Spike the dog rushed out of the park, with the Steel Unicorns following closely behind. There was only one hill standing between them and the grand stage. The music of Flash Drive was blistering through the air, the beat vibrating in their chests as they got closer and closer. They stopped at the top of the hill to catch their breath, finally with a good view of the scene.
Spike growled at the band playing on stage, as if the distance was the only thing keeping his teeth away from Flash Sentry’s shins.
“So, what’s the situ?” Twinkleshine asked between two heaves.
Spike turned his back to the stage. “The Rainbooms were supposed to go against the Dazzlings for the finale. But Flash Sentry showed up and locked the girls in the trap room.”
“Oh Flash!” Lyra chuckled. “That silly boy thought the trap room was meant to be an actual trap.”
“Wait, Flash Sentry?” Lemon wondered aloud, “Isn’t he supposed to be having a crush on Twilight?”
“Not since the Dazzlings got to him.” Spike shook his head. “They turned the whole school against each-other.”
“Wait, we already know that.” Lyra added.
“Right,” Lemon’s voice turned serious, “now we need to stop them before they infect more than just the school”
Meanwhile, the song ended and Flash Sentry stepped up to the microphone.
“Thank you Canterlot City, couldn’t have asked for a better party!” He gushed. “So bad the Rainbooms couldn’t be here to experience such a great audience!”
“Wow, what a slimy git!” Lyra scoffed.
“Such a shame that we have to leave,” he continued, “but we gotta give a chance to the Dazzlings to top that show. But I promise, that’s not the last you see us.” He then winked, prompting several girls in the audience to swoon. The boys did not waste any time leaving; the whole band quickly disappeared behind the curtains.
“Quickly!” Spike shouted. “The Dazzlings are about to come up. We gotta find a way in!”
They ran behind the stage and proceeded to run around, looking for the way inside the backstage area. They found many doors, but they were all locked. All except one.
“Over here!” Twinkleshine pointed at a very visibly open door.
“Hey, I’m pretty sure this was locked a second ago.” Lemon wondered.
“Doesn’t matter, let’s go!” Spike commanded.
They swiftly charged at the wide open door. They were only a few long steps away, when Lemon and Twinkleshine suddenly stopped dead in their tracks.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Said a vaguely familiar voice.
Spike and Lyra turned and saw that their companions had been grabbed from behind by Flash Sentry’s bandmates: Brawly Beats and Ringo. At about the same time, thick fog covered the front of the stage and the Dazzlings stepped forth from the shadows. They played a slow deep groove, singing an eerie melody on top.
“Get to the girls,” Spike shouted at Lyra, “I’ll deal with them!”
Lyra nodded and ran inside, past the door.
“No Spike, look!” Lemon shouted.
Spike turned and saw Flash Sentry in the doorway. He tried to get him, but Flash closed the door right in Spike’s face, trapping Lyra in with him.
“Oh come on!” Spike clawed at the closed door in desperate frustration.
Lyra noticed Flash running after her and knew he was going to catch up eventually. But she also spotted the trap room’s door, so she charged at it with all her might. There was a loud bang, followed by a painful yowl, as Lyra’s attempt at forcing the door open with her shoulder failed.
“Looking for these?” Flash twirled a ring full of keys on his finger.
“You could have told me you have them!” She complained, while still trembling from the pain.
“Sorry, it was funnier this way.” He grinned.
Lyra lunged at him to try and take the keys, but he pulled away. “Hey!” He yelped before wrapping an arm around Lyra’s neck and headlocking her. “Sorry, but this loser is stronger!”
“Curse you and your good hearing!” Lyra protested.
“You can enjoy the show from below, after I lock you in with the others.”
Lyra stopped struggling and a snide grin emerged on her face. “Oh no, not that!” She objected sarcastically.
Flash opened the trap room’s door and dragged Lyra in. All the members of the Rainbooms and Sunset Shimmer were staring back at them. They were all embracing each-other; there was clearly an important moment that had just been interrupted.
“Hey, guess what this girl was trying to do?” Flash announced mockingly. “Seems like you have a new cellmate.”
And with that, Lyra smashed her foot down, right into Flash’s right toes. All his limbs retracted into his chest, as he proceeded to clutch his smashed foot. The keys fell on the ground and Lyra was free from the headlock.
“Quick,” Lyra pushed Flash over, “get out of here, stop the Dazzlings!”
The Rainbooms nodded and ran out.
“Knew we’d need a backup band.” Sunset cheered on.
“You can thank Spike later, now go!” Lyra responded.
Flash tried to reach for the keys, but just as he touched the ring, Lyra stepped on his fingers.
“Honestly,” she said as she slipped the rings from under her Flash’s squished hand, “just stick to the lovable dork shtick. At least you’re good at that.”
Soon, they were all outside. The rest of Flash Drive were struggling to keep a hold on Lemon, Twinkleshine, as Spike kept flailing his sharp dog-teeth around. Once they noticed that their hostages had escaped. They dropped everything and legged it.
