"I just hope we can pull this off..." Rainbow Dash said, adjusting the frets on her Battletone guitar. "The last time was pretty easy, but that was because the last time, the Lyricans we fought were only harvesting energy, not going all out..."

"Yes, but surely, The Blasters have even darker motives than just hitting everyone's ears with the Ultimate Amplifier..." Adagio pondered that theory as the groups arrived at the back of the stage where they could spend their last few moments prepping for combat. "Whenever Lyricans enter a musical contest, they usually have a secret motive behind it all. Our dark pasts were the prime example of that."

"But still, you've grown up and put your pasts behind you, Dazzlings," Rarity cheered Adagio up as she patted her back gently. "And besides, you won't be in this alone. You have our talents as well, which should be the final nail in the coffin of our victory over The Blasters..."

"Don't forget that The Blasters will retreat to Lyrica and perform the Song of Resurrection nonetheless. Their Title Match is just the last supper they'll have before they revive King Allure and the species..." Adagio reminded the girls as they continued to prep themselves for the final match of Battletone.

"Precisely, little sister. Just like you harvesting The Rainbooms' energy was your last supper before you put the final piece of one of our puzzles together..." Fortissimo said as he and the rest of The Blasters appeared in front of the girls, getting them to immediately get to their feet in disdain.

"But you should know that there's much, much more to your stories than you realize, Dazzlings..." Allegro said, getting Adagio, Aria and Sonata to recoil a little as those words bore into their psychological minds. "You've all made it to the finals of Battletone, so I suppose there's really no harm in telling you the truth about your stories before you perish..."

"It all began ten years after the great war, when the remaining Lyricans either went into hiding or killed themselves..." Fortissimo began telling the story of how the Lyrican species vanished, leaving only them and The Dazzlings. "After a rather titanic struggle against the Six Euphorian Deities that harmed us and our friends in combat, we were all extinguished ourselves..."

"However, unlike most of our former brethren, we were resurrected and sent to live a life wandering the barren wasteland that was once our home..." Allegro carried on the story when Fortissimo caught his breath. "We'd spent years ruminating on the tragedies of that great war, the dying screams of our comrades ringing in our ears as we trudged on across the landscape. Our final and most traumatic memory of death was the three of you, giving your lives to keep us safe from Starswirl the Bearded..." he thought back to that fateful moment in time when Adagio, Aria and Sonata pushed The Blasters out of the way so they could receive the fatal blow instead. "And at the end of it all, we found the root cause of the great war..."

"We immediately classified all the remaining humans and ponies that wandered Equestria and Earth to be terrorists to Lyricans. So we decided to change our priorities from protecting them to destroying them..." Orchestral added his words of the tale as well. "However, whilst we were determined to end the lives of many, we knew that you three showed remorse for the species and actually loved how intricate and unique they were..." he pointed towards The Dazzlings. "So, we decided to find you and remind you of who the true enemies were..."

"It took us quite a long time for us to find your remains, but when we did, we were so satisfied with the results..." Fortissimo took over once more. "We merely sprinkled in some Dark Magic into your regenerating bodies, which ultimately altered your psychological aspects altogether. You no longer cared for the well-being of Equestria or Earth, and would now utilize your singing to spread the seeds of discord as best as you could, in the hopes that you would create a second war..."

"However, as these terrorists you now ally with have proved time and time again, they are simply far too powerful to merely exist at all..." Allegro pointed towards The Rainbooms, making them back up and stutter in surprise. "Twice now, your species has managed to repel Lyrican strategems, and you all muster up a powerful magic strong enough to defend your worlds. It's plain to see that you seven must be killed, before you get out of hand..."

"Starswirl the Bearded was proof that Equestria is evil, you Rainbooms are living proof that Earth is evil. With those two key facts set in stone, we have a cause to eliminate your feeble kind..." Fortissimo said as he got The Rainbooms to begin doubting their own actions. "If the truth still eludes you, Rainbooms, then allow me to exemplify the severity of your situation: You seven are the cause of our rise to power, and the cause of all of this death and destruction! The blood of all of the people of Maneorca, as well as those marked by us is all on your hands..."

