Sunset Shimmer decides to take on the challenge of reforming the Dazzlings, starting with Adagio Dazzle herself.
Ever since the events of the Fall Formal, Sunset Shimmer has done a lot for Canterlot High, saving the school and its students many times now but even then, Sunset doesn't feel like it's enough. She then decides to take on the seemingly impossible: reform their old adversaries, The Dazzlings, starting with the leader, Adagio herself.
Sunset and Adagio decide on a bet: if Sunset can win her over on "the magic of friendship" in a week's time, Adagio will give it a chance and maybe convince her fellow sirens to follow suit. Will Sunset succeed and make a new friend (or possibly three) or will she truly be in over her head?
After what had been a long and eventful winter, spring was finally around the corner and it was finally starting to warm up, much to the relief of Sunset Shimmer. Not that she minded the cold so much, more so that she didn’t have to worry in case the heater in her apartment decided to crap out again.
It was a Sunday, meaning she had to brace for another week at school, but at least spring break was also around the corner. Now that she thought about it, she wasn’t really sure what she was going to do that entire week. Currently, she was sitting in her room, bored out of her mind and it was only after one in the afternoon. As per most Sundays, most of the girls were either busy working or catching up on schoolwork.
Sunset groaned as she laid on her bed. There had to be something to do around here. She looked at her phone and a random thought came to her. Wonder what Flash is up to…
She felt a slight knot in her stomach. She knew Flash had wanted to start things over with her, which in itself was sweet and obviously told her that he had forgiven her, but she had been on the fence about it for so long now and since then had been avoiding the topic. She felt guilty about it of course, not giving him a straight answer and honestly, calling him up and asking to hang out would either start the whole process anew, or somehow upset him and possibly damage their current relationship.
In the end, she knew what the answer was: she wasn’t in the mood to date anymore. Back then, her relationship with Flash was just a ruse, a power play so to say. There was no real attraction, even though she acted otherwise. Thinking about it now just made her feel worse.
Sunset eyed her bookshelf and noticed a familiar looking journal. Another idea came to mind. I could contact Princess Twilight and see if she wanted to hang. Maybe she could come here for once if she wasn’t busy…
Sunset got up and grabbed the diary as well as a pen and went to her desk. She went to the next blank page and was about to start writing…when she paused suddenly. She put the pen down and flipped back through some of the pages, glancing at some of their conversations from before. Twilight had been real busy as of late, setting up a school, dealing with a psychotic filly (And I thought I was a brat back then… she thought), and then most recently finding out that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were going to step down and Twilight would be taking over as ruler of Equestria. Oh yeah, and Sombra is now permanently dead. At least, Twilight hoped he was.
Once upon a time, that could’ve been her future and now, Sunset was glad it wasn’t. Still, she was happy for Twilight and considering her resume, she deserved it.
Resume…funny, she and Twilight had similar roles and yet Sunset’s couldn’t quite stack up. Sure, she saved the world a number of times and found a few lost magical artifacts but she had yet to do something extraordinary. For example, reforming someone like Discord, the lord of Chaos himself was-
Sunset suddenly stopped as it came to her. Of course, the solution had practically been in front of her all this time. It wasn’t much, and again, Sunset wasn’t treating this like a competition, but if she was able to pull this off, she’d be doing both this world and Equestria a huge favor.
She grabbed her phone and quickly set up a group text message with the rest of the girls. She wasn’t sure at first how to word it, but she decided to keep it short and sweet. “Hey girls, I got something to tell you all at lunch tomorrow. Nothing huge, just an idea I had, that’s all.” She decided to leave it at that and if anyone decided to ask what it was, she’d make them wait til tomorrow.
As the next day came around, Sunset seemed to be in a better mood as she made her way to school. She was also a bit nervous, telling her friends of her plan. There was probably an eighty-five percent chance that they wouldn’t go with it and think she was crazy, but she also knew her friends were always willing to support her.
Once lunchtime came, as they made their way to their seats, they cut right to the chase. “Alright Sunset, you obviously want to surprise us with something since you weren’t willing to respond to any of our texts,” Rainbow Dash stated.
