The Siren's Remorse

by TheronSniper

Ch. 45 Peace Be Onto You Sunset Shimmer

Ch. 44 Peace Be Onto You Sunset Shimmer

Sunset's Hospital Room

Though she still tried to process some kind of philosophical teaching into a palpable tale to come away with a hint of wisdom, Sunset had no success as she inquisitively looked at this world's version. It was obvious her human version was much like her in the desire to know more and understand what could be fathomed of the greater outer world that was existence. Strange as it were she had a liking towards that kind of genre, she never would have coined herself seeking that the interpretive teachings of old sages. As perplexing as it were to Celestia's own lectures of pony harmony and friendship, then again there were no other kingdoms she could recall that might have birthed such a story.

Those days long past, how she still hated having been such a spoiled brat of a foal, throwing away so much potential all for her ego. She probably would have been Twilight's mentor if she'd humbled herself and even sought to help the needy. Looking at where all that mindset had gotten her, it began to make a little sense in the reason why her human self favored such riddling tales.

Shimmer stood still just a foot away from the ruined privacy curtain seemingly still cautious of a doppelganger in a younger form in the same room as she. If it were not for the wounds she sustained, Sunset figured she'd looked not half bad for an adult woman. It made her think of the life she still had to live, Twilight would probably be there at her funeral even if she reached one hundred years of age as humans barely ever made that far in life, without surprisingly enough probably barely aged. That thought alone was enough to jar her, one of the aspects of ascending to the crown was not only the power that came with it, but the right and gift to live without aging or dying because of it. It would be the day that she'd say goodbye to the Princess of Friendship who'd likely still be the teenaged girl only barely entering her twenties, her imagination going wild for a moment considering the ways she'd interact with on her deathbed. Her regrets and shame she'd spew out just so her soul would rest without geists, assuming the possessed human Sparkle and the Dazzlings did not do something to Equestria in the meantime.

It all came to a halt when Shimmer spoke up as she edged closer to the bed, "You know, I should be totally freaking out that I'm seeing a double, and one whose younger at that too. Yet all I feel is... wonder. Wondering how you exist and why? Who were you before you came here... like me?" the scar tissue from the glass shards that slammed into her tanned skin were visible in full detail making Sunset wince for a moment seeing facial movement obviously pointing it out.

She looked away despondent on her gurney bed, "I'm from another world, came here... to escape what was entirely my fault to begin with and I went about ruining the lives of others for an ego trip of a lifetime." she said plainly with a defeated tone.

Shimmer heeded the girls words and related them to what she heard earlier, but it still did not entirely make sense. So she took the hook and went for a dive, it was all she could do to grasp the situation. Besides, if she hurt herself more than the nurse diagnosed in the accident, this would be a fun tale to tell her friends later on.

"Another world you say? Huh... Well after all I've seen I'd have to say I'm not surprised really. Just... seeing in my head how that is possible. Tell me, who were you before you became me? I want to hear the truth." Shimmer replied as her fingers tapped on her arms nervously.

Sunset still refused to make eye contact and opted to look at the soft turquoise sheets over her body, "I'm a pony, have you seen the news papers about like... two incidents with rainbow colored lights illuminating the skies with a column of the same spectrum for a brief moment around Canterlot High?! That was me being reformed from demonhood, and the second I helped stop a group of sirens from controlling everyone... not that anyone cared." she huffed with annoyance as she assumed her human version lived in the town and bore witness to the life changing events.

"So that's what those stories were about? I thought they were an excerpt from the Onion News honestly? I take it all that was because of the world you came from? Causing a mess in my world?" the adult inquired as she took a cautious step closer to the bed, scanning every feature of the young woman for any sign of lying.

"Yes, I was a student to the crown back home, a very powerful alicorn who rules Equestria. She took me under her wing when I showed great aptitude for magic. I later abused that hope and trust she placed upon me to attempt to assert myself to power through will and want. Then, I affixed myself to studying, throwing away potential friendships and making a mockery of myself to others. I eventually focused on a mysterious mirror she would never let me see or understand, so I became angered when she flat out rejected every time I asked about it. She took away the mirror and so I hunted it down, she tried to stop me but I jumped through. When I arrived... I sought out the closest familiar thing to leadership I could find knowing nothing of this world or the humans here. Leading me to attend Canterlot High and dominate the school's student body to win their social events as crowned princess of whatever festival or dance was happening. Later, I soon met my equal, another student of the crown who bested me even when I had magic at my very fingertips, I had become the thing I let myself rot into. No amount of power beat the magic of friendship she formed with others, so I fell from the peak and returned to my old self feeling lower than the deepest part of Tartarus." to which she hesitated when Shimmer intervened to speak.

"You mean hell?" she asked.

Sunset gave her a flat look of displeasure, "Ya... whatever you call the kingdom or prison of the darkest of souls. They took me in when I repented for my actions... attaining such strength was the most painful experience I ever felt and from then on I knew I would never do such a thing ever again. I've been trying to live a peaceful life since, helping others to make amends with little return. The rest... well... It's been a bug hunt to find out whose been behind all the recent suspicious activity, then everything just went downhill for a time. It picked up just recently... great times with everyone to get ready for the games... She took everything from me when all we... we tried to do was help and save the world..." Sunset sighed as she closed her eyes still conflicted by Twilight's conviction over their reforming spell.

