The smell of freshly baked cookies was spreading all throughout the castle of friendship. Twilight Sparkle looked at her recent baking creation with a proud smile. Normally Spike would be in charge of cooking, but since he had asked her permission to spend Hearth's Warming with Ember and see what the dragon's version of it was, she had decided to give baking a try.
Well, a few tries, but the effort just made the end product more rewarding.
She left the kitchen with her full tray in tow, skipping to the throne room and sitting in front of the friendship map to indulge in the baked goods, even if her waistline would hate her for it later.
She picked up the first cookie, and was about to bite into it when the sound of something crashing came from above. Twilight looked in that direction, wondering what could've happened when something massive broke through one of the walls of the castle.
A twenty foot tall sea monster.
"Adagio?" Twilight asked, recognizing the, supposedly, reformed villain that was currently ogling herself.
"Oh it's been so long since I had my body back! Why didn't Sunset tell us the portal was right in front of the school?" The massive Siren finally noticed the pony in the room and quickly flew in front of her. "Twilight Sparkle!" She said with a booming voice reminiscent of great and powerful mares. "I require friendship."
There was a pause as the Princess of Friendship tried to understand why her domain was being mangled in such a way. "Do you need a new friend?"
Adagio frowned. "I have been taught that friendship can be exchanged for free labor. Like an inferior version of mind control."
Twilight frowned. "Is that what Sunset's been teaching you? Maybe I should reinforce some of her lessons."
"Hey! She does her best!" Adagio exclaimed, crossing her hooves in indignation. "And looks adorable doing so," she added in a whisper.
"Well, I-"
"Enough about you! I am expected to give a gift to express my appreciation to my predawn dance partners, so I wanted to ask about the best way to do this."
“Your predawn what?”
“Marefriend, in pony terms.”
"Oh, you wanted help picking a gift for Sunset!" Twilight exclaimed, tapping her hooves.
"I already have a gift for Sunset. I need one for Trixie."
There was a second, longer pause.
"Trixie."
"Yes."
"As in, the great and-"
"Powerful, yes. Is this part of the exchange? Doesn't seem worth it if it is."
"Not really, I just… doesn't matter." Twilight decided to put questions aside for now and focus on helping the socially ineffective creature in front of her. She spent a few seconds thinking before arriving at a solution that even Adagio's awkward talking couldn't ruin. "Well, if you want the perfect gift for Trixie, the best source of information about it would be... Trixie."
The Siren tilted her head. "You want me to just ask her? Is that allowed? It would make things much easier."
Twilight facehoofed. "No, not your Trixie."
It took a moment, but when Adagio realized what the alicorn meant, a creepy grin of razor sharp teeth appeared on her scaly face. "Yes, her pony version would be perfect! Where is she?"
"She's in Sire's Hollow visiting the inlaws with Starlight. Do you know where that is?"
"Oh, that dump's still standing? Yeah, I remember where it is."
"Great… I think." Twilight said, happy to have helped the sea monster with her love life. "Do you want some?" She asked moving the tray of cookies closer to the Siren.
Adagio gave the cookies a sniff. "Oh! freshly baked!" She then hit the edge of the tray with her hoof, catapulting the entire batch into her mouth, munching through them in seconds. "You should add some fish bits to them next time." She said before swallowing. "Oh, and if Sunset comes through the portal, don't tell her I'm here."
"Wait, she doesn't know?"
Adagio didn't respond and simply flew towards the windows.
"Wait! You can't-" Twilight's words fell on deaf ears as the twenty foot monster crashed through one of the outside walls of the castle and sped towards the horizon, with the screams of the panicking Ponyvillians behind her. "I hope she doesn't get shot down by the guard."
Suddenly, another, much smaller, crash came from above, and just seconds later an orange pony with fiery mane teleported in front of the alicorn. "Hey Twilight!"
"Sunset! So good to see you!" The princess exclaimed, hugging her old friend. "What brings you here?"
"Oh, I needed some help with a Hearth's Warming gift for my marefriend." Sunset then noticed the empty tray of cookies. "Uh, Twilight, eating that many cookies by yourself will ruin your waistline."
