"Now that was intense!" Orchestral said as he and The Blasters once more returned to the stage to declare the winners of the latest battle. "Both Cubic Zirconquerors and The Rainbooms are still standing!"

"In the rare occurrence that this should happen, then it'll go down to our anonymous judges, who will rate you all on originality, lyrics, general rhythm, musical skills and fashion," Allegro said, grabbing the attention of both leaders of both bands. "The judges are just coming to a final decision now, then once they're done, they'll tell us who's moving on to Battletone's Grand Final Match."

"Just stay where you are for the time being, ladies. We'll return momentarily with the results of this match..." Fortissimo and The Blasters then went backstage to get the results, leaving Twilight, Sunset and the rest of The Rainbooms to catch their breaths and sit themselves down.

When The Blasters returned to the back of the stage, they all got together and sighed in relief that they were done masquerading for the humans of Earth.

"So, who do you think should move on to the finals, Fortissimo?" Orchestral asked as two shaded figures approached The Blasters. "Both bands did put up an extraordinary fight out there..."

"Even so, the Cubic Zirconquerors should not be the ones that destiny chose. Especially not with that pompous brat carrying the team herself..." Fortissimo scoffed as he looked back at Diamond Tiara. "And besides, I'd rather enjoy seeing The Dazzlings and The Rainbooms having a rematch... We'd get to see just how much those childish murderers have evolved over the years, as well as seeing just how much our little sisters have grown from their first defeat..."

"Do not forget that The Dazzlings also have to make it past The Laments as well," Allegro reminded him as he looked back at The Laments, who briefly had green eyes. "Though there's a high chance that Adagio, Aria and Sonata will be able to overcome The Laments, there's still the question of whether or not their own emotions will consume and make them lose against them. In which case, there'll be no-one to stop us from using the Ultimae Amplifier from not only feasting off of these wretched life-forms, but also erasing them from the fabric of existence as their own euphoria consumes them..."

"So, have we come to a final decision, ladies?" Fortissimo asked the two shaded figures, who stepped forward to acknowledge him. They were in fact Celestia and Luna, who looked like they'd been bruised and scarred by being tortured by The Blasters.

"We have, Master Fortissimo..." Celestia droned on as her eyes flickered green, just like The Laments' eyes had done. "The Rainbooms shall proceed to finals to have a rematch with your little sisters..."

"Excellent, ladies..." Fortissimo said, patting them on their backs in satisfaction, seeing their smiles surface after that. "I can see that making you believe that obeying me to make you happy is truly a much more deserving role that tutoring under-age warriors..."

"Thank you, Fortissimo Blast, for giving us this eternal happiness..." Luna said, showing some sense of emotion with her smile.

"My pleasure, darlings. Now run along," Fortissimo waved his hand, making the two of them dart off back to their private quarters like giddy schoolgirls. "You've got some last little details to sort out for the final battle..."

Fortissimo, Allegro and Orchestral then walked back to the stage, getting the crowd to cheer for yet another instance when they once again returned to announce the winnners.

"Rainbooms, Cubic Zirconquerors, they've decided..." Orchestral said, pulling both Twilight and Diamond Tiara close with his two free hands. "We finally know the first band who's moving on to the final round of Battletone..."

"And the winners are..." Fortissimo made a dramatic pause for effect, signalling a drumroll to appear out of nowhere to emphasize the tension that both bands were facing. Finally, the drumroll seemed to build up until Fortissimo threw up his right hand and announced, "The Rainbooms!"

As the crowd roared happily, The Rainbooms all got together and basked in their victory. They spent their moment in the limelight throwing their fists up into the air and cheering for themselves. The joy on their face was undeniable, yet it seemed far too undeniable...

"Yes, Rainbooms... Enjoy your moments in the sunshine..." Fortissimo whispered to himself as The Blasters extracted Blissen energy from everyone's happiness. "Your pleasures are our pleasures as well, as well as them being the key to us conquering these miserable worlds..."

"Anyways, let's not get too wrapped up in victory for too long, everyone," Orchestral said, grabbing everyone's attention once more as they returned their minds to the next battle in Battletone. "We've still got one more match to decide who The Rainbooms are gonna be fighting in the final match."

"So whilst we get The Rainbooms and Cubic Zirconquerors back into the audience, let's welcome up the final two teams: The Dazzlings and The Laments!" Allegro said as the groups both got themselves off of the stage, with Diamond Tiara cursing under her breath as she did so.

