//------------------------------// // Chapter - 6b - Rainbow Rocks! Part 2 // Story: Let's Rock 'n' Roll // by Hawker Hurricane //------------------------------// Forte grumbled as he trudged along the street to school. He still hadn't heard from the girls. No text, no call, no response to his MyStable posts. Nothing. He decided against contacting them and would speak to them when he saw them at school. It wasn't long before he arrived at CHS and went inside. By chance Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna were in the foyer talking to each other. They noticed Forte walk in alone looking a little grumpy.. "Forte, how are you this fine morning?" asked Celestia. "I'm good thanks. How about you Principal? You OK?" "I am fine thank you, as is my sister." "Good. Glad to hear it." There was an awkward silence as the trio stood in the foyer. "Is there something you require Forte?" asked Luna. "Errrrr maybe. Have you seen my friends?" "If you're referring to Sunset and the other girls then no, I have not seen them. Where you not with them yesterday after school?" "'I was until after the party when they decided to have a slumber party, to which I wasn't invited." "Why were you not invited?" "Well Pinkie said 'Come on girls, slumber party at my house'. I'm not a girl so I assumed I wasn't invited." The two sisters smiled and looked at each other before looking back to Forte. "I'm sure it was just a slip of the tongue," said Luna, "Did you not ask them if you could join them?" Forte shook his head, "I assumed I wasn't invited so I didn't bother. But the thing is not one of them rang me, sent me a text or anything. It's like they either didn't care I wasn't there or they didn't notice." "Worry not Forte," Celestia said reassuringly, "It seems to be no more than miscommunication." "Suppose so," he said with a tinge of sadness. "Cheer up Forte, you will see Sunset Shimmer again soon," Celesta said smiling. Forte went wide eyed and felt the air leave his lungs, "How did-" "There's nothing wrong with having feelings for Sunset Forte," Celestia said still smiling, "And as to how we knew.....it's kind of obvious to everyone at CHS." Forte was stunned into silence and stood still as a statue. "We shall see you this afternoon at the competition. In the meantime, why not use the free morning to catch up on some studies or practice your skills in the music room?" Celestia suggested. "Sure, I'll see you this afternoon then." "We shall see you then Forte," Celestia replied. The two sisters walked in one direction whilst Fore walked in the other towards the music room. Fortunately it was empty so he sat himself down at the grand piano and began playing. He decided to play a few tunes from the Legend of Zelda games, starting with one of his favourite pieces. The theme from Stone Tower Temple in Majora's Mask. To him though, The Wind Waker had the best soundtrack. But Majora's Mask is his favourite Zelda game. So far anyway, it depends on how good Breath of the Wild is. He also played his own composition of the Milk Bar theme, also from Majora's Mask. He continued playing for a couple of hours when suddenly the door to the music room opened. The chatting ceased immediately upon the group seeing Forte. Forte turned around having heard the chatter, "Hi girls." "Hi Forte," Sunset said smiling, "Getting some practice?" "Yeah. Thought I might as well, I had nothing else to do 'till the competition starts." There was an awkward silence as the girls looked amongst themselves, all feeling guilty about what they found out this morning. "Forte," said Sunset rubbing the back of her neck nervously, "About last night?" "Yes?" he replied with a minute amount of venom. "Where were you?" "I was at home." "Why?" "I live there." "Forte," Sunset deadpanned, "Why did you leave us?" "I didn't. You girls left me. Pinkie said, 'come on GIRLS, slumber party at my house'. I'm not a girl so I wasn't invited." The girls facepalmed. "You could still have come," Pinkie said stepping forward. "Yeah, you could've caught up with us and continue hanging out," Rainbow added. Forte sighed dejectedly, "I could have but decided not to." "WHY?!" the girls shouted. Forte flinched, taken back at the unexpected outburst. Beads of perspiration started forming on his forehead as he looked at each of the girls angry expressions. "W-w-well I th-thought that...er.. I......*sigh*.....I'm sorry," he said looking down to the floor. The girls' angry glares softened at the sight of Forte's genuine apology. Forte felt someone sitting next to him and wrapping an arm around him consolingly. He looked to his side and saw it was Sunset, smiling softly at him. "Apology accepted, but I guess we should apologise also for not noticing your absence earlier....or straight away for that matter." The other girls, except for Twilight, apologised to Forte. Sunset sighed and rubbed her forehead with her other hand, "We didn't even ring or text you to find out where you were." "It seems everyone made a mistake," Twilight said looking around at everyone, "But it pleases me you could all forgive each other and move on from it." "I suppose I could have said something straight away." Sunset smiled warmly and gave Forte a kiss on the cheek, "Stop worrying Pony Boy, it's all in the past." Sunset got up and went back to the girls. Forte remained frozen in place, his face as red as Sunset's hair. "Forte?" asked Sunset. Sunset walked over to him and waved her hand in front of his eyes, attempting to elicit a response from him. "I think you broke him darling." Sunset gently shook Forte. "Forte, are you in there?" Forte murmured something unintelligible. "Sorry?" "That was nice of you," he said softly and quietly. "Pffft, I kissed him and he didn't react like that with me!" Rainbow complained. "Yeah but Forte doesn't have a crush on you," Fluttershy said. "I DON'T HAVE A CRUSH ON SUNSET!" All the girls jumped and turned to Forte. The girls were all smirking. "We never said you did darling." Forte felt his face heat up under the looks from the girls, all waiting for him to respond. *BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNG* Saved