Chapter 2
Indeed, everyone in the cafe was somewhat reacting the way the girls were, in that, it was filled with youth, and that they all remembered. However, they seemed to be taking it in stride. What they did not know about was the conversation that went on when these three entered the room.
Once they had been settled in, they decided to walk around town and learn the neighborhood. Now, the thing was, the three of them had that...certain something...that made them stand out. They were indeed quite beautiful, talented, knew it, knew how to hold themselves, but never ever seemed to rub it in the faces of others. Sonata looked around and said, "Why are they all staring at us and then moving away?"
Adagio rolled her eyes with a sllight grin and said, "We've been through this before. We are what we are, and people get jealous."
"Maybe we should tone it down?" Sonata added.
"Why?" asked Aria sensibly, "We're not trying to flaunt it."
"Besides," added Adagio, "If we were prima donnas, we'd deserve the looks we get. But, we don’t do that. We just are. If others become jealous, then that’s not our fault. We don’t fake it. Just enjoy who you are and don’t sweat the small stuff. We can win them in time.”
They walked on, oblivious to the real reason why folks were acting this way. As they went, they heard about the new hang out and decided to go check it out.
Indeed, they were divas. They were not ashamed of their beauty and talent, didn’t try to hide it, (for, in their minds, it would be them acting as people they were not,) yet did not rub it in the faces of others. Even in the way they dressed spoke of their confidence, in that they were into “dressing Lolita,” Adagio liking the loligoth, Aria liking the punk Lolita, and Sonata wearing a sweet Lolita that did not involve poofy skirts, but more straight skirts with fancy black boots and pantaloons underneath. Some may have thought such fashion was ridiculous, but somehow, they could pull it off. They felt it would bring them a bit of flak at first, but time would change opinions, they felt. Now, they were in the café, and they were gaining the same looks and paid it no mind, unaware of the truth of the matter. This was further emphasized when they found it hard to get a waitress, followed by the cold treatment of the waitress when they ordered their chai teas with honey and lemon.
Meanwhile, the girls were now talking amongst themselves, with Jack just watching, lost on what was the fuss. They were discussing the whole issue of what had happened since the battle of the bands. The last they had heard, the Dazzlings had moved to a different part of town, gotten menial labor jobs, and hardly came out, and were fairly well ostracized by all their peers all over town. They never figured that they would ever dare show their faces again. Yet, now, here they were! They then just watched them closely.
Meanwhile, the three had some of their tea and then Adagio, after hearing an atrocious attempt at singing, said to the other two, “Let’s show them some good singing and see if we can win them over a bit.”
With that, they went to the book, looked it over, pointed to one, told the DJ, and they all took a microphone. Yet, instead of just singing, they all took poses, Adagio in front, the other two in background singer positions, facing away from the audience. The music started, and it was clear they were singing an oldie that few knew, or at least the most popular version of it: The Tide is High. As the music started to play, the three started to move and dance a bit, and then wheeled around as the intro music built to its well-known hook and they really started to move. Then they started to sing…and sing well! The people there, at first, were trying to ignore them, but then started to watch and listen, and a few even caught themselves start to move a bit to things, but then stopped themselves, remembering who they were, but then caught themselves doing it again. The girls, however, were now shocked. They could not believe what they were hearing. The last they knew, they had attained glass voices, and could no longer do as they had done before. How was this possible now? Something was definitely wrong.
Jack, however, knowing nothing of the past, watched with admiration and was moving to the music. He loved this era of music, and the fact they were doing it so well sat well with him. He was surprised girls of this talent had not yet been scarfed up by some record company or producer. They stood out, so there was no way their talent could not have been missed by someone, and they had talent. He was highly impressed and was going to make a point to introduce himself once they had finished.
Once they girls had finished, there was applause, though not as vibrant as their performance deserved. It was almost as if the crowd had to give credit where credit was due, but they were reluctant to go all out considering how things had been before. Jack, on the other hand, was applauding loudly and saying, “Excellent job! You three have got something!”
The three turned and smiled at him, Adagio just turning and adding a slight smirk as she did. They then went back to their seats, Adagio telling the others, “Well, there’s one. I think there will be more.”
The girls with Jack, however, were perplexed. They, above others, knew what was going on, save for Starlight and Twilight, who had only been told what had happened. They were now muttering back and forth about what had just happened, joining all the others who were now discussing what had just happened. Yet, Jack grabbed his coffee and started to make his way over to the trio, and that is when Rainbow Dash reached out and grabbed his arm, saying, “Jack, don’t. They’re trouble, believe me!”
“Yes,” added Fluttershy, semi-hiding behind a few of the others upon seeing the Dazzlings, “They’re real meanies.”
He looked back at them, confused, saying, “That’ s not what I saw.”
“Trust us,” said Sunset, “They tried to do some tricky things with the whole town and deceive everyone.”
Jack’s face looked like someone was holding something smelly under his nose and said, “Them? I don’t get it.”
“Though their dresses and hair look absolutely stunning,” said Rarity, “Do not let their grace and beauty fool you. They will eat you alive.”