Meanwhile, the Dazzlings have once again captured the audience in their music. The heavy downtuned guitars were enough to do the trick, but the song was just about to start. The groovy riff turned into a hard-hitting dissonant mess of controlled chaos, before calming down, letting the girls’ voices carry the spell further.
Welcome to the show
We’re here to let you know
Our time is now
Your time is running out
The Rainbooms got into position on top of the hill and... Just stood there.
“How are we supposed to play over them from up here?” Rainbow Dash complained.
Lyra gasped. “I know somebody!” She took out her phone and dialled that somebody. “Yo Scratch,” She began, “are you busy right now?”
The heavy downtuned guitars kept swelling and the drums sped up, spreading thunder with each riff.
Feel the wave of sound
As it crashes down
You can't turn away
We'll make you wanna sta-a-a-ay
We will be adored
Tell us that you want us
We won't be ignored
It's time for our reward
Now you need us
Come and heed us
Nothing can stop us now
Suddenly, cheerful pop music blasted through their relentless djent. At first they didn’t know what was going on; Adagio was just about to scold Sonata, when Aria pointed at the hill in front of the stage.
Oh-oh, oh-whoa-oh
I've got the music in me
Oh-oh, oh-whoa-oh
The heads turned, the gormless hypnotized stares cleared up as Rainbow Dash let out a short guitar solo. Vinyl Scratch was right there to back them up with her own portable amplifier kit. They were all loud and clear and ready to throw down.
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!)
Set myself free, yeah
Let it all go (Go!)
Just let it be, yeah
And this is when a glowing magical aura surrounded them. They grew pony ears and tails and wings.
“Huh, that’s new…” Lyra remarked, as her band watched from the sidelines.
Find the music in your heart
Let the music make you start
To set yourself apart
“So the Rainbooms want to turn this into a real Battle of the Bands?” Adagio exclaimed with a plan already in her head. “Then let’s battle!” She grinned and they burst into their own verse.
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!
A bright light blasted out of Aria’s drum machine and the beastly guitars. The light converged into three solid beams and three monsters emerged from the brightness. As Sonata and Adagio played some killer riffs, the monsters circled around the Rainbooms, ensnaring them with their magic.
But then Pinkie blasted on her drums and they took their chance to strike back. They shot vibrant laser beams out of their instruments at the monsters. But it wasn’t enough. The stage exploded with sound. The Dazzlings broke out into the heaviest breakdown of all time, as their monsters erupted into loud relentless opera.
The Rainbooms simply couldn’t stand against the massive wall of djent and were thrown to the ground by the sound. Deafening noise was followed by deafening silence. The Rainbooms laid down all scrambled and the Dazzlings stared them down with eyes glowing red, beckoning them to launch another attack. But tense silence is all that they could manage.
Suddenly, the drums seemed to have come alive. Twinkleshine took Pinkie’s place and burst out into a solo. Aria tried to take her down, with her slow and heavy beats, but her buttons simply couldn’t keep up against Twinkleshine’s ferocious blast beats.
Adagio and Sonata jumped in to help Aria. They strummed their massive guitars and the ground shook under Twinkleshine. But then Lyra stepped up and played over the Dazzlings. Sonata and Adagio now struggled to get their hold back, as Lyra played notes far too high, for the eartshakingly low breakdown to subdue it. And then came the final blow, when Lemon Hearts stepped into the scene and shredded a vicious riff. The Dazzlings were now struggling to keep their balance and quickly fell down when the final high note was blasted at them.
Their monsters tried charging at them, but they broke out into a galloping power metal riffage, and Sunset Shimmer took the front.
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
We're here to let you know, that we won't let it go
Our music is a bomb and it's about to blow
And you can try to fight, but we have got the light of
Friendship on our side!
Soon, the rest of the Rainbooms joined. They sang in unison, while the Steel Unicorns backed them. Their harmonies created a big beam of rainbow around them and forced the monsters back.
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!
And suddenly, Sunset Shimmer’s body started glowing. She grew pony ears, a tail and wings as well. A blazing light surrounded them, from which, an enormous ethereal unicorn emerged. The Dazzlings tried to stand their ground. The unicorn fired a huge laser beam out of its horn, destroying the monsters and breaking all of the strings on their beastly guitars. All except one: The highest strings were the only ones to survive.
At this point, even the audience began singing and dancing.
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, survives!
The song ended and the battle was over. The Dazzlings did try striking back, but all they could do was play the dinkiest guitar solo ever, with the one string they could barely even reach. The crowd quickly booed them off the stage.
“Heh, good luck finding a string that thick!” Sunset jeered.
“Even if they do,” Twilight continued, “they can no longer imbue them with the magic you brought from Equestria.”
“We missed out on a lot, haven’t we?” Lyra commented.
“Don’t worry darling,” Rarity replied, “we’ll fill you in later.”
“Here’s one thing you could fill us in.” Rainbow Dash interjected. “Like that awesome gig you guys just laid down!”
“No kidding!” Applejack said. “You could really teach us a thing or two.”
“What I personally would like to know,” Twilight interjected, “is how did you resist the Dazzlings’ spell?”
Lyra and Lemon looked at each-other and chuckled. “Yeah, about that...”
