As the summer began to draw to a close, almost two months later, the three female figures that emerged from the sea, now wearing long monastic black robes with hoods hiding most of their faces save for their feminine lips and chins arrived at a ledge that allowed them to see a fairly large castle and a city that seemed to be much more advanced, but they seemed to be connected to each other. The one with the treble clef and orange gem embroidered on her rodes took off her hood revealing that she had raspberry colored eyes, with orange hair with yellow streaks, which was long and extremely curly, while exposing her palish yellow skin, “Well, well, well, look what we have here?” she asked as a faint green mist seemed to float from the city towards the three as their gems glowed the three laughing all the while. Before they started to sing, “Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh.”
Once the mist had been distilled into their gems, “Such rawr, untouched potential” the one that took off her hood said with a smirked.
The one with a purple five-pointed star-shaped gem over a forte symbol embroidered took off her hood, revealing that she had moderate mulberry eyes with moderate purple hair with light brilliant aquamarine streaks, which was done as two ponytails, and her skin, which was slightly pink. “I hope you’re not thinking we do the same thing we did last time,” she groaned.
The final figure, the one with a heart with an eighth note stylized to have a slight lightning bolt theme, then took off her hood, revealing that she had moderate raspberry eyes, with light arctic blue hair with moderate persian blue stripes, which was done in a ponytail, her skin was slightly bluish white. “Well, Adagio’s plan worked until those six showed up.” The other two rolled their eyes at the third's apparent stupidity.
“Don’t worry,” the one with orange hair with yellow streaks said as she turned to look at other two. “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.” The three then began to chuckle at that as they all turned back to the city as another green mist seem to rise.
The following morning, in the city itself a young woman was walking. She wore a royal purple top which went below her hips, with a yellow skirt, a large orange sash went around her waist with a golden sun with the center vacant as some sort of buckle for the sash on her left side. Part of her top was black leather that went over her shoulders and covered her back and seemed to come back to the front around her navel, there was a series of studs in the leather at her shoulder. That all said her arms and legs were mostly bare save for the black heeled shoes on her feet. On her head was a tiara that was shaped to look like the sun-shaped buckle in the front with a gem that looked like a red and yellow yin-yang but there was no red dot in the yellow and not yellow dot in the red. She had cyan eyes and her hair was sunset red with yellow stripes that made her hair looked not unlike strips of bacon. Her name was Sunset Shimmer. Something that should be noted was that around her neck was a collar with a lock on it, denoting that she was a prisoner on parol.
She was not alone was she accompanied by five other women, the first had shoulder length pistachio green hair with pale green and bright lime streaks, over her ears were a set of earphones with an image of a slice of lemon tart with a gem embedded on both sides, her eyes were closed and she was bobbing her head to the music she was playing, and was dressed in a sleeveless pale amaranth shirt that also exposed her midriff with a pair of pants grayish arctic blue in color, a black lightning bolt embroidered on the front with a purple plaid skirt, this is Lemon Zest.
The next woman had rose hair with light rose and aquamarine streaks in a ponytail, with a hairpin that looked like three berries on a leaf , but she wore pair of pants light grayish gold in color, with a sleeveless shirt made from the coat of a bear, with a black lightning bolt dyed in the front, with the bear’s own mouth as the opening for her right arm. This was Sour Sweet.
The next woman had with cerise eyes, mulberry hair and was cut short with small bangs all around, with raspberry streaks and a flaring yellow sun hair clip. She was dressed in the long robes of a cleric, with a black lightning bolt over her heart. She had a holy symbol on her left side, the symbol looked eerily similar to Celestia’s aura mark, but while Celestia’s mark gave the aura of warmth and growth, this sun looked like it was going to engulf the solar system in it’s raging plasma. On her right side was a war mace, as if she was a War Cleric. in her hair was a hair clip that looked like a flaring yellow sun. This was Sunny Flare.
The next woman had dark cornflower blue hair with cerulean and arctic blue streaks, with her hair combed up and back not unlike a mullet. She also had gamboge orange eyes and stylized yellow lightning bolts earrings. She was dressed in what looked like a close fitting variant of what martial artist, but was a tighter fit, both being closer and her leggings shorter, not unlike a professional athlete, with a black lightning bolt on her shirt. She had bracers that covered most of her forearms as well. At her heels were a set of ethereal wings that were indigo in color and looked more lightning bolts and on her head was a set of goggles. This was Indigo Zap.
