, where they had been taught by the same wizard who banished you here; Star Swirl the Bearded."
"Of course," Adagio grumbled. "That old stallion was lucky he banished us. If he didn't find a way to avoid our spells-"
"Complain all you want when you're behind bars," Riku interrupted, he and Kairi taking the shards of Aria and Sonata's pendants out of their hands. "As much as I'd want some revenge for hypnotizing us and having me attack Twilight, knowing you're powerless is enough for me."
"I got some rope you guys can use!" Pinkie exclaimed, pulling out a few lengths of rope out of her pocket. "They may not be handcuffs, but at least you don't have to hold them all the time."
"Thanks, Pinkie." After tying the sirens' hands behind their backs tightly, Sora reverted back to normal as they kept a close eye on them. "Well, that's another crisis averted. Though I doubt these three are going to reform."
"As if we'd want to be friends with you," Adagio growled.
"Welp, they lost their chance," Sora said with a shrug.
"Sunset!" Running around the stage, Flash found them and headed for Sunset, catching her in a surprising hug. "You guys were awesome! A-And you transformed just like the Rainbooms! I didn't know you could do that!"
"Heh. Me neither," Sunset said with a nervous giggle. "I don't really know how that was possible..."
"Maybe it might have had something to do with the Elements of Harmony," Twilight theorized. "After we saved you from your darkness when you used the Element of Magic, maybe some of that magic was transferred to you. Even if you were from Equestria, you probably would have still been affected by the sirens' song since they used to steal negative energy from ponies before they were banished."
"...I guess that kind of explains how I wasn't affected," Sunset pondered. "I should have fallen back to my old ways if that were the case...but I didn't." As she thought back to the Dazzlings' little show in the cafeteria, she was reminded of what Flash had said to her while he was under their spell. Even though Sora assured her that what he said wasn't really him at the time, those words still hurt her. She backed away out of his arms, confusing him as she stared at the ground. "...Flash, do you remember what happened to you the last couple days?"
"Uhh...I...really don't know," Flash admitted. "I was talking with my band about what we should start our performance with for the showcase, but everything else was a blur..." Sunset let out a depressed grunt, which worried him. He looked at the others, scratching his head in confusion. "What...exactly happened, anyway?"
"Well, you see those three girls tied up over there?" Sora asked as he pointed his thumb at the tied up sirens. "Those three are Equestrian sirens. They hypnotized everyone in the school to spark a fight between all of you so they could feed on the negative emotions you all let out in your arguing. They also sang to Celestia and Luna, having them change the showcase to a Battle of the Bands."
"Oh...That kinda explains why we're at the amphitheater when it isn't Saturday yet..." He looked back at Sunset, his eyes growing wide when he put the pieces together. "...Oh man...Did I...say or do something hurtful?" She didn't respond, but seeing the sadness on her face, Flash winced and sighed miserably. "I did, didn't I?"
"I was there with her when you said those things," Sora added, leaving out exactly what he said for Sunset's sake. "I was just about ready to punch you, but I held back because that wasn't the real Flash Sentry we knew."
"...I wish you did...I'm not much of a mean guy anyway..." Flash approached Sunset, taking one of her hands in his own, forcing her eyes to look up at him. "I'm sorry, Sunset. Whatever I said, I didn't mean any of it."
"Really?" Sunset asked.
"I swear," he said. "...I have a feeling I know what it was I did say, but I don't ever think of you like that. After what happened to you and seeing you change like the other girls and Sora, I will always see the Sunset Shimmer I met a few years ago, only less timid and curious about every single thing you saw."
Sunset blushed and looked away from Flash, letting out a giggle at the light jab against her when she first came to this world. "I wasn't that curious about everything..." She gently closed her hand around his, looking back up at him with a sigh. "I was a little afraid of what you still think of me, even after there were no hard feelings between us. Even more so when I thought that my darkness would come back and I would end up hurting you or anyone else again...But I had a little pep talk from Sora, and I'm not afraid of that part of me coming back anytime soon."