by the bell he thought. "Woah it's lunchtime already? Well we better be going if we want some food." Forte bolted out without another word. Applejack chuckled, "He definitely likes you Sunset." "I wonder how much longer he'll keep dear Sunset waiting before asking her out." The girls looked to Sunset, "I can wait. Besides, it's kinda cute seeing him all flustered." Lunch came and went. The students gave each other angry glares creating a tense atmosphere inside the cafeteria. One wrong action or word would've resulted in a powder keg of angry emotions which would not do the girls and Forte any good at all. Fortunately, lunch went by without incident. Everyone was now gathering in the auditorium for the first round of the competition, whilst the competitors were readying themselves backstage. Students were still glaring at each other and claiming passionately that they would be victors. Principal Celestia, sat with her sister at a table on front of the stage, spoke into the microphone. "Welcome to the first-ever Canterlot High School Battle of the Bands. I believe I speak for everyone when I say it is by far the greatest thing we have ever done here at this school." All the students cheered in prideful delight, Celestia continued speaking once the cheering ceased. "We are so glad our three newest students encouraged us to turn this event into something exciting!" "But as this is now a competition, we can only choose one winner," Luna said, "Who is it going to be?" The students once again began vocally squaring off each other. The Dazzlings smirked in delight as they absorbed the negative energy, making them stronger with each intake. MEANWHILE BACKSTAGE Forte and the girls watched as the first performers, Snips and Snails, made their way onto the stage. From their attire it was a big clue as to what type of music they would be playing. They quickly began their rap routine. Much to the displeasure of everyone else. The terrible lyrics, missed cues, the beat boxing..... None of it brought a favourable reaction from anyone, except for Sonata. They came to the end of their performance and with microphones held at arm's length, they dropped them. The ear piercing sound caused everyone to wince and cover their ears. Celestia was not amused. "Please do not drop the microphones," she said icily. The two awful rappers picked up the mikes and walked off stage, laughing in the process. As they did they passed Forte and the girls. "In your face, Rainbooms!" Applejack shook her head and turned to Sunset, Forte and Rainbow, " 'Least we know one group who won’t stand in the way of us gettin' to the finals." "Let's get ready to rock!" boomed Rainbow confidently. "Wait!" yelled Pinkie, "Where's Rarity?" "Here! I'm here!!" Everyone looked to the source of the voice and saw Rarity running towards them.It was clear she had been busy changing her wardrobe. She had changed into short, light brown platform shoes; a long, light brown coat whose hem and sleeves are hung with small metal strips. The shoes are similarly adorned. She is met by dumbfounded stares from the others at her glitzy ensemble. "We will be performing in front of an audience. I'm not going to wear something fabulous? Hmph!" Applejack groaned and pinched her nose in frustration and followed the others, sans Forte and Sunset, onto the stage. Before they got there, Twilight spoke up. "Remember, we have to be good enough to make it through, but not so good we let the Sirens see the magic within us. They could realize we plan to use it against them." "Got it!" Rainbow said winking, "Be cool enough to win, but not so cool that we end up showing off the whole ears and tails and rainbows thing. So…about twenty percent less cool." Pinkie held her drum sticks above her head and tapped them together, "One, two!"" We've just got the day to get ready And there's only so much time to lose Because tonight, yeah, we're here to party So let's think of something fun to do Forte saw out of the corner of his eye Photo Finish and her two bandmates make their way up to the catwalks carrying something. He couldn't make out what they had until they threw something over the catwalk rails. Forte watched as the magnets attached themselves to Rarity's coat. This isn't going to end well, he thought. We don't know (we don't know) what's gonna happen We just know (we just know) it's gonna feel right All our friends are here And it's time to ignite the lights! Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight Shake your tail, shake your tail Forte and Sunset watched helplessly as Photo and her two bandmates, with great delight, manipulate Rarity's arms with the magnets. Rarity flailing arms distracted Applejack, causing her to lose concentration. Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight Shake your tail, shake your tail Rarity's arms continued to flail around and inevitably, Applejacks' hat was knocked off and it landed on the head of her guitar. She quickly replaced her hat and looked at Rarity with an icy glare. So what you didn't get it right the first time Around the auditorium the students looked bored out of their skulls and not at all impressed with the performance. One student, Apple Bloom, rolled her eyes and groaned, "Boring!" Pinkie, at around the same time, swivelled around on its mount one of the drums and aimed it into the air. With a forceful press of a pedal a salvo of colourful confetti was launched onto the air. Twilight, Rainbow and Fluttershy gave each other concerned glances whilst Applejack continued to glare at Rarity. Laugh it off, no one said it is a crime Do your thing, you know you're an original Just then, Rarity is slung sideways into Applejack who kicks her away. Your ideas are so funny that they're criminal As Twilight was about to sing the next line, she got a piece of confetti stuck in her throat and broke into a coughing fit. Fluttershy whacked her in the back with her tambourine, much to the relief of Twilight. We've just got the day to get ready And there's only so much time to lose Because tonight, yeah, we're here to party So let's think of something fun to do At that moment, a spotlight came on directly aimed at Fluttershy. Like a Rabbit in headlights, Fluttershy froze. She quickly though began to dodge the light and took cover behind Twilight. Like a beam of a warship searchlight, the spotlight swept the stage and found Fluttershy who bolted away just as quickly in a vain attempt to avoid being spotted. Fluttershy's attempts to escape the light caused her to nearly crash into her bandmates. Applejack had to pivot around on the spot to avoid being hit by her. We don't know (we don't know) what's gonna happen We just know (we just know) it's gonna feel right All our friends are here And it's time to ignite the lights! Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight Shake your tail, shake your tail Fluttershy found a hiding place behind the drum riser, the lights unable to see her there whilst Rarity continued on her attempts to pull herself free of the magnets. Confetti on Pinkie's drums bounced up and down as she cheerfully banged away, seemingly oblivious to what was happening in front of her. Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight Shake your tail, shake your tail Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight Shake your tail, shake your tail Rarity was on her knees in tears, mascara running down her face and her coat sleeves ripped off; dangling mid-air still attached to the magnets that threw her around like a marionette. Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight Shake your tail, shake your tail Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight! The song ended and all could be heard was Rarity's crying and applause coming from Celestia and Luna, also the only ones looking pleased at what they just saw. Backstage Forte and Sunset looked at each other with awkward grimaces. "That.....could've gone better," Forte said. "Yeah, though it would've gone better had others not resorted to cheating." They both looked over and saw the girls walking over, Rarity still in hysterics. "Ruined! Absolutely ruined!" "Rarity," Said Applejack as she put down her bass next to Sunset, "Were you tryin' to make us lose out there?" "This was not my fault! This was an act of sabotage!" she said indignantly as she squared up face to face to Applejack. "Yeah, well, whoever did this couldn't-a done this if you didn't insist on dressin' like....like....this!" she said as she motioned to Rarity's coat with her hand, "We need to sound good. Is there some reason that concept seems to escape you?" "And what was with the confetti, Pinkie Pie? How am I supposed to shred if there’s paper stuck in my frets?" Fluttershy walked over to them, "It was pretty distracting." Pinkie scoffed, "Said the girl who was running from a light the whole time! A LIGHT!" Sunset quickly spoke up in an attempt to provide reassurance, "You still sounded much better than most of the other bands. I'm sure you’ll make it to the next round, but it won’t matter if you don’t have that counterspell ready. You all find a place to practice where the Sirens can’t hear you. I’ll keep an eye on things around here." "Want me to stay with you?" asked Forte. Sunset smiled warmly, "Sure, why not?" "See you guys later," Rainbow said to them as she and the other walked away. "See you later." Sunset and Forte watched as their mutual friends walked away, leaving the two of them alone. "Do you think we'll beat the Dazzlings?" asked Forte. Sunset sighed tiredly, "I don't know. There's no doubt they can do it but I can't help but feel they're starting the break apart at the seams. No doubt which is what the Dazzlings want." "Speaking of which." Sunset looked at Forte and saw him motioning with his head where she saw three familiar looking girls. "You’re never gonna get away with this." "Why? Because you didn't?" Sunset's previous look of ire evaporated in an instant and was replaced with fear and regret. Adagio started circling Sunset and Forte like a shark circling its prey, "Oh, we know all about you, Sunset Shimmer. You've got quite the reputation at Canterlot High." "I've changed! I'm in a much better place now!" Sunset retaliated as the other sirens joined in in circling her. "Waiting in the wings while your friends have all the fun?" Aria added. "Oh, yes," Adagio said sarcastically, "You girls are so tight, and yet…they didn't ask you to be in the band." "Probably afraid no one would want to see them play if she was in the group," Aria said hitting the proverbial nail in harder. "Too bad," said Sonata, "So sad." "If it’s any consolation," Adagio said as she walked closer to Sunset and Forte, "No one is going to remember you at all by the time we’re done." "Leave Sunset alone!" Dear Forte, this is your brain speaking. Please refrain from talking before I can fully process your thoughts. It may save you embarrassment in future. "Oh how sweet!" Adagio said with condescending sweetness, "Sunset Shimmer has a boyfriend!" "I'm not her boyfriend!" "Yet you stand so close to her, stand up for her.....it's obvious to a blind rat that you love her." Forte winced and tried to reply, but no response came. A short, uncomfortable silence filled the hallway. "What's the matter Pony Boy, is a certain unicorn holding your tongue?" The three sirens laughed and walked past Forte and Sunset and into the auditorium. After they left a nervous Forte turned to see a depressed looking Sunset and put a comforting arm around her. "Don't let them get to you. They're just trying to drive a wedge between us and the others for their own gain." A small smile crept onto Sunset's lips, "Yeah, they are." Sunset looked into Forte's eyes for several seconds. As she looked into his eyes she felt a sense of acceptance and companionship, and a sense that he did truly care about her. "Sunset? You OK?" "Sure, sorry if I was staring." "Don't worry about it. Do you want to go into the auditorium and watch the others?" "Sure." The quarter-finals had just been completed and the Rainbooms had advanced to the semis. The QF performance went without issue and was a much better outing than the 1st round. Twilight had still to come up with a counter spell to defeat the Dazzlings despite