"Yeah, I'm aware," the princess said grumpily as she teleported the tray away.
"Wow, what happened?" Sunset exclaimed as she looked at the huge hole in the wall.
"I sneezed."
Sunset raised an eyebrow. "You… sneezed a hole into your castle?"
"Yeah, you know, magical sneeze." Twilight explained offhandedly. "It's an alicorn thing."
"Well, I hope I'm not around when Celestia does it. Anyway, I need to get a gift for Adagio. Have you by chance read about Siren culture? If there's something significant that is normally given as a gift for predawn partners?"
"Hmmm." Twilight though for a moment. "There's a section about old mythical creatures on the upper floor. Fourth door to the right, third shelf on the east wall."
"Thank you. I'm gonna do some research." With that, Sunset disappeared in a flash of magical fire.
Then a third crash was heard, and soon enough a blue unicorn in magician’s clothing appeared.
"Hi human Trixie!" Twilight exclaimed, fully giving up on whatever rules she had placed about interdimensional travel through the mirror. "Do you need help with some gifts?"
"As if The Great and Powerful Trixie would need your help, Sparkle." The unicorn scoffed before going out the front door.
Then she poked her head back for a moment. "Actually, do you still have that crown your Element was on?"
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Can I know why?"
"Oh, a magician-"
"-never tells her secrets. I forgot." Twilight groaned and teleported the empty crown in front of Trixie.
"Thank you!"
"Please don't make me regret this!" Twilight begged, but Trixie had already left.
Letting out a long sigh, she decided to distract herself with more baking.
Meanwhile, Adagio was currently flying towards Sire's Hollow at full speed, enjoying the sensations of flight at its fullest. The wind on her scales, the freedom of movement, and the middle finger to gravity. "Oh, how I missed this. Having to use legs all the time is a pain. I wonder if Trixie and Sunset would like to fly with me someday."
Suddenly, two familiar pegasus flew in front of her path. She recognized them as Flash Magnus and Sonambula, part of the group responsible for her and her sister's banishment.
Adagio didn’t stop, and just flew through them, knocking them away from her path. "I would need to get something that they could hold on to though. Would riding on a saddle make Sunset uncomfortable?"
The two pegasus again dove in front of her, this time with a big magical shield meant to stop her.
Adagio flew over it and continued on her way. "Maybe I should ask Twilight about it."
When the pegasi got in her way for the third time, Adagio finally stopped. "Fine! What do you losers want?!"
"We've... come to... stop you!" Came a weary response from below, and Adagio saw the rest of the Pillars ready to fight, minus Star Swirl, who seemed to be about to collapse on the floor from exhaustion after having to teleport everypony multiple times to follow the Siren.
Adagio looked at the weary old stallion with a grin. "Please tell me he’s finally about to kick the bucket."
Stars Swirl took a second to respond. "I may not be as young as before, but-"
"Young? I'm pretty sure you were born already in your fifties."
"Silence! Your insults mean nothing to me."
Adagio rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm aware that you have no shame."
Star Swirl's face was getting red with anger, so Stygian decided to intervene. "Why have you returned? Where are the rest of your kin?"
"They're still in the human world you threw us in. I'm here just to pick up a gift and leave. No need to make a ruckus about it."
"Human world? What is that?" Sonambula asked as Star Swirl started to sweat.
"A world full of bipedal creatures. It's actually nice once you get used to it. It just takes a few years."
"Y-yes. A world with no magic where your wicked spells would be worthless," Stars Swirl said, standing proud as best he could.
Adagio started laughing. "Oh, there's plenty of magic there. We almost took over the entire thing one night. Humans have no resistance to our charm."
"What?!" Rockhoof exclaimed. "Why would you send them there?" He asked Star Swirl.
"She's clearly lying. If they really could use their magic, they would've conquered the world during their thousand years of banishment." Stars Swirl declared, waving a hoof dismissively.
Adagio raised a scaly eyebrow. "Thousand years? How senile are you? We have been there for just close to nine years."
Stars Swirl's eyes widened. "Impossible, my spell was clearly meant for-”
“Were you overdosing on your ‘focus pills’ when you casted it?” Flash Magnus asked his eldest friend.
