//------------------------------//
// Chapter Sixteen 
// Story: An Equestrian Girls Comedy of Errors 
// by Godzilla313 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 16


 

Celestia, Starswirl, and Twilight worked feverishly to form the gems the human world sirens would need to put together some counteraction to whatever the other sirens were doing to work their magic.  They could make the gems, but they could not put in that enchantment. They were beginning to worry, wondering if they could get this done before the sirens took over the whole human world.  Time was of the essence.  However, help came.

Into the room came the leaders of the bards: Quill and Downy Feathers.  They had been briefed, and they were concerned.  They knew that this was not going to help.”Then, what shall we do?” asked Twilight.
“We shall help,” answered Quill, to which Downy added, “And if we have enough singers and player with us, we can amplify what Discord has said is their weakness.”
“There is one problem,” said Starswirl, “Although your magic was working before you came to this world, it only worked because of how you came up.  You matured in a world that was not yours, and that meant that everything was not as it should have been.  An anomaly formed that allowed for your magic as unicorns to emerge but without control because of the human state you possessed.  Now that normalcy was restored to you, if you go over, your magic will not work.”
“Well, perhaps I can help?” suggested Discord, “I mean, after all, causing things to happen that are not supposed to, well, that is my stock and trade.”
“What are you suggesting?” asked a suspicious Celestia, “I know you are our friend now, but you still love solving things by causing chaos.”
“I wouldn’t be the Lord of Chaos if I didn’t,” responded Discord in mock hurt.
“What are you suggesting,” Starlight imputed.
“I can cast a spell on their horns that will allow them temporary magic use in the other world,” answered Discord, “Then all that has to happen is the magic that your friendship produces as you sing and things will happen.  They are still going to be effective if your playing can outdo theirs.  I warn you, however, that they are quite good at what they do if some form of Equestrian magic has been granted to them.”
“We don’t have much time,” interjected Starlight, “Things are desperate, and we have to act.”
Upon that, no pony there could disagree, and they then wondered who would go.  “Well, obviously us,” said Andante, “And I think if Starlight joins us, we can push it over the edge.”
“Why her?” asked Twilight.
“She’s a member of a band we formed with a friend  we have back home,” said Cabaletta, “And we have to assume that he is under the spell of our enemies.”
“Oh, he is,” answered Starlight, “That’s why we have to act.  I have to assume that every pony—everyone—else is under that control as well.”
“We need instruments,” said Cantata, “I need a guitar, Andante needs a base, and can we move a whole drum set over there?”
Starlight then said, “The song I have in mind might not need that.  We just need some acoustic instruments.”
The twins smiled and said, “We have that in abundance!”
Hearing that, Discord disappeared and then came right back with all the needed instruments save for the percussion.  Starlight was confused and said, “Where’s the percussion?”
“What song are you doing?” asked Discord in return.
She told him, Discord nodded, and then came back with maracas and a timbrel.  “That should do it,” said Starlight, “Let’s get to work!”

In the human world, the Dazzlings were seducing the masses with this newfound magic, and commanding some to gather more in town to gain more and more converts.  Because their power had increased, they had to ease up. They were emaciating the crowds too fast.  Once they had a massive group, they could gather more strength and then unleash the full potential of what they could do to make the whole place their slaves, and then, the entire world.  They knew they could take their time.  Nothing could stop them now.

At Canterlot High, all the players needed had emerged.  The twins arrived with their instruments, the human world Dazzlings with the ones they were provided, and Starlight, all ready to put her voice to good use.  Discord had told them to start playing music as they began to approach the first sounds of the Dazzlings performance.  This would cause it to be that they would not become enchanted themselves.  “Play it peaceful and confidently,” said Quill, “We have to be able to outdo them.”
The others nodded and started to play the music behind the song as they advanced.

The closer they got to the festival, however, they were surprised to find the music had stopped, and they started to rush to the stage.  More people arrived, making the crowd enormous.  Many came to see what the fuss was and now was under a spell.  When the Dazzlings saw the large group now formed and began to sing again.  The moment the others heard it, the slowed down and started to play again.  “Where do we go now?” asked Cantata.
“Let’s go onstage,” said Starlight, “We need the mics and sound system to drown them out.”
“We have to be quiet, though,” said Downy, ”We can’t let them hear us.”
Once there, they had to take turns for just one of them moving this mic or that and connections to the sound system, the bards creating illusions for them to keep them from being distracted by the Dazzlings and being caught under the spell.  The sirens were distracted in their actions, oblivious as to what was happening behind them.  Once they were set up, they amped up the volume and began to play. Starlight took a deep breath and started to sing, “I Have a Dream,” and she was looking at Jack, still on the stage, because they needed him to complete the ruse they needed to act.  The twins started working magic to get the song into the head of the people around and overwhelm what was controlling them. Soon, the human Dazzlings started to sing harmonies with them, as did the twins.  The human Dazzlings alone may have only been equal to the sirens and may have only brought stalemate, but with the added voices of the bards and Starlight, it was pushing it over the top.  The song itself was now starting to bolster Starlight’s confidence, and she was now able to put more emotion behind it.  They were putting it together, and it was beginning to work.

