A hospital room with a heart monitor near a medical bed was shown. Sunset was on the bed as she began to stir. The bacon-haired duelist sat up and took a moment to look around her. She saw some buildings through the nearby window.
"Finally awake," said Shining Armor.
Sunset turned and saw the man leaning against the wall, talking on his phone. He finished his response before walking toward Sunset, who exited her bed and instinctively leaned against the wall.
"You good?" asked the man.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," responded Sunset as she took a moment to breathe. "What happened?"
"You don't know."
"I remember… the duel… the duel!" exclaimed Sunset as a lightbulb went off.
"Aw, yeah, the duel," responded Shining Armor as he picked up the remote and turned on the TV.
The pair turned as the live broadcast of their duel was being shown. Sunset took a moment to look at the replay of the footage as it registered in her brain.
"That's right! I activated my trap and took out Isaac with it. So where is he?!" demanded the fiery redhead.
"Isaac is okay, thanks for asking. He's not here. In fact, he straight-up walked off without receiving any medical help. He refused."
"What?"
Hearing that Isaac refused to be checked on or go to a hospital to see if he was in any serious condition amazed Sunset, as she didn't think he was that tough. Especially after the two were caught in such a powerful and deadly explosion.
"He thought it best for himself to just walk out on his own two feet not to let anyone think he was weak," confirmed Shining Armor, as he should've known his brother-in-law was stubborn, thinking people would think less of him if he was carted out on a stretcher after an intense duel.
"So, what's the verdict? I won. So I'm the World Champion!"
Shining Armor just looked at Sunset, but he didn't know how to tell her. Instead, he let the video talk as he pushed a button. Sunset turned to look at the final moments of the footage before the broadcast went off. As she watched it, her eye caught something.
"Hold on! What was that?!" demanded Sunset.
Shining Armor rewound the tape and put it in slow motion frame by frame; they watched the footage. Sunset saw where Isaac destroyed her monster, and then she triggered her trap. At first, seeing her activate her Red-Eyes Burn trap card, she was pleased. Even if that meant they both would lose the remaining Life Points, she would be glad that Isaac didn't win and could have an excuse to run this match back. However, what she saw next shocked her as that ambition was shattered. In the faintest of the live feed, there was something. Shining Armor spotted it, too, as the image was fuzzy. It then cleared up as it showed Isaac, but what was more astounding was the World Champion was shown pulling an Action Card.
"An Action Card? But how? When did he get-"
Sunset's mind began to work as she theorized how Isaac could've gotten a hold of an Action Card in such a tiny timeframe from when his attack was launched and her trap triggered. She recalled they ended up battling in the castle's main entrance and how she tumbled down from the tower they battled on previously. It served to reason that in the duel when Isaac managed to make it into the castle, he might quickly glance at the main room and possibly spot an Action Card before he quickly took the stairs to the right up the tower. But… if that was the case… then he must've spotted it within the first milliseconds of entering the place, given how close she was to his tail.
Sure enough, that was exactly the case.
Isaac entered and spotted a glowing object, mentally noting its location for later. In that split second, he had a plan in mind: run up the tower to escape Sunset and her first barrage of attacks on the castle.
"He… couldn't have…" said Sunset, flabbergasted.
"Isaac played the Action Card… then that would mean…"
"He would take away the rest of your Life Points before your trap's effect could trigger," said Shining.
Sunset's whole world came crashing as the duel's result became clear. Before Shining Armor could ask if she was alright, Sunset grabbed the remote from his hand and tossed it at the TV, shattering it while she yelled.
A vehicle was shown pulling up to the arena's back entrance as a film crew spotted it and started rolling the cameras. People in the arena saw the broadcast as they wondered who was arriving. The doors opened, and sure enough, they saw a ghost. Exiting the driver seat was Isaac, all banged up with a bandage over his arm. A bandage was shown above his right eye where he'd been busted open. Given yesterday's ending to the PLE, the World Champion wasn't advertised for the show. But he was here… more importantly, in his banged-up condition, he somehow managed to drive to the arena when his injuries and bruises made him feel pain.
Isaac slowly began walking toward the arena, and the stage crew was amazed at what they saw. Eventually, Isaac walked past the curtain and stood on the stage before all the fans who roared for him. He tried to smile, but even that made him feel some pain. He had a microphone and took a moment to collect his thoughts.
"Is it good to be… not dead," lightly chuckled Isaac before the crowd chanted his name.
"I've been through enough this weekend. I've been through hell. If we're gonna set me on fire, now's the time. I, uh… I'm in no condition to be here. I'm in no condition even to walk down to that dueling field, so I'm just gonna address you all from here if that's cool. It hurts to smile… but I had to come here and see you. I'm alive… but I don't feel like it. I'm a winner… but it doesn't feel like I won. I want to be able to come out here and say it felt tremendous walking out the victor against Sunset, but the way that duel made me feel just leaves me with alot of questions. One of them is… even painful to say… I don't know what the future holds for me."
