//------------------------------// // Princess Twilight Is Coming To What?! // Story: The NLAC Has To Deal With What?! // by Odeinoichus //------------------------------// Chapter 23 Aria Blaze didn’t know what was up with her these days. Ever since the Battle of the Bands she’d mellowed out, if by mellowed out you happened to mean she was less ‘I can be leader of the group’ and more ‘I fucking hate your ass Adagio Dazzle and blame you for everything’! She was resigned to never singing again, spoke only through sign language, and thought Sonata's new lifestyle was weird, but ok if it meant that she was happy. Plus the kick-ass arcade they had in that club wasn’t so bad. But there was still one thing she was terrible with: understanding these stupid humans and their overly-complicated relationship issues. She was really protective of this ‘thing’ she had with Coloratura, though you wouldn’t know that to look at her or her actions up to this point. And then she’d gone and gotten a little buzzed and blew it big time. With a sigh she walked into the classroom. It was after hours and no classes had been scheduled for that day in this particular room. But that didn’t stop Coloratura. There she was, practicing for the recital coming up later in the week. Putting all of her drive and passion into the dance she moved with a grace and beauty that many envied. Aria smiled as she watched. Chrysalis, the immortal sex freak of love, had signed her to a contract and promised she’d be here to watch the recital. She already knew ‘Rara had talent with her voice, but she wanted to see what she could do as a dancer. “I know you’re there, Aria,” Coloratura stated coldly. Aria flinched. “Hey, yeah, about last night...” Coloratura barely saw the hand movements, but she saw enough. A scowl marred her features as she paused in her practice to shoot Aria a glare. Pain was in that expression, and not the type of pain a one night stand usually left people with. “Stop pretending you can’t talk! You called my name out last night. I-I… It was my first time, and then you spoke, what the fuck?” Folding her arms over her chest she waited impatiently for Aria to open her mouth. Aria looked away, still reluctant to break out of her self-punishment. “I can’t…” Coloratura stomped her foot. “You can’t! Or you won’t! Is it all just some big game to you?” Aria shook her head angrily. “Fuck no! Why is this such a big deal to you?” “Because my voice is everything to me!” Coloratura marched across the room and grabbed Aria’s arms. “Because I’ve seen real people struggle their entire lives to make a connection without being able to speak! My mom…” she trailed off with a sharp gasp of air and shook her head. “Why do you think I knew sign language so well when we first met? I thought I could trust in you, confide in you, but all this time you’ve been lying to everybody! Why?” Aria struggled in Coloratura’s grasp wanting to continue speaking, but she wouldn’t let go and held firmly. Tears stung the corners of her eyes and angrily she shook her head in an attempt to banish them. “Y-you want me to talk, fine! I’ll talk!” Coloratura gasped again, this time because of something else. “There, was that so hard?” Aria crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to protect herself, she averted her eyes from Coloratura’s accusing face and ground her teeth together in frustration. “Yes.” “Why?” “Because my voice was taken from me!” Aria snapped. Coloratura took a step back in confusion. Aria sighed. “I suppose you'll want a more detailed answer. I just hate talking about all of that touchy-feely bullshit.” Coloratura opened her mouth to say something. Aria stopped her with a look. “I’m not like you, ok, it’s way more complicated than you can hope to understand, but this body… it isn’t my natural form. I hate it every day because of that.” Coloratura was extremely confused now. She leaned in closer and forced Aria to turn back to her so she could look her in the eyes. “I’ll try to understand. I know how to be patient, and you did support me last night.” Her cheeks burned slightly. Aria sighed and ran a hand through her hair, she hadn’t bothered to return it to her preferred form. She didn’t want to admit it, but she kind of liked the long-haired perm Scarlet Scribe had given her last night. It suited her mood better these days. “I’m a lot older than I look.” Coloratura rolled her eyes. “No, I’m serious… See, I’m a siren. I was banished here a thousand years ago, along with my sisters. Where we came from we fed on negative energy to fuel the source of our magic, song magic. We could control people with our voices. Heh, siren, kind of explains it all really.” Aria stopped talking and glanced back up to see Coloratura’s reaction. The other girl was trembling, though it was difficult to tell if she was trembling with rage