//------------------------------// // 5. Encore // Story: Spectacular Seven // by Albi //------------------------------// Sunset watched Adagio suck on her teeth before slowly opening her mouth. “We…” Her whole face puckered. “Either spit it out or get lost,” Rainbow growled, a blue aura already shimmering around her. Adagio narrowed her magenta eyes, sizing each of them up. Sunset stared her down, taking note of the hunger in her stare. Something else stirred in her eyes as well. Desperation?  Curling her nails into her palm, Adagio spoke, her throat convulsing as she choked the words out. “Fine. We… would like… your…” She shuddered. “Help.” Seven pairs of eyes stared against three as their owners tried to make sense of the situation unfolding. Sunset, struck dumb by the request, felt her initial surge of anger fade. The Sirens wanted help? From them? No one moved. No one blinked. Even the movie seemed muted in the stunned silence. Rarity, ever the diplomat, broke the tension with a simple, “What?” Adagio clenched her teeth together. “We would like your help.” Silence. Shorter this time. “And why the hell should we help you?” Rainbow asked. “We’re clearly desperate if we’re asking you losers for help,” Aria said. “Yeah, calling us losers, off to a great start,” Rainbow snapped back. “Get lost before we rainbow friendship laser you again.” Adagio clapped her hands together, a pained smile on her face. “Fine, you want us to acknowledge the elephant in the room? We will. We’re sorry we tried to take over the world and turn everyone into our slaves. There, happy?” “No!” Twilight and Rainbow shouted.  Their collective yell snapped Sunset out of her befuddlement. Instead of contemplating the best order in which to punch the Sirens like she had been before Adagio claimed they needed help, Sunset took a better look at them.  Gone were their flashy clothes and jewelry. Instead, they were all dressed in sweatpants and baggy sweatshirts that looked a little worse for wear. None of them looked malnourished or hurt, though Sonata’s eyes were red, like she had been crying. Aria sneered like the seven were being unreasonable. “What do you want from us? We said sorry.” “You call that an apology?” Applejack said, outraged. “Do y’all have any idea what you put us all through? You expect us just to let it go ‘cause you said ‘sorry’? Ah bet y’all don’t even mean it!” “We’re new to the whole apologizing thing, okay?” Adagio said. “That’s why we came to you in the first place.” Sunset raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” Adagio sucked on her teeth again. “Look, this is the third time we lost. Only this time, it’s permanent,” she growled. “Yeah, no hard feelings there,” Aria muttered. Adagio shot her a dangerous look. “And we decided that, maybe there’s some value to all that friendship and kindness junk people keep spouting at us.” “Plus, we’re outta money and really hungry,” Sonata whined. Sunset’s eyebrow rose higher, rivaling Applejack’s. “So you came to us—the ones who beat you and took away your magic—to…?” Adagio shrugged like even she wasn't wholly positive. “Teach us about friendship or something? I dunno! Look, we really don't have anywhere else to turn!” “Our desperation should be obvious if we're coming to you guys,” Aria said. “Really scraping the bottom of the barrel.” “Again, not helping yourselves!” Rainbow said.  Adagio groaned irritably. “What, do you want us to beg? Please. There, happy?” Applejack's eyebrow took its rightful place as the highest in the room. “Y’all call that beggin’?” “Pretty please?” Sonata tried. “You don't get it, do you?” Rainbow threw a hand out, nearly smacking the blanket Fluttershy was peeking out of. “You really expect us to help you after what you did to us? You kidnapped our friend’s dad, brainwashed the entire city, made us fight with each other, and to top it off, you turned into flying monsters and tried to kill us!” A chord struck hard inside Sunset, reverberating through her entire body. The vibration sent her back to almost a year ago, where Rainbow had given an eerily similar speech to her in Sugarcube Corner. Sunset looked at the Sirens again, and it was as if someone had peeled away the curtain and showed her an old self-portrait.  “Sure, when you say it like that, anything can sound bad,” Adagio said with a smile. Sunset thought it was supposed to be playful, but any smile Adagio gave looked predatory. Several of the girls looked ready to yell, but Sunset put her hand up to stop them. “Look, give us a few minutes to really talk about this, okay? You’re dropping a lot on us at once.” Aria rolled her eyes. “Fine, whatever.” “Thanks,” Sunset said flatly, already regretting what she was about to do. “Pinkie, shut the door.” Pinkie swung the door close and turned to her friends, eyes unfocused and a crooked smile on her face. “Girls, I think the Sirens are at the door,” she said in an even higher pitched voice than usual. “We noticed,” Sunset said. “Now--” “There is no blazin’ way Ah’m makin’ friends with those… those monsters!” Sunset flinched. “I understand your anger, but--” “They’re up to something,” Rainbow said, pointing an accusatory finger at the door. “I’m not buying their ‘we’re sorry’ act for a second! The minute we let our guard down, bam! They hit us with something!” “That's definitely a possibility. But--” “I am not getting hypnotized by magic again!” Twilight yelled. “You guys are right,” Sunset said loudly before anyone else could add fuel to the fire. “They might be up to something and we probably shouldn't trust them.” Rainbow scowled. “Why do I feel like there's a ‘but’ coming?” Sunset gave her a guilty smile. “I’m just playing devil’s advocate here. Doesn’t what they did sound… you know… familiar?” Rarity moved to sit on the arm of the couch. “Darling, you can't compare yourself to them! You only… I mean, they… you were just… they tried to...” She grew quiet as her expression became distant. “Oh…” “You were actually sorry for what you did,” Applejack argued. “Look at them! They ain’t sorry in the slightest.” “Girls, initially, I was only sorry I lost. Come on, let’s all be real for a second. Minus Pinkie, if Princess Twilight hadn’t asked you girls to help me, would you have tried to be my friend?” Just asking the question aloud made Sunset’s stomach twist uncomfortably. Twilight shot her hand in the air. “You don’t count either, Sparky.” Twilight lowered her hand. Three of her remaining friends looked away, abashed. “Come on, Sunset,” Rainbow said, “you really gotta put us on the spot like that?” “All I’m saying is, if the princess hadn’t asked you, you all would have said the same things about me if I had come to you asking for forgiveness. And remember, I didn’t. You guys just decided to be annoyingly persistent—love you all, by the way, thank you for being so annoying.” Fluttershy lifted her head from her blanket. “What are you saying, Sunset?” Sunset gestured to the front door. “I’m saying, yeah, they’re bad at showing it. But what if they really are sorry? What if they want to turn over a new leaf?” “Counterpoint!” Twilight said, shooting her hand into the air again. “Why us?” “Because we’re the bestest friends in existence?” Pinkie said. “You’re not supposed to help her!” Twilight fumed. Sunset gave Pinkie a thumbs up. “Who else is going to take them in? Besides, if they are up to something, this will give us an excuse to keep an eye on them.” “Exactly,” Applejack spoke up. “We’ve got magic! The thing they don’t have anymore and are probably looking to get back! Rainbow’s right—what if this is some kind of trap?” “What if they’re working for Tempest Shadow?” Fluttershy asked. “I’ll check!” Pinkie said. She opened the door, where the Sirens were still standing. “Are you guys working for Tempest Shadow?” Adagio and Aria shared a look while Sonata stared into space. “No?” Adagio said, confused. “Cool, thanks!” Pinkie slammed the door on them. “They don’t know her!” Applejack pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay, Sunset. Stop playing devil’s advocate and just tell us how you feel.” Sunset tapped her fingers together. There were a number of feelings swirling in her that she hadn’t realized she had until a few minutes ago. She shifted her weight from one foot to the next while she tried to coax these feelings to manifest into words. “Look, I just… I didn’t want to be redeemed. Well… maybe deep, deep down I did. I didn’t want to make friends. Making friends meant everything I had believed in, everything I had taught myself… every habit my teacher tried to get me to break… it was all wrong. When I agreed to be your friend at the beginning…” Sunset squeezed her fingers together. “It was just to get rid of the penance the Elements had given me.” She let go of her fingers and straightened her back. “But, I learned. I learned friendship wasn’t so bad. And then, I learned to love it. I just feel like, if I got a second chance when I didn’t even want one, shouldn’t we give one to people who do? Even if they don’t look like they mean it, shouldn’t we at least give them the chance to prove they do?” She opened her mouth to say more, but the rest of the words wouldn’t come. Her friends looked on expectantly, Rainbow looking defiant with her hands still clenched. They all remained silent though, and Sunset felt herself wilting under the weight of her heart.  