“They didn’t.” Sunset smiled with her hands on her hips. “They had their own problems, but managed to work through them, just like we did.”
“I had no problem at all…” Twinkleshine said quietly. “I just wanted to hang out…”
“And we’re so glad you remained sane.” Lemon said.
“Okay, so why wasn’t she affected?” Twilight questioned further.
“The Dazzlings used the tiny grudges we all held, remember?” Sunset Shimmer explained. “They used their magic to add fuel to these tiny fires. But Twinkleshine just didn’t have any fire; she has no ill-will towards anyone. So it didn’t work on her.”
“Yep, that does sound like our Twinkles.” Lemon put an arm around Twinkleshine.
“Aw, she wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Lyra hugged her from the side.
“Twilight!” A distant voice could be heard, followed by Flash Sentry running up the hill. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry; I don’t know what’s gotten into me! Please don’t hate me!” He flopped down on the ground and wrapped his arms around Twilight’s leg as he continued begging.
“Don’t worry, Flash,” she said, “you were under the Dazzlings’ spell.
“Still,” Flash continued, “there’s gotta be a way I can make up for this!”
A loud rumble could be heard. They all turned and saw Lemon Hearts looking really embarrassed.
Lyra slapped Lemon’s shoulder. “Well, Lemon Belly’s got an idea!”
Sugarcube Corner was soon filled with all of them. Flash Sentry and his bandmates took up waiting duty and served the girls the food they asked for, while Mrs. Cake stared in disbelief.
“You know, Twilight is going back to Equestria soon.” Said Rainbow Dash. “The Rainbooms could really use someone to help Fluttershy on backup vocals.” She then winked at Sunset Shimmer.
Sunset quickly borrowed Lemon’s guitar and played a riff.
“I also play guitar.” She said.
Everybody looked back at Rainbow Dash, waiting for her reaction.
“We’ll see...” She responded.
“Nothing wrong with having a second guitarist.” Lyra chimed in.
“Of course, it’s gotta be rhythm guitar,“ Twinkleshine added, “just to not take the spotlight away from the leads.”
“You know it!” Rainbow Dash approved.
Flash appeared next to the table, his bandmates holding up an unreasonably massive plate of ice cream. “Which one of you ordered the quintuple size double banana split?”
“I did!” Pinkie cried out and quickly submerged herself in the ice cream mountain.
Their giggling filled the establishment. It was only interrupted by the bell ringing the arrival of unexpected guests.
“Here they are!” Sweetie Drops stepped in first. “I introduce you to the saviours of Canterlot High.” She extended an arm towards the band. “The Steel Unicorns,” she winked at Lyra, who winked back, “and the Rainbooms!”
A journalist with blond hair and skin stepped in, with starry eyes. “That! Was! Incredible!” The journalist gushed as she scrambled to take out her notebook and a pen. “I am Hot Topic from the Trotting Stone magazine, I’m sure you’ve heard of it.”
“Heck yeah!” Lyra and Rainbow Dash screamed in unison. They were briefly surprised by each-other’s enthusiasm, then they laughed about it.
Finally, order in the school has been restored. Students no longer fought about who’s got the best band ever, or whose fandom is more valid. For a couple days apologies filled the halls, but soon laughter and joy returned to bless every day at CHS. And now that the rehearsal room was no longer constantly occupied, the Steel Unicorns could finally play in peace, without bothering Lyra’s neighbors.
“You know,” Lyra said, “I wonder who would have won the musical showcase if it was a legit competition. Don’t you?”
“Nope.” Lemon replied.
“Me neither.” Twinkleshine affirmed.
“Right,” Lyra continued, “we all know that the Steel Unicorns would have crushed the competition.”
“Alright there badflanks,” Lemon said, “are you ready or what?”
Your tyranny has ended, order restored
I stare at you, your soul run through with a sword
What you thought you wanted, your soul in pieces
We wouldn’t let you win, now rest in peace
We’re surrounded by enemies, but we’re friends in the end
Because friendship always wins, when we open our hand
When there’s a common goal, we will sing as one
There’s a light in our soul, and the battle is won
...Uhhh...
“What happened?” Lemon yelped.
“Sorry,” Lyra answered, “forgot my lines.”
“Seriously?”
“I know, I know, I’m just tired that’s all...”
“Are you guys sure we’re ready for a new album?” Twinkleshine interjected.
“Yeah, maybe we should just take a break for a bit.” Lyra commented.
“You’re just gonna release an album of your own.” Lemon smirked.
“Yeah...”
Lemon sighed.
“Are you not tired, Lemon?” Twinkleshine asked.
“No actually.” She said. “I’m still pumped, I wanna rock!”
“Well, in that case,” Lyra exclaimed, “could you help me get down some sick Horse Volta riffs?”
“Could I?!”
The Rainbooms, now complete with Sunset Shimmer, were supposed to come in already, but they could hear how much fun the Steel Unicorns were having improvising the hardest riffs they could, so they just let them be. After all, they hogged the studio enough already and couldn’t have saved the school without the Steel Unicorns.