//------------------------------// // Chapter 15 // Story: Mane Six In the World of Music // by Snakes0 //------------------------------// Panic. That's what The Mane 6 was feeling. Panic from confusion, from distortion of their cutie marks. What was so fundamental to them was altered. They would be panicking more if something like this hadn't happened before. Unlike last time when they had their cutie marks changed they still held on to their old habits and skills for now. They look around and see that this part of the city has been converted into a chaotic and nightmarish carnival. There are no civilians only carnival-related staff, vendors, etc. "This is... Unsettlin'. Pinkie, what do ya think of the smiles of those folks? Is it a Starlight Glimmer's townsfolk smile?" Applejack asked Pinkie Pie knowing that she would be in her element here or at least more in her element than everypony else. "Some of them look like they are forced to be happy, while others look genuine. But if they are actually happy then that's a good thing! We only really have to help those who aren't! Operation happy carnival is on the waaay!" Says Pinkie Pie as she bounces up and down. "Um... I... Don't like this... Or do I? Maybe I do! Just kidding... I don't... I don't know why I said that. Isn't this supposed to be a dangerous place? Nopony or person should be this happy willingly if they are in danger..." Fluttershy says as she ponders if her new cutie mark is the reason she feels dramatic rather than timid. "You are right Fluttershy. Mel said his brother was planning on wiping this city out. I think this is... Advanced Mind Control... Maybe Hypnosis. I think everypony and everyone who is within this area might be undergoing changes. That would explain the change in our appearance and our cutie marks. It feels like some sort of twisted game Discord made up. We must not split up. If you notice anything about each other or yourselves that is different please tell us right away," Twilight asked of her friends as she wants to take every precaution. "Then we simply must speak with the manager. Demand that they cease all operations and if not we throw down." Rarity says with an almost Karen-like attitude. "Yeah! I mean couldn't they give me ANY other cutie mark cooler than this? And by the manager, I assume you mean the one behind all of this," Rainbow Dash says before groaning. "What am I saying?! I don't WANT any other cutie mark besides the one I walked in with!" "Hehe! All we have to do is something super duper crazy amazing to draw the head honcho out! I need everypony's help!" Pinkie Pie says as she came up with a plan. She lays out the plan and everypony else didn't like it, but strangely agreed. "Ugh... Not my thing... But at least it IS kind of cool and action-packed. I guess it is time to draw the crowd's attention." Rainbow Dash says as she gets ready. Rarity borrows an empty booth to set it up for the grand performance they are about to do. "Come one, come all, and join into the show!~ Some action, some thrills, something for your cheers!~" Rarity sings in tune with the bouncy background music and cringes internally. Her voice was amplified and mystified as it became empowered by her singing. Many heads were turned and many were curious and came to see what was going on and bought tickets. Twilight started to sing drawing out her notes like how the sirens did in the cafeteria at Canterlot High School. Her voice vibrates throughout the air and fills the air with mist and colorful lights focused on a stage that was nearby filling the area with a sense of suspense. Applejack appears onstage and roars. She is still dressed like a lion and she chases after Fluttershy like as if she wanted to eat her. Fluttershy makes a convincing scream that transitions to singing about how distressed she is and she hides behind Rainbow Dash. "Oh no! Angry Lion! Why are you hiding behind me?!" Rainbow Dash says and she almost smiled at how smoothly she delivered her line. Rainbow Dash swoops Fluttershy into her hooves and stands on her hind hooves as she jumps on the tightrope that Pinkie set up and starts going across. Applejack climbs up and starts scratching at the rope. Rainbow Dash sees this and hurries across the tightrope before making it to the other side. Applejack jumps over the entire section and roars. "Oh no! Oh no! The lion is across! What shall we doooo?" Singed Rainbow Dash as the audience gasped. "Look over there, we might just be saved! Jump through that hoop, made of fire!" Fluttershy sings. Rainbow Dash sees that there is a floating ring of fire. She jumps through it with Fluttershy still in her hooves and lands before dropping her. Applejack seems a little hesitant, but she too jumps through it. Suddenly Pinkie Pie shows up singing the song of fire that she was taught and is doing plenty of fire-themed tricks and dances. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy hide behind Pinkie Pie who starts waving flames at Applejack who backed up. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy both start singing, "We're saved, we're saved, the fire is here! The dancer of flaaame!" Applejack shrugs as she can't catch them now and curls up into a ball to sleep which marks the end of the show. The audience liked it. To them, it was humorous and tense. One person in the crowd wasn't having fun. "That's not even a real lion! This was thrown together at the last minute! What the heck is going on with this city-" The person began almost breaking out into roast rap before being impaled from behind by a spinning scythe. The person screamed as his outward appearance flaked off and was replaced by a clown and then proceeded to juggle and hum with the background music. A voice is heard all around them. The background seems to be revolving around them like a carousel. "Critics, am I right? Tee hee hee! A little on the short side but I can see you all are naturals at this! Stay, stay! Join the pa- rade! Your songs are nice and made to enter-tain! Lose that thing you hold so dear! That sweet fantasy life! Let me, the reaper of songs add you to the big, and fun sing along~" It was clear now. Either one willingly accepted the madness and joined the show or they would be reaped and their music replaced with the song of maddening carnival music. A tall figure dressed as a jester with color clashes that only half the time works appear sitting on thin air. Rarity almost passes out from the horrid fashion design choice. They all have a bad feeling. It was like when they first met Discord who made a mockery out of logic, friendship, and reality. Discord was an unknown entity with power they had never seen before and it scared them though Discord's idea of humor ruins it at times. Here this entity has that same unknowable power with a twisted sense of humor that is unsettling. None of them want to fight such an entity. His music was so potent that it lingers in the background without needing to be maintained which leaves the entity free to sing and perform within his own music to enhance itself. "Welcome to the show! Hehe! You can't stop what has been set into motion~" The reaper says laughing. "Y-you! We challenge you to a Battle of the Bands! That means music decides and not magical skill!" Twilight says. The figure frowns and looks down at its jacket which has the mark that compels it to accept. "You have done your research~ But my name is Jestper. Hehe. Get it? Jester Reaper! HAHAH!" "It's ok! His music magic should stop and he'll have to face all of us fairly!" Twilight says. "We perform, and strike back at the norm and still are entertaining!" the Jester Reaper says in a half-singing voice. The Mane 6 start their singing. They let Rarity take the lead, but it wouldn't last long as Pinkie Pie tackles the group just before spinning scythes that appeared out of nowhere stabbed them. The group was flustered and nearly stopped singing. They know that they must not stop or the battle would be over. "Hehehe! It's no fun playing by the rules! You should know that from meeting Discord! Hehe! Let's begin!" Jestper sang and that's when the group noticed that the background carnival music never stopped. It was degrading without the lesser spirit of chaos being able to maintain it due to music not translating to magic due to the battle format, but he hadn't been maintaining it anyway before the challenge and thus was separate and still very much under his control. The group realize he could attack them with chaos magic while they couldn't use magic to defend themselves. Rarity stops singing. Her song didn't feel right. It didn't match the group. It matched with chaos. Her role as an element seems to drift away, "Sorry Darlings, I don't think I can help you. It's not you all. It's me." Losing Rarity, the group stops and Twilight reorganizes the group to sing their soul songs and timings so that they can transition from one to another. Applejack starts and is sweating, "Raise this barn... Raise this barn... 1...2...3..." "Up and down on this Carousel ride~ Going to place that you would never have known~ Raze the barn! 1! 2! 3! and 4!" Jestper sings mocking her Applejack seems to tear up as she is hit with a flaming whip that formed from nothing and whimpers less like a pony and more like a hurt animal which makes Fluttershy stop to try and help her while making it a dramatic scene. "Watch out! To your lefts and ups!" shouts Pinkie Pie who was more focused on keeping everypony alive by pointing out dangers that she sees in time. Though fading into the background in silence like an unneeded party balloon the next day after a party. "I'm as awesome as I wanna be... I'm-" Rainbow Dash says before being interrupted by the background music had a beat that tripped her up. She can't remember that she doesn't give up on anything least of all her friends. "I'm finally free~ The world revolves around and around chaotically! hehe!" Jestper built off of her song just to flex on her. It was all down to Twilight. Everypony was a mess. They are losing themselves. The stress of facing a lesser spirit of chaos is making them lose themselves like how Discord warped their minds. And if Twilight stops singing the Battle of the Bands will be over