When both The Rainbooms and Cubic Zirconquerors were off of the stage, The Dazzlings and The Laments climbed onto it themselves, both groups locking gazes as they did so. The determination in their eyes was undeniable; they both wanted a clear shot at defeating The Blasters in the Title Match.

"Congratulations on making it this far, Dazzlings," Requiem said as he brandished his Battletone microphone in preparation for the next battle. "But I'm afraid that this is where your road to victory ends..."

"I'm glad that you actually see us as a challenge, Laments," Adagio said as she too twirled her mic for the upcoming duel ahead of her. "But we've got business with The Blasters that just shouldn't go to waste now, should it?"

"Oh, I beg to differ, girls..." Andante's eyes flickered green, as did the eyes of Requiem and Bellicoso. "This is one battle that you cannot win..."

The sudden change in eye colour had made Adagio flinch in horror. The sight she was seeing never changed, no matter how many times she rubbed her eyes and blinked frequently, the image still remained the same. The Laments had been corrupted with Dark Magic and were now determined to defeat The Dazzlings then go for The Rainbooms.

"You... you've been corrupted by Lyrican Dark Magic?!" Adagio was at a complete loss for words at that moment in time.

"Fortissimo wants to ensure that the species returns to prosperity, even if he has to get his hands dirty and mess with the minds of his kind..." Bellicoso said, smirking as he pointed the firing end of his microphone at Aria. "Just like he did so when he made you invade Earth and Equestria all those years ago!"

"W-what?!" Aria looked shocked, hearing those words coming out of the only Lyrican Siren who she'd shown love for over all of the time she'd spent existing.

"The two bands are vocal groups, so let's bring in some backing music to help them out with their final battle...." Orchestral said, revealing the five mind-controlled copies of most of The Rainbooms. "Now, I know what you're thinking. Why the heck are these girls are backing musicians?"

"Well, it's obvious. These five are identical twins to most of the members of the earlier winners; The Rainbooms," Orchestral said, putting the minds of everyone at ease. "We just found them, wandering around some of the most tranquil plains imaginable..." he lied.

"But enough on that, let's get to the main act. Ladies, if you please..." Fortissimo motioned for the mind-controlled copies to begin playing music.

"This isn't how I wanted our fight to end, Requiem. But if you've been taken like we were, then it's all the same that I stop what I couldn't have controlled myself..." Adagio said as she reunited with Aria and Sonata in preparation for the duel with The Laments.

"How noble of you, Adagio," Requiem said as he, Andante and Bellicoso reunited themselves, brandishing their mics to begin their final battle. "And how utterly pointless..."

The messenger is standing at the gate
Ready to let go, ready for the crush...

Andante kickstarted the song off, starting at a rather soothing and gentle rhythm that had everyone already swaying.

Too late for whispers, too late for the blush
The past is mercy, when the future's glow...

Bellicoso added on his voice, reaching out to many of the audience members as his eyes once more flashed a sinister shade of green.

Kneeling journey, dressed in a cloak of shadows
The hunting's grim for the innocent eyes...

Communion's prey is a cup of sorrows
But faith is colours, for the humbling cries...

Adagio and Requiem's voices were quite strong as they were, and both of the Lyricans were quite capable of swaying the battle in their favour. The song they sang was both parts heart-wrenching and filled with emotions that no-one could fathom.

"As I said, I didn't want to fight someone corrupted by Lyrican Dark Magic, but if that's the way that it has to be, Requiem, then I won't hold back..." Adagio said during the instrumental part of the song, showing some solidarity after only one verse.

"Neither will we, Dazzlings. This truly seems like fate doesn't it?" Andante said as he flexed his fingers and exercised them in the middle of the instrumental portion. "Just like before, only the tables have turned, haven't they?"

"What I still don't get is how Lyrican Dark Magic still exists to this day..." Aria said, already growing her extensions and wings by wrapping her body in the rhythm of the song. "The Rainbooms already cleansed us, yet The Blasters still wield it... How the heck do they pull it all off?"

"Those questions shall never be answered, sweetums. But the one thing that you shall receive is a worthy battle in musical arts," Bellicoso said as he and the rest of The Laments grew their extended hair and Hippocampi wings. "Now, let's begin!"

As the song intensified, The Laments let themselves become enveloped in an otherworldly burst of dark green magic, cloaking everything that saw it in darkness for a brief period of time.