her best efforts. The Rainbooms were backstage getting themselves ready, with Sunset, Forte and Spike watching on. "This is it. Last round, and you're in the finals," Sunset said as before turning to Twilight, "Unless you think the counter-spell is ready to be played now." "Don't worry Twilight," Applejack said optimistically, "Finals aren't until tonight. We'll get in a little more practice before we're supposed to hit the stage. We won't let you down." "You won't let me down." Sunset and Forte, who heard Twilight, looked at her with concern. "Um, I was just wondering," Fluttershy said softly, "We haven't played any of my songs yet, and-" "It's the semifinals. We gotta do “Awesome As I Wanna Be.” Fluttershy's face contorted into a scowl, "I don't know why I even asked." I got tricks up my sleeve See me dominate 'cause I'm powerful and great Trixie and the Illusionists finished their performance, much to the delight of Celestia, and made their way offstage. "You're never gonna top that performance, Rain-goons. You shouldn't be allowed to, when you have such a big advantage over the rest of us." "You mean their superior playing and singing skills?" asked Forte. Trixie scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Oh don't be ridiculous. I mean her!" Trixie was pointing directly at Twilight, "If they were really all that, Pony Boy, they wouldn't have needed to bring in some magical ringer to have half a chance. Everyone’s talking about it." "Hah! Puh-lease. I could win this thing as a solo act, and everybody knows it," boasted Rainbow. "Sure you could," Trixie said condescendingly as she walked away. Just then Celestia's voice could be heard over the speakers, "Next up, the Rainbooms." The girls made their way over to the stage, leaving Spike with Sunset and Forte. "Knock ’em dead, Rainbooms!" Spike called out. "We'll just be here...*sigh*...just...watching...." Sunset sighed again and once more felt herself pulled gently into a hug from Forte. Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Awesome as I wanna be Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Awesome as I wanna be First you see me riding on a sonic boom Got my guitar shreddin' up my latest tune There is nothin' you can do to beat me I'm so good that you can't defeat me Yeah, I'm awesome, take caution Watch out for me, I'm awesome as I wanna be (Yeah!) I'm awesome, take caution Watch out for me, I'm awesome as I wanna be Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Rainbow went off into a guitar solo, oblivious to the chillingly cold glares directed her way by Applejack and Rarity. Resting her head on one arm, Pinkie looked like she couldn't give a toss as she robotically banged the drum with her other hand. Fluttershy had an uncharacteristically hard glare aimed at Rainbow. Forte, Sunset and Spike watched in increasing concern as Rainbow's solo started to get more intense and technical. The three's heart rates went up as they saw a white glow above Rainbow's head. Rainbow was unaware of what was happening, as were the others it seemed. Acting quickly Sunset ran onto stage and Rugby tackled Rainbow to the floor, immediately stopping her ponying up....and the song. The tackle resulted in Rainbow falling into Twilight who herself fell over, taking the microphone with her and getting caught up in Rarity’s keytar. That resulted in Rarity losing her balance and instinctively tried to regain balance by sticking her leg out. That only resulted in accidentally kicking away Applejack's guitar which flew across the stage and embedded itself, head down, in one of Pinkie's drums. The stage was suddenly, and fully, illuminated revealing all but Pinkie and Fluttershy sprawled all over the stage. Fluttershy screamed, threw her tambourine in the air and ran off the stage. Rainbow's pony ears faded away and her human ears returned. She slowly came back to her senses and glared sharp, pointy daggers at Sunset. Sunset looked the Celestia and Luna for help but none came. Celestia was making notes and Luna did not look amused at all. "Now that's the bad girl we love to hate!" Flash yelled from the cheap seats. "Flash, for the sake of everyone please do shut up," Forte muttered quietly. "I hear you," replied Spike, "I've seen his pony counterpart, sweet talking Twilight and ogling her. Stupid cheese puff." Spike's eyes narrowed into a fierce scowl, "If he so much as tries anything I'll burn his furry arse all the way to Tartarus with my dragon breath." Forte smiled, "I like you Spike." "And I like you." The two turned their attention back to the stage and saw the girls trudge towards them. "What was that?" demanded Rainbow angrily to Sunset. "You were showing them your magic! I-I didn't know what else to do!" Rarity scoffed, "Close the curtains? Unplug her amp? Give us a chance to deal with the situation?" "I'm sorry. I just wanted to help." "Yeah, well, you didn't," Rainbow replied angrily. "None of this would've happened if you weren't tryin' to show off...as usual," Applejack said to Rainbow. There was momentary silence until an irritating voice made itself heard. "Good show, Rain-brooms. I especially liked the part where Sunset Shimmer, in a fit of jealous rage, knocked out Rainbow Dash mid-guitar solo!" Sunset face went red with anger, "It wasn't a fit of jealous rage!" The other girls nervously, and deliberately, avoid eye contact with Sunset. She looked down to the floor in pique. "If you say so," Trixie continued, "Looks like they've already decided who’ll be moving on to the finals." They all watched the Principal and Vice Principal talked to one another. "Looks like they've already decided who’ll be moving on to the finals. I'm guessing it wasn't too difficult a decision." Forte and Sunset watched as the doors opened revealing the Dazzlings. They walked up to Celestia and Luna and started singing, the gems around their necks ominously began to glow red. Their harmonic voices bringing the two under the control of the Sirens once more. Celestia's and Luna's eyes flashed green like they had on their office the other day. Forte and Sunset gave each other concerned glances. "What can we do?" asked Rarity dramatically, "There isn't gonna be another opportunity for us to play and I had the most gorgeous outfit for the finals!" Applejack sighed and scowled at Rarity in frustration, "Yep, 'cause that's the real tragedy here, Rarity, that you won't get to play dress-up." Applejack and Rarity squared up to each other, getting into each others faces so close their noses were almost touching. "You know perfectly well that is not what I meant!" Rainbow moved in quickly to separate the two and pushed them apart. "You guys want to keep it down? They're about to announce who's moving on!" "Who are you kidding? You know it isn't gonna be us!" Fluttershy said to the others. Celestia and Luna walked onto the stage and the auditorium fell into complete silence. Celestia, microphone in hand, addressed the students. "The band that will be joining the Dazzlings in tonight’s finals..