“W-what? No!”
“Are you overdosed right now?” Meadowbrook inquired.
"Can we focus on the twenty foot tall sea monster?!"
"Oh, pretend I'm not here, this is delicious." Adagio said with a grin.
Stars Swirl was about to say something, but Stygian spoke first. "What is this gift you are looking for?"
"The Great and Powerful Trixie." There was a long pause as the Pillars looked at each other. "You seriously never heard of her? How? Have you been living under a rock?"
"What are your intentions with whoever this Trixie is?"
"The human version of her is my predawn partner. I want to acquire a gift for her."
“Predawn…” Mistmane’s eyes suddenly widened along with her smile. "You came back to Equestria for love?" she asked with a hoof on her chest.
"...Y-yes." Adagio admitted through gritted teeth. "Is that enough for you?"
"Well, if it truly is for love, I say you are allowed to go. For you to love somepony must mean a good change of heart." Mistmane said with a nod.
"You can't possibly believe that lie!" Stars Swirl protested. "She's a twenty foot tall sea monster that feeds on hate! How could she even comprehend the meaning of love?!"
Both of Adagio's hooves crashed right at the sides of Stars Swirl, and the wizard got reminded of exactly why twenty foot sea monsters were feared as her face got closer, showing more anger than all that she had consumed in her lifetime. "Listen here you selfish, speciest, self-centered and secluded in their own grandeur farse of an intellectual. I know what love is. I knew it, painfully, when I left my homeland. I knew it when the two idiots that followed me to exile stayed at my side through thick and thin, and I know it now that two new idiots decided that I was worthy enough to include me in their life. One is a goody two shoes pony with more anger issues than me, and the other is a woman with an ego bigger than the seven seas combined. They are insufferable, and they drive me insane on a bad day, and that's exactly why I love them. Because this is the funny thing about hate-devouring beings; we don’t mind the arguments and fights when we have a bad day, because not only are those literal nourishment for us, we also can see what they truly feel under that anger and frustration, deep inside. That's how I know that despite how much we argue, me and my sisters will always look out for each other. And that's exactly how I know that those two love me as much as I love them. Because unlike you, spineless, fearful, and resentful waste of knowledge, I can see past grudges and frustrations, and have a clear view of what I mean to someone. So, you better believe I know what love is. And you better move out of my way, or I swear on the sunken crypts of the Old Ones that you won't be able to feel any emotion other than misery and self-loathing for the rest of your miserable existence!"
To Adagio's surprise, Stars Swirl's shock was short lived, and the old wizard quickly returned her hateful glare with one of his own. She had to handle it to him, the demented scholar had little fear to show.
As the staredown extended, Adagio tensed and got ready for a fight, but when a hoof was placed on the wizard's shoulder the tension broke. "She's truly in love, Swirl. Let her go." Mistmane spoke calmly, and the rest of the Pillars stood behind her, showing their support.
The old wizard's gaze didn't change, but eventually, he stepped aside.
"Finally!" Adagio exclaimed before looking at Mistmane. "And thank you," she added before flying off towards Sire's Hollow.
"I'm warning you now. We're gonna regret this," Stars Swirl grumbled.
"Oh, Swirl, you underestimate the power of love." Mistmane assured him as she patted his head. "Besides, without her sisters, what's the worst that she can do?"
"So that's what a predawn dance is!" Sunset exclaimed as she read through one of Twilight's books about Sirens. She had been learning a lot about that part of her marefriend, which was always something Adagio wasn't really willing to talk about. But while Trixie always said that Adagio surely didn't want to remember her past, Sunset could tell that the Siren treated those memories like an old wound she wasn’t fond of opening.
She and Adagio had that in common.
Sunset felt a bit of guilt in finding more about Adagio's Siren side practically at her back, but she needed to understand someone before being able to help them effectively. Though admittedly, books written by someone who looked at Sirens from afar and considered them basically one step above monsters probably wasn't the best source.
They also didn't mention any gift giving activities, which wasn't surprising in retrospect since it had taken a few minutes to explain the concept to Adagio. So, Sunset found herself back to square one. She wanted her first gift for her to be special since they were both from Equestria, even if a thousand years apart, but it was proving to be much more difficult than she imagined.