or suppressed laughter, since her face was an emotionless mask. Aria sighed. “Me and my sisters tried to absorb some magic from our native dimension a while back. We finally found some in this dimension that was easy to access and didn’t involve getting close to the ruling body… the trouble was we had to take over some stupid school to do it. And we were doing pretty great too, keeping everyone at each other’s throats, making sure nobody could think straight.” She stopped and her shoulders sagged. “In hindsight it was a pretty dumb plan, we were tired of having only scraps to feed on, we wanted to sing again with all the power we were used to, and when we finally managed to, when we finally had all the power again, some stupid band came in and blasted us with rainbows. Our jewels shattered, our powers stripped from us, and our voices silenced.” Coloratura made a non-committal sound in the back of her throat. Her eyes were shining with confusion, concern and a hint of skepticism. Aria smirked. “So, because we couldn’t sing anymore, Sonata got it into her head that we could try something else. And so we learned sign language, so we didn’t have to listen to our voices anymore.” “What are you talking about, your voice is perfect!” Coloratura snapped. Aria growled slightly, then she opened her mouth. “We will be adored, ahhhh-ahhhhh-ahhhhh!” Coloratura opened her eyes, her hands were covering her ears and she was staring in stunned disbelief at Aria. “What?” She glanced at her hands as she pulled them away from her ears as if they had a mind of their own. Aria coughed and rubbed her throat. “Fuck that hurt.” Turning she walked across the room and got a paper cup to drink some water from the fountain. Coloratura reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. “That was… My god, Aria, you really are telling me the truth aren’t you?” Aria laughed mirthlessly. “Isn’t that what ‘friends’ do?” “Yes, I suppose it is.” Coloratura grew thoughtful as she looked at Aria. “You can talk so beautifully, why is your singing voice so… so…” “You can say it, ugly, sharp, harsh, like fifty cats screeching in the night?” Aria chuckled darkly. “It’s our penance for being agents of Disharmony. Our beauty remains intact, our voices can still sound pitch perfect when we talk, but as soon as we try to sing… it’s like a vice is gripping my throat, and somebody is running thick sandpaper all the way down.” Tears stung her eyes and she angrily wiped them away. Coloratura sighed, then gasped with surprise. “That’s why you were always so bitter around me. Oh my god, you must hate me, I sound so perfect and I barely have to practice when I sing!” Turning away from Aria she almost broke down sobbing. “I’m a horrible person.” Aria shook her head and grabbed Coloratura’s chin, forcing her to look into her eyes. “You are everything this world needs, ‘Rara! Your voice is something me and my sisters never had, it was magic that allowed us to sound perfect. But you, you’re a natural born talent and last night you proved it to a ton of people. I could never hate you because of your talent, do you understand me?” she demanded. Rara sighed. “I guess, considering what happened between us last night, I should know better.” Her cheeks flushed as she recalled the things they’d done, the way Aria’s tongue had felt as it… and then the hard smooth surface of the… why did Aria even have something like that?” Aria rubbed her elbow suddenly very nervous. “I never wanted to complicate our relationship like that. But, well, you are really hot.” Rara blushed in embarrassment and she turned her head aside. “Yeah, um, I’m not really attracted to other girls… but, Aria, you’re… pretty hot too.” Aria smirked knowingly. “Siren. Still has its perks.” Rara giggled. “Pretty perky for a thousand years old.” Aria rolled her eyes. “I thought you weren’t into girls?” Rara turned and stared at Aria intensely. “You’re not a girl! You’re… and when you dance, so fluid, it’s like poetry in motion. I could never match that skill, no matter how hard I try or how often I practice. You may not be jealous of my voice, but I envy your grace and ability to move!” Aria puffed up her chest slightly with pride, but slowly deflated when she realized that maybe the reason why Coloratura was pushing herself so hard was because of her, and she might burn herself out. “You really shouldn’t try to be me, ‘Rara.” Coloratura laughed. “I know, but I can’t help myself sometimes. I’ve got to push to be the best, so I can make my mother proud.” “I don’t think she’d care one way or the other, moms are weird that way…” Aria trailed off and sighed. “I’ve seen enough dancers develop serious issues, back around fifteen hundred ninety or so there was a really impressive ballerina, she practically killed herself to please the Gryphonian king.” Coloratura