Chapter 2: Too Cool for School
"ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR- !"
~A steady beat on a kick drum rocked the stage of Applejack's barn. Pinkie Pie twirled her drumsticks in her hands, bouncing them in rhythm with the beat before tapping them against her drums in an adorable tune. The Rainbooms began to bop along in time with the music before singing.~
~Song: Shake your Tail- (Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks)~
Rainbooms: 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 part-ey-eyy!~
So let's think of something fun to do!~
We don't know,~ (What don't knowww~),
What's gonna happppen,~
We just know,~ (What just knowww~),~
It's gonna feel righttt,~
All our friends are here,~
And it's time to igniiii-e-ite the liiii-e-ights!~
~A mutli-coloured white aura encircled the seven Rainbooms as they played, growing more intensely. The back ends of their hairs produced a ponytail, and wings sprouted out from behind the backs of Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. They grew a set of pony ears on the sides of their heads, too. The magical aura gyrating them felt warm and tingly as they continued.~
Rainbooms: Shake your tail, 'cause we're here to have a party tonight!~
Shake your tail,~
Shake your taaa-e-il!~
Shake your tail, 'cause we're here to have a party tonight!~
Shake your tail,~
Shake your taaa-e-il!~
Rainbooms: So what you didn't get it right the first time,~
Pinkie: Laugh it off!~
No one said it is a crime!~
Rarity: Do your thing,~
You know you're an original!~
Applejack: Your ideas are so funny that they're criminal!~
Rainbooms: (Ohhhhhhhh-ohh!)
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 part-ey-eyy!~
So let's think of something fun to do!~
We don't know,~ (What don't knowww~),
What's gonna happppen,~
We just know,~ (What just knowww~),~
It's gonna feel righttt,~
All our friends are here,~
And it's time to igniiii-e-ite the liiii-e-ights!~
Rainbooms: Shake your tail, 'cause we're here to have a party tonight!~
Shake your tail,~
Shake your taaa-e-il!~
Shake your tail, 'cause we're here to have a party tonight!~
Shake your tail,~
Shake your taaa-e-il!~
Shake your tail, 'cause we're here to have a party tonight!~
~As the ending chord fell into silence, the Rainbooms' pony ears and tails vanished in a shimmer of gold and silver dust. As they floated back down safely on the decking, smiles from their audience broke into cheers and claps.~
"Bravo, bravo!"
"Encore, encore!"
~Lightning Star and Karly Crystal were sitting on the bales of hay wedged in the corner before the band, while down in front were their trusty animal companions, Spike and Stitch. As well as that, three new but familiar faces were also in the mix in front. Before the show, Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash introduced them to Lightning and Karly- their little sisters, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, or, as the rest of the school and even themselves like to call them, the Canterlot Movie Club (A.K.A: The C.M.C's).~
Scootaloo was the first to start strong with a compliment. "That was awesome!"
"I know!" Sweetie Belle said, bustling in next. "And it always sounds so much better each time you hear it!"
"That's our sisters!"
~Applebloom clapped even harder. The three were so lively and full of energy. Especially Sweetie Belle who was constantly ruffling Stitch on the head as he curled in her lap. Now being a domesticated dog, wearing a newly purchased maroon red collar with stars stitched on the side, he got used to the loving attention so easily.~
"Well, shoot, guys. I'm glad ya liked it!" Applejack set her bass down on the stand. "Usually that song don't get much popularity."
"It's a classic, AJ. Everyone loves the classics!" Pinkie Pie giggled.
Stitch yawned and nodded. "I may 'ot be a music fan myself, but that wos killer!"
"Huh! Well, if you think that song was awesome, you should hear the rest! We have hundreds! Courtesy of our amazing song writer here, of course." Rainbow Dash said, gesturing towards Fluttershy with a wink.
The shy girl giggled. "Hehehe! Thanks, Dashie."
Applebloom made her stand, dusting off the strands of hay that stuck to her bottoms. "Welp. Best we get goin' now. The girls an' I have tickets to the latest movie in the theatre! After we've done, we're gonna post a review online!"
"Well, you certainly don't want to miss that!" said Lightning cheerfully.
The girls in turn said goodbye to each of their sisters. "See y'all later~!"
"Byyye!"
"See ya 'round."
"Take care, sugarcube." said Applejack.
