The Other Journal

by Ganondorf8

Chapter 38: We Got the Band Back Together

Day: Saturday
Weather: Evening Chill
Time: 7:40pm

The sound check Rainbow Dash wanted to perform was a lot more interesting than I initially thought. She would teach me how to play a guitar, although through an unorthodox method. She didn't want our friends to know this in case they accused her of doing something else instead of her intention. While her crash course involved watching her strumming, I found it fascinating. I hoped to be somewhat decent when I get my own guitar. The sound check was interrupted by Trixie and her band. One of them pulled a lever, and we plunged into the storage room below the stage. She did this to replace the Rainbooms during the finals of the competition. Her actions would leave us trapped in that room for several hours, and my friends would finally explode at one another. Their arguing produced magical negative energy, and I had to find a way to get them to see what was really happening. We also needed to get out of this room. I wonder who is trying to unlock that door?

The Other Journal
By Ganondorf8
January 5, 2016
Chapter 38: We Got the Band Back Together.

" A giant alicorn... I hope you're not implying that either you or Princess Twilight would suddenly transform into this thing." Twilight said. I looked at her skeptically, but her reaction indicated she was serious. While the thought of becoming a giant alicorn sounded pleasant, it was also rather impractical as well as impossible. Ponies, or any other creatures who come from Equestria and into this world, are changed into humans. Or, we become something that is based on our current lot in life, such as how Spike, a dragon, becomes a dog instead of a human.

" That alicorn in the photo was entirely forged by magic." I said.

" Princess Twilight and our other friends must have created it." Twilight said. I wasn't sure why she made such an obvious statement, but I had a hunch there was more to her observation. I could tell, as whenever her left eye twitches, she was in deep thought and can easily become distracted. It was another of Twilight's adorable little quirks that I had gotten to appreciate throughout the night. " I'm going to guess that you had something to do with it as well, Sunset. I mean, you did use magic during the Friendship Games to stop me when I had my 'problem', but how did you get your magic back? I thought Her Highness stated that you could never have it after what you did?" Twilight asked.

" One thing you should know about Princess Twilight is that she isn't perfect. She is capable of making mistakes. It turns out that she didn't have all of the facts. I always had my magic deep inside of me. I just needed to do the right thing in order to be able to use it again. Helping our friends see the truth was what triggered a magical surge, though it took a few minutes for me to realize it was there." I answered. I began thinking about what I was going through my mind when my magic came back to me. It was like I had been reunited with an old friend. Magic had always been a big part of my life, and not using it made my life feel incomplete.

" It must have been weird to regain your magic yet again." Twilight said, giggling.

" Even though I used magic during my two trips back to Equestria, I was restricted to what I could use. I didn't want Princess Celestia at the time to detect my presence, and facing her after our falling out was something I couldn't do. The magic I gained from wearing Princess Twilight's crown wasn't my own natural magic. No, it was corrupted alicorn magic resulting from the hatred in my heart. What I would get during the final battle was raw magical energies which I hadn't used in years." I said.

" Final battle?" Twilight asked.

" I thought it was obvious that Princess Twilight, our friends and I would eventually escape from that storage room. If we hadn't, I wouldn't be talking to you about my problems right now." I answered before starting to giggle, myself. Twilight took notice and gently elbowed me in the stomach before I gave her a brief noogie, which did mess up her hair slightly. " When we escaped, our friends had to find an ideal location to perform the counter-spell." I then looked at Twilight, who was using a hairbrush to fix her hair, and again, I found it adorable that she had all of these different quirks. They made her stand out a lot from Her Highness.

" Did you get to finally sing?" Twilight asked.

" Not in the manner that I was expecting, but I did get to sing, which caught everyone by surprise. The 'Countess', as she preferred to be called, proved to be an excellent coach, who taught me a lot of different techniques that could improve my vocals. She was basically a singing prodigy, whose voice could captivate even the most cynical of people, just like that. Many music agents wanted to become her manager, and she still goes to high school. I heard that she has been talking with a really nice man called Svengallop. His name does sound weird, but he is one of the best in the business. He even used to be a singer himself, according to the Countess." I answered.

" You were lucky she took you under her wing." Twilight said.

