Equestria Girls / Rainbow Rocks / The Mane Event

by Perdita Finn

  Star Power

  The Great and Powerful Trixie was strutting across the stage, her arms in the air, the microphone held up close to her mouth. She was impressive, and Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna were clapping enthusiastically from their seats. Even some of the bands who hadn’t made it to the finals were cheering.

  Trixie and the Illusions took an extra bow and then sauntered triumphantly offstage past the Rainbooms.

  “You’re never going to top that performance, Rainbooms!” bragged Trixie. “Though if you ask me, you shouldn’t even be allowed to try when you potentially have such a big advantage over the rest of us.”

  A proud smile spread across Rainbow Dash’s face. “My superior guitar playing and off-the-charts awesome singing voice?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” scoffed Trixie. “I mean her.” She pointed at Twilight Sparkle. “If you were really all that, Rainbow Dash, you wouldn’t have needed to bring in some magical ringer to have half a chance.” She smirked as she leaned closer and hissed, “Everyone is talking about it.”

  Rainbow Dash was used to playing it cool on the soccer field, and she didn’t let Trixie see for one moment how much her words had upset her. “Please. I could win this thing as a solo act, and everybody knows it.”

  “Sure you could.” Trixie laughed. She waved her hand, and a smokelike fog wrapped around her.

  The Rainbooms were coughing and fanning away the smoke. When it had cleared, Trixie had disappeared.

  “She’s gone,” said Pinkie Pie, impressed.

  What could she be up to? But there was no time to figure that out. Principal Celestia was announcing the Rainbooms’ next song. It was time for the girls to take the stage.

  “Knock ’em dead, Rainbooms!” encouraged Spike.

  “I’ll be here. Just… watching,” Sunset Shimmer whispered to herself.

  Fluttershy looked almost as unhappy as Sunset. As they were getting ready onstage, she approached Rainbow Dash one more time about playing her song, but the guitarist ignored her. On the edge of tears, Fluttershy went back to her microphone.

  Rainbow Dash hit the first notes of “Awesome as I Wanna Be,” and each of the girls came in with her part perfectly. But then suddenly, Rainbow simply stopped singing and playing. She was staring out into the audience where Trixie was holding up a hand-drawn poster that showed a picture of a tiny Rainbow Dash overshadowed by an enormous singing Twilight Sparkle.

  Furious, Rainbow Dash launched into an impromptu guitar solo, angrily strumming her guitar. She was wild, and she was also magnificent, playing like she’d never played before, sliding and bending notes, astonishing the crowd with her electrifying fretwork. She was so absorbed in her playing, so determined to be the best, to be better than Twilight, that she forgot they weren’t supposed to let the Sirens see their real magic.

  Her ears appeared. Her tail appeared. Her mane was lush and flowing. She was ponying up, and everyone was witnessing her transformation. Everyone. Adagio Dazzle’s eyes narrowed as she realized just how powerful the girls’ magic really was.

  Panicked, Sunset rushed from the wings and crashed into Rainbow Dash, knocking her offstage. A dazed Rainbow Dash returned to normal. But it was too late. Adagio was already plotting her next move.

  Even worse, the audience had misunderstood what Sunset had done. They were certain she was ruining the Rainbooms’ performance. Trixie was clapping gleefully.

  “Aw, yeah! That’s the bad girl we love to hate!” yelled Flash Sentry.

  “I knew she was still trouble!” shouted a girl.

  “The real Sunset Shimmer is back!” The words were repeated throughout the room as if everyone had been just waiting for her evil self to appear. But that’s not what had happened!

  “No, no, no!” Sunset protested. “It isn’t like that!” But how could she explain?

  Even Spike was disappointed in her. “Great job.”

  Rainbow Dash turned on her. “What was that all about?”

  “You were showing them your magic. I… I didn’t know what else to do.”

  Rarity was furious. “Close the curtains! Unplug the amp! Give us a chance to deal with the situation!”

  “I’m sorry. I just wanted to help.” Sunset was on the edge of tears.

  “Yeah, well, you didn’t,” said Rainbow Dash.