The last woman had opalish gray hair with arctic bluish gray streaks done in two ponytails to the sides of her head, with glasses over her orchid eyes and a hair clip that looked like a set of lips. She was dressed in a long light brown robe which hid her feet, but her hovering betrayed her nature as a Skyborn. On the front of her robes was a black lightning bolt. This was Sugarcoat. Together with Indigo Zap, Sunny Flare, Lemon Zest, and Sour Sweet, the five half-sisters made a group called the Shadowbolts, named after their late father Shadow Bolt. The six young women had returned last night from another fruitless search for the missing Angus McSteer and were in Midnight Castle’s court having breakfast, while in the background was a woman in her early twenties with a wizard’s cap and a cape adorned with stars on a purple field, she also wore blue gloves, a black dress with knee-high boots, she also had light blue hair and purple eyes. Around her waist was a buckle shaped like a wand topped with a star and a cape with a series of stars, was performing various tricks and simple illusions to entertain the host. After completing one trick and receiving applauds, with several people throwing money on to the stage. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is most thankful, you have been a wonderful audience. Trixie shall be back in three hours for the next show.” The woman collected the money and then threw a smoke bomb and was gone when the smoke cleared.
However, even while Trixie was performing, many of the others in attendance sporadically gave Sunset an evil eye and or glare of death. This was not unnoticed by Sunset and the others she sat with. “You’re still not like here.” Sour Sweet stated while Sunset tried to hide her face.
“I am never going to live the whole thing down.” Sunset groaned, ashamed of herself.
“You tried to force the Element of Magic to attune itself to you, become a demoness and attacked us. It wasn’t like you spiked the punch at a school dance.” Sugarcoat pointed out, only to get another groan from Sunset.
Lemon took off her headset, “Yeah, even after a month of helping us search for Angus, who still remains at large, you think they let up, and with the upcoming music contest kind of puts a downer on it.”
“And that’s not addressing the recent discovery of our residents inherent magic and your help with setting up the school to help teach, deary.” Sunny added before she looked to Sunset’s pack, “So are you going to let Princess Celestia how things are?”
Sunset Shimmer groaned as she let her head fall to the table. “That would be a ‘no’.” Indigo, she really had no update on the matter. She had not made much headway in either the set up of the school that Cinch had requested, such there she was able to teach a few, beyond the Shadowbolts, but few people trusted her. There was also the whole thing with Angus. She thought Angus would go to the abandoned inn, just on the eastern board of the domain, granted only the criminals of lowest caliber of mental capacity were the ones that thought they were in the clear the moment they left the nation had committed crimes in would actually use it for a prolonged hideout, but it was a place to collect oneself. However, most criminals never made it that far since Cinch became the Baroness. From what Sunset gathered, Shadow Bolt was almost a one-man army and police force and was very effective at securing the domain, with the exception of being captured by Longhorn, but even that ended in Shadow Bolt’s favor.
Sunset lifted her head and gave a sigh. “Well since we are taking three days before we launch our next search and last night those three strangers arrive… well, they could use a real tour of Midnight Castle and it dominion with some pointers for the laws…” Sunset got up from her seat and headed out of the hall. She stopped at the doorway, “maybe if I can show them the new me before they learn about the old me…” She stopped there and gave a nervous laugh before she left. Before she fully turned the corner, “Do you girls mind getting all the people you can to met up in the wing of the castle that’s the school’s temporary location?” The five nodded. “Thanks, you’re the best!” Sunset called back as she ran to her destination.
“This is going to blow up in her face.” Sugarcoat stated as she returned to her meal. The other four nodded and went back to their meals.
Elsewhere in the castle, the three young woman that arrived in the city late the previous night had finished getting dressed in their black monastic robes. “That was the best sleep I’ve had in forever.” The one with light arctic blue hair with moderate persian blue stripes said as she fell on the bed she used, showing her ankles and a set of an ethereal wing on them, revealing herself as a Skyborn.
“So what’s the plan, Adagio?” the one with moderate purple hair with light brilliant aquamarine streaks asked as she leaned against the wall as she turned to the one with orange hair with yellow streaks who was sitting on her bed and in thought, all the while she, the purple haired one, seemed to be bored.
“Oh Aria,” the chipper one ask jumped back on her feet.
“Go back to sleep, Sonata and let the adults talk.” the purple haired woman, recently identified as Aria, groaned back to the recently identified Sonata.