……the Rainbooms!" "WHAT?"! Trixie yelled in disbelief. "Did they just say 'the Rainbooms'?" asked Pinkie. Trixie looked at the girls with a fierce glare, "This isn't over!" The girls walked slowly onto stage, still in shock at their victory. "Congratulations, girls. You deserve it," Celestia said to them. Rainbow was about to take the plaudits in her usual brash way but Pinkie stopped her by speaking first. "Seriously? We didn't even finish our so-" Rainbow elbowed her away and grinned sheepishly. The Dazzlings emerged just after. "See you at tonight's big show, Rainbooms. We're really looking forward to it." "Not as much as we are!" Rainbow yelled back. A chorus of boos rang around the auditorium along with several hecklers shouting at them. The girls and Forte walked off the stage and through the crowd, the girls looking down at the floor to avoid meeting the glares coming from the other students. They left the auditorium quickly, though it felt longer, and made their way outside. "So, what are we doing now?" asked Forte. "We may as well go to the amphitheatre and get in some practice before tonight," Rainbow replied. "Will we have what we need by then?" Forte asked looking to Twilight. "If you're asking if I'll have a spell ready by then I don't know, but I'll keep working on it." About an hour later the gang were at the amphitheatre and on stage setting up their gear. Rainbow walked up to the microphone and spoke into it. "Check, one, two, testing, testing…" Hearing nothing Rainbow tapped the microphone head and confirmed there was no power. She looked over to Sunset who turned to the soundboard and adjusted on of the fader controls and gave Rainbow the thumbs up. "Testing..." The amplified sound was greater than they anticipated and the high pitched whine pierced their hearing, making them wince in discomfort. Sunset, grinning sheepishly, brought the slider back down again to end the ear-splitting noise. "This doesn't make any sense. We were awful! Doesn't anybody else think it’s strange that we’re the ones that made it to the finals?" asked Fluttershy. "Very strange." Everyone looked to the source of the voice and saw an all too familiar, royal pain in the arse. "What are you doing here, Trixie?," Rainbow asked smugly, pointing to the seats, "Pretty sure the losers are supposed to be up there in the cheap seats." "The Great and Powerful Trixie is the most talented girl at Canterlot High. It is I who deserve to be in the finals and I will not be denied!" Before anyone could react, Trixie snapped her fingers and the stage trap door opened. The eight of them fell through and landed hard on the floor below. They looked back up to see Trixie cackling like a mad woman. "See you never!" Trixie closed the trap door and left the eight of them in darkness. Sunset walked over to a door and attempted to open it. "It's locked." Forte took out his phone to ring for help but was met with disappointment. Groaning in frustration he turned to the girls. "Can any of you get a signal?" "No, nothing," replied Sunset. "Same here," added Applejack. "I can't get anything either," Rarity added sadly. Forte looked to Pinkie, Rainbow and Fluttershy who all shook their heads. "So we're stuck here?" "It would seem that way," Applejack replied as she sat herself down on the floor. "Well I'm not going to sit around and do nothing," Rainbow said defiantly, "I'm gonna try and get us out of here!" She walked over to the door and tried forcing it open. "Rainbow I've already tried opening it, it's locked up tight!" "Then I'll find a way to open it." Rainbow launched herself at the door, using herself as a battering ram. Unsurprisingly, the skinny school girl had no effect on the much sturdier door. Rainbow, unperturbed, tried again. And again. And again. Applejack sighed, "This is going to be a loooong night." You'd better believe I got tricks up my sleeve And I captivate 'cause I'm powerful and great, yeah, yeah You’d better believe I got tricks up my sleeve See me dominate ’cause I'm powerful and great, yeah, yeah The group of eight heard Trixie start her song. All of them, except for Rainbow, we sat down or leaning against a wall in boredom. Rainbow, was yet again attempting to force the door open. "Give it up, Rainbow Dash! You've been tryin' at this for hours. It's not gonna open." Rainbow said nothing but let the door know what she felt of it by glaring at it. "Maybe it doesn't even matter that we're trapped down here. I don't think the counter-spell would've worked anyway." "'Course it woulda worked, Twilight…assumin' a certain band member didn't try to hog the spotlight the whole time we were tryin' to play it!" "Hey! If you want to tell Twilight she's getting a little too caught up trying to be the new leader of this band, you don't have to be all cryptic about it!" "She was talking about you, Rainbow Dash!" Rarity said harshly, gritting her teeth. "Me? I'm just trying to make sure my band rocks as hard as it needs to." "OUR BAND!" Rainbow was taken aback by the forceful outburst and scowled at the girls. "But why wasn't it working? I should know what to do! How can I not know what to do? How can I have failed like this?" Sunset and Forte watched the the six friends began to argue more and