Shimmer could have just settled for any other kind of normal story, but what was told to her took the cake. Royalty, magic, a corrupt drive to life were not the dice she'd have rolled herself much less seen it in her own person. It pushed her to ask questions, the kind to see more into who this other version of herself was and if she wasn't so injured.

"What put you here? Specifically, because you look like you've been put through a press and had all your joy squeezed out of ya?" she asked folding her arms over her chest with a nervous smile.

Sunset moaned in frustration at having to remember a painful part of her life, "That other evil force I helped stopped, the sirens? Well, they were up to something after we took away their source of power and yet I couldn't find any reason to pin the aftermath on them. Some kind of lone cult or something is out there pulling the strings, left me with a curse that I couldn't sleep for weeks, haunted me during waking daylight, and made me nearly bit the dust mindlessly walking into traffic!" she growled.

She sat up in her bed even though every part of her body that moved screamed in dulled pain, "I worked myself to the bone to find the culprits who took the siren gem and received retaliation! Tried to be friends with the defeated, but they had their powers back and scoffed at us... They took this world's version of a very close friend of mine and used her against us. We tried to corner them and coax them to our side, but they were too far gone to listen just like I was before I put on the crown... Met them again and fought at Canterlot, from what I'm guessing your a casualty of that, the transformation of another She-Demon... I'm sure you saw the battle didn't you?" she glared at the older woman more angry at the result of that conflict than her persistence.

Shimmer was taken aback as she finally had the last puzzle piece in place, when the blast exploded her car windows and windshield. She careened into another vehicle, and by that time she felt the sting of glass shards in her face and neck. The car stopped shaking, the eruption of other vehicular accidents spreading around she managed to crack an eye open to a light source nearby. It took a minute or so to come to focus, as the impact and slamming airbags made her head woozy. Someone hovered in the air over by what looked like a school. Talking though her hearing barely made it through the ringing in her ears, because of the way the airbag felt as if it busted her left eardrum from deployment. Needless to say, she was so shaken that her current state felt as if she'd taken a quarter bottle of tequila into her system, little made sense until the medics arrived on scene with the colorful lights of the ambulance. Though what wisps of memory she could remember, they were of lights and yelling amid destruction. People were running away from the major traffic accident or stood in awe at the sight.

Huffing at the ordeal as she pushed it away from her thoughts, "I get it, you tried to make up for what you did wrong and the return was not all to your liking. At least you had a chance to try at it..." Shimmer remembered the mistakes she herself made that had no second chances unlike this pony in human skin, though for her she was the victim in all of it.

Sunset struggled to respond calmly only to fail when she felt offended by the statement, "WHAT chance was it! The entire school hated me! They feared me like I was still my old self? No matter how nice I was and offered to help them. Saving the world once might I add! When everything started to go south I devoted myself to figuring out the thief who snatched a powerful artifact from the princess who shouldn't have even been bothering with it in the first place! Since then, my whole second chance at life has had Twilight never responding back which could have prevented this whole debacle that hurt you! I wouldn't have had insomnia for the last three weeks, and I certainly wouldn't have had a Tartarus freak'n dragon chasing me throughout Canterlot High and used to rip away all the magic we had!" she cried out with such fire in her eyes, hot liquid drops fell from her teary eyes as she let go of the restrained opinion she had of her circumstance.

The yelling did not affect Shimmer, instead being reminded of what she constantly attempted to leave behind unintentionally, and what a tongue lashing she had to give, "Pain is pain no matter what form it takes, at least this is all temporary. Unlike myself I was born into a family whose parents were practically dull in the head and did not take care of me. I lived homeless most of my life with little time ever spent in the home that I should have been raised in! You think you had it bad with insomnia?! Try making something of yourself with only you to make it happen! Going to school, learning while hungry all the time! Then... finding a boyfriend who helps you through college until he leaves you at the drop of the coin and your homeless again with bills to pay for school and relying on friends for a place to sleep. Even after the wilderness trips I took with him he still wanted more than I could give! The next boyfriend was a former drug addict as I'd come to find out later with night terrors who'd beat me at night if we slept together! Do you know what it's like to wake up with fists flying everywhere and at you?! What a second chance I wish I could have had and been picked up by a 'Celestia' to take me as a student? I'd have done everything I could have to be as humble as a Buddhist monk!" venom in its purest state coated every letter of her words as she bore down onto her doppelganger, taking a step closer each time she emphasized a point.

"I walk to school every day because I don't have a car for the last five years for several miles, and I'm almost close to graduating! Through sun, rain, snow, and floods I get to class regardless in hopes I can get away from this town and make a better life elsewhere. Working as many jobs as I have to in order to pay for my semesters, rent, food, and supplies. So you had a tiff with the queen or king?! Nothing an apology wouldn't fix. You don't have a family who won't turn a new leaf or change back time! I've had to smoke to deal with the utter horse dung I'm constantly given. I don't know about any dragon, but having your night terror's baby mama find out your with him and nearly get into a fist fight with her out of the blue! That my little darling is a true DRAGON!!" Shimmer was breathing in at a rapid pace as her adrenaline spiked, if she were any louder the other rooms nearby would have hit the call button to send a nurse.