Hearing that made the crowd go a bit silent as they never thought those words would ever come out of Isaac's mouth.
"I'm banged up worse than I've ever been in my entire life. And as much as I do love you too, I just… I just don't know. I want to thank three groups of people. It's why I'm here. The three groups have much more in common with each other than they care to admit. The first one is my fans. I'm talking about the ride-or-die Isaac fans, the ones that make the signs that show up every time for the past 15-plus years of my career. Thank you. There was a minute last night where I didn't think I could pull it off, even with you. But there has never been a second in my career that I thought I could do without you. The second group of people I wanna thank are my peers. Behind and in front of the camera, the men and the women that I feel privileged to be able to walk the hallways with. The people that I see on a weekly basis. At least most of them. It's been a joy and my life's pleasure to work alongside you. The third group of people I wanna thank are the people that don't like me at all. Because there is a very thin line between love and hate, and I've turned your hate into cash. So I thank you. And for whatever reason, you do dislike me, whether it's your jealousy, your hatred, I just wanna say, I don't know why you keep doubting me, but keep doubting me."
Isaac smiled as he turned to the camera before him, as the crowd liked his little speech.
"I'm gonna go home. I haven't seen my wife in weeks. Lord knows I've got a lot of flowers and books to buy. Mainly, the books are the gonna be the expensive item on that list." joked Isaac, knowing he knew how to smooth things over with Twilight when he got home, and she gave him an earful. "I appreciate you all. I'd like to say I'll see you all soon, but I just don't know. Thank you."
Isaac gave one last wave to the crowd before he turned to walk back through the curtain. When he stepped through into gorilla, Juniper was waiting for him. The World Champion gave a sheepish smile to his agent for not telling her he'd be here.
"Well, at least I gave them a good cover story while I'm dealing with the kids and Opaline," said Isaac as the people seemed content with his excuse for not going to be around for a while.
"Let's hope so. Come on, I'll drive," sighed Juniper as they left together.
At Haven's estate, the businesswoman was on the phone with some corporate executives. She'd received word about what went down with Isaac and how he would delay his arrival by the day. With that, the CEO had decided to stay longer with the kids to ensure he knew she kept them under her care when Isaac arrived. As for the teens, once Pipp's social feeds blew up about the duel, they got word about Roll and Mario's father. The girl was relieved about her father while Mario remained indifferent.
The group was currently out in the city, as Zipp and Pipp wanted to take their friends to see some of the sights and sounds of Zephyr Heights. The megamall's entrance showed Mario and Hitch, the former lying on a bench, staring up.
"Zipp wasn't lying when she said this place was big," responded Hitch, taking in how huge the place was.
"And packed," added Mario as he could see thousands of people everywhere he looked.
"Oh!" said Hitch as he got a notification on his phone. The boy pulled out his device and saw that Sunny had sent him a message. "Sunny just texted me saying they found a parking spot."
"So, Sheriff… when are you ever gonna ask Sunny for a date? You guys haven't even had one, and she's your girlfriend?" remarked Mario, sitting up with a smug smile.
"What? No! Mario!" remarked Hitch as he rubbed the back of his neck and had a face of embarrassment. "I don't- We just- She wouldn't… Heh.. heh.. heh.. Heh… Look, I don't want to rush Sunny, especially when we have to focus on saying the world."
"Sure, okay, then," remarked Mario, feeling his friend had given a poor excuse for not going on a date with his girlfriend.
"Over here!"
At that moment, the girl's voice was heard. Hitch and Mario turned as Sunny stood walking in with the rest of their friends. Like the boys when they first stepped foot, they were amazed by how much bigger the place was on the inside.
"Hey, boys!" said Pipp in a chirping tone.
"You guys ready for our SHOPSTRAVIGANZA!?" barked Zipp as she seemed rather excited about this shopping trip, which confused Mario given how he knew the girl's nature.
"You bet we are!" answered Hitch for both him and Mario.
"Great!" exclaimed Zipp as she pulled out a rather big list. "So I was thinking we first hit up Bonkers Bargains and check out their Jet Set special first, then stop by Shrimp Kicks for their new shop, and Toad Toy Store to pick the latest Toad V Force figures…"
Zipp then took a deep breath before releasing a giant exhale.
"But first, let's grab the Double Berry Cherry drinks at Coconut Cafe!"
"And that's all within just the first five minutes," added Pipp.
"Oh, gees," said Mario.
"Time for some shopping! Mama wants some new stuff!" said Pipp, grabbing Mario's hand to drag him away.
"Pipp, hey!" shouted Zipp as she chased after her sister and the boy since she had similar plans to spend the day with the boy.
"Good luck, big bro," muttered Roll as Mario would be in for a rough day with the two sisters.
"Well, Mario's sure in for a ride," remarked Hitch.
"Um… about that," said Sunny as she held her hands behind her back and smiled sheepishly. She then pulled out the list she had composed during their drive around for a parking spot and showed it to her boyfriend.