"Have fun, darlinggg~!" sang Rarity.
"See ya, sport!" said Rainbow Dash.
~With that, the C.M.C's left with a bounce in their stride out of the big barn's doors. It was only when they were out of sight did Lightning stop waving.~
"I like your younger sisters. They are better than most children nowadays." she said.
"They said such the sweetest things as well." Karly said. "And they're not wrong. You girls play in such beautiful harmony."
The Rainbooms smiled, and Twilight felt her cheeks flushing bright pink at the compliment. "Thanks, but we're not all that good."
"She's right. We're AWESOME~!" Rainbow pounded the air.
"Rightfully so!" Lightning said. "You heard it yourself, Twi. You're amazing."
~Twilight's face grew so intensely hot, she thought her glasses were about to fog up. Sunset patted her back to draw the modesty behind a little.~
"I didn't even know you girls played until you spoke about it in the Battle of the Bands." Lightning went on. "But… I had no idea that playing music triggered…THAT!"
Sunset laughed softly as she put down her guitar. "Trust me, we were all speechless."
Karly agreed. "I was just waiting for you to finish… I- I have questions."
"How many exactly?"
"Like a million! All the questions!" Lightning said then began babbling on, question after question, without yet receiving answers. "How does it work? Why music of all things? Have you ever tried scientifically experimenting on yourselves to see what would happen? How did it start? I- "
"There's still a lot we need to answer for ourselves," Sunset interrupted politely. "But right now, we're sticking with what we got."
"Ahh."
"I was the first to discover it, to answer your last question." Rainbow Dash grinned. "I don't know how it happened, but, one second, I'm on the ground, playing my guitar, giving it my all against Trixie, then, next thing I know- KAA-BLAM! I'm flying in the air with wings coming out of my back! It was sooo awesome!"
"Riiiight?!" Pinkie Pie squealed. "Back when I turned into a magical pony girl, I was ecstatic! There were rainbows, and confetti! CONFETTI EVERYWHEREEEEE!"
That got Lightning speculating. "Hmm, that's interesting then. If Karly and I have the same powers and abilities as you to pony up at the sight of our friendship element, do you think music will also do the same?"
"I don't see why it wouldn't." Sunset shrugged.
"We should put that to the test." Twilight suggested.
Pinkie gasped excitedly. "Ohmygosh-ohmygosh-ohmygosh- YES! THEN, you girls can join our band!"
"Join the b-b-band!?"
~A shade of deep pink spread all over Karly's face, and Lightning fell into surprise, needing to double check she heard Pinkie Pie correctly.~
"What's wrong?" Sunset asked.
"Wh-what? Oh! Nothing! Nothing at all! I'm sorry. Please, don't get the wrong idea. It's just that…umm…?" Karly spoke but lost her voice mid-sentence.
Lightning took over. "We've never performed in the arts of music before. At least, not for a while."
"Well, that's all right. Singin' will do ya just fine. It's what Princess Twilight did, after all." said Applejack.
Lightning took that into consideration. She did like singing. "Yeah, I say I have a pretty decent voice."
"I would think so! We've heard you sing before." Twilight reminded.
"You have?"
"Yeahhhh- back in the forest." Rainbow recounted.
"And it was lovely." added Rarity.
"How about you, Karly?" asked Fluttershy.
Karly stiffened again. "UHM-"
"Oh, Karly can definitely sing!" Lightning came in again. "She just has a hard time singing in front of a crowd."
"I have stage fright." the shy spy explained. "Everytime I go up on a stage, my chest starts to tighten and my anxiety builds up until I turn red and feel the need to faint."
"I know how that feels." Fluttershy said meekly.
Sunset smiled at them both before making another suggestion. "What about playing an instrument then? If you don't feel like singing and drawing attention to yourself."
"This is, if you can." Rainbow pointed out.
Lightning scratched the back of her head. "I took guitar lessons when I was nine?- maybe ten- but I was never really good at it," she said. "My grandmother also taught me a little bit of piano, but I rarely play that too."
"That explains why you made the key to the hideout entrance a tune on the piano." Spike said.
"And you, Karly?" Applejack asked.
"No, I haven't played any instrument of any kind." Karly said, finally having an answer at the ready.
"Perhaps we can teach you," Rarity offered. "If you'd like."