Sunset lost her own anger, taking in the other life before her endured for a lot longer than she had to take with the current evil group. By far it was a life even she found the hex dragon and the battle with Twilight to be far better option as she at least slept in the school gymnasium as cover and had somewhat of a safe home. Though she'd never been with a stallion before, and she'd never heard of night terrors. The lack of parents though had been an all too familiar similarity, but to live homeless much of her youth was deplorable at best as ponies were blessed with some kind of foundation in life even she. It caused her lips to seal shut as she awaited more to be said, as then the fury of the spirit transferred over to the human woman with gusto.

Shimmer hissed as she lost her composure, trying to rally it in when the figment of her imagination spurned it into full high heat, "Who cares if you're afraid of your surrogate mother! Unless you've lived on the streets and still attended school, enduring all the little demeaning things that came with it! Going to friends to simply take a shower and working all the oddest jobs to pay for everything?! You... YOU have nothing to regret more than I have! I've even... even..."

Sunset hesitated to even move as the human woman said something that froze her blood, "... even... tried to take my own... life."

The admission of such a forbidden act was not uncommon in the human realm, but extremely rare in Equis for any species unless they were warriors in battle who gave their lives for the war. That was when she made the connection, how she fought for so long, aided by Pinkie Pie, Flash, and Rose to achieve what she set out to do. Yet to resort to such an idea to cope with her life, it was too much to accept and thus Sunset couldn't feel any anger from then on out. She was far too appalled by the statement, that some other dimension she came close to death by her own hooves or hands to relieve the pain.

"Ha... ha... ha.... my deepest darkest secret... and I'm telling it to a complete stranger that makes me second guess my sanity. Another me? Seriously as if I'm looking at a way to redo my life for the better." Shimmer sighed as she stepped back against the nearest wall and leaned into it confused and shaken.

From there, a good thirty minutes worth of silence separated the two females as they clamped their lips and avoided responding further. One relived the previous pain of life, another regretted even speaking her ordeal even if pain was pain in itself neither demeaning in each others case. Though it would not last long, as anger always gives after some point in time, never going beyond a duration of age unless it evolved into a grudge. Shimmer the human brushed a part of her dangling locks from her vision, she'd long since grown use to the unfortunate life bestowed upon her as if it were preordained. Reluctantly, she picked up their heart to heart again with a different approach to avoid going back to the horrible topic of self loathing.

"I saw police taking a few cops out of this room before I came in. Mind telling me what that was about? Not often you see cops arresting their own." Shimmer said coldly, looking away to the door as if something interesting was occurring out of Sunset's sight.

Sunset hesitated at first, believing the woman to be far beyond rational thought to carry on and that she too didn't want to bring up any old history again. After all she'd been through, now she couldn't even care to hold resentment at been up showed and put into her place once again.

"Hard to say really? They could be from any organization of your world who'd want magic for themselves or they could be pawns of the group I've been trying to identify. Principle Celestia and Flash dealt with them, but that's all I know." she answered and laid back down feeling he pain once again take hold of her muscles.

Shimmer sighed with a furrowed brow, "Explains the cops outside and why they gave me a funny look. Though why they didn't stop me guess training only goes so far huh?" she sneered at the door.

The moment took a bit before the pony Sunset registered the little quip, it seemed her human version did not particularly like authority or their apparent competence. Just like she use to be, able to snap at those higher in the chain of command whether it was civilian or royal. She'd half expected her to speak to Celestia just like she use to if not on purpose, but just the way she acted.

Flash Sentry soon arrived with two beverages in hand, knocking first before entering and let in by the security detail who closed the door behind him, "Man I guess the cops really are watching over you Sunset?" he quipped before giving a water to the human Shimmer and then going over to the bed to the former pony with tea in tow.

The boy acted carefully, ensuring he did not spill any of the hot steamy liquid before even thinking about what he got for himself. Delivering the sustenance, Sentry gave his girlfriend a very warm smile and helped her drink little by little. It was a touching scene to say the least, one Shimmer watched with a lazy eye. It was an enjoyable break from the dank atmosphere that once permeated the room, so she asked into as it seemed appropriate.

"You two an item or something?" Shimmer said swirling about the contents of her cup as the sound of spitting erupted from her other worldly self.

It caught the two off guard just as Sentry took a seat, leading him to plop harder than he expected to and hit his tailbone slightly. Shimmer noticed as he awkwardly held his cup of tea and use the other hand to assuage the pain away. He let out a little whimper and squeezed his eyes shut, it looked like a hammer just tapped his rear. Sunset of course nearly dropped her cup of steamy liquid onto herself and the bed, eyes locked in place as it hit her that Flash and her had not yet officially claimed to be a couple yet. That one kiss they shared in the halls the girls saw was the only open call, however even that still ambiguous and not rooted in her psyche. She could only guess that they were indeed an item since then with a reignited friendship, trust, dangers around every corner, and they were closer than ever all because he still saw a nicer side during the darkest years.