  But true and steady Applejack wasn’t fooled. She knew Rainbow Dash had really caused the trouble. “None of this would’ve happened if you weren’t tryin’ to show off. As usual.”

  Trixie sauntered backstage, delighted to see the girls bickering. “Good show, Rainbooms. I especially liked the part where Sunset Shimmer, in a fit of jealous rage, knocked out Rainbow Dash mid–guitar solo.”

  “It wasn’t a fit of jealous rage!” exploded Sunset, her face red, her hands balled into fists. She almost looked like the she-demon she’d turned into last fall.

  The Rainbooms were speechless.

  Trixie just laughed. “If you say so.” She was gloating as she turned to watch Principal Celestia taking center stage to announce which band was moving on to the finals with the Dazzlings. Trixie pulled out a compact and checked her makeup. She was ready to run up as soon as Principal Celestia called her name. “I’m guessing it wasn’t too difficult a decision!”

  But just as Principal Celestia was about to make her announcement, the Sirens leaned in close to her and Vice Principal Luna and began softly singing in their ears. The words were too quiet for anyone to make out, but their effect was immediately clear. The women’s faces went blank briefly before they began speaking in unison. “We’ve never wanted anything more!” they said in a kind of trance.

  Sunset was watching them and trying to figure out what was going on, but the Rainbooms, who were convinced they weren’t going to the finals, were too upset to even listen.

  “What can we do?” wailed Rarity. “There isn’t going to be another opportunity for us to play. And I had the most gorgeous outfit for the finals.”

  “Yep,” said Applejack sarcastically, “’cause that’s the real tragedy here, that you won’t get to play dress-up.”

  “You know perfectly well that is not what I meant!”

  “You guys want to keep it down?” hushed Rainbow Dash. She had just enough faith in her own playing, even with Sunset’s interruption, to think there was a chance they’d made it.

  “Who are you kidding? You know it isn’t going to be us.” Tears welled up in Fluttershy’s eyes.

  “The band that will be joining the Dazzlings in tonight’s finals is…” Even before Principal Celestia had finished speaking, Trixie, waving to the crowd, was taking the stage. As if on cue, Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna announced the name of the winning band, “… the Sonic Rainbooms!”

  “What?!” screeched Trixie.

  Pinkie Pie was jumping up and down and squealing. “Did they just say the Rainbooms?”

  Trixie pushed past her in a huff, her face twisted into a mask of fury. “This isn’t over,” she warned.

  Confused and surprised, the Rainbooms walked out onstage. Sure, they hadn’t played badly in the beginning, but then Rainbow Dash had jammed on her own and the whole song had been ruined by Sunset Shimmer. As if to confirm these feelings, their appearance onstage was met by boos from the crowd. It was strange and embarrassing.

  “Congratulations, girls. You deserve it,” said Principal Celestia.

  “Seriously?!” questioned Pinkie Pie. “We didn’t even finish our—”

  Rainbow Dash elbowed Pinkie Pie in the ribs. They’d made it. That’s all that mattered.

  “See you at the big show, Rainbooms,” called out Adagio Dazzle. “We are really looking forward to it.”

  “Not as much as we are!” said Rainbow Dash. There was going to be no holding back. She was ready to rock and ready to win!

  Dis-Chords

  The Battle of the Bands had left crowds of kids feeling defeated and unhappy. They didn’t want to celebrate the Sonic Rainbooms’
success. They were jealous.

  “Never should have been you, Rainbooms!” Photo Finish shouted at them as they made their way through the gym.

  “I am a classically trained musician. It should have been me!” pouted Octavia.

  Sweetie Belle glared at Rarity. “Thanks a lot, Rarity! Now my friends and I will never be the rock stars we were obviously meant to be! All because of you.”

  There were angry stares and muttered insults. Bad feelings filled the room.

  “Worst. Sister. Ever,” hissed Apple Bloom to Applejack.

  But the most upset of all was Trixie. She was throwing a total temper tantrum. “This is a travesty. A travesty!”

  Adagio Dazzle sidled up beside her and expressed sympathy. “It really is! The Rainbooms don’t deserve to be in the finals. Not when your band was so much better in the semis.”

