Equestria Guardians

by Jacoboby1

Chapter 19 "Rainbow Rocks Part 2"

Chapter 19

“Rainbow Rocks Part 2”

Or

“Sirens and Slumber Parties”

The seven girls had gathered inside Celestia’s office. They had hoped to warn her about what was going on. Only when they mentioned the fact that the Dazzlings want to turn the talents show into a competition...well…

“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Celestia said to the astonished faces of her students. “A Competition is just the spice we need to bring out the talents of everybody in this school.”

“Professor, are you sure?” Twilight asked. “I’m worried that this competition will only engender bad feelings… And the girls, we talked about, seem to feed off those bad feelings.”

“The new girls? They have been such a help to us in fact.” Luna said, as she came in. “I doubt there’s any reason to be alarmed about three girls wanting to help out the school.”

“Hey what’s there to worry about anyway?” Rainbow said, shrugging. “If it’s a competition, we’ll just blow them away with how awesome the band is!”

“That’s the spirit Rainbow!” Celestia said with a smile. “Now I’m sure you all have a lot of rehearsal to get to.”

“Uh… Principal Celestia? Did they… talk to you about this competition thing?” Sunset asked, cautiously.

“Why yes. They even sang us a little song to show us that they’re qualified to be in such a competition,” Celestia replied, and both her and Luna’s eyes flashed green briefly.

“I see…” Sunset observed. “Uh. And you’re right. We do have a lot of rehearsal to get to…” Sunset moved to leave, a worried look on her face. The rest of the girls followed.

“You look worried,” Twilight observed.

“They got to them… Those three got to the Principals, and bewitched them,” Sunset stated..

Twilight nodded. “Let’s meet in the music room, away from the students trying to kill each other..”

__________________________________________________________

The girls all went back to the music room, pondering everything that happened in the last few hours.

Aj finally said, “If they’re usin’ dark magic, then why don’t we drag em somewhere and blast em with our guardian powers?”

“Too many witnesses darling,” Rarity said, sitting at her piano, mindlessly tapping a key occasionally. “Even if we could, we don’t know anything about them.”

“Ah guess yer right, for all we know they could have crazy powers that block the orbital friendship cannon,” Aj said, shaking her head.

“So we don’t take them on directly, big deal,” Rainbow said, getting up. “We just beat them in the competition, and while the crowds are focused on the Rainbooms, Private and Sunset can drag the Dazzlings off somewhere and then we’ll zap them!”

“Oh I don’t know Rainbow, it’s the crowds I’m really worried about,” Fluttershy added, hugging her song notebook.

“This whole thing stinks like old cheese,” Pinkie said, lounging on top of Rarity’s piano. “What was supposed to be a fun showcase of everybody’s talents is now...something far less fun.”

“Women who can beguile with their voices,” Sunset mused. “Sounds familiar… I wish I could remember where I saw it.”

“What about that... Element Hour thing ya did when…” Aj said, then stopped herself.

Sunset just sighed and shook her head. “Wouldn’t work. It would only bring the caster and those with an Element of Harmony into it.” She explained. “Though I do wonder why we weren’t affected.”

“Yeah, I didn’t feel an urge to argue with anybody after they started singing,” Rainbow said, crossing her arms in thought.

"Though I did like that blue haired one," Pinkie said giggling. "She was a hoot, the way she snuck those tacos and munched on them at the end."

“Wait… Maybe there’s something in those books of Principal Celestia’s I… uh… borrowed,” Sunset said getting up. “I’ll be right back. I’ve got to grab them from my locker.”

“I recorded their singing, so we could analyse it,” Twilight said holding up her cell phone. “Maybe if we can figure out the waveform of their hypnotic vocals, we can counter it.”

“Guess we’ll need a guinea pig!” Pinkie said, zooming out of the room and coming back with Spike in tow.

“Hey! What’s going on here?!” Spike said, bewildered.

“Darling, he’s my…” Rarity began.

“Yeah but he doesn’t have an element, and knows our secret so it’s no big!” Pinkie said, “Play it Twili!”

