Once everyone arrived at Rarity’s house, Princess Twilight went into her plan: there would be two groups, one with her and both princesses to go after Mane-iac while the rest formed the other group and would look for the bomb. She was certain that the villain would be in the area since as Rainbow put it, “Villains love having a front-row seat.” Sunset was slightly disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to work with her former teacher but Twilight assured her if they managed to find the bomb and it couldn’t be defused in time, they’d need all the help they can get to evacuate everyone.
Rarity’s part was to find the appropriate wardrobe for everyone. After all, one had to look their best, even in an impending crisis. Showing off her variety of clothing that she had in mind, everyone was content but again Sunset was confused. “So why am I dressing up as a chauffeur?” she asked.
“Because we need a driver and I managed to get a hold of someone who owes me a favor,” Rarity said simply. “Besides, I think the look would suit you.”
It was about an hour before the show began that the girls began to get dressed. At least for the three princesses they were used to running around in high heels and the dresses were short enough to avoid being tripped on. It wasn’t what they had in mind but as Twilight knew, it was hard to argue with Rarity.
Shortly before they were to leave, a large black limousine came up to the edge of Rarity’s driveway. The man was the burly type but he seemed rather cheery when he was talking to Rarity once she came out and spoke to him. “On second thought, I think I’m okay with this idea,” Sunset commented from the window.
Soon everyone made their way towards the car, all except Rarity, Celestia, and Luna. “I actually need to run a few errands before we go downtown,” Rarity explained. “We’ll meet you there later on.”
“Oh Luna, before you go…” Princess Luna said.
“What is it?” Luna asked.
“I thought it best to bring this to your attention but…” Princess Luna glanced behind her for a moment before she leaned in and whispered, “There’s the possibility you may have to put out a restraining order on Rainbow Dash in the future…” Luna then left with a disturbed look on her face.
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were both quite impressed with the layout of the car. “I think this is actually more comfortable than the carriages back home,” Celestia said. “I am kind of curious what kind of favor that man asked for Rarity.”
The window in front rolled down and Sunset popped her head inside. “Everyone comfortable?” she asked.
“Yep!” Everyone else replied.
“Huh, ya know Rarity was right, the look does suit ya,” Applejack smiled.
Sunset blushed slightly as she tipped her cap a bit lower. “I guess so…I’ve never driven one of these before so…”
“Well Rarity wanted me to tell you ‘not a scratch darling’,” Fluttershy reminded her.
“Oh don’t worry, we’re quite aware of how good a driver Sunset is,” Princess Luna said.
“I’m closing this window now.”
They made their way downtown and with the current traffic it took them about half an hour before they finally reached the concert hall. Sunset dropped them off before taking the car over to valet parking.
“Did Rarity even say how much the tickets were?” Rainbow asked as the group got in line.
“I think she said twelve dollars,” Twilight replied.
Rainbow looked annoyed. “The show better be worth it.”
Meanwhile, it was only about ten minutes before show time and Octavia was tuning her cello on stage along with her colleagues. It was a big moment for her, as with any concert, but to actually be performing with the Canterlot Orchestra was the opportunity of a lifetime. If she played her part well (a silly statement to say but she couldn’t deny that she was nervous), there was the possibility that she’d be able to stay on and continue on with the orchestra. If not, hopefully someone in the audience would at least take notice for her. A scholarship to the Manehattan School of Arts would be most welcome as well.
Her phone vibrated next to her and she sighed. She only had the phone on her in case of an emergency but she was hoping no one would be contacting her tonight. Mom and Dad had already wished her luck so it couldn’t be them. She picked up her phone and looked at the text.
Heyy just wanted to wish you luck tonight I got a surprise for you
Octavia smiled slightly. Typical Vinyl Scratch. She at least had an idea of what that surprise could be.
Hmm sounds rather nice. You better be here right now to see me or else I’ll be most displeased!
Vinyl didn’t respond but Octavia had a good feeling the DJ was probably grinning to herself. If all went well tonight she would definitely be in a good mood and willing to…celebrate with her dear friend.