“Hey Adagio, I think Aria woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” the recently identified Sonata said as she hovered to be right behind the recently identified Adagio.
Aria growled as she punched the wall, which resulted in a small crack and revealed herself as an Earthborn.“That’s because you took up most of the bed, you little…”
“ENOUGH!” Adagio roared as orange magic encircled the other two and forced them both to a wall. Both could also see that there was a faint orange glow which was barely visible and came from under the robes in the area of her pelvis. As the spell was ended, and the glow ended, it revealed that she was a Magicborn, and her focus gem was most likely part of a belly-button piercing. “Remain calm for now.” She ordered, “We need to know more about the layout. Now come on.” Adagio then opened the door, the other two followed her.
Once all three were outside, “Good Morning, I hope you three slept well.” they turned to see Sunset Shimmer approach them. “My name is Sunset Shimmer, and if you don’t mind, I would like to show you around.” She offered her right hand to the group.
Adagio smiled at this, “Thank you, Miss Shimmer.”
“Sunset, please.”
“All the same. It is very hospitable of you to show us around. But where are my manners, “I am Adagio Dazzle” Adagio said as she placed her left hand on her chest, and then gestured to the other two, first Aria, “these are my sisters Aria Blaze” and then to Sonata, “and Sonata Dusk.”
Sunset was taken aback slightly by that statement, the three girls look extremely different from each other,“You don’t…” Sunset started to ask as she tried to process the fact that and reconcile it with the statement.
Aria rolled her eyes before she addressed the elephant in the room, “Our dad never could keep the pigskin closed.”
“Oh,” Sunset said as she tried to find a tactful way to continue, “Sorry, about that.”
“It’s not your fault our daddy loved his women.” Sonata chimed-in innocently.
Sunset was dumbfounded at first but after a second or two, she was able to speak, “Well, you're not the first group of people I met with the same father but different mothers. Some guys just can’t control themselves, can they?”
Adagio chuckled a little at that comment, it was clear to Sunset that Adagio knew something, but Sunset couldn’t figure out what. After her laugh, “While Aria is correct concerning our father’s,” Adagio paused as she tried to think of the words, “lack of discretion with whom and how many bedded, he wouldn’t have bedded any of our mothers if they did want it. It takes two to tango.”
Sunset nodded as she accepted that fact, “True.”
“So when do we start the tour?” Sonata asked. Sunset nodded and began the tour of the castle and the city itself.
A few hours later, as the tour neared its conclusion, “And this wing of the castle has been recently set aside for magic lessons.” Sunset informed.
“Magic lessons?” Sonata asked truly curious, not that Aria and Adagio weren’t also intrigued by this but they elected to let the more airhead sister ask.
Sunset turned to face the three, “Well you see, I am not actually from her, I from the nation of Mystica, it’s across the ocean, and as such, I was born with and trained to use innate magic with me. I am what’s called a Magicborn where I am from, as my magic leans itself to the arcane and more ethereal magic.” Sunset did a quick look at Sonata specifically, “Now I can tell you’re a Skyborn, Sonata, because of your ethereal wings, as such your magic is more elemental in origins.” Sunset then looked at Aria and Adagio and tried to figure out what they were, but she really couldn’t tell if either was an Earthborn or a Magicborn. “I am not sure about Aria and Adagio.” She then went back to her main point, “But back to my point, most of the people here either didn’t have this innate magic or it has been untouched and unrecognized for over a thousand years. But not long after Midsummer’s Day, many of the people around our age and younger have had recent… discoveries of their power and as part of international relationships I am here to help them develop their skills.”
Sonata then saw a sign with various instruments and musical notes on it, she walked up to it slightly entrance by it, “Ohhh! You’re having a music contest.”
“It’s slated for three days from now, it’s kind of a fundraiser, not that it's really needed. This place is a lot like my home nation, a very small government for a nation of its size, lean government spending, low taxes and low expenses.” Sunset listed off as she explained what the reasoning for it. “Also it’s a nice way to blow off some steam. Well, I got to mentor, you might want to go to the tailor and get something other than those robes.” Before Sunset headed to what was set to be a classroom, she spied the rubies the three wore. “That’s a nice gem. Never seen a ruby like that.” As if by instinct she reached out to touch the gem that Adagio wore.
Adagio slammed Sunset’s hand, “I would appreciate it if you didn’t touch them. They’re from our father.”
