Hello, fellow readers! Becoming a regular, huh? Here's the menu. Our specials are:
TheBeatles211: Thanks.
Maelaeran: Villains are strong in things other than raw power or magical abilities. They still have cards in their deck.
Alrighty, enjoy the show!
Chapter 8: Tension Rising
The Battle of the Bands went on as the bands went against each other this time. By now, only three bands remained as Flash's band was recently eliminated by the Dazzlings who were obviously going to the finals. The Rainbooms didn't have to deal with sabotage throughout, but they had one more obstacle in the form of Trixie and the Illusions. They stood backstage as Trixie's band were playing, trying to tune them out as they discussed the news about the Sirens.
"If their shadows called out to them like that, then that means that they're desperate at this point." Twilight theorized.
"And considering the level of skill they showed, they adapted well. However, I don't think their power has increased that much." Yu added.
"All this reminds me of when we faced Sunset before." Rarity remembers the similarities between the two.
"If you can beat me, then you can beat them." Sunset played it off well before continuing, "Right now, we're this close to the finals. As long as we keep our magic hidden, we'll still have our ace against them."
"Good thing we took those gems. There's a lot of that mist out there." Ren points out.
"No kidding. But after this, we can get more practice in before tonight and knock those Dazzlings off their high horses." Applejack adds in before Fluttershy spoke up, "Um, I know that this isn't related to what we're discussing, but we've gotten this far without using any of my songs."
"Don't worry, we still have the finals. I promise that we'll play your new song then." Rainbow was surprisingly sincere as she said that.
The group then hear the crowd actually cheer for once as Trixie was walking towards them, "Let's see you top that, 'Rain-goons'. Trixie was surprised that you even are able to compete since you have the advantage over us."
"Really? Is that your way of giving a compliment?" Rainbow was smug with her words as Trixie glares at her.
Ren noticed that Trixie was more focused on Rainbow than the actual group, giving the impression of a rivalry as the former scoffed at that.
"No, Trixie is talking about her." She pointed at Twilight, who was confused at what she getting at as Trixie continued. "If you were as skilled as you say, you wouldn't need a magical ringer to carry all of your weight. Everyone sees how lame this little crutch of yours is."
Whether it's just Trixie or the influence of the charm spell, her insults are directly going at Rainbow's ego and it was quite effective as she got in Trixie's smug face.
"Oh yeah!? You know that I can win this entire thing all by myself! I proved that back in the music store over that flashy guitar!" Rainbow emphasized her point by reminding Trixie of their little duel back then.
However, Trixie's smug expression remained as she spoke. "Oh please, we all know that was just a fluke. We'll see if you mean it soon enough."
After finishing her sentence, she pulled out a smoke bomb from under her cloak and throws it to the ground to conjure a smokescreen that covers the group's vision. They coughed a bit from the smoke cloud as it only remained a moment longer before disappearing.
Pinkie gasps as they see Trixie was not there anymore, "She's gone!"
"No, she's right there." Yu points towards the drum set, showing Trixie hiding behind them before running off. "She needs to practice more."
"Next up, the Rainbooms!" Principal Celestia announced over the mic.
The audience was silent as the girls got on stage, "Good luck." Ren simply said to them.
"I have a bad feeling about this..." Sunset knows Rainbow enough that she wouldn't let shots at her pride go easily.
And soon enough, her feeling was confirmed as Rainbow sent a familiar signal to Pinkie. The latter rolled her eyes before rapidly hitting her drums, starting the song.
[The Rainbooms]
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
"Oh no..." Looks like Yu shared Sunset's thoughts as he sighs.
"Something wrong?" Ren was unfamiliar with what they were worrying about.
"When I heard them rehearse, she played this song. Basically, it's an ego trip." Yu briefly explains as Rainbow took the stage, sliding in on her cue.
Ren then joined in with the sighing, "Like we needed this now..."
[Rainbow]
Awesome as I wanna be
[The Rainbooms]
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
[Rainbow]
Awesome as I wanna be
First you see me riding on a sonic boom
Got my guitar shreddin' up my latest tune
There is nothing you can do to beat me
I'm so good that you can't defeat me
As if playing the song wasn't enough, Rainbow was walking around her friends as she jammed on her guitar, unintentionally angering the others with her performance. Pinkie was bored, Rarity and Applejack was just angry, even Fluttershy was annoyed at her as Twilight just hoped they got through this.
[Rainbow and the Rainbooms]
Yeah, I'm awesome, take caution
Watch out for me, I'm awesome as I wanna be
(Yeah!) I'm awesome, take caution
Watch out for me, I'm awesome as I wanna be
Rainbow then leaped up front, the spotlights focusing on her as she played her solo. Sunset was getting a bit scared at this point, knowing that this will reveal their surprise to the Dazzlings.
"I'll close the curtains, stay here." Ren ordered as he quickly climbed up towards the catwalk.
