Adventure at Canterlot High - Canterlot High - Face The Music

Outside in the courtyard, the gang had gathered.

“It doesn't make any sense.” Twilight pondered. “I should have been able to create the spark that would help us break their spell. That's how it worked before.”

“But to defeat me, you drew magic from the crown I was wearing.” Sunset replied.

“Our magic comes from our music.” Sonata added. “So maybe you have to use the same kind of magic to defeat Adagio and Aria.”

Tristen pondered for a bit, but then he remembered. “Wait!” Tristen looks at Rainbow Dash. “RD, remember how you guys “pony up” by playing music?”

“Yup.” Applejack replied. “Ears, tails, the whole shebang.”

Twilight gasped, seeing Tristen's point. “So maybe the way to use that magic to defeat the sirens is by playing a musical counter-spell!” Twilight hugs Tristen. “Tristen, you're a genius!”

“You mean like a song?” Flutteshy asked.

Twilight nods in reply. “Uh-huh. And in order to free everyone who's been exposed to the sirens' spell, we'll need them all to hear it.”

“And the band competition is the perfect time!” Cortana replied as she appeared. “That's the next time we can be certain everyone will be in the same place at the same time.”

Tristen smiled. “Great idea, Cortana.”

“Guess the Rainbooms are the band to beat.” Applejack added.

"And I believe you, Twilight, just became the Rainbooms' newest member." Rarity added. The girls all began cheering and laughing at the fact Twilight would be joining them.

“In the meantime, I can use Heartstrings mood-changing music to soothe things.” Tristen said before turning his attention to Sonata. “Plus, me and Sunset have Sonata as the newest addition to our band.”

“So, what do you wanna play?”

“Triangle?”

“Sousaphone?”

“Theremin?”

“I might take a little too long to learn how to play something with these.” Twilight said, obviously referring to her hands. “I'll just sing.”

“Like, as in, lead singer?” Rainbow asked. “Cuz that's usually my gig. This being my band and all.”

“It's our band!” Applejack added. “And, of course, as lead singer. She's the one with the magical know-how to help us pull this thing off.”

“She's got ya there, RD.” Tristen added with a smug grin.

"Okay, yeah, that's cool." Rainbow replied, "I'll just use this as a chance to hone my already insanely good lead guitar skills."

"It's only temporary." Twilight said. "And we don't have to win the Battle of the Bands. We just have to perform during the first round of the competition."

"So, let's get to learning that musical counter-spell!" Rainbow chimed in.

"Well, that's just it, I don't know any," Twilight admitted.

The girls all collectively sigh in response. Tristen, however, was confident that Twilight will come up with the spell.

“I’m sure you'll figure it out, Twi.” Tristen said to Twilight encouragingly. “Like I said, we have Sonata and Heartstrings in the meantime.”

"Then let's not waste any time." Twilight said, picking up Spike and heading back towards the school.

"Where're you goin'?" Applejack asked.

"Well, last time we were here, Spike, Tristen, and I spent the night in the library." Twilight explained.

"Are you crazy?!" Pinkie exclaimed in surprise, "We're besties now! Slumber party at my house!"

Rainbow Dash looks to Sonata. “You wanna come?”

Sonata had a big smile after hearing that. “For realsies?!” Sonata squealed in excitement. “My first ever slumber party! That sounds like fun!”

“Well, hopefully you ladies have a fun night.” Tristen shrugs.

“Wait. Where will you stay?” Twilight asked her male friend. “Don't you have a place of your own?”

“Relax Twilight. He's bunking with me at my place.” Sunset said before turning her attention to him. “Think you can hold down the fort for me?”

Tristen nods and salutes. “Yep. Plus, this gives me time to write the lyrics for our song.”

(Meanwhile)

Decibot, Adagio, and Aria were hidden, clearly listening in on the conversation.

“Our little shapeshifting friend will be by himself. Leaving him wide open.” Decibot said, chuckling wickedly. “It doesn't get any more perfect than this.”

Adagio casts a wicked smirk towards Tristen. “Boy, will he be surprised with what we have in store.”

At Pinkie's house, the girls were having fun at the slumber party Pinkie was hosting.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash were playing video games, while Pinkie was on her laptop, and Twilight was writing up the counter-spell in the bed while Sonata was overseeing her work, and Rarity and Sunset were looking at Rarity's phone.

"Status update: "Okie-dokie-lokie."!” Pinkie said as she typed up the words on her pink laptop. Meanwhile, Rarity, Sunset, and Fluttershy were all posing for a picture on Rarity's phone. After she took it, she looked at it to see that Spike photo bombed them.

Rainbow was struggling to keep up with Applejack in the video game. Out of desperation, she slammed the game console, causing the game to stop on the television.

"Hey! I was about to beat you!" Applejack complained.

"I doubt it." Rainbow replied nonchalantly before turning her attention to Twilight. "So, Twilight, how is that counter-spell comin'?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, good. Great." Twilight replied nervously as she flipped through the pages of Fluttershy's notebook. "Thanks for letting me use your notebook, Fluttershy. I really like the song you wrote for the Rainbooms."