" If it wasn't for the Countess agreeing to teach me, the Sirens would have ended up turning this world into their plaything." I said.

" How did you manage to get our friends to stop arguing?" Twilight asked.

" That proved to be a miracle in and of itself!" I answered.

---

" Ya better believe,

I got tricks up my sleeve!

See me dominate

'Cause I'm powerful and grea-ea-eat!" Trixie sung.

I could hear the sounds of people cheering above, along with the sounds of fireworks blazing. Trixie's song had come to an end which, meant the Dazzlings were going to be coming onto the stage to perform. If only her singing could have lasted a little bit longer, as I needed more time to figure out what I could do. Princess Twilight was still in the fetal position and was mumbling words to herself, so she wasn't going to be much help. My friends were still arguing with one another after getting rather physical over who was to blame for their falling out, among other problems. This resulted in their magic seeping forth from their bodies in the form of negative energy, and it was this that the Dazzlings had sought all along. They had been manipulating everything just to get to this exact moment, and we unwillingly played our role in their plans.

If the Dazzlings regained their full power, could anyone oppose them? Aside from the Rainbooms, no one in this world had the power to go toe-to-toe against those girls, so I needed to get everyone back on track. Would they even listen to me? After all, I had made some questionable decisions which made them suspect that I had been pretending to have changed so that I could stab them in the back whenever I wanted. It wasn't going to be easy for me, but I had to speak to my friends. It didn't matter if they decided to never speak to me again! They needed to overcome their petty differences now, or everyone would lose.

I took a step forward only to come to a stop as the cheering from above suddenly went silent. Did this mean I had run out of time already? I didn't know and was afraid to find out, but my answer quickly came when I heard three familiar voices. It sounded like the Dazzlings were laughing about something, and I quickly figured they were laughing about how their plans had progressed so far without anyone being able to stop them. Just hearing them made me mad; I had once done the exact same thing. When I acquired my full power when I put on Princess Twilight's crown, I was under the belief that no one could stop my plans for conquering Equestria. Glad to know that my belief ended up being incorrect. My friends defeated and put me in my place, so now they had to do the same to the Dazzlings.

" Ahh, ah-ah, ahh!

Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah!

Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah!" The Dazzlings sung.

Their singing began to mesmerize me; it was much stronger due to them absorbing my friends' magic. I was barely able to break free of their influence by shaking my head repeatedly. Once I had regained my senses, I walked over to my friends and called out to them! They completely ignored me! Would I have to get physical just to get their attention? It was a possibility I hoped to avoid at all costs. I still hadn't gotten over how I almost roasted them alive with magic during the Fall Formal. I had to make sure to keep my temper under control. Losing it would mean ending up just like my friends.

" Stop! You have to stop!" I shouted. Again, they chose to ignore me, but I wasn't about to have any of that. " Please! You must listen to me! You have to stop with this pointless bickering, otherwise the Dazzlings will win, and this world will fall!" Once again, my words fell on deaf ears, which really tested my patience. I wished Princess Twilight were helping me, but she wasn't of any use to anyone in her current condition. So, I had to keep on trying until they would finally listen. I then grabbed Rainbow Dash's arm making her turn around to face me. I could see her eyes were burning with sheer hatred, and I'll admit that it frightened me to see that.

" What do you want?" Rainbow Dash asked.

" Please, listen to me! You have to stop!" I answered.

" Why should we? They've had this coming for a long time now! I'm fed up with being pushed around when it's crystal clear that I've been doing everything to make sure my band is as awesome as me!" Rainbow Dash said.

" For the last time, it's our band!" Applejack shouted.

" Sorry! Couldn't hear you over all that yelling!" Rainbow Dash shouted, pointing towards Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. Both of them were in each other's face and screaming at the top of their lungs. I was surprised no one above on stage could hear all this arguing. Were the walls down here sound-proof? If so, then my friends could shout as loud as they wanted, and no one would bat an eyelid in response. I then grabbed Rainbow's shoulder again and she pushed me back slightly. " Don't touch me!" The anger in her voice told me that she was considering resorting to brute force, so I walked back to her where I grabbed her shoulder for a third time. I found myself being pushed even harder. " I said don't touch me!" Regaining my composure, I grabbed Rainbow Dash's shoulder one last time, and she turned to face me before pushing me with all the strength she had. " Gah! What is it you don't get!? When I say don't touch me, I really mean don't touch me!"