“Well, if it’s coming from Sunset, it’s gotta be important,” Applejack added.
“Ahem, are you saying that nothing I mention is ‘important’?” Rarity asked with a small glare.
“Rarity, most of what you read in the tabloids doesn’t really affect us,” Twilight pointed out.
Rarity gave a dramatic gasp. “Well, I’ll have you know such news, such as the Duke and Duchess having marriage issues, can cause ripples all over the world!”
“To be honest, I don’t really read that stuff…” Fluttershy said quietly.
“Come on, I wanna hear what Sunset has to say!” Pinkie almost yelled. “Is it your birthday? No, it’s too early for that. A regular party? Are you throwing a party for someone!?”
“Nothing like that,” Sunset chuckled. “I had been doing some thinking and…I know we’ve done a lot of good, you know saving the world and all that-”
“To be fair, I think just saying ‘saving Canterlot High’ would be more accurate,” Twilight interrupted.
“Okay, fair enough, but even so I feel like there’s more that we can do and thinking back on the things that Princess Twilight has done I kind of had an idea…”
“Yes? Go on…” Rarity said.
“Well the thing is…I don’t really know if you’re all going to like it since it kind of involves some ‘old friends’…”
“Will you just tell us already!?” Dash said impatiently.
“I…thought maybe we can try reforming the Dazzlings,” Sunset said with a weak smile.
The girls just stared at her, ranging from confusion to speculation. “Say what now?” Applejack asked.
“Just hear me out okay?” Sunset asked. When no one spoke up, she continued. “I remember what they did, and I know they’re not a threat anymore, but don’t you feel kind of bad for them?”
“It’s kinda hard to feel bad for someone who hypnotizes your entire school and turns everyone against one another,” Dash said, crossing her arms.
“Not to mention they had been doing that for who knows how long and obviously they didn’t feel bad doing it,” Rarity added.
“Okay, points taken, but now that reality for them has set in, don’t you think they might consider giving friendship a chance?” Sunset asked.
“I’m not sure if they even want to change,” Fluttershy said.
“I admit, I never got to meet them so I don’t really have an opinion of them,” Twilight said. “But I think I kind of see where Sunset is coming from. It seems like they are kind of struggling to make ends meet last we saw them.”
Dash snorted. “Good riddance.”
“Sunset, I know your heart is in the right place but I think Fluttershy has a point, what if they don’t want to change?” Applejack asked.
Sunset sighed. “Some time ago, Princess Twilight had to find a way to reform Discord of all beings and she managed to find a way, so if it can work on him, I think we can do it too.”
“We?” Rarity asked.
“Well…I can try at least. I figured if I can reform at least one of them maybe that’ll be enough?”
“Wait, are you doing all this cause you feel obligated?” Applejack asked.
Sunset’s bravado was starting to crack. “It’s not that…it’s something that’s been on my mind for awhile, more so after the Starswirled Music Festival. Besides, if we did manage to convince them to become friends, wouldn’t that benefit both sides?”
“I suppose…” Rarity shared her look of uncertainty with the others. “But darling, how exactly are you going to pull it off?”
“I have an idea in mind…though it’s kind of risky,” Sunset gave a hesitant smile.
“I’d guess that’d you go after the ditzy one, but something tells me that’s not your plan,” Dash said with a concerned look.
“Don’t tell me you’re going after Adagio first,” Applejack said.
“Um, which one is that again?” Twilight asked.
“Golden curls, leader of the bunch,” Rarity answered. “I really don’t know about this Sunset, even without their magic, they may still be dangerous…”
“Maybe you can disarm them with…cupcakes!” Pinkie said enthusiastically. Everyone else gave her an odd look. “What? No one can ever say no to sweets.”
“I appreciate your concern, I really do,” Sunset said, looking at each of them. “But I’ll be fine. Worst case scenario, I’ll get a big fat no and that’ll be the end of it I guess.”
“You sure you don’t want any back up on this?” Dash asked.
Sunset shook her head. “If we’re all there, all they’re gonna feel is intimidated.” She then smirked slightly. “You think this is the first time I’ve taken on three girls by myself?”