"Thanks." Fluttershy replied before letting out a sign. "Hopefully one day, we'll get a chance to play it."

"I hope Tristen is doing ok on his own." Sonata added.

“Relax, he can take care of himself for a night.” Applejack dismissed.

At Sunset’s house, Tristen was writing down the song that he and his band are going to perform for the band competition.

“Looking good so far, Tristen.” Cortana said as she appeared from the Omnitrix to observe the lyrics he had written. “Is this a song from your world?”

Tristen nods in response. “Yep. One of my personal favorites, in fact.”

A knock came at the door, making Tristen get up and walk towards the door. Upon opening it, it was revealed to be a pizza delivery man.

“Hey. I've got an all dressed and a root beer?” The pizza delivery boy asked.

“Yep. That's me.” Tristen nodded before fishing out three twenty-dollar bills and handing it to the delivery boy. “Keep the change, my guy.” Tristen grabs his order, and the pizza delivery boy takes his leave.

“You know that's unhealthy, right?” Cortana asked.

“I've been working out since I was ten.” Tristen replied. “It never hurts to splurge every once in a while.”

Tristen takes a seat and opens the box, grabs a slice and eats while getting back to work on writing the song.

(Meanwhile)

Adagio and Aria were outside, watching the house with a smile. And Decibot was with them.

“Alright, show time.” Decibot said before his speakers played the sound of a baby crying distress.

(Back inside)

Tristen was about to take another slice before he heard the cries.

“What the…” Tristen muttered out, listening to the baby cries. “Is that… a baby?”

Tristen got up and bolted outside, following the sounds of the cries. Eventually stopping at a forested area, the cries suddenly stopped.

Tristen looks around but takes notice of the orange flash on the Omnitrix. “What… oh shit!”

“Well, look who we have here.”

Tristen looks over his shoulder to see Adagio and Aria. “I should have known.” Tristen got on the defensive.

“At last, we meet.”

Tristen sees Decibot walk to Adagio and Aria. “You must be Decibot!” Tristen declared. “The chrome-coated dickhead who threw his former partner under the bus!”

Decibot chortled. “Charmed. No doubt Sonata told you about me.”

“Oh, quite a lot.” Tristen shot back. “And I'll make sure you get sent straight to the dump!”

Decibot only chuckled in response to that. “We'll see about that, boy.” He then looks towards his underlings. “Let's show him who he's messing with.”

Tristen dialed up his Omnitrix, transforming into a familiar ever shapeshifting mass of nanomachines named:

“Carbon Copy!”

Carbon Copy morphed his right arm into a gatling gun before firing green energy blasts at them. Aria however changed her forearms into those of Saw Horse, only fuchsia and aquamarine in color, and deflected each projectile with blinding speed.

Carbon Copy was shocked at that. “What the hell?!”

Adagio chuckled wickedly as her legs became yellow versions of Speed Demon’s digitigrade legs before speeding off at Carbon Copy, but he easily dodged.

But Carbon Copy is overcome by a jolt of bright mulberry electricity sent by Aria, who now had fuchsia- and aquamarine-colored versions of Thunderclap’s large bulky arms.

Luckily, Carbon Copy has changed into Saw Horse, then begins to spin dash towards her direction. Aria only smirked, and as Saw Horse got close enough, she managed to hold him in place.

Saw Horse quickly changes into Amoeblot, slinks away from Aria and sends a punch to her. Aria stumbles back a little, but Decibot steps in to send a deafening blast from his shoulder-mounted speakers at the alien blob.

The attack sent Amoeblot flying back into town. As Amoeblot was about to get back up, a bright maroon blast of energy made him splatter.

Adagio, who was the one who fired the energy blast, smiled victoriously. But she suddenly gasps in shock as each of the globules grew in size and formed an army of Amoeblot duplicates. Aria’s Thunderclap arms sparkled with mulberry colored electricity before she claps her hands together, sending an electrically charged shockwave at the Amoeblot army.

The army of blob-like aliens crashed into a nearby building, splattering all over the surface before they each merged back into one single Amoeblot. And in a flash of green light, Amoeblot changed into Heartstrings.

“Looks like you could use a good cry.” Heartstrings said as he played more depressing music, sending a wave of blue sound waves towards them.

As soon as the sound waves hit them, Adagio and Adagio both began to tear up and fall to their knees, the two sirens sobbing. Decibot however fired a powerful blast of music at Heartstrings, sending him crashing into another building.

With a sinister grin, Decibot then fired another blast at the building, causing a shower of brick to fall on Heartstrings. Heartstrings looked up, gasping in shock before creating a pink energy barrier to shield himself.

“Alright, tin man!” Decibot declared before changing into Deus-X-Machina. “Let's see if you have a heart under that metal shell!”

Deus-X-Machina turns into a bolt of electricity, which strikes Decibot. Decibot grunts out as he sparks with electricity, his visor glitching profusely as he struggled to maintain control over his body. “Ge-Ge-Get out of-of m-m-my-y sys-sys-tem!” Decibot said in a buffering speech. “Geeeeet ou-ou-ot!”

Suddenly, Deus-X-Machina was ejected from Decibot while he got into his knees.