Grinning, "Or am I wrong? Because you two seem to be awfully close there?"

Sunset swallowed to calm her nerves, "I... guess you could say that? I ended up here shortly after um..." Sunset blushed and looked away from her human version.

Shimmer leaned into the wall and crossed her arms, a habit of hers when something interesting came along. Then the bruise on that very arm made her wince and she ceased trying to strike a pose. A landscaping timber post crashed through the drivers side window and thankfully lost enough speed to not break anything. Though the welt would be one to remember that she was certain now.

"For all it's worth, with all the craziness you described and this other world you came from. You're not... half bad honestly. Everyone has the capacity of intent. People aren't good or bad, they just do good or bad things.Your only hope in this life is to know which is which and be content with that. I've come to realize that long after many mistakes were made and I believed that I was at fault." Shimmer sighed as she gently rubbed the sore arm, "Get back up from this stank you think your in, so what you got bucked off the horse? Get back up and try again or stay on the ground, it's just like riding a horse?!"

Trying to end her little lecture after sensing an unease in the girl unfortunately correlated to the origins of the younger verse of herself. Yet what became a poking possibility that she insulted the equine in human skin, quickly melted away as Sunset who appeared shocked at first by the horse analogy suddenly burst out in strained laughing. It sounded as if she really needed to let everything loose in a positive manner, bottling up the reality after she awoke and this now was hearty in itself. Shimmer joined in as she felt the creeping contagious mirth, then again for her she nearly bit the dust if that garden nursery truck had not tilted just at the right angle that the landscaping timber hadn't dipped enough to miss her head. She had to chuckle, sure enough both the unintended slip of the tongue and their heralding experiences encouraged it.

Flash was lost at the moment, still tending to the dull ache while trying to figure out why the two girls were so livid. He looked to both of them as their ruckus spontaneous jubilation eventually subsided. Sunset's bellows subsided, the lingering happiness to express a part of herself left a sense of hope that she could continue even with the odds stacked against her in some way or form. Here was her other self not freaking out, and even going so far as to keep a conversation voluntarily. She'd not have blamed her if this all instead devolved into a chaotic incident and she was hauled off to some hidden lab to study her. Nothing of the sort even sprouted, if it was thanks to the fight or not the two were on the same plane of existence and knew the other could be trusted.

Shimmer stopped to a giggle, allowing Sunset to make a personal vow, "You're right, I'll keep being persistent and help others when a problem arises. No matter if they turn me down or look at me in fear of who I use to be. I'll even try to go back home and confront my fear..." then the fact of the matter butted its ugly head, "... if I ever get the chance that is."

The older woman let the last coughs of exuberation fade away, somehow her other self realized the dire and obstruction barring further immediate action, "What do you mean... if you ever get the chance?" she said as she wiped away a tear from earlier as her wide smile shrank to a meager grin.

"The portal back home... Twilight must have taken the magic as well as mine at the start of the games or even before I'm not sure. But when I went to it to try and go through... it was just a regular dumb old statue. She has my magic now and I'm not even familiar with the art of portal spells to try and fix it. The girls are also drained that I'm sure... I'm... I'm actually stranded in this world unless..." Sunset appeared to dive into melancholy as fast as the laughing fit had come.

"Unless what?" Shimmer asked as she stood still.

"As far as I know, the Dazzlings and Twilight are helping some kind of group get through to Equestria and I've not found much on my end except something called Greed. We don't have anymore magic to combat them even if we found them ripping a portal to Equestria, and trust me... the police and the army won't be able to stop them. If Twilight is a pawn, I can only imagine who the leader is and how much power they have. So I've put some thought into it... and I can only see myself trying to fight them by following them through whatever gateway they plan on creating. That's the only reason they would have stolen that gemstone in the first place and the Dazzlings likely serving whoever they are. It will likely be a one way trip for me. And I won't find a way back here... with my friends. The portal was damaged and further use may destroy it... collapsing the only bridge to both our worlds." Sunset gave a grim frown to Flash as he heard her plan for the first time.

"You... you're not serious are you?" he asked as the truth of her awaiting decision felt like his heart tore at him once again just as the time he came to terms with his feelings for the Princess Twilight.

"Afraid so... someone has to stop them and the hex that was put on me actually said some things I'm still unsure of. That some other force in Equestria is preventing any knowledge from getting through. It does explain why Twilight may have never responded to my calls for help... somepony is interfering for whatever reason. They even told me of where to look for the right book to make all this of any sense!" the young woman hesitated to say more as her body revolted in bodily pain from sitting up for so long.

The older woman thought in depth, considering what little she actually understood of this other universe of herself. Considering she was in no position to actually give any useful advice, it was nearly impossible to think of a right response that would benefit the troubled teenager. Even with her personal record...

'My life?'

'She's about to make a choice like I did...'

'To determine if she'll live through my mistakes or fly above them?'

"Sunset you really think that's going to fix everything? You don't have magic! How are you so sure it'll be returned when you go back home?!" Sentry protested as he feared another love of his life would be taken away from him.