The force of her push sent me smacking into a wall where I hit my head hard on the concrete before slumping down in pain. Rainbow Dash took notice immediately of what she had done and ran over to see if I was alright. The anger that was in her eyes had disappeared when she saw that she had hurt me. It didn't take long for the others to check on me, and even Princess Twilight looked concerned.

" Sunset Shimmer!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

" What have I done!?" Rainbow Dash asked while freaked out.

" You went and pushed her into the wall." Applejack answered.

" I... I didn't mean to! I was so frustrated that she kept on grabbing my shoulder, and I guess I finally snapped." Rainbow Dash said. She then stood there in complete silence for a moment, where she looked down at my crumpled body. In an instant, she had come to an awful truth. Her arguing had caused me to suffer the consequences, and all I was trying to do was make her and our friends realize what was happening. " Sunset... Can you hear me? Please-oh-please say something! Anything!" Rainbow Dash said, her heart beating ever faster.

" Is she alright?" Rarity asked.

" Looks like she's comin' round." Applejack answered.

" Oh, thank goodness." Fluttershy said.

" Uhhhh..."

" Are you alright?" Rainbow Dash asked.

" I think so." I answered. To be honest, I had a splitting headache. The injury wasn't life-threatening, so that was a relief, although I should have it looked at to ensure that I wouldn't suffer from any lingering side-effects. When I looked up, I saw Rainbow Dash holding out her hand, a huge smile on her face that felt warm and inviting. I reached out to grab her hand and found myself being pulled onto my feet. " I'm glad you all finally stopped arguing when you noticed that I was hurt."

" I'm so sorry for doing that!" Rainbow Dash said, tears flowing down her cheeks.

" I understand. You only lashed out in frustration. Now, you all need to listen to me very carefully. In case you didn't notice, for a few minutes, your magic was seeping forth from your bodies in the form of negative energy. This is what they've been after all along! They're feeding off the magic inside of you." I said. My friends were shocked, and I pointed up at the ceiling, their eyes following. The ceiling looked like it had a large green stain, but it was, in fact, residue from magical energy. " I've no doubt they have just regained their full power."

" How can they be using our magic? It's the Magic of Friendship." Applejack said.

" That's something I've been meaning to talk to all of you about for a long time." I said.

" Considering we're not getting out here anytime soon, we're all ears." Rainbow Dash said.

" We won't interrupt." Fluttershy added.

" Ever since you started this band, you've been letting little things get to you, such as Applejack complaining whenever Rainbow Dash said that the band belonged to her. I've had a lot on my mind in the last couple of days which I've been wanting to say, but I kept it to myself in case any of you criticized me for getting involved in something that didn't involve me. Not when I'm so new to this whole 'friendship' thing. That fear continued getting worse as time passed, and you've all seen some of the results, where I made some questionable decisions." I said.

" Sunset..." Princess Twilight said.

" I still have a lot to learn, and I'm okay with that because friendship is something I had to earn the hard way. But I do know that if you don't work out even the smallest problems right at the start, the Magic of Friendship can be turned into something else. The Dazzlings figured that out and took advantage of it. They let you win by hypnotizing the two sisters, convinced Trixie's band to send us down here, and led all of you to lash out in rage. I should have spoken up much sooner, but was afraid of losing my friendships. You guys have become the family that I once had." I said. Deep down, I was afraid that I may have made my little speech a bit too mushy and controversial because of mentioning my family in the past tense, but my friends didn't take offence to it.

" I can't believe all this tension was happening right under my nose and I didn't realize it. My mind was so preoccupied with creating the counter-spell that I became oblivious, which put all of you in danger. Especially you, Sunset Shimmer. You had to endure an awful lot which you didn't deserve, and for that I owe you a big apology. I'm supposed to be the one with all the answers. Magic is my specialty, after all. And all I've done since I got here is let you down." Princess Twilight said.

" You never once let us down." I said.

" But I didn't get the spell finished! Even now, I still can't quite wrap my head around it." Princess Twilight said.

" It was a difficult undertakin'. It was apparently harder than anythin' you might have done back home." Applejack said.