nodded. “Oh, I know, it’s a tragic lesson taught in every dance history class.” Silence filled the room as the two girls tried to look anywhere but at each other. This had gotten way more emotional than Aria cared to admit, and she wasn’t sure why, but it made her feel strange. “Are we still friends?” Coloratura stepped back in surprise at the question. “Of course we are!” Aria silently sighed in relief. “So you won’t force me to talk during actual classes and I can go back to my preferred method of communication?” Coloratura crossed her arms and studied Aria disappointedly. “Ok, but only in public. When we’re alone together I want to be able to hear you.” Aria sighed. “Fair enough…wait, what do you mean alone together?” Her eyes widened and she tried to glean anything from ‘Rara’s body language. Rara giggled. “Well, I’m going to need my good luck charm for support if I’m going to be under contract with Chrysalis. Um… if that’s, ok with you?” She twirled her hair nervously on her finger and shyly averted her eyes. Aria chuckled. “Sure, I can live with being moral support.” Rara fidgeted slightly. “And, um… maybe we could, do that thing again, once in a while. As sort of – stress relief,” she muttered nervously. “So is this a serious relationship thing? Or the ‘Friends’ with Benefits thing, because I’ve experienced both of those before and I was trying to just not complicate things.” Aria looked away briefly, when she turned back she saw a bit of colour in Coloratura’s cheeks, but her eyes were serious. “I’m not saying we’re a couple, I’m still not sure if I could ever get involved with someone, in that way, if she’s the same sex. But… at the same time I kind of – maybe sort of – want to worship the ground you walk on because my God was that thing last night the best sex ever! I mean the things you did, the way you made me feel, and that-“ Aria placed her finger to Coloratura’s lips to shut her up. Her lips were turned up in a playful smirk and her mood was obviously much lighter now. “Friends with benefits it is, for now, but can we not discuss the things I did last night openly like that?” Rara let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like meep and her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she remembered where they were. “Ok.” Aria embraced her friend happy that they’d resolved this, as she did that strange feeling welled up inside of her again and a soft purple glow seemed to surround her skin, but with her eyes closed she failed to notice it. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo exited the school with a deliberately slow pace as they brought up the rear of the impromptu group they were supposed to be leading. “I don’t know if we should be more concerned or less concerned,” Scootaloo complained. “Ah know, Diamond Tiara has been actin’ all high-and-mighty since Monday. Smirkin' at us like she knows we’re gonna lose,” Apple Bloom observed. “Couldn’t you just tell Principal Celestia?” Button asked. Sweetie smiled and shook her head. “That’s the last thing we want to do, Button.” Tender Taps nodded. “Then we’d lose the club, you can’t say you want that to happen, Mash.” Button Mash shook his head. “No way!” Scootaloo giggled. “And it’s not because you wouldn’t get to see Sweetie naked more often with the club, right?” Button’s cheeks flushed. “Knock it off,” Sweetie complained. “I had to listen to Rarity lecturing me about me and Button all weekend after Saturday-” “So all Sunday.” Apple Bloom smirked. Sweetie pouted and shot Apple Bloom a glare. “The point is, hearing about sex from my mom was hard enough, having the talk from Rarity and how I should save myself for marriage and all that garbage was enough to make me want to pull my hair out.” Scootaloo stopped short. “She does realize we’ve already fooled around with our significant others, right?” Apple Bloom and Tender Taps both blushed furiously. Button Mash coughed into his hand to try and hide his smirk. A sudden flash over by the still-broken horse statue attracted their attention. All of them turned to look, they saw Princess Twilight stumbling slightly as she regained her senses. “I should really stop charging through there when there might be emergencies,” Twilight muttered to herself as she brought her hand down from her forehead and glanced around. “Hi, Twilight!” the girls chorused hesitantly approaching her. Twilight offered a beaming smile in return. “Hello girls, have you seen Sunset Shimmer?” Scootaloo shook her head. “Not since lunch.” Apple Bloom clutched her books tighter and hopped up and down excitedly. “Is there some kind of emergency?” “Are you here to beat up some evil monsters and save a damsel in distress?” Button asked excitedly. “Is it safe to use that thing with the horse busted?” Tender asked in a practical tone of voice. “Are you staying through