Sunset shook her head, "I don't know that's the problem, it's a chance I'm willing to take to save my homeworld Flash. I don't even know whose pulling the strings, but if they've gone this far using Twilight and the sirens then they have got to be packing major resources to get them on board as well as evil intent or so I think? What they intend to do when they return... I can't... I won't let them go without me on their tail harassing them. The least I can do is figure out their plan and warn the Princesses!" her face bore that of concern and justification that no amount of reconsideration would falter.

'Just like back then...'

The young man wanted to object further, yet he knew Sunset wouldn't give when she held onto an idea. He also understood she did it for her home and he'd do the same for his if put into the same situation, but it wasn't something he'd agree to regardless. Yet, if his parents were in trouble in another country, he'd do anything in the world to help them. Such was the bittersweetness of life for him, a truth he'd have to accept just as he did with his Twilight Sparkle, no matter how much he disdained it down to his soul.

"I have no means of tracking them down though, so they might just leave tomorrow or a month from now. There's no telling what's about to happen even if I'm willing to take the dive." she laid back down in renewed submission, her striped sunny hair puffing out from under her.

She felt a gentle touch on her left hand, looking at the corner of her eyes she saw Sentry battling how he wanted to speak against her decision. Though what could he do to stop her other than spout excuses, they both had a sense of obligation with her and magic and him and his band career. Tough decisions were to be made to progress further even if it were not in the right path they originally set out to accomplish, but they had endured enough to be mature about this whole event unfolding. Strange how magical battles and doomsday events often made one act appropriately when life teetered on the very edge of the end. Perhaps he was also just exhausted from the concern over her well being for the last few hours while she was out, it was difficult to determine what was what. Her future was set in stone even if the base was wobbly, the right thing to do was there right before her even if it would hurt others in doing so.

"Ever since I was reformed... I've dealt with nothing but adversity. Trying to remake myself in the eyes of the other students, help the school out when I can to make amends with the staff, help avoid evil magical beings from taking over the world when they may not be so evil. I get hexed trying to figure things out and get haunted every night, then have my magic taken away not once but twice! Now I'm powerless to do anything and only hope for the right outcome with what I intend to set right..." Sunset closed her eyes to keep back the feeling of sorrow overcome her like someone placing a blanket over a dead corpse.

"If... if it makes you happy and it's really the right thing... to do then... go ahead and do it Sunny." Sentry sighed as he tightened his gentle grip on her hand, though he avoided any eye contact himself.

Silence soon reigned, leaving Shimmer standing in the room to finally make up her mind. If it could help herself, this other parallel version then what cost would mean anything to either of the two if it were to ease what did appear to be right? So she chugged what water was left in her plastic cup before she crushed it in her hands.

With a steeled gaze she began as her blue eyes glued onto the girl on the gurney, "Let's just agree for just this moment that I understand all about this magic and who haw. I need you to look at what I believe is something we share in common if it's anything like that show about the Doctor and timelines is about. Around your age I made a choice, one that followed me since I made it and drastically altered what was offered to me. When I look at you... I see that major turning point in my life that I made a huge mistake. If this is truly real across all the parallel universes, then it is my duty to help another me succeed even if the chances are that you'll be in some seriously deep horse manure later on. You get me?"

Sunset looked up from her little misery in curiosity, "When I graduated high school I had the chance to go and live with my boyfriend or throw myself into learning how to make a pathway for myself that I could stand on without anyone else to back me up. Guess which one I chose?"

The two teenagers paused in a response just to glance at the other before drumming up any decision. Sunset remembered the rant her other self went on, the two boyfriends she put up with and the later with the night terrors. Though she somewhat was interested to hear this little tangent of hers that somehow correlation with her own future.

"I left with him, moved away to another city where we'd try to carve out a life doing a few jobs at one time, me working in retail. He trying to become a musician. We even went hiking in the mountains of Colorado, which was probably the height of our relationship and the peak of bits I ever would have again. That life felt so good and real... and then there came the walls. He wanted to live the holistic life and save the environment, did not want kids or anything of the such. I was anything of the sort, though I did like the whole save the world idea even if it restricted our food choices. We butted heads so many times just dealing with our daily lives that I couldn't take it anymore, he became too restrictive. So we broke up and I did what I could to still have a place to sleep... a roof to have over my head. After trying for a few months to make it in the city I gave up and moved back home. I had no family to help me and my only sister was out of the state with her perfect little life. I made a few friends and managed to make it through the turmoil, but at the cost of those years just toiling away to make enough bits. I found myself moving from place to place and meeting all these cool sorts of people, developing my own musical talent with an electric guitar and my own voice. So I earned the bits to keep a place under my palm with the help of another man... the one I spoke of." Shimmer gazed angrily at the floor, Sunset being the only other one to know what she was talking about.

"We constantly fought over the house I found and signed the lease even if he hated it. It was a decision I made that felt good you know? I liked the neighborhood and it was close enough to the university to not be a burden to attend. So I worked enough to attend classes to get a degree in Fine Arts... I was on my way from that house I called my home to move to a rented house with my friends to get away from him. When that ball of light exploded and sent the road into one major accident. My parents couldn't care less about me, my sister is too far to do anything, and I'm single... can you see where I'm going with this Sunny?" the human asked as she forced her vision to partake into the doppelganger.