more. Their very friendship was coming apart at the seams right in front of them and all they could do was watch on helplessly. Twilight sand her head into her knees, hoping a hole would open in the floor and let her be anywhere but in that particular place at that particular time. The girls began to square off one another, arguing back and forth with each other like a verbal tennis match. "It might have been your idea to start a band, but it's not just your band, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack said. "I'm the one who writes all the songs!" "I write songs! You just never let us play any of them!" Fluttershy said in a surprisingly forceful manner. "I had the most perfect outfits for us to wear!" "Again with the costumes! No one cares what we're wearin'!" Applejack replied in increasing frustration. "I care, Applejack! So sorry if I enjoy trying to make a creative contribution to the band!" "Hey! Anybody here remember fun? I'll give you a hint! It's the exact opposite of being in the Rainbooms!" Pinkie shrieked flailing her arms about. "I wish I'd never asked any of you to be in my band!" "I wish I'd never agreed to be in it!" Applejack and Fluttershy flanked Rarity and spoke in unison, "Me neither!" The girls went into a five way argument with an increasing decibel level. None of the girls noticed a green mist rise into the air and through the stage door above them. You’d better believe I got tricks up my sleeve See me dominate 'cause I'm powerful and great Sunset and Forte heard, just Trixie's performance end. Their friends were still arguing amongst themselves and showing no end to stopping any time soon. The two of them heard the Dazzlings begin their performance and looked at each other with grave concern. "Sunset if we're going to do anything now would be ideal!" Sunset nodded and ran over to the girls. "Stop! You have to stop!" The girls fell silent and looked at Sunset, "This is what they've been after all along! They’re feeding off of the magic inside you!" "How can they be using our magic? It's the magic of friendship," Applejack said. Twilight was still mumbling to herself on the floor, unaware of the scene in front of her. "Ever since you started this band, you've been letting little things get to you. I never said anything because I didn't feel like it was my place, not when I was so new to this whole friendship thing. I still have a lot to learn. But I do know that if you don’t work out even the smallest problems right at the start, the magic of friendship can be turned into something else." Twilight finally caught on to what was happening and got to her feet and walked over to the girls. "I can't believe all this tension was happening right under my nose and I didn't realize it. I'm supposed to be the one with all the answers and all I've done since I got here is let you down." Twilight felt a hand rest on her shoulder. She looked up to see Sunset smiling at her. "I don’t think anyone is supposed to have all the answers," Sunset said gesturing toward others, "But you can count on your friends to help you find them." "I think you already have. Come on! We need to get out of here!" Twilight threw herself against the door, followed by Applejack and Rarity and had as much success as Rainbow. As they lined themselves up for another shot, they heard knocking. The door opened and a familiar canine face appeared. "Spike!" Twilight said as she swept him into a hug. "Sorry I took so long. I had to find somebody who wasn't under the Sirens' spell to help me get you out." Everyone looked at the door when they heard someone walk in, specifically DJ-PON3. "Why isn't she under their spell?" Twilight asked puzzled. "Never takes off the headphones," replied Spike. "We still haven't worked out why I've not been affected." Twilight looked at Forte, her face showing puzzlement once more, "I still don't know why, but 'why' can wait until after we defeat the Sirens." "Agreed." "Come on, y'all! Time to prove we've still got the magic of friendship inside us!" "And there's only one way to do it," Twilight added. "We're getting the band back together?" Pinkie asked with cheery optimism. "We're getting our band back together," replied Rainbow. "Whee!" "Ooh, which version of the counter-spell are we going to play?" asked Rarity. "I don't think it matters what song we play, as long as we play it together....as friends!" Rainbow smiled, "I know just the song!" The girls looked concerned at the way this seemed like it was going, a quick glance from Forte and he saw Fluttershy look downcast over her songs being looked over yet again. "Fluttershy's written a really great one." Fluttershy smiled in delight and somehow resisted the urge to hug the stuffings out of her life-long friend. "We're about to save the world here. Personally, I think we should do it in style. Rarity?" "Applejack I thought you'd never ask!" Rarity pulled a rack of sleeveless short dresses into view, seemingly out of thin air. Forte's brain went into overdrive. "H-how...what..but-" he stammered. Rarity noticed Forte's look and giggled, "Forte dear, if you want a dress I'll make you one after the show." Forte blushed profusely while the girls giggled. "That's not it! I just wanted to know where you got the rack from!" "A lady has her ways darling." Before Forte could react Rarity handed the girls, except Sunset, their respective dresses. Forte and Spike went outside and waited for the girls to get ready. The girls got changed surprisingly quickly and exited quickly. Forte and Spike went wide-eyed in awe. "Wow! Looking good girls!" Forte said grinning like a Cheshire cat. The girls rolled their eyes. "OK Casanova, we don't have time to for you to ogle all your girlfriends," Twilight said, smirking slightly in amusement and gently pushing Forte along in the back. "They're not my girl friends! Yes they're girls and they're my friends but not girlfriends." "Please, I've seen the way you look at Sunset." Forte rolled his eyes, "Not you to." "Yes, me as well. Now come on Pony Boy, we have Sirens to defeat." Forte dead panned whilst the girls giggled. Sunset walked up to Forte and