" Applejack makes a valid point, Twilight. I don't think anyone is supposed to have all the answers, but you can count on your friends to help you find them. Like I said to you before, I will gladly help you come up with a counter-spell, because that's what friends do." I said. My words were enough for Princess Twilight to stand on her feet, wiping away the tears streaming down her face. She then spread out her arms, and I complied with her unasked request with a bear hug that almost made her eyes bug out. While that was a little much, Her Highness did appreciate the sentiment, and it looked like she had been given new inspiration. She once said that friendship was a power that allowed one to accomplish anything they set their minds to. It was also the most powerful magic of all, which united people together to do what they believed was right. I'm not sure if that's what she actually said, but it's close enough, as far as I'm concerned.

" First, we need to figure out how to complete the counter-spell." Princess Twilight said.

" I reckon just about anything would work." Applejack suggested.

" Yeah! We just play any song as friends, and the magic will do the rest." Rainbow Dash added.

" That would be easy enough, but there's more to it than that. I should have mentioned this to you last night, Twilight, but I didn't think you wanted to be reminded of having so much stress. I've been thinking that perhaps coming up with an original composition for a counter-spell is just too difficult, given the situation. I'm not questioning your magical know-how; it's just a problem with time. What I was thinking is that perhaps you could take a pre-existing song, or maybe a song that hasn't been performed by anyone, and slightly modify it to include magical properties." I said.

" What did you say!?" Princess Twilight asked. Her eyes suddenly widened, which made me feel rather uncomfortable. It felt like I had overstepped my boundaries, so I chose to keep quiet, but Her Highness grabbed my shoulders and began shaking me, serious about asking me to repeat what I just said. She was in thinking mode.

" Um, use a pre-existing song?" I asked.

" No, the other part!" Princess Twilight answered.

" Oh! Use a song that hasn't been performed yet?" I asked.

" Exactly! Why didn't I think of doing that in the first place? I could have saved myself all kinds of grief. I still have Fluttershy's journal on hand, so if we took the more effective words that I came up with and apply them to a Rainbooms song, it should be enough to make an ideal counter-spell. There is no guarantee that it will work, however. So it would be one of those one-chance deals." Princess Twilight answered.

" Now we just need the song." Applejack said.

" Where can we get one on such short notice?" Rarity asked. She then looked at Rainbow Dash followed by the rest of us, who, in turn, felt hesitant about being thrust into the spotlight like that. We knew Rainbow had a variety of songs at her disposal, so all we needed was her best song. It then dawned on me that her best song, "Awesome As I Wanna Be", also happened to be the one that almost drove everyone apart because of how it inflated her ego. I don't think anyone--Rainbow Dash included--wanted it to become the counter-spell, so another song needed to be used. We didn't really have any time to come up with new lyrics, as the Dazzlings were on the verge of succeeding with their plan.

" I know of a song..." Rainbow Dash began.

" You do?" Applejack asked.

" Fluttershy's written a really great one. I guess it took me until just now to realize that. Sorry, Fluttershy, for never taking your songs into consideration. I was just too full of myself to see your obvious talent. I'm sure Twilight knows which song I'm talking about. It's the one on the last page of your journal. It'll definitely be an awesome counter-spell." Rainbow Dash answered. I turned towards Fluttershy, who suddenly squealed like a baby over how happy she was that her song was finally being used. Her face lit up, and she placed her hands on either side of her mouth and stared longingly at Rainbow Dash, who paid it no mind. Now this is what I wanted to see from my friends for quite some time.

I wanted them to work together on solving a problem and working out their differences before those differences could swallow them up. It was those factors that enabled me to become a member of their group and slowly be forgiven for what I once did. I had a feeling that my actions here had given me a new lease on life, a chance to perhaps move on from my troubled past. We now had a song that could be modified to become the much-needed counter-spell. Fluttershy had the perfect song and Princess Twilight had the ideal words that could be substituted. There was still one more problem that needed to be resolved, and that was figuring out a way to get out of this storage room.

" So how do we get out of here?" Rarity asked.

" I tried to bust the door down earlier, but that thing isn't budging." Rainbow Dash answered.

" That's because it's locked on the other side to preserve the costumes and props. It also doesn't help that it's so sturdy." Applejack said.