"Cool. I actually did like that Sunset on the hill earlier more than the other you anyway." His comment made her blush harder, the others unable to hide their amused grins or snickering at the little moment those two were having. Adagio and Aria looked away and groaned in disgust, but Sonata let out an "aww", only to be nudged hard in the side by Adagio to shut her up. "So, now that everything's back to normal again, for the most part, you want to go out somewhere this weekend after the showcase, if it's still on?"
"...O-Ok. Sure," Sunset said.
She was about to hug Flash, but the moment was ruined as Trixie popped in between them with a scowl on her face. "You might have vanquished the Dazzlings, Rainbooms, but you will never stop the amazing, show-stopping ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie!"
She threw down a smoke bomb, blinding and suffocating everyone as they coughed heavily. When the smoke cleared she ended up disappearing from where she stood.
"She's gone!" Pinkie gasped in shock.
"No, she's over there," Riku blandly pointed out, seeing her hiding behind the stage. With her cover blown, yet again, she made a run for it up toward the stands and tried to jump over the side, landing on the ground as she underestimated the leap and fell hard. She managed to get up, slightly dazed, and continued her escape. "Ok, was she really under the sirens' spell, or not at all?"
"She was, but she didn't have much negative energy to give," Aria answered. "More like she causes it than gives any."
"Well, it looks like Twilight, Sora, Riku, and Kairi will end up going back to Equestria soon," Rainbow said. "We could use a new sixth member and help Fluttershy with backup vocals."
Sunset thought the offer over, though she felt she could do a bit more for the Rainbooms. "Or maybe I can do something else as well." She looked back at the stage, spotting a lone guitar leaning against one of the speakers. She ran up the steps, moved the straps of the guitar over her shoulder, and hopped back down the steps. She ended up surprising everyone, except for Flash, as she played a riff, showing she actually has a lot of experience playing an instrument. "I can also play guitar," Sunset said with a grin.
"Seems like you still got it after a long while, Sunset," Flash commented, making the girl blush sheepishly. The others looked at him, wondering how he knew about Sunset's guitar playing skills. "I gave her some lessons when she wondered how my guitar worked. She's a pretty fast learner and got the hang of it faster than I did when I got into playing music."
Rainbow was the first to snap out of her shock, considering having a second guitarist if Sunset was as good as Flash claimed. "We'll see about that. But, welcome to the band, Sunset."
The girls soon caught Sunset in a group hug, finally feeling like part of the gang after waiting for so long. She hoped everyone else in the school would see her differently as well, but if they don't just yet, maybe they will in time.
Far across town several miles away from Canterlot High lies a rivaling high school that was considered the best school in the country. Though it was supposed to be closed, the doors were opened to those who are willing to give their best students chances to increase any knowledge of the studies the school provided, though only one took that opportunity to heart. Inside one of the many classrooms, the lights were on and several scientific gadgets were activated, one of the students looking about each device as it picked up a strange fluctuation in power moments ago. The seismograph that picked up the strange occurrence had picked up surprising wavelengths that shouldn't be possible within the city, or the general area within several miles.
A hand ripped off the ever flowing sheet of paper as soon as the waves died down, carrying it over to a board with several notes and scientific information gathered and mapped out to a central point: Canterlot High School. The strange phenomenon recorded just a moment ago was pinned up, where a similar sheet with the exact same wavelengths was already up from a few months ago, prior to when the strange energy fluctuations occurred. The teen looked at the board, placing a hand to their chin curiously as they looked over the information gathered ever since the last unexplained event.
"There's no doubt about it, Spike," the student said, a young girl with unkempt purple hair with a pink streak down the middle with two strands hanging loosely down the sides of her face, the rest tied in a bun behind her. Looking up after hearing its name was her pet dog she sneaks into school, a purple puppy with green ears and wore a spiked collar, letting out a few barks and panted while wagging his tail. She righted the glasses she wore on her face as she began putting the pieces of this mysterious puzzle together. "There's something strange going on at this school."
Early the next morning, everyone gathered around the front of the school, Twilight, Spike, Sora, Riku, and Kairi about ready to head back to Equestria with the now powerless sirens in tow. "Too bad you guys can't stay for a while longer."