“Uh… he might be protected by being a Guardian Beast, Pinkie,” Twilight said, as she touched the play button on her phone, causing the Dazzling’s singing to play through its tiny speaker.

As the song entered Spike’s ears, he turned stiff. Suddenly his eyes flashed green. He then clenched his fists...and turned to Aj “YOU!” he yelled, pointing at her.

“Me?” Applejack said, blinking in surprise. “What ‘bout me? What’d Ah do?”

"I saw the looks you were giving Rarity! You obviously have been checking her out!" Spike growled, advancing on Aj.

“What?” Applejack said deadpan. “Now jus’ hold on a cotton pickin’ minute, I ain’t been doin’ anythin’ like that at all!”

“Liar!” Spike yelled at Aj.

“Ya wanna say that again, short-stuff?” Applejack growled.

“Well let me tell you something! Rarity is my girl! I love her more than anything in this world and nobody is going to take her away from me!" Spike yelled.

“Well that’s just fantastic, sugarcube. Happy ta hear it,” Applejack said putting her hands on her hips. “Now jus’ get it out of your little dragon brain that Ah’ve been checkin’ her out! One, I ain’t bisexual! Two, Ah’ve GOT a boyfriend of mah own!”

“Hey I’m the one who’s doing the yelling he-” He was cut off when Pinkie bonked him on the head with a comically huge squeaky hammer...that she procured from her bodice.

“Yeah Twili, I’d say it works on even guardian beast people.” Pinkie said, putting the hammer on her shoulder.

“Looks like it,” Twilight said, then eyed the hammer. “I am not going to ask how you have Amy Rose’s hammer…”

“I keep it around for bonking emergencies.” Pinkie said with an innocent smile.

“In your bodice…” Sunset said, raising an eyebrow. She had just gotten back in time to see Pinkie’s prodigious prestidigitation.

“Yeah, your new so you don’t know.” Rainbow said, “Don’t question how Pinkie hides things. One time I saw her pull out a claymore from her hair…”

“We’re talking about the giant Scottish sword, right?” Sunset asked. “Two-hander, used to take out mounted men?”

“Came in real handy to cut up that giant cake I made for my last birthday party.” Pinkie said, giggling.

________________________________________________

“Can’t believe I missed lunch because of that lecture...I like Fancypants normally but the guy can just go on and on about decorum and proper haberdashery,” Private said as he walked around the school. In the hallways, Private saw people constantly getting into arguments, and generally acting aggressive towards each other. Groups were divided that were once tight, friendships seemed to have been sundered. There was a general atmosphere of anger, and mistrust in the school.

“Geez, when did the school become a warzone?” Private asked as he almost bumped into Trixie and the other two members of her act.

His trek took him to the dimly lit hallway, he turned and spotted the Dazzlings standing there. They stood there looking rather smug. “Off by yourself? Aren’t you going to join in the preparations for the competition?” Adagio asked.

“You three must be the new arrivals,” Private said, crossing his arms at them. “I’m gonna take a wild guess and say that the fighting is your handiwork.”

“Oh, look who’s all figuring it all out,” Adagio said smirking.

“Maybe we should take him out,” Aria said, crossing her arms and glaring at Private.

“You mean, like, on a date? ‘Cause he’s kinda cute,” Sonata said earning a glare from the other two. “Wha-a-a-a-a-a-at?! He i-i-i-i-i-i-i-is!”

Private blinked at the statement then said, “You guys are going down, good luck trying to take me or my friends out, and sorry I’m seeing someone else,” He said, pointing to each girl respectively.

“Argh! SING you idiots!” Adagio snapped at the others, and they quickly began their harmonizing to try and bespell Private.

After their little spheal, Private just stood there. "Huh...was that supposed to do something? Huh… well..." He pointed at Adagio. "Your harmony is too dominant." He then pointed to Aria. "You came in too quickly." He then finally pointed to Sonata. "You were alright but could stand to use some refinement."

“What?! How weren’t you affected?!” Adagio uttered shocked.