Friday?” Sweetie added with a sudden gleam of interest in her eye. “Girls, girls, one at a time!” Twilight laughed pleasantly. “She does realize we’re guys, right?” Tender asked Button. Button shrugged. “Maybe boy and girl ponies look the same to her,” he suggested. “I think you meant humans,” Scootaloo deadpanned. Twilight sighed and shook her head. “Sorry, I’m so used to seeing you three without any colts around I just automatically responded,” she apologized. “Oh, that’s ok, you can call me a girl if you want to,” Button said. Sweetie elbowed him to be quiet. “So, are you going to be here on Friday?” “Why?” Twilight glanced at Sweetie curiously. Sweetie sighed. “We’ve been having a hard time coming up with a theme for our next party, a Princess Twilight party would be perfect to solve that particular problem.” “How do ya have a Princess Twilight themed party?” Apple Bloom wondered. Scootaloo shrugged. “Bring a lot of books.” Twilight giggled and shook her head. “I’m not sure if I will be here Friday, but if you really wanted to have a party themed after me…” She trailed off and reached into her pack, which the girls only just now realized she’d been carrying. Plucking a large thick scroll out of it she handed it over. “My Pinkie Pie gave this to me earlier before I left, she said it might be important, and if I know Pinkie then this should help with any Princess Twilight themed parties you might like to throw. Although, I really don’t think I need a party themed after me.” Her cheeks darkened slightly in embarrassment. “Oh cool!” Sweetie grinned and snatched the scroll. “Come on girls, let’s get this to our Pinkie Pie.” The quintet ran off with a goal firmly in mind. Twilight sighed as she watched them go. “Hi scary pony lady,” Sonata suddenly spoke up. Twilight let out a cry of alarm and leapt a few feet to her left. Sonata walked from around the other side of the statue and smiled disarmingly. “Sunny told me to wait out here and bring you to her place, she had to run ahead and get things ready for your visit.” Twilight frowned. “Why would she ask one of the Sirens to help?” Sonata sighed. “We’re not being evil anymore, well me and ‘Ria aren’t, ‘Dagi’s still a big problem. But now that you’re here I’m sure we can blast her butt good. Then all of us will sing about the magic of friendship and rainbows and harmony and all that pony junk you care about so much.” Twilight stared at Sonata. Sonata stared at Twilight. “I don’t have time for this,” Twilight decided with a shake of her head. “I never noticed before, but you sure act a lot like Pinkie Pie.” Sonata grinned a shark-like grin. “Thanks, seeing as she’s my girlfriend now that’s a huge compliment… still not good with cartwheels though.” Sighing Sonata tucked herself into a somersault and rolled towards the parking lot. Twilight watched her go with a huge sigh. “This is going to be another one of those visits, I can just feel it… At least I can trust Discord, Starlight and the others to watch over my castle while I’m here.” Starlight turned to Discord with a frown. “You didn’t tell me we were going to be spying on Princess Twilight.” Discord smiled deviously. “Come now, don’t you want to watch Sci-Twi and Pri-Twi awkwardly try and deal with the fact that Sunset Shimmer is dating one of them, and they look practically identical? The shenanigans involved will be priceless.” Discord laughed as he pulled something that looked suspiciously like a script from nowhere. “That and we are contractually obligated to include a reference to Princess Twilight, or a cameo, in any story involving the setting of Canterlot High. Except for Legend of Everfree for some reason, possibly because they couldn’t figure out how to shoehorn her in like before, though that hasn’t happened yet in this particular reality so who knows, maybe we’ll one up the core timeline.” Everybody was staring at Discord in complete bafflement. Trixie popped a peanut butter cracker into her mouth. Thorax twitched his rainbow-scaled wings. Starlight facehooved. “Sometimes I wonder why I agreed to let you Castle sit with me.” “Because Spike and Big Mac are off on some non-descript adventure over in Appleoosa and you don’t like being here, in this big tempting magic filled castle, all by yourself. Especially since the seven changelings impersonating the Mane 6, plus Spike, managed to escape before we got back from the Badlands and our little season-ending adventure.” Discord poked Starlight with a foam-tipped finger he’d mysteriously gotten from somewhere and grinned. Starlight sighed. “Why is it we’re just seeing Twilight arrive now, anyway? She left four days ago.” Discord popped a fez on his head. “Wibbley-wobbley timey-wimey stuff.” “I’m not sure how to take that.” Thorax glanced at Starlight and Trixie. “Are we supposed to know what that is?” Trixie shook her