//------------------------------//
// ...What Genre of Music is the Best 
// Story: The CMC's Epic Argument Anthology 
// by CartsBeforeHorses 
//------------------------------//

"Hey girls, guess what!?"

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle glanced over at Sweetie Belle as she approached them on the sidewalk in Ponyville. She was grinning from ear to ear, each of which had a white earbud inside it.

"Rarity bought me an Apple NeighPod!"

"What does it do?" asked Apple Bloom, eyeing it curiously. "Is it for cleanin' out earwax?"

"No, silly," said Sweetie Belle. "It lets you listen to music wherever you go!"

"Awesome!" said Scootaloo. "Let me listen to it."

Sweetie Belle gave Scootaloo the earbuds, and she put them into her ears. Sweetie Belle turned on the music, and then Scootaloo frowned.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Sweetie Belle, turning down the volume. "Too loud?"

Scootaloo's face turned green as she grimaced. "No, it's not too loud; it's too awful! You listen to One Furrection?"

Sweetie Belle nodded, grinning with pride at her favorite colt band. Scootaloo simply shook her head, remaining silent. Apple Bloom's mouth hung wide open.

"And what's wrong with THAT?" demanded Sweetie Belle, her voice squeaking slightly.

"They're too overplayed and overhyped, and they suck!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "Punk rock is where it's at. Listen to a real band like My Little Romance, All-Equestrian Rejects, Party! At The Disco, Mareamore, or Fallout Foal."

"Sorry, but I don't want to start wearing all black or cutting myself with razor blades," said Sweetie Belle, chuckling.

"Then you outta listen to some good, ol' fashioned country," said Apple Bloom. "Ponies like Keith Urbuck, Tim McGryphon, or Mare Antebellum. Then, you can work down on a farm like me!"

"Country music is too depressing, just like emo music," said Sweetie Belle. "What's wrong with some light, up-beat pop music?"

"Country can be upbeat, too!" said Apple Bloom. "Not all the songs are about loosin' yer dog, plow, and home. Just most of them! Unlike punk, where the most you can hope for is your ex to call you back."

"Hey!" Scootaloo exclaimed, getting into Apple Bloom's face, flaring her wings. "Emo punk rock may be depressing, but at least it doesn't blow sunshine up your flank and pretend that everything is all hunky-dory! And cowpony hats are stupid."

"What is country even about, anyway?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Is there anything to it besides wearing a cowpony hat, playing a banjo, and singing with a country accent like yours, Apple Bloom?"

"No, there's plenty more about it!" exclaimed Apple Bloom. "It's about simple, upstanding, hard-working pony folk who live in the country and take whatever life gives 'em."

"Well, right now, life has given me One Furrection, Justin Timberwolf, and the Ponas Brothers," said Sweetie Belle.

"If they're so great, how many times have you gone to see them live?" asked Scootaloo.

Sweetie Belle blinked a few times, raising an eyebrow.

Scootaloo scoffed. "You know, as in, been to see a concert of theirs?"

"Why would I do that?" asked Sweetie Belle. "I mean, I already have all their music; why would I want to see them live? It costs like two hundred bits."

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom both groaned.

"I can't believe you ain't never seen your favorite bands live!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "Why, I remember when I went to go see the Marshall Bucker Band with Applejack. They got the duelin' banjos on stage and had a hootenany!"

"And when I went to go see Jimmy Eat Equus live, I got front row seats! I could feel the singers and guitarists breathing on me, I was that close!" Scootaloo said, clasping her hooves together. "They even played extended versions of all their songs. They were jammin' out for hours!"

"'Course, bands like your favorites ain't that creative, so I guess they can't really improvise on stage," said Apple Bloom.

Sweetie Belle blushed. "Yeah, well at least pop will live forever! Emo is dying. Country is dying. Pop is forever. Ponies will always want to listen to it!"

Suddenly, the three of them were interrupted by Pinkie Pie.

"Hey girls! What's up? I'm about to throw a super duper terrific party, and--"

"Pinkie, you can solve this!" Sweetie Belle interrupted. "Pinkie, what music do you listen to?"

All three ponies glanced at Pinkie.

"I listen to ska," said Pinkie Pie. "Bands like Goldhoof, Aquavamponybats, and the OC Mary Supertones."

All three ponies cackled hysterically, rolling around on the ground.

"Go back to 1996, Pinkie," said Apple Bloom.