//------------------------------// // Chapter Three // Story: An Equestrian Girls Comedy of Errors // by Godzilla313 //------------------------------// Chapter 3   A couple of days later, Sunset was opening the music shop with Starlight, preparing for the day and helping Starlight with human interactions.  She checked the schedule for use of the music rooms and saw Jack’s name on the head of the list.  She hadn’t seen the Dazzlings around the next day, so she hoped they took the hint, but she would find out if they were still messing with him.  Yet, another thing hit her, and that was why he wanted to use one of the rooms in the first place.  As if an answer, not five minutes after she had opened, a minivan pulled up and out hopped Jack.  He came in and said, “Hey, good to see you again.” Starlight and Sunset waved back to him as Jack came up and checked on his rental, and Sunset was surprised to see he had the room for most of the day.  He handed over his card and said, “We plan on getting things put together and seeing how we cohere as a group.” “We?” asked Sunset, just as the other doors in the van opened and out hopped the Dazzlings, pulling out instruments and preparing to come in.  She just stared, but Jack snapped her out of it by asking, “Are you going to ring that up?” She shook her head, blankly ran the card, and then gave it back.  Jack smiled and nodded as he headed out to help Sonata with the drum kit.  Adagio and Aria came in with their guitars as Jack passed and said, “It’s room two, just behind the desk in the hall.” She nodded, and then brought her head around just in time to see an angry Sunset Shimmer giving her the death stare.  “What are you doing?” she asked, not happy that Adagio had ignored her warning. “Acting like a paying customer,” answered a slightly annoyed Adagio, “And I assume you like your job.” Sunset looked surprised at this and then said, “What’s that supposed to mean?” “Well, we’re paying customers,” Adagio retorted, “And unless we’ve done something bad, if you try to throw us out, all I have to do is find your boss and complain to him or her and tell that person all the bad and horrible treatment you gave us.” Adagio said this last part in a sort of pouty, innocent voice, followed by an innocent girl grin and fluttering eyelashes.  Sunset gritted her teeth and growled, but Adagio was right.  There was nothing she could do.  She gave a weak smile and said through her teeth, “Right this way, miss,” leading her to the room that Jack had mentioned.  Starlight, however, looked very concerned.  She wanted to learn proper human interactions, and she was certain this was not it.  She, to try to calm things, went out to help them with their things. Eventually, all their instruments, amps, and Jack’s keyboards and racks, with his acoustic and electric guitar, were in room two.  They closed the door and got to work while Sunset went back to the front to deal with store duties and dealing with customers.  After about ten minutes, the girls could hear some faint music, (as the rooms were well soundproofed,) coming in fits and starts as it sounded like they were working things out.  It was quiet enough that Sunset began to forget that they were even in there working.  Yet, after an hour, very faintly, the sounds of a song was coming together.  Not only that, but it actually sounded good.  From what she could make out, it sounded like a funky rock and roll version of the Nutcracker Suite.  This was followed by applause and laughter.  As curiosity began to get the better of her, she decided to see what was going on. Once a lull in the work came, Sunset turned on a monitor and put in some earbuds, as each music room had cameras and mics in them to be sure that things were going well and folks using the room were not abusing it.  Starlight saw this and came over to cee what she was seeing.  Sunset saw this and handed her a set of earbuds and plugged her in.  She turned on the sound just in time to hear the drums chime in to an old Blondie song called “Dreaming”.  Sonata was on drum, Aria was on guitar, Adagio on bass, and Jack on keys.  They absolutely started to jam and play very upbeat.  Adagio took lead lyrics and really had a happy smile as she sang and played, acting bubbly and dancing a bit as she performed.  They were also very tight.  Jack was enough of a musician to cohere with the three of them as they played as if they had been playing since being toddlers in the same daycare.  Sunset was stunned by what she saw and heard.  Yes, they looked like the Dazzlings, but they certainly were not acting like what she knew.  Starlight, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying it, not knowing things nearly as well as Sunset would have known.  Starlight just had to say, “If they were in Equestria, they could certainly give Sapphire Shores, Coloratura, and Songbird Serenade a run for their money in the charts.” Sunset sighed and said, “They’re sirens.  They could give anypony…anyone…a run for their money.” “Okay, I get your point,” responded Starlight, “But, you know, I don’t see any of the things you spoke about with what their singing does.  We’re perfectly fine, no one in the shop is reacting.  Maybe they have changed.” “Hardly,” said Sunset, now rolling her eyes, “Before they left, they swore revenge and were seething.  Trust me: it’s not in them to be like that.” Just as Sunset finished saying that, Sonata took a lead and started to play “Sunday Girl”, and sing the French version perfectly.  They were talented indeed.  For Sunset this was a bit of a struggle. On the one hand, it had been a while, and they could have come around.  On the other hand, they could not have gotten this good vocally in the time between the Battle of the Bands and now.  They were evil, and Adagio was especially sadistic, almost relishing in the torment she caused, but here, there was none of that.  Instead of acting stuck up, they just…were.  They were divas for sure, but they weren’t “in your face” about it.  She wanted to ponder it further, but more customers were coming in to use music rooms and make purchases and she had to take her eyes off that and get back to business. Before she could blink, it was almost close to noon, and the four of them emerged, laughing and chattering about the jam session they were having.  Jack asked Starlight to make sure the room stayed secure as he told the trio that lunch was on him.  As they were heading out, Sunset, and very politely this time, said, “Oh Jack, could I have a word?  I just had some questions about your rental.” “Oh, sure,” he answered, and turned to the trio, saying, “I’ll see you three outside.” They acknowledged this and went out as Jack came back and said, “What’s up?” “Okay, the question about the room was just to get you alone,” answered Sunset, “Look, the reason why I pulled you away was to ask you what they’ve said about themselves.  