Rarity kept her eyes closed in contemplative thought. Once again, Sunset was reminded of their initial meeting at Sugarcube Corner. Her eyes opened, and she looked at Sunset, and in an instant, Sunset knew Rarity had read her like a book, pulling out the last emotions and words Sunset hadn’t been able to voice.  She stood up, walked over and took Sunset’s hands, their eyes remaining locked the entire time. With the same calm, even, and clear voice she had used in their first meeting, Rarity spoke. “You asked us before if we wanted to be your friends out of our own volition or because of a promise with the princess. And we told you both. All of us saw you had the potential to become something better. Now, I never liked the idea of starting a friendship based on only a promise, but perhaps Princess Twilight vouching for you was the push we needed to try. “You’re right. The circumstances between you and the Sirens are similar. Parallels even. And I would be lying if I said I was enthusiastic about the idea. But to turn them away would be a double-standard, and I care too much to do that to you. So, if you really think we should help them, then I will try my best.” Sunset squeezed Rarity’s hands. “Thank you,” she said over the lump in her throat. Applejack sighed. “Well, can’t argue with a speech like that. If you really think they want to start over, Ah suppose we can at least see if there’s some good in them.” Pinkie bounced and pumped her fist to the sky. “Whoohoo! Time to make some meanies into friends again!” Fluttershy fully emerged from her soft cocoon. “Okay, Sunset, I trust you.” Rainbow shook her head. “I want it down on paper that I think this is a bad idea. Yeah, we reformed Sunset and it turns out, she’s pretty awesome. There’s no way we’re gonna get lucky twice.” Everyone looked over to Twilight, huddled on the couch, her back to the group.  “I…” She slowly exhaled from her nose and looked over her shoulder to Sunset. Her eyes were glossy and couldn’t hold focus.  “I love you, and yes, maybe this is some kind of double-standard, and I’m sorry! But we saw what they were capable of! We almost broke up because of them! I just don’t see them turning good.” She turned away and pulled her knees to her chest. “But everyone else is on board, so I guess it doesn’t matter.” Sunset walked over and knelt beside the couch, gently laying a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “I get it, you don’t have any reason to trust them. I’m not asking you to; not yet. Trust me instead. I won’t let them do anything to you. And again, if they’re still evil, we’ll just blast them with a rainbow laser.” Twilight didn’t meet her eyes. She gave a slow nod, then rolled her shoulder, signaling Sunset to move away. Sunset retracted her hand, already having second thoughts about this plan. “Well, I guess it’s settled. I’m not saying to let your guard down. Just… keep an open mind. And remember how I acted when you started trying to be my friend.” Everyone took a moment to compose themselves, save for Rainbow and Twilight who remained scowling and curled in on themselves respectively.  “Let them in, Pinkie,” Sunset said. “Aye aye, captain!” Pinkie swung the door open. “Congratulations! You are hereby the newest friendship students of the Spectacular Seven!” “‘Friendship students’?” Aria shuddered. “I’m starting to wonder if this is worth it.” “That makes two of us!” Rainbow yelled across the room. Sunset’s shoulders fell. Off to a great start. The Sirens stepped over the threshold, examining Pinkie’s house with disinterest. Despite their moment of prep, no one looked genuinely happy to have them inside. Even Pinkie’s smile gave the occasional nervous twitch. The closer the Sirens got to the living room, the thicker the tension became. They stopped at the divide between the foyer and the living room. Pinkie retreated toward her friends, crossing from the wood floor to the carpet. There was a short standoff between the two parties before Sunset took a step forward, straddling the divide. “Sooo… welcome,” Sunset said, shifting awkwardly. It occurred to her that she had never before initiated the friendship process. Either she had been forced into it, or she had been trying to make amends for past mistakes. How were you supposed to start a friendship? Adagio looked at her, unimpressed. “Yeah. What do we do now?” Sunset looked back at her friends, receiving hapless shrugs. Great assist, guys! “Well, we were watching a movie. You wanna join us?”  