" We're still trapped?" Fluttershy asked.

" Seems so." Applejack answered.

" Hopefully, someone will open the door for us." Rarity said.

" Just about every student at CHS is currently under the Dazzlings' spell, so don't expect one of them to come down under the stage anytime soon. They're too busy watching the competition to even know that we're down here." Rainbow Dash said. Her words made us all sigh in response, and we slumped to the ground in frustration. She didn't mean to deflate our balloon, but Rainbow was, unfortunately, correct. No one would be willing to free us, as they were nothing but eternal admirers for the Dazzlings. They had gone on from being food, although it was a much worse fate. If there was any solace regarding our current predicament, it would be that my friends were no longer arguing with one another. In fact, they were starting to apologize for what they said and did. Now I was truly understanding what friendship was all about.

A few more minutes had passed, with no sign of us ever getting out of here. Applejack made the suggestion that we try to knock down the door together. Rainbow Dash's solo attempt didn't amount to anything apart from a bruised shoulder, so perhaps seven girls combined would do the trick? Since we didn't have any other ideas to consider, we all got up and charged at the door. It refused to budge. Well, that was it. That had been our last hope, so the world was now at the Dazzlings' mercy... That is, until the door clicked on the other side. Someone was unlocking it, but who else apart from Trixie's band and the Dazzlings knew we were down here? Could it have been Spike? It was possible, but then he doesn't know his way around the school. Could it be another student? Maybe, but they are all under hypnotic suggestion. Guess we'd know soon enough.

---

" I was lucky that I didn't get a concussion when my head hit the wall." I said.

" Rainbow Dash must have been beside herself with grief over seeing what she had done to you." Twilight said.

" That's what hatred can do to a person. It twists their feelings until it becomes nothing but a corrupted mass, forcing them to lash out. I knew she didn't meant to hurt me, but it was a risk I had to take so that I could get through to them." I said. When Twilight looked the other way for a few moments, I used my non-injured hand to rub a small area on the back of my head. I still had a small bump from the impact. It didn't hurt or anything, yet it felt awkward because it was still healing, even now. I guess humans heal at a much slower rate than ponies do. I moved my hand back when she turned to face me again, and I merely smiled, which made her slightly suspicious. " Everyone was now on the same page after letting out their frustrations, but we still had the problem of getting out of the storage room." I said.

" How did Spike end up getting you out?" Twilight asked.

" What makes you assume that he did it all on his own?" I asked.

" He witnessed Trixie's band pull the lever, which caused you to plunge into the storage room, but since they never noticed him, he was able to make his way down to the door and unlock it from the outside. That's how you all managed to escape because of his resourcefulness." Twilight answered. It's true Spike saved the day by letting us out, but there was no way he could have opened the door by himself. Since he was a dog in this world instead of a dragon, he had no fingers--claws in his case--or opposable thumbs. He couldn't use a doorknob, no matter how hard he tried. He also couldn't reach the doorknob; he was much too small. Someone who had both features he lacked was required to rescue us. It still boggles my mind that of all the students at CHS, she would be our saviour.

" He was resourceful in that he found someone to help us." I said.

" Who?" Twilight asked.

" Vinyl Scratch."

" The name sounds familiar, but it doesn't quite ring a bell."

" She was the one who always wore headphones and listens to music all day. Also, she is a complete mute; she never says a word. Expressions and hand gestures are how she communicates." I said. While she wasn't much of a conversationalist, Vinyl Scratch--or DJ Pon-3, her stage name--certainly knew her craft well. She was also capable of unexpected surprises. I've often wondered how she manages to afford some of her more "unique" accessories. Twilight was still drawing a blank with regards to Vinyl Scratch, so I turned the page this time and revealed yet another photo. This one made me smile, as it showed all seven of us performing during the final battle against the Sirens. Everyone aside from me had ponied up, but it was still a good photo, courtesy of Photo Finish. Even from so far away, she knew how to take a great photo.

" Who is that behind all of you, and what is she sitting in?" Twilight asked.

" That would be Vinyl Scratch." I answered.

" And the other thing?"

" Her stereo sound system which, without a doubt, was the most awesome thing I've ever seen."

