(Two days earlier.)
Dirt. The human world had a lot of expressions involving dirt. There was being dirt poor. There was being dragged through the dirt. There was taking a dirt nap. But as Adagio Dazzle wrenched a mouthful of grass out of the grounds of Canterlot Park and choked it down with a drink from a nearby fountain, she truly realized what it meant to eat dirt. She winced at the taste. Humans didn't bother to cultivate their greenery; so a couple of times, she'd ended up biting down on earthworms. Some of them stared at her. A few even snickered. She didn't blame them. A human with a mouthful of grass made for a diverting spectacle. She should have been angry or at least embarrassed, but she wasn't. That would require energy she wasn't willing to waste. Instead, she glanced upward at the rising sun, stood up, and checked the gem around her neck. Its usual red glow had faded to a barely-there burgundy. Not much left. So with this new info, her first stop was a fast food place across the street. She pulled up her hoodie around her head before entering, cutting herself off from prying eyes.
She lingered outside a few minutes before going in. There was only one employee up front and one other customer sitting at the far window. Perfect. She opened the door and made her way to the register. The cashier smiled and waved at her.
"Welcome to the Tasty Treat. My name is Saffron. What can I get you?"
Adagio scanned the menu, looking for something big enough to be filling but not big enough to be a big deal. Finally success. "I'll have the breakfast for two."
"Excellent choice." Saffron punched in the order and the price appeared on the back of the register. "That'll be 14.50."
Adagio emptied her pockets. There was five dollars from a generous donor from singing on the street, three more dollars pick-pocketed from a fundraiser, and a ton of change still wet from the fountain. Saffron raised an eyebrow but added it all up without saying a word. When she'd finished, she pushed the money back towards Adagio and shook her head.
"You're three dollars short."
Adagio went through her pockets a second time but found nothing. "Can we haggle for it?"
Saffron put her hands on her hips. "It's food. It's not like you can give it back after you eat it. Besides, I don't set the prices, I just sell the merchandise."
"Then maybe I could--"
"Nope." She crossed her arms. "You either have the money or you don't. And in your case, you don't. You still have enough for a different meal, but you can't have the breakfast for two."
That was all Adagio needed to hear as her hand went to her gem. The other customer had glanced up from his food at them, but she didn't care. Stroking the necklace, she began to hum softly, just loud enough for her and Saffron to hear. Saffron's hand froze in midair, her finger hovering above the cancel button. Adagio kept humming, swaying back and forth with her eyes closed.
" Ah, ah-ah, ah-ahh. Ah, ah-ah, ah-ahh."
Saffron put a hand to her forehead and shuddered as her body took in that something was off. But by then, it was too late. Adagio opened her eyes, her pupils devoured by a bright green glow. A small cloud of green mist appeared around Saffron and began to flow into her gem. Saffron, swaying on her feet as well, turned her head towards Adagio's face. That was her final mistake. The green glow quickly overtook her own eyes as the Siren's spell claimed her mind. Her head fell forward. Her hands dropped.
Adagio allowed herself a small smirk before returning to the business at hand.
"You will give me this meal on the house."
Saffron's hand shook in a final act of resistance. But it was not to be. "I will...give you this meal on the house." The order went through.
"Excellent." Adagio tapped her chin. On one hand, she really didn't want to push her luck. But on the other hand, letting the spell go to waste would be just as bad. "And you will give me twenty dollars from the register."
Saffron pushed another button. ""I will give you twenty dollars."
"That's a good girl." The two stood in silence while the meal was prepared. Then once the bag of food arrived, Adagio finished the spell. "As soon as I walk out of that door, you're going to forget I was ever here. Do you understand?"
Saffron shook herself; her eyes flashed back and forth between green and purple. "S-stop. You're a...you're a t-thief." Her hand slowly stretched towards the underside of the counter.
The Siren groaned, reached up to her head to quell a growing ache, and then went back to her gem. "I SAID, you're going to forget I was ever here. Do you UNDERSTAND?"
Once more, Saffron's hand stopped inches away from the button. The green glow in her eyes retook control. "I understand."
Adagio checked the gem again. Burgundy had become borderline black. So with her food, and ill-gotten money, she darted out the door, ignoring the stare from the eatery's other occupant. He started to get up before stopping and sitting down again, writing something in a book. Adagio only briefly noted his presence; her mind was already racing toward her next stop.
Please be okay. Please be okay.