Flash had let the comment slide, his mind already a mess with everything thus far and every action he made to not upset the real human Sunset Shimmer standing not a few feet away from them. However, Sunset knew what was being poked, her human half was insinuating something and it was the correlation they shared. She was the future if she herself decided to stay, even somehow she tossed away any sense of loyalty to home and stayed as every source of trouble in her life disappeared quite literally. Though issues would arise, she'd still have the girls, Flash, and Rose to help her deal with leaving the evil to Princess Twilight. That was a crime she couldn't let happen however, not if her life depended on it. Perhaps what her human version had chosen in life wouldn't be the same as her potential journey, but the correlation was hard to negate. This Shimmer did not have a mentor like Celestia to give an edge in life, instead she ventured out of high school and into the real world with a mate and the end result was not well on both occasions.

"I may be the real Sunset Shimmer here, but I've gone down the path which I thought was the better life. I've chosen the decisions in which have destroyed my dreams and aspirations for a meager work and toil for something small. I'm not saying that this gentleman here would end up anything like the... man I clung to. But from what everything's happened to me... go through with it. Go back home and face your troubles head on! Don't become... like... me." Shimmer looked away, despondent to anything the other verse of herself showed.

Sunset chewed on support of her human self, was it really worth trusting an exact copy of in a dimensional standpoint? Different life and woes that affected that specific being in a vastly different environment, one who did not know anything about magic and was as helpless as a mule in Equestria. She had not expected to see her human half so soon in life, much less understanding the parallel universe or string theory in such an intimate fashion. Here she basically decided to go back home in any way possible, with Flash and this woman backing her up in their own unique ways. What kind of life awaited her in the future? What was Equestria like now and would the Princess really accept her begging of forgiveness like Twilight said she'd do? The great threat that was still vastly unknown to her and Equestria came first and foremost, there was no doubt there that her own life came second to it. If she truly wanted to prove herself to everyone that she was different than the pony she once was, this would be a sacrificial move on her part to validate that. Even if it seemed too extreme to undertake.

Noticing the young appearing to be dead set on returning home, Shimmer whispered just low enough to herself, "Peace be onto you..."

Adagio's Dream

How many times had she dreamed of waking up from a nap in her mothers protective body? How many times did she relish in the experience to once again hear and feel her own mother as things use to be, in the puny little hatchling form that was her innocence? To every time realize what was coming and try to haplessly warn her of the coming end? To hear that gruesome traumatic sound and feel the sound wave pass by, like an evil god laughing at her as if it found the torment amusing? Seeing her father again, even if he was barely visible to her before her parents whisked her away into the water. The cold and unforgiving chill of the deep ocean, where her breath suddenly ceased up and the thought of death by choking always following suite.

That was the old Adagio, before she found out the truth to the dreams and how they were reactionary to stress. Her mother put just a sliver of her magic into the hatchling before giving her a chance at life, to give her something to remember. Hopefully use to make it in the world where the odds would be that she'd likely never made it to adulthood. Her mother had attempted to give a sanctuary for when that time came and yet she overcame the odds. Instead, she adapted to grow up in the hostile environment of the wilderness and toughened up, being chased by predators many times her size and each sporting various ugly ways to be killed and devoured such a pup as herself. It affected the way the magic worked to soothe her, and in her agony of remorse for not going with the pod she cast upon herself a reminder of the changing point that altered her once placid life. That reminder glued her focus onto one thing only, and that was to make the ponies pay for what they had done. For the lives of her kin, she'd punish them a million times over and what better way than to have all enthralled to do her bidding to where even their children's children would serve siren kind until time ended.

As they said in the human world, an eye for an eye makes the world go blind. For her, she'd never harm a pony not if she could help it, too much time had pass for the perpetrators to still be alive. No, she'd make them work to establish a new order for pony kind with her pod at the head, they'd do what she wanted and exist as sources of negative emotions. They would be like the cattle to the humans, if humans could drink in the fear and anger of the caged bovines.

Having fell into deep sleep, Adagio now dreamed of her home and those long gone frolicking among the waves of the placid crystal clear waters of the shore. She dreamed of them in their later stages of age where no one had died and the other hatchlings like her lived well into adulthood with their mothers and fathers. From that every hungry siren hatchling like herself just as old as she practicing with the others, to the old Matriarch watching from the beach with her mate. The sun was out and not a cloud in the sky, it was picturesque and beautiful to behold and that was how she knew she was dreaming. No birds cawing their ruckus laughter, only the music of the ocean and nothing else to disturb the peaceful scene. A sense of pride nonetheless washed over Dazzle as her mother sat on her belly alongside her overlooking from a rocky outcropping, this would be the world she'd strive to make. Those ponies would live like them if they had to, assuming she'd find out how her pod died. That was the second item on her vengeance list to mark off, even if she had to pry into the minds of the so called Arcana.

The two golden adults watched and observe the others enjoying the day as if the fateful moment never came to pass and the assembly lived past that day. It was a strange sensation to experience, she an adult next to her mother having a shared experience together. Adagio could swear to Poseidon that she finally understood what being a fully grown siren meant right at that moment, no human experience, no Starswirl the Bearded, no nothing. Once she entered the dream, the most critical questions came to mind even as she went sight seeing. Answers that only her mother could hopefully provide and in full detail so that she could move one with.