“Alright, but if none of us get a text from you later on, we’ll be looking for you,” Applejack said. “Please just be careful…”
The biggest challenge would be actually finding the Dazzlings, but luckily the internet was a resource. As far as she could recall, they were living in a van and the van had been spotted close to the outskirts of Canterlot, not too far from the school. Once school was out, she took the bus heading in that general direction.
The outskirts were outlined with abandoned buildings and shopping plazas that were no doubt the result of past economic downturns. Once Sunset got off the bus, she made her way to a building that once been owned by a now out of business phone company. It was in that parking lot that she found the van.
No one was outside and because of the tinted windows she couldn’t see anyone inside either. Sunset was a little nervous, mostly because she wasn’t sure how the Dazzlings were going to react to her presence. Hopefully they were willing to talk.
She slowly went up to the van and after a moment of no reaction, she knocked on the side door. The door then opened slightly as a face accompanied by blue hair looked out before it suddenly closed. “Uh girls?” Sunset could hear her say on the other side. “That Sunset girl is standing right outside…”
She didn’t have to wait long before the door swung open again and now three sets of eyes were staring at her. Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, Sonata Dusk. Sirens from Equestria now pop stars in this world. Or at least that was their new goal. “What are you doing here?” Adagio asked, looking the least bit amused.
“Better question, how did you find us here?” Aria asked. The looks on their faces told Sunset she had better answer quickly.
“It’s pretty easy nowadays to find people on the internet,” Sunset replied. She then paused and glanced at Sonata. “Also, she posted pictures online.”
Adagio and Aria glared at their fellow bandmate. “What?” Sonata asked as she shrugged innocently.
“Alright fine, you found us,” Adagio said. “So what is it now? Some magical catastrophe downtown going on and you’re so certain we have to be involved with it?”
“Look, I’m sorry about that, okay?” Sunset rolled her eyes. “Anyway, nothing magical related. I just want to talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Aria said firmly.
“Oh actually, do you ever get those coupons in the mail, you know like buy one taco get one free on Tuesdays?” Sonata asked.
“Please stop talking…” Aria growled.
“Actually I wanted to talk to you personally,” Sunset said, looking at Adagio. “Privately.”
Adagio had a mixture of confusion and intrigue on her face. Aria on the other hand eyed Sunset suspiciously. “Okay…why?”
“Don’t worry Aria,” Adagio said as she got out of the van and stretched. “If our good friend Sunset came out all this way to talk to me, the least I can do is listen.” Her voice was laced with sarcasm but Sunset took it as progress.
The two of them went over to the corner of the large building and Adagio leaned against the brick wall. “So what’s so important?” she asked. “And how come you’re all by yourself?”
“Figured if I brought everyone you’d probably just lock your van,” Sunset said simply.
“Hmph, probably so. Seeing you is one thing, seeing all six of you would make my stomach turn. But anyway…”
“Let me ask you a question,” Sunset said. “Are you three okay? I mean living out of a van says a lot you know.”
“Why do you care?” Adagio gave her a small glare. “Considering how long it’s been since-” She suddenly stopped as a small smile crossed her face. “Oh I get it…little Sunset is suddenly feeling pity for us and wants us to- what’s that word? Reform? Sheesh, you ponies are so predictable. Seriously, is that why you’re here?”
“First of all, I don’t feel any pity,” Sunset said coldly. “Everything that happened was the result of your own doing. I’m here because I believe anyone, even you three, are capable of second chances.”
“And what does that mean? We have to go around saying, ‘Sorry for all the trouble we caused, I hope you can forgive us.’?” Adagio scoffed. “Does that really sound like us?”
“I used to say the same thing, after everything I did,” Sunset said softly. “I didn’t think anyone would even want to forgive me, and believe me, compared to what you did at the Battle of the Bands, I did much worse. Even then, someone was willing to give me another chance and it made me a better person. Isn’t that what you want to?”
Adagio looked away as she frowned. “What I want…is just for us to be happy. I don’t even care if anyone forgives us or not, we can’t change the past.”
