//------------------------------// // 9. Bitter and Cheap // Story: Guitar Hero: Equestria Girls // by ThePegaKris //------------------------------// Later on the second day of the Guitar Hero tournament, Sunset Shimmer's group was hanging out with Timber Spruce by eating at a nearby mall. All of them were seated by a grand view of Manehattan. "I'm really glad you could join us, Timber!" Sunset acknowledged. "Thank you! My sister is always busy, but she does knows how to squeeze in some free time for me and that's one of the many reasons why I love her." "Aww, how precious!" as Rarity took a bite of her sandwich. "Mmm, you're not finishing your pasta, Fluttershy?" Sci-Twi looked at her friend. "I can finish it. I just...don't want to get my stomach immediately clogged up like my brain." "What do you mean?" Pinkie asked. "She's still sad about Rainbow Dash not being here with us, which I can totally understand, but now I feel even more sad just thinking about her as we go through this tournament." Spike explained. "I wish she was here, too!" "Yeah..." The rest added. "Miss Rarity, how're you feeling so far?" Coco wondered. "Absolutely delighted, honey! In fact, I'll actually continue to help our friends win this thing and share all the glory!" "Be careful not to indulge in too much of it, Rarity!" A.J. warned her. "Rainbow Dash is counting on us!" "Should I try calling her again, darling?" "If you need to support your friend with all of your hearts, then go for it!" Timber favored. "Thanks Timber!" Rarity replied. "I'm calling her now." The other line picked up. "Hello?" Scootaloo called. "Wait, Scootaloo?" Rarity held on for a second. "Why do you have your sister's phone? Where is she?" "Rainbow Dash is in the shower right now, probably trying to wash away whatever she's going through right now. You have anything to say to her?" "Yes, tell her that my friends and I miss her very much and that we wish for her to come back to the Guitar Hero tournament!" Rarity listed. "By the way, what favors does she have to do for you, Scootaloo?" "She promised to upgrade my scooter, drive the other Crusaders and I to the mall, and bring us somewhere to eat." "Can you put it on speakerphone?" Sunset swooped in. Rarity then switched her phone setting. "Oh, that's nice of her, and by the way, you're on speaker!" "Hey Scootaloo!" Everyone greeted. "Hi girls!" She said while rubbing her neck. "Is there anything else you need from Rainbow Dash?" "Are ya sure your sister's not hiding any secrets from us?" A.J. got suspicious. "We need some answers from her because we miss her and you're the closest we've got!" "I'm really sorry, but there's nothing else I can say!" Scootaloo answered. "Even if she was hiding something from all of you, I doubt that she has a reason to do so. She'd never try to disappoint any of you or me!" "...Thanks Scootaloo." Pinkie sighed. "Have fun with Rainbow Dash." "Bye!" She hanged up. "Now what?" Princess Twilight lost hope. "Looks like A.J.'s right about the amount of time it'll take for Rainbow to get better." Sunset concluded. "Rarity, Pinkie, A.J., and I are just going to have to keep going until the end." "I have no objections." Rarity raised her hand. "Me too." A.J. also raised her hand. "Me three." Pinkie raised her hand as well. "Baby, you were really great out there today, and I can only assume that things will get even harder from now on!" Sci-Twi spoke to Timber. "But, you four are able to win the tournament, no matter what Rara throws at you!" "Thanks Twilight, even though Rara really did nothing wrong!" Sunset giggled. "I know, I didn't mean it that way!" She stuck her tongue out at her. "Pinkie, where are you going now?" A.J. raised her eyebrow. "Going to get ice cream? Why? Do you want some?" "Please don't put sprinkles, please don't put sprinkles!" Rarity prayed to herself. "I can say the same thing, Rarity!" Sunset read her mind. "How did you...? Never mind, dear! Fluttershy, sweetie, what're you watching?" She looked at her phone. "Our concert for Camp Everfree!" She replied. "Ah, I remember that!" Timber recalled. "You girls really put on a show that saved the camp! I have to thank you even more for that!" "You're welcome!" The Rainbooms politely responded. As the group was finishing their food with Timber Spruce, Sugar Belle happened to spot them and quickly rushed to them. "Hi girls!" "Hey Sugar Belle!" They