Aria rolled her neck and sighed. “I guess. It better not be lame though.” The Sirens stepped into the living room, officially breaking the sanctuary of the Spectacular Seven. Everyone shuffled around to find their seats while trying to accommodate for their new guests. Aria dropped into the seat Rainbow had previously occupied, prompting Rainbow to glare at her, then at Sunset like it was her fault.  Sonata seated herself on the floor, close to the table. All the while she eyed the hot pizza, her hand twitching. Pinkie sat down next to her. “You can have some if you want.” “Really?” Sonata looked like Pinkie had descended from heaven to offer manna. At a single nod from Pinkie, she took a slice of mushroom and basil pizza and shoved half of it into her mouth. “Try not to choke,” Aria said dully. “Circe forbid you make me happy.” Sonata stuck out her tongue, coated in processed food, at Aria. Rarity fanned herself, looking like she was about to have a heart attack. “Clearly, etiquette lessons are also in order.” Adagio waved a lazy hand. “Don’t mind them. They’re idiots.” “Takes one to know one!” Sonata said, reaching for her second slice. Rainbow turned her head to Sunset again, her expression now saying, ‘This is definitely your fault.’ Sunset clapped her hands together. “Come on, let’s all get cozy and finish the movie!” Adagio settled for a seat on the blankets, getting uncomfortably close to Fluttershy. “What’s wrong?” she asked in a false, simpering voice. “Sunset said we should get comfy, right?” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Nope!” Rainbow yelled. She wedged herself in between Fluttershy and Adagio, giving the latter a vicious glare. “Don’t you dare.” “What?” Adagio said with a sultry smile. “I was just trying to get to know her better.” “Keep trying and I’ll introduce you to my fist.” “Oh my, take me on a date first.” “Movie!” Sunset yelled while Rainbow recoiled, mortified. “Where’s the remote? We need to rewind!” Twilight picked it up and roughly handed it to her, her lips drawn dangerously thin. Sunset tried to smile, but under Twilight’s withering glare, it came out as a grimace.  With all ten girls situated, they started the movie again. Twilight sat on Sunset’s lap, but kept herself hunched forward, withdrawn from any other physical contact. Everyone remained relatively quiet aside from Aria’s frequent comments that the movie was dumb, and Sonata wondering where she could get a laser gun and a spaceship. “For the last time, none of this is real, stupid,” Aria said, slouched so far in her seat, she was staring at the ceiling. “Oh yeah? Then why was the president in it?” “He wasn’t the real president.” Sonata gasped. “You mean they cloned him?” The movie came to an end, and Sunset could still feel the tension in the room was as high as the rafters. She needed something better than a movie to break the ice. Of course, the ice she was attempting to break might as well have been an arctic sheet. “How about we take a break from movies for a sec? Who’s up for a game?”  “Oooh, I love games!” Sonata cheered. “So do I!” said Pinkie.  “Ah don’t think there’s a game big enough for the ten of us,” Applejack said.  “I have four controllers!” Pinkie said, leaping to her feet. “We can take turns playing Power Pony Pummel!” Aria lifted herself into a proper sitting position. “Fighting games? I’m down.” Rainbow cracked her knuckles. “So am I.” Rarity pulled out her nail file and sighed. “Oh boy, here we go.” Pinkie set up the GameStationX in a matter of minutes, with her, Aria, Rainbow, and Applejack taking the first turn. Power Pony Pummel was one of the few games Sunset enjoyed watching and playing. The Power Ponies were a popular comic back in Equestria, and while she never read it, it was nice to see something so familiar in this world. Of course, these masked superheroes weren’t actually ponies, they were only called that because their powers came from a pantheon of horse gods. Sunset also enjoyed the chance to release any pent up aggression by knocking her friends off stages with overpowered moves. Sunset knew Pinkie, Rainbow, and Applejack to be pretty good players, but Aria was making quick work of them, even when they tried to team up on her. Her character High Heel dodged behind Zapp and delivered a powerful kick, knocking her off the stage and taking Rainbow down to her last life. Rainbow unleashed a murderous growl as her character respawned. “I will end you!” “You’ll