---

Who would be greeting us when the door opened? We had no idea, although Princess Twilight suspected that Spike had pulled through. While I was a little skeptical, given that he was a dog, I had to believe in him just as much as she did. Whoever was on the other side of the door certainly took their sweet time to unlock it. It felt like they spent twenty minutes trying to figure out something so simple, but it really only took them about two minutes before the door swung open.

" Spike!" Princess Twilight exclaimed.

" Sorry I took so long. I had to find somebody who wasn't under the Sirens' spell to help me get you out." Spike said.

" Wait! Someone else wasn't affected?" Applejack asked.

" Pretty convenient, isn't it?" Spike asked.

" More like a coincidence." I answered.

" How is that even possible? The six of us possess magic and Sunset Shimmer herself has an immunity to the Sirens' magic. Unless this student also has magic of her own, I find it hard to believe." Princess Twilight said. Spike rolled his eyes in response, before he stuck out his paw and urged someone who was standing outside to poke their head through the door to introduce themselves. The person in question turned out to be Vinyl Scratch, or DJ Pon-3, as she is known on stage. I had to agree with the assessment Her Highness just described. How could she not succumb like everyone else? Did she possess magic of her own? If so, then that would mean she came from Equestria. I don't recall ever seeing her during my time at Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, which was a long time ago, when I think back on it. She might have been there after my departure.

" Oh! That there's Vinyl Scratch!" Applejack announced.

" Why isn't she under their control?" Princess Twilight asked.

" Never takes off her headphones." Spike answered.

" Seriously!?" Rainbow Dash asked. Vinyl Scratch responded by giving a thumbs up. No one knows why she never says a word, instead relying on expressions and hand movements to express herself. To be honest, it would make things a whole lot easier if she would talk like everyone else. But, they do say that actions speak louder than words. For all intents and purposes, she had proven herself to be a valued friend with her actions. I was also curious how Spike was able to convince her to come with him in the first place. I can't imagine that conversation being all that riveting.

" Guess it's time for us to get down to business." Princess Twilight said.

" Time to prove we've still got the Magic of Friendship inside us!" Applejack said.

" Whee!" Pinkie Pie shouted with excitement.

" Has anyone figured out how exactly you're going to counter the Dazzlings?" I asked. My question made my friends give me confused looks until they realized what I was getting at. There was no way they would be performing on the same stage, so there had to be another location where the counter-spell could be used. We then began to think about the perfect location, and one place did come to mind. There was a large hill on the far side of the school's field, that overlooked all of CHS. It would take about five minutes for us to make our way there. The counter-spell could easily spread across the entire student body from up on top, so we all nodded in agreement that the hill would do.

" Okay, we've got everything we need." Princess Twilight said.

" Except for good sound." Rainbow Dash said.

" I don't think your instruments alone will be enough to send out a loud burst of music." I said. Vinyl Scratch, who had been listening to our conversation the entire time, snapped her finger. I didn't know what to think about it, but since my friends needed all the help they could get, placing our trust in her was necessary.

" We still need one last, little thing." Applejack said before turning towards Rarity. " We're about to save the world here. Personally, I think we should do it in style. Rarity?"

" I'd thought you'd never ask." Rarity answered. She reached out and placed her hand behind a stack of boxes before pulling out a rack of costumes that looked really fancy. Well, the colours and patterns were questionable, at best, but beggars can't be choosers. What I wanted to know was how she managed to get these down here! Then again, they could be costumes from a play, and she was just borrowing them. There were six costumes altogether on the rack, one for each member of the Rainbooms. I felt dejected, as there wasn't one for me, a reminder that my role involved being nothing more than a supporter. " Don't look so glum, darling. I have an outfit that will look absolutely stunning on you! We all realize that you're part of this, as well, even though you won't be performing." Rarity said.

That made me feel slightly better, yet I wished that I could join them by singing as a backup vocalist behind Princess Twilight. I may have learned a bit of how to play a guitar, but I wasn't ready to apply those skills towards something of great importance. At the very least, though, I wasn't being ignored anymore. Grabbing a costume each, my friends went behind the boxes, and came out a minute later, having changed into them. I'll admit that the costumes were striking, but they weren't Rarity's best designs. They didn't stick out like sore thumbs, either, as I suspected the Dazzlings were probably wearing something similar.