  “And wanted it so much more,” Aria Blaze added, fueling Trixie’s anger.

  “Alas, this is the way it’s going to be. The Dazzlings versus the Rainbooms,” said Adagio. She was reveling in all the hostility and misery that she’d created.

  “Unless, of course,” said Sonata Dusk, barely realizing what she was saying, “the Rainbooms don’t manage to make it to their set. They could be held up for some reason, couldn’t they?”

  A wicked smile lit up Trixie’s face. It was time to get working!

  Off the Charts (and Under the Stage)

  The final showdown between the two bands was going to take place at Canterlot High’s outdoor amphitheater. The Rainbooms had a lot to get ready, and Sunset Shimmer was lending a hand, eager to let her friends know that she hadn’t meant to disrupt their performance—only save their magic secrets.

  Spike was busy, too—adjusting amps, tuning instruments, and helping Pinkie Pie find her lost drumsticks. Which she’d used to put up her hair. Everyone was so busy. But Fluttershy was trying to figure out what had really happened. “This doesn’t make any sense. We were awful. Doesn’t anybody else think it’s strange that we’re the ones who made it to the finals?”

  A voice from beside the stage agreed with her. “Very strange.”

  “What are you doing here, Trixie?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Pretty sure the losers are supposed to be up there in the cheap seats.”

  “The Great and Powerful Trixie is the most talented girl at Canterlot High. It is I who deserves to be in the finals. And I will not be denied!” With a flourish, she pulled a hidden lever—and the stage floor beneath the Rainbooms opened!

  Spike managed to leap onto a backstage speaker, but Sunset Shimmer, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and all their instruments fell into the hole beneath the stage.

  “Aaaahhh!” they shouted.

  “See you never!” yelled Trixie. She pulled another lever, and the trapdoor closed. The girls were locked beneath the stage.

  “Told you someone would give them a shove,” said Adagio Dazzle, who had been watching from the back of the amphitheater.

  Sonata Dusk looked confused. “She didn’t shove them. She pulled a lever.”

  “Go back to sleep, Sonata,” sneered Aria Blaze.

  Underneath the stage, it was almost completely dark. A small shaft of light came through a gap that let the girls glimpse the seats in the theater, which were quickly filling with kids who had come to watch the show. But there didn’t seem to be any way out. The girls were frantic. All the doors were locked tight! Rainbow Dash hurled herself against them but slammed to the ground with a thud. There was no way out.

  Above them, the girls could hear shuffling feet, the high-pitched whirs of feedback from amps being readied, and the tuning of guitars. Then they heard actual music and singing. It was Trixie and the Illusions. She was taking their place with her band!

  Of all the girls, the most defeated was Twilight. “Maybe it doesn’t even matter that we’re trapped down here. I don’t think the counterspell was even going to work.”

  “Course it would’ve worked, Twilight,” said Applejack. “Assumin’ a certain band member didn’t try to hog the spotlight the whole time we were tryin’ to play it.”

  “Hey!” Rainbow Dash snapped. “If you want to tell Twilight she’s getting a little too caught up in trying to be the new leader of this band, you don’t have to be all cryptic about it.”

  Rarity corrected her. “She was talking about you, Rainbow Dash.”

  Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe it. “Me? I’m just trying to make sure my band rocks as hard as we need to rock.”

  “Our band!” all the girls corrected her.

  Onstage, Trixie was hitting the high notes of her finale.

  “Try to top that!” she shouted to Adagio Dazzle after she’d taken her bows.

  Adagio pretended to be worried. “Oh, gosh, I don’t know if we can.”

  Sonata and Aria giggled as they followed Adagio onto the stage. The girls picked up their guitars, tested their microphones, and gazed out at the audience. No, they weren’t just an audience, they were fans… and they were about to become their blindly obedient subjects.

  “We’re the Dazzlings,” said Adagio, her voice deep and husky. “Prepare to be mesmerized.”

  Aria’s slow, heavy bass line created a hypnotic rhythm. Sonata offered up a haunting harmony while Adagio began to work her seductive magic. All eyes were on them. Everyone was listening to them. Their music was entrancing.