greeted in unison. "I'm glad I finally got to run into you here in this city! I saw all your performances and I loved them!" "Thanks Sugar, but where were you?" Sunset realized. "We were trying to find you this entire time and I don't think we've ever saw you once yesterday!" "Fortunately for me, I got a seat all the way up in the Elite Circle, where you can get the best possible view of the tournament!" Sugar Belle magnified. "Another thing, too, is that the seats up there are very limited and expensive, but that wasn't a problem for me!" "Well, how do you feel about Countess Coloratura giving us seats in the very first row for free?" Sci-Twi bragged. "Aww, I feel outdone!" Sugar Belle lightly stomped the ground. "You all are even more lucky! How did she get you free seats all the way up front?" "Applejack, over here, grew very to Countess Coloratura when they were kids and they still are best friends!" Fluttershy told of reminiscence. "The rest of us are very grateful for whatever they provide for us and we shall always be! Right, girls?" "Right!" The rest piled up. "Aww shucks, y'all are welcome!" A.J. glanced around. "What time is it, by the way?" "It's time for you to get a watch!" Pinkie mocked. "Hehe, my bad! It's actually almost time for us to head back inside the theater. Is everyone ready?" "You all have fun and go on without me, because I literally just got here!" Sugar Belle noted. "We're way ahead of you!" Sci-Twi raced out while her hand was being held by Timber Spruce. "I still can't get over how adorable those two look together!" Rarity dreamed. "Who's going to clean up after them now? It certainly won't be my job!" "Uhh, Rarity?" as Sunset crossed her arms. "You do realize that Twilight just her magic to take out her and her boyfriend's trash, right?" Rarity answered while being dumbfounded. "Oh yeah, I forgot! This place is pretty colorful, so it's kind of hard for me to see her magical aura, even if I had my glasses." "How about you, Princess?" Fluttershy asked the other Twilight. "You're done eating? If you don't mind, would you kindly carry Spike? My hands are a bit messy." "I wouldn't mind that at all! Come on, Spike!" She whistled to the dog. "Aye aye!" He said as he got up. "Let's go!" as Sunset tilted her head towards the way out. The rest of the group started to follow her and walked down the escalator to the first floor. Sunset, while checking her phone, said, "Oh, we really have to hurry back!" "Have we been here very long?" Rarity questioned. "Wait, can I just check inside these store windows quickly? I need some new threads for the cold weather." "Rarity, it's still the summer, and you don't even need those things!" A.J. ranted. "C'mon, I got you!" A.J. began to drag Rarity away and she started whining. "But I wannntt itttt!" She wallowed. "Ahh, you look good in your clothes already, Rarity!" Pinkie randomly pointed out. "No need to get even more touchy!" Back at the Manehattan Theater, everyone who was trying to get in made it safely, as it was about to rain. As usual, Countess Coloratura and James Hetfield were on stage waiting to do their part. The Rainbooms were very eager this round, being that seven is their lucky number. "Welcome, yet again folks, to Round Seven of our first annual Guitar Hero tournament, right here in Manehattan!" Rara pleased the audience. "Hard to believe that we've come this far already, huh?" James relieved himself. "It seems we have a champion band on the rise! Who do YOU guys think it is?" "Rainbooms, Rainbooms, Rainbooms!" The audience chanted. "That's right!" Rara said into the microphone. "Who will be their lucky opponents now? Everyone, pay attention to the screen and let's hit the lights!" "YEAH!" as James literally tossed his microphone up into the air and broke a spotlight. "Hehe, oops?" "Grr, I'm not paying for that!" Rara angered. "Just roll it!" The first screen activated. "The Rainbooms will be facing the Neighon Warriors! Which of them will be going, however? Hit the second screen!" It stopped and landed on 'Guitar Only.' "Ooh, it's my time to shine again!" Rarity filled herself with energy. "Wish me luck, ladies!" "You'll do great again, Rarity!" as Sunset proceeded to hug her. "We believe in ya, Rare!" A.J. went to hug her as well. "Give it to 'em!" Pinkie pleaded and hugged Rarity. "Come on up here, Rarity!" Rara made her upstage the competition. Then