Maybe she was overthinking it, and it was better to get Adagio something from the human world that she could appreciate instead of trying to remind her of the home they left behind.
"Wait, that's it!" The unicorn exclaimed as she threw the books aside. "Oh, I'm sure she'll love it!" With that, Sunset teleported to Canterlot Castle.
Meanwhile, The Stealthy and Ponyfied Trixie silently entered Zecora's hut.
Sunset appeared in a section of the castle she hadn’t visited in a very, very long time.
Celestia's personal library.
Ponies know Twilight as the princess of books, but like many things in the purple alicorn’s life, it all originated from Celestia. The library was massive, and unlike a normal library, it wasn’t meant to educate or keep records of magical discoveries or history, but Sunset wasn’t in search of that.
Using her still sharp memory, she went over the numbered bookshelves, searching for the one that was dear to the princess’ heart.
“65, 66, 67, 68,” Sunset chuckled. “70, 71, 72!” A red aura enveloped all the books on the shelves and pulled them out, letting her read their titles one by one till she eventually found just what she was looking for.
Opening the book, she scanned the pages, confirming their contents. “Oh, I’m sure she’ll love this. Celestia would only keep the best of-”
“Sunset?”
The amber unicorn froze in place, all the books sans the one on her hooves fell to the floor as her magic fizzled out.
She knew that voice. And she knew that teleporting away would only make things worse, so instead of that, she slowly turned around to face her old mentor. “Hi… it’s… been a while...”
Despite Sunset’s mind thinking back to the last time she had been found like this, Princess Celestia seemed much calmer than that fateful night. “It has been, since I found you where you shouldn’t be, taking things that weren’t yours.” The alicorn stepped closer, noticing the title of the book Sunset was holding. “Though, this one you could’ve gotten by just asking.”
The orange unicorn scratched the back of her head. “Yeah, probably shouldn’t have-”
“Jump straight to the quickest solution?” Celestia said with a smirk. “I guess some things never change.”
Sunset chuckled. “I swear I’m working on it.”
Celestia was now right in front of Sunset, her wings reflectively wanting to hug the smaller mare. “So, what master plan is my cunning pupil hatching right now?”
“I… well… Heart's Warming's coming soon… this was a gift for… the thing is...”
As Sunset tried to answer, the millenia old alicorn could perfectly tell what her old student’s expression was broadcasting with loudspeakers, and she immediately lowered herself to her level. “Sunset, you’re in love?”
“Yes.” Sunset squeaked.
"And judging by the book, I would say one of the Sirens Star Swirl banished. I bet you enchanted the leader."
Sunset started to sweat a bit. "Oh, yeah, she's a Siren, but she's friendly now. Or, at least trying. Also working on that. And also, well, she kind of enchanted me." Sunset paused. "Not that kind of enchanting! Just, you know, making me smile, and laugh, and…"
"Yes, go on," Celestia said with a smirk.
"And, being surprisingly caring. Like, yeah, we fight sometimes, generally because we don't have the same moral boundaries, but… she's really trying to change. And I know it's a lot for her, but she genuinely does her best. And besides me, she always complains about Trixie talking in third person and being… well, Trixie, but Adagio has gone to every show she has made. She acts like we dragged her there but she isn't under any obligation. She has even helped set the stage a few times and been a willing participant in the acts. It's all little things like that."
Celestia gave a nod. "She's a creature that never really got the chance to express feelings like these. It'll take her some time to fully accept them."
"Yeah, you're right. And I'm very willing to wait till that happens."
"And what about this Trixie you mentioned?"
"Oh, she's like old me, just without the megalomany and even more ego. Also more street smart than academic."
Celestia chuckled. "Yeah, I can see why you would like her."
"Well, besides that, she's hilarious. She's always coming up with some 'big idea' to have 'the greatest and awesomest date ever' and we almost always end up having a blast. And even if it ends up flopping and me and Adagio have to cheer her up with snuggles, we just can't be mad. Adagio tries but Trixie's puppy eyes are undefeated. She just puts so much effort into everything she does for someone else, it's actually kind of inspiring."