Grabbing the seconds passing by, Adagio took the initiative and dove straight in as she was unsure of how long she had, "Mom? Can I ask you a question?"

The older siren still slightly larger than herself nodded and gave her a sideways glance, "My little Dazzle, of course you can... that is why I am here."

Adagio searched for the first question and bit down on it hard, "Are you proud of me?"

There was an admittedly long silence, just the ambient noise of the pod and the ocean playing out in the background, "There is nothing you can do to make me regret feeling proud of you... you've lived for so long and... here we are talking again?! It is an accomplishment in itself." a motherly warmth hazed the very air about the older mother, beaming with pride that frustrated Dazzle a little.

"Okay? Let me rephrase that... I'll be returning home soon. We will set out to conquer Equestria and the ponies first... " she paused to bit her lip, "We will bring justice to those ponies who poisoned our waters, the realm of the all mighty father! But... I just... wanted to know if you'd still be proud of me when I do that?"

The smile never left that soft muzzle, and it did no wonders for the young matriarch for what she had questioned ever since they first lost their gems, "If bringing your pain to rest will sooth my little Dazzle's mind and let you live in peace. Then I would be very proud of my siren as I always would have." nuzzling her daughter as she finished speaking.

The golden siren quivered at the sensation, even though it was a dream it felt all to real and lucid. Begrudgingly, she waited for the coddling to even go so far as to bite down on her tongue just to keep from the very idea of going into her younger form just to lay in love. It was a growing weakness since the dream started, the anxiety of going back home to really return and restart what she'd long set out to do. The fires of vengeance were as hot as a the flames of Tartarus and no mere mortal would stand in her way of getting what had been planned for since they first failed. The ponies would suffer, they would know what happens when you anger a siren whose voice none could resist. Yet, under all that torrential inferno that had conflagrated within her fractured heart had a hidden fragment that did not truly bold well with the great scheme. That sliver like a splinter of wood that found a spot of skin underneath the scales and embedded itself in, and she could not remove it herself alone.

"Mom! I'm serious! Please listen, you and the others deserve justice from thieves and murderers who cloak themselves in the guise of harmony and friendship! Hypocrites!" Dazzle hissed at the titles the Equestrians held high like the griffons did to that golden relic, "But... I've been thinking..."

Her mother's dorsal fin twitched a little, then she herself turning to curl around the slightly smaller young adult. Comparing the two, Adagio was still ages below either of her parents since sirens were immortal until eaten by a great beast of the abyss or killed by starvation. Even if she was as old as she was now, it was unavoidable of what came next that sent the Dazzling into a stupor. The fervor which gripped her irked cooled from a boil to a simmer, her mind buzzing out as the larger adult encompassed like a python of the jungles and she trapped inside its dense coils. Her mothers powerful forelegs gently gripped her into a hug, using her long serpent tongue to lap at her daughters head a few times to ease her daughters jumbled mind. The sensation was mind blowing as it was comforting, hard to believe she was asleep and not with her flesh and blood mother. It was not an unusual thing for a parent to still dote over their offspring well after they were of age, sirens were a tightly nit social group and to maintain the bonds which facilitated the right harmony in group singing sessions. They often engaged in social grooming, maintaining each others scales where one alone might miss a spot where a parasite lingered or a patch of unshed skin wafted in the breeze at the edges. Beyond that, it was an experience which was as pleasurable as a fine meal or a surplus of negative emotions, an evolutionary quirk that benefited pods greatly.

Drunk on familial love, Adagio let her head rest against her mothers vast chest and glimmering gem just barely able to speak, "When... we... when we lost our gems..." she nuzzled deeper into the sleek smooth armored belly scales warmth, "I... tried to get them back... but... I found out we lost them for good. So I just gave up. And for a moment... I actually thought of a life where... all I had lived for no longer mattered. I... I felt empty and... new."

Sensing the despair her mother acted upon it continued cleaning her little Dazzle from her head to the crest of her back. Hitting all the right spots where the nerves were easily accessible, aiming to keep her pup from becoming far too lost in her depression.

"I was powerless mom! I couldn't... we couldn't do anything to go back and so I took my anger on that human world. Sure they were easier to control, more negative than the ponies. But what sense did it make to rule over a world that didn't take you and the others away from me! I actually felt... admittedly free when those... rainbooms removed our powers." she curled her head in shame, "I began to think of what we might do with ourselves in this new world and third chance we were given to live... even if it we would die soon. No eternal hunger to sing and feed, we could decide to make something of ourselves beyond singing... NOT that I wanted to stop! We just... lost our voices and we had no options left." she shivered as her vision lost its focus under the ministrations of the grooming.