“No, but you can still change your future.”
Adagio shook her head as a small smile returned. “And you think I’m capable of doing that?”
“Are you the betting type?”
That got Adagio’s attention. “Perhaps…” she replied, looking at Sunset now. “What are you proposing?”
“It’s pretty simple. I think if you can see how beneficial friendship actually is, maybe then you’ll be more willing to reach out and ask for help. You know people are willing to help if you ask.”
“Just get to your point,” Adagio said briskly.
“One week. If I can convince you in one week that you’re capable of making friends, then I want you to make Aria and Sonata get on board as well.”
“That’s a lot to ask, but what if it doesn’t work?”
Sunset knew she wasn’t going to like saying this but she had to make it real convincing for her. “If it doesn’t work out…I’ll be your indentured servant for a month.”
“Wow.” Adagio suddenly laughed. “You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?” She then stepped forward towards her and put out her hand. “Fine, I’ll accept your deal, but do know I’m not exactly going to be cooperative about this.”
“I figured,” Sunset said. “However, realize when I say a week, it doesn’t mean you get to skip days. Every meet up we have counts as a day.”
Adagio bit back a curse. She had been hoping to use that little loophole but Sunset had apparently saw that coming. “Fine, so when do we start?”
“Tomorrow,” Sunset replied as she finally shook Adagio’s hand. “I’m assuming you’ll be available tomorrow.”
“Maybe…yes.”
“Good, and don’t worry, it’ll just be you and me for now, don’t want you feeling nauseous around the other girls.”
Adagio chuckled. “I appreciate that. I suppose I’ll have to give you my number then as well. You’re very lucky by the way since I don’t give it out to just anyone.”
Sunset smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“I can hardly wait…”
“Hold on a second, you actually got her to go with it?” Applejack said on the phone. “She’s not pulling your leg or anything?”
“Let’s just say I made it rather convincing for her,” Sunset said while she was in her room. “I’m kind of surprised myself, but she already made it clear she’s not gonna make it easy for me. I think I can get through to her though.”
“Just be careful, she may not have her magic anymore but she’s good at buttering people up, as you know.”
“Yeah…I know I can make this work AJ.”
“Hey, if anyone can do it, it’d definitely be you.”
“For realsies? Your actually gonna hang out with her for a week?” Sonata asked. The three sirens were currently sitting inside their van.
“I admit she made a good offer,” Adagio said as she painted her nails. “Besides, what would be better than to have our adversary cleaning up after us?”
“I don’t like all this…but I admit the payoff would be worth it,” Aria said. “Have her do anything for us would be the ultimate revenge, even if it’s just for a month.”
“Oh trust me, she’s gonna regret her words, once that month is over,” Adagio said. “We’ve been in this world for over a thousand years and if we haven’t made any friends by now, nothing will change that now.”
The next morning, as soon as Sunset got up, she decided to text Adagio and ask what she wanted to do today. She didn’t expect her to respond back, least not until later in the day but she was surprised to see her text back within five minutes. “Wherever you want to go :)” Sunset was pretty sure Adagio wasn’t smiling on her end and because she wasn’t sure what her interests were, she decided to play it safe and suggest going to the mall. When in doubt, go there and see what they gravitate towards…
At school, the girls were a mixture of surprise and apprehension while they ate their lunches. “Not gonna lie, I thought she was gonna turn you down,” Dash said. “What did you say to convince her?”
Sunset hadn’t mentioned the possibility of her having to do whatever the Dazzlings wanted if this whole experiment failed. Even then, she was aware that Adagio could go along with it and pull a one-eighty right at the end. Actually, that was probably her strategy, for now at least. “Let’s just say I sweetened the pot for her,” Sunset replied casually. Dash didn’t look quite satisfied with the answer but she didn’t press on.
“There was one other thing I was wondering about,” Rarity said, as she ate her salad. “Say this all works out and we do manage to convince them to be our friends and all that, what about their magic?”