Deus-X-Machina was about to enter Decibot's body again, only to suddenly glitch as he was struck by a blast of mulberry energy waves. The cause of this was Aria, who was fuchsia all over with aquamarine circuit lines and a single mulberry glowing eye visible on her head, her right arm becoming a large magnet.

Deus-X-Machina changed into Thunderclap before clapping his hands together, creating a powerful shockwave to send Aria, Adagio, and Decibot back.

But Thunderclap noticed a fire hydrant, and with a smile he ran towards the hydrant bore, punching it to create a burst of water to erupt from it. And with his foot, he redirected the water at the trio before sending a surge of electricity to conduct it, causing the trio to be violently electrocuted.

The collective screams of Adagio, Aria, and Decibot rang through the air until Thunderclap decided they've had enough for now. While they were distracted l, Thunderclap changed into Speed Demon and sped off to make a quick getaway.

Aria groaned out in pain as she stung her pigtails dried. “Damn… that hurt.”

Adagio noticed Decibot lying on the ground, spasming while sparking with electricity until stopping. And moments later, Decibot's visor flipped back on while he groaned in discomfort as his visor glitched.

“O-O-Ooooohhh… m-m-my circuiii-it-it-it-itssss….” Decibot buffered. He smacks his head a few times until the glitching stops. “Damn you, boy!”

“Little prick gave us the slip.” Adagio grunted out in frustration. “He got lucky this time, but next time he won't be so fortunate.”

Back at Pinkie Pie’s house, everyone was fast asleep.

Well, the only exception was Twilight who was downstairs in the kitchen, using her mouth to hold the pen as she wrote the counter spell as only a single light illuminated the room.

"No. That's not gonna work!" Twilight groaned out in frustration.

"Hey, Twilight.”

Twilight jumped and looked behind her but calmed down upon seeing Sunset Shimmer at the doorway. "You're up late." Sunset said as she walked over to her.

"Just looking over the counter-spell. " Twilight said as she covered the notebook. "We only get one shot at this. It has to be perfect."

"We really are lucky you're here." Sunset said as she opened the refrigerator, which was filled with nothing but whipped cream cans. "Who could possibly need this much whipped cream?" Sunset looked at Twilight. "Must be nice to have everyone always looking to you for answers to their problems... instead of waiting for you to cause a problem."

"Just because everyone expects something from you doesn't mean it's guaranteed to happen." Twilight replied with worry.

"Well, that doesn't stop them from expecting it." Sunset replied.

"Which only makes things harder because the last thing you want to do is..." Twilight was about to say.

"...let everybody down." Twilight and Sunset finished in unison, making them give each other nervous grins.

Sunset then closed the fridge after putting the can away, but suddenly yelps in shock to see Pinkie’ sister named Maud Pie.

The girl had sapphire bluish gray skin, brilliant turquoise eyes and grayish violet hair that was straight and reached her shoulders. And instead of having the excitable and energetic face that Pinkie is known for, she had a blank expression.

"Boulder was hungry." Maud said as she held a rock in front of her. She then opened one of the cabinets, taking out a box of chips, and then poured some over the rock before walking off.

"I still can't get over the fact that she's related to Pinkie Pie." Sunset whispered to Twilight.

"You and me both!" Twilight agreed, making them both giggle.

Suddenly, Sunset felt her phone vibrate. Upon looking at the screen, she saw that she was getting a call from Tristen. “Hang on a sec.” Sunset said as she clicks the answer button to accept the call. “Tristen, how are things holding up?”

Sunset’s eyes suddenly widened. “What? Are you ok?” Twilight watched on with concern as Sunset called. “Are you sure? I…” Sunset nods silently in response. “O-Ok. Thanks for letting me know. I'll notify the others. Bye.” Sunset hangs up and looks to Twilight. “Decibot and the Dazzlings attacked him earlier."

Twilight gasped in shock after hearing that. “Oh Celestia! Is he ok?”

“He's fine, thankfully.” Sunset replied. “He said he'll fill us in on the details in the morning. I better get some sleep." Sunset yawned. "Good luck with the counter-spell. Not that you'll need it. This must be nothing compared with the stuff you're expected to deal with as a princess in Equestria.”

"Sunset Shimmer?" Twilight said, getting the girl's attention. "Never mind. It's not important." Sunset just gave her a nervous smile as she walked off. Now alone, Twilight continues to work on the counter spell.

Sunset came back into Pinkie's room and was about to go back to sleep, but she saw Sonata toss and turn on her sleep.

“N-No… Dagi… Aria...” Sonata mumbled in her sleep, her eyebrows narrowing. “Don't… don’t leave me alone…”

Sunset was puzzled, but soon began to worry upon seeing Sonata starting to tear up. Sunset walks to Sonata and rubs her back to calm her down.

Sonata flutters her eyes open and looks at Sunset, who was flashing a soft genuine smile.

“It's alright.” Sunset whispered to her. “It was just a bad dream.” Sunset then laid down and wraps her arms around Sonata's midsection.

Sonata, smiling back, closed her eyes and went back to sleep. Sunset closes her eyes and succumbs to sleep as well.