head. “Trixie does not pretend to completely understand some of the things Discord says, but Trixie can always smile and nod politely to appease the deranged whacko.” Discord sighed and snapped his talons sending the fez away. “The things I do for pop culture references… ugh, whatever we’re done with this cameo, back to adventure!” And the page went white as Discord… … … … “Oh do get on with it!” Diamond Tiara sat on Adagio’s lap as the pair of them rested in the school paper offices. An afterglow surrounded them as they lounged contentedly in silence. Diamond fidgeted slightly and eyed her balled up panties still laying on the floor under her desk. She should have felt more outraged at not wearing them, but she really couldn’t be bothered at the moment. Adagio smirked, cooing softly as she stroked Diamond’s hair. Finally, Diamond couldn’t take the silence anymore. “Do I have to?” She pouted, the effect proving useless with Adagio as she wasn’t looking at her face. Adagio nodded. “Yes, my little Di-Di. You have to attend the party on Friday Night.” Diamond shook her head petulantly. “They’ll never let me in!” “It isn’t about getting in. It’s about keeping up appearances, and being on hand to witness your moment of ultimate triumph.” Diamond rolled her eyes at the cliché remark. “And where will you be during my ultimate triumph?” Adagio smiled disarmingly. “Why, I’ll be right there as well. I’ll need to be if Zecora is going to remain enthralled enough to convince her father to break up the party.” Diamond turned around so she could at least partially look at Adagio’s face while they talked. “Ok, so… I still don’t get it. Why is Zecora, whoever she is, going to convince her father to show up?” Adagio sighed. “Because I’m going to convince her that a drug deal is about to happen. Her father is cracking down on dealers all over the city and uses Zecora to stake out high school parties for potential deals.” Diamond pouted again. “That sounds completely unethical.” Adagio chuckled. “I know, right! That’s why I like Zecora, she has so much wicked potential.” Diamond shuddered nervously. “You don’t… want to have sex with her... do you?” Adagio smirked playfully. “Is my little Di-Di suddenly jealous? I thought you didn’t swing that way?” Diamond coughed. “I have to admit, there is a bit of potential in having sex with another girl. You know, instead of just letting some random guy stick it in you and do his thing. It's pretty unsatisfying, if I'm being honest.” As she spoke her tone got more and more frustrated at some memory. Adagio blinked in surprise. “Do I detect a hint of experience in that bitter rant of yours, Di-Di?” Diamond’s cheeks flushed. “Will you stop calling me Di-Di? And no! I’ve never let a guy get anywhere near there! But I’ve heard my mother complain often enough about how little attention she gets from my father to read between the lines. Still, I would prefer a man in the end, maybe not somebody like Scribe, but someone who can produce a decent heir when I’m old enough is essential if I want to have any legacy to leave behind.” Adagio giggled madly almost spilling Diamond onto the floor as she jiggled about in the chair they were sitting in. “No matter how many centuries pass, the social elite never fail to entertain!” Diamond crossed her arms over her chest and shot her a glare. Adagio winked and then leaned closer. “It’s much more exciting if you shop around. Allowing more than one woman experience the same guy can be oh so stimulating~ Have you ever had the opportunity to watch another woman get ravished from behind before?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye. Diamond squirmed out of Adagio’s grasp and jumped off of her lap. After straightening her skirt, she started to bend down to retrieve her panties. Adagio whistled and delicately trailed her fingers along Diamond's exposed bottom. Diamond gasped and immediately straightened up. “I don’t n-need them that badly anyway,” she decided. Adagio grinned. “That’s the spirit! Flaunt that sexy little body of yours. Hmm... it’s pretty windy out there today. Give enough guys a free show and you’ll have an heir in no time.” Diamond grumbled under her breath and marched clear around the desk to distance herself from the annoying Siren. “When are you going to approach this Zecora?” Adagio leaned forward enough to slip her finger around the waistline of Diamond's discarded panties. Plucking them off the floor, she slowly and deliberately brought it up to her nose and inhaled their scent before pocketing them. Diamond trembled with raw emotions. Although it was difficult to tell if she was excited, appalled, enraged or some odd combination of the three. Adagio rolled her shoulders and fluffed at her hair briefly. “Friday afternoon, it means cutting things a bit close, but unfortunately she’s at Everfree