Sunset rubbed her hand as she apologized, “I am sorry.”
“Don’t take it too hard, ‘Dagi’s bark is worse than her bite.” Sonata chimed. This got Aria to chuckle.
Adagio was about to growl but elected to put a smile on as she walked to Sonata and grabbed her by her shoulder, as she did so, Sunset noticed both an orange glow from her hand and barely noticeable one from under her robes located in the area of the pelvis. “You go on, thank you for showing us around.” As she pulled Sonata back she then grabbed Aria by her shoulder and began the two back, “We’re going to visit the tailor.”
“Um okay…” Sunset then went into the room, which was another wise empty room of around century of the residence of Midnight Castle around her age. They were training with some guidance from the Shadowbolts, save Sugarcoat, and while for most of them would be taken down by most thirteen-year-olds in Mystica, but they on their way. “Well, things seem to be going well,” Sunset commented to Sugarcoat, but Sugarcoat could tell that something was amiss concerning Sunset.
“What’s bothering you now?” Sugarcoat didn’t beat around the bush as she looked at Sunset. Sunset was about to brush it aside, “You know I know your True Name. So…” She elected to not continue as she knew Sunset would correctly infer the implication.
Sunset sighed, “I don’t know why, but there’s something weird about the three.”
Sugarcoat shrugged, “You might be overthinking things.”
Outside the three sisters were outside and were about to go in. Adagio looked at her sisters and then to the door. “This is it, girls. The moment we've been waiting for.”
“Lunch?!” Sonata asked almost obviously and clearly wanting something to eat.
As Aria covered her mouth and giggled, Adagio could do nothing else but groan at first. Adagio then placed her hands on Sonata’s shoulders and looked straight into Sonata’s eyes, “The chance to get our full power back.”
“Oh. Right.”
Adagio released Sonata and turned back to the door, “With all this recently discovered and untouched powers, and their lack of training, our voices are just strong enough that if they want something at all, we can to show them how badly they want it, so badly that they'll fight to get it.”
“So we're just gonna do what we always do? Stir up some trouble and then feed off the negative energy of these mortals?” Aria was not really asking but pointed out that this was a basic copy and paste of every other plan thus far. “Some plan, Adagio.” She commented with sarcasm and sardonic oozing in her tone.
Adagio turned to Aria, and glared at her before she grabbed Aria by the collar of her robes, “It won't be the same as the times before! There is great magic here, like the one of those that sent us away, and no one with the knowledge of us or how to defeat us.” Aria had to concede that point. Adagio continued, “Now all that raw negative energy will give us the power we need to get this entire world to do our bidding.”
“But we can get lunch after though, right?” Sonata asked as she pulled out poster from her robes with a picture of a taco with the words, ‘Taco Tuesday’. “It's Taco Tuesday!” She then smelt the poster and gave a blissful sigh.
“How do you even know what a taco is?” Aria asked utterly befuddled at her sister’s recent obsession with an item the trio just now heard about.
Adagio took the poster and ripped it to shreds in one second flat, “Just follow my lead.”
Or my lead,” Aria said as she looked away as if she was plotting something.
Adagio grabbed Aria by the collar and looked into her sister’s eyes as if looks could kill. However, after a second she spoke in a horrifyingly calm voice, “We are not having this debate again, Aria. It was your idea to let Bullion live. Had he died there would have been no record of us before we made our move.” She then pulled Aria so close that the only thing Aria’s eyes could focus on was Adagio’s eyes which flash a harsh red. “We will be following My lead!” Adagio ordered and let her sister go.
As Aria recovered from Adagio’s assertion, “She’s never lead us astray thus far.” Sonata added. Both Adagio and Aria rolled their eyes, they loved their sister, but she was known to push it. Adagio then pulled the doors open as she, Aria and Sonata began to sing, “Ah, ah-ah, ah-ahh
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ahh
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ahh
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ahh” as they threw off their robes, Adagio wore a royal purple dress that left her upper arms and her belly button exposed, showing a belly-button piercing that ended with an orange gem that was inline with the center of her pelvis. Aria wore a white shirt with dark purple pants and a small sleeveless green jacket, while Sonata wore a short pink dress with a dark purple short sleeved shirt which looked similar to a toned down marching band shirt. All three still had their necklaces and the rubies on them flashed. Everyone else stopped what they were doing turned to see the three. Slowly Indigo, Lemon, Sour, and Sunny slipped to be with Sunset and Sugarcoat.