“Hey! I came in just fine!” Aria protested angrily.

“He liked my singing,” Sonata squeed happily.

“Right, now if you’ll excuse me…” He said, walking past them. “I think my friends and I are going to put a stop to whatever you have planned.”

“We’ll see about that,” Adagio growled as they watched him leave, though Sonata did give him a cute little wave, earning her a dope slap from Aria.

__________________________________________________________

“The song didn’t have any effect on me,” Private said as he and the girls gathered in the schoolyard later.

“It’s probably because you have an Element, like all of us,” Fluttershy suggested.

“Still have no idea what my Element is though…” Private said, rubbing the back of his head in thought.

“Doesn’t explain why I’m protected,” Sunset chimed in. “I don’t have an Element.”

“Maybe you’re protected because you uh… had an element for a little while…” Fluttershy said, carefully.

“I tried to force an Element to do my bidding and turned into a raging she-demon,” Sunset said crossing her arms. “If anything, that should make me more susceptible, not protect me.”

“Whatever the case,” Rainbow said, looking over at Twilight who was pouring over the texts she got from Sunset. “Any luck on finding out who or what they are?”

“No… No… No… These sound like them, but they don’t look a thing like those girls…” Twilight said looking at an entry.

“So… what does it say?” Sunset asked.

“‘The Sirens’,” Twilight said ominously.

“But they don’t look like those noisy things on your brother’s car Twili.” Pinkie pointed out.

“Not those kinds of sirens, Pinkie,” Twilight sighed. “Apparently they’re like those women from the Mareaterrainian myth that used to beguile sailors into shipwrecking on their island. Only these look like extra-dimensional hippocampi… According to this, they use their voices to induce negative emotions, so they can feed off them.”

“A… hippo-whattie?” Applejack asked.

“A hippocampus is a mythological creature that’s half horse and half fish,” Twilight explained.

“So kind of a litteral take on a sea horse,” Sunset said sounding amused then blinked. “Or sea pony? That explains why they look human. They’re originally from Equestria, and came here! Anything pony-like, even a sea pony would probably be turned human!”

“So these things sing to get some grub,” Aj said thoughtfully

“So how do we take them out? If we can’t go all Guardian on them…” Pinkie said, sighing.

“Maybe...we don’t have to use our powers directly…” Rainbow said, getting up and picking up her guitar. She began playing a solo, and got so into it, rocking out… that the wings and pony ears appeared on her with a flash of blue light.

“WHOA!” Everybody else yelped.

“How did you do that?” Rarity asked.

“I dunno. I just got so into my music one day, these puppies appeared,” She said, flapping her wings as they slowly faded away.

“Wait… the music causes some manner of harmonic resonance with our Elements? This is amazing! We should analyze this phenomenon, so we can know how to properly use it to take out something else that isn’t held in a witching hour!” Twilight said, practically nerdgaseming.

Private just looked from Rainbow… to Twilight.

“Thinking about them Pony Ears huh, Privy?” Pinkie asked.

“Not now Pinkie…” Private said, stuffing a cookie into Pinkie’s mouth to ward her off.

“So this is perfect!” Rainbow said. "We go to the competition, rock hard, and use our magical powers to wipe those freaks off the map! I'll save the world and win this thing at the same time!"

“Rainbow? Remember what I said about being a jerk?” Sunset said tapping Rainbow’s shoulder.

“Uh, right sorry…” Rainbow said with a nervous chuckle.

“We still need info on what kind of music can take them out,” Private said. “I really wish I got them to spill earlier…”

“Hm… I’ve still got the recording. I’ll need to use my equipment at home to thoroughly examine it, to figure out how it can be disrupted,” Twilight said thoughtfully.

“Maybe you can try to interrogate them?” Aj suggested.

“Won’t work, Adagio and Aria will totally see it coming.” Private said. “Not so sure about the ponytail girl, Sonata. She just seemed kinda ditzy. Can you believe an evil siren actually smiled when I complimented her singing?” He then saw all the girls looking at him. “Why...are you guys looking at me like that?”