the fashion girl finally picked up the guitar controller. "I'm ready!" After Rarity prepared herself, James activated the song screen. "Crap, it looks like you're playing a song from one of my band's biggest enemies! Ah well, at least it's not going to bring you down, right?" "Nope!" Rarity replied. "3, 2, 1, Start!" as Rara initiated the song. "Goodness, she's already being thrown in!" Fluttershy gasped. "No need to panic, Fluttershy!" Princess Twilight assisted. "I see no reason why Rarity would mess up our band's winning streak." "Exactly." Sci-Twi outspoken. "I'm surprised the other bands we've met so far have given the girls on stage support, including my boyfriend! It's good that we haven't met any haters." "I'm enjoying this as usual!" Sour Sweet laid back. "Speaking of support, where are your friends, Sour Sweet?" Fluttershy asked. "They're still backstage. When you and your friends left last night, Mr. Hetfield announced that at the end of the tournament, he and Countess Coloratura will congratulate all the bands that have showed up and competed. I find it both funny and sad that my fellow Shadowbolts are trying to avoid me! It's like they see two of me, huh?" She made tongue noises. "Uh-huh." Fluttershy turned around blankly. "You've got this, Miss Rarity!" Coco cheered for her boss. "I've lost track of how many solos we've been through so far, but Rarity's dominating right now!" Rara was snowed. "I want to watch you bleed!" Rarity lost it and babbled at the screen. "Aargh, we will win! Take this and that!" "Seriously, someone hold me back!" Sunset trembled. "I think she's gone mad!" "What do I gotta keep telling ya, Sunset?" Applejack interrogated. "This is how she has fun with this game! It's perfectly fine!" "Fine? If Pinkie blowing up Camp Everfree's dock a billion times made Rarity faint, then Rarity acting insanely crazy at the game will do that to me!" Sunset tried to nurture herself. "Good thing Rainbow Dash and I stayed behind that day to fix it once again!" Pinkie communicated. "S'more, Sunset? I really hope you don't lose it like both of them!" "...Sure." She finally tranquillized herself and ate a s'more from Pinkie's pocket. "Mmmm!" "Better?" Pinkie wondered. "Better." Sunset reciprocated. "Glad to see that taken care of!" A.J. said in an undertone voice. "Rarity's outbursts might be her strategy, don't ya think?" "That's ridiculous!" Pinkie disagreed. "I remember Rainbow Dash saying that we're going into this tournament blind and it'd be no fun if Rarity dropped that entirely! She'd never strategize something evil as anger!" "Pinkie's right, A.J." Sunset came to terms. "You've been too relaxed, haven't you, Applejack?" "Now that you mention it, I have! I'm sorry for not noticing this before. It's as if a part of Rainbow Dash's relaxed personality was inside of me." "And seeing Rarity focus that hard at Guitar Hero and being all serious must mean that she's got the competitive side of Rainbow Dash." Sunset identified. "I think I got it now!" "You do?" Pinkie asked. "Yeah, it's all clear to me!" Sunset acknowledged. "Rainbow Dash is really counting on us! With my magical powers, I can tell that the Element of Loyalty, her Element of Harmony, has transferred some of itself to us! So, it's safe to say that Rainbow Dash is actually here, metaphorically speaking! I'm being completely honest throughout this whole tournament too, Applejack!" "So we all share our Elements of Harmony? That's incredible, sugarcube!" "Do you think Rarity will notice this?" Pinkie leaned towards the curtains. "Probably." Sunset guessed. "What's the score, Pinkie?" "450K points with a full combo!" "I see." A mysterious guy said from behind. "You must be the Rainbooms!" "Who the heck are you?" A.J. turned around. "Allow me to introduce myself." The guy proposed. "My name is Heiru Shinozaki and I'm the leader of the Neighon Warriors." "Shino-what?" Pinkie was puzzled. "I don't think we've ever heard of you." "And you never will!" Heiru uttered out of his mouth. "You and your friends may have gotten this far, but there's no way you're beating our band!" "What makes you say that, sir?" Sunset solicited madly. "Where we come from, the Warriors are truly unstoppable and nobody else has ever outperformed us, both in real competition and Guitar Hero competition! Your so called friend, Rarity, doesn't stand a chance against our fellow