"Ah?! Hmm…" said Hitch, a bit taken aback by what his best friend had written before she kissed his cheek. He was immediately smitten and followed Sunny like a long-lost puppy.
Izzy and Roll smiled at how Sunny wrapped her boyfriend around her finger as they accompanied the pair on their shopping trip.
"Pipp! Pipp, where'd you go?!" shouted Zipp as she arrived at the central courtyard of the megamall.
The heiress was trying to spot her sister and the boy to keep them in her sight. She took a moment to glance around her surroundings but didn't see them before she took off in a certain direction. Inside a photo booth, Pipp peeked out as she didn't see her sister before pulling her head back in.
"Yes," said the girl softly.
"Can you take your hand off my mouth!" said Mario muffledly.
The pop star chuckled sheepishly as she did that. Before the boy could do anything, Pipp pulled him as the snap of the camera booth went off. The images were printed and slotted out; the latter had Pipp pulling Mario in closer and grabbing his face. The final photo was of her pressing her lips onto him. Once the girl grabbed their small photos, she grabbed Mario's hand and led him away. The stylist enjoyed her time with the boy as they visited various shops. They happened by a music store, and both seemed to find something like that. From there, they visited a local hat store. Pipp found a feathered pirate hat she liked; Mario then turned around and wore a sombrero, to which the pop star giggled. She found it quite adorable on his head. Surprisingly, the pair stopped by an arcade as Mario taught Pipp how to play a fighter game. The boy demonstrated which buttons and combos to use as he went sparingly easy against Pipp to give her a chance. Despite not winning any of the games against her friend, the songstress seemed to really enjoy herself.
"Who knew video games could be so much fun!?" said Pipp, excitedly holding her face. "I have to play moreeee!"
"Oh, boy. You turned her into a gamer, lover boy."
Zipp appeared behind the pair as she finally managed to track down her sister.
"Hey, Zipp," said Pipp.
"Alright, mind if I borrow him, thanks, Pipp!" said Zipp quickly as she grabbed Mario's hand and dashed away.
"HEY!" yelled Pipp as she wasn't done with Mario and chased after her sister.
"Somebody help me!" stated Mario as they zoomed past the others at the food court and watched the two sisters drag the boy all over the mall.
"Hope Mario is gonna enjoy being a pack mule," stated Roll with a smile. "How are you holding up, Hitch?"
"I'm… fine," said the boy as he sat back in his chair. He was out of breath from carrying all the girls' bags, mainly Sunny, as his girlfriend went a tad bit overboard with her shopping list.
"Here you go, Hitch," said the girl as she returned with a bowl of ice cream. She sat beside her boyfriend and began spoon-feeding her best friend the sweet treat.
"Thanks, Sunny," said Hitch as the girl planted a quick peck on his lips before returning to feeding him.
Eventually, the shopping trip ended as all the teens left the mall and began returning to the estate. When they arrived, the servants took all the bags the kids bought and brought each of them to their rooms. Haven was in the living room when the kids walked in, and they overheard bits of a conversation she was having.
"I'll figure something out!" said the woman as she ended the call before sighing.
"Everything okay, Mom?" asked Zipp, showing concern.
Haven looked at her daughter and her friends when an idea popped.
"Say… how would you kids like to earn some money?" asked the woman.
The seven teens looked at each other and exchanged looks before Zipp spoke up.
"Uh, can we have some details first?" asked the heiress to her mother.
"I assume you're all familiar with the band Electric Blue?" asked Haven.
"Who?" asked Roll while Hitch gasped.
"The super epic rock band?" answered Hitch with some excitement in his voice.
"Wow, Hitch! I didn't know you were such a musical expert!" commented Pipp.
"Yeah. I thought you were Mr. Rulebook, sheriff," remarked Roll teasingly.
"I know things," huffed Hitch while Sunny chuckled.
"What does all of this have to do with us?" asked Mario.
"Well, I originally had them scheduled to perform at a birthday party I was gonna host. But apparently, their private jet… crashed. Don't worry, they're fine. Anyways, now I need a new musical group to perform at the birthday party." said Haven, looking at the kids before her.
"So, you want us to form a musical group?" rephrased Mario.
"A kiddie musical group," corrected Haven.
"Uh, Mom. No offense, but we're not a band," said Zipp, pointing to all of them.
"Yet!" said Izzy as she slid over to the girl's side and added.
"Your friend is right, Zephyrina. It's just one performance."
"No!" responded Mario immediately as he turned and began to walk away.
"I'll pay each of you $1000," said Haven as Mario immediately stopped and turned to look at the woman. As for the others, they nearly fell over after hearing how much Haven would pay them if they did this favor for her.
"A thousand?" repeated Sunny.
"I take it that means you'll do it," smiled Haven.
"Um, where would we do this?" asked Izzy.
