Meanwhile, back at the Dazzlings' house, Aria and Sonata were all sitting on a large couch watching TV. Or rather, they were watching cartoons. Twilight and Fluttershy could only watch as the two of them were completely lost in the animated world and all of its' dealings. Just how much were those crystals changing them? And was this all a change for the better? Or would it get even worse? Neither of them could tell, except for the merriment that was evident from both Aria and Sonata’s faces.
“Hey, uh, what kind of show is this?” Fluttershy asked, reaching over Twilight’s body to tug on Sonata’s leg. “Must be a pretty good one if you’re enjoying it.”
“Oh, it is, Fluttershy.” Sonata turned to Fluttershy and gave her a nod. “It’s this super-special show about donkeys in a magical world who work together as super-best friends to solve problems and make other creatures around them happy,” she said, pointing her thumb to the screen. “The show’s called My Little Donkey, by the way. In case you wanted to know the name.”
“This episode is called Buckwheat Bonanza. So far, the plot’s pretty solid,” Aria casually twisted her wrist. “It’s all about this boy donkey named Cracker Jack dealing with an issue at his family’s farm. Personally, Cracker Jack’s one of the more... average donkeys of this show. I was always more of a Jenny Jowles kind of girl myself. Girl’s smile could melt your heart.”
“But that’s all debatable. Personally, all of the donkeys have their highs and lows. But there are some nutty fanboys and fangirls online who decide that certain donkeys and characters are the best characters,” Sonata explained it to both Twilight and Fluttershy. “If I had to choose someone as my favourite... ooh, that is hard. Like, it really is.”
Sonata turned her attention to the screen where a certain green donkey with cyan eyes just kicked a tree, and in the process, managed to dislodge it from the ground and have it smash down onto a nearby fence. She couldn’t help but smile/wince at the sight. “Yep, that’s gonna come out of the bill. Oh, Samantha Saddles, I like your participation, but you really need to shake the clumsiness out of your system.”
Twilight was never one for the antics of cartoon characters. She thought that it had little use other than entertainment. After all, it was all just a fantasy; a fraudulent world that didn't exist. So what was the point in showing any major kind of investment in it? But, when she looked at how much the others seemed to enjoy it, could she really fault them for pledging themselves to the show and enjoying it for being what it was? After all, she never knew what everyone really liked and what their deeper, more secretive likes and interests were. And it wasn't in her mind to go snooping around other people's interests.
During one of the scenes of the show, Fluttershy got up from the couch and walked away, tugging on Twilight's shoulder as a motion to come and follow her. Twilight, without a word, wrested her buttocks from the couch and followed Fluttershy away from the TV and out the door to the foyer of the mansion.
"Twilight? Is it wrong to say that I honestly prefer these new Dazzlings to the ones that we had back at Canterlot High?" Fluttershy asked, curling hair around her fingers. "I mean, they're completely docile, and they really seem like they're settling into their new personalities well."
"That is true, Fluttershy, but those pendants also give them the power to sing and siphon hatred again. They might look innocent, but looks don't mean everything." Twilight pushed her glasses closer to her face. "Still..." Her eyes shifted back to that room. "I do have to admit that it is rather pleasant to see that they're kept busy by their little fun and games."
"Mmm. I have to admit, it is rather pleasant." Fluttershy gave a little nod as she clasped her hands together. "Sometimes, people are only really evil when they're doing evil things. But the rest of the time? They could be completely normal, down-to-earth people with a totally different life to live. I mean, look at us, Twilight. We're simple teenage girls at a high school together when the forces of magic aren't ripping this world a new one. The only real time we're heroes is when disaster strikes. What about the rest of it?"
"It's... kinda different when you put the morality of good people into the equation, Fluttershy," Twilight couldn't help but lift her hand at that. "Forgive me for sounding a bit biased on this, but I think the good people shouldn't really be thought too much about at times. If they truly are good and honest, have nothing to hide, no ulterior motives, and are generally too good to even think about committing evil deeds, then we shouldn't really have anything to worry about."
"But not all of us can be good all the time. In fact, a lot of people can start out good, but then turn bad. Or in most of our cases, the opposite." Fluttershy pointed a finger at Twilight's chest. "You came from Crystal Prep along with those five other girls. You were a reclusive scientist who was twisted and moulded by some bad people. But then we came along and you completely changed your tune when all was said and done. So who's to say that the Dazzlings aren't on the straight and narrow? Or at the very least, starting to find out that they're on the right track?"
"Aria and Sonata seem it, but I don't think I can say the same about the third. Adagio, was it?" Twilight turned her back to Fluttershy and locked her gaze on the front door. "The one with the larger hair. She still seems like she's got something to hide, or something about her new personality that's not right. The other two seem to have absorbed most of the other half's traits, but Adagio still seems like she's got some screws loose."
"Well, it's just because she got all of Aria's meanness while keeping all of her..." Fluttershy trailed off there as she tried to remember the rest. "Uh, Twilight?"
"What is it, Fluttershy?" Twilight glimpsed back at her friend.