“You just had a brilliant idea, that’s all. You’re going to go and get some information out of their resident ditz,” Twilight said beaming.

“I’m the bait, is what you’re saying?” Private asked dryly.

“Darling, they don’t know about our magic, because we’ve been playing it close to the chest, so to speak,” Rarity said. “However, they know about you, and you being protected from their song. Also one, apparently, likes you.”

“Oh! Oh! I know how you can lure Sonata away from the others, too, Privy!” Pinkie said grinning.

“Why me…” Private groaned, facepalming.

___________________________________________________________

The Dazzlings were walking through the hallways like they owned the place, not that any of the other students were paying attention so involved were they in their conflicts. They reveled in the negative energy they had been causing, and feeding on it, feeling sated for the first time in ages, and they could feel their power slowly growing. Sonata was at the end of the little line they formed. She was following along until she smelled something better than negative energy…

She sniffed the air. “Do I...smell meaty, cheesy, sour creamy goodness?” She said, and turned around, to spy a taco sitting there on the floor...at the end of a fishing line. She tilted her head curiously at this, but shrugged, and began to sneak up on the taco. She pounced, trying to grab the delicious bit of Tex-Mex food. But just as she did, the taco moved away from her, just out of reach.

“Aww, c’mon, tasty taco, don’t be like that…” Sonata uttered, looking a little vexed. She followed the taco, making another grab, and missing again,as the taco was pulled away. She chased the taco around a corner. She always considered it pretty lucky they could survive on regular food, because she had fallen in love with the taco, long ago. Aria and Adagio never really felt sated on regular food but Sonata was, as always, the odd one out.

Just down the hall, Private was holding the fishing line. “Normally I would call this plan silly and nonsensical, but then I remember that Pinkie came up with it,” He said to himself as he kept luring Sonata.

“Just stay still, you tasty thing,” she said, as she inched closer and closer.

When she was close enough to him, and far away enough from the other sirens, Private let go of the line. “Caught myself a siren…” He said, and twisted the line a little so the hook came out, and Sonata could have her taco.

“Gotcha!” Sonata cheered, grabbing the taco, and munched it happily. “Mmmmm… Delicious crunchy spicy meaty cheesy goodness…”

“Sonata?” Private said, coming over and pretending he just stumbled across her.

“Huh? Oh! Hiiiiieeeeee… I remember you… You liked my singing,” Sonata giggled. “Oh… Wait a minute… How did you know my name? I don’t think we introduced ourselves, earlier…”

“A... friend told me you guys’ names.” Private explained. “Seems you like tacos quite a bit.”

“Yeah, the others get on to me about it, too…” Sonata said scuffing a foot. “But they’re just soooo good!”

“You mean your...sisters?” Private asked.

“Oh, no, we’re not related at all,” Sonata clarified. “It’s just we’ve been working together for so long that we kinda feel like siblings…”

“Well, you guys do sing pretty well together,” Private said, “Sounded almost...magical…”

“Well yeah. Our pendants kind of help with that, because otherwise we’d sound awful… uh… oops… I wasn’t supposed to say that…” Sonata said covering her mouth.

“Your...pendants…” Private said, looking at the one Sonata was wearing.

“SONATA!” Adagio yelled from nearby.

“Oh… I’ve gotta go… Bye!” Sonata said, running off.

When the sirens were out of the way, Private pulled out his phone and wrote a text. “Red Pendants, all wearing them. Possible link to their powers.” He wrote and sent.

Sunset noticed them too, Twilight texted back. They’re very protective of them.

Private thought more, and sent her another text. “Sonata said they would sound awful without them. Maybe look for something under enchantments?”

Will do. <3 you. Twilight texted back.

Down the hall, Sonata was being berated by Aria, while Adagio was glaring at him with her arms crossed. He smirked, gave them a peace sign, and walked off. Now they had something on the Dazzlings. Private could only hope that this would help in keeping CHS from destroying itself.
_____________________________________________________________________

“Okay. We know that it’s their pendants… We just need to find out what they are, and how to counter them,” Twilight said with a sigh as they sat in the music room. “Honestly, I wish we could all brainstorm on this…”

“Slumber party?” Pinkie suggested. “We could use a little R&R to go with the R&D. This whole Battle of the Bands, and the rehearsing, and everybody in school being all meanie weanie has got us kinda stressed.”