[The Rainbooms]
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
Yu knew at this point, she was too focused on having the attention on her to even hear them as Sunset was panicking that Rainbow's magic was forming around her now.
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
He looks up on the catwalk to see Ren quickly running across to the curtains on the other side, not noticing Sunset run past him in a sprint onto the stage. When he notices, Sunset tackles Rainbow out of the spotlight to stop her showboating, causing a domino effect in the process. Hitting Twilight on the way down, she tried to lessen her fall, grabbing Rarity's keytar and made her fall forward, one of her feet hitting Applejack's bass out of her hands and flying neck first into one of Pinkie's drums. Fluttershy stood there in shock as the lights came back on with Yu still processing what just happened.
Ren heard the commotion from down below, seeing almost the entire thing happen in one fell swoop. He knows that now the curtain didn't matter, but pulled on the ropes anyways to close them, annoyed that he was just a second too late this time.
Sunset got up on her knees as she sees Rainbow's magic disappear, only to see her glare at her with the others getting up to their feet. If that wasn't enough, the students from the other side of the closed curtains can be heard.
"Now THAT'S the bad girl we love to hate!" Flash's voice shouted.
"Told you, the former queen would return!" Another voice shouted.
"N-no, I didn't... it's not..." Sunset found her voice caught in her throat, wanting to deny their words but can't. She didn't move an inch as the other girls got to their feet.
"What the heck was that about, Sunset!?" Rainbow sounded livid as she shouted.
Sunset was slow in her response, not wanting to choke on her words. "I-I panicked. You were gonna show your magic..."
"You could have done anything else. Close the curtains, unplug our equipment, let us handle it." Rarity wasn't as loud, but the bitterness was clear in her voice.
"That's enough!" They heard Yu sternly called out as he walks over to them, "She told you why she did it, there's no need to interrogate her. Even then, I didn't see you guys move."
"What about you!? I didn't see you try anything!" Rainbow scolded.
"I told them I got it." The group turns to Ren who had climbed down from the catwalk, "I had the curtains, so we did think of other opinions. However, none of this would have happened if..." He then turns his head to Rainbow, "A certain someone didn't let a couple of insults get under their skin."
Rainbow looked away in a huff as Ren walks over to Sunset, who still didn't move, and held out his hand in her field of vision.
"You did what you could. We still have a chance to turn this around." Ren reassured her.
Sunset looks at his hand, staring at it for a moment before taking it to allow Ren to help her to her feet. "Yeah, you're right."
"Indeed!" The group sees Trixie appear again, a smug stride in her steps as she walks towards them. "Trixie believes you gave her the win by default."
"Haven't you done enough?" Yu questioned.
"Actually, Trixie wants to congratulate you." Trixie ignores the glares from the others as she approached the still emotional Sunset, "Trixie enjoyed the part where Sunset barged in and threw you 'Rain-blowouts' off, tackling Rainbow Dash mid-guitar solo in a fit of jealous rage! Perfect!"
The remaining sadness Sunset had now boiled into rage as she grabbed Trixie by the shoulders, "IT. WAS. NOT."
Sunset's voice growled in her outburst, scaring Trixie as Ren gently grabbed Sunset's shoulders and pulling her back. "Easy, no need to lash out." He told her, trying to calm her down.
Trixie was stunned for a moment before recovering, straightening her hair as she cleared her throat. "Well, doesn't matter now. They already know who the winners are."
The group then hears the Sirens sing once more with their new powers, this time around the principals on the other side of the stage. Yu and Ren were suspicious about this as Trixie was busy adjusting her hair with her small mirror.
"What are they up to now?" Twilight wondered.
The principals walked onto the stage with Celestia holding the mic, "The band to face the Dazzlings in the finals will be... the Rainbooms!"
"What!?" Trixie shouted.
"What!?" The girls repeated.
Yu and Ren blinked once before simply following suit, "What?"
"This doesn't make any sense!" Trixie then stomped past them, "This isn't over, Rain-bores!"
"Now they're just taunting us." Ren muttered.
The Sirens walked onto the stage as the Rainbooms walked on soon after, "See you at the big show tonight, Rainbooms." Adagio said, "We're looking forward to it."
The girls didn't have anything to say, as they didn't expect to win after their performance. As the Dazzlings went off stage, the Rainbooms heard the audience booing them as they left the stage themselves, walking through the crowds and out the doors as Trixie spoke to herself from afar.
"This is a travesty! A travesty!" She dramatically said to herself.
"It really is." Trixie felt a hand on her shoulder as she looks to see the Dazzlings, "The Rainbooms didn't deserve this at all, even if the principals were playing favorites. It was obvious that your band was better than theirs." Adagio agreed.
"And wanted to win so much more." Aria added.
"Alas! It seems to be fate. The Dazzlings vs. the Rainbooms!" Adagio emphasized.
"Unless they couldn't get to their set or if something terrible happened." Sonata pointed out, though it wasn't clear if it was intentional or not this time.
The three left the idea sit in Trixie's head, who had a devious grin on her face, for a moment before Adagio spoke up again.