"Oh, and before you ask why we wish to give you all such heartbreak, let's just say that Lyrican Sirens love to play with their food..." Orchestral said as he and The Blasters walked onto the stage. But not before Orchestral turned back around and said, "Oh, and by the way, you're all on in three minutes. Hope you're ready to shape the future, ladies..."

Though The Blasters were quickly gone from The Rainbooms and The Dazzlings' line of sight, the ten of them had been completely demoralized. They now believed that there was absolutely nothing they could do to avenge the lives of all of the people that they had doomed.

Eventually, Adagio sighed and said, "I know it's hard for you to swallow, girls. But we need to forget about the pain of that story and focus on the important parts. The Blasters are the cause of all of this chaos, and they're only this way because the Six Euphorian Deities were the true cause of the great war, not them..."

"Even so, how are we going to be sure that the fail-safe song you have planned is going to work?" Twilight said, now beginning to doubt herself even further. "If The Blasters truly have a way of striking the weak points of someone's psyche, then they might just come back and keep striking at it until we willingly surrender to them..."

"We have a way of striking The Blasters in their soft spot as well, Rainbooms. Remember that..." Sonata reminded them. "If we make it to the Title Match, we'll sing It's Been So Long, a song that expresses our sorrows, as well as all of the abuse and chaos The Blasters sowed over the years..."

"When we sing the song, everyone who once loved The Blasters will immediately hate their guts and want to get them out of the musical business altogether. Then, they'll have no choice but to relinquish their musical dominance to us, so that we can safely look after human and pony kind..." Adagio said as she picked up her Battletone mic and turned it on for what seemed like the last time.

"Anyways, we're on now. Let's sing this song and save everyone..." Twilight said as she and the rest of the group walked towards the stage for their final match in Battletone. "Just like seventeen years ago, it's now or never..."

"So please, for the final time in Battletone, let's welcome the two finalists who made their way through countless matches to make it this far!" Fortissimo announced to the crowd, hearing their voices of euphoria already as he was about to begin the final match of the tournament. "Please welcome back to the stage, The Dazzlings and The Rainbooms!"

The crowd cheered once more as Adagio, Aria, Sonata, Twilight, Sunset and their friends all walked out onto the stage for the final time in the tournament. Whilst the cheers they could hear were quite relaxing, there was something unsettling about them as well. However, that didn't bother them as they prepared their instruments for the final battle.

"Since this is the finals, let's spice things up a little..." Fortissimo said as he welcomed on his mind-controlled copies of The Rainbooms as well as the brainwashed Celestia and Luna. "Since you two are quite capable of making music, we've decided to let you choose the musical score that you play for the crowd."

"Now then. Without further adieu, let's begin the finals of Battletone..." Fortissimo said, leaving the stage along with Allegro and Orchestral, so as not to disturb the competing bands.

Once The Blasters were off, The Rainbooms and The Dazzlings both nodded at each other and began the song that would save everyone. A combination of light bass and harmonized voices kicked the song off, getting the crowd euphoric in seconds.

"One! Two! Three! Four!" Pinkie Pie counted in, getting the song to begin for real. From there, The Rainbooms were already playing quite impressively, spouting their hair, ears and tails almost instantly, before the lyrics had even begun. And though they were quite good at playing, they did save some room for The Dazzlings, so they could be heard as well.

Long back, when we were all quite young
We tried to make our world seem fun
And though our friends all jumped the gun
Our journeys had begun

Adagio started off, her words already hitting some good notes in the minds of the audience that was watching them.

We got along with a big song
But we were cast out fast
And though we had a fresh new start
The memories still last...

Aria sang quite angelicly, spawning the wings and hair that she and The Dazzlings usually utilized whenever they would sing or battle.

No matter what we say or do
It all comes down to me and you
Though one must lose, it's not so bad

The Show Must Go On
The Show Must Go On

Even now, the show
Will
Go
On!