"Yeah, but we've got to keep Equestria safe, along with the other worlds out there," Sora said. "Let's just be thankful no Heartless, Nobodies, or Unversed actually showed up in this world. And, maybe when something bad isn't going on, we can stop by for a normal get-together."
"And now that we're able to go through the portal at any time, we can come back through whenever we want," Twilight said. "But, I've got duties of my own to take care of back home. And that includes bringing these three to Canterlot and place them in prison."
"Are there tacos back in Equestria?" Sonata asked. "I haven't had any since Taco Tuesday in the cafeteria."
"For the love of madness, Sonata, just shut up," Adagio grumbled. "What do you think we'll be forced to eat in a jail cell?"
"Ok, let's take them back now before I have to hear them bicker again," Riku said, shoving Aria through the portal and following after her.
Kairi and Sora did the same as they pushed Sonata and Adagio through the portal. Twilight and Spike turned back to the others and waved goodbye, but before Sunset saw them leave, she took Twilight's hand, stopping her.
"Wait, Twilight," she said. "...I want to come back to Equestria...just for a while."
"What is it, Sunset?" Twilight asked.
Sunset sighed, gripping her enchanted book in her other hand. "...I...I want to see Princess Celestia again. I'm sure she was worried about me, and...I want to apologize to her."
"Oh..." Twilight can see she was a little worried about going back and facing her old mentor again. After what she did and the things she had said to her, anyone would have feared the benevolent ruler's wrath, even though Celestia would never dare bring harm to any of her subjects despite being stronger than them. "Well, I'm not exactly sure Princess Celestia saw your message. When I got some books from Canterlot for my castle's library, that book came with it. She probably didn't know you replied to her."
"...Oh...I thought she did..." Swallowing her fears, she took in a deep breath, turning back to the others and gave Rainbow her book. "Hang onto this for me. I'll be back soon, and Twilight will need that here to keep the portal opened."
"No problem," Applejack said. "We'll wait for ya here when ya get back."
"We still need to break you in as a second guitarist for the Rainbooms, so make sure you come back sooner than soon," Rainbow said.
Sunset nodded and took another breath, already feeling nervous and they haven't walked through the portal yet. They both walked through, leaving the others as they waited for Sunset's return.
"I wonder what it looks like in that other world..." Pinkie decided to get some answers as she approached the statue and poked her head through the portal. A moment later, she pulled her head out, looking pretty shocked at what she witnessed. "...Holy moly..."
"What did you see, darling?" Rarity asked. "Was it bad?"
"...Not really, but I met myself there," she said. "And she was wearing army gear for some reason..."
The other girls looked at each other, shrugging their shoulders, just taking Pinkie's word for it since the other Pinkie might be just as random as their friend.
Standing guard by the portal back in the Castle of Friendship, Ventus and Pinkie's shift were up, and the teen disliked every moment when they and the others changed. He sat on one side of the portal and Pinkie on the other, but she put camouflage face paint on their faces while she wore a camouflage soldier's outfit. They clearly didn't blend in with the castle, seeing it was made of crystal and in colors of blue and lavender.
"...Pinkie, mind if I ask you why you thought we could blend in with our surroundings?" Ventus asked. "In a castle? Not outside in a bunch of shrubbery?"
"It's called the element of surprise, Venny," Pinkie answered. "If anypony walks through who isn't our friends, they won't know what hit them."
"...Right." Ventus had enough of Pinkie's shenanigans, rubbing the face paint off his face with his foreleg. "Guys, please get back soon. I don't know how much more of this I can take."
His wishes were answered as something came through the portal, only it was a lavender earth pony mare with long purple pigtails with blue streaks tripping to the ground. Her forelegs were tied behind her back, confusing the pegasus and pink earth pony before Riku stepped through.
"Hi, Riku!" Pinkie greeted. "Who's that?"
"Someone who's going to pony jail," he said. Riku looked at Pinkie, already confused by the outfit she was wearing, but stopped himself before asking why she was wearing that in the first place. "I don't want to know."
He helped Aria sit up, keeping her hooves tied as Adagio and Sonata were pushed through, the former a yellow earth pony with her frizzy orange mane with yellow highlights and the latter a blue earth pony with her blue and purple-streaked mane in her ponytail. Sora and Kairi walked through and picked up the other two sirens.