Adagio took the lead, while Sonata and Aria harmonized ‘Ah, ah-ah, ah-ahh’ for her while mimicking her, as she walked among everyone, softly touching each one, either on the head, hair, arm, and in the case a few of the young men, their chest, “We heard you want to get together
We heard you want to rock this school
We've thought of something that is better
Something that changes all the rules
Why pretend we're all the same
When some of us shine brighter?” At that moment the three’s rubies began to shine.
“Shine brighter!” Aria and Sonata echoed, their voices in harmony as the room was suddenly awash from the shine of the three rubies.
Adagio stopped at one young man, just past eighteen and still very boyish in his appearance, she took his chin in her hand and batted bedroom eyes at him,“Here's a chance to find your flame
Are you a loser or a fighter?” She then walked to be in the center of the room to be with her sisters.
The three then sang together, each speaking in a direction of the rest, “Me and you, you and me
Why don't we see who is better?
We don't have to be one and the same thing
Oh, what's so wrong with a little competition?
Are you afraid of failing the audition?” All the while everyone but Sunset and Shadowbolts stared to look at each other with narrow eyes as if they didn’t trust one another and were prepared to strike first.
Adagio broke from her sisters and approached Trixie, and held her (Trixie) by her (Trixie) chin with her (Adagio) right hand, with a faint glow of the hand and the orange gem “You're a star and you should know it
Yeah, you rise above the rest.” Trixie began to levitate surround by the orange aura, but it was as if she was being lifted to be with the stars.
“It doesn't matter who you hurt
If you're just proving you're the best” Adagio ended her spell which caused Trixie to fall onto another in the room. Trixie seemed to get the message, if she wanted to be the Greatest and Most Powerful, she would have to break a few eggs in the process.
“Ah, ahh-ahh-ahhh
Battle! You wanna win it
Let's have a battle, battle of the bands
Let's have a battle, we'll go all in it
Let's have a battle, battle, battle
Battle of the bands”The sisters sang as they broke from each other and began to traverse all those there, noting that they were already dividing themselves.
The sisters were joined by all but Sunset and the Shadowbolts chanting “Battle!” four times. With each ‘Battle!’ separated by one person speaking, the first was a woman looking at another, “I can beat you!” and was replied to by the other after the second ‘Battle’ with “Ha! You wish!” Which was followed by the third ‘Battle!’ as Trixie spoke up, “Trixie needs this.” followed by the final ‘Battle!’, during which Adagio’s eyes flashed lime-green for a second, only to have someone shout out, “Not if I get it first!”
Everyone then joined the three sisters seeming to just watch as the everyone began to challenge each other, with lime green mist seeming to form around everyone which went unnoticed by even Sunset and the Shadowbolts, “Me and you, you and me
Why don't we see who is better?
We don't have to be one and the same thing
Oh, what's so wrong with a little competition?”
The three sisters stopped and allowed the rest to sing, “I'm going out and winning the audition”
The sisters rejoined in the next verse, as they all sang the mist become visible to Sunset and then to the Shadowbolts, which caused Lemon to stop bobbing her head with the song, “Battle! We wanna win it
Let's have a battle, battle of the bands
Let's have a battle, we'll go all in it
Let's have a battle, battle, battle
Battle of the bands!” The mist was drawn to and absorbed in the three rubies.
As the song ended, as everyone began to head out each person looking at the others as if they were going to tear each other’s throats out. Followed by the three sisters, “You can sign us up as the Dazzlings.” Adagio said before she, Aria and Sonata left.
“Why do you get to pick the name?” Aria whined.
“We could call ourselves the Si…” Sonata started only to have her mouth shut by Aria and Adagio.
“You’ll have to forgive my sisters, they can be idiots sometime, namely Sonata,” Adagio informed as she and Aria left taking Sonata out with them.
“Humh, back in Mystica, Musicals usually took place on Thursdays,” Sunset commented. The five other looked at her with their faces both contorted in confusion and deadpan. “Sorry, just thought a little humor would help us out.”
“That was quite a display of music-based magic.” Lemon said, “Battle!” she cheered earning her a glare of all the others.
“Despite how childish the name of the showcase has become, there really isn’t a better term for what to call it.” Sugarcoat stated plainly. “Also, seeing how quickly everyone seems to be at each other’s throats, a request for aid from let’s say Twilight and her friends might be warranted.”