"Well, I'm hosting the party in the gardens. You can perform it there after the kids have their cake and ice cream. It'll be fantastic."
While Haven was open to the idea of her daughters and their friends filling in on such short notice, a few of them, especially Mario, were hesitant.
Once the group was assigned, they began to work out the details. They all sat in the living room, trying to figure out a plan. Mario was messing around on the piano when Sunny approached the instrument with two glasses of lemonade.
"Okay, what do we have so far?" asked the girl to her friends as she set the glasses down on the instrument.
"I don't know, Sunny. Uh, Izzy, record this," said Mario.
"Kay-kay!" responded the girl as she stopped nose-cuddling with a stuffed bunny and pulled out her DIY phone. "Recording!"
My grandpa has a nose
And my grandpa has a nose
Everyone you know has a nose, nose, nose.
"That's shit!" responded Zipp outright after hearing Mario's little song.
"Well, excuse me, princess!" remarked Mario sarcastically while looking at the heiress. "I take my pride and image very seriously. I can't write a little kid's song."
"Why did we say we'd do this?" asked Hitch again.
"It'll be fun," answered Izzy with a smile.
"Yeah, it's so fun to put on humiliating costumes and dance around like idiots for sticky little kids," remarked Zipp as she thoroughly expressed her feelings about agreeing to her mother's favor.
"Okay. So what do you guys think about this song?" asked Izzy as she seemed to have written something.
The girl handed Mario a guitar as she began to perform her idea. The boy lightly strummed the instrument, giving off a gentle, lighthearted vibrato.
It's fun to run
It's fun to play
It's fun to make things
Out of clay
It's fun to fill your car with gas
It's fun to break…
… things made of glass
Everyone looked weirdly at Izzy after saying that, as they didn't expect to hear that.
But broken glass
Can cut your hand
And then you'll bleed—
"Izzy!" shouted Roll, getting her friend to cease her singing.
"We're not performing that!" Sunny said, not wanting to sing it to the kids.
"Well, we have to write a song about something," Zipp responded, as this was getting annoying. The heiress crumpled up a piece of paper and tossed it into a nearby trash can.
"Okay, let's think. What do little kids like?" said Hitch.
"Cartoons," answered Izzy.
"Animals," said Roll.
"Being annoying," remarked Zipp as everyone looked at her. "What? It's true."
"Alright, here," said Sunny, pulling out her phone as she looked for help. "It says here the most popular kiddie songs are all about foods."
"So let's write a kiddie song about food," suggested Roll.
Oh, broken glass
Is not a food
So don't you listen
To some dude
Who says put cheese
On broken glass
And make a sandwich
Out of broken glass
Mario ceased his strumming. He took his hand and smacked Izzy in the back of her head, and then she stopped singing.
"Ow!" said the girl, holding the back of her head with both hands.
"What is wrong with you!" shouted Mario as he looked at the weird girl.
"Hey, peeps. How's it coming along?" said Pipp as she entered after having recorded something for her Pippsqueaks.
"Terrible!" answered Zipp.
"Well, maybe this might be some good news."
"I doubt it, but let's hear it, chica."
"So, as it turns out, the kid we're doing this for is one of my fellow Pippsqueak followers. As such, he was over the moon when he found out during my livestream a few moments ago that I was going to perform at his party. It was totes cute, seeing his emoji reaction in the chat. Anyways, his mother contacted Mom, and now they want to see some musical instruments involved when we perform."
"Oh, great," groaned Zipp as they had more stuff to work on.
"Well, Sunny and I know how to play our respective instruments, and Mario is skilled in piano and guitar," stated Roll.
"Yeah, well, that's not enough," stated Pipp.
"When is this party?" asked Hitch.
"In a couple of days," answered the stylish.
"Oh, great," groaned the boy as they had even less time than expected.
"Alright, screw the song. Let's focus on something else!"
"Mario's kinda right. If they want us to perform like an actual band, we'll have to get the rest of you guys up to speed," stated Roll.
"Then let's head to my studio!" stated Pipp.
"You have a studio other than your room?" asked Sunny.
"Duh, who doesn't," remarked the pop star as she left with the others trailing behind.
They arrived at Pipp's studio, which she often used when creating big songs that couldn't be contained or performed from the comforts of her own room. Upon entering, the group was welcomed to a mini-stage with many microphones and instruments.
"Cool!" said Mario as he approached an electric guitar and put the strap around him.
The boy played a few notes and added some sick riffs once he got into the groove. When the boy finished his little shredding display, he opened his eyes as Izzy applauded his performance.
"That was awesome!" squealed Izzy.
"So, where do we begin?" asked Sunny.
"Well, first, we need to find something for Izzy, Hitch, and Zipp to play," stated Roll.
Izzy didn't waste any time as she immediately grabbed a pair of drumsticks and began hammering away with a huge grin, even though it seemed obvious that she didn't have any prior training.
"Izzy!" yelled Mario as he snatched away the drumsticks from the girl and glared at her. He huffed away before returning and shoving an instrument into the girl's chest. "You get the tambourine! No questions asked!"