"Look at the haul we got," Sora said. "Pinkie, Ven, here's our sirens we were sent to stop."
"You brought them here!?" Ventus exclaimed, quickly covering his ears. "Are you crazy!?"
"Relax. They're powerless," Sora assured. "Their power came from the gems they had, along with their singing." He pulled out Adagio's shattered gem in his hoof and showed the younger pegasus. "Without these enchanted gems, they won't be able to cause any harm again...But, I thought you were supposed to be sea ponies. I wonder why you three are earth ponies...unless you really weren't sirens after all."
"That's...a mystery to us as well," Adagio said, a little surprised herself as she looked down at herself, only to grunt in annoyance with her forelegs uncomfortably tied behind her back. "We can't even do anything to you, so would it kill you to untie our legs? I feel like my forelegs are going to pop out of their socket now that we're ponies."
"Not a chance," Riku growled, summoning his Keyblade and pointed it at her. "After what you did to me and Kairi to try and kill Sora, you're not getting off on good behavior."
"Can Aria and I be let go early on good behavior?" Sonata asked, earning a leer from the irritated pegasus. "...Ok, that's a no...Sorry."
Spike, Twilight, and Sunset, to the others' surprise, walked through, the latter wobbling a little as she began walking on all fours again. "Whoa. Been a while since I became a pony again."
"Sunset? Why'd you come through with us?" Kairi asked.
"Taking a break from being human for a little while?" the orange unicorn joked, chuckling nervously. Unfortunately, no one laughed with her, not even Pinkie. Sunset sighed, rubbing a hoof against her leg timidly. "...Actually, I came to see the princess...and apologize to her for how I had behaved back then."
"Huh. I thought you might have visited Equestria every so often after we left," Sora said. "...Then again, with the mirror back in the Crystal Empire during that time, I don't think you would have wanted to surprise anyone there if you just jumped out when it opened up."
"I'm glad I didn't, but I didn't leave the other world," Sunset said. "I had to make up for all the damage I did back at Canterlot High, so I couldn't really leave regardless." She soon looked around, finally getting a good look at Twilight's royal library. She even saw how they kept the portal opened, using an odd device with Celestia's book at the top to be used as the focus point for the portal in the other world to open up along with her own back on the other side. "Sooo...This is your castle, huh? A lot more fancy than Princess Celestia's."
"Well, it is recently new," Spike pointed out. "Anyways, I'll send the princess a letter and tell her we're coming with the sirens. I'll also give her a brief summary on what had happened and make sure to tell her they aren't a threat if she knows about them."
"Good idea, Spike," Twilight said. "The Royal Guard can take them off our hooves as soon as we arrive in Canterlot. Let's make our way to the train station."
"Wait!" Pinkie exclaimed. "I need to throw Sunset Shimmer a 'Welcome to Ponyville Party!' Now that she isn't bad, I have to throw her one!"
"I think that can wait until later, Pinkie," Sora said, Kairi and Twilight levitating the bound sirens in their auras as they began to head out. "You two make sure to tell the others we're back, but we'll need to keep it open for Sunset to go back through."
"Awwwwwww," Pinkie whined. "Okie dokie lokie...But when she comes back, PARTY!"
"Right!" Sora ran after the others, leaving Ventus and Pinkie with the portal.
"Thank goodness," Ventus whispered to himself, glad to finally stop acting as a guard and his unfortunate partnership with Pinkie during the last couple days. "I'll go tell everyone else about the siren situation and-"
Suddenly, the human Pinkie poked her head through the portal, her head now that of a pony's as she looked around. "Ooooh. This must be Twilight's castle. Pretty shiny."
Ventus's jaw dropped, seeing two Pinkie Pies as he had flashbacks to the pony's messing with the Mirror Pool. The human Pinkie spotted her other self, her eyes wide in shock and confusion as the mare waved at her.