Academy most of the time and there aren’t any parties between now and then to attract her attention for leaving the campus. Diamond blinked in surprise. “The chief of police’s daughter attends that correctional school for girls out of the city?” Adagio laughed once again as she stretched out in her seat and reminded her current companion that she still hadn’t bothered to put any clothes on. “I know, right! So much wicked potential I said, such a bad girl,!I wonder if she’ll spank you if I asked her to?” “Please don’t start.” Diamond’s left eye twitched. Adagio slipped into a dark blue hoodie and a form-fitting pair of black yoga pants. Diamond swallowed a lump in her throat when she noticed that the sexy siren hadn't bothered to don any undergarments. Adagio sauntered across the room once she was finished putting on her shoes, and pressed her lips against Diamond's. “Whatever, I’ll see you again on Friday, Di-Di.” Diamond trembled slightly, but for an entirely different reason. “Not tomorrow?” she pleaded. Adagio quirked her brow and tapped her lip briefly with a finger. Slowly, she slipped the amulet out of her top. “I really must wean you off of this,” she admitted. Diamond was once again covered in the green mist and her back arched as more and more energy was sapped from her to fuel the shards. Panting heavily, she collapsed bonelessly into a free chair. Adagio was suddenly standing next to her. “Do you want me for my body, or for my amulet?” she whispered seductively in her ear. Diamond feebly swiped at her. Cackling wickedly Adagio sashayed out the door. Diamond pouted after she left. “Damnit! I was going to get my panties back after she was gone. Now, I have to go all the way home commando, in a skirt, with the wind blowing…” Diamond moaned softly as she once again felt a familiar heat between her legs. “Stupid, sexy bitch,” she cursed Adagio for getting that mental image in her head. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Princess Twilight never wanted to be in a car again, at least as long as Sonata Dusk was driving. The trip to Sunset’s home, which was somewhere in a forest on the edge of Canterlot proper, had been harrowing and quite upsetting. Heaving slightly as she got out she was grateful she hadn’t eaten anything recently. It meant there wasn’t anything to come out. Once her nausea calmed down she glared at the Siren. “Are you sure you aren’t evil?” “I followed the rules of the road perfectly.” Sonata stuck her tongue out at Twilight. Twilight shook her head. “I’ve read every textbook I could find on the subject at Canterlot High!” she stated. “You drove recklessly, barely maintained the speed limit, never signalled for a turn, stopped the barest instances that were legal and… and… you weren’t wearing your seatbelt!” Sonata rolled her eyes and walked over to the cabin. “You’re too uptight to appreciate precision driving, I was a race car driver one decade; I know how to handle the scary machines.” Twilight straightened her clothing out and stomped over to the door, raising a hand to knock she was prevented by Sonata simply turning the knob and walking in. “Sonata!” Pinkie greeted her girlfriend with a hug and kiss. Sonata smiled. “Pinkie!” “Sunset,” Sunset deadpanned from behind the kitchen divider. “The girls are looking for me to discuss the party this Friday night, can you take me to Sweet Apple Acres?” Pinkie asked. Sonata grinned. “Sure, I need to return Rarity’s car anyway.” Pinkie frowned slightly. “Does Rarity know you have her car?” Sonata averted her gaze and chuckled nervously. “Mayyybe.” Pinkie sighed. “I’ll call her to let her know.” Twilight walked into the cabin with a slight frown. “When did Rarity get a car?” Sunset smiled in greeting. “She’s had one for a while now. Hello Princess Twilight.” Twilight smiled in return, then frowned when she noticed Sunset wasn’t wearing anything. “Sunset.” Sunset glanced down. “Oh right, I could put a robe on if you prefer?” Twilight shook her head. “I’m a pony, I’m used to nudity. I’m just surprised. I’ve never seen you without anything on before.” Sunset shrugged and plucked a second can of juice out of the fridge to pass to Twilight. “I was once a pony too. I prefer it this way.” “That makes sense.” “Sunset! Is Twilight here… I mean Princess me? I mean…” Twilight came downstairs quickly rubbing exhaustion from her eyes. Twilight giggled. “So, do we start calling you Scientist?” she teased. Twilight shook her head. “We went over that during our first meeting.” Twilight nodded. “True.” She put her bag down on the coffee table and shut the front door. “So, where’s this magic signature you recorded with your original tracking device?” Twilight ducked into Sunset’s guest room. “Does she share your views on nudity?” Twilight wondered as she walked over to Sunset to take the juice from