The boy walked away in annoyance as Izzy looked at the simple instrument. She smiled as she shook it and smacked it against her hand and body as it made a jiggling sound. It seemed the girl didn't comprehend that Mario gave it to her to shut her up, but she was fine with what she got.
"Okay, well, that's one down, I guess," said Sunny sheepishly after watching what went down between her friends.
Compared to Izzy, Zipp knew what she was doing. She settled in at a keyboard and began to play around with the settings. And with Hitch, the boy had picked up a bass guitar. He strummed it in the corner of the room with a thoughtful look on his face.
"You play?" asked Sunny as she approached her best friend.
It took Hitch moments to answer, "Not for a few years. Granny Figgy had Grandpa teach me a few things…"
"I see. Sorry for bringing that up," said Sunny, knowing how sensitive it must've been for Hitch to mention his late grandpa, who looked over him as if he were his own father. "I'm surprised you never told me you could play an instrument."
"Well, I wasn't good enough to show you," said the boy as he casually played a G chord.
"Could've fooled me," smirked Sunny at seeing her best friend's talent surface after all these years. "You should think about taking Band with me in the fall."
"I'll think about it, Sunny," said the teen to his girlfriend.
"I thought you only sang, rich girl."
"Like I said, lover boy. You don't know everything about me. Some stuff I'd like to keep secret," Zipp smirked as the two had a bit of flirtiness when addressing everyone.
"Alright, everyone!" said Pipp as she clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. Either recognizing her natural talent for music or by her sheer force of personality, the others obeyed and looked at her. "We wanna play one song together, not seven different ones. Zipp, gimme a beat."
"You got it, sis!" immediately replied the heiress to her younger sibling, selecting a beat from her keyboard to play while adding a few notes here and there.
Mario immediately picked up on Zipp's beat. He began to sync with the melody, snapping his fingers and counting off in his head before he joined in without waiting for Pipp. The girl smiled after seeing those two work in sync, beginning to vocalize and nod her head to the rhythm.
"Oh, oh, ah, ah, ah."
Continuing to vocalize, Pipp walked over to Izzy and looked at her. Izzy's foot was already tapping to the beat, mesmerized by the pop star. She joined in and matched Mario and Zipp's rhythm as the tambourine shakes were in time. The stylish moved to Hitch, who adopted a low counter melody that matched the beat. Nodding in approval, Pipp crossed the room again, working in a little pirouette as she went still while vocalizing.
"Ohh ohh ah ah ohh. Roll, Sunny, vocalize with me."
Roll immediately picked up on it while Sunny stood very still and awkward.
"Oh oh ah?" responded Sunny as her vocalization came almost out like a question.
"Ohh ohhh yeaaahhhhhh," Pipp came back.
"Ohh ohhh yeaaahhhhhh," repeated Roll perfectly.
"Oh hey yeaah yeahh who-ohh," responded Sunny.
As the nonsensical vocalization took on the quality of a melodic dialogue as the three went back and forth for a bit, Sunny's posture began to relax, and a smile made its way onto her face. Pipp gave a thumbs-up as she returned to the center of the room.
"Everyone, move your bodies! Don't just hit those instruments like you're chopping vegetables. Feel the music with all you've got!" called out Pipp.
Soon, the entire group was jiving to the beat and melody they had produced as their little jam session ended. They each responded heartily to one another, and it was clear they had the chemistry to give this little band thing a shot. Over the next two days, the group began to rehearse their performance, as they had yet to decide on a song.
"Hey, Hitch, can I speak with you for two seconds?" asked Mario.
"Yeah, what's up, bud?"
"I'm thinking about an idea. Maybe we should get you on drums. You already know how to play the bass, so you already understand the fundamentals of establishing rhythm and groove."
"I don't know how to play the drums, though," said Hitch.
"Well, I took a year of drum lessons with one of my godmothers. I'm not a master of it like I am with the piano and guitar, but at least I know the basics to get you started. What do you say, bud?" asked Mario.
"Okay, if you're sure," said Hitch as he went to work with Mario.
A trunk slammed shut as Isaac slipped on his backpack before grabbing a bag and a bouquet. The World Champion stood before his home, glad to be back, even briefly. He strolled up to the door as he opened it. Upon stepping in, the World Champion entered the kitchen and set both things on the counter. As he removed his backpack, a meow was heard as his cat jumped on the table to welcome its owner back.
"Hey, girl," said Isaac, petting the feline before pulling out a treat to give it.
The World Champion then looked as if Twilight were standing there. He grabbed the stuff and approached his wife, who crossed her arms. He presented her with the bag full of books; she took it and looked inside briefly before putting it behind her on the couch.
"Hey, honey," smiled Isaac sheepishly, presenting the bouquet.