"Hi, other me!" pony Pinkie greeted. Human Pinkie slowly pulled her head back through without saying a word, which confused the mare. "Hey! She didn't say hi back! I thought she'd find it fun to meet somepony who's just like you...Or maybe she's not like me. And she doesn't like parties!...What do you think, Venny?"
"...I...I'm just gonna leave...and forget I saw another Pinkie Pie poke her head through the portal." Ventus slowly turned around, then bolted out of the library before he could take anymore of Pinkie Pie before his brain melted, exploded, or did both at once.
Pinkie just shrugged, taking off her soldier gear and face paint in one swipe of her hoof. "Well, that was fun guarding the portal. Now, to plan that party for Sunset."
After reaching the train station, the group boarded the train bound for Canterlot. Sonata was the only one of the sirens who seemed interested in watching the world go by on the locomotive like a little filly, which irritated Aria and Adagio as she constantly made noises of awe at everything that's different in Equestria during their banishment. Sora and Kairi kept a close eye on them, though they couldn't but be amused by Sonata's child-like wonderment, almost as if she was Pinkie's cousin if she weren't over a thousand years old. Sunset sat by herself in the back of the car, steeling her nerves as she prepared to face her old mentor again after her selfish temper and running away from her.
Twilight spotted Riku sitting by himself on the other end of the car. He was still feeling a bit miserable after what he had done under the sirens' spell, and it showed with his hostility toward the powerless mares bound with their forelegs tied behind their backs, even if he held himself back from inflicting any harm on them. She sat beside him, needing to ease his worries before his guilt got any worse.
"Riku?" He continued staring at the ground, but his ears twitched, hearing her out as she scooched closer to him. "You ok?"
"I didn't hurt you too bad, did I?" he asked, keeping his eyes glued to her hooves.
"...Well, not too badly. At least not physically with your Keyblade." Riku's ears drooped, her answer not helping him in the slightest. She grabbed his hoof, holding it tightly. "Hey, I know you didn't do it on purpose. The sirens put you under a spell. When I found out why you were suddenly attacking me out of nowhere, I saw how blank your eyes were; a sign of being put under a mind controlling spell. Even if I were able to fight back, I wouldn't have stood a chance against you at full strength anyway."
"That still doesn't change the fact that I actually hurt you. With my own hands," Riku sadly said. "I couldn't fight back against their control...Kairi and I got careless and fell for their trap." He lifted his free hoof up to his head, letting out a grunt. "It was like when I attacked Sora back when I let Ansem in my heart. Only then, I was conscious and saw what I was doing while he took control of me."
"All that matters right now is that we're all still ok, the sirens are defeated, and we saved Canterlot High from their power." Twilight leaned her head against Riku's shoulder, gently nuzzling him. "I know I'm going to face a lot more danger as a Keybade wielder than I had just as an Element of Harmony. I've been training long enough to take a few hits as long as my defense was strong enough." He finally looked at her, staring down at the large purple eyes of the alicorn. "I felt just as bad when Maleficent used her spell on me and I attacked Sora and Kairi. It took me a while to get over it, but I wasn't in control of myself. Sora felt the same way too when he attacked Kairi on Hearts and Hooves Day when we were both under that love poison's effects.
"But if you're still going to mope about it, then I'm going to pester you and keep telling you it's not your fault. Or...you can make it up to me if you want so you don't feel too guilty." She fluttered her eyes, giving him a sultry gaze.
Riku stared at her for a moment, then let out a sigh, wrapping his wing around her. "I already get bothered enough by Sora. I don't want you to be a pest like him either." Twilight giggled in victory, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek as she snuggled closer to him. "I guess I'll have to think of something to make up for something I couldn't control myself from doing."
"Good," Twilight said. "And make sure it's somewhere fun for us to enjoy."
"Not to a library," Riku said, making the alicorn whine in protest. "You read too much. Don't complain."
"Hmph. Fine." Twilight pouted, only for her lips to curl in a content smile as Riku leaned his head against hers.