die trying,” Aria said, smiling for the first time since her arrival. And true to her word, she knocked Rainbow out of the game first before wiping the floor with Pinkie and Applejack. “Whoo! Go, Ari!” Sonata cheered, throwing her hands into the air. Aria shrugged casually. “Anyone here wanna give me a real challenge?” “I wanna go again!” Rainbow said, selecting Zapp on the character screen. Applejack held up her controller. “Ah know when Ah’m beat. Anyone else wanna take a crack at it?” Sunset took the controller. With Twilight still on her lap, she had to play around her, craning her neck to see the screen. Pinkie handed her controller to Sonata, whose fingers were still covered in pizza grease. While not expecting to win, Sunset had hoped she’d last longer than she did. As it turned out, Sonata was almost as good as Aria. Playing as the Mane-iac, Sunset got a few good hits in, but was ultimately the first to fall. Rainbow went next, losing to Sonata this time, leaving the two Sirens to duke it out. And like before, Aria took the match. “Aaagh!” Rainbow tossed her controller to the side and crossed her arms in a huff. “This game is dumb.” “Way to show your maturity level, Dash,” Sunset deadpanned. Aria took a deep breath and grinned in satisfaction. “I don’t know about you, but I feel much closer, friend.” “Can it!” Rainbow said, not bothering to look at her. “It’s getting late,” Rarity said. “Perhaps we should wrap things up?” “Aww, but I still have pizza dough left,” Pinkie said. “We can save it for the next party.” Adagio stood and stretched, sticking her chest out. “So, this party’s over. Is this the part where we go out and get drinks?” “None of us are twenty-one,” Applejack said. “So?” “We’re not going bar hopping,” Sunset said flatly. “You goodie-goodies are no fun. Fine, what are we going to do?” Applejack stood up and started collecting bags of chips. “It’s just as we said: we’re wrapping things up and goin’ home.” Adagio looked outside. “The sun is just setting, and you’re all going home?” “Because you three are a major drain on all of us,” Rainbow said with venom. No one disagreed with her. The corners of Adagio’s mouth twitched upward. “Wow. And I thought you girls were the epitome of friendship or whatever.” “It’s an adjustment,” Rarity said calmly. “Making friends with your past enemies takes time.” Sunset smiled to herself, remembering all the activities she had gone through before she even considered calling the girls friends. “So, what do we do in the meantime?” Aria asked. “Go home,” Rainbow said. The Sirens exchanged an anxious look with each other. “Yeah, here's the thing…” Adagio began. Sunset’s shoulders tensed. “We don't have anywhere to go. Our agent broke ties with us after we… lost our voices,” Adagio said, her voice bordering on a growl. “Then our money dried up, so they kicked us out of our mansion,” Aria finished. “Nope!” Rainbow sprung to her feet. “I know where this is going, and the answer is no! There's no way you're staying with any of us!” “But it would be like a giant sleepover!” Sonata said. “None of us have the time, room, or desire to host the three of you,” Twilight said. Her cold look drifted from the Sirens to Sunset. “Right?” Sunset flinched and looked away. “Yeah. I'm sure we can think of something though.” Sitting on her knees, Sonata looked up Sunset with huge purple eyes. “Please don't make us go back to the streets.” Applejack jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “There's a homeless shelter two towns over.” “We got kicked out of one because Aria was being be-lig-er-ent,” Sonata said, stumbling over the last word. A lightbulb went off in Sunset’s head. “I know where they can stay for free.” Adagio crossed her arms. “As long as it has a shower.” ******* “You have to be joking.” The Spectacular Seven and the Sirens climbed out of their cars and stood in front of a familiar factory warehouse. Rust had built up along the edges of the garage door, and the high windows were still brown. The ‘scheduled for demolition' sign had fallen to the ground. “Nope,” Rainbow said with a triumphant grin. “This is your new home. If Sunset can live here, so can you.” “You lived here?” Adagio asked. “First of all, why? Second of all, why don't you anymore?” “I’ll explain later,” Sunset said breezily. She knew the Sirens knew about their Equestrian magic, but was sure they didn’t know she was from Equestria. She’d hold onto that knowledge for a little while longer. “Come on, let's take a tour of your new place.” Aria crossed her arms. “I’m not taking a step in that dump.” Sunset