and Jestper wouldn't toy with them anymore and they could lose their lives or their very identities. Twilight was alone and she was scared. She felt like she was as productive as being on stage performing in an empty theater alone. Something is eating at her making her question why is she still going if her friends have fallen. "Hehe! You perform, I am the void, and you sing the song of Noooothing~" Jestper says with a smile as his mark burns away. The reality around this area is so warped that the laws of the world are starting to fall apart. Jestper hides a hand behind his back which goes through a portal. One appears behind Twilight holding a spectral scythe that would take her life the moment she gives up. Time seems to slow down for Twilight as her voice becomes softer and softer as her hope fades. She bites her lip and stomps on the ground for a new beat. At her lowest, she remembered that she faced worse. She faced a situation like this before. She still had her friend. The only thing that changed is that they had forgotten themselves and needed a reminder. She raises her voice so that all her friends can hear her. "I used to wonder what friendship could be. Until you all shared its magic with me!" Twilight sings to the tone of the opening of MLP. Her hope sparked something with the rest of the group. "Big adventure!" shouts Rainbow Dash. "Tons of fun!" Pinkie Pie says with a smile as she dodges a spinning scythe. "A beautiful heart!" Rarity smiles as she shouts. "Faithful and strong!" Applejack reaffirms as she kicks a scythe into a wall and grabs a rope and lassos another and swings it at Jestper who splits in half to dodge it before coming back together. "Sharing kindness!" Fluttershy shouts nailing the timing. "It's an easy feat! And magic makes it all complete!" Twilight says as she nods to everypony knowing that even without using magic to synchronize they all know what to say. "You're all my very best friends!" They shout and at their conclusion the world's verdict was conclusive. Before the spectral scythe could strike the portal closed which sliced off Jestper's arm and disintegrated it. The whole carnival background music and the chaos bubble disappear as per the rules. The world had decided that the magic of friendship was better even though it was messy, confusing, and had good parts and bad. "Hehe! You idiots. You didn't specify what you wanted to happen after you defeated me meaning I can just play play again! Hehe!" Jestper mocks them. Losing an arm didn't phase the lesser spirit of chaos. "Can we now officially beat the stuffing out of him? He is getting on my nerves," Rainbow said knowing full well that they would have asked the same thing if she hadn't. Right now the magic has returned and with music, magic, and the bonds of friendship holding them together they never felt closer now that they have been reminded of themselves. They won't soon forget. The Mane 6's cutie marks begin to glow and return to normal and become rainbowfied versions of themselves. The background area starts to revolve as the lesser spirit of chaos's music starts up again. Rainbow Dash grabs a scythe in midair and revolves in the opposite direction creating a rainbow hurricane that slices the chaos and Fluttershy helps her. Applejack tears a carousel off its axis and throws it while Pinkie Pie makes it explode into a colorful spray of rainbow. Twilight uses her magic to restore reality back to normal by exerting her influence and music to start undoing the influences. Rarity uses her magic to organize and restructure the lesser spirit of chaos and disharmony. "No. This... Can't be possible! This power... ISN'T MORAL POWER! You are all merely ponies who burn their souls for a moment of divinity!" "Heh. You COULD say that we are deities. 20,000% percent cooler." Rainbow Dash boasts. And just like they had the momentum the harmony of all of them in sync spiritually and through song ended abruptly. They had not mastered harmonizing and synchronizing all their soul songs together and thus they rainbowfied for only 3 seconds. They realize they don't have enough time to try again. Twilight using the last of the faded visions of the future she had while in that form realizes they will be fine. It starts raining a hundred spears before a sea of flame in the sky melts them and the sea of flame starts falling before turning to ice and then to sand before disintegrating into nothingness. Clef appeared behind the lesser spirit of Chaos and stabs him from behind making the spirit dissolve into chaos energy before disappearing completely. "Elements of Harmony I presume?" Clef asks as he tips the hat he was wearing. He has a blue draconic mask-like face like Mel. "I can't say I like what each of the elements represents. Some of them are just silly. But enough about me. Congratulations. You all are the first nonnotes to 'dragonify' although I assume you have your own name for it." "We are. And we heard from you brother that you intended to burn down the entire city just to defeat that guy." Twilight says cautiously. "Ouch. You can't complain. You all used the same