gave him a gentle hug. "Don't mind us Forte, we're only teasing." Forte smiled, "I know." The two looked into each others' eyes for several seconds. They each knew the other had something to say but neither could muster up the words. "Are you guys coming?!" Forte and Sunset looked to see Rainbow calling to them from the hilltop. "Yeah, we're coming," Forte called back. Forte and Sunset ran up to the hilltop without another word. They saw each of the girls with their respective musical instruments, though Pinkie only had her drumsticks. They had also donned platform shoes to add to Rarity's brightly coloured dresses. They were watching the spectacle with increasing dread and the blowing wind did nothing to hamper the perfectly harmonious voices of the Sirens. "How are we supposed to play over them from up here?" As if on cue, the heard a car horn. The white convertible, driven by DJ-PON3, came to a stop atop of the hill. At the press of a button the car transformed into a multitude of sound speakers, lights, equaliser panel.....everything you would need for a concert concentrated onto a few square feet. The gang were very impressed but they would have to wait another time to gawk at the technological marvel. Applejack and Rainbow quickly plugged in their guitars and Twilight connected the microphones. Within a minute they were ready and started their song. And not a moment too soon either as red 'shockwaves' pulsed through the students, sending them into a hypnotic trance. Oh-oh, oh-whoa-oh I've got the music in me Oh-oh, oh-whoa-oh Don't need to hear a crowd cheering out my name I didn't come here seeking infamy or fame The one and only thing That I am here to bring Is music, is the music Is the music in my soul Gonna break out out! And 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 Dazzling light and thunderous rock music contributed the the awe-inspiring spectacle. Forte and Sunset watched as their five mutual friends transformed into their harmonic, ponified forms. Their performance had caught the attention of the audience and the Dazzlings. With a look of sheer, malevolent determination, Adagio addressed the entire crowd and indirectly, the Rainbooms. "So the Rainbooms want to turn this into a real Battle of the Bands? Then let’s battle!" What we have in store (ah-ah) All we want and more (ah-ah) We will break on through (ah-ah) Now it's time to finish you! What followed next was an epic euphony of music and a light show that would put Las Pegasus to shame. Forte watched as the two bands battled for vocal and musical supremacy. The Dazzlings, their power building, transformed themselves as well. They each grew pony like ears and a pair of translucent wings each. Their entire eyes glowed red and from their pendants arose what appeared to be apparitions of their true forms. The apparitions raced towards the Rainbooms who stared wide-eyed in shock at the spectacle. Needing to act quickly, DJ-PON3 adjusted the settings and Pinkie fired off an intense drum solo; sending off sound-waves to repel the apparitions. Rarity supported her by playing her keytar with exceptional skill and a hailstorm of diamond-like jewels blasted from her instrument and struck the Sirens with considerable force. Fluttershy, with a forceful shake of her tambourine, sent a torrent of butterflies that further repelled the Sirens. Twilight, being the lead singer, responded with her voice. Whoa, whoa Her powerful voice caused the ground top rumble and vibrate and a salvo of six pointed stars launched themselves from Twilight and struck the Sirens head on. An epic battle with the power of the voice followed between Twilight and the Sirens, but with three powerful voice against one powerful voice; there was only going to be one winner. Twilight was quickly overwhelmed by the Sirens' combined vocals and she was knocked off her feet, the microphone flew free of her grasp and landed near Sunset and Forte. Twilight looked at the two and knew what was required. "Sunset Shimmer, Forte, we need you!" Sunset looked like she couldn't decide whether she should help or not. Or more accurately, if she could help. But a hand on her shoulder told her all she needed to know. "Come on Sunset, let's win this thing." With a determined look, Sunset nodded and picked the microphone up and walked to the front of the 'stage'; in direct view of the Sirens. Forte had picked up another guitar and took his place as rhythm guitarist, Rainbow, knowing this gave the thumbs up in support. You're never gonna bring me down You're never gonna break this part of me My friends are here to bring me 'round Not singing just for popularity Twilight walked over to Sunset and put a hand on the microphone, sharing it with Sunset. We're here to let you know That we won't let it go The other girls picked themselves up and started playing again, giving their friends all the support they could. Forte included. Our music is a bomb and it's about to blow The sirens apparitions angrily rushed towards the Rainbooms in an attempt to prevent them fighting back. The Rainbooms though, were performing in perfect harmony with one another. Forte on rhythm guitar, expertly backing up Rainbow on lead guitar. And you can try to fight But we have got the light of Friendship on our side! A white ball of light lit up behind the two singers and it glowed with brighter and brighter in intensity. Twilight and Sunset, still holding the mike together, arced out their respective free hands and formed a rainbow shockwave that repelled the Sirens apparitions away and hit the real ones head on, full force. The shockwave also knock the other CHS students out of their hypnotic trance. This rattles Adagio so badly she loses focus and her eyes return to normal. Got the music in our hearts We're here to blow this thing apart And together, we will never Be afraid of the dark Here to sing our song out loud Get you dancing with the crowd As the music of our friendship Survives, survives! Sunset found herself slowly floating free above the ground. Around Sunset, yellow lights and sparkles blazed dazzlingly around her. A pair of yellowish orange pony ears