"Thanks for the offer, girls, but I think I will just stick with being a secret agent rather than a rock star. I don't want too much on my shoulders." Karly said.
"Fair enough. We understand if you're not comfortable."
"As for me, I'll consider it." Lightning said. "It would be nice to have another little hobby and get back into the swing of music again."
"Well, we can start now." Sunset said., "Since you're about to teach us how to be a spy like you, the best thing we can do to repay you, is teach you how to be a musician like us. Here, let's start off with a guitar lesson."
~Sunset picked up her guitar again and thrust it into Lightning's hands. She held it with sincerity but felt her hands shaking like jelly. Guess it has been a while since she held an instrument. She lifted her eyes. Her expression wasn't a smile, but neither was it a challenge; it was a curious connection. The Rainbooms gathered around her.~
"You really think I can do it?" asked Lightning.
"Absolutely."
"Welp. I suppose I can give it a try."
~But before Lightning could so much as even tickle a string, a vibration caught on her right wrist. A familiar name glowed on screen- Steven. She noticed the messages he left, but decided to skip right to the call instead of reading anything first.~
She placed the watch close to her lips. "Hey, Chief. What's up- ?"
"Girls, where are you? I've been trying to call you all afternoon!"
"N-nowhere far, Mr. Secret." Fluttershy explained, oblivious to his tone. "We're around Applejack's house."
"Yup! Just chillin' at ma farm."
"What's the occasion?" Rarity asked.
But Steven was much too fidgety to talk anymore over the phone. He had to make it quick. "It's an emergency- I need the nine of you to get over here to CHS as soon as possible. I bring news. Bad news, and worst news."
The girls were still for a moment. "What? What do you mean?" Rarity asked again.
"I'll explain when you get here. Just hurry." he said more calmly.
Lightning breathed out. "Well…all right. We'll just pack up our stuff and meet you there outside the- "
"No," said Steven. "You cannot walk your way over there and meet me outside. You cannot even show yourselves outside. Just have Karly teleport you over here into the hideout. Now."
Karly peeked anxiously over Lightning's shoulder. "But, Uncle, I've never teleported that far before. And you remember what I told you last time I teleported all nine of us at the same time- "
"Just teleport yourself, AND the girls over here, RIGHT NOW."
"... R-right away, Uncle."
~There was no time to argue. Everyone's cheery mood quickly transposed to dreaded curiosity upon hearing Steven's great temper. Karly especially. She'd never heard her uncle so agitated before. Whatever his news is must seriously be bad. As the gang got into position to be teleported, Karly felt a horrible shiver flow through her spine and arms. Thing is, this time, it wasn't just nine people she had to teleport. There was Stitch and Spike too. That made eleven. What is going to happen then?~
Lightning clenched Karly's hand tightly. "You sure you're gonna be okay?"
She shrugged. "Won't know until I try."
~As Stitch sprang into Lightning's free arm, and Spike into Twilight's, Karly's spell began to plot its course to CHS. Her breathing followed by the pink sparkling around them grew heavier and heavier by the second. Then, they were gone.~
~A faint light grew intensely into Karly's eyes and as planned, she found herself and the others in a shaft of white that soon blinked into black for her eyes only. When she came too, her vision turned to a fuzzy image, with Lightning laying over her, her cold hand pressed on her forehead. Steven then emerged in her range of sight too, and she found herself lying on the colour tables on the ground floor of the E.Q.U.E.S.T.R.I.A hideaway. She had done it. Karly felt like she needed to faint again, but strangely, her force had energised itself back onto her two feet, and her vision returned to normal. Lightning and the Rainbooms smiled in relief. After that, they all gathered around the tables, seated, and pitched together to hear what Steven had to say.~
"I apologise for shouting at you." he started, "I- I've just been a bit on edge lately. I was afraid they had gotten you or something, or-"
"What? Who would've got us?" Lightning interrupted.
"The Dazzlings."
"The… Dazzlings?!" The girls emerged from their seats at once.
Applejack furrowed her brow. "They're- They're back?!"
"Yes, and quite so soon." Steven said in response. "They attacked me outside the school, you see- ."