By the time Twilight and the others got in, the show had already started, Tchaitrotsky’s Waltz of the Flowers Op. 71 playing in the background. “Sheesh, took long enough,” Rainbow complained.
“Alright, we’re in so now what?” Applejack asked.
“Celestia, Luna, and I are going to check the upper floors to see wherever Mane-iac might be hiding,” Princess Twilight said. “You guys check around the entire room to see where the bomb could be. She could’ve put it underneath any single chair.”
“That’s a lot of chairs though,” Pinkie commented.
“Hence why you’re the bigger group,” Princess Twilight said. “I don’t know where Rarity and Principals Celestia and Luna are but I hope they get here soon.”
“We don’t have much time,” Celestia said. “We might as well get started.”
“How are you three going to get past security though?” Twilight asked.
“We…may have a few cards up our sleeves,” Princess Twilight responded.
Pinkie snorted. “Silly Twilight, you’re not wearing any sleeves.” Everyone groaned at the statement.
“Alright, once Sunset gets here we’ll fill her in,” Rainbow said. “Time to save the day once again!”
The two groups went their separate ways. Twilight and the two princesses found a set of stairs that led to the upper balconies. “‘A few cards up our sleeves’?” Luna asked. “Do explain that one Twilight.”
“Well surely you three can use magic right?” Twilight asked as she glanced around for any guards.
“We…actually never tried,” Celestia shrugged slightly. “But I imagine if we confront Mane-iac it would be nice to have.”
“Huh,” Luna commented. “And here I thought you meant use our appealing looks to…how do they say it? Wrap anyone around our fingers?”
Meanwhile, the girls were spread across the room, acting as if they were looking for a seat but were trying to look under any of the chairs if they could. Luckily, the lights had been dimmed so anyone not paying attention to the performance wouldn’t have noticed them so easily. Rainbow looked over to where she saw Applejack and got her attention with a thumbs up sign, asking if she found anything. Applejack shook her head.
The other girls spent the next ten minutes, looking around as best they could but had similar luck. Finally they regrouped near the exit. “Nothing huh?” Rainbow asked.
“If she hid in here, she hid it well,” Pinkie said. “Even my Pinkie Sense wasn’t picking up on anything.”
It was at that moment that Sunset finally made it inside. “By the looks on your faces I can’t tell whether you found anything or not,” she said.
“Unfortunately not,” Twilight sighed. “I was just thinking though, would she detonate it in the middle of the show?”
“Hmm…well honestly if we go by movie standards, they usually wait for the climatic moment,” Sunset said. “The show is a little more than an hour right? We should just take a breather and rethink this.”
“Well, if you say so,” Fluttershy said.
They managed to find a full row unattended and they all sat down. “Seriously, where the hell is Rarity?” Rainbow asked. “I’m about tempted to call her now.”
“Knowing her, it’s gotta be important,” Applejack said. “Well, to her anyway.”
They went silent for a few moments, letting the music reach their ears which would hopefully calm them down. That’s when Twilight heard it. It was very faint, but she could hear a beeping sound. “Girls?” she then said hesitantly.
“What?” Sunset asked.
Twilight didn’t respond and instead got out of her chair and got on her knees, looking underneath her chair. “Um…I got good news and bad news…”
“What’s the good news?” Applejack was hesitant to ask.
“The good news is that there’s definitely a bomb in this building.” Twilight then came back up with a small laptop in her hand. “The bad news is that I think I just found the timer…”
Princess Twilight realized too late the small problem with her planning: she really should have brought walkie-talkies with her, even if someone had to buy them. They provided a quicker response time than phones, which again she now realized she nor the princesses did not have. Their only hope now was to find Mane-iac and make her tell them where the bomb was.
They had looked all around but Mane-iac could not be found. One would think a woman with hair so long would stand out. “We’re running out of hiding places,” Celestia commented.
“Then there’s only one other place to look,” Twilight said as she looked around. The building had a flat top so there had to be an access way to the roof. “It’d be easier to teleport but it only works if you know the destination you’re going to. And I don’t think teleportation really works in this world.”