  But not to the girls stuck beneath the stage. Twilight was not lost in reverie. She was panicking! Her hair was a frazzled mess, both eyes were twitching now, and she was pacing back and forth on all fours as if she’d forgotten she was a human and thought she was a pony again.

  “But why isn’t it working?” she fretted. “I should know what to do. How can I not know what to do? How can I have failed like this?”

  The girls were upset and fighting with one another. Applejack was furious at Rainbow Dash for hijacking the band. “It might’ve been your idea to start a band, but it’s not just your band, Rainbow Dash.” She stamped her foot.

  “I’m the one who writes all the songs!” yelled Rainbow Dash.

  “I write songs!” said a frustrated Fluttershy. “You just never let us play any of them.”

  “I had the most perfect ensembles for us to wear,” Rarity moaned.

  “Again with the costumes?!” fumed Applejack. “No one cares what we’re wearing!”

  Rarity’s eyes flashed. “I care, Applejack. So sorry if I enjoy trying to make a creative contribution to the band.”

  Pinkie Pie was distraught. “Hey, anybody here remember fun? I’ll give you a hint. It’s the exact opposite of being in the Sonic Rainbooms lately.”

  “I wish I’d never asked any of you to be in this band.” Rainbow Dash was seething with anger.

  “I wish I’d never agreed to be in it!” cried Rarity.

  “Me neither!” added Fluttershy and Applejack.

  The girls were all so upset they didn’t notice the green light that had begun to flicker and glow as they fought. As their voices grew louder, the light grew brighter. Sickening puces, ugly khakis, vile olives—they were the colors of jealousy and envy and distrust, and they formed a hideous rainbow over the heads of the Equestria Girls. Sunset Shimmer noticed it with alarm, but no one would listen to her. They were all too busy arguing.

  The swirling rainbow wafted up through the cracks in the stage floor where the Dazzlings were playing. Their pendants absorbed the hateful energy. They pulsed and glowed. The Dazzlings sang with more power than ever. The audience was rapt.

  Sunset knew she had to do something. She stepped in between her friends and shouted at the top of her voice, “Stop! You have to stop!”

  Even louder than her voice, though, was the hypnotic sound of the Dazzlings. Their song penetrated every nook and cranny of the amphitheater. Everything was falling under their spell.

  “This is what they’ve been after all along,” Sunset said. “They’ve wanted to provoke you. They’ve needed you
to fight. That’s how they’re feeding off the magic inside you!”

  The Dazzlings’ music was becoming more and more enrapturing. Their pendants were growing brighter and brighter. All of a sudden, a shimmering explosion of scarlet light came from each of them. The Sirens were transformed! They were no longer just girls, but girls with the magical Equestrian spirit. Their ears, their wings, their tails—they were beautiful and they were terrible. Everyone who saw them was ready to worship them and do whatever they asked.

  “We love you, Dazzlings!”

  “You’re amazing!”

  “I live to serve you, Dazzlings!”

  “Dazzlings! Dazzlings! Dazzlings!”

  Another burst of red light from the Sirens’ pendants sent a sonic wave exploding over the amphitheater and spread the Sirens’ magic like an evil fog across the entire town!

  A Rainbow Reunion

  “We adore you!”

  “We love you!”

  “We worship you! We’ll do anything for you!”

  The voices of adulation were coming not just from the crowd, but all around town. The Dazzlings were creating an army of obedient slaves—and they were doing it using the Equestria Girls’ own Magic of Friendship.

  The Rainbooms were horrified.

  “How can they be using our magic?” Applejack wondered. “It’s the Magic of Friendship, and they don’t understand anything about friendship.”

  But Sunset Shimmer had been thinking about everything very carefully. “Ever since you started this band, you’ve been letting little things get to you. I never said anything because I didn’t feel like it was my place. Not when I was so new to this whole friendship thing.” She took a breath. She didn’t want to seem arrogant or all-knowing. “I still have a lot to learn, but I do know that if you don’t work out even the smallest problems right at the start, the Magic of Friendship can be turned into… well, something else.”