"Um, actually... never mind." Fluttershy just shook her head. Twilight wasn't there for the Battle of the Bands. Well, she was. But rather, that was the Twilight from Equestria; not the one from this world. "You wouldn't be able to answer that question."
"Still, there's something about these sirens that just intrigues me. Magic fuelled by emotions, with gems that not only store their power, but allow them to unleash it upon others so that they can siphon off of them. A loop of power as it were." Twilight walked over towards the staircase, brushing her hands across the bannisters at the feet of the marble steps. "I sorta wanna take one of those gems off of their necks right now, bring it home, and then see what data I can pull from them. But at the same time, it would feel like I'm ripping out their literal hearts and performing surgery on it, and I don't wanna seem like this mad doctor kind of person. At least... not unless I feel like one."
"I'm sure you'll have a day to find out what the sirens can do, Twilight. But right now, we should just try our best to support Aria and Sonata as best as we can." Fluttershy twiddled her fingers together. "If we can't change all three of them, then the best we can do is try to help most of them out."
"True dat. The majority has more influence than the minority. And if we can't sway Adagio over, then at the very least, we've managed to get Aria and Sonata over to the side of good." Twilight gave a nod. "As time goes on, we can help them start to learn how to be really good people. And, if we can manage to get the other girls to help, that'll help to make the process much smoother and more natural. Now, how do we do it?"
"We've made a good start so far, but I'm not sure how we can handle the rest. Especially given how powerful they really are." Fluttershy started to curl up. She had dealt with people who had been using magic before, but none who still had their magic after the fact. Surely, the other her wouldn't have had this much of an issue, but this was the real her; the human her, who was dealing with two sirens who had magical powers still on hand and that they could unleash at any time. "If the sirens decide that they've had enough of playing the good girl role, they could just turn back. They have those pendants. It's all down to them whether or not they bend people over to their side with those hypnotic songs."
"If, Fluttershy. If. That's the key word there," Twilight interjected. "We can influence them not to take that road again. They invited us. And so far, they've been pretty good to us. We've been good to them back, creating a mutual trust between us. We can use that to our advantage."
"Hey, Twilight? Fluttershy? You wanna stay for dinner?" Sonata called as she poked her head out of the door, causing both Twilight and Fluttershy to jump and nearly fall over each other. "I think you girls could use some pretty good eats. I'm making some of my classic super-duper savoury-flavoury tacos! That's the name of the recipe, not just the way I'm explaining it."
"Uh, sure." Twilight just rolled her thumbs around. "Why don't you get started, Sonata?"
"Okie-dokie-artichokey!" Sonata burst out of the living room and sped into the kitchen. Shortly after, she came back out and locked her gazes with Twilight and Fluttershy again. "Got any dietary requirements? Any of you vegetarians? Or do you both like meat? And most importantly, are any of you allergic?" She pushed her arms out and said. "Just making absolutely sure. I don't wanna be responsible if my tacos end up getting one of you put into the hospital. Nobody deserves death by taco, let me tell you that."
"I don't have anything against meat, but I'm still not a fan of it." Fluttershy sighed. "So, a vegetable taco would be good, Sonata."
"Got it." Sonata pointed at Fluttershy and nodded. "And you, Twilight?"
"I don't need anything taken out." Twilight shook her head. "I'm not allergic to anything, Sonata."
"Right. So one full taco and one veg one. Sounds like a plan. I'll be sure to let you girls know when it's ready." She clicked her fingers and slunk back into the kitchen to start the preparation for her taco-based feast.
Twilight and Fluttershy spent that moment to look into each other's eyes. Not another word needed to be said. They knew pretty well that Sonata was pretty much swayed over. From the way they could tell she had been saying those words, to her willingness to share her creations with them and that she was listening to what they were saying and taking it into account was enough of a foothold for her to start walking down the road to reformation. One down, at least one to go. Now, they just needed to find a way to get to Aria's good side and start working from there.
All of a sudden, the front door opened and Adagio came striding back through it, along with her menagerie of Rainbooms that had all agreed to help her out. Sunset, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie, and Applejack were all there with her. They all took one look at Twilight and Fluttershy, who just gazed back at them blankly.
"Oh! Twilight, Fluttershy. You're here." Sunset took the initiative and rejoined her friends. "So. How have Aria and Sonata been treating you?"
"It's been going good so far, Sunset." Twilight finally managed to shape her face into some form of emotion as she put a semi-smile on it. "They seem perfectly fine now that those crystals are warping their minds and fusing their emotional states."
"In fact, as a gesture of goodwill, Sonata's in the kitchen making us some tacos," Fluttershy added with a raised finger. "She seems like she's really starting to change."
"That doesn't surprise me in the slightest. For all you could have told me, Sonata's finally turned back to normal." Adagio flexed her fingers. "Sonata's always had an affinity for those ghastly meat-stuffed shells. Ever since we got here and before this whole Canterlot High nonsense, we can't seem to get her to shut up unless we stuff those nightmares down her throat. How she lives off of those, I will never understand."
"I take it from the way you're wording it that you're not really changing for the better, Adagio." Twilight had picked up on her cadences and the way that she had been wording it. Not that she was an expert in vocal studies, but she could tell what someone meant by the way they were saying it.
