Featured song:
1. Firework (originally by Katy Perry. Acapella cover by Mike Tompkins.) 

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Omega rubbed her eyes and stretched with a big yawn as she felt the sun shining on her face.
The others were also just waking up as the sun started to shine nice and brightly.

Omega got out some berries and peaches to feed herself, and Diamond too. She also gave some to Wrecker, the three of them being the only ones who ate. And the group of five picked themselves up and started to follow the yellow brick road again.

Diamond started playing a bit of Hopscotch as she trotted on the yellow bricks of the road, while Omega did some more talking about her family back home. She really missed them, and somehow it comforted her to be able to talk about them and what she loved about each member of her family.

"My dad wants to teach me to pilot, but Mom and his old master Obi-Wan say that I might as well go on a roller coaster without restraints. I guess because he's got a history of crashing a lot of ships. Tech won't even teach me until I can name all the ship's specifications from memory."

"If flying a machine like the one you say you arrived in is as dangerous as I suspect it is," said Tech-Crow. "It sounds as though they are only trying to protect you."

"I can't ever fly in one of those things," said Wrecker, sounding nervous. "They go way too high up!"

Omega chuckled and said, "My brother Wrecker is afraid of heights too."

The group continued following the yellow brick road to another forest, where they spotted a sign that said it was called Music-cornucopia.

"Wait a minute! Music-corns?" Wrecker said, sounding nervous.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of musical horses." Crosshair said.

"No! It's just... horses make me feel nervous when they run all at once."

"We have lots of horses back home." Omega said. "They're really friendly. The horses here are probably really friendly too."

Except, when they walked into the forest, Omega stepped in something very wet and disgusting.

"Eww!" Omega groaned. She lifted her foot out of the mud. Luckily, she didn't lose her ruby slipper, but it did get her leg all dirty and disgusting.

"Are you alright?" Tech-Crow asked, helping Omega wipe the mud off.

"I'm fine. But I hate stepping in mud. Yuck!"

Omega looked around. The area looked a lot more like a swamp than a forest. It was all murky, dark, and wet around the area. Omega wasn't as big an expert on horses as Gabby was, but she knew for a fact that it was easier to spot horses in open fields and places filled with flowers than in a marsh like this, especially unicorns and pegasi. Generally shy, according to many folktales, unicorns and pegasi liked to live in forests where they were well hidden and protected, and they loved to sniff and eat brightly colored flowers that helped their magic grow, and in turn make even more beautiful plants and flowers grow with the dust from their horns and any that might have been trapped in their manes.

"Shouldn't there be more flowers and less mud in a place full of horses?" Diamond said. "That sign had flowers all over it."

"Maybe the horses here like different habitats than ones with flowers?"

The group got a little deeper in the forest and heard the sound of someone snorting. A horse snorting as though sighing.

Omega looked around, and Wrecker smelled something. It smelled like... sadness?

Omega and her friends walked farther into the forest, and they soon came to a more open area where they saw... lots of unicorns! Except... none of them looked very happy. The whole place didn't even look that colorful either. It looked so gray, maybe even black and white like a 1940's movie. All the unicorns looked sad and weren't doing hardly anything.

Usually, music-corns were always so active, dancing all about, singing songs, making music from their horns, and just having a big party every day. But these music-corns... didn't. Omega listened for a bit. It was quiet. No music. Not a strum, not a twang, not even a ding or a la, la, la.

"What is this place?" Omega said.

"Music-Cornucopia, according to the sign," said Tech-Crow. "However, that name sounds unfitting, seeing, or rather hearing that there is no music playing around here."

Diamond approached a familiar looking music-corn stallion who was moping near a wilted flower.

"Um... excuse me? Why is every pony here so sad?" Diamond asked.

"Why do ya think?" said the horse. "No music playin' 'round these parts like it used to."

"Pinto?" said Omega, recognizing the voice.

"That's my name. I used to sing square dances and lead the best hoedowns 'round here."

Omega looked around again, so did her friends. It was so depressing here. No pony felt like doing anything.

"This looks like a pretty dank place to call home." Crosshair said.

"It wasn't always like this," said Maybelle. "This place was so colorful once, and full of rootin' tootin' good times with music of all kinds."

"So, what happened?" Omega asked.

"That warlock of the West happened." Carousella said. "He came and silenced us with a spell of depression, and he locked the essence of our powers outside that gate over there."

The others looked to a long, giant fence where there stood a large white gate.

"Well, your magical horses, aren't you?" Crosshair said. "Why don't you cast a spell to open it or something?"

"We tried." Harmony said. "But the warlock took our music when he took the essence of our magic. And the only way to open the door is to make music, which we can't anymore. He took all the musical instruments around here, and without our powers, we can't make music anymore."
Tech-Crow then theorized they would need to find another way to the Emerald City.

"But the yellow brick road only goes this way, and Padma said that the yellow brick road is the only way to get to the Emerald City." Omega said. "There's gotta be a way we can open that gate."

