DISCLAIMER:

Greetings, chapter 30, released. What will happen between Duncan and Courtney? Can the Black Unicorn best the performance of H-tonics and Devil Muse? And what about Princess' Court? Find out next, here on War of the Bands.

And as always, if you like the story so far, mark it as a favorite. Or if you feel fancy, leave a review. Those are the way I have to know you are liking and reading the story and motivate me to continue it.

And lastly, an announcement (same as past weeks). A friend is organizing the 2020 Gwent Week, from October 18 to 24. Any person interested can participate. The information is on withjust-a-bite tumblr com . You can write stories, or make art, or just spread the word about it. Remember, supporting a ship doesn't mean hating others ;) .

Total Drama belongs to Fresh TV, Corus Corporation, their creators, and associates companies. Any song used on this fic belongs to their original creators.

I don't own anything from the properties used in this fic more than the story itself.


Official Movie Soundtrack - Track 02

The fifth day and the War of the Bands had begun, and the 4 remaining bands were doing their best movie performances for this challenge, in which they had to play a song that was part of a movie soundtrack.

Devil's Muse and H-tonics already had their turn, both with impressive and cinematic performances, from a gangsta paradise four men reinterpretation to a dance performance of canned heat. How will the Court and the Unicorn respond to this? Can they win the challenge?

But at the same time, a new drama unfolded in the dressing room, when former lovers met each other after one of them found the truth behind their break. Will this encounter affect their performances? Found out next here on the War of the Bands.


Duncan stood there, looking at Courtney with a neutral expression, while she tapped her foot nervously against the floor. She knew they could be called to perform at any moment.

"Duncan, can't this wait? We are about to go into the stage," said Courtney, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry, princess, it will take only a moment," the delinquent sighed and looked into her eyes. "I want to say that I'm sorry for not trusting you. You were telling the truth. You didn't witness against me in the trial. I'm the worst, sorry for all the problems I caused you," Duncan bowed his head and began to walk away.

"What?" Courtney was completely overwhelmed by this news. She was waiting for another fight, not an apology. She felt a mix of relief, happiness, and anger, "And you are telling me this now, just before going into the stage?"

"Sorry, once I realized the truth, I couldn't keep it inside, much less before performing. Good luck out there, break a leg. If someone must beat us, I hope it's you," said Duncan smirking and waving at her before walking away.

"Wait, you, Neanderthal! You have as much tact as a rhino. How can you drop me this and then go away just like that? You are doing this to distract so I can't do my best in the challenge, right?" she said, strolling behind him.

Duncan turned to her and frowned, mad at her accusations, "Eh? I don't need to do dirty tricks to sabotage your performance. You just do it by yourself with your uptight and paranoic attitude. Why are you so angry if I apologized?"

"You are so simple-minded. It's because you could wait to call me after the show to tell me this," said Courtney, raising her voice.

Duncan rolled his eyes and also raised his voice. "I tried to call you, but you ignored my calls."

"Ignore your calls? You were the one that blocked my number, remember?" said Courtney jabbing her finger at the delinquent chest.

"You know something? Forget it. I'm sorry, but if you want to think this was a clever scheme to get at you, so be it. But you know I'm not smart enough to come with something so twisted like this. You are the one that loves overcomplicate things," said Duncan glaring at Courtney, his eyes and her eyes meeting, both full of stubborn determination.

But before they could keep throwing insults at each other (or start kissing), a staff member interrupted them.

"Princess' Court, to stage in 5 minutes please," said Logan, the blond staff member.

"Ugh! We will talk later, mark my words, this is not over," said Courtney running to her dressing room.

"Yes, princess, this is not over," Duncan smirked. He felt a dagger on his back as he saw Courtney going away, because he was not sure of his feelings for her anymore, not after what happened in the park with Ella.


War of the bands 5th round third band interview: Princess' Court

The screen showed the moment when Topher gave the envelope to Courtney and her band (sans Dave). She opened it as Emma, and Scarlett read over her shoulder.

"We must perform a piece explicitly used for a motion picture. This could be expedient for our set of aptitudes," said Scarlett, adjusting her glasses.

"At difference from the past challenge, we have a lot of options to choose," said Emma, rubbing her chin.

"Don't worry, I thought they could make a challenge like this, so I create a list with songs we could perform that featured in movies, dating from 1930 to 2017," said Courtney smiling proudly.