(Canterlot General Hospital)
"May I help you?" The receptionist stared at her as she walked in the door.
"Yes." Adagio straightened herself and put her hands in plain sight. "I'm here to visit one of the patients. My name's Adagio Dazzle?"
"Ah right." She rubbed her glasses. "I remember you. You were here last week and the week before. Well, your friend is available to visit, but I don't think she's gotten any better. Room 2714."
"Thank you." Heading in to the wards, the Siren cringed at the number. It was the intensive care unit, the same as last time. As she walked down the hall, she caught bits and pieces of conversation between staff members and patients. But the area in front of her destination was relatively unoccupied. The door was slightly ajar. With a deep breath, she tapped on the wood.
"Come in." A cheerful voice flowed from the other side.
Putting on the best smile she could, Adagio entered the room.
"Hey Sonata."
"Dagi!" The blue-haired girl perked up immediately upon seeing her. Adagio tried to avoid looking at the IV in her arm or the heart monitor next to her. "You came to visit again!"
"I sure did." Adagio held up the bag. "And I brought your favorite."
"Breakfast from the Tasty Treat?" Sonata got starry-eyed. "You're the best sister ever!" To Adagio's everlasting relief, she set her sights and stomach on the food, allowing a brief lull in the conversation. She ended up eating both helpings, as Adagio's appetite had gone south for the winter. "Mmm, I LOVE these waffles. Thanks so much. All they have here are soups, salads, and sushi. Aria would probably hate it. Speaking of Aria, have you seen her recently? I figured she'd come visit with you."
Her sister's voice quivered ever so slightly. "S-she wanted to. B-but she's busy trying to find us a place to live when you get out of here."
"Awww," Sonata hugged herself and swayed back and forth. "That's so sweet of her."
Another crack in the composure was barely hidden with a napkin to the eyes. "Y-yeah. I'm actually going to check up on her next." Adagio checked Sonata's gem. Unlike her own, it wasn't just faded but cracked. Tiny wisps of magic were leaking out. She reached forward for a closer look only for Sonata to suddenly start coughing. Her cheeks turned red and her body shook. The heart monitor turned erratic. Adagio jolted up and backwards.
No please! Not yet. I need more time!
She was on the verge of screaming for help when the coughs subsided with a final loud hack. Sonata leaned back against her pillow as the monitor returned to normal, her energy consumed by the coughs.
"Don't worry, Dagi." Her grin never wavered even as her voice rasped. "I'm okay. I'm okay."
Having heard the commotion, a nurse entered the room. Adagio, grateful for any excuse to leave, followed her coaxing immediately and headed to the bathroom. Bracing herself against the sink to keep from falling, she let the shudders begin.
"Oh Sonata." A few tears slipped by her carefully crafted expression. "Oh S-S-Sonata."
Banishment had been hard on all of them, but the youngest Siren had taken it the hardest. Whether the problem was her magic or her immune system, they didn't know, but Sonata seemed to be consistently sick. And the more times she got sick, the more magic she needed to heal, and the quicker she'd fall ill again. It was a vicious cycle with only one end. Yet it wasn't the only one. With her first task complete, there still laid the second. And it was where she headed next.
Hold on Sonata. I just need a little more time.
Canterlot Penitentiary.
"It's about time you showed up. My visiting hours are almost over."
"I'm sorry Aria." Adagio cupped one hand around the phone receiver and put the other on the glass pane between them. No one else was visiting at the moment, but she didn't want to take any chances. "It took longer to get breakfast for Sonata than I thought."
The purple-haired girl crossed her arms over her orange jumpsuit. "So I have to play second-fiddle while you tend to Dusk's every little hiccup? Why'd you go bring her food and not me?"
"Because unlike her, you aren't dying." Adagio slapped her forehead. "And you know perfectly well, they don't allow outside food in here."
"Then why are you wasting time like this?" Aria jerked a thumb over her shoulder at the security camera. "They took my pendant when they put me in here. Just use your magic and get them to let me out. Or at least get bail."
"I can't." Adagio pointed at her own pendant. "I'm too weak. But even if I wasn't, law enforcement officials are much more difficult to enthrall than ordinary people. Getting a free lunch is one thing, but letting a prisoner walk is another."
Aria banged a fist on her desk. "I wouldn't be in here if it wasn't for you. You know that?"