When the darkness dissipated, The Laments were no longer in control of their physical bodies and had instead taken the form of three spectral Leviathans, majestically spiralling above the stage and howling out in anger, turning the sky blood-red with their mere presence.

"Well, if that's the way you want to battle, Laments, then so be it!" Adagio said, taking a battle-posture and leaving her own body behind as well. Within the short span of a couple of seconds, The Dazzlings and The Laments were controlling their spectral beings, ready to let them do the fighting whilst the song played out.

The fight was ferocious, with the Leviathans and the Hippocampi violently smashing into each other and making their opponents howl out in pain. However, the fury in their eyes was proof positive that they both wanted to progress with the tournament and end The Rainbooms' climb to defeating The Blasters. And whilst The Dazzlings wanted to merely relieve Twilight and her friends of such an arduous burden, The Laments had looks as if they wanted to be done with The Rainbooms altogether.

The pilgrims are gathering
And the marching band, the marching band's howling
Compassion is the flag a righteous man, a righteous man will hold

The pilgrims are gathering
And the marching band, the marching band's howling
Compassion is the flag a righteous man, a righteous man will hold...

Both The Dazzlings and The Laments sang whilst their beasts continued their skirmish above Dubairaffe. Whilst the physical beings merely remained on the stage, the spectral beings had already taken their fights to the streets, where they were already causing quite a lot of trouble with their mere presence.

As the Hippocampi and the Leviathans descended onto the town, they witnessed many different Euphorian and Dystopian warriors messing up a lot of humans and causing general chaos and destruction. Their fight was intensified as The Dazzlings and The Laments made their beasts knock the others into the feuding Lyrican monsters, making them lash out and strike them away from the street they were battling.

"You are quite capable fighters, Dazzlings. But that still doesn't mean that we're just going to give up and concede our position in Battletone for you..." Requiem said as his Leviathan got up from the latest impact that it had received. "The Blasters ordered that we stop you by any means necessary, and if it means defeating you with the full extent of our power, then so be it..."

"But that's the thing, Requiem! You're not using the full extent of your power!" Adagio's beast said as it locked horns with Requiem's Leviathan once more. "Lyrican Dark Magic shackles some of the most powerful aspects of your power and makes you evil beyond compare!"

"Yeah! We learned that the hard way..." Sonata said as her beast threw Andante's Leviathan into another skyscraper, making it howl and screech as it smashed right through a series of floors in agony.

"Enough talk, let's get back to the battle at hand!" Bellicoso said as his beast charged into Aria's neck and bit it ferociously, making the purple Hippocampi screech with how sudden and vicious the attack was. "You haven't done this for a while, have you?"

"There's been no need for us to do it. Until now, that is!" Aria said as she, Adagio and Sonata got together and knocked The Laments' Leviathans out of the streets and back towards the Battletone stage, where they'd see the perfect opportunity to finish it. "In the name of Equestria, Earth, Lyrica and their three noble species, we will end The Blasters' tyranny!"

When The Dazzlings and The Laments' beasts returned to the stage, they were still scrapping it out. But it wasn't long before they all gather together and prepared to unleash a devastating burst of sound on their opponents. As they in took Lyrican energy, their physical bodies braced themselves for a rather violent outcome.

The spirit is over town
Waiting for me to hit the floor
Blooming white sky for the voice of one calling tonight

The Dazzlings and The Laments' voices were so loud that their beasts all shot out ultrasonic waves of sound that amplified the volume of their lyrics to a phenomenal degree. It was so loud that everyone who was watching the battle, even The Blasters, cover their ears to try and make it seem like it didn't hurt them.

Tonight fate is the red crown
The red crown around your door
Time's scattering the seeds of the morning daylight...

Each and every wave impacted with one another, creating a massive sphere of energy that only grew in power as the beasts clashed with each other. As the last few waves collided with the sphere and made it explode, the entire skyscraper was consumed in a fiery pillar of Furen energy, concealing every living thing who was there to witness it.

When the flames died down, the band that was left standing was The Dazzlings. They took gasps for breath when they'd watched everything settle down for the end of it all. They watched and saw that the sky returned to a rather soothing shade of indigo and reclaimed the stars that had been taken by their latest battle.

Despite The Dazzlings being the winners of that battle, they were not fully unharmed. Their clothes had received quite a lot of tears, and bruises and marks could be seen across their bodies. Their hairs also stood on end with how intense the battle had become.