“Wait,” Luna said. “Surely there’d be an elevator right?”
“It’s possible,” Celestia said.
Luna pointed to a door with a sign that said “Staff Only”. “That looks like a good place to start.”
They went through the door and much to their surprise there was an elevator, which was probably used by maintenance crews from time to time. “Well that was easy,” Twilight said. However, she regretted her words instantly when she realized the elevator required a key.
“Who would’ve thought technology could be this complicated?” Luna groaned.
Suddenly they heard the door open behind them. “Excuse me, you’re not supposed to be back here.” They turned around and saw a young man dressed in formal attire. He didn’t look like security but judging by the tag he was wearing he had to be part of the building’s staff.
“I got this,” Celestia murmured. “We’re so sorry,” she said out loud. “We were just looking for the bathroom and I guess we got lost.” She went over to the man and casually put a hand on his shoulder and turned him around. “You’ll have to forgive us of course…” Judging by the man’s reaction, he didn’t seem to be too upset by the sudden intrusion.
While she was talking, Luna looked around and spotted a vase on one of the tables. Twilight managed to follow her gaze and when she saw Luna step toward it, panic filled her voice. “Luna…no…”
Luna didn’t listen and grabbed the vase. With the man’s back towards her, she crept up to him and raised the vase before smashing it against the man’s head, knocking him out.
Celestia stared at the unconscious man before staring at her sister. “I had it taken care of…”
“Luna what did you do!?” Twilight almost yelled.
“What?” Luna asked. “Someone had to do it and considering I’ve already done enough bad things in my life I figured better me than you two.” She then grabbed the key around the man’s neck. “Besides, we need this don’t we?” Twilight and Celestia glanced at one another. Luna was going to get a serious talk once they got home.
Luna inserted the key into the panel and pushed the button which glowed white. Soon the doors opened with a chime and the two got in. Twilight pushed the button for the roof and the doors closed before the elevator jolted upward.
“Just be ready for anything,” Celestia said. “Twilight, how exactly do you use your powers here?”
“I…don’t know?” Twilight replied. “It just…kind of happens…”
“Wonderful,” Luna said.
The elevator soon stopped and once the doors opened they were met with a cool breeze. They went outside and realized just how quiet it was. Near the edge of the roof in front of them, they saw someone waiting for them. As they approached slowly, the person started clapping their hands together.
“Well, well, well,” the Mane-iac said, the grin on her apparent. She was wearing an outfit that Twilight recognized the last time the two of them met. While she now appeared human, her hair certainly hadn’t changed in length or volatility. “Fate is a funny thing sometimes isn’t it? I should’ve known you’d come and find me Matterhorn.”
“Sorry to disappoint you Mane-iac but I’m not her, though we have met once before,” Twilight said.
Mane-iac cackled. “Disappointed? Well, I admit perhaps I am a little bit. I wanted to see the look on my greatest foe’s face when my little plan goes into fruition!”
“Is this what you take pleasure from?” Celestia asked. “The need to blow up innocent civilians?”
Mane-iac laughed even harder. “Oh look, Professor Celestia as well! Well…okay maybe not considering the circumstances…but who said anything about blowing up anyone?”
“We know there’s a bomb involved!” Twilight snapped. “And we’ll find it before you can detonate it!”
“Hmm…very perceptive…” Mane-iac said. “You and Matterhorn do share a lot in common…I suppose my paper trail made it a bit obvious. But again…who said anything about blowing up anything?”
There was a long pause. “Just what are you up to?”
“Ooh the blue one finally gets it!” Mane-iac grinned. “Yes, there is a bomb and while it will detonate, destruction is not my intention.” She pulled out a small flask? “See this? This is a small concentrated formula of my own design, one I’m very proud of. You see, once the bomb goes off, this liquid will be turned into vapor and…well let’s just say once our friends downstairs get a whiff of it things are going to get a little…crazy…”
The three of them stared at the woman in horror. “It’s a drug!?” Twilight snapped.