Twilight placed the bouquet in the bag before throwing her arms around her husband and lunging at him. Isaac returned the gesture, embracing his wife and closing his eyes, missing the feeling of having his special someone beside him. Twilight then pulled back as she latched her lips onto her husband's. The pair closed their eyes and relished holding the other for so long. The World Champion then lifted his wife up as she held onto him with her arms and legs around him.
"Welcome home," said Twilight, pulling back to look her lover in the eyes.
"It's good to be home," smiled Isaac, looking into his wife's beautiful eyes.
The duelist then carried his wife to their bedroom, and he shut the door behind them, knowing they had to make up for lost time.
The day of the party was approaching. Haven had her servants start setting up the estate garden. She also constructed a small stage for her daughters and their friends to perform for the party. The group was now outside in the gardens as they were preparing to do a sound check before they would perform.
"I never thought we'd actually pull this off," said Mario as he set up the keyboard for Zipp to play.
"Hey, we're getting paid 1000 bucks for this," stated Hitch.
"She should pay us more for having to deal with Izzy," remarked Mario as he was amazed he didn't strangle Izzy the past few days during their practices.
"Alright, guys. We're just finished helping set up the tables," said Sunny as she, Izzy, and Roll appeared.
"Great, we're just about done setting up here. All we need to do now is wait for Pipp to do this level check for vocals," said Hitch.
"Hey, everyone!"
"Pipp… what are you wearing?" asked Sunny.
The girl appeared wearing a costume. She was dressed as an ice cream cone with a cherry on her head.
"Do you like it?" asked the pop star.
"No," responded Mario bluntly and immediately.
"Are you going to wear that?" asked Roll.
"Figured the kids might like it. Plus, I have one for each of you," said the stylish as she showed a photo of the other food costumes she got.
"I am not wearing that!" stated Mario.
"Come on. It's for the kids!"
"I don't care! I have pride, and I'm not dressing up as pasta!" the boy said, feeling that if he wore that, all his integrity would be lost.
"I kinda like being the broccoli," said Izzy.
"Izzy, shut up!" barked Mario, as he didn't want to hear it from her. "I'll say it again, chica. I'm not wearing that."
"Come on, please," said Pipp, trying to use her flirting to persuade Mario.
"Hell no!" said the boy.
"That's what I said," remarked Zipp as she appeared. "There's no way I'm dressing up as a hamburger. I'll eat a burger, but I ain't dressing up as one!"
"You two are no fun," said Pipp.
"Can we discuss costume suggestions later?" asked Sunny. "We still need to see how we sound."
"Fine. Izzy, can you get my zipper?" asked Pipp. The girl pulled the zipper behind her, and the pop star pulled down her costume. She removed her cherry hat before putting her diadem back on.
The group began their sound check, with Mario, Hitch, and Zipp standing by their respective instruments. When Pipp got on stage and tapped the mic, she pushed a button on a nearby sound system. The system gave some feedback as she cleared her throat before singing.
(Pipp)
Another head hangs lowly,
Child is slowly taken
And the violence caused such silence,
who are we mistaken?
Hitch banged loudly on the main drum, maintaining a steady tempo. Mario and Zipp slowly joined in on the melody, vocalizing their voices before playing their instruments. Hitch began to lead the tempo, nodding and tapping his foot while Pipp continued her little song.
With their tanks and their bombs
And their bombs and their guns
In your head, in your head, they are crying
In your head, in your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie
(Hitch)
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger,
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter, footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over 'cause you're gone
Hitch jumped in on Pipp's beat as he chimed in with his own little song singing while keeping the drum beat going. The boy matched the last word of Pipp's song with the first word of the new song he sang while staying on tempo, beat, and everything else. Essentially, what the boy did and eventually created for everybody else to do after him was a riff-off of sorts. Sure enough, it worked, as Mario surprisingly jumped in.
[Mario] (Pipp, Izzy, and Zipp)
I'd catch a grenade for you,
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Throw my hands on a blade for you,
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Jump in front of a train for you,
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
You'd know I do anything for you
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
(Sunny)
But I'm only human
And I bleed when I fall down
I'm only human
And I crash and I break down
Your words in my head, knives in my heart
You build me up and then I fall apart
And I'm o-
Sunny took over as her voice ran out for everyone to hear, and everyone looked at her in amazement. The girl's pipes were something to behold as she sang her heart out. For Hitch, hearing his girlfriend's majestic singing voice made him that much more attracted to her. Unbeknownst to the teens, Sunny's voice had attracted the attention of the servants setting up. They stopped what they were doing, looked at the group, and smiled after hearing Sunny sing. Sunny's singing got everyone else in the mood as they all smiled. Roll quickly interrupted her friend with a little fiddle-like sound on her violin as she transitioned to another song and sang with Izzy; soon, everyone sang together for one grand finish.