her. Sunset nodded with a slight blush. “Well... we’re, umm... kind of dating now.” Twilight smiled. “Oh right! It slipped my mind.” she patted Sunset on the shoulder encouragingly. Sunset frowned briefly. “You’re still not weirded out by it?” “Why should I be? She certainly isn’t me. We may share similarities, but it’d be like if I started dating this world's Trixie. The two are completely different.” Sunset eyed Twilight knowingly. Twilight sighed. “Ok, bad example, they are pretty much the same in both worlds, but this Trixie isn’t nearly so… so… infuriating.” Sunset giggled and took a sip of juice. “I really hope you can help us figure this magic out. I think my Twilight has been losing sleep over it.” Twilight tilted her head briefly to one-side in concern. “I didn’t want to say anything, but she does look kind of like I do when I’ve been pulling a three-day straight all-nighter.” Sunset tilted her head and studied Twilight curiously. Twilight offered a sheepish smile. “You were Princess Celestia’s student, you know how demanding she can be at times.” Sunset gave a little nod. “True.” Twilight returned with her magic detector, a large sheaf of papers, and a small laptop computer. “From what we’ve pieced together so far, the signature does not match the known Thaumaturgic signatures from the seven of us… er, I mean the six of us and you, I have no magic, nope, none to speak of.” Twilight shot her counterpart a curious look. Sunset sighed and turned the computer around to show her the flowcharts. Twilight’s eyes lit up with delight. “Oooooo, I love how organized you can be in this world, if only we could figure out how to power these computer devices with magic we could revolutionize Equestria.” Twilight adjusted her glasses and smiled softly at the dorky comment. She turned the computer slightly and tapped the keyboard briefly. The readings changed to show a picture display with seven symbols. “As you can see we scanned the magic of each of the others, and we have a spot for you just to write off the possibility of the scan I detected being from someone with your power.” Twilight nodded. “Very practical. Did you scan Sonata too?” Sunset and Twilight shared a brief look. “Sonata doesn’t have any magic,” Sunset point out. Twilight turned to her and shook her head. “Yes she does. We stripped them of their magic pendants and the power to harness negative energy, but Sirens still have magic, Starswirl’s book on the subject was quite informative when I got the chance to look it over again. Sirens are immortal and ageless, just like the Alicorn Princesses, this is a passive magical ability and as such it cannot be removed from them even if their jewels are destroyed.” Sunset stared in shock at Twilight. “But… How could Starswirl possibly know that?” Twilight frowned. “Well he did come back to this place to ensure they weren’t causing a problem after he banished them here. He must have discovered that particular fact then.” Twilight slapped her forehead. “And Sonata just left, we won’t be able to scan her until tomorrow.” Sunset nodded. “Do you think Twilight just detected Adagio or Aria’s passive immortality magic?” Twilight shrugged. “We won’t know until we scan Sonata and check her signature to it. And it’s a good thing I’m used to hearing somebody else called Twilight,” she said with a giggle. Twilight found herself chuckling along with her. “Mom?” Twilight nodded. “It’s why Shiny calls us Twiley.” Twilight giggled and covered her mouth with her hand. “You too?” Sunset glanced between the pair of giggling nerds with a bemused smile. “Are we going to scan Princess Twilight now?” Sobering up, Twilight picked up her detection device and aimed it at the Princess. Turning it on she waited patiently for the scanner to ping. The top spun wildly, the lights flashed rapidly across the surface, and without warning the entire thing started smoking. Sunset rushed forward and grabbed the device out of Twilight’s hands before it exploded. Twilight trembled nervously. “Oh dear.” Twilight glanced at the burnt out magic detecting device. Then she glanced over at Sunset with an exasperated expression. “I think I’m going to be able to join you for that party on Friday night.” “It’s never done that before.” Twilight stared forlornly at her device. Sunset sighed. “We should have realized an Alicorn’s power, especially one who embodies the Element of Magic, would be too powerful to quantify with a mere magic detector cobbled together out of spare parts.” Twilight retrieved her pack. “I’ll just go… unpack,” she told the others. Sunset nodded. “She’s staying here?” Twilight asked nervously. Sunset reached out and squeezed her hand reassuringly. “You’re the one I love, Twilight.” Twilight leaned over to give Sunset a grateful hug and smiled. “I’d better go find some new parts to build a new device.”