guitarist, Stone Edge!" "That's correct!" as Stone entered the conversation. "Stone Edge, huh?" A.J. blinked. "You both got a lot of guts thinking that you can beat the Rainbooms! We got this, right gals?" "Right!" Pinkie and Sunset saluted. "It looks like your friend is done with her run." Heiru detected. "However, you four are literally about to be done winning once my friend, Stone, gets out there and destroys Rarity's score!" "We won't let that happen!" The other Rainbooms defended. "Excellent run, Rarity!" Rara proclaimed. "Everyone give her some standing ovation once again!" The crowd applauded, making Rarity blush. "Thank you so much!" Rarity took a bow and even blew a kiss. "Up next, we have the Neighon Warriors, who are undefeated in their hometown!" James Hetfield emitted. "Get over here, Stone Edge! Make some noise for the guitar player!" As the audience was cheering for the Warriors for their feat, Heiru gave Stone a firm handshake and he moved on to take the stage, even secretly shoving Rarity while leaving the stage in the process. "My bad...not!" Stone attacked. "Psst, what's his problem?" Rarity accused. "Who's this guy?" "I am Heiru Shinozaki and who you just ran into was my friend and band's guitarist, Stone Edge." "Ran into?" Sunset freaked out. "We just saw him put Rarity aside in a rude way, and that's uncool!" "Whatever." Heiru halted. "The point is Stone will beat Rarity in a flash and you can't even do anything about it. Even if your other friend, Rainbow Dash, was still here, I doubt that Stone would even fall to her!" "You leave Dashie out of this!" Pinkie sparked. "Yeah!" A.J. stormed. "Rarity and Rainbow Dash could kick your band to the curb, even if they were by themselves!" "Yeah, what they said!" Rarity joined in. "I may or may not be amazing as you claim to be, Heiru, but I do know that your arrogance will be your band's downfall! My friends and I count on each other to win, not our egos!" "Not so confident now, huh?" Sunset retorted. "We'll just see about that." as Heiru remained optimistic. "Your comebacks could only work if this was a dream, but it's not. Stone, right now, is catching up fastly to Rarity's score. So just save your breath!" "Wow, who is this guy?" James was astonished by Stone. "I literally have seen this guy for only a couple of minutes and he's completely wrecking!" "Such raw skill and focus!" Rara adored. "Haha!" Stone chortled. He was holding the guitar behind his back, not missing a note, and doing moves that only Rainbow Dash would do. "How do you like me now?" "My goodness!" Fluttershy panted. "I'm scared of this player!" "Don't be." Sci-Twi doubted. "Whatever this Stone guy's doing up on stage, it won't be enough to beat Rarity! That's for sure!" "You're right as usual!" Princess Twilight returned. "Rarity ended off strongly with 500K points, and so far, Stone has only 350K. No way he's beating her by showing off like that!" "Boo!" Coco hissed. "Umm, Coco, can you please not do that?" Fluttershy requested. "Rara wants this tournament to be fair and have nobody talk badly about each band." "Sorry, but I really don't like this guy!" She huffed. Suddenly, as Stone was continuing to play the same song as Rarity, he spun around and tripped on a cord. "Bweh!" "Uggh, what are you doing, Stone?" Heiru whispered. "Get back on your feet!" "Hehe, we told you so!" Pinkie insulted. "Oh no, he's in trouble!" Rara distressed. "Wait, hold the phone!" James paused. "He's still going! This could be a turning point, ladies and gentlemen!" "Wow!" as the audience watched Stone lay down on the stage and continue fighting. "Looks like my friend siked you out!" Heiru smirked. "How do you like them apples?" "Shut up, you fool!" A.J. barked. "We don't like complete nonsense! Rarity perfected her run and Stone missed a note!" "It doesn't matter." The leader of the Warriors naively responded. "Even a mistake like Stone's could be a benefit to him until the end! Just look at his score." "Gah, 475K points!" Rarity drooled. "He's not going to beat me, or rather, us!" "Don't worry, this will only your hurt your reputation...A LOT!" Heiru began to laugh maniacally. "C'mon, c'mon!" as Spike was nail biting his paws. "I swear, this dude better not beat the love of my life!" "He's almost tied with Miss Rarity!" Coco called out. "Please don't win!" "I can't watch this anymore!" Fluttershy covered herself up