The Sirens were suddenly perplexed.  In a matter of moments, they saw the control being lost over the crowd, then they heard the music behind them, and then wheeled around to see their doppelgangers with reinforcements working behind them.  The sirens growled, but they were more worried that Jack had now gone to their doubles.  Starlight, beholding this, embraced him, happy to see him well again.  “This isn’t over!” snapped Adagio, now enraged, “You may look like us, but you don’t have our power.  You want a fight, you’ve got one!”
They touched the broaches and cranked them up to full power.  All that they had gained at this point, they unleashed.  Just as they started to sing, the others sang as well, outnumbering the sirens.  The song they sang was “Holly Holy,” with Jack in the lead.  The bards started to add some colors and effects to the mix, bedazzling the audience.  Starlight joined in and enhanced it, Jack gaining inspiration from Starlight.  The sirens tried to drown it out, but then the audience began to join in on the chorus, and now the bardic power was pouring out.  The Rainbooms had recovered by this point and joined in.  It was a musical love-feast of the highest level.  When they finished the song, the sirens were singing all frog-throated, the power in the broaches drained.  However, unlike their other defeat, the broaches were still intact.  With clenched teeth, Adagio said, “This isn’t over! We’ll come back and make you all pay!”
They started to run off, but then, to their surprise, Discord arrived.  The trio gasped and fell to their knees, faces to the stage floor.  “Oh, great Lord of Chaos and master,” the three said in chorus, “With you here, we can win this war.”
Discord laughed and said, “And you really think I came here to help you?”
The sirens looked confused, “What do you mean?  We have done as you have always bidden us.”
“Oh, but I’m changed now,” he answered, “I’ve learned the value of friendship, and I’ve found chaos can be used to more useful and constructive ways.  All of this was thanks to seven ponies who truly taught me the magic of friendship.  Now, as for those broaches…”
“No, you can't,” protested the trio, but then the broaches turned into actual scarab beetles. The three screeched and shooed them off, and then looked at Discord with terror.  “Who corrupted you?” they all said, but he retorted, “Corrupted, or enlightened?  You three really need to learn as well.”
“What are you going to do to us?” asked a now terrified Sonata.
“You know the beauty of this is?” Discord asked, “The best thing I can do to yo is nothing at all.”
The sirens looked confused as Discord continued, “I could imprison you and put you into some glorious chaotic torture.  However, what would you really learn?  Instead, learn to make it in this world.  Pick yourselves up by your bootstraps and bring the world to your feet in the right ways—by your own talent.  Oh, wait, you don’t have any.  Then I suppose you learn how to be talented in the way this world does it.  You need to learn how to sing correctly, put in practice, and survive.  One thing I have learned is something about second chances.  Here is yours.”
The sirens looked stunned, and Starlight asked, “Is that suitable punishment?”
“For them,” he answered, “as much as they despise this world, well, they are no longer trapped in it; they are condemned to it.”
“But what if they try to come back?” asked Sunset.
“I wouldn’t worry about that,” said Discord as the scarabs now returned and then magically fused with the sirens into their backs.  They appeared as tattoos on their backs as Discord said, “A permanent seal. They now can never come back, either by portals or by another, creating a way in as I can.”
The color in the faces of the sirens soon drained in shock.  Tears were pouring out of their eyes, and Discord said, “Oh, come now! In time, you shall see the merits of making it on your own, and I would expect you to come out the better for it. Bitterness may be in you now, but over the years, you will thank me for this.  Ta-ta, ladies!”
Discord opened a hole and stepped through it with the sirens begging for mercy and pleading with him not to leave them there.  Despite all that, the sirens suddenly seeded sympathy into the others for them by their plight.  However, before the others could speak, Adagio looked at them and said, quietly, “Don’t bother with consoling.  We hate you. You did this to us.”
“You did it to yourselves,” said Starlight.
“We’ll never forgive you,” she retorted as the three sulked off into who knew what.  The others stood in silence, not sure what to say now, and Twilight asked, “Will they learn?”
“Who knows,” answered Sunset, “If they don’t let bitterness overtake them, who knows what living life can teach them.”
Now that things were settled, there was a quiet moment, and both Starlight and Jack looked at one another and said at the same time, “We have to talk.”
They both shook their heads at that, but then laughed a bit, and Jack said, “Let’s talk about this tomorrow at the Sip & Sing with everyone else.  I think I know what this is about, but we do have to settle how things are going for us.”
The two nodded, and even though they should have felt exalted at this victory, because of what suddenly cropped up between Starlight and Jack, it seemed to deaden the mood.  The seriousness of their budding and yet ill-fated relationship had to be settled. However, the atmosphere seemed to better as the crowd saw the massive group on the stage and started to demand music. They had been wowed by the previous song, and Starlight said, “Let’s think about that later.  Right now, let’s just make beautiful music together.”
Jack smiled with the others as they took up their instruments and gave a performance that would go down in the annals of the festival as legendary.