Both The Rainbooms and The Dazzlings sang together, their words already creating a multicoloured burst of energy that harmlessly travelled through the minds of everyone who was listening. As it did so, blue and red mist flew off of their bodies, but it quickly faded away into nothingness.

"It's working! The song's breaking The Blasters' marks!" Twilight said, already seeing how their song was fixing up the bands that had been affected by The Blasters' singing.

"Then let's keep it going, Twilight! Let's give them a show that no-one will ever forget!" Adagio said, encouraging The Rainbooms to move on with the next segment of the song.

Seventeen years after that day
We came to Battletone to play
And ended up battling friends
Who sing at ends of a day

Sunset sang now, her voice rather sweet as she made the crowd begin to dance along with the melody of the song. It seemed that their efforts were working to a phenomenal degree, as all of the bands were no longer controlled by their own emotions.

But there's a catch, a bizarre catch
Someone's evil plan's been hatched
Oh, we're trying to stop it
And it used to be in vain...

Twilight sang quite well, wrapping her free hand around Sunset's shoulder as she did so, to prove a sign of solidarity as she stood beside her fellow Rainbooms.

No matter what we say or do
It all boils down to me and you
Though one must lose, it's not so bad

The Show Must Go On
The Show Must Go On

Even now, the show
Will
Go
On!

As both groups sang together, they all glowed rather brightly, their skin colours illuminating them so that they truly stood out from the rest of the people there. However, that wasn't the only thing that was interesting about them. Whilst they sang, columns of light erupted around them, eventually forming their Cutie Marks in mystical spheres, all of which flew around together and conjoined to make a celestial ball of rainbow energy. When the ball was complete, it burst, letting out a colossal rainbow blast across all of Earth, spreading their song to the ears of everyone who was watching the finals.

Though we were shunned by all
We're now adored by all
Now they now that we're sa-ving their world

Sang The Dazzlings as the song managed to break all of the marks around the world, systematically freeing everyone from The Blasters' spell.

When darkness dies to reveal light
It's power will pierce through evil's might
So we'll win and see the plan un-ra-vel

The Rainbooms sang as well, their voices being the key part in aiding The Dazzlings free everyone.

Eventually, the instrumental part of the song kicked in, with Rainbow Dash performing a rather tricky guitar solo. With every chord that was strummed out, a powerful burst of light emanated from Dash's clothes, making her look like a walking light show. Eventually, she stepped back and let Sunset take over for her separate guitar solo. Just like Rainbow's solo, it was tricky to pull off, but very rewarding, as it made Sunset shine bright as well with each chord.

Every king eventually falls
Every band loses their fame
Even the best who past the test
Can all go up in a sudden flame

We know that we're not perfect
But that's alright when we're all just specks
Through the heartbreak and the tears
The show goes on for years and years...

The Rainbooms and The Dazzlings sang at a rather rapid pace, trying to keep up with the beat of the music for what seemed like the last time before the end of the song.

No matter what we say or do
It all boils down to me and you
Though one must lose, it's not so bad

The Show Must Go On
The Show Must Go On

Even now, the show
Will
Go
On!

When the song ended, the entire stage was consumed in a bright burst of white light, consuming everyone who was watching from the back of it, as well The Blasters, the mind-controlled Rainboom clones, Celestia and Luna.

Once the light had died down, both Twilight and Adagio were still standing, but they were both breathing rather heavily. It seemed that the fail-safe song had taken a rather heavy toll on them as well. Whilst it was rather strong, their breathlessness was a sign that one band had to stand whilst the other fell.

"You're... quite good at... singing, Twilight." said Adagio as she kneelt down in exhaustion, but still stood so she and Twilight could decide amongst themselves who'd face The Blasters in the Title Match.

"You... too, Adagio..." Twilight sighed as she took in some gasps for air. "And... it's because of this... that you should be the ones... to face The Blasters!" she then fell onto her back in exhaustion, dropping the mic when her back impacted with the floor.