Once the train arrived in Canterlot, the ponies disembarked, where they met the Royal Guard waiting for them. They took Adagio, Aria, and Sonata out of the Keyblade wielders' custody, placing them in proper hoofcuffs as they escorted the powerless sirens to their new prison cell in the castle's dungeons. Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Twilight guided Sunset Shimmer through the city, latter swallowing a huge lump in her throat as they got closer and closer to the castle. They split up from the guards, heading off to the throne room where Celestia waited for them. As they reached the large doors of the throne room, Sunset froze, stopping before the doors, her legs failing her as her anxiety reached a breaking point.
"I-I think I changed my mind," Sunset said. "Maybe this was a bad idea. I'm just gonna head back to Ponyville and back through the portal."
"Oh no you don't," Sora said, grabbing her tail as she tried to turn tail and run. "Don't get cold hooves when you're about to get some closure between you two."
The mare whined, knowing Sora was far stronger than her and would drag her into the room without so much as breaking a sweat. She let out a sigh, having no choice now that she was here when he was right. She came here to make amends with her mentor, and she needed to do it now before she regrets it any later. After one last deep breath, they walked inside, Sunset hiding behind the other four out of Celestia's line of sight, seeing her sitting on her throne.
"Twilight, I had gotten your message earlier about the sirens," the alicorn said, getting up from her throne and meeting them halfway. "I was a little shocked to know that those three who caused trouble for everypony over a millennia ago were in that other world. I know Star Swirl meant well in trapping them in a place where no Equestrian magic could be found, but since Sunset stole the Element of Magic, I thought they would have found their way back through the portal. And you're sure they have no power anymore?"
"Nope. They're just a few earth ponies now," Sora said. He, Riku, and Kairi pulled out the shards of their gems from their pockets, Celestia levitating the now useless enchantments out of their hooves. "All their power came from those gems: their magic, singing, and I think their sea pony forms. We're not sure about how their bodies were, but sirens are supposed to be able to sing well without some kind of enhanced piece of jewelry."
"Yes. These gems were a part of the sirens when they attacked Equestria all those years ago. Their source of magic came from the magical gems borne on their chests. Thankfully, they don't have a means of recreating another or repairing these, their magic lost forever once they're stolen or broken." Celestia teleported the shards away to her room, ensuring there wouldn't be any chance someone might accidentally find them or try to piece them back together and give them back their old power. "Speaking of, how is Sunset doing? I hope she's doing well in the human world."
"Well, you can ask her yourself." Twilight, Riku, Kairi, and Sora stepped aside, revealing Sunset from her hiding, the mare's ears drooped down as she looked up at Celestia.
The princess gasped in surprise, her old student staring back at her, feeling ashamed to be in her presence. "Sunset?"
Sunset took a few steps forward, walking past her friends as she stood before Celestia. "H-Hello...P-Princess Celestia," she said, lowering her head in a shaky bow, averting her gaze from the alicorn. "...I-I'm...I'm sorry...for everything I've said and done back then..." Tears began welling up in her eyes, fearing what her teacher would say after apologizing for her behavior after so many years. "...I-I know...I don't deserve any sympathy from you...I was a spoiled child, and I never deserved to be your pupil...I was selfish, ran away when I didn't get what I wanted, but I should have treated you with more respect as I ignored your teachings.
"But I learned so much in the other world, and I've changed. For the better. I went down a dark path, but Sora and Twilight helped me, even when I shouldn't deserve it...I'm so...so sor-" Sunset gasped in surprise as Celestia caught her in a hug, the alicorn holding her tightly. She didn't expect her to do that, nor did she see the tears fall from her eyes, not even caring for her apology as she was grateful enough to see she was still ok after her surprise return to Equestria months ago. Sunset's tears began to fall as well, utterly confused from being forgiven so quickly. "I-I don't understand...I thought you hated me after what I did...That you would scold me, o-or banish me..."
"Sunset, I could never hate you," Celestia said. "I was disappointed by the words and actions you said and did, but I blamed myself for not listening to you, or trying to calm you down."
"But it wasn't your fault!" Sunset exclaimed, choking back a sob. "It was all mine! You didn't do anything wrong! You never do!"