So, Omega and her friends tried everything they could to open the gate. Wrecker tried pulling it open, then he and the others all pulled and then pushed together. Crosshair tried to break the gate with his axe. It only bounced off and made him vibrate like someone who'd hit a gong too hard. The whole group tried stacking themselves to see if they could climb over. But even the flying music-corns couldn't get over the fence because it turned out there was a force field at the top of the fence that prevented anyone from getting over it. And the ground surrounding the fence was too hard to dig a tunnel underneath.

Diamond even tried using the magic from the diamond on her forehead, but only succeeded in turning the fence into diamonds. They'd even tried using a rock she turned into a diamond to try and cut through the fence; even that didn't work.

Everyone started to get frustrated. There had to be some way to get through that fence.

"Carousella did say the only way to get through was to make music." Wrecker pointed out.

"And how exactly are we supposed to do that without any instruments or a radio of some kind?" Crosshair pointed out.

Omega started to think. If only Carmine were here. He had the best musical magic she knew. Or her grandparents. It was always so comforting whenever either of them sang to their grandchildren the way they sang to Carmine and Anakin when they were little. Then, as she was thinking, she almost didn't notice herself humming her grandmother Shmi's lullaby for Anakin.

Tech-Crow was first to notice Omega humming, and he quickly came to remember something. People passing by had sometimes come playing music on a flute or clapping to the beat of a song they were singing. Music was sound to a beat, and lots of things besides musical instruments made noise. Perhaps... if played to a beat, some ordinary sounds could be made into music to open the gate and restore the music-corns' magic.

"I may have a solution." Tech-Crow said. He whistled to get everyone's attention, and got everyone to gather around. He explained his plan to them. "We merely need a combination of sounds to a syncopated beat in order to open the gates and restore your powers."

"Huh?"

Omega looked unamused and translated, having spent enough time around Tech back home to know what most of what he said meant in more average terms.

"He means we need to make music out of things we already have." she said.

"How do we do that?" said Wrecker.

"All of you do have voices," said Tech-Crow. "That is a start. However, your mouths can make more noises than mere speech."

"Like this?" said Diamond, sticking out her tongue and blowing a raspberry, making everyone laugh.

"Or like this?" Wrecker said before belching loudly.

"Wrecker!" Omega said, disgusted, but also laughing.

"Real mature, you two." Crosshair sighed. 

"That is one way. However, I am referring to more melodic types of sounds one can make to a particular rhythm."

"Oh, I get it. You want us to sing an acapella song!" Omega said. "Aunt Caroline told me about it. Groups of people make different sounds with their mouths to sound like musical instruments, and they sing too!"

"But, we've never tried that before." Carousella said.

"There could be a trick to it, though." Tech-Crown said. "If all of you already know the rhythm and melody to a particular song, perhaps you could make the sounds of musical instruments using whatever sounds you can muster."

"We could also clap the beat." Omega said, clapping a simple rhythm.

"Harmony... you know how to conduct, don't you?" Omega asked.

"I do. I've never conducted an acapella group before."

"You can do it. I know you can."

The musicorns thought, and together they agreed on a song to sing. They all figured out what sounds each of them would make and gathered into groups with Harmony out front to conduct them.

"Are you sure this'll work?" Carousella asked Tech-Crow.

"If my hypothesis and statistics are correct, which they usually are, given my programming."

"Alright, everyone." Harmony called. "Get ready."

And Harmony pointed her horn to one group to get them starting the beat.

Carousella:

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards, one blow from cavin' in?
Do you ever feel already buried deep?
Six feet under screams, but no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you?
'Cause there's a spark in you
You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July
'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe

And like magic, the lock on the door started to sparkle

"It's working!" Diamond exclaimed.

"Everyone, keep singing and beating!" Tech shouted.

Harmony continued to conduct.

Maybelle:

You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced

Banjo:

If you only knew what the future holds

Diamond:

After a hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe a reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow
And when it's time, you'll know

Omega:

You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July
'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe

Everyone got really into it, and little by little, the gate started to open more and more on its own.

"Sing louder!" Harmony conducted by standing on her hind legs and spreading her wings.

Remix:

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through

It was then that the gate opened all the way, and in burst a plethora of colorful sparkles that spread throughout the forest, making the marsh disappear, and lots of beautiful green trees and colorful flowers blossom. The grass turned green again, and all the music-corns suddenly weren't gray anymore as all their colors were quickly restored too!

'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, aweBoom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

Everyone cheered when they saw Music-Cornucopia was restored to its natural beauty, all colorful and musical. Every pony was so happy as their horns glowed with music coming from them, and beautiful music filled the air. The music-corns thanked the group for saving their magic. To say thank you, they gave each member of the group a special bell they could ring to signal them if they needed help, and a map of everything that awaited them on the way to the Emerald City.

"Thank you, music-corns." Omega said. "Glad we could help."
And so, Omega and her friends continued on their way to the Emerald City. According to the map, the next place they had to go was through Runner's Gorge.

"Why is it called Runner's Gorge?" Omega asked.

"I wouldn't worry much," said Crosshair, looking at the gorge on the map. "Judging by this picture, I'd say it's name comes from being a long way, and you get out faster by running."

Palpatine chuckled as he watched the group in his crystal ball.
"You may have found a way through my gates, but rest assured for me, Omega Skywalker... you will soon learn the real story behind the name of Runner's Gorge."