"And that settles that, ladies and gentlemen! The winners of Battletone, and the band who shall duel us in the Title Match is: The Dazzlings!" Fortissimo announced as he came back onto the stage to acknowledge Twilight's defeat and announce his little sister as the winner.

Though The Dazzlings got up and celebrated their victory with a rain of confetti and the launching of multiple different fireworks, they didn't forget The Rainbooms, who'd put up a very valiant fight to play along with The Blasters' insidious visions. The three of them walked over to The Rainbooms and helped them sit up and regather their breath.

"You did the right thing, girls..." Adagio said as she helped Twilight get back on her feet. "Not only have we saved everyone from The Blasters' marks, but by granting us access to the Title Match, we're going to have the chance to show The Blasters for the monsters they truly are..."

"Yeah..." Rainbow Dash said, getting up by herself once Sonata had helped her wipe most of the sweat off of her brow. "We'll leave this one up to you, Dazzlings. You've had more experience with The Blasters than we have..."

"Go for it, girls!" Pinkie put her thumb up, giving The Dazzlings the go-ahead to proceed with the Title Match. "Take those meanies out and save our worlds!"

The Dazzlings merely nodded in approval and got the rest of The Rainbooms back onto their feet. Then, they returned to where they'd been standing before so that The Blasters could dole out their prize.

"Dazzlings, as the leader of The Blasters, it's my honour to bestow upon you the spoils of victory. And here it is..." Fortissimo pulled out a contract with The Dazzlings' signatures already written on it. "A fifty-trillion, lifetime recording contract, guaranteed to make your songs known throughout all of history and make your fame skyrocket!"

"But that's not the only thing..." Allegro said as he, Fortissimo and Orchestral picked up their instruments and brandished them in preparation for the upcoming Title Match. "Because you've won Battletone, you've also been granted access to the Title Match, where you'll have the chance to battle us for the title of World's Must Supreme Band!"

"The Title Match is gonna begin in an hour, girls. And this time, you won't have to battle us at the same time..." Orchestral showed the TV once more, showing two different gauges. One for The Blasters, and the other one for The Dazzlings." In the Title Match, the winner is the group who has more crowd appeal with their one song. Both you and we will perform separately, then at the end of it all, we'll see who's the ultimate musical group..."

"But for now, let's hear it one more time for the ultimate winners of Battletone: The Dazzlings!" Fortissimo said, getting the crowd to climb on up to the stage and raise The Dazzlings above their heads in victory.

Whilst Adagio, Aria and Sonata basked in the glory of winning Battletone completely, something in their minds told them that it wasn't over yet. To the three of them, the Finals was merely the tip of the iceberg...

Author's Notes:

Nighty: So, how much diffewent is youw Hades ta mine?

Me: Weww, dewe awen't much diffewences. In fact, I'd say de onwy diffewences awe deiw designs, deiw voices and deiw pwans fow conquest...

Onyx: Dat dun sound good...

Me: Bewieve me, Disney Hades is a pushovew. Anyone who has a 3DS and has seen Hades knows wat I'm tawking about...

Disney Hades: A pushover? Really? You're just going to go right there?

KI Hades: Well, he IS speaking the truth, after all. All you have down there are two bumbling ninnies, three blind hags fighting over a single eye, and a massive Cerberus. Get with the times, Disney me.

Disney Hades: Alright then, big guy. What about you? I don't suppose you're any different...

KI Hades: I command an endless army of Underworld monsters, kill millions in the blink of an eye, and have destroyed the Three Sacred Treasures on a 3DS game simply by breathing on them. Though, in all honesty, pixellated weapons of Underworld genocide eventually do get brittle and old after 25 years...

Peanut: Wat awe dey tawking about?

Me: Yoo weawwy hafta pway Kid Icawus Upwising ta find out...

Peanut: Weww, in da mean time, how about a game of Supew Smash Bwodews wid me and da Mane 6?

Me: Yeah. Dat'd be fun. But I'm wawning yoo, Wucawio (Lucario) is suwpwisingwy ovewpowewed...

Peanut: Dat dun scawe me. Bwing it on...