“Yer askin’ fer trouble with them,” said Applejack, “You can trust us; we’re tellin’ ya the truth.”
Jack was uneasy about their reactions to this, but he just sat down, thinking he would just catch them another time and find out who they were. He was from New York, and there was little, he felt, that could pull a fast one on him. He saw how distressed his new friends were, and decided to let it go for that moment, just so he would not upset his new friends.
Things calmed, and everyone went back to their own business. As it got late enough, folks began to head home, and the trio did eventually clear out. Jack watched this, then looked at the girls after looking at his phone and said, “Well, it’s been fun, but I got a…thing… I’ll see you around town.”
They all said their goodbyes and Jack headed out. Once he got away from the café, he spotted the trio and walked quickly to catch up with them. “Hey,” he spoke out, “I saw you in the café back there, and I have to say that I’m quite impressed.”
After being slightly startled, they calmed upon seeing the only one that seemed impressed and Adagio said, “Well, thank you. And is that why you followed us?”
“Well, the company I was keeping were not so impressed,” he answered, “And, for some reason, they seemed to be a bit put off by you, as if you had done something bad to them.”
“Really?” exclaimed a confused Sonata, “We’ve never seen anyone before today.”
Aria rolled her eyes and said, “You hardly remember most folks you met that morning.”
“I do not do that,” protested Sonata as Aria giggled a bit, knowing how easy it was to get a rise out of her friend. Jack laughed a bit and said, “You three act like sisters.”
“We’re hardly sisters,” said Adagio, “But we’ve known each other for so long that we might as well be.”
“That explains your tight harmonies and dancing,” responded Jack, “It’s kind of like Simon and Garfunkel; they were close friends and learned to sing as young kids.”
“And your name?” asked Adagio.
“Ah, sorry,” he answered, slightly embarrassed, “The name’s Jack Zircon.”
Adagio put out her hand as if he was supposed to kiss it, saying, “Adagio Dazzle.”
He stifled a laugh and, “Really?” look on his face and played along, kissing it, as he heard, “I’m Aria Blaze.”
“And I’m Sonata Dusk,” answered the third.
Before he could respond, Adagio pointed to the case and said, “You play? By your last name…”
“Well, since you brought it up,” he cut in, “I have a great uncle named Nick Zircon. Wait, how’d you know…”
“We’re into that kinda music,” cut in Sonata, “70’s and 80’s.”
“Really?” he asked, “So am I.”
Adagio’s gears began to turn and then she said, pointing to his guitar, “Play us something.”
“Now?” he said, confused, “I mean, it’s late, and…”
“Oh, pleasepleaseplease?” urged Sonata, “One song won’t hurt?”
He laughed and could not avoid the charm. He opened his case, pulled out the guitar, checked the tuning, and then gave it a moment to think of what to play. He then decided on “Solitary Man,” and played it quite well. Moreover, his voice was a mix of the best elements of his great uncle and Chris Isaack. Now it was the trio’s turn to be impressed. “Wonderful!” said Sonata, “Do you just play guitar?”
“Well, I can play rhythm or lead,” he answered, “But I also love keys and have a nice synthesizer set at home.”
“Isn’t that expensive?” asked Aria.
“My folks work for a record company,” he answered, “All of it is second hand, and it’s easy for them to get as a result. I love that stuff because I can prerecord a band set to play off.”
The fact that this revealed he had no band or friends with which to play caught Adagio’s attention. She then asked, “I’m surprised you don’t have other musical friends.”
“Just got to town,” he answered, “Those girls were the first folks I’ve really met.”
“We actually play ourselves,” she said, “We play a power set, but what we like to play needs something more.”
Jack thought about it and said, “I think I catch the hint. Tell you what: I know of a music shop in town. They have some practice studios in it. I can see about renting it out and having a jam session. I have a mini-van the family used, and the folks gave to me for my 16th birthday. I can load the rack in the van and meet you there.”
They all began to chatter and agree to the idea, and began exchanging numbers. Yet, this was just as two familiar people came around the corner.
The girls had all left the café about the same time and went their separate ways. Starlight and Sunset started heading back to the flat and Starlight asked Sunset, “Wow, you sure hated those girls; was what they did that bad?”
“They wanted to conquer the world,” answered Sunset, “They are seductive and sadistic. They are not to be trusted.”
Thinking about their own pasts, Starlight then said, “I get that, but they sure didn’t seem like what you had described before about them.”
“Yeah, that was odd,” Sunset pondered, “That really wasn’t their style before, and even more odd was the fact that they can sing again.”
“I thought they were sirens. I figured that was to be expected.”
“Not after we defeated them. They can’t even hold their voices for more than half a minute now after their gems were shattered.”
“Well, since you mentioned that Equestrian magic has been seeping in, could something have happened?”
“Not sure, but something tells me we need to find out.”