Emma jaw dropped as Scarlett looked at the Latin girl with wide eyes, "I must say that sometimes you surpass the expectations I deposit upon yourself, and that is not a trivial task," said Scarlett showing a small smile.

The scene then changed to the interior of the professional record room the Princess' Court use in their rehearsals. There Courtney was arguing with Emma, the first with her violin in hand and the second with her bass. On the other side of the room, Scarlett was with Dave, putting a hand on his shoulder while talking constantly.

Then the screen showed the interviewer, who was talking with a frowning Courtney. "All is going as planned so far. We chose the song easily thanks to my list, we have been practicing all week, and the results are great. We are more focused than ever in the competition, even if some members resent this level of commitment with the band."

Courtney huffed and continued talking. "I know there is some tension because of Dave's cousin accident, which has caused a lot of stress between Dave, Emma, and the rest of the band. We even reduced the number of hours we rehearse so they can be with him, but we need to rehearse. We lost for the first time last week! If we get overconfident, it's a matter of time before we lose, and I don't want to go down without a fight."

The image then changed to Emma. "This week, Courtney is obsessed with winning. Winning by being the public favorite last week was a hit on our confidence. But we also have a life out of the band, and we need time to live that life. I hope all this doesn't affect our performance or our teamwork."

Then the interview returned to Courtney, who had a thoughtful expression. "Which rival is the most dangerous? I think that right now, any band could emerge victorious in the competition, but I would be more careful with the Black Unicorn. We played together on the 3rd challenge, and they have a lot of raw potentials. I would prefer going against any of the other bands that against them."

Duncan went into the dressing room, frowning, but smiled when he saw Courtney on the screen.

"You're late. H-tonics already played, and they made an awesome performance," said Trent, looking at the delinquent.

Duncan shrugged and sat in front of B. "Eh? But we have those things that B create for the challenge, so we are good. They can't beat that."

The drummer nodded, snapped his fingers, and smiled at the delinquent.

"Duncan, did something happened to you? You seem sorrowful," said Ella looking at him.

"He does? For me, it looks like his usual smug expression, the one he shows on his mug shots," said Cody, winking, teasing the delinquent.

Ella looked worried first at Cody and then at Duncan. "No, Cody, he doesn't show it on his face. He is sad in his heart."

"Does he have a heart? That's a surprise," said Trent with a deadpan expression, B chuckling at the joke.

"Haha, congratz Elvis, now we're all clowns," said Duncan in a snarky tone, and then replied to Ella in a more relaxed one. "Don't worry, Fairy Princess, I'm fine as always. And to the rest, fuck off," Duncan then lifted his middle finger. He looked angry but was grateful to all of them for trying to cheer him up.


War of the bands 5th challenge third band: Princess' Court

"It seems that as we get close to the final, all the band began to have some issues, so let's hope they can stand the pressure. For this challenge, the next band chose a song from the classic 1983 Adrian Lyne's film Flashdance, the song is Maniac by Micheal Sembello[1]. Let's hear them. They are Princess's Court," said Topher jumping off the stage as Courtney and her band came into it.

On the stage, all the girls were wearing black one-piece dresses and black leg warmers. Dave was wearing a black tracksuit and a sweatband on his forehead. The formation was slightly different, with Dave at the keyboard, but the rest played their usual instruments, Courtney on the violin, Emma on the Bass, and Scarlett on the drums.

At the start of the song, Dave began playing the keyboard, Emma the bass, and Scarlett the beats with the drums, while Courtney used the violin to play the parts of the synthesizer, making a unique array for the song. The Latin girl also sang, her voice practically flowing with the rhythm of the music.

As the song advanced, there were some problems with the arrays, as playing and singing made the changes between playing the violin and singing very tricky, and on one occasion, they missed a beat.

After they have performed 2 thirds of the song, Dave left the keyboard and began playing the guitar, interpreting his best solo to the date on the show. After ending it, he came back to the keyboard, the transition between instruments being flawless.

In the end, the public was cheering and clapping as the host ran back into the stage. "This is one great show after another. These people are the real maniacs on the show, ladies and gentlemen. What a performance! Let's hear the opinion of our judges about it."

