//------------------------------// // Friendship is…Failure? // Story: Equestria Girls: Ninjago Rocks // by Digi_Verse //------------------------------// At the coffee shop that serves as this world’s equivalent of Sugarcube Corner, the gang sits at a table inside. Twilight and Rarity are seated on a couch; Sunset on one of its arms; Lloyd on the other;Applejack/Fluttershy/Rainbow/Kai/Cole/Jay/Zane/Nya in chairs; Applejack sitting backwards on hers and Spike on Fluttershy’s lap; Pinkie bringing over a couple of drinks. She sits down next to Twilight and gives her one, keeping the other—a chocolate milkshake—for herself. Rainbow already  has a beverage of her own, Jay is examining a soda, and a cup of tea sits before Rarity. “Oh, I do hate that you’ve had to return in a time of crisis. We have so much catching up to do!” Rarity told Twilight. “For starters… a certain blue-haired guitar player was just askin’ about you.” Applejack smirked. “Flash Sentry was asking about me?” Twilight asked excitedly, blushing and playing with her hair.  A knowing expression frames on the faces of Rarity and Sunset, as well as Pinkie’s “tell me more” look around her straw. Twilight clears her throat and does her best to recover her poise. “Isn’t that nice?” She regains her posture and sips at her drink.  “Perhaps you could give us just the slightest bit of gossip from your world?” Rarity asked as Spike held up a dog biscuit. “She’s got an official title now. The Princess of Friendship!” He mimicked a trumpet. “Wow, that’s really impressive. Guess you really were Princess Celestia’s prize pupil.” Sunset complimented. “She’s even got her own castle.” Spike added on. “A castle?!? You have your own castle?!?” Rarity leaned toward Twilight with gusto, startling said Princess into spilling her drink on herself. “Uh…ooh, uh, lovely.” She regained herself and grabbed a napkin to clean off Twilight as she calmed down, causing Nya to laugh a bit. Whoever this girl was, she sure was interesting.  “What’s new here? I mean, besides your school becoming the target of dangerous magical creatures from Equestria.” Twilight asked. The Six girls turned towards their new companions, who were mostly not paying attention, not realizing that eyes were on them. Jay was the first to notice and spoke up, unfortunately.  “So yeah… in our dimension, a mirror showed up at our door, and our master hid it from us, but then we got to it while he was gone, and so we jumped in and got here! And now we can’t use our powers.” Jay sighed. “Hm… I found a book on your world back in Equestria, but nothing was there except that your realm, my realm, and this realm are connected.” Lloyd and Cole gave each other a knowing look. “The sixteen realms!” They both shouted, receiving a confused look from the princess. “Okay look, my grandfather created a crystal that allowed him to travel between 16 connected realms. This one must be one of them, which is why our powers are connected to it, our realms are in the same universe!” Lloyd explained. “We can use our powers here! But um… we just have to figure out how to unlock them…” “Yeah, so that isn't the only strange thing that’s happened since you left.” Rainbow pulled out her phone, showing Twilight her magical transformation as she played the guitar. Twilight’s mouth dropped as Rainbow pulled the phone away. “Pretty sweet huh? It happens to all of us when we play!”  “Hmm. My crown was returned to Equestria—but some of its magic must have remained here at Canterlot High. Now that we’re all back together, and since the Ninja are connected to Equestria,  we can use that magic on the Sirens, just like when we were able to use it on Sunset Shimmer when she turned into that horrifyingly awful winged monster!” Twilight said as everyone latched on to her sudden loss of tact. She smiles sheepishly and turns to Sunset. “No Offense,” “None taken.” Sunset replied grumpily. “I’m used to it.”  “You aren’t gonna need me though, the ninja already hold what my power is, a combination of all of theirs, we don’t wanna blow up the whole school, after all.” Lloyd intteupted, denying being part of the standoff.  “So you’re saying, with all of us, our powers return? Alright!” Kai pumped his fist. “They’ll never know what him em!” He continued to say along with Rainbow, finishing off with a fist bump to her. Pinike turned over to Lloyd and whispered in his ear. “I kinda ship it…” which Lloyd responded with a chuckle and a nod of agreement.  “We’ve got nothin’ to worry about now that Twilight’s back.” Applejack caught Rainbow’s fist as she was throwing fake punches. “Oh. I’m pretty sure I could find something to worry about—but it won’t be the Sirens!” Fluttershy smiled and hugged Spike.  “The sooner we do this, the better. Any idea where the Dazzlings might be?” Twilight asked.  A shake of the purple-haired head, a shrug of the leather-jacketed shoulders, a scratch of the spiky hair, and Pinkie’s hand reaches into view to tap one of Twilight’s. She waves frantically while sucking on her shake, then backs off and sits down to finish it off before speaking. “There’s a big party tonight for all the bands who signed up to be in the Showcase. That would include the Dazzlings,” Pinkie explained while eating the rest of her shake, not realizing that a bit of it has landed on her cheek. Smiles pass between Twilight, Rarity, Sunset and Lloyd.  “Looks like we’ve got a party to crash.” Twilight wiped Pinkie’s face with a napkin.  In the school gym, now filled with twos and threes of students who are keeping their distance from each other and shooting plenty of nasty looks. The big thirteen are standing near a refreshment table at one side; Fluttershy is no longer carrying Spike. Featherweight and a couple of his techie friends throw a hairy eyeball across the way, Trixie’s trio on the receiving end, and the Crusaders in an equally sour mood, throwing squint-eyed glares at a passing student. As Pinkie stuffs her face, the area in front of the stage frame more aspiring rock stars: a trio led by Photo, Snails throwing his arms down at them and being thoroughly ignored, and Snips posturing in front of an irked Flash as if to say, “What you got?” The blue-haired guitarist pulls an arm back past two of his rocker buddies as if to throw a punch—and then whips it forward, snatching up a drink cup. “I’m gonna get more punch.” Flash groaned and walked away. Neither he nor Twilight is paying attention to where they are going, and the resulting collision dumps both their cups across the floor and leaves her supported by one of his arms. “Twilight?” “Bumped…into…always…doing?” She blushed and laughed nervously.  “What are you doing here? You came back for the big competition, right?” Flash stood her back up.  “Something like that.” “Heh. Not that there’s gonna be any real competition. No one here wants this as bad as my band does.” He chuckled and pointed to himself.  On the end of this, the door opens—on the opposite site of the room and behind his back—and the Dazzlings enter the gym. Rainbow is first to register dismay at their appearance; almost faster than thought, one light blue hand whips out to pluck a chocolate chip from the cookie Pinkie is eating. She takes careful aim and flicks it neatly across the gym, lodging it in the hair covering the back of Twilight’s head; the latter flicks it loose, turns to look back the way it came, and sees the athlete cock her head ever so slightly to one side. The bookworm’s irritation gives way to surprise once she spots the trio at the door; their move across the floor spurs her to address Flash again. “Can you excuse me for just a minute?” She ducks away, Flash turning away with annoyance writ large across his features, and all of the others except Pinkie step off from the snack spread. This last one hangs back long enough to get a cookie in each hand to go with the one still in her mouth; she lodges the two extras in her hair and hurries after the others, only to have them fall right back out. The Dazzlings stop in the middle of the floor, Adagio smugly running her eyes over the collection of bad vibes to show just how much disunity has taken hold. “Oh, no! No one’s mingling! It’s like there’s some kind of underlying tension that could bubble to the surface at any minute.” Adagio mocked with an evil grin on her face.  Aria and Sonata are behind her; the ponytailed airhead is holding a cup and eyeing it worriedly. “It’s the fruit punch, isn’t it? I knew I used too much grape juice!” Sonata held up a apple juice bottle as Aria rolled her eyes and Adagio slumped on feet. “It’s not the fruit punch, it’s us!” She palmed her face.  “But the punch is awful too.” Aria added. “What do you know about good fruit punch?” Sonata brandished the cup. “More than you.” Aria slapped the cup away.  “Do not.” “Do too.” Aria smirks as her partner in villainy pats her bangs back into place and Adagio leans over to both of them. “This is just the kickoff party, girls. Imagine what a tizzy they’ll be in by the time the Battle of the Bands starts.” “There isn’t going to be a Battle of the Bands!” Twilight yelled from across the room.  Three surprised Dazzlings look toward the sound of her voice; to Twilight and her eleven human friends, Pinkie ready for a scrap even with that last cookie still in her teeth. “We’re gonna make sure of that!” Sunset smirks in the group’s direction while Lloyd gives a thumbs up, and Twilight takes Rainbow’s hand. “All right, team, Let’s do this.” All have joined hands to form a rough line and are bracing themselves. “Friendship is magic!” Twilight yelled dramatically.  There was a sudden hush over the entire crowd, a round of extremely puzzled looks from the intended targets, and a very large amount of absolutely nothing else. Sunset and Lloyd cringe mightily at the embarrassing misfire, and someone’s cough echoes loud and clear in the dead silence. The group holds their formation, eyes squeezed shut and muscles tensed to channel the power that simply will not come. After a couple of seconds that feel like a month, Rainbow opens her eyes in close-up and leans toward Twilight.  “Uh, weren’t there rainbows and lasers and stuff last time?” “I don’t understand. We’re all together again, and we have the ninja with us. Why isn’t this working?”  The gym was full with the puzzled/indignant onlookers, including the cruelly smiling Dazzlings, and a badly unnerved Twilight. Spike climbs up onto her shoulder. “You, uh, really need to go ahead and do that whole “magic of friendship” thing now.” “I’m trying, Spike. I thought the six of us standing together against the Sirens would bring out the magic we needed to defeat them. That’s what happened before.” Jay decided to make the situation worse by holding his hands at the sirens and shouting. “Lightning!” He then looked at his hands with a worried frown as his powers still didn’t return. “I don’t get it Twilight, why is it locking?” Cole asked. “I really don’t know…” Twilight sighed.  “Talk about throwing down the gauntlet! This group is obviously serious about winning.” Adagio began walking down the gym.  “A little cocky, though, aren’t they? Claiming there won’t really be a battle. Seems they think they’ve already got this thing all locked up.” This set Trixie off the edge. “Not if the Great and Powerful Trixie has anything to do with it!” “Whatever, Trixie! We’re the best band at CHS!” Flash yelled and pointed to himself.  “No! The Crusaders are gonna win!” Pinkie has swallowed her mouthful and wiped her chin. The not-so-magical eleven wince among the quarrels that have broken out all over the gym. Clouds of green negative energy course all around the gang at floor level, the Dazzlings relaxing and letting it soak into their pendants as they stand amid the raging discord. All three gems start to glow, once the flow stops, Adagio seizes hers in a fist and looks across the room with sudden surprise. She looks at the group and smirks “I think we may have found what we’re looking for—or rather, it found us.”  Adagio grins evilly at her two partners, and Aria does likewise, but Sonata just stares with a look of hopeless confusion, then shrugs and shakes her head when Adagio glowers at her. Aria slaps a hand to her own forehead in disgust as Adagio rounds on Sonata. “Magic! Don’t you see? Everyone else has fallen under our spell.” She pointed out across the gym. The thirteen immune teens were slipping out of the door.  “But not these teens. These ones are special.” Adagio said as Twilight looked at the gym one more time before leaving.  “And did you hear what the Blue one said? Lightning! It also seems like the powers of creation have also made their way to us. We’ll be unstoppable.”  They are now all smiling menacingly at the unrest they have fomented. Outside where the group has escaped. Twilight standing out front, Pinkie perched on a rail, the others sitting on the steps. Spike is with them.  “It doesn’t make any sense. Along with the elements of creation, I should have been able to create the spark that would help us break their spell. That’s how it worked before!” Twilight paced around. “But to defeat me, you drew magic from the crown I was wearing. The Sirens’ magic comes from their music, so maybe you have to use the same kind of magic to defeat them!” Sunset spoke up. “Or maybe not.” No. I think you’re on to something.” Twilight leaned over to Sunset. “Really?” The former smiled.  “It’s when you play music that you transform now, right?” Twilight turned to the others. “Yep. Ears, tails, the whole shebang.” Applejack pointed to her head. Twilight slammed her fist into her hand.  “So maybe the way to use that magic and unlock the Ninjas’ powers to defeat the Sirens is by playing a musical counter-spell!”  “You mean, like a song?” Fluttershy pushed her hair back.  “Uh-huh. And in order to free everyone who’s been exposed to the Sirens’ spell, we’ll need them all to hear it.” Twilight said. All the others think for a moment until Rarity gasps and gets to her feet “The band competition! That’s the next time we can be certain everyone will be in the same place at the same time!” Rarity told everyone.  “Guess the Rainbooms are the band to beat.” Applejack put a hand on Cole’s shoulder as he pumped his fist.  “And I believe you, Twilight, and Ninja just became the Rainbooms’ newest members!” Rarity held out her hand. “If you sing that is.”  That piece of news catches the two-legged magical prodigy completely flat-footed, and her face twists itself into an expression of horrified surprise. The ninja look at eachother, last time they ever sung as a group was the singing tea they accidentally drunk. But if this was the only way to use their powers, what was there to lose? They agreed with a nod, except Lloyd, who still declined to be apart of everything. He wanted to take the time to learn more about this world and how to get back home. The other five band members rush off the steps, all talking and laughing at once—and completely missing the deflated dismay that has taken hold of Sunset. Lloyd places a hand on her shoulder and smiles in an attempt to cheer her up, which seems ro work. Before the celebration can go too far, Pinkie bulls her way to the center of the knot. “So, what do you guys want to play?” Pinkie rushed and grabbed multiple instruments.  “Triangle?” (…which she shakes to make it jangle a bit before pulling it away. Now she leans in close, toting a…) “Sousaphone?” (…and letting off a foghorn blast that blows Twilight’s hair back. Away she goes, returning this time with a…) “Theremin?” (…and demonstrating its otherworldly tone by running her hands over the top and side antenna attachments.) “So magical.” “I might take a little too long to learn how to play something with these. I’ll just sing.” Twilight said as Rainbow whips over and rests an elbow on her shoulder.  “Like, as in “lead singer”? ’Cause that’s usually my gig. This being my band and all.” “It’s our band.” Applejack walked over and said, annoyed. “And of course as lead singer, she’s the one with the magical know how to help us pull this thing off.” She pulled Twilight over to her. “Okay, yeah, that’s cool. I’ll just use this as a chance to home my already insanely good lead guitar skills, and you know what?” Rainbow pulled Kai over to her. “I’ll take him as my backup, you do know how to use a guitar right?” Kai nodded quickly.  “It’s only temporary. We don’t have to win the Battle of the Bands. We just have to perform during the first round of the band. And I like your idea Rainbow Dash, maybe each of you should take one of the ninja under your wing.” Twilight said. The four other girls agreed. Fluttershy took Zane, AJ took Cole, Rarity took Nya, and Pinkie took Jay. “Two drums are going to be very loud.” Jay pointed out. “That’s what makes it fun! And more effective!” Pinkie put her arm around him and yelled in his ear, leaving a very dazed Jay.  “So let’s get to learning that musical counter spell!” Rainbow leaned to Twilight. “Um… that’s just it. I don’t know any.” Twilight admitted, leading the others to a dejected sigh. “But I’m sure I can figure out how to write one!”  “Totally! Twilight can write a spell like it’s nobody’s business! That’s pretty much how she got to become a princess in Equestria.” Spike bragged for her.  “Technically, I helped finish a spell—and there was a little more to it than that, Spike.” Twilight pointed out, needled.  “Yeah, whatever.” Spike brushed her aside. I’ve got this, come on” Twilight picked Spike up and began heading up the stairs. “Where are you goin’?” She stopped on the first step and turned to face a confused group. “Well, last time we were here, Spike and I spent the night in the library.” “Are you crazy? We’re besties now! Slumber party at my house! Ninja inculded!” Pinkie hugged Twilight and Spike while the other eleven looked at each other with wide smiles and excitement.