sprouted from underneath her hair. Another flash of light and her hair elongated into a long ponytail secured by a studded band. The energy surrounding her surged out to fully reveal the transformed Sunset. Sparkles on her clothing and boots, and a large sun on her skirt completed her transformation. Her face now bore an expression of unbreakable determination and confidence. Forte then felt himself begin to float mid-air, the other girls watching in absolute joy with smiles on their faces. White-blue light surrounded Forte and lightning bolts sparked around him. Out of the top of his head grew a pair of lightning blue pony ears. A few more bolts of magic lightning and his hair grew a ponytail and a large pair of lightning blue wings sprouted out from his back. The magical energy surrounding him swirled furiously and suddenly burst out, sending a powerful pulse and revealing a fully transformed Forte. Like Sunset, his clothing was also complete with sparkles and his own symbol. A treble clef 'made' of lightning bolts. I. AM. AWESOME! he thought to himself. The other six rose up behind Sunset and Forte, each bathed in a glow of her own. A rainbow flashed upward from them and into the sky, but this one has eight colours rather than six; the other two colours being scarlet and lightning blue, representing Sunset and Forte respectively. The beam flows furiously into grey clouds above, which disintegrate to reveal a gigantic, white-glowing sphere unfurling a pair of translucent blue-white wings. 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 other students, their attention now fully on the Rainbooms, felt themselves overwhelmed by the music. They couldn't help themselves when they joined in with the performance, singing and dancing along with the Rainbooms. Here to sing our song out loud Get you dancing with the crowd The Dazzlings glowered down at the students who, until a few moments ago where under their control. The red glow dissipated from all of their eyes and, looking upwards they recoiled in fear. They saw above them a colossal alicorn whose entire body glittered with like stars of the night sky. As the music of our friendship Survives, survives, survives! The alicorn opened its eyes and a pure white beam of energy emanated from its horn, striking the Dazzlings in a brilliant display of magic and lighting up the surrounding area like sheet lightning. After a few seconds and everything calmed down, the Dazzlings could still be seen on stage though without their pendants. Having been knocked off their feet, they got themselves back up and tried singing again. We will be adored, tell us that you want us We won’t be ignored, it’s time for our reward Their tone deaf singing drew out a chorus of boos from the students, not at all impressed with what they heard......or have been put through. The Dazzlings ran off stage after some people through food at them. The Rainbooms had reached the stage, no longer in their ponified forms, and watched as the Dazzlings ran away. Sunset looked down and saw fragments of their pendants on the stage floor. Bending down she picked one up. "Guess that explains why these were so special to them." "Without those pendants and the magic you brought here from Equestria, they're just three harmless teenage girls," Twilight said. "Rainbooms rule!" Flash shouted from the cheap seats before running up on stage and hugging Sunset, "That was amazing!" Sunset blushed. Forte scowled. Cockwomble. Fortunately for Forte, they were interrupted. "You may have vanquished the Dazzlings, but you will never have the amazing show-stopping ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie!" In an instant Trixie created a cloud of smoke causing everyone to cough. After a couple of seconds, the smoke dissipated revealing that Trixie had disappeared. "She's gone!" yelled Pinkie. A moment later Pinkie saw Trixie climbing over a wall and out of the amphitheatre. "Oh wait, there she is!" Trixie jumped over the wall and called out, "Trixie's OK!" Rainbow rolled her eyes and walked over to Sunset, "You know, Twilight is going back to Equestria soon. The Rainbooms could really use someone as lead singer." Rainbow then turned to Forte, "And you were pretty good on rhythm guitar, wanna be part of the band permanently?" Forte's face was like that of a fat kid in a sweet shop, "I'd love to." "So Forte," started Sunset, "What do you make of actually growing pony ears?" "It....felt a little weird." "I know how you feel. But if it makes you feel better, I changed physical forms completely when I came here." Forte laughed, "Yeah, I guess I had it easier than you." There was an awkward silence as Forte nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Sunset?" "Yes Forte?" Forte began to blush as he tried to get a question out, "I was wondering if...." "Yes?" Sunset asked gleefully. "I was wondering if you'd......er if you'd like to....ugh.....like to-" "JUST BLOODY ASK HER!" Everyone stared at Rarity in shock. Never did they expect her to speak in such a manner. "Sunsetwillyougooutwithme?" Sunset blinked, "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that." She did though. She just found it cute to see Forte get flustered like did. "Sunset, will you go out with me sometime?" Sunset smiled warmly and hugged Forte, "I'd love to Pony Boy." Forte returned the hug and somehow resisted the urge to jump for joy. "Forte, can't breathe!" Forte blinked and realised he was hugging Sunset quite tightly, "Sorry Sunny." "Sunny? We've been dating a few seconds and already you've got a pet name for me." Forte blushed again "Yeah, it seems so." "Don't worry about it," Sunset replied, kissing him on the cheek. Sunset held Forte's hand and the entire amphitheatre erupted into applause and cheers of support. "Way to go Forte!" "Nice one Sunset!" The newly dating couple walked over to the other girls, each of them looking delighted at the pair. "You two look positively adorable together," Rarity said dreamily. "Y'all make a mighty fine pair." "You'll be totally awesome together!" "Thanks girls," Forte said gratuitously, "So, who wants a slumber party at my house?"