“What about Aj’s place?” Rainbow suggested. “We can use the barn to rehearse tomorrow.”

“Ya know that farm life starts early, right?” Applejack asked. “Like crack-of-dawn early. An’ knowin’ Pinkie, she’s sure ta want ta do slumber party shenanigans, an’ my bein’ home… Well I’ll feel plum obligated ta help out no matter how little sleep Ah’ve gotten.”

“Yeah I see where you’re coming from. I mean I’d offer my place but our apartment just isn’t big enough,” Rainbow said.

“It’s settled then!” Pinkie said, throwing confetti. “Slumber Party at Pinkie Paradise! Also known as home sweet homie.”

“Sounds good. We’ll bring the books on magic, and can do research, while we’re there,” Twilight said smiling brightly.

“Sounds cool. This’ll be my first slumber party, too. So I’m looking forward to it,” Sunset said smiling.

“Awesome! Super Slumber Party is a go!!” Pinkie cheered.

__________________________________________________________

Once again they gathered in Pinkie’s room, bringing sleeping bags, pajamas, and personal toiletries. Sunset and Twilight thought to bring the books they had borrowed from Celestia, so they could do their research. They got comfortable, and each gravitated to the activities that interested them most. Pinkie browsed MugTome, updating her status. Applejack and Rainbow Dash booted up Pinkie’s game console and started playing. Rarity and Fluttershy started setting out beauty products. Sunset started out helping Twilight with her research, but was pulled into an impromptu makeover by Rarity and Fluttershy.

Twilight looked up, smiling around at all her friends. Even with the threat of the Sirens, she enjoyed moments like this. She would have never known it if she has not been shoved out of her comfort zone. She sighed contentedly, and went back to looking through her tome.

“You got nothing on me Aj!” Rainbow yelled, totally in the zone. “I’ll clobber you and prove once and for that I’m the Raci-” She yelled in agony as Aj played her item. “The blue tortoise shell!? REALLY?!”

“Gotcha!” Applejack said, gleefully, as she gained a lap on Rainbow.

“Oh it is on!” Rainbow yelled, trying to get her lead back.

“There we go, darling,” Rarity said, as she finished up a two-tone polish job on Sunset’s nails.

“Whoa, that looks amazing,” Sunset said smiling.

“Now come in close,” Rarity said pulling out her phone. “I want to get a shot of the three of us.” Sunset leaned in from the left, smiling cutely, as Fluttershy leaned in from the right. Rarity took the selfie, and checked it smiling. “That turned out rather well.”

“C’mon Twili, join in the fun!” Pinkie said, laying on top of her friend as Twilight looked through the tome.

“Part of the reason I wanted to have us all together was so we could brainstorm on how to beat the Sirens… Not to say I haven’t been enjoying us all being together. Oh! Hey I think I’ve found those pendants,” Twilight said pointing to an entry with an illustration that resembled the Dazzling’s pendants.

“What’d you find?” Sunset asked, still having to be careful of her manicure.

“The Siren Stones. It says here, they’re unbreakable, unless a song of True Harmony is sung… I guess that’s to counter the disharmony their singing causes,” Twilight mused, thoughtfully.

“Good! you found something now will ya join the party? How about a game of Truth or Dare?” Pinkie asked.

“Okay okay,” Twilight said, getting out from under Pinkie. “Since you asked, I’ll start, truth, how are you and that Swarm boy doing?”

“Oh I just love my little Swarmie Warmie.” Pinkie said with a giggle. “But some days I really wish he could just hold me tight, take me to bed and *BEEEEEP!!*

________________________________________________________________

Once all the girls had fallen asleep, Twilight got up, taking the book she had found the information about the pendants with her. She carefully sneaked her way past the slumbering girls, and padded into the kitchen. She sat at the counter, opening the book to the Siren Stones entry, looking at it with a sigh. She then looked back toward Pinkie’s room and made a face.