"Nopony's perfect...not even myself." The princess pulled herself away, shocking Sunset to see the ruler of Equestria, the alicorn who raises and lowers the sun, was shedding tears. "I've made so many mistakes in the years I've ruled over this kingdom. My first mistake was losing my sister after the tragedy of losing somepony she loved to darkness and her anger toward me for taking all of our subjects' attention away from her. Her envy, fury, and loss transformed her into Nightmare Moon, and I had no choice but to banish my own sister to the moon using the Elements of Harmony...I was weak and couldn't fight her myself with her heart fueled by a dark power I didn't know she had festering inside until it was too late.
"I even feared the same fate happened to you when you ran away." Sunset's ears perked up slightly. She had expected Celestia to be the perfect princess, always making the right choices and being all powerful. In a way, she was right at first about the alicorn not being as strong as she seemed, but she never knew that, behind her mask of regality, she had secrets she's never told anyone that she held showing she was just a pony like everyone else. "I feel as if I failed you when you ran away, that I ended up pushing you away just like I had with Luna. I tried looking everywhere for you, and I dreaded the day I had to tell your family that we couldn't find you...After you showed yourself back in the Crystal Empire through the mirror a few months ago, when Sora, Riku, and Twilight described you, I was so relieved to know you were still alive, but I still feared you were upset with me.
"I'm so happy to see you changed your path in life, and I should be the one apologizing to you for not helping you when I was still teaching you." Celestia gave Sunset an affectionate nuzzle, making the unicorn's lower lip quiver.
"No, you don't," Sunset said, her voice cracking as she struggled not to break down. "I turned into a monster...I was going to come back and hurt you...I let darkness in my heart and almost let it take me."
"But Sora and Twilight saved you, just like they saved my sister," Celestia assured. "The letter I received telling me what happened beyond that portal, when you helped your friends stop the sirens when they couldn't without you, I couldn't be anymore proud of you for redeeming yourself to everypony there and showing me you really have changed how you thought when you were a filly."
Hearing those words broke that emotional dam in Sunset, hugging Celestia tightly as she sobbed into her chest, the alicorn hugging her back in return. Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Twilight remained silent as they watched the princess and a former student of hers make up with each other after their falling out many years ago. Sunset was glad to make up with Celestia, feeling that terrible weight lift off her shoulders from the subconscious guilt she kept repressed while in the human world as she kept her book that allowed her to communicate with the alicorn. Not only did it help bring Twilight and Sora back so they could help stop the sirens, but it also reminded her to apologize to the princess after reading her last messages to try to reach out to her.
Sunset and Celestia pulled away after they had calmed down, the unicorn wiping away her tears as she looked up at her mentor with a smile. "I didn't realize just how much you're more a pony than what I thought," Sunset said. "I see you as a powerful goddess, perfect in every way, but I guess I was wrong."
"Everypony else still sees that, even after a thousand years," Celestia said with a sigh. "I'm a benevolent ruler, but that doesn't mean I banish everypony who's done anything of ill will toward me. The first pony, or person, who saw me as myself and not a deity face to face was Sora." Sunset looked back at the tan pegasus, who gave a cheeky grin as he brought his forelegs behind his head. "Everypony thinks I'm perfect, but perfection isn't without its flaws. Mine is careless actions I unfortunately cannot fix on my own, even if I believe they are the right ones. I think everypony truly believes I'll banish anypony after making the tale of Nightmare Moon a fictional story to cover for it as a moment in history so my sister wouldn't be ridiculed whenever she returned."
Twilight and Sunset both winced, the newest alicorn princess chuckling sheepishly from her own personal thoughts on being banished just for slacking on her studies while the unicorn thought the same for yelling at Celestia. "Right...Guess you can't believe every story you read. Whether a legend is fiction or not."
"Mhmm," Celestia said with a nod of her head. "Sunset, do you wish to return to being my student? Ever since Twilight's ascension, it has been a little boring not being able to read any of the lessons she's learned."
"...Actually, princess, I think I'm needed back in the human world," Sunset said apologetically. "After what happened with the sirens, magic had actually appeared in that world when the portal wasn't opened, and I want to figure out how it all works there. Besides, I've made some friends there I can't just leave behind."