level of power though spread out. I thought I sensed a powerful force strong enough to shake the world and I was getting ready to eliminate the threat and I nearly assassinated you all until I saw what you were all doing. Silly mistake. I'm glad that you all are here. The world is close to being... Saved? Yeah. Then me and my brother will send you back and everybody celebrates." "Assassinate us?! Ya can't brush that comment off! This ain't over. The ------..... The bad guy is still out there!" Applejack says. "The Necromancer. Yes. He is still a problem. My brother should be almost done taking care of him. But the power of love prevails right? So you are all lesbian?" The Mane 6 was so baffled and flustered by Clef's statement/joke that they didn't realize he disappeared through a portal. Clef appears in a bar and taps the back of one of the people there who has a draconic mask face. "Azeun. I almost didn't recognize you with that note's face you stole and wear." Clef says. "Surely you don't plan on getting rid of me here. There are too many people. Though you didn't seem too concerned with sacrificing an entire city's worth of people who didn't evaluate to deal with one clown." Azeun responds while drinking another glass. "That was a calculated risk. You do realize it's over right? Mel is on his way. You can't hide from him forever. He'll hunt you down. You won't suffer mere banishment. You'll be executed." Clef says before flicking away Azeun's hand from grabbing another glass with his draconic tail. "And why are you here telling me this? Why the hell are you here? Aren't you here to kill me too?" Azeun hissed as he strokes his hand that was flicked. "Because I heard an interesting rumor. You do realize I was the one who locked you up. I didn't realize you were a Necromancer. Care to tell me how you suddenly go from being a healer to playing the songs of the dead? Did someone GIVE you that power?" "Tsk. No. I AM the puppet master. All of this was my plan. I planned everything including you arresting me. Don't fancy yourself thinking you know it all. I hid my power. I never was good with healing music anyway. Too hopeful. Is that all you needed to know?" Azeun says as he relaxes as he has finished making secret preparations while they were talking. "Hmm... Pretty much. Now as to why I am here. I'm here to tell you that you better run because this world will be your grave. Maybe you should banish yourself like how Discord banished himself to Equestria after he killed-" Clef said before being interrupted and a black spear stabbed through his heart. It goes through him like as if he was a ghost. It was an illusion. "Tsk... You gave me a heart attack. I was sure you were here personally from that tail slap. It was a convincing illusion of Clef. MEL. I know your brother's habits. Though now I know that confronting you is inevitable. But maybe I should go to Equestria. My plan has come to fruition." "You won't. I'll be here in a few moments and you won't be able to escape-" Mel says through the illusion of Clef no longer in Mel's voice. "You are right. Guess what? Octavia Melody is alive. I tried using her melody but I couldn't use her magic." "... You are lying. That..." the illusion says before fading due to Mel losing his focus on maintaining it. Azeun grabs another glass and drinks it before paying his tab. Azeun thinks to himself, "The ironic part is that I wasn't lying. Shame. If I was going up against a Master Composer I would have liked to see his face when I play his daughter's music to trip him up. There goes my instant win plan. If only I knew where she was I could give her the intuitive solution to life. Death." In Canterlot Castle's throne room a few minutes ago. "So thou hath told us EVERYTHING?" Luna says with suspension toward Discord. "I did! Is that SO hard to believe? ... Don't answer that. Because I really did this time. Octavia Melody was the one who asked me to take her with me. She was like me. Someone who wanted to see more out there. But that's beside the point! I'm the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony! I know when there is an imbalance! I also know when there is a plot to exploit an imbalance. Someone on that side is planning on conquering multiverses. And if The Mane 6 die... Who will fight to save Equestria when they come? You two haven't had a winning streak in a long time. I won't be strong enough." Discord says sighing. "Sister. Send Twilight a daydream. Make her remember what she stands for. If this lesser spirit of chaos wants them to forget then we won't let that happen." Celestia says as Luna nods. Luna focuses on sending a flash of memories to Twilight even though she is in another world. "I promise to make this right. When this is all said and done... I will make sure Mel sees his daughter. Equestria has become my home... Home is where the water is chocolate milk because you made it that way and the ponies are ignorant and... Where your friends are. No, I won't write you a silly friendship letter." "Bring my little ponies back alive and I won't ask you to. Keep us informed." Celestia says.