The first to talk was Chef, smiling and clapping slowly, "I love the song and how you adapt it for your band. This is what I mean when I said you must challenge yourselves. The energy and passion were behind every note and syllable. Anyone can see the work behind this, for me, is your very best performance. Yes, it had its problem, but I think that overall was excellent."

Then it was her hotness turn. She adjusted her cap and show a delighted smile. "I'm very happy about this performance. Flashdance is like my favorite classic movie of all time. I watched it for the first time thanks to my sister Paula, and I love it. But I would prefer it if you interpreted 'What a Feeling' instead. Anyway, what was I saying? Ah! Right, your performance was totally awesome, I love it, especially the guy changing to do the guitar solo, it was so crazy, but it paid off."

Lastly, it was Chris's turn to speak. He shook his head while smiling smugly, "Well, I understand what my fellow judges are saying, but I was not so impressed by your performance. You had problems when Courtney changed from violin to vocal, and, if you remember, this is a competition for the title of the BEST in the country. You have to go always for a flawless performance. Anything under that is not acceptable. You should put more effort in the future," the crowd began to boo Chris as soon as he ended his speech.

Topher put a finger on his left ear to not hear the crowd loudly booing, "Ouch, this is another hard feedback by Mr. McLean. And thanks to Princess' Court for their performance, the public loved it. Now let's call the last band to the stage.

"Black Unicorn, 5 minutes, please come into the stage," said a staff member outside the band's dressing room.

Duncan was the first to stand up, jumping off his chair, "It seems it's our turn. Let's kill it."

"Oh, no! It is better if we go out there and sing, putting all our hearts on it, so the audience and us, have a delightful moment. I think it is better than killing anyone," said Ella, worried about Duncan's words.

Trent smiled gently at the singer. "Donֹ't take it too seriously, Ella. It's just an idiom. He is not really talking about killing a real person, at least right now."

"I hear you, Elvis. Hurry up, or you will be the next on the hit list, jokester," said Duncan going out, followed by B.

"First time in my life someone called me jokester, I must be improving my routine," said Trent in a too serious tone, making Cody and Ella laugh, the three going right after B and Duncan.


War of the bands 5th round fourth band interview: Black Unicorn

On the screen, Topher was smiling while giving a handshake to Trent and handed him the envelope with this week's challenge. The guitarist gave it to Ella, who carefully opened the envelope without ripping it. Duncan and B looking at her wishing to take the envelope from her hands and open it open in a swift movement. After agonizing 30 seconds, she, at last, took out the letter.

"Oh, my Godmother! We have to perform a movie song. What a delightful idea! I know dozens of songs from movies. Wanna hear some?" said Ella, her eyes sparkling.

"Thanks, Ella, but save something for the actual show," said Topher before any member of the band could respond.

"Yes, Chris wannabe is right. Let not show our cards before the actual competition," said Duncan, smirking. Topher raised an eyebrow, offended by the nickname.

The scene changed to Cody's basement, where the group is practicing. B was sleeping on the side of the room. Trent and Cody were looking at the score and playing with their instruments. Duncan and Ella were talking about their positions during the performance.

The screen then showed Cody, who talked to the interviewer, "This time we are very motivated and focused on the challenge. Well, it's not that in the other challenges we were not motivated, but this time we are more motivated than ever. The band is on the same wavelength, and we all want to do our best."

Cody blushed and panicked at some comment from the interviewer."Eh? No, of course not. We are not motivated by someone in particular. We-, we're doing it for all of us, to win the challenge and become a step closer to winning the competition. We would not do this for someone specifically, even if we care a lot for her."

The image then centered on Ella. She was tenderly smiling at the camera, "This time I am delighted to perform one of my favorite songs. I performed it first for my grandma, four or five years ago, before moving to Toronto. She was so happy at my performance that I fell in love again with music. I hope I can sing it this Friday, at least as well as I sang it at that time."

The interview then went back to Cody, rubbing his chin. "I think of the remaining bands H-tonics is the most dangerous. Yes, the Devils have some great performances, and the Court's members are all fantastic and talented. But in H-tonics is Harold. He does not only have those mad beatboxing skills. He is also smart, cautious, fearless, and with a great music sense. Yes, he's that awesome, so if he made a band, they must be good."

While the interview was on the screen, the Black Unicorn was waiting to go into the scene. Ella kissed her sleeping beauty figurine before going onto the stage, Cody looking at her.