"If anything, this little piece of shit around my neck makes me even worse. Sure, I've got all the powers of a siren, but I'm turning into a mess up there. In the area where I'm SUPPOSED to be refined and mature." Adagio pointed to her head, specifically the part of it where her brain resided. "Instead, I get stuck with all of Aria's thoughts and feelings and I feel that if I stay this way for one more day, I'm gonna end up wanting to shop at Hot Topic. I'm not setting foot in that place even if you paid me all the money and magic I could ever want."
"We've been talking with Adagio and she says that she wants to finally get rid of that little gemstone around her neck. But she can't exactly do it unless her sisters also decide to get rid of theirs," said Sunset. "We can't exactly take the gems off ourselves, as it has to be strictly the wearers who dislodge them."
"We discussed magic along the way, but Dagi also said that was a no-go zone," Pinkie blurted out. "Which is kinda weird when you think about it, since magic is what allows them to use their powers, but magic is also what we use for our powers, so logically, some kind of magic should be able to short out the other magic. It did before, so I'm not crazy when I say this, right?"
"First of all, don't call me Dagi ever again. It's Adagio. A. Da. Gi. O. Are you not aware of the proper music terminology, Pinkie Pie?" Adagio asked, casting a glare into Pinkie's eyes. She just kept that little innocent grin up during the stare, which caused Adagio to let out an exasperated groan and turn away. "Of course. Always too focused on candy, cake, unicorns, and overly pink messes rather than intellectual things. How you're the drummer of their band is beyond me..."
"Anyways. Before we have some kind of major breakdown here, we need to talk about a plan, Sunset." Rainbow Dash pushed her way through Adagio and Pinkie before either of them could say something back to each other. "We need to find out how we can get those pendants off of Aria and Sonata, as well as how to make sure that the magic inside of 'em can't hurt anyone afterwards. Pretty sure that if we leave siren jewels floating around, someone's gonna come along and use them for all kinds of nasty business."
"As much as I do want to take their gems for myself so that I could add them to the collection, I don't think my family's collection covers magically-enhanced gems filled with siren magic. Let alone the kind of magic that makes people hate each other." Rarity idly waved her hand horizontally, slicing the air with her splayed fingers.
"Reckon we should just take 'em and smash em. Not just add 'em to your little pile of jewels, Rarity." Applejack, bemused, lowered her brows.
"Still, it's just not right to destroy antiquated stones; even if they are magical." As Rarity said that, she blinked, having remembered that was the whole point of their skirmish with the Dazzlings the last time. "Okay, that's a bad example and it makes me sound like a hypocrite. What I meant to say is that we can't destroy them again. Who knows what could happen if that magic were to be let loose? Randomly infecting the people of Canterlot City and beyond? It would be rampant chaos, disorder, confusion, and disarray..."
"It was crushed by the Magic of Friendship the last time, but if those gems shatter in a physical kind of way? We've got no clue what could happen," Sunset hijacked Rarity's explanation. "That's why we need to take them off of their necks and just hang onto them until we find out how to properly deal with them."
"But then, there's the problem." Adagio folded her arms and lifted a brow. Then, another loud crash from the living room caused her to lurch in shock. "Two problems, actually. One is that Aria's just made a mess because of her Sonata traits, and the second is Sonata's actually cooking food for you—okay, you know what, three! Just for the sake of it. Three problems." Adagio's arms flailed as she tried to make sense of things, with some of her hair sticking out on end and falling over her faced. "And problem number three is that those crystals react to us and only to us. They're kept in control because of the fact that we wear them. If other people start holding or wearing crystals like that, it's gonna cause trouble."
"And how do you know so much about these crystals, Adagio?" Twilight leaned in towards Adagio; the light from the chandelier in the foyer reflecting off of the lenses.
"I've only been alive for a few thousand years, princess. You think that a few thousand years isn't enough time for me and my sisters to study up on what our powers actually do and the full logistics of what these crystals are?" Adagio leaned to Twilight in kind and leered at her. "You'd be surprised what you can learn after having being alive for thousands of years. Not that humans ever get that privilege. Usually it's around eighty to a hundred, then they drop dead. Not saying that to demoralise you. Saying that because we actually saw it happen. Many times."
"Well... That makes things harder." Twilight looked down at her hands. "We can't take the crystals off the sirens' necks ourselves, and we can't make Aria and Sonata take them off unless they really want to take them off. They might be happy wearing the crystals rather than taking them off like Adagio. We can't keep them for ourselves for study either, as they could start reacting in an odd way. We also can't destroy them, for fear that the magic inside could spread out and cause pandemonium for the world." She had a few moments to process the whole information, then she bent down to her knees and let out a pained yell. The conundrum before her was taxing and all of the possible roads seemed to be blocked. She could tell that the other two sirens were happy to be their new selves, which would completely lock out every other scenario. And even if she did by some miracle find out what say and do to get Aria and Sonata to part with their gemstones, Twilight still couldn't find a way to handle the problem after that step. "Ngah! WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?!" Twilight got down onto her knees and groaned as she brushed her hands through her hair.