That of course was something Sunset wanted to put off til later but she guessed it had to be addressed. “Without their gems, they have no magic, obviously. Unfortunately, all I know about sirens is that they use their magic to lure others to do their bidding or otherwise draw out their negativity.” Now that she thought about it, it was interesting how they preyed on negative emotions, while changelings (formerly) preyed on positive emotions, or love. “I guess I’d have to ask Princess Twilight about that one. The other thing is I don’t know if they can even get their magic back at this point.”
“It’s kind of sad actually…” Fluttershy commented.
“Sad that all they ever do is manipulate and control?” Applejack asked. “Sorry Sunset, but it’s like ya said, what else can they do with their magic?”
Sunset frowned, mostly cause Applejack brought up a good point. Was it just in their nature to deceive and manipulate? If this was Equestria, what would’ve happened to them if they had their magic? Here, they were as normal as pretty much any student in this school.
Normal. When she had first come to this world, she lost her magic abilities and had to adapt, but at that point she could’ve been considered a normal person. Now, seven of them had magical abilities, and six of them had just been normal teenagers. She was now starting to understand the Dazzling’s resentment. Before, it was only them, it was how they survived this long. Now, they were reduced to normal bystanders while seven teenagers became wielders of magic. It was finally time to confront this.
Earlier that morning, Sunset texted Adagio that they would meet up at the mall right after school ended. Once she had gotten all her things, she made her way to the mall. It took about ten minutes but to her surprise, she saw Adagio waiting outside the entrance. As she was looking at her phone, it was obvious that she didn’t really want to be here.
“Took you long enough,” she said as soon as Sunset walked up to her.
“You know it’s not exactly a short walk from school,” Sunset replied.
“Whatever. So what exactly is it you want to do here?” Adagio asked.
Sunset had known how difficult it would be on the first day but nevertheless she managed to force a smile. “Just walk around, see if anything catches your attention.”
“Mm.” Adagio glanced at the entrance. “I suppose a little window shopping wouldn’t hurt…”
As they walked around the mall, Sunset tried to start off conversations but Adagio didn’t seem in the mood to engage. However, there was a small dress shop that opened a few months back that caught her attention and she wasted no time going inside. Sunset couldn’t help but chuckle as she watched Adagio look at dress after dress. “You know, in this situation I think Rarity would be a better companion than I.”
Adagio scoffed. “Please, I don’t need a know-it-all telling me what’s chic or what speaks to me. You’d be the most tolerable out of all of them.”
Sunset frowned. Guess that resentment was still bubbling in her after- wait a minute. “Why me?” Sunset asked.
Adagio had her back to her but Sunset noticed her tense up for a moment but she casually said. “Maybe it’s because we’re both of the same world and in a way we’re both strangers here.”
“You miss it there?” Sunset asked.
Adagio sighed. “Considering it’s been over a thousand years, I wouldn’t even know if it’s the same anymore. You wouldn’t know this, but the moment I saw that Equestrian magic was in this world, I finally felt excited. Maybe, just maybe, we’d be able to go home.” She then suddenly glared at Sunset. “Now, we’re stranded here and we have no magic.”
If there was ever a time to confront her, now was the time. “Alright, I knew you were going to bring this up sooner or later but look, you didn’t give us a choice. All of this could’ve been avoided if we had just talked.”
“Not like it matters now…” Adagio grumbled.
“For what it’s worth, I am sorry…I can’t imagine what it’s like not to have any magic at all. But tell me, is that all that you can do with magic?”
“You wouldn’t understand…”
“Then make me understand. Believe it or not, I do want to help you. And call me crazy but, if I knew a way to get your magic back, I would do it.”
Adagio snorted. “Oh really? And what if we just high-tailed it out of here once you did?”
“You’d still owe me,” Sunset said with a slight smirk.
Adagio smirked in return. “I suppose that’s true.” The smirk disappeared as a questioning look took its place. “You really want to know what it’s like to be a siren?”
“I do.”
“Well, you better buy us both a latte cause this might take awhile…”
The history of the Sirens was not well known to most in Equestria, most of what ponies or other creatures knew were regarded as folk tales. Adagio’s account was different and more detailed. Out east, far away from the continent of Equestria, there was an island where creatures of the sea that could sing most beautifully lived and prospered. There was no sort of government, they were just a small community, praying to a sea god that supposedly gave them life and purpose.
