Ponemurdered XII: The Rebellion of the Strings
“Our chance will come soon!” Red Herring whispered. “The Legacy of Twilight will prevail!”
“How did Twilight leave a legacy when she’s still alive?” Empty Glass whispered, only to be punched on the shoulder by Half Pint.
“We don’t know if she’s still alive. Besides, nopony offered a better name!” she muttered. Her hoof caressed the spot between the wings of Red Herring.
“I still think 'Pinkie’s Pies' would have been better...” Decanter observed, twitching nervously and eyeing his equipment.
“I think Luna wanted it to be ‘The Lunar Eclipse’ or something equally dreary.” Empty Glass sighed. “When are we doing our thing, oh great leader?”
Red Herring smiled back at the others. “Soon. Prepare yourselves. Luna is ready.”
And that’s when the rock started. Or rather when Octavia so totally owned the Princesses that cello players all across the multiverse stood a little straighter.
Seeing Princess Luna fall before the might of a wrong note was enough for Red Herring. “Forget the original signal! That’s the new signal! Quick! To the Stringmaton!”
“The Stringmaton?” Empty Glass deadpanned as all four of them and their trusty partner, Cuddles, jumped into the air and activated their hoof-bands.
“Who brought the rabbit?!” Decanter shouted.
“I did!” Half Pint retorted. “Don’t you remember Fluttershy’s last words?!”
“Please, take care of Angel’s little sister!”
“You don’t sound anything like her, Empty Glass!” Decanter growled as they all started glowing. “Besides, she’s right there!”
“Hush! Don’t point out the location of the Elements to the enemy!”
---------------------
“How about we kick your flank so hard you’ll kiss the moon?” Rainbow Dash retorted. “Do you think we’re stupid!?”
The Octavia shade looked directly at Rainbow Dash’s challenging eyes and nodded. “Yes.”
“Y—” Rainbow Dash sputtered, shaking her head in disbelief.
“Well, darling, I’m afraid we cannot accept your...” Rarity made a face. “Tasteless offer, you see, we came for Twilight and we’re leaving with her.”
Octavia rolled her eyes. “Just look at her!” She pointed with a hoof to the unconscious unicorn. “I have drained her of all the will to live. There is nothing you can say or do to bring her back from the oblivion of the soul that I have subjected her to through nightmares and tickling.
“At least I won’t have to tell her I almost set her library on fire!” Rainbow Dash countered.
“WHAT?!” Twilight croaked, sitting up on the altar, eyes blazing in anger and horn glowing with power. “You did what to my library?”
“Lower those wings, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity chided. “It’s unseemly. Twilight dear, your library is fine. Rainbow just dropped a candle and we got it before any damage was done.”
Twilight still glowered at Rainbow Dash, who had the presence of mind to at least look apologetic. “We shall talk about this at length, Rainbow Dash. Where are the others?”
“Fighting Octavia,” Rarity informed Twilight quickly while the latter studied the starry clone of Octavia standing just a few feet away from them.
“That’s not good!” Twilight cringed. “If what I learned in the ancient tomes is true, then—”
“Enough!” The Octavia Star Creature growled, drawing their attention. “If you do not accept my deal, I shall have to dispose of you all right now!”
“How do we fight her, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash stole a worried glance at her friend. “Last time we went through her!”
“It’s like we’re fighting a generic ghost!” Rarity scoffed. “No originality, at all!”
“She’s not a ghost,” Twilight whispered. “She’s a construct of the stars, almost untouchable, but she has a core! If we can get to it, she will become solid, and we’ll be able to defeat her.”
“What is this core made of? Can you see it?” Rainbow Dash asked watching the construct levitate into the air as it prepared to play it’s starry cello again.
Their voices were drowned by the melody coming from Octavia’s cello. The three ponies moaned and writhed in pain as the short melody extended in it’s last notel, leaving them weakened and panting in the floor.
“This will be your end.” The bow went back to the cello...
“It should be a crystal!” Twilight shouted quickly. “We need to find it!”
Star Octavia cringed and almost dropped its instrument when a white glow of energy enveloped one of the stars on its chest and pulled it out. The tiny fragment flew across the air to hover in front of Rarity, who had a smug look in her face.
Star Octavia looked down at herself as her body solidified and her eyebrow twitched. “This... is not going to change your fate. At all.”
Her music started again, making Twilight sink to her knees and Rarity drop the crystal. The pair cringed and looked up, barely able to form a coherent thought.
Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth, but yet managed to form a smile. “I think...” she groaned through the pain. “That there’s only one way to stop you..”
Beating her wings, she lifted her weight off the floor and in a move that shocked all present, slammed her hooves onto her ears.
Octavia slowly lowered her bow, eyes wide. “She... burst her ear drums... so that she wouldn’t hear my music!”
“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight shouted in horrified amazement. “What—”
Rainbow Dash didn’t look at her. “I know you’re probably freaking out, Twilight, but I can’t hear you.” She looked over her shoulder with a smirk. “But I’ll put an end to this!”
“Fool!” Octavia laughed, playing her music again.
Again Rarity and Twilight collapsed, barely able to force their heads up to see as Rainbow Dash fell, panting in front of Octavia. “B-but how?!” Rainbow Dash groaned. “I shouldn’t be able to hear you!”
“My music isn’t something you only hear,” Octavia sneered. “It affects all your senses. It goes straight into your minds! Now die!”
“No!”
The music was forced to a stop as Rainbow Dash moved faster than ever before and held the solidified Star Octavia from behind. “W-what?! What are you doing? Release me at once!”
Ignoring her, Rainbow Dash looked past her at her friends. “I’m sorry girls...” she said a bit loudly. “But I will have to break my promise and use that special technique Princess Celestia taught me and then made me promise never to use!”
“No! Rainbow!” Rarity shouted, jumping to her hooves, but it was too late and she knew it.
A flash of rainbow energy surrounded the Star Octavia and Rainbow Dash as the pair levitated into the air.
“I’ll... I’ll miss you girls!” Rainbow Dash shouted. With an explosion of rainbow energy the pair slammed through the top of the tower and soon were out of sight... until a huge explosion of chromatic energy lit the night sky.
“Rainbow Dash! Nooo!” Rarity collapsed onto the floor, sobbing.
“Rarity...” Twilight groaned, forcing herself to stand next to her friend. “We will... we will mourn Rainbow later... you have to tell me what’s going on.”
Gritting her teeth and nodding, Rarity took Twilight’s hoof and got to her hooves. “I will... on the way, we must teleport back to the palace, or Rainbow’s... or it might all have been for nothing.”
---------------------
The ground trembled under Octavia’s hooves as four gigantic speakers emerged on each corner of the throne room and proceeded to convert into pony-like automatons of some sort, with several speakers on their shoulders and legs the moment four shining creatures landed on top of them.
Well, three did, for the fourth and last one transformed into a giant rabbit with several subwoofers on its ears and a giant one on its belly.
Octavia’s eyes went from one to the next until her gaze turned back to the center of the throne room, where Luna now stood on her hind legs, her posture assisted by softly beating wings. On her forehooves, secured with a shiny dark-blue band, was a midnight-black electric guitar.
The two faced each other while Celestia could only stare in utter, slack-jawed incomprehension at what was transpiring.
Luna narrowed her eyes in tandem with Octavia. “Prepare for the Rolling of Rocks!” Luna hollered, her hoof strumming the guitar as drums, a bass guitar an electric keyboard and a set of bells emerged in front of the pony (and rabbit) piloted constructs.
Octavia’s eyes twitched and she dramatically put her bow against the strings of her heavenly cello. “Bring it on!”
---------------------
To Be continued...