Now that we had everything, finally, we left the storage room and made our way towards the hill, yet time was against us. The Dazzlings had absorbed enough Equestrian magic, and that meant they had their complete power. No one without magical protection were safe from their singing, and they were about to prove that point by using their current song to let the students of CHS know that they were in complete control.

" Welcome to the show!" Adagio sung.

While we were moving away from them towards the hill, the Dazzlings made sure to use as many speakers as possible. They even cranked up the volume so that each speaker was producing the maximum sound it could muster. I was surprised that local residents didn't complain about the music, or even bring in the authorities to try and make us tone our noise down.

" (Ah-ah-ah-ah, ah.)"

" We're here to let you know."

" (Ah-ah-ah-ah, ah.)"

" Our time is now!"

" (Ah-ah-ah-ah, ah.)"

" Your time is running out!"

It was pretty obvious that the Dazzlings were talking about how they were about to finally achieve their goal. It seemed that they possessed egos as well as sex appeal, and theirs was even worse than what Rainbow Dash and Trixie had.

While we were making our way towards the hill, Princess Twilight and Fluttershy talked about how to modify the latter's song to turn it into a counter-spell. From what I could hear of their conversation, much of Fluttershy's lyrics would remain the same. There would be some slight changes to accommodate what Her Highness said were essential to make the spell more potent.

" I'm so glad you don't mind changing some of the words." Princess Twilight said.

" It's for a good cause." Fluttershy said.

" Again, we only have one shot to make this work. If the Sirens' magic isn't broken by this song, then we can say goodbye to our free will. I know that I'm just making us all nervous, but I want us to perform like everything is stacked against us." Twilight said.

" What do you mean?"

" The Sirens have had more experience with musical magic than even I have, so they are going to be difficult to defeat. The Magic of Friendship is going to need to be at full power, which means we need to transform. We're all together now so that is possible." Princess Twilight answered. It still felt weird how I was with the group even though I won't be contributing anything. I would have been content to have gone back to the stage in order to keep an eye on things, yet Her Highness wouldn't hear of it. She was insistent about me staying, as though she believed that I would play a huge role in the coming minutes. There was still one question that burned in my mind, and try as I might, I just couldn't get rid of the thought. How was I unaffected by the magic of the Dazzlings?

I had thought about this question several times over the last couple of days, without an answer to be found. I had no magic, so I shouldn't be immune. It had nothing to do with being from Equestria, as ponies succumbed to the Dazzlings' singing. Were my friends protecting me with their magic? That was a possibility, but the chances of that were slim, at best. They only had basic knowledge of magic and probably didn't know how to create magical barriers. Princess Twilight wasn't protecting me, either. She arrived the day after CHS became the Sirens' feeding ground. As we reached the top of the hill, I became distracted by my thoughts, but I snapped out of it when Her Highness snapped her fingers. The view of the school was exquisite from up here, yet it was what was happening by the outdoor stage that worried us.

" What in tarnation are they doin'?" Applejack asked.

" They appear to be glowing in a rather gruesome green." Rarity answered.

" That would be your magic doing that to them." I said.

" I don't know what it is, but I can sense their power continue to grow at an alarming rate. If we don't act soon, the counter-spell may not be enough to break the hold they have over everyone." Princess Twilight said. The Dazzlings appeared normal, yet I would quickly sense what Her Highness felt. Their power was growing. Was it fear that was gripping my heart? Fear that everyone would become lost because of Equestrian magic, magic that came into this world because of my own actions. Would I be blamed for dooming this world? It never occurred to me until now, standing here on the brink of what was to be the final battle against the Dazzlings. Had I never brought magic here, they wouldn't have done all of this just to get it. Even when all of this was said and done, I had a lot to think about.

" Okay, we should be doing something by now." Rainbow Dash said.

" Where is Vinyl Scratch?" Rarity asked.

" She said she'd be here." Applejack answered.

" You could tell?" Rainbow Dash asked.

" Her expressions were enough fer me ta figure out what she said. At least, I think I understood." Applejack answered.