"However, I know of one way for you to guarantee you'll be in. Think of it as a mutual trade."
The amphitheater nearby was the place to hold the finals of the Battle of the Bands that night as the girls were setting up their equipment on stage. Even now, they were a bit put off that the Dazzlings wanted them in the finals instead. Currently, Yu and Ren were using the utilities at the school as Morgana was playing with Spike and a rope toy backstage.
Right now, Rainbow was making sure the mics were working fine. "Check, one, two. Testing, testing." She tapped her finger on hers, only to get silence.
Sunset adjusted the feedback setting on the mic for them before she tried again, "Testing-"
Unfortunately, the feedback was at max, making the girls wince at the loud sound before Sunset turned it back down.
"I don't get it, we didn't even finish our set. Anyone else find that strange?" Fluttershy voiced everyone else's concern.
"Very strange." The group turns their heads to see Trixie and her band on stage with them.
"What are you doing here? Pretty sure the losers are sitting up on the cheap seats." Rainbow taunted.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie deserves to be in the finals instead of you!" Trixie boasted as usual before taking one of her band members' hat, "But first, for one time only..."
She reaches into the hat as Rainbow chuckled, "What? You're gonna pull a rabbit out?"
"Oh no, much better." Trixie sounded a bit more sinister before she pulled her arm out.
The girls was frozen in shock as Trixie held three familiar gems in her hand, "Once again, Trixie always wins in the end!"
After her declaration, one of her band members pulled a lever that opened the doors under the girls to fall into. Behind the speakers, Morgana and Spike saw what had transpired.
"Uh oh. We have to get to the guys fast." Morgana agreed with Spike as the two headed off, avoiding getting spotted as Trixie stood near the edge of the doors.
"See ya never!" Those were her last words to them before the doors closed.
Trixie was proud of herself as she heard someone from the front of the stage, "Well, I see you didn't disappoint."
The Dazzlings were walking down the aisles as Trixie smirks, "Trixie never does. Trixie will see you again when she wins the finals."
Trixie and her band headed down the stage and handed the gems to Adagio as they walked past them.
"Would you look at that, girls? They were right about patience being a virtue." She showed the gems to them to prove her point.
"Finally. I was starting to think you forgot about those." Aria admits.
"All our power will be restored!" Sonata cheered as she then did a sinister giggle.
"Oh yes, it will be. And beyond." Adagio's smile grew devilish after saying that.
Yu and Ren were now washing their hands at the sinks as they had a conversation.
"So, one of your friends wears a bear costume?" Ren found that interesting before getting paper towels to dry his hands.
"He was just a bear costume when we met him. Later on, he actually grew a body by doing sit ups." Yu clarified, much to Ren's confusion.
"...Really? By exercising, he gained a body?" Ren may have a talking cartoon cat, but Morgana may have already been human if this is true.
"Well, he trained by himself for awhile when we were in the real world. We just joked that he did just those since that's what he was doing before we left." Yu chuckled a bit at that as they exited the bathroom.
The two headed to the foyer when they saw the girl they met yesterday dancing to her own music in her headphones. She notices the two and moves her headphones off her ears, "Oh hey, I saw you at the store."
"Yeah. Never introduced myself." Yu then walks over and holds out his hand, "Yu Narukami."
"Ren Amamiya." Ren introduced himself as she shook Yu's hand.
"Call me Vinyl Scratch, since most people call me that." The girl, now named Vinyl, returned the greeting.
"Surprised that you're not at the amphitheater like everyone else." Yu points out.
"Well, I was gonna participate in the showcase, but it then changed to the Battle of the Bands at the last minute. Didn't really care for competing in that." Vinyl shrugged as she told them why.
"Understandable, considering the commotion around here." Ren wasn't wrong about that since the bands were stirring up trouble.
"You guys are with the Rainbooms, right?" Vinyl recalls seeing them hanging out with the girls.
"Yeah, we were gonna meet up with them right now." Yu answered.
"Need a ride? I was gonna head there anyways." Vinyl offered.
The two didn't see a problem with that, "Sure."
The three headed out the doors and towards the parking lot when they heard a voice call out, "Guys!"
They look towards where the voice came from and saw Spike and Morgana run over to them.
"Did something happen?" Yu knows that they wouldn't be running without a reason.
The two stopped to catch their breath, with Spike speaking between breaths. "Trixie... trapped... the girls..."
"Why am I not surprised?" Ren figured that she would be trouble sooner or later.
"Wanted... to use... van... couldn't... had to run." Morgana said between his own breaths.
"Hey, those are your talking animals, right?" The two then noticed Vinyl standing next to the boys.
"Yup. But, it looks like we really need to head there now." Ren picks up Morgana as Yu does the same with Spike.
"OK, to my wubsmobile!" Vinyl called out as they hopped into her car.
And done! Alrighty then, we are reaching the climax! And we need everything to make this really pop! Not much to say, only see ya next chapter!