"A-attacked!? Are you okay?!" Karly exclaimed worriedly.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine, Karly. Perhaps a little shaken, and my pride has been hurt severely, but I'm fine. Anyways, the Dazzlings have returned, and have learnt… new skills. I want to believe that Devil not only told them things, but taught them things. They are now capable of using our techniques- ones that only a spy would know. And it'll be impossible to fight back without also knowing the skills yourself."
"So that's why you didn't want us to walk over." Lightning Star spoke. A long thought praised into her mind. "Okayyy, well, this isn't so much of a problem. We've beaten the Dazzlings before, we can do it again. In fact, if they're still out there, why don't we just go right now and bust their kneecaps? We got magic, pretty sure spy techniques can't compare that! Then, once they're cleared off, we can finally give the Rainbooms those spy lessons on Monday!"
"I'm sorry to say this, Lightning but, that's where the other bad news comes in." Steven waved the files he held in his hand. "I was going through our school's files to catch up on what we've missed. Now, let me ask you something, Karly and Lightning. Do you remember the last time you two went to school?"
The said two girls glanced at each other at quite a quick pace. "Ohh… Must've been about three weeks ago?- " Karly said.
"Uh-huh. Three. Weeks. Ago. And for how long? Only an hour. That's not good on your records, girls."
~The chief gave his voice a rest for a while and let everything catch up in everyone's brains.~
He carried on afterwards. "Do not take full responsibility for your forgetfulness, I blame myself too. I never took into account that your attendance turned low. And with final exams coming up, it makes the whole situation worse and even more stressful."
Karly gasped abruptly. "Oh my goodness- Our exams are coming up soon- of course! It's almost the end of June!"
"Right you are, Karly. Vice Principal Shelly informed me about that. So, here's the thing. We all need to be back at school by early Monday morning to start what we have missed."
"B-but…we were meant to start our training on Monday!" Lightning exclaimed. "It was already put on halt last time, I don't want to have to do it again! Urghhh! And JUST when my eye had finished healing!"
"Is there a way for it to be possibly postponed?" the dog Spike suggested.
"Yeah! I mean, I already know what I am going to do when I am older. Exams are just an obstacle."
"Be that as it may, Agent Star, you're still young, and you still need a proper, required education," Steven shook his head. "Talking as your chief and principal, it's important. Besides, the vice already gave me an ultimatum. Either we meet these expectations, or be sacked and expelled."
"EXPELLED?!" Lightning and Karly immediately showed distress.
"Then, wh-what are we supposed to do? About the Dazzlings? If you have to go back to school, we'll have to fight them without you." said Twilight.
"Yeah! And if they're outside, plotting to invade and trying to find us again, nobody is safe!" Rainbow added.
"Not us, nor the school…" Fluttershy said.
"And if they've gotten stronger, learning your techniques, as you say, while we haven't, this'll be even more trouble for us." Sunset added.
"What do you propose we all DO?!" the nine girls then chorused at their guardian.
Steven lowered his head. "...I don't know."
~Peering cautiously through every window of CHS, the Rainbooms surveyed the area to check if the Dazzlings were still outside, but they had vanished. Probably to go and find Steven, believing he went off into the city to escape them. But the girls knew they would be back. In the meantime, all they could do was settle down in their music room and twiddle their thumbs anxiously, thinking of how they could resolve this. It was hard. Not even the comforting licks and nuzzles from Stitch and Spike could help. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie even felt a little bit of guilt rising up inside themselves, since they were the ones responsible for the portal-opening, student-raining, villain-thwarting calamity, which caused Lightning and Karly to be apart from their school. Though Lightning assured them it wasn't their fault. If anything, she blamed herself for not noticing the whole thing. All she wanted to do was fly right into the sun.~
"I'm scared, girls," Fluttershy said, stifling a whimper. "I didn't think we'd be facing horrible danger again so soon."
"None of us did," said Sunset. "And I fear this is going to be they're toughest breakthrough yet."
The girls sighed in agreement until Rainbow Dash spoke. "W-well, maybe we'll be fine! Like Lightning said, we still have magic while the Dazzlings don't. ANNND they don't know anything about our awesome new hideaway underneath us!"
"True, but, it's only a matter of time before they do," Karly replied. "Because they know how to move like a spy, think like a spy, and learn like a spy… Well, given the details my uncle just shared with me."