[Roll and Izzy](Everyone else)
So wake me up when it's all over
(Zombie-ie-ie)
When I'm wiser and I'm older
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
All this time I was finding myself and I didn't know I was lost
[Everyone]
What doesn't kill make you stronger
Wake me up when it's all over
(Zombie-ie-ie)
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself,
You know I'd catch a grenade for you
Didn't know I was lost
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Hitch gave one last drum roll as the beat and melody ended. The group finished in sync, looking at each other with smiles. Small applause was heard as the teens looked to see the servants applauding their performance. Haven was also present. Pipp and Zipp eyed their mother, who smiled before she put her arms behind her back and left. The seven friends exchanged fist bumps and high fives, riding high on a wave of momentum.
The kids had arrived as they were running about the gardens. Haven hired a clown as her servants worked hard in the kitchen making the cake. She nearly got sprayed by some water guns before she pulled a maid in front of her to shield her. She then pushed the maid to the side as she checked something off her clipboard and approached the kid's mother.
"Thank you so much for doing this, Mrs. Haven."
"Aw, please, the pleasure is all mine," said Haven as she got a call in her earpiece. "Excuse me for a second?"
The businesswoman handed her clipboard to a nearby servant, shoved it into his chest, and kept walking.
"Are you kids ready?" asked Haven.
"Just about, Mom," responded Pipp over the earpiece.
"Fab-tastic," said the woman as she approached a bell and rang it. "It's nice to know you kids are doing this."
"Yeah, yeah, a thousand bucks, right, Mom!" said Zipp as she was more concerned about the pay.
"Yes," sighed the woman as she ended the call with her daughters. "Attention everyone. Kids, gather round!"
At the command of her voice, all the little kids gathered and sat down in small chairs as Haven stood before them. Behind the woman was the stage, with a curtain to conceal what was behind them.
"Now then, children! How many of you like the musical group called… Electric Blue?" asked Haven.
The kids all erupted into a roar as they cheered for the rock band's name. All the parents present stood behind the sea of little kids and clapped in respect.
"Yes, well, they're not here," stated Haven confidently, giving her some boos from the kids.
"See, what'd I tell you? Little kids are little alcoholics. They're too honest," said Mario as he peeked from the curtain to see the kids they would be performing.
"Hey, lover boy, hurry up!" shouted Zipp, grabbing his collar to pull him back.
"Now, now, don't be like that," stated Haven as she calmed down the sea of boos she got from the kids. Just then, a girl raised her hand as Haven called on her.
"I heard Electric Blue's airplane fell on a mountain," said the girl.
"Ah-ha," chuckled Haven sheepishly, as she didn't like that the small girl knew that detail and tried to move on. "Anyways, the important part is that we have a brand new musical group to do a song for you today!"
Haven clapped her hands as the kids seemed to like that and cheered.
"All right! I give you- my daughter and Zephyr Heights' own Pipp Petals, with her friends in… in…" Haven struggled as the kids didn't mention what the name of their musical group would be called. "My daughter and her friends!"
Haven gave up and said that as it was good enough for the kids to buy, for which they clapped. The curtain pulled back and showed the group as they stood on the stage. Hitch was behind the drum set, and Zipp was standing behind the keyboard, with Mario having an electric guitar around him. As for Pipp, Izzy, Sunny, and Roll were all spread out as they each had microphones in their hands compared to the trio having instruments. The pop star princess was front and center as she led the performance.
"Hi, kids!" said Pipp as she greeted her audience.
"We're here to sing you guys a song," said Sunny with a smile.
"Sing about dinosaurs," shouted a little boy.
"No!" responded Mario through a fake smile as he shot down the kid's request.
"Now, get ready!" said Pipp as they prepared to perform.
Mario counted off as he looked at his fellow bandmates and Pipp. Then, he shredded a chord, which resonated and echoed for all to hear. The boy let the sound vibrate before Hitch beat his drums, with Zipp accompanying him. The three began the song, and Pipp and the others began their choreographed song and dance.