again. "Hold me!" Both Twilights clenched onto each other and turned their attention away from the big screen. "Screw this." Rarity walked into a dark corner and put on her magical geode. "Say goodbye!" Without anyone noticing, she magically made gems appear out of the ground and they jabbed Stone's back, making him get off the floor and drop the guitar. "Forgive me, girls..." "What just happened?" Heiru asked. "Oww!" as Stone attempted to recover. "I have to continue playing!" "I'm afraid it's too late, Stone." James hindered. "You failed to finish the song." "What? But, something just hurt my back! I..." "We didn't see anything that made you get back on your feet." Rara said. "We, including the audience, clearly just saw you moving around a lot. Am I right, folks?" "Uh-huh!" The audience nodded in unison. "Sorry Stone, but the Neighon Warriors are eliminated!" James announced. "You were very close to beating Rarity from the Rainbooms, but after a slip up like that, you fell short of the goal. We all hope you understand!" "...Yes, Mr. Hetfield." Stone gave in to a bit of tears. "Don't be sad!" Rara comforted. "You didn't disappoint us, that's for sure! A great guitarist like you can be something greater in the future! Everyone give Stone a big round of applause!" The audience cheered. "Thanks for playing!" James congratulated. "We hope you come back to try again to win!" As the two hosts and the audience gave Stone their support, he walked backstage to find his best friend furious and happy Rainbooms. "We need to talk!" Heiru started to grab Stone's ear and walked out of the theater. "Let me go!" He begged. The two Warriors have officially exited. "I'm calling the others!" "Who's going to be in the next match now?" Rara, in the meantime, wondered. "THAT. WAS. CLOSE!" The rest of Sunset's group in the crowd were relieved. "Rarity, I know you're hiding!" Sunset yelled. "Come on out!" "Yes, how can I help you three?" She casually walked back to her friends. "Help?" Pinkie zoomed her eyes in on Rarity. "We know you used your magical geode to make Stone lose! Even though you helped us win, I don't think it was fun to cheat like that!" "Tell the truth, Rarity." Applejack prepared herself. "...Okay, you caught me! I couldn't help myself to use this! I'm actually putting my love of fashion aside and being serious right now. I...just want us to win!" "We know it's not your fault, Rarity." Sunset read her mind. "I actually found a reason why you've been this anxious!" "There is?" "Yeah." Sunset replied. "I figured out something about the Elements of Harmony. They can actually transfer themselves between all of us, and even you! Rainbow Dash's loyalty transferred some of itself to all of us, so that means she's actually inside of us and counting on us! You were reacting violently and excited at the game because a part of her competitiveness went to you and A.J. here got the relaxed part of Rainbow Dash. You get what I'm trying to say now?" "Yes, I think I do, dear!" Rarity shook her head. "You've really been getting more honest with us, haven't you, Sunset?" "Hard to believe that even my Element of Harmony can reach my best friends!" A.J. wiped off her sweat. "Duh, Princess Twilight did explain all of that when she first met us!" Pinkie stuck her tongue out. "Good times, huh? I'm glad we're not only winning, but we're also having a blast!" "YEAH!" The rest jumped up and down. "I'm confident that another accident like that won't happen again during the remainder of this tournament!" Sunset remarked. "We're proud of you, Rarity!" "Good job, sugarcube!" as Applejack took off her hat with pride. "Way to go, buddy!" Pinkie high fived Rarity. "Thank you all so much, I love you!" She blushed. "I promise I won't use my geode for the rest of the tournament!" "Good." Sunset said. "Hmm, who's calling me at this time?" Rarity asked and picked up her phone. "Hello?" "You sneaky little devil, you!" Rainbow Dash bragged. "I saw what did you on TV! Nice job, though!" "Rainbow Dash!" Rarity exclaimed. "No one else over here witnessed what I did! How did you see it?" "The stage was really bright! How could I NOT see your gem spikes?" "Point taken." Rarity noted. "I put you on speaker phone, by the way, Rainbow Dash!" "Hey Rainbow!" The other Rainbooms greeted. "It's so good to hear from you again, girls!" Rainbow shed a tear. "Listen, I think I might come