~Tapping her foot rapidly against the floor, Lightning shook her body, lost in thought… They must be something they can do. She looked down towards her foot again. Tap, tap tap, tap. Her body would not let her stop, and she didn't feel upset anymore. She eyed the many musical instruments surrounding them, specifically three, and instead, decided to cheer the girls (and herself) up.~
~Song: Wii Music Theme- (Wii Music)~
~The sudden introduction of a beat caused the Rainbooms to perk up. With a drum below one foot, a saxophone in one hand, and a keyboard next to the other, they realised it was Lightning. She hit six notes on the keyboard in a charming tune, then started to play the saxophone in four. She repeated it again, but added one more note. It was like her fingers had a mind of its own, and she let herself continue on the keyboard for a while. The tune that she was producing sounded boppy and lively, a tune that the girls couldn't help but immediately dance along to. Lightning smiled too and bopped her head. Then, she exploded into a rhythm, adding a bass into the mix, and created a beautiful piece of music that sounded nostalgic and happy.~
~The tune echoed through the school's speaker, having been connected, so everyone at CHS could hear her. They all had the same thought in their minds; 'Where is that funky sound coming from?' They traced it back to the music room, crowding through the door's windows to watch. Lightning carried on, unaware of the new audience. After another minute's long of playing, she came to a close, and was showered with applause the moment she stopped by every CHS student in the room.~
Sunset could not think of a word to describe what she heard. "Lightning, that was…that was…"
"AWESOME!" Rainbow said instead.
"Wow, Lightning! I had no idea you could play like that!" Twilight exclaimed.
"I suppose the skill truly stuck with me." Lightning shrugged. "I kinda got that feeling of nostalgia too, you know?"
"What exactly did you play?"
"Not sure. I can't remember. It was just something I thought of at the top of my head."
"Well, whatever it was, we could form that into a song! And then- form more!" Rainbow yelled excitedly, all the ideas and possibilities coming into her head. "That's it! You are TOTALLY joining my band!"
"Our band." Applejack corrected.
"Whatever!"
The Rainbooms pounced on Lightning at all ends, feeling so much better. Lightning smiled. "Soooo, does this mean you can pony-up when playing music now!?" Pinkie asked.
~Lightning played the tune again just to see. Once she ended with the last chord, she looked down at herself. Nothing.~
"Gonna take that as a no." Rainbow said.
"I haven't played a musical instrument for years. I just need to find my muse again." said Lightning.
"That was… very entertaining, Agent Star."
~The girls looked up to notice Steven coming up from underneath the piano, his expression also a smile but a weak one. They figured he must've heard the music too, and enjoyed it, because his jumper hadn't stopped shaking.~
"Wow, Mr. Secret. I know what Lightnin' played sounded great an' all, but I didn't think that's all it took to cheer ya up." Applejack giggled. Steven shrugged but said nothing.
Lightning lowered the bass in her hands, suddenly feeling shy. "Chief," she said, "I understand why we are needing to return to school and such, but you know what? I don't give a darn. Friendship is more important, AS well as the Rainbooms' and this world's safety. It's in our hands. But, I have an idea. Thanks to playing music, it has calmed me down, and it got me thinking. Why don't we get the Rainbooms into the quick beginnings of our training today and tomorrow?"
"T-today? Like, right now?" Rarity blathered.
"What about us needing to prepare and going back to school?" Karly asked quizzically.
Lightning knew exactly what to say. "Vice Principal Shelly said we needed to be back by Monday. She never said anything about today or Sunday. Right, Steven?"
"That's…correct."
"Sooooo…we can start the training now instead, then afterwards try to work our ways around our schedules for more time."
Steven was slightly uneasy about that idea, but understood the logic. He hummed. "Hmm… Still a little risky, as there is so much to catch up on. The vice told me to make sure you guys are at school for more than seven hours. Besides, we are quite late in the day already to prepare the projects now."
"Please, chief, just give us a chance. The Rainbooms have to learn at least SOMETHING."
~Steven glanced at the Rainbooms for their judgements, yet they remained silent and objective. Who knows when those dangerous Dazzlings will strike them? Any idea will do, they'll just go to with flow, as long as it was quick.~
So, with another best smile, he agreed. "Alright…let's do it."
"All right!" Lightning punched the air then faced the seven with confidence. "Look alive, Rainbooms! Your training begins… NOW!"