//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: Outlast Dazzling // by Darkness Moon //------------------------------// After hours on the road, they finally reached the city and they finally reached Sunset's neighborhood. It was 12 o'clock when they arrived; Sunset made sure none of the neighbors saw them. They could get the wrong idea, four girls hurt and with blood on their clothes were not good signs. Pulling into her garage, she turns off the engine and closes the gate. "We're here" said Sunset, taking off her belt. "Girls?" But she was surprised to see that they all slept peacefully. Sonata was leaning on Aria's shoulder and Adagio was sleeping with her arms crossed and Onix on her legs. Sunset did not want to wake them up; they looked so calm; who knew how long they could sleep without worries? But she had to get them up. "Come here Onix" Sunset said, carrying the ferret. She put the animal in its backpack and looked at Adagio. "Adagio... wake up" called Sunset, shaking the siren's shoulder gently. "Hmm..." Adagio complained. "What is it?" she said. "We're here" said Sunset. Then she remembered they were going to Sunset's house. "How long have we been asleep?" Adagio asked. "A couple hours, let's go" said Sunset, getting out of the car. "Aria! Sonata! Get up! We arrived!" Adagio called. They both woke up. "It's about time" said Aria, yawning. Once they left the care, they were surprised to see Sunset's garage. It was broader than it appeared; the walls and ceiling were painted white; there was a laundry area with an old fashion washer. It had furniture and drawers and even a mini desk with tools. Finally, there was an object that was covered by a sheet, but they could tell it was a motorcycle. "If you have a motorcycle, why do you want a car?" Aria asked. "I got the motorcycle recently and I was repairing it so while I do, I use the car" They left the garage to go into the main house. "Wow, this is your house?" Sonata asked, looking up at it from the driveway. "Yes. Why?" asked Sunset. "It's very big!" Sonata said in surprise. "Thank you" said Sunset, smiling. "How can you afford such a big house?" Adagio asked. "Well, it was a gift from work. From Waylon actually, even the car was a gift from him and his wife" Sunset said. Before getting to the door, they noticed that the garage had two floors. "And in that room? What are you hiding there?" Aria asked. "Nothing, it's just an empty room. I still have not decided what to do with it" said Sunset. They went up the stairs and stood on the porch as Sunset looked for her keys in her pocket. "Here it is" said Sunset, opening the front door and letting the Dazzlings in. "Good place" Adagio said, looking around at the decor. "Thanks, my friends helped me with most of the decoration" Sunset said, dropping her backpack on the couch. "Speaking of your friends, why did you take them with you to the hospital?" Aria asked. "They went on vacation, I was going to stay for work, but now I guess I'll look for another job" said Sunset, taking her pet out of her bag. "Yeah, me too" Adagio said thoughtfully. "Well, would like something to eat? Or drink?" asked Sunset. "I do!" said Sonata. "All I want is to take a shower" Aria said, looking at her clothes. "Yes, me too" said Adagio with disgust. "Oh, sure. I have two bathrooms, one upstairs, and other right here. You can use whatever you want" Sunset said. "Me first!" said Aria, going to the bathroom next door. "Then the one upstairs is mine" said Adagio. "There are towels inside, but I'll get you some clothes" Sunset said. "Sure, whatever" said Aria, closing the door. "Thank you" Adagio answered, climbing the stairs. "You don't mind waiting, right?" Sunset asked. "No, but can I watch TV?" Sonata happily said. "Sure" Sunset said. As soon as she said it, Sonata sat on the floor and started on some cartoons. While Sunset went upstairs to get some clothes for Adagio and Aria, she went into her room and took the opportunity to remove her own dirty sweater, drawing a mint-colored blouse from the closet. Once dressed, she left the room with a several pairs of jeans and purple, black, and pink shirts. First was Adagio. "Adagio? Can I open the door? I just came to leave you some clothes" said Sunset, knocking on the door. "Yes, you can come in" Adagio replied, her voice trembling. Sunset came in and left the jeans and the purple shirt by the sink; she saw Adagio lying in the bath, the curtain left little to the imagination. She ignored it and picked up Adagio's dirty clothes from the basket. She left, but not before she saw the siren rubbing her eyes. "Was she crying?" Sunset thought. She preferred not to ask, thinking it would be better to give her a moment. She descended the stairs to give clothes to Aria. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Later, Sunset was in the kitchen preparing something to eat. She decided to make meatloaf with mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. She had wanted to try eating meat, but she knew she wouldn't be able to stomach it after the night she had. For herself, she prepared her spaghetti with vegetarian meatballs. She imagined that the Dazzlings ate meat by their nature as sirens, though there is not much research in Equestria on their culture. She took four plates from the cupboard and set them on the table, an equal amount of food on each. When the dishes were full, she brought out ferret food as well, but this time Onix would eat on the ground. She walked to the kitchen door and knocked. "Food is ready!" called Sunset. Then she saw Aria and Sonata racing, struggling to get through the door. Sunset narrowly avoided the two as they ran around her as they quickly took seats and the table. She only shook her head as Adagio calmly walked past her. "Are they always like this?" asked Sunset. "More or less, more when it comes time to eat" said Adagio, smiling. Sunset shared the smile as she headed for one of the empty chairs, seeing that Aria and Sonata had already begun eating. "Dis eh eally ood!" Sonata said with her mouth full. "Thank you? I think" said Sunset. "Oh, Onata!" Aria agreed, with her mouth also full. "Don alk wih our mough ull!" "Can we all stop talking with our mouths full?" Adagio asked in a serious tone. In a record time, Aria and Sonata finished their plate, while Sunset and Adagio had hardly tasted the food. "Can we go watch TV, Sunny?" asked Sonata. "Okay, but do not fight over the remote" Sunset said. She nodded happily as she ran to the sofa and quickly found herself in control. Aria sat down beside her and Sunset and Adagio continued with their food. When she finished her fodd, Sunset got up and went to put her plate in the sink. After Adagio finished, she helped Sunset clean. As Sunset washed the dishes, she thought about their situation and began to feel pity for the sirens. She could see that the dazzlings were not pure evil as she thought, they obviously cared about each other, the things they did, they had done because just wanted to go home. Although she did not know much about the magic of friendship, she knew that if Princess Twilight were here, she would tell her to befriend the three sirens. "Maybe I can reform them. Maybe I can change them as my friends changed me" thought Sunset. She knew she could not do it alone. Her other friends would have to help as well. If she could convince them. "I'll focus on helping them while my friends are out" Sunset thought. With a plan in hand, Sunset finished the dishes and headed to the living room. She approached the three girls, Sonata was playing with Onix on the rug, Aria and Adagio were watching an extreme game show. Then Sunset made her way up and into her room to pull out a couple of sheets and pillows and went to the next room. Comparing this room to her own room, the walls and ceilings were white; no one had occupied that room before. It did not have many things, just a bed and a couch. And she could share her room with someone else. Once everything was ready, she headed back to the living room. She walked over to the couch where Sonata was watching cartoons with Onix and Aria had fallen asleep. Sonata was so fascinated by the characters doing magic tricks that Sunset couldn't help smiling at the innocent delight on her face as she sat in the armchair next to Adagio. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sunset spent the next few hours texting her friends, as she normally did when she was not watching TV, the difference this time was that she was not alone. Aria was asleep on the sofa, Sonata watched more cartoons, and Adagio spent most of her time listening to Sunset's music player. She saw all the photos her friends had sent from their travels. A part of her wanted to be with them, but she kept thinking about the three girls who were now staying at her house. She checked the time on her phone, noting that it was getting late. She said goodbye to her friends and slipped the phone into her pocket. "Okay, everybody" Sunset said, standing up and stretching. "It's dinner time and after that you can go to bed" When she did not get an answer, she looked at the sirens and saw that no one was paying attention. She turned to Adagio sitting next to her, waving her hand in front of Adagio's face to get her attention. Adagio took off her headphones. "Hmm? Yes?" she said. "It's getting late" said Sunset. "Is that anything you would like for dinner?" "You're letting us choose?" Adagio said with a smile. "You're my guests after all" Sunset said with a smile. "How kind" said Adagio, unable to stop smiling. Then she got up, woke Aria, and turned off the TV. "What happened to the cartoons?!" Sonata asked out loud. "Uh, what the hell?!" Aria asked, stirring from her sleep. "It's dinner time, what do you want?" Adagio asked. "TACOS!" shouted Sonata excitedly. "Forget it, that's all we've eaten for the last week" said Aria disgustedly. "So what woul you like?" asked Sunset. "Pizza?" Aria said. "But I wanted tacos!" Sonata said, pouting. "They can make the pizza any way you want" said Sunset. "Sounds fair" Adagio said. Sunset picked up the phone and dialed the pizzeria. She ordered three pizzas with two toppings on each: ham and pepperoni, sausage and bacon, and pepper and mushroom. Now they just had to wait 30 minutes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Once the pizzas arrived, they ate together at the table, talking about different topics. Despite the problems that Sunset had had with Aria, she could get along with her. Although she still thought how she would solve the Dazzlings' problem. But she already had an idea of how to help them. Once they finished dinner.... "Well, it's bedtime" Sunset said as she stood up. "But I wanted to keep watching my show!" Sonata said. "There will be a replay tomorrow" Sunset said. "But for now, you need sleep" "But I'm not even-" Sonata yawned "-tired." "Speaking of which, where shall we sleep?" asked Adagio. "Yeah, the three of us won't fit on the couch" said Aria. "I'll go with Ari!" Sonata said happily. "Yes, yes" Aria said, standing up. "Besides, I could not stand Adagio's snoring" "I do not snore!" Adagio said angrily, blushing. "Calm down" Sunset said, diffusing the situation. "I left some pajamas on the furniture, once you're ready, just please go to sleep" she said, walking up the stairs. "Fine!" said the three girls. Satisfied, Sunset made her way to the upstairs bathroom to take a bath and forget about the bad experience. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- She threw her dirty clothes into the basket and put on her pajamas. She left the bathroom just in time to see Sonata and Aria in pajamas exactly like Sunset's. "Did they brush their teeth?" Sunset asked, drying her hair with her towel. "Yep!" said Sonata happily. "Okay, good night" said Sunset, smiling. "Bye! Bye!" Sonata jumped into the room. "Whatever" Aria said after her. When they entered the room, Sunset went to her room. And Adagio's room too. Ready to go to sleep, but instead of seeing the siren in bed, she was outside on the balcony; Sunset walked out, Adagio was leaning aginst the railing, dressed in pajamas like her own. Then she thought of what happened in the bathroom when she thought she saw her crying. "How are you feeling?" Sunset asked. "I'm fine" said Adagio seriously. Sure?" Sunset said. "Yes" said Adagio. There was silence among the girls, but it was not an awkward silence. "Nice night, eh?" said Adagio. "Yes" Sunset said, looking at the siren. "Adagio, there's something I wanted to ask you" said. "Go ahead" Adagio said. "I would like to know, if you... if you would like to stay here for more than a while, and if you would live with me" Sunset said with a smile. Adagio turned to Sunset, mouth open in surprise. "Why do you want us to live with you?" said Adagio, confused. "Look, I used to be in your position a long time ago. You know about my past... right?" Sunset asked. "More or less" Adagio said. "Well, I know what it's like to have nothing. Maybe it has not been as bad as yours, but I know how it feels, and I want to help you. And I want to help them" Sunset said, rubbing her shoulders. "Really?" said Adagio. "Yes. We can live together, if you agree to this, you can get a home, food, and... a friend" explained Sunset. Adagio thought for a moment, she looked at the girl trying to find signs of duplicity but could not. "Okay, I only have two conditions," Adagio said, folding her arms. Sunset nodded. "One, you have to help us sing again. We are sirens, we have to sing well" said Adagio. "Sounds reasonable" Sunset agreed. "And two... we accept your help, but only yours" said Adagio. "Huh?" said Sunset, confused. "Look, you and your friends beat us. Yes, we did something wrong, but you took away something important in our lives" said Adagio. "Without our pendants, we had to do things we never did before, like eating and surviving on our own, and Aria is very angry with you, well, she seems to be tolerating you. And Sonata, she's scared to get close to your friends. "We do not want to interact with your friends, besides, they would not understand" said Adagio. Sunset did not like the idea of ​​excluding her friends, but what Adagio said was true, they would not understand exactly this feeling, but if she wanted to reach the sirens, she had to accept the request. "Okay, although I do not agree with that, I'll respect your decision" said Sunset, extending her hand to Adagio. "Thank you" Adagio said, shaking Sunset's hand. Once the deal was done, they smiled at each other. "What do you think happened to your boss?" Adagio asked. "I don't know, I'm very sure he would tell the truth, but that would ruin his life" Sunset said, folding her arms. "How are you so sure? maybe he not say anything" said Adagio. "I know him, he will tell the truth, but once he does, his life is over, Murkoff will not care about his wife or his children. And the worst thing is that I can not do anything for them" said Sunset, a little sad. "I'm... sorry" said Adagio. "It's okay, I just hope they're okay" Sunset said. "And, what do you think happened to Miles?" she asked. "I don't know, he's probably going to die" Adagio said. "I did not know him much, but I feel sorry for him" she said. "And what do you think will happen to you?" "What do you mean?" asked Sunset. "Maybe they saw us on the cameras, they could go for you, for us" said Adagio, a little worried. "Don't worry, you can hack a computer when you go in and alter the cameras. Fortunately, I tried to turn off the cameras wherever we went" Sunset said. "What?! You never told me anything! When did you do that?!" Adagio said, surprised and a little annoyed. "When we got to that room that had that destroyed radio. I got into the system and turned off some cameras. I'm sorry I did not tell you" said Sunset, a little distressed. Adagio sighed, but she smiled a little. "And... what will happen tomorrow?" Adagio asked a little uneasily. "We'll see, but now we must rest" said Sunset opening the door back inside. "After you" As an answer, Adagio tapped Sunset on the arm playfully. Despite what Sunset expected, Adagio was not 'restless' that night. She respected Sunset's personal space. She did not hear any fuss coming from the Sonata and Aria's room either, so that was a good sign. Not that she expected them to do anything. One thing is for sure, now she had plans for this summer. She slept quietly, knowing now... what would happen... the next morning.