I mean, the last time we spoke, my friends and I told you about them.” “And I think you’re mistaken on all counts,” answered Jack, “They actually came over to my place yesterday and met my family.  We talked, and it seems they’ve only been in town as long as I have, and they all grew up in Philadelphia as friends together.  They’ve been in music all their lives.  After living in New York as long as I, you can see a nonsense artist a mile away.  There’s nothing there that lets me know that they are not feeding me a line.” Sunset pondered this, and she really did not know how to answer now.  After some thought, it began to hit her.  Could it be… “Jack, you know, you might be right,” answered Sunset, “And I’m sorry if I offended you.  I’m really not sure anymore, but I have an idea now why I was so mistaken.” “Um, okay,” he answered and said, “Well, see you after lunch.” He then went his way, and Sunset was turning it over in her mind.  Starlight then said, “What did you find out?” “You know what?” answered Sunset, “We just might be seeing something interesting.” “Meaning?” “Meaning that, well, remember how I told you that there are doubles of everyone here in Equestria in pony form or other forms?” “Yes, I do, and you said there may well be a double of both me and you somewhere in this world.” “And I also said to you that the odds of you meeting this person are one in about seven billion.  Well, it looks like we have met three people who have bucked those odds.” Starlight looked at the door at where the four had been and then looked back at her, and then she said, “So, you’re saying that we may be seeing their counterparts from this dimension?” “It’s possible,” answered Sunset with a shrug. “But, if that’s the case, then why are they acting all nice?” “Just because you have a double does not guarantee you will be exactly like your doppelganger.  I mean, for our friends, it turned out to be the case, but Twilight here is not exactly the same as Princess Twilight, so it’s not uniform.” Starlight pondered this and said, “Well, you do have a point, but how are you going to confirm this?” “That answer is only a touch away,” answered Sunset with a smirk. Not too far away, the Dazzlings that everyone else knew parked their junker and headed towards the dollar store to pick up the cleaner they needed.  As they went, they passed by the local fast food joint—the Hey, Burger! —and Sonata happened to look into the big window and then stopped dead in her tracks.  She then started to giggle.  It was only then that the other two stopped and noticed that she was still back at the restaurant, and looking at the window goofily.  They rolled their eyes and went back for here, getting to her just as she said, “That’s so funny!  My reflection isn’t acting the same as me!” Adagio groaned, though she figured it was her normal dizziness and started to talk as she looked in…and then stopped dead in her tracks!  Sitting in the middle of the restaurant was…well…HERSELF!  Aria caught up, and the process repeated itself.  After rubbing their eyes to be sure they were not seeing things, they looked in again and could not believe what they saw.  They saw themselves, dressed oddly as far as they were concerned, laughing, happy, and sitting with some boy.  “How…but…they…you…we…” sputtered Aria, not sure what to say, but then Adagio said, “I don’t know either, but I mean to find out!” She looked at Aria and said, “Take Sonata and get the cleaner.” “But, I want to find out as well!” snapped Aria. “You really want to trust Sonata in the store?” whispered Adagio, “She’ll come out with half the store, blow the rent money, and still not have what we came for!” Aria sighed, but knew Adagio was right.  She grabbed Sonata and headed for the store as Adagio watched the group while concealing herself somewhat. She had been there for a time, frustrated at then spending so much time in the store when she felt a tap on her shoulder, “Excuse me, miss,” said a gruff voice behind her, “Is there a problem?” Not looking behind, she just retorted, “Stuff a sock in it and mind your own business!” “Your standing on my street corner loitering IS my business!” came an angry response. Her eyes went wide and looked behind her to see a rather big cop.  This was Smokey THE Bear, complete with the hat, sunglasses, gun, night stick, flashlight, extra magazines, hand cuffs, the keys to the Batmobile, and a bad mood to boot!  “If you ain’t got a need to be here, move along!” “But, officer,” sputtered Adagio, now very contrite, “I do have some business here.  You see, well,” and looked back to see them gone.  “Wait, what?” she asked, looking around, and managing to see them head around a corner at the last second.  She then said, rather quickly, “You’re right!  No business here…” and took off like a shot.  The cop just stood there, watching her leave and scratching his head, saying, “What a nutty kid!” She moved rapidly, trying to keep an honest distance without losing them, nearly getting run over by a bus and a garbage truck, getting hit with some mop water being tossed out, almost knocking over a hot dog stand, and dodging pedestrians as if she was a professional halfback in the process.  Dripping wet and smelly, she caught up to them and noticed them go into a music store.  She went up, looked in, and then tried to conceal herself quickly once she saw that Sunset Shimmer was the clerk.  She pressed herself against the wall next to the window, pondering things, and definitely wanted more answers.  She knew she wasn’t going to get them then, and started to head back to the car, pondering her next move.  One thing was for sure, and that was that she would have more business downtown than ever before. As the group headed to the room, Sunset signaled Adagio over to her and said, “Look, you know, I’ve been thinking.  You’re right, I’m thinking of someone else.  I’m sorry for being so rude.” Adagio smiled with a smirk, but not in a mean way, and said, “No offense taken…your name?” “Sunset,” she answered, “Sunset Shimmer.” She extended her hand and Adagio obliged, saying, “Adagio Dazzle.” Sunset had her chance and took her hand.  Instantly, her eyes went fixed, but it was only for a moment, and she let go of Adagio’s hand, saying, “Have fun practicing.  Hey, perhaps I’ll come in later and listen to you play some.” “That would be great,” answered Adagio, “Toodles.” After going in, Starlight said, “Well, did you get anything.” “I sure did,” she answered, “I’ll tell you now, but I want to tell the others when we meet tonight.  Things just got interesting.” YJ3_<