“We really need to put site blockers on Pinkie’s laptop…” she muttered to herself shaking her head at the images that Pinkie’s ‘truth’ had conjured. She then tried to return to the book, only to groan a little in frustration.

“Can’t sleep?” Twilight looked up and saw Sunset came down the stairs into the kitchen herself. “Or are you still burning the midnight oil on our Dazzling problem?” Sunset asked.

“Pretty much. I’m just wondering how we can beat them. What would qualify as a ‘song of true harmony’ ? It doesn’t specify, and I’m no songwriter, so I doubt I could write one,” Twilight said, resting her head on her hands. “I’ve been looking to see if there is some kind of entry, elsewhere, but so far no dice.”

“Maybe some food can help us think be-” Sunset opened the fridge and blinked. “Do I want to know what Pinkie needs this much whipped cream for?”

“It’s probably better for your sanity if you don’t ask,” Twilight said with a chuckle.

“Anyways,” Sunset said, taking a can of whipped cream and eating some of it. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually.”

“I… I could use some help,” Twilight said, looking at Sunset imploringly.

“What do you need my help for?” Sunset said a little sadly. “I mean, you’re the one who gets everything right. I’m just the girl who blasted a dance…”

“I don’t get everything right… Also you’re just as smart as I am. Between the two of us, I’m sure we’ll be able to figure something out,” Twilight said with a smile.

Sunset finally shrugged. “All I can think of when I hear ‘Song of Harmony’ is you guys singing your hearts out. Being Elements and all it’s bound to work…”

“Private’s an Element, too. Good luck getting him to sing in an all-girl band,” Twilight laughed.

“Oh, I think we could convince him with double puppy dog pout,” Sunset said, laughing in turn.

“The only thing that would do is melt Private’s brain,” Twilight giggled. “You saw what happened the last time…”

“Poor Private, so easy to tease,” Sunset said, and then turned, nearly screaming in fright at the sight of...Maud Pie? Maud was one of Pinkie’s sisters, but she was the polar opposite of the hyperactive Pinkie. She had neck-length periwinkle hair, with dull-looking sea green eyes, and an emotionless demeanor. Well she seemed to have no emotions. Pinkie insisted she did, though, but was hard for anybody but her immediate family to read properly.

“Boulder is hungry,” Maud said in her usual monotone.

“Huh?” Sunset said, blinking.

The dull-eyed gray girl held up a rock. She then reached up into a cabinet, pulling down a box of crackers, and "fed" the crackers to the rock, going back toward her room.

“And you’re sure she and Pinkie are related?” Sunset asked.

“Pretty sure. Maud surprised me, too, when I first met her,” Twilight said with a wry smile.

Sunset looked down for a minute. “To think...I wasted so much time hurting these wonderful people who would become my friends…” She said, hugging herself.

“You’re making up for lost time, now, Sunset,” Twilight said going to her and laying a hand on her shoulder. “You’re proving to be an awesome friend, too.”

“Thanks Twilight…” Sunset said with a little smile.

“Sooo, noticed you were eyeing up that lead Dazzling, Adagio…” Twilight said with a grin.

Sunset blushed brightly. “TWILIGHT!!!”

Comments

[Raizuo]

Taco bait is best bait, and I'd like to hear anypony say otherwise with a straight face.

[DanceCentralPony2]

I admit, I enjoy the references and the comedy in this story.

[SageBrony07]

That is awesome. I loved how Spike was affected by the song. I wonder how the battle is actually going to turn out. Great job.

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

“I keep it around for bonking emergencies.” Pinkie said with an innocent smile.

Most hilarious line ever!
And where in the name of the Emperor did Pinkie get a fragging Claymore?!

[Jacoboby1]

6740663 Her stint as a Highlander fan I'll bet

[HeartfireFirebrand]

6740663
From the land of Party Pony magic obviously.

[raven618]

MugTome

Okay, that's funny.