(Mario)
Up with it girl
Rock with girl
Show them it girl
(Bada bang bang)
Bounce with it girl
Dance with it girl
Get with it girl
(Bada bang bang)
(Pipp)
Come on, come on,
Turn the radio on
It's Friday Night
And it won't be long
Gotta do my hair,
Put my makeup on
It's Friday night
And I won't be long
(Roll)
Till I hit the dance floor
(Bada bang)
Hit the dance floor
(Bada bang)
(Pipp)
I got all I need
(Izzy)
No I ain't got cash
I ain't got cash
[Girls](Mario)
But I got you baby
(Just you and me)
Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight
(I love cheap thrills)
Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight
(I love cheap thrills)
I don't need no money
(You worth more than diamond, more than gold)
As long as I can feel the beat
(Free up yourself,
Get outa control)
I don't need no money
(You worth more than diamond, more than gold)
As long as I can feel the beat
(Free up yourself,
Get outa control)
(Pipp)
Come on, come on,
Turn the radio on
It's Saturday and I
Won't be long
Gotta paint my nails
Put my high heels on
It's Saturday and I
Won't be long
(Roll)
Till I hit the dance floor
(bada bang)
Hit the dance floor
(bada bang)
(Pipp)
I got all I need
(Izzy)
No I ain't got cash,
I ain't got cash
[Girls](Mario)
But I got you baby
(Just you and me)
Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight
(Oh, I love cheap thrills)
Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight
(I love cheap thrills)
I don't need no money
(You worth more than diamond, more than gold)
As long as I can feel the beat
(Make the beat,
just take control)
I don't need no money
(You worth more than diamonds, more than gold)
As long as I can feel the beat
(Free up yourself,
Get outa control)
(Izzy)
Me and you girl, you and me
Drop it to the floor and make me
See your energy because
Me nah play nuh hide and seek
Wah fi see the thing you have
Weg make me feel weak girl
(Free)
Cause anytime you wine
And catch it
The selector pull it up
And put it on repeat girl
Me nah touch a dollar 'na pocket
Cause notion' in this world ain't more
Than what you worth
After Izzy's solo, which was exaggerated in emphasis to match the original vocals they listened to, she stepped to the side as Roll was behind her and began to sing. The others continued their dance, momentarily unprepared for what they heard as Roll began to sing.
[Roll](Mario)
I don't need no money
(You worth more than diamonds, more than gold)
As long as I can feel the beat
(Make the beat just take control)
(I don't not need no money)
I don't need no money
(More than diamonds, more than gold
As long as I keep on)
As long as I keep dan-
The others were amazed by the sound of Roll's angelic singing voice, which made them momentarily cease dancing and look at her while she walked forward in awe and astonishment. The girl had some of her mother's legendary singing vocals, which sounded like she was here. Knowing the others would all be taken away by his sister's vocals and octave, Mario kept the beat going as he carried it through the first half of Roll's solo. The girl convinced Pipp to let her take this section of the song as Pipp couldn't believe what she was hearing. During the second half of Roll's solo, the others got back into sync as the girls continued their dance while singing backup, and Hitch and Zipp joined Mario in on the beat.
(Zipp)
Free up yourself,
Get outa controllllllllllll
Roll neared the end of her solo, and Zipp jumped in and held out her part to signal and transition the melody to Sunny, who would finish it. The girl got her cue and exploded from the back of the stage. She high-stepped to the front with tons of energy and excitement. Her pipes were even higher than the ones Roll displayed. She was given the final solo of the song and poured her heart and passion into her singing.
[Everyone](Sunny)
(Babyyyyyyyyy)
Baby I don't need dollar bills
To have fun tonight
(I love cheap thrills)
Baby I don't need (cheap thrills) dollar bills
To have fun tonight (Heyyyyyyyyy)
I love cheap thrills
I don't need no money
(Oh, you worth more than diamonds,
More than gold)
As long as I can feel the beat
(Go on and make the beat just take con-contrrrrolllll)
I don't need no money
(You worth more than diamonds, more than gold)
As long as I keep dancing
(Free up, yourself, get outa control)
[Everyone]
I don't not need no money
(I love cheap thrills)
As long as I keep on dancing
(I love cheap thrills)
I don't not need no money
(I love cheap thrills)
As long as I keep on
(I love cheap thrills!)
The group ended their song strong as they finished in sync, as some fireworks went off behind the stage. The kids and the parents applauded loudly at what they saw as they thoroughly enjoyed the teens' performance. Haven was also clapping with some servants in the background as the teens all looked at each other and exchanged high fives and fist bumps.
"Great work, everyone!" said Haven as the party was starting to wrap up.
"Glad we could help make the kids have a nice time," said Sunny as she enjoyed performing.
"How would you all like to be a permanent group?" asked Haven, thinking she could promote and make some profit off the kids.
"No! This is a one-time thing!" shouted Mario in the background as he was putting the stuff away with Hitch.
"Oh, well. Here's your pay, Ms. Starscout," said Haven, handing the girl the stack of money she promised and leaving to supervise the cleaning of the party.
"It couldn't hurt to say yes, Mario," said Sunny.
"No way, Sunny. It's bad enough that one of the little kids recorded our performance, and it's already blowing up the internet. I'd like to keep whatever pride I have left intact," said Mario as he entered the estate to take the keyboard back into the studio room.
"Hey, the important thing is we made a kid's birthday," said Hitch as he approached his girlfriend and put his arm around her.
"Yeah," responded the girl as she kissed her boyfriend's cheek as the two left to join up with their friends.
Author's Note: Well, everyone wanted to know who really won between Isaac and Sunset. And it seems the result has spoken, however, it doesn't seem to sit well with a certain bacon-haired someone. And even the World Champion himself doesn't feel like a definitive winner. If anything... Isaac survived Sunset's challenge. But... there's more pressing matters, and that's now getting the kids ready for their upcoming battle to save the world. But in the meantime, they were able to keep themselves occupied and do Haven a solid by coming together to perform for a birthday party, and each showcasing their skills in music and singing.