“Oh, it’s much more than that,” Mane-iac said. She then turned around to face the night sky and opened her arms wide. “The formula will cause unprovoked chaos, fear, and insanity amongst all individuals and while I admit it’s only a small amount that I was able to take with me, I think it’ll leave quite the impact on this city, don’t you think?”
“You’re going to tell us where that bomb is right now!” Celestia yelled.
“It’s too late,” Mane-iac said. “Even if you killed me, the process has already begun. See, I don’t have a detonator on me, which I admit offers me no leverage but then again…I always did want to finish things off with a bang. I’m sure by now your friends have already discovered this themselves…”
The laptop that Twilight was staring at only had one program running and it appeared to be recording the sounds of the orchestra playing before them. “Wait, you said detonator but all I’m seeing is soundwaves,” Rainbow commented.
“I could be very wrong about this,” Twilight said. “But I think this bomb has been programmed to detonate possibly at the end of this concert.”
“You mean we can’t disconnect it?” Sunset asked.
“I could try,” Twilight said. “But I have to be very careful about this.”
“Wait, what’s that note on the side there?” Pinkie asked.
“It says… Aase’s Death,” Fluttershy read.
“Wait…isn’t that the song playing right now?” Sunset asked.
“Oh no…” Twilight said.
“You see, I thought it only clever to detonate this little beauty when everyone least expects it, in a state of bliss,” Mane-iac said. “I believe I chose…ah yes the song that’s currently playing right now.” She glanced at a watch in her possession and her grin only widened.
“And it seems as if you’re all running out of time,” she said. “Well, since you three are up here you’ll all be spared but your friends…well I’m afraid it’s too late for them. Once the song reaches its conclusion its game over.”
“No!” Twilight made her way towards the elevator but Celestia stopped her. “Celestia I can’t-!”
“You know we won’t be able to save them in time,” Celestia said calmly. “But that doesn’t mean we won’t find a way to reverse this.”
“Hmm…I sense a deal coming,” Mane-iac said. “That’s right, I may have a cure in mind…but of course you’d have to follow my rules. But before that, why don’t we just savor these last precious seconds. Oh the sounds of screams always seem to soothe my heart…”
Twilight wanted to hurt her so badly, magic or not but she knew she had no choice. “I’m so sorry girls…” she thought. “We completely underestimated her…”
The concert hall was large so even on the roof they were able to hear the music playing. The music was decrescendoing slowly and it was only a matter of seconds before the end would come. And that was when the unexpected happened.
Just when it seemed everything went quiet, a loud beat filled the room below them. Mane-iac could only stare in shock. “W-What’s going on? What’s the meaning of this!?”
The sound seemed to hit Twilight’s ears and even she was stunned. However, a grin came to her face as a slight giggle escaped her lips. “One word: Rarity…”
The audience and especially the players on stage were very confused as to what was going on. As if that wasn’t enough, a fog machine had been turned on as fog slowly crept onto the stage and the doors in the back suddenly opened.
Out of the shadows came Rarity in a beautiful elegant dress and high heels, her keytar strapped around her neck as she played the song’s opening tune, sashaying back and forth as she gave a sultry gaze towards the audience. Right behind her Principal Celestia was wearing sunglasses which she casually took off as she wore a mesmerizing blue dress while carrying a microphone and Vice-Principal Luna who oddly was wearing a tuxedo.
The girls could only stare in shock. “Oh my God…” Sunset said.
“We’re screwed,” Rainbow said.
We’re talking away
I don’t know what
I’m to say I’ll say it anyway
Today’s another day to find you
Shying away
I’ll be coming for your love, okay?
“Wow, Celestia’s got quite the pipes on her!” Pinkie exclaimed.
“No, this can’t be happening,” Mane-iac said, almost pacing on the roof. “I had this perfectly planned out. There’s no way you could’ve-”
“That’s the thing,” Celestia said quite smugly. “We didn’t know, but apparently our counterparts were prepared nonetheless. Maybe it’s you that underestimated us.”