Seeing her student talk with so much happiness in her tone made Celestia smile. "Curiously, she sounds like the opposite of Adagio. She shows her love outwardly and proudly, and shields herself when things go wrong."
"Yeah, but me and Adagio are always close when it happens."
"Yes, being close to your loved ones is very important." Celestia finally allowed her wings to wrap around Sunset, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm very happy and proud of you, Sunset."
The unicorn smiled and hugged her back. "Thanks, mom."
After a few seconds, both ponies opened their eyes wide.
"Did you just call me-"
"Thanksforthebookbye!"
And Sunset disappeared.
The door of Ponyville’s local blacksmith was suddenly kicked open. “The Great and Powerful Trixie requires your tools!”
Twilight licked her lips as she set the new tray of freshly baked cookies on the table, but right before she could take a bite out of one, she just felt something coming to annoy her.
A second later, Adagio crashed through one of the walls of the castle, carrying a big full sack with her mouth.
"Oh, come on! I didn't fix the old hole so you could pass through it!" The alicorn shouted, pointing to the ruined wall.
Adagio rolled her eyes before crashing against another of the outside walls, and then coming inside the castle through the first hole. "There, happy?"
Twilight facehoofed and pointed to the mirror room. "Just go before Sunset comes back."
Adagio nodded and quickly flew away, wedging her twenty foot tall form into the mirror so she could return home.
Twilight let out a sigh and returned her attention to the cookies when Sunset teleported in front of her.
"Thanks for your help, I- seriously? You're gonna eat another batch of cookies?" Sunset exclaimed disappointedly
"I want cookies!" Twilight protested.
Sunset frowned and grabbed all but three of the cookies in her magic. "Your waistline will thank me later." She said before munching on one and walking away. "By the way, there's an angry mob coming to your doors."
Twilight growled and teleported to the door, opening it to find a large group of panicking ponies, with Zecora spearheading the crowd. “Look everypony, if this is about the twenty foot tall sea monster, she’s already gone, you can all go back to your homes.”
“If you think that is the worst you’re very mistaken,” Zecora said. “I’m afraid that the Alicorn Amulet has been taken.”
Twilight’s eyes went wide. “WHAT?!”
“That don't matter!” A huge Diamond Dog shouted as he came out of the ground. "One of you fancy ponies stole our gems!"
The princess started doing her breathing exercises.“Okay, let me think for a moment.”
Suddenly, Starlight Glimmer appeared in a flash of magic. “Twilight! Forget about any problems you may have. A twenty foot tall sea monster appeared in Sire’s Hollow and kidnapped Trixie!”
“I waaarned yooou!” an elderly stallion shouted from afar.
“We need to do something before-”
“Excuse me, Great and Powerful Trixie coming through!” The crowd was pushed aside as a pony that looked exactly like Trixie carrying lumpy saddlebags made her way into the castle, walking right beside the two stunned ponies that were panicking a moment ago.
Twilight blinked twice and quickly took advantage of the confusion. “Well, looks like that resolved itself, maybe the rest of the stolen items will do the same. Goodbye!” She said with a smile before quickly closing the doors.
“Yay! Free Cookies!” Trixie exclaimed, quickly eating the baked goods before suddenly being in front of a very angry Princess of Friendship.
“Okay, I know you aren't my Trixie, so you’re gonna tell me what in Celestia’s name is going on!”
Trixie continued chewing for a few seconds before swallowing and responding. “I would love to, but Trixie can't be late to her date.”
“You’re not going any-” Trixie suddenly let a smoke bomb fall to the ground, and as the princess coughed inside the smoke, she made a quick retreat into the mirror.
A few minutes later, in Sunset’s apartment.
"Would you please stay still?!" Adagio screamed as she worked on the ropes so they would at least resemble a gift bow.
"Trixie didn't consent to being tied against her will!"
"You did agree!" Adagio reminded her.
"No, I agreed to meet a copy of myself."
"You didn't hear a word of what I said next, did you?" The Siren deadpanned.
"It may have escaped Trixie's mind when you stuffed her inside a bag!"