"...I see..." Celestia took a moment to think, surprised to know magic now exists beyond that world. In the letter she was given, Spike mentioned that the magic the girls had used came out through the power of music, using that as a means to fight back against the sirens. As much as she wanted Sunset to return, she was old enough to make her own decisions, and she's happy to know that she's learning about the magic of friendship just like Twilight, even curious to know how the magic in that world works too with her findings. "...If that's what you want to do, then I fully understand. Just promise you'll come back and visit when you're not too busy in that world."
"I promise, Princess Celestia. And...can you tell my family I'm alright for me?" Sunset asked. "I...don't want to upset them if they thought I was...dead while I was gone."
"Are you sure you don't want to see them?" Celestia asked.
"...Yes...but, maybe after a while, I'll come and see them again..." Sunset was a little worried to know how her family would react if she showed up out of the blue after she went missing, and she didn't want another emotional breakdown during their reunion.
"Very well. I'll inform them of your well-being, and that you can't see them just yet as you're on the verge of a magical breakthrough while you were thought to have been gone the last several years," Celestia said.
"Thank you." Sunset gave Celestia one last hug before leaving, glad to rekindle her ties with her former mentor.
Back at CHS, Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy continued waiting by the statue for Sunset to come back. Seeing as she would be a while, they stopped by Sugarcube Corner for a drink before returning. A while later, Flash Sentry came by to see what they were doing.
"Hey, girls," he greeted. "What are you all doing?"
"Sunset went through the portal to see the pony Celestia in Equestria and we're waiting for her to get back," Rarity said.
"Oh, yeah. There's doubles of us there as ponies..." Flash scratched his head as he began wondering something. "Hey, there's one thing that's bothering me. If Sunset was from Equestria...then where's the Sunset Shimmer from this world?"
"...Huh. That's a good question," Applejack said.
"Maybe the Sunset from this world lives in another city," Fluttershy pondered. "Or another country."
"Boy, that would be weird if both Sunsets met with each other," Pinkie said.
"More weird than meeting yourself?" Rainbow asked.
"Nah, not really," Pinkie said. "Though I was wondering why she was dressed like she was ready for war. Oh well. Not going to question myself."
"I would," Flash said. "Hmm...I wonder what kind of pony the other me there is."
They didn't wait long as Sunset came out through the portal, wearing a party hat on her head. "Hey, guys. Sorry about the wait. Apparently, Pinkie Pie back in Equestria wanted to throw me a welcome party to Ponyville before I left. Kind of hard to say no when she constantly insists on throwing one."
"I would totally do that," Pinkie said with a nod. "That's so me."
"So how'd it go?" Rainbow asked, handing Sunset back her book.
"Better than I thought," Sunset said, taking off the party hat pony Pinkie put on her. "I expected the worst, but she felt responsible for me running away back then. She's considered a goddess among Equestria, but we never really notice that she's just a pony like everyone else."
"Well, that's good, darling," Rarity said. "All is forgiven between you two and you've moved on from the past."
"Now that all the mushy stuff is done, let's get to breaking you in, Sunset!" Rainbow said. "Principal Celestia said that they're putting the Musical Showcase back on for this weekend, and we're going to need all the practice we can get!"
"At least it ain't gonna be a competition this time," Applejack muttered.
The Rainbooms began heading off to practice, Flash following after them to hear their music since his band was fully prepared for the upcoming weekend. While the girls got things ready, Sunset began writing in her book, using it to communicate with Twilight, Sora, and their friends whenever this world needs their help.
Dear Princess Twilight,
I know it's only been a while since I left, but I already miss being home. I had a blast meeting the others, and those other three Keyblade wielders: Aqua, Terra, and Ventus. I didn't want to say it out loud, but Ventus almost looks like Sora to me. Are those two related to each other? Twins, maybe?
Anyway, hopefully you won't mind getting any of these messages. I figured this would be a good way to speak with you or Sora in case I need any friendship advice or when this world is in some form of peril. I hope it doesn't so you guys can spend some time here that doesn't involve world domination or the threat of darkness. I think things will finally turn around here at Canterlot High, but we'll see how it goes by then. Let me know how things are going on your end, and say hi to Princess Celestia for me.
Your friend, Sunset Shimmer