" One thing we never established was how we're supposed to play over them from up here. Our instruments will be loud, yeah, but unless we can somehow find some awesome, top-of-the-line speakers, we'll be drowned out by the Dazzlings." Rainbow Dash said. The sound of a car horn then echoed throughout the top of the hill, and we turned to discover that Vinyl Scratch had arrived in her car. I don't know how she managed to get it up here, but perhaps she had some stereo equipment in its trunk. She had a big smile on her face, which told me she was about to impress us. When she pressed a small button located on her car's dashboard, Vinyl Scratch folded her arms behind her neck, relaxing. Without warning, her car suddenly began making a variety of noises like it were malfunctioning. If this was her idea of a joke, then the humour had left about thirty seconds ago. Yet, what happened next was nothing short of amazing.

Her car began transforming, some parts folding inward while other parts folded outward. The wheels turned on their sides before slamming into the ground, reinforced by armour that provided additional support for the weight of the vehicle. I knew she must have had speakers in the trunk, but not ones that were literally part of the car, sticking out to the left and right of the main body upon coming out. As it began to rise slightly, the dashboard changed into a control center that allowed her to monitor different sounds. Finally, an assortment of flashing lights came out from the trunk as well as the front, serving to give off some impressive atmosphere. If Vinyl Scratch wanted to make this a big surprise, she had definitely succeeded. My friends were now ready to perform, with the world hanging in the balance. I knew not to get in their way, so I stood aside and gave them as much support as I could muster. A part of me still wanted to join them, though.

---

" A transforming car?" Twilight asked.

" Equestria has plenty of things that are capable of transforming, but nothing compared to what Vinyl Scratch did. I never would have thought I'd see anything amazing come from this world, yet what she showcased proved that humans are capable of much more than I though." I answered.

" I'll take that as a compliment. Anyway, I'm surprised that you decided to stop reading, Sunset. We just reached an important moment for everyone, and I was hoping that you could continue on. I normally don't say things like this, but I'm completely psyched over what's about to happen." Twilight said. She wasn't kidding. Not once since I've known her had she ever said anything of the sort. Hanging out with other people has really changed her for the better. On the subject at hand, however, her enthusiasm was misguided, as things would hit rock bottom before they ended up getting better. I remember how everything went from something so simple to a battle where magical entities fought one another to determine who was more powerful.

" Twilight, the final battle against the Sirens wasn't what you would call a traditional musical showdown." I said.

" I've read a lot about the subject out of curiosity, of course. What happened in each round of the Battle of the Bands were seen as minor battles that held no meaning other than the desire to move on. A final showdown would be where both bands would rely on their best songs in an attempt to sway over the audience to their side. There would even be some crazy stunts performed to appeal to the audience." Twilight said. Despite not being a huge fan of music, she certainly knew her stuff about some of the more intricate traditions bands are known for. Her knowledge wasn't going to be of any help when I finished explaining what this particular battle was all about, though. The Sirens wanted to make it a real battle in response to the Rainbooms proving to be a threat.

" I'm impressed, but that didn't happen." I said.

" Oh? Then what did?" Twilight asked.

" A battle where magic ran wild."

" Like what happened between you and me?"

" I'd say that our fight was tame compared to what happened during the final. All you and I did was collide our fists against one another to test our power before we used magical beams to see who would prevail. A similar thing would occur here, where Princess Twilight and the Sirens used magical beams, but not before all kinds of magical attacks were being flung around. I'm amazed that there was no property damage." I answered.

" That giant alicorn was one such attack?" Twilight asked.

" Think of it as our ace in the hole."

" I really want you to continue reading."

" I'm thirsty again. Let me take another swig of fizzy apple cider. You look like you need to have some too. You look a little stressed. We'll take a ten-minute break before continuing." I said.

Comments

[icecreammac]

Another good chapter. Still working on the editing of the next chapter, but I know I'm gonna love it.

[Ganondorf8]

6815340

There is a lot of it to go through. Much of the chapter consists of Sunset's narrative interjected with song lyrics because much of the final battle consists of songs complete with stage direction for characters to follow. The final bit between Sunset and Twilight gives a small hint at where the story goes from here.

6815412

The dark hallway scene was made longer and I'm sure people caught what Sunset does which is something Adagio should have done, but I'll let you see that for yourself when you get there. Like I said at the start, this story is from Sunset's perspective, so readers are seeing things as though they were her.