Just as she was mentioning that, they turned the corner just as Jack was saying goodbye to who they assumed to be the Dazzlings. The three turned around and began to go their way, just in time to run into a scowling Sunset, arms firmly crossed in front of her chest, and an apprehensive Starlight, not sure how to react. Adagio tried to speak, but Sunset cut her off and said, “I have no idea why you even dared set foot in this part of town after what you and your toadies tried to pull, but I’ll tell you this: amscray before you get hurt. Leave him alone. He’s a newcomer, and we’re not going to let you mess with him!”
Adagio, however, was taken aback, acting like someone had slapped her. She shook her head and said, “Do I know you? We just got in town, and…”
“Oh, don’t even play games with me!” Sunset interjected, “I don’t know how you managed to get the strength in your voice, but I know it can’t be by honest means. Whatever you’re planning, you’d better stop!”
Adagio turned stern now, and said, “Darling, I don’t know you from Adam, and I don’t appreciate threats. Now, I suggest you leave me alone before I call the police.”
“You know this matter is greater than petty…” Sunset started to say, wanting to mention that the issues things are going on beyond anything that the police can handle, but Starlight saw that things were getting out of hand very quickly and got between the two, putting her arms around Sunset and saying, “Sorry, my friend has been through a long day and needs some rest. We’ll leave now.”
She wheeled her head around to Sunset and muttered to her, “Pick and choose your battles, and this isn’t the time or place for it.”
She smiled and said, “Have a good night.”
“Thank you,” answered Adagio, “At least you have a sensible head. Good evening.”
With that, Adagio joined her friends and they went their way. “What are you doing,” exclaimed Starlight once the three were out of earshot, “I know you said they did some very bad things, but there are times for everything. On a street corner at night is not it.”
Sunset shook her head and calmed down. “Sorry,” she answered, “That’s so out of character for me. I mean, it’s been an age since we’ve seen those three, and it’s bad enough they had the guts to show up here, but now they can suddenly sing like that, and it just has to be something sinister!”
“Could it be that they just learned how to strengthen their voices?” said Starlight, trying to keep this from getting to something that Sunset might later regret, “Who knows? Maybe they’ve changed? It’s been long enough? Come on, I think the two of us know what it means to have second chances.”
Sunset wanted to say something about that, but then sighed and realized she was letting her emotions get the best of her. Who knows? They may have changed. She’d have to give it time, but did say, “Look, I get your point, but, at the same time, you know, Adagio is such a sadistic thing, I just don’t know if that’s possible for her. Of all the bad people and ponies that I’ve encountered over time, she’s been the most sinister.”
“Then we watch and observe,” answered Starlight, “Since you’ve made a friend out of Jack, I’m sure he just might hang out more in that place we went to, and you can get reports from him. We’ll take our time. Besides, you have work in a couple of days, and I’m coming with you to learn about how things run here in your world. Let’s get to bed and get some rest. I’m sure we’ll see things clearer in the morning.”
“Yeah,” agreed Sunset, “Let’s just get back.”
As they went back, Sunset said, “Funny, though… I mean, she looked genuinely confused, as if she really hadn’t ever met be before. That is so odd. Ahh… I’m putting way too much thought into this.”
Starlight put a consoling arm around her as they headed into their place. Tomorrow was best dealt with then, and not today.
As the three walked back to their respective houses Aria said, “The nerve of that girl! Who did she think she was? I was so ready to forget how to be a lady and slap her silly.”
“Relax,” said Adagio, “It could have been anything. We’re new. She could have thought us anyone. Who knows?”
“What if we run into her again?” asked Sonata, “I don’t want things to get ugly.”
Adagio sighed and said, “I think running into her again is inevitable, considering the surroundings. All we must do is be ourselves and convince her by deeds that we are not who she thinks we are. Remember, it took time to win our old friends over, and it’s a fresh start here. Let’s just think about a couple of days from now, because I think we’re going to have some fun. What could go wrong?”
As they split and went into their houses, a car was passing through, heading for some apartments on the other side of the neighborhood, and in it was three very tired girls. They were grateful they were going to get the next day off, but were a touch upset that some of the chores they had to do the next day would be in the town where those girls that took everything from them lived. Sonata yawned and said, “Why do we have to come back here? I never want to see this place again.”
“I told you,” muttered a frustrated and grubby Adagio, “They ran out of the cleaner we need that is the only thing that will get rid of the mildew in that horrible dump we live in.”
Aria grumbled, “I tell you, if fate ever lets it happen, we not only need to get rid of those girls, we have to ruin everything about them. I want their fall to be so great that no one would have ever cared they existed.”
“Yeah, right,” grumbled Sonata in return, “Like something is going to fall out of the sky and put things back the way they were. It’s over for us.”
Aria wanted to respond, but what was there to say? She was right; it was all over. They were stuck in this world, powerless, and wasting their lives away. Unless they could tap into Equestrian magic again, maybe, but what were the odds of that? Yet, what she did not know was that it just might fall out of the sky, because, unbeknownst to them, the monument where the portal was still had that crack, and was still spitting out particles of Equestrian magic, affecting anything or anyone with which it came into contact. Fate has a funny way of acting, and considering those that have come to be in this place, their connections, and the history there, it was as if the elements of a violent chemical reaction was coming together, looking only for the catalyst to set it off.