However, things weren't looking up for The Laments. The Dark Magic had faded away from their systems, but the Furen pendants around their necks had become completely destroyed. Their breathing became very shallow and weak, and their bodies were even more cut and harmed than The Dazzlings.

Adagio walked over to Requiem, feeling his neck as she helped him sit up. She could feel his sorrow. He had lost everything that he spent his life trying to acquire. His Furen energy had dissipated and his body was quite damaged and injured.

"They'll be fine, everyone. They've all just had a rough battle..." Adagio said, seeing that a medical team had already arrived on the scene to help them out. "They just need a couple of days in bed and they should be perfectly fine..."

"As I said, Requiem. I didn't want it to come to this, but The Blasters forced my hand..." Adagio said as Requiem, Andante and Bellicoso were taken off of the stage by the medical team so they could rest themselves. "I just hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me once we win Battletone for you..."

As soon as Requiem, Andante and Bellicoso vanished from sight, The Dazzlings all leapt off of the stage and reunited with The Rainbooms.

"We'd better get some rest. Tomorrow's the finals of Battletone," Adagio said as the girls all decided to make their ways to their respective rooms. "You might want to start rehearsing The Show Must Go On for our performance tomorrow..."

"Indeed, girls..." Fortissimo said once The Dazzlings and The Rainbooms arrived at the elevator. "You're gonna have to perform quite a show if either of you are gonna make it towards us..."

"Blasters! We made it to the finals of Battletone, now tell us why you corrupted The Dazzlings!" Twilight demanded, pointing a finger at him.

"Patience, patience, Rainbooms. All in good time..." Fortissimo said as he and the rest of The Blasters returned to the stage to finish up the show that was still broadcasting. "For now, you need to get some sleep. You've been through a lot, and you probably want to update your internet statuses..."

"I'd smash his pretty face straight in if he wasn't telling the truth..." Rainbow Dash yawned for emphasis on that fact. "Well, I'll see ya on stage tomorrow, Dazzlings. Just let us know when The Show Must Go On's finished, then we'll be ready to see who moves onto the Title Match..." she said before taking The Rainbooms into one elevator so that they could get to their room for the night.

"What did The Rainbooms mean when they said that The Blasters corrupted us?" Sonata asked the group once they got into the second elevator that was adjacent to the one that The Rainbooms had taken.

"I'm not entirely sure, Sonata. But one thing's sure..." Adagio said as the door closed so that they could make it to their room and ruminate on what The Blasters had been saying. "The entire truth will be revealed in the Finals tomorrow evening..."

Author's Notes:

You know, Chaos's Last Battle is a somewhat more simplistic version of Welcome to the Show. Anyone who has a PSP and has played Dissidia Duodecim will completely agree with me on that.

---

KI Hades: So tell me, Disney me, how exactly do you manage the Underworld?

Disney Hades: Well, what can I say? Business has been a little slow with all the new medical gear they're bringing in up there. I mean, hospitals? It's like they don't even want to die anymore...

KI Hades: That's odd, because business is just booming in MY Underworld. Just send a horde of Underworld Army soldiers up there, kick your heels up and watch the carnage. That is until Pitty Pat zooms in and saves the day, as usual...

Disney Hades: You must be a real crowd pleaser then, huh?

KI Hades: Well, I have been working out, after all...

Disney Hades: So, what kind of friends do ya got down there in your Underworld?

Ki Hades: Well, the last time I checked, all I have down there are brainless flying targets just waiting to be shot down by a flightless angel being controlled by some childish goddess of light... The closest thing I had to a friend down there was Medusa, but Pitty finished her off lickety split. Then, sixteen more chapters later, I found Medusa to be boring, so I turned into you and uppercut her out of existence...

Disney Hades: I don't get you sometimes, Hades. One minute, you're controlling legions of the undead and the next, you're killing your own second in command.

KI Hades: I'm a complicated god.

---

Celestia: Hmm... That's odd...

Luna: What is it, sister?

Celestia: Usually, at least one of the foals rebels during these parts. But this time, they're all acting perfectly...

Luna: Well, all things tend to tire themselves out and bore themselves with being different all the time, sister. Even foals with non-existant attention spans know that they can't break rules forever...

Lauren: I guess all those treats we gave them really helped out, huh...

Luna: (watches all of the foals playing together as The Dazzlings and the royal guards supervise them) Yeah. I guess you could say that...