“Agh, it doesn’t matter!” Mane-iac snapped. “You can’t stop the bomb from detonating! The second the music stops its over! I won’t lose!”
“I think we’ve heard enough,” Luna said angrily as she stepped forward. Twilight wasn’t quite sure how it happened, but in the next few seconds, the Mane-iac was suddenly blasted backwards by some sort of force and fell off the roof, screaming.
The three of them looked on in horror as Luna looked at her hands. “Whoops…”
Twilight went over to the edge of the roof and looked down. “It’s okay, she fell in a dumpster. I hope the garbage cushioned her fall.” It seemed only fitting.
Octavia wasn’t sure what was going on but as soon as the beat first started, she knew what was going on. “Vinyl…” she thought with a slight frown. Even stranger was the fact of seeing not only Rarity but Principals Celestia and Luna.
Luna suddenly made her way over to the conductor and tried to take his baton. The older man wasn’t so willing to give it up until Luna gave him a stare that would quell a Doberman and he let go of it. The conductor huffed as he stomped off stage.
Luna was ready to take control and at that moment Octavia thought, “The bloody hell with it…” as she started playing with the music, her colleagues at first staring at her and soon joining in.
“Okay, we need to focus now,” Sunset said. “Twilight, please tell me you can break into this thing.”
Twilight spent the next few moments inputting code to try to crack through the software’s security. “It’s…no good. Whatever the Mane-iac's using it's pretty encrypted.”
“Well, maybe we can disable it another way, like with a virus?” Applejack suggested.
“Right, like I have a USB full of malware with me,” Twilight grumbled.
“Um…does that computer have internet capability?” Fluttershy asked.
“Yeah, it’s running on Wi-Fi somewhere,” Twilight replied.
“Try…um…CrunchySauce.com,” Fluttershy said softly. Everyone stared at her. “It’s a porn site that’s known to give your computer viruses and stuff…”
“Uh…” Rainbow said.
Fluttershy rolled her eyes. “I had to borrow my brother’s laptop one time and he forgot to delete his history page.”
“Well, it’s a worth a shot,” Sunset said.
“Right…volume muted…” Twilight grimaced.
Oh the things that you say
Is it live or
Just to play my worries away
You’re all the things I’ve got to remember
You’re shying away
I’ll be coming for you anyway
Celestia was making her way around the stage and stood behind Luna as she glanced in her direction. Luna managed to look back and smiled slightly before giving her a wink. The audience was certainly intrigued by the performance as they weren’t getting up, which the two women weren’t sure was a good thing or not.
Twilight meanwhile had found the site and of course was grossed out by the videos she saw. “Yep, this looks chock full of viruses.”
“Damn that’s some pretty kinky stuff,” Rainbow said as Twilight opened multiple windows with different videos.
“Hey, I think it’s working,” Sunset said as she noticed the pages were starting to lag.
“We better hurry cause those three are running out of song,” Applejack said. Rarity seemed to be sharing the same concern as a look of worry came across her face.
“Okay…hold on…” Twilight said. The screen was starting to flicker and smoke was starting to come out of the laptop. Then the most beautiful message came across the screen.
Error!
This program has stopped working.
OK
“Yes!” Twilight yelled. She got up trying to wave the three of them down. Celestia managed to catch it and gave her a sister a thumbs up as the song finally hit its conclusion.
The crowd then erupted in cheers as everyone got to their feet and applauded as the three of them bowed before Luna gestured to the orchestra as well. They had no idea what had just happened but they seemed to go along with it.
It was only at the end that the three Princesses managed to find them. “You guys did it!” Twilight said as she gave Sunset a hug.
“Don’t thank us, thank those three up there,” Sunset said.
Princess Twilight stared at the three in surprise. “Wait…” It was only when Rarity finally managed to get off the stage and come up to them that Twilight asked the question. “How did you guys know the bomb was going to go off at the end of the song?”
“It was?” Rarity genuinely looked shocked. “Honestly darling, we had no idea. We just thought if we extended the concert a bit it would give you all more time.” She then giggled. “And I must say, I never knew our own principals could be such professional performers…”