There were texts that mentioned that there were other types of sirens, one that lived in the heavens above and more bird-like, and another that supposedly could drag their victims to the depths of Tartarus. Adagio and her fellow Sirens had never encountered either, though it was possible the former could’ve been some ancestor of the hippogriffs.
When she was growing up, there were many that wanted to leave the island and discover new lands, new opportunities. Of course, not everyone was on board with that idea and as such, the once lively community was split in two. As for Adagio, Aria, and Sonata, it was obvious what choice they made. Unfortunately, as they met ponies for the first time and realized they could be manipulated, they became too ambitious and that would soon lead to Starswirl.
“It’s funny,” Adagio said as she took a sip from her latte. “After so many centuries, I hardly think about my family now. A thousand years in exile apparently does that.”
“Don’t you miss them?” Sunset asked.
“I don’t even know if they’re still alive,” Adagio replied with a frown. “Regardless, I’ve made my peace with that. I had other things to worry about…”
A thousand years was a long time and so much had changed in that amount of time. The technological advances had been exponential compared to Equestria, and while they had been able to manipulate their way through time, it wasn’t always a happy story.
“So much death,” Adagio said quietly. “Were it by other people, disease, or natural disaster, you never forget about it. You want to know why I consider people here scum? Because they never learned from their mistakes…”
“Not all people are like that,” Sunset argued. “I may have been in this world much less than you three, but people, most people, are willing to help one another, achieve goals they never thought possible. Sure, a lot of bad happened but really, is it that different than Equestria?”
“What about you?” Adagio asked.
The question caught Sunset off guard. “What about me?”
“Do you miss it? Equestria?”
“…I do. One day, maybe I’ll return and stay there, but I feel like right now I’m needed here. After all, all these incidents are in a way my doing.”
“I guess we do have more in common than we thought,” Adagio said as she finished her coffee and tossed the container into the trash. “There’s one thing that’s been bothering me though. Since when can you read minds?”
Sunset knew that she could lie, just say it was something she had always been able to do, though Adagio probably wouldn’t believe her. After all, telling her about the geodes could be dangerous…but friendship could only be built on trust and therefore she had to trust Adagio. Sunset grabbed the necklace around her and showed off the small orange geode. “You can thank this little gem.”
As expected, Adagio’s eyes widened. “Wait…where did you-?”
“In a cave near the Everfree Forest,” Sunset said. “I don’t know how it got there, but there’s no doubt it’s Equestrian magic.”
“Let me guess…your other friends each have one too?”
“That’s right.”
Adagio looked to be lost in thought until her phone suddenly buzzed. She looked at it and realized what time it was. “Oh…I need to get going.”
“Oh, well if you need to,” Sunset said as she got up. “So…what do you think?”
“Think of what?”
“This, us talking and all that,” Sunset said. “C’mon, it wasn’t that bad.”
“If you think you’ve got me hooked after one encounter, I pity you,” Adagio said casually with a small smirk. “But I admit it wasn’t…bad.”
“G-Good,” Sunset said a little too quickly. At least that was progress. “You know, since tomorrow’s Friday, we could always find something to do tomorrow night.”
“Hmm…if I say yes, I get to choose where to go this time.”
“I mean, I guess that’s fair,” Sunset shrugged.
“Good, then I suppose I’ll accept. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She then got up and gave her a small wave before she left.
Sunset stood there as she suddenly felt giddy. “Holy shit, this might actually work!”
“You’re back later than I expected,” Aria said once Adagio opened the door. “We figured you’d put up with her for ten minutes at most.”
“Nah, I decided to indulge her just this once,” Adagio said with a small shrug. “She’s not as annoying as I thought, at least.”
“So…tell us what happened?” Sonata said with a very wide grin.
Adagio groaned. “Nothing happened. All we did was talk…though I did find out one interesting thing.”
“Oh?” Aria asked, looking mildly curious.
Adagio had a wide smirk on her face. “Girls, I think I may have found a way to get our magic back…”