back to compete tomorrow!" "Really?" Sunset squealed. "That's awesome! But, what...has gotten into you recently, Dash?" "I don't know. I guess...I really let that past incident with Lightning Dust get to me deeply. I vowed that day that I'd never let something like that ever happen to my best friends again!" "Don't worry about it, Rainbow Dash!" A.J. advised. "Like we said many times before, we always got your back! You literally are awesome at saving us, too! Your loyalty will never die out with us!" "Our friendship with you will never die out, either!" Pinkie smiled. "We love you, Rainbow Dash!" Sunset admitted. "...I love you too, girls!" The athletic girl cried. "Dang, I never thought I'd get sappy again! Anyways, I'm glad to have you and the rest of the girls as my best friends! I mean it with all my heart! I'm coming back tomorrow, for sure!" "We know you do." Sunset confirmed. "So, what're you up to right now, Rainbow Dash?" "Right now, I'm with Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Babs Seed at Canterlot Mall! Say hi, kids, you're on speaker phone!" "Hi girls!" The Crusaders greeted. "Hey sisters!" The Rainbooms answered. "Babs, what in the hay are you doing all the way in Canterlot City?" A.J. questioned. "Oh, I get to hang out with my friends for as long as I want! I just have to make it back to Manehattan in time for the closing ceremonies, just like Miss Coloratura announced!" "Don't worry, sis!" Apple Bloom spoke into the phone. "We're having a good time so far!" "I was going to say the same to you, Rarity!" Sweetie Belle added. "Can you get me some cake later, sis?" "Ummm, no?" "Oh come on!" Rarity's little sister complained. "Well, it was nice catching up with you girls, but we got more Crusader-related things to do!" as Scootaloo was about to wrap up the conversation. "We can't wait for Rainbow Dash to return to the tournament tomorrow, right?" "Of course, because I'm awesome like that!" Rainbow replied. "Ooh, I'm running low on battery life! I gotta hang up, girls, sorry! I'll see you tomorrow!" She hanged up. "Bye Rainbow Dash!" The Rainbooms finished and Rarity ended the line. "This is going to be even more exciting!" Pinkie glorified. "Yes, it is..." Rarity gloomed. "What's wrong, Rare?" Sunset pouted. "As much as we loved your guitar playing, I'm afraid Rainbow Dash originally had that position." "I know." She almost started crying. "Can I at least play one more time? Rainbow Dash's coming back tomorrow and we still have one last round for the day." "You know what?" A.J. rubbed her chin. "Knock yourself out, Rarity! You can play before Rainbow Dash gets here tomorrow!" "No denying from me!" Pinkie agreed. "Same here!" Sunset encouraged. "If you really had fun with the guitar, then I don't see why we should argue about you playing one last time! Of course you can still play!" "Oh, thank you, thank you, ladies!" Rarity was pleased. "I've had a great time with you all! I'll make this last run really count for us! Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" "No need to think twice!" Sunset giggled. "Gather around, girls!" "1, 2, 3, Rainbooms Forever!" The band chanted. Round Eight. Night time came around faster than yesterday, but everyone was still in a good mood. Countess Coloratura and James Hetfield then marched up on stage to do their job as usual. "Good evening, folks, and welcome to Round Eight of the Guitar Hero tournament!" They both declared. "Hooray!" The crowd admired. "Guess what time it is?" Rara reached out to the crowd. "Night?" James joked. "No!" Rara facepalmed. "It's Rainboom Time, once again!" "Oh, my bad, hehe!" James corrected himself. "Let's hit the last screen this time!" "Last screen?" Sunset observed as it rotated through the members. "Duel time." 'Guitar Only' was chosen again. "That's two in a row for Rarity!" Rara lectured. "Come on up here again, Rarity!" "Wow, am I famous or something? Ehh, wish me luck again, ladies!" She hugged her friends tightly and walked to the top of the stage. "Rarity, Rarity, Rarity!" Everyone demanded an encore. "Look at how lively the crowd is tonight for this fabulous girl!" James stood back. "She must be the MVP!" "No kidding!" Rara said. "Are you ready for your second guitar battle, Rarity? It'll be a bit harder!" "Ready!" as she picked up the guitar controller. "Begin!" James turned around and started the game back up again.