shrugged. “Fine. Sleep on the street then.” She sauntered toward the alleyway, seeing Aria’s shadow clench a fist before moving behind her. There was a delicious irony in making the Sirens sleep in her old hovel. They had been proud, power-hungry, lavish living villains, laid low by a rainbow. Sunset wanted to help them if they genuinely wanted help. But, she’d be lying to herself if she said she wasn’t sore about the Battle of the Bands. Her friends had been right: the Sirens had made them all suffer for almost a month. A cynical part of Sunset thought even this was too good for them. Just because she was giving the Sirens a second chance didn't mean she had to be nice about it all the time. The blue door didn’t stick like it had during winter, and the hall lights popped to life when Sunset flipped the switch. Good signs so far. Most of the girls stayed outside, leaving the Sirens to follow close behind Sunset, with Rainbow bringing up the rear. Sunset showed them the kitchen first. “You’ve got a fridge, a microwave, and a sink. My old hot plate might still be in one of the cabinets.” Sunset opened a few of the cabinet doors. “Aha! Here it is! Now, you can cook ramen.”  “You’re mocking us, aren’t you?” Adagio asked. “Of course not!” Sunset’s smile didn't show her teeth. Adagio lifted an eyebrow. “Okay, maybe just a little bit. But, to be fair, you guys made our lives miserable and then tried to kill us.” “We said sorry,” Aria grumbled. “You said ‘sorry’,” Rainbow commented from the doorway. “Jury's out on whether or not you meant it.” Sunset showed them the factory floor, then brought them upstairs to the office. The television Lamia had installed during her tenure was still there. “It might be a little cramped, but you’ll make do. If it helps, my friends and I can buy you groceries and basic necessities,” Sunset said. She ignored the groan Rainbow made behind her. Adagio threw her arms out. “You can't seriously expect us to live like this! Do you know who we are?” “Eighties rejects who came to us begging for help?” Rainbow said with an impish grin. Aria rolled up a sleeve. “That's it!” Adagio stepped in front of her, and Sunset stepped in front of Rainbow. “Look, it's the best we’ve got for you right now. You three literally showed up out of nowhere. If you behave, and if we can work out some arrangements, maybe you’ll be able to graduate from this to something nicer.” Sonata flopped onto the dusty old mattress. “We get this whole place to ourselves! I'm not complaining!” “Fine!” Adagio harrumphed. “We’ll put up with this for now.” Sunset nodded. “Good. We’ll be back to check up on you and get groceries tomorrow.” “Try not to burn the place down,” Rainbow said. “Otherwise, you're sleeping on the streets.” Aria flipped her a finger, and Rainbow mirrored her. With that, she and Sunset took their leave. Outside, dusk had settled, leaving their friends in shadows. “Welp, so much for having a relaxing summer,” Applejack said. “We’re gonna be babysittin’ them the whole time.” “Do you think they'll be okay?” Fluttershy asked. “Ain’t them you should be worried about,” Applejack said. “Ah know you’ve got the best intentions, Sunset, but Ah’m still uneasy about this.” “I know no one’s happy about this. But it was like this with me too, right?” Rainbow crossed her arms and kicked the dirt. “Maybe, but something about this feels different.”  Rarity pushed her hand away as she exhaled. “How about we retire for the day? I think we all need time to sort out our thoughts and feelings.” And like that, the girls began to depart, traces of uncertainty lingering in the air. Sunset drove Twilight back home. Neither said anything until she pulled into the driveway.  Twilight hopped off the motorcycle and handed her helmet to Sunset. She kept her eyes averted, even when she spoke. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Sunset stowed the extra helmet away. “No, but someone has to do it. And I’ll take full blame if this all goes wrong.” “That’s not…” Twilight sighed. “Nevermind. I need time to think. See you tomorrow.”  “Twilight?” Sunset watched her retreat into the house. With a tired groan, she started her motorcycle and turned out into the street. Great, look what you’ve done. You should have just said no. She tilted her head left. But, everyone deserves a second chance, right? She tilted her head right. Not at the cost of your friends’ happiness. Sunset pulled into the Lulamoon driveway. “Well, it’s already done. We’re all just going to have to make the best of it.” She took off her helmet. “Now… how do I tell Selena?”