"Yes I do. You tell me that every time I see you. I admit, trying to pull that heist was a bad idea. But with or without our magic, we still needed the money. We still need it now: Sonata's hospital bill, your bail, a down payment on a house."
"Don't forget funeral arrangements." Aria sighed and slumped down on the desk. "I'm sorry, Adagio. I know you're trying to keep us afloat, but you're going to have to face it at some point. We can't survive on just normal humans. We need Equestrian magic. Without it, I'm stuck here for the next 20 years, you'll be eating dirt for the rest of your life, and Sonata will be going the way of Tiny Tim."
"I won't let that happen." Adagio put her hand on the glass. "I'll find a way to get you out of here and save Sonata. I promise."
"I'll believe it when I see it." Aria finished, hanging up the receiver and walking away. Adagio lingered a few seconds in the empty booth before heading outside again.
As she listened to the sound of her footsteps on the concrete sidewalk, Adagio wracked her brain to figure out what to do next. Getting a job was out of the question. Without birth certificates, identification, or work experience, the payment would be minimum wage at best, and they risked deportation. Leaving Canterlot wasn't possible either; and even if it was, they wouldn't have better luck anywhere else.
Which means our only hope is our magic.
But that was impossible. The Human world, or at least Canterlot, didn't have enough negativity to keep them sustained. So they were stuck. By now, she'd meandered here way from the prison to the Sugarcube Corner Cafe just outside the town square. By now, it was late afternoon.
"That's it then. We're finished." She slammed her head down on a table as her hard-fought twenty dollars slipped away on a single brunch. "I've got nothing. We have no magic, no money, and no method to our madness. I mean, it's not like a whole bunch of Equestrian magic is just going to fall out of the sky."
Craaack-Craack BOOOOOOOOM!
A sudden thunderclap startled her out of her seat. She glanced out the window to see a massive storm cloud spewing down rain.
What? But it's not supposed to rain today.
Even stranger, the cloud wasn't moving. It hung in place over a single building. A schoolhouse? As she kept watching, the wind around the school seemed to rev up, making the building groan from the pressure. Her curiosity piqued, she exited the cafe, pulled up her hoodie and ran towards the school.
The front entrance was a close as she could get without turning any heads. But from what it seemed, that was as close as she needed. Even from several yards away, she could hear an utter commotion going on inside. Students were screaming, the windows were cracked, and despite the rain, the air smelled of smoke.
What's going on in there?
She took a step forward and grabbed the bottom of the banister ready to enter in spite of suspicion. But to her absolute astonishment, the storm vanished. It didn't just stop raining or move away. It completely disappeared as if it had never been there to begin with. The water vanished too, including the droplets clinging to her jacket. The clouds were gone and the sun restored like nothing had happened.
How did that happen?
She felt herself over. No water. If it wasn't for the cracks on the windows, she could have sworn she'd hallucinated the whole thing.
What? How? Why?
The door banged open, cutting her off. Before she could turn to see who it was, someone slammed into her.
"Oof!"
Whoever it wasn't didn't even slow down but kept running as Adagio fell flat on her rump. She shook herself and got up, ready to give the stranger a piece of her mind, but stopped when she happened to glance down at her gem. Its color was completely restored back to its usual red. Her eyes swept across the area around her, as if seeing it for the first time. She folded and unfolded her fingers before leaning against the banister. After a few seconds of straining, the metal gave way and bent, twisting itself into a noticeable dip.
Magic. The word put a sneer on her face. Someone here has magic.
With that single stroke of good fortune, the wheels were already turning as she walked away. The rest of the day was spent revisiting her sisters and coming up with a plan. A plan that would take them from rags and rubble to riches and royalty.
(One day earlier.)
"So, you want to apply here as a student?" Principal Celestia was going over some paperwork in her office. "Any particular reason why?"
"Nothing too important." Adagio had replaced her hoodie with a dark purple shirt and light purple leggings. "Compared to everywhere else, I just sense there's something...magical about this place."
Celestia groaned and put her head in her hands. "You have Sunset Shimmer to thank for that."
"Sunset Shimmer? Who is that?"
The principal thumbed a hand over her shoulder at the three Fall Formal pictures in the hallway. "That is Sunset Shimmer. An arrogant troublemaker who has caused our school a lot of pain and suffering."
Adagio leaned back in her chair and put her hands behind her head. "Pain and suffering? What was she a bully or something?"