"Wow, is a beautiful doll, where did you find it?" asked Cody, impressed by the carved details.

Ella looked kindly at the wooden princess. "Oh, this was a present from Duncan, is not wonderful?"

"Yes, it is." Said Cody, absentmindedly. For him, it was a realization. Maybe he was not the only one that liked Ella. He looked at Duncan and watched his expression. The delinquent was not looking at the stage, but at the Fairy Princess.

There was no doubt in Cody's heart, Duncan was his rival.


War of the bands 5th challenge fourth band: Black Unicorn

"There you have them. Let's see what they have prepared for us tonight. The song is from a Disney's animation classic released in 2013, composed by Kristen Anderson and Robert Lopez, Let it go[2]. They are the Black Unicorn," Topher clapped as he went down the stage, while the public cheered for the band coming into the stage.

The Black unicorn men were all dressed on teal pants and jackets, sans B, he was wearing a white version of his usual suite, including a white cap and a long white coat. Ella was wearing a dress exactly like the one Elsa used in the movie. She almost couldn't conceal her excitement. The instruments were Cody on the keyboard, Trent, and Duncan playing guitars, and B on the drums. The silent man took something from his bag and give it to Bridgette in the crowd.

The song began with Cody playing the intro in the keyboard as Bridgette, Justin, and Izzy were handing out something between the crowd. Trent entered with the guitar, then B, Duncan, and finally, Ella began to sing. To all the audience surprise, instead of singing in English, Ella was singing in French.

But regardless of the language, the emotions and feelings pouring in each word sung by the Fairy Princess were enough to keep the public enthralled. Trent was the one that performed the solo, showing that his skills were on par with the best players in the competition.

At the end of the solo, Duncan took out one of the gadgets that B made and used it. The device produced a small blue light that looked like a flame. From the crowd began to appear lots of blue flames, making the performance more mystic. Ella smiled and keep signing, grateful to all the band to let her sing this song.

In the end, the crowd was roaring and clapping at the performance. Ella made a pair of courtesies at the audience as Topher went back to the stage. "This was-," The young host had to wait for the cheering to die down before talking, "This was another AWESOME performance. When we decided to make this week challenge movies' soundtracks, I never dreamed of the level of professionalism the bands will put for us. Now let's hear the feedback of the judges.

Lindsay was the first to talk, holding one of B's gadgets. "It was beautiful, powerful, joyful, and I don't have more words that end in '-ful' to describe your performance. I love the version, the arrays, and Bella's voice. I also love this movie but never heard it performed with such a feeling. At last, I can be happy they force me to learn French in the school."

Then it was Chris turn, smiling smugly and playing with his pen. "I don't like children's movie songs, but you did well. I love how you replace talent with emotion, passion, and cheap tricks. But anyway, it was entertaining, but I doubt it will help you in the next challenges. I wish we could see a more serious performance in future rounds, that is, if you participate in the next rounds."

Then it was Chef turn, looking serious at Chris and then at the band. "This time it's I who disagree with my fellow judge. I believe you had one of the best performances I have seen in the show. In fact, tonight, all the bands did some of their best performances. Cody keyboard, Trent and Duncan guitar, B drums, you all were on the zone. And Ella, singing in French was risky, but you did a great job, your voice is wonderful. I hope we can hear you more."

Topher looked at the camera, smiling, "there you have it, and Oh boy, this will be a close one. Who will win this challenge, and who will take their flag and go home in this round? let's find it next, on the conclusion of the fifth round of War of the Bands!"


[1] For Micheal Sembello Maniac, I used as inspiration the live performance in Live American Bandstand in 1983 for the main song and Barbara Helfgott for the performance with the violin.

[2] The Disney song for those who enjoyed Frozen. The version I use as inspiration is La Reine des Neiges - Libérée, délivrée (Rock Cover by Reepoo Studio.)


The fifth challenge had ended, and only the winning award is left. Who will win and who will lose the challenge? Find out in the next chapter.

Since the beginning, I wanted Ella to perform a Disney song, is childish, but I think very appropriate with her character. And being in French was only because it is her mother language, and I loved the result. This must be the challenge that I enjoy most writing and choosing songs. I also enjoy the others, but this one I heard a lot of songs.

And as always, thanks for reading and I hope you like it