"That lasted only a moment... and we got new gems! We could be ourselves again if we followed this guy this... monster who once use to be a unicorn. It's his eyes mom... those gray eyes that shine like golden bits whenever he's performing magic or something of the sort. Since then... I've only felt power like that of the alicorns and even that was a passing glance at those two sisters when we were last in Canterlot." Adagio mulled over that memory and for a few seconds she wondered about why those two were not informed of their presence by that bearded old fool, "I've resumed my mission of which he and his followers will help with so long as we help them. I'm unsure of what to think of them, they're quite the... strange bunch of crabs. Without the gems we were able to have anything of our lives to do with as we pleased, little else to really do... and... I was kind of tired of trying again and again." she was confused, letting the restrained second thoughts she'd had since they were free both of their own free will and by being thrown into another universe.

The parental siren stopped, letting out a slow exhale and bent her neck till she completely hugged her daughter with as much contact as possible, "Do not fret my shining star. Your safe here. I'm here for you so that you can prevail in your dreams. No matter what you do I will never feel nor be shamed by any of your choices. You've overcame the odds and survived! That alone is worthy of the Equestrians praise and adoration of you. Make sure they know that. The last daughter of Nessuna Cosa's pod."

What little comfort those words gave fell to Adagio's consistent questioning of her own actions, "MOM! I'm serious about this!" she regained some mental awareness, "I don't know if even going back after so long means anything! Having our gems back is great and all, but we slugged through centuries of barely feeding off the humans enough to keep our powers from dying out! After all that hard work and to have it taken away by measly little humans and... we would have died if it... weren't for Yellow... Tail." the memory came back full on as she remembered what he said they did for them. Immortals who turned to dust once their power was sapped away.

"My little Dazzle... I know of what he did and how he helped you. I wanted you to get it off your chest so you would see the light. I know you are hurting... I'd give my life to Poseidon just to make sure you lived a good life. But you must realize... that I'd be proud of you no matter what you did because you are... my little Dazzle." her mother squeezed her tighter.

"I... I..." she stuttered realizing that even with her brains she faulted and lingered on old facts, the human world was a danger to them as was any ferocious predator. Once their power was gone they were on death row. They had to have some kind of gem to use and feed through, it was the curse of her kind and it suddenly instilled her with fortitude over all the doubt that was breeding within her soul. Human or pony, a siren sang for power and life itself, what they did with it was their own decision. Adagio saw her purpose as nothing to feel distant about anymore, they were alive and Equestria would be theirs for the taking. She'd use Yellow's oppurtunity to remake their home, indeed where ponies would be the minority and they on top.

"No matter what you choose to do, I will always be here for you. My little Dazzle..." sea birds appeared out of the blue from the mangrooves, flying above them to the sea.

"Then I will make you proud mom..."

The world went black, all sensations were severed which destroyed the dream that was under her full enjoyment. No longer could she feel the delicate hold of her parent, no warmth of the sun, no sounds of the water or the others except for the low grumble of static the human televisions made when broken. Ringing of the ears dominated her sense of hearing as her mind awoke from slumber, accompanied by the painful light of day removing the abyssal world of her sight for a colorful realm. Immediately, Adagio took to stretching in the recliner she slept in, popping a few joints in the process as she moaned in delight almost melodically. Her arms rose above her and her back arched, muscles tensed until they could take no more. Quickly, her back and deltoids felt the sharp pain of over exertion in their semi dormant state. Dazzle released her body to flop back into the comfortable seat as her fluffy curls of hair cushioned her fall. The little cover sheet Yellow gave them kept her warm in the cool air of the condo, the marvels of perfect air conditioning machines meant they were neither too warm or too cold.

Smelling the air, a slight essence of food was picked up that her assessment realized was the savory scent of eggs, meat, and something sweet. In addition, a tangy air mixed in with what she knew was the tall tell tale of coffee being brewed which forced her sandman covered eyes to pry themselves open.

'What is that?'

Her magenta eyes traced around through slight blurriness, where there before her were her sirens and human ally oddly enough packed together undisturbed like a can of sardines. All thoughts soon focused on Aria, the lovable and easily annoyed one who was then and there cozied up onto Twilight as was Sonata. If she had not just woken up, a grin and a chuckle would have escaped her lips at such a sight so instead she grinned. Of course that power grabber would do such a thing, she was always apt to seek a heat source even when they were in Equestria. That siren gravitated to anything warm even if she fell to sleep far from either Dusk or her, she never failed to end up wrapped around or nestled into either of the two and never recalling the act of doing so when confronted.

Silently she judged the trio as her ears detected sounds coming from the kitchen in the back. With a body still warming up to move, Adagio took a slow coming too and alert. One of the exiles likely up and at it making food for themselves as it was obviously morning. Conflicted with that and enjoying the harmony her Dazzlings were experiencing, well before things would vastly change the level of comfort amid each other which any Matriarch would be absolutely livid for.

Pandius the Changeling Empress appeared from the right hallway out of a room, her regal appearance ever on spot as the woman headed to the kitchen fully dressed in an elegant casual look that befitted her personality. Adagio gave a sneer though it was not noticed by the other party, the smug royal was not something she wished to have seen as she awoke to the start of a very important day. Their fated return to Equis, in tow of other exiles who possessed strange and unique powers all to themselves which she anticipated just as much chaos as their dinner and further meeting.

"I can't even have a regular morning without worrying over what will happen next can I?" she mumbled to herself as she stirred out of her seat to use the restroom.