"I wish. You should have been here yesterday. She turned into a giant demon and nearly destroyed the school for the second time in six weeks. And that's only the most severe of her offenses."
A demon. That sounds about right.
"Well," the siren tapped her head. "If you don't mind me asking, how are you all still alive?"
Celestia turned her head towards the side wall, and another Fall Formal picture. This one depicted a purple-skinned girl with multicolored hair, a pair of wings on her back, and a horn on her head. "She is why. Princess Twilight managed to defeat Sunset Shimmer and change her back to normal. Without her, we wouldn't be having this conversation."
"Is Princess Twilight here now?"
"I'm afraid not. You see, she actually lives in another dimension as crazy as that sounds. And according to some of the students she befriended while she was here, the portal to that dimension isn't open at the moment."
I can work with that.
"And what about Sunset Shimmer?"
The principal's eyebrows narrowed. "SHE will not be returning to Canterlot High. Even as we speak, I'm beginning transfer preparations to send her straight to the juvenile detention center."
"What?" Adagio jerked back and nearly fell out of her chair. "Isn't that a little excessive for a high school student?"
"It's far less than what she deserves." Celestia clenched her fist. "You'd understand if you were there. We're just lucky no one got hurt and the school didn't get sued. Worst case scenario and the school would have ended up as a crater."
"Okay," Adagio held up her hands. "I think you need to take a deep breath."
"What for? My decision is made."
"I understand that. But take it from someone who knows, you shouldn't make decisions while angry."
Unclenching her fist, Celestia allowed herself a single deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she nearly jumped back. Adagio had moved a lot closer and was now staring at her with glowing green eyes.
"What?" As much as she tried to pry her head away, she couldn't. "What are you...d-doing?"
With a good chuck of her power restored, the process was much smoother. Adagio grinned as wave after wave of magic washed over the hapless principal. "Just relax and let it happen. It'll be over soon."
""Aaaaahhhh." Celestia's eyes rolled back in her head as her arms fell to her sides. A moment later, they too turned green.
"Now then principal Celestia. Here's what you're going to do. Hear the words of your Mistress and obey."
"My Mistress." The entranced woman's tongue lolled out of her mouth. "I shall...obey."
Adagio chuckled to herself. Now this was more like it. "That's it. Listen to your Mistress. You will not send Sunset Shimmer away. She does not deserve to be imprisoned like that."
"I will," the only resistance Celestia could offer was a pause in her sentence. "I will not send Sunset Shimmer away."
"That's right. Instead you will forgive her." Adagio opened her eyes wider, drawing her slave even further under her spell. "You will tell her the true reason why you fear her power so greatly, and you will let her off with the bare minimum of punishment."
"I will."
"That's a good girl. Finally, you're going to find a reason for her to give me a tour around the school tomorrow."
"I will."
"Excellent." Adagio stepped back for a better look. Unlike Saffron, Celestia was drenched with sweat, either from trying to resist or the sheer number of commands to obey. A few lines of drool trickled out of her mouth. "Oh look at you. You're all wet." She leaned in closer. "Since you're the highest authority in the school, I think," she paused for a moment and sneered, "I think I'll keep you like this." She put her hands on Celestia's shoulders. "With this kiss, my spell shall be sealed, binding you as my slave as long as the tides strike the sand.
When the Siren's lips touched her forehead, Celestia shuddered, sighed, and slumped against her desk. A few moments later, she was sound asleep. Adagio carefully placed a "do not disturb" sign on the door and exited the room, shaking with excitement. Despite the large amount of magic she'd used, her pendant hadn't dropped a single shade. She clenched it and laughed to herself before heading to the rest of the day's events. Step one was complete.
(Present Day)
Adagio had always found human history to be fascinating. Despite their lack of magic, they had accomplished so much in so little time. Part of her envied their success. Dictators, monarchs, and politicians could demand the respect and servitude of entire nations without using mind control. All it took was a bribe here, a blackmail there, a rewritten story somewhere else, and few "convenient" disappearances. She'd have to take notes on that. But it would have to be later, as someone cleared her throat behind her.
The Siren looked up from the book and in her direction; then took off her jacket and stood up.
"Hello there." She greeted with a warm smile. "I was told to wait for you. Are you Sunset Shimmer?"
The girl smiled back. "Yes I am. Welcome to Canterlot High."
Adagio took her hand and shook it. "It's really nice to meet you. My name is Adagio Dazzle."