Adagio groaned and stood up before going to the kitchen.
"What are you doing now?"
"Bribing you," the Siren answered, coming back with a small box in her hands.
"What could you have to bribe The Great and Powerful-" Adagio pulled a peanut butter cracker out of the box and quickly shoved it inside the magician's mouth.
Trixie’s pupils expanded as she happily munched on the snack.
“Okay, now listen, you can have the entire box, but all I ask is that you stay the night with Trixie. Is that okay?” Adagio asked and got a quick nod in return. “Thank you.”
Right at that moment, Sunset entered the apartment and saw the two girls in the corner. “Adagio! Couldn't you have at least waited till after we exchanged gifts to tie her up?!” She complained as she took off her jacket, secretly hiding her gift under it.
“This is Trixie’s gift,” Adagio stated proudly.
Sunset raised an eyebrow as she looked at the bound Trixie happily eating crackers. “Dagi, your heart is kind of in the right place, but it isn’t really in the holiday spirit.”
Then the human Trixie entered the apartment.
Sunset looked at the recently arrived magician, then at the bound one, and finally at Adagio. “You're putting that right where you found it.”
“Why are you mad? This was Princess Twilight’s idea!” Adagio rolled her eyes.
“Oh, really? Then I need to have a serious talk with her later, for now-”
“OH MY GOD IS THAT ME?!” Trixie shouted, quickly running up to her Equestrian counterpart. Said counterpart reacted the exact same way and immediately jumped to hug her.
“Wait, how did she get free?!” Adagio questioned.
“She’s also a magician, remember?” Sunset said, crossing her arms.
“Trixie has never been able to get out of my binds!” Adagio declared looking at Sunset, who simply gave her a smirk and a raised eyebrow. “Well, I’ll have to get more practice then.”
“Sure, but first you’re returning that Trixie to her home. Ugh, I can't believe you've done this."
"Look, I explained to her what I wanted, and she agreed, it's just that… she's Trixie." Adagio turned to look at the two magicians deep in conversation, both laughing and smiling. "And you can't tell me that they aren't happy about it."
Despite being angry, Sunset had to agree. “Yeah, they are. Look, I’ll give you a pass on this one because it was a misunderstanding and no one seems to have gotten hurt, but please, refrain yourself from obvious crimes on both sides of the mirror.”
“Fine, I promise,” to Sunset’s pleasant surprise, Adagio made the gestures of a Pinkie Promise. She wanted to ask her how the Siren knew them, but decided that it was best to give the Siren a break.
“Okay, Pony Trixie, you can leave whenever you want. Did Starlight tell you where the portal is?”
“Oh, yes. Actually, Trixie should go back to her. She must be really worried. Pleasure meeting you, Great and Powerful Trixie, we shall meet again some day.”
“It’ll be our pleasure,” Trixie said before waving off her pony counterpart as she left the apartment.
Sunset then clapped her hands. “All right, since Trixie already opened her ‘gift’, I say we get the rest out now.”
“Thank you for it, by the way,” Trixie said before giving Adagio a kiss on the cheek that made the Siren smile.
The three went to get their gifts and sat down at the table in the living room.
“Okay,” Sunset began. “Since you already started, what did you plan to gift me, Adagio?”
The Siren gave Trixie a signal, and the magician threw a smoke bomb at the floor.
“What did I say about pyrotechnics in my house?!” Sunset shouted, but her annoyance was quickly dropped along with her jaw as she saw the smoke clear out, revealing a flame patterned, brand new electric guitar. One that she had been saving for since she saw it in the store months ago. Sunset slowly grabbed the guitar, confirming it was real, and looked like she was about to start making out with it. “Wha- how? I love you! But how? It was worth a fortune and a half!” Sunset suddenly paused and turned her head to Adagio. “Did you steal it?”
“Yes. I did,” the Siren quickly answered, but Sunset's death glare made her realize it wasn’t better than the truth. “I… had my sisters pay for it.”
Sunset’s anger faded away. “Really? And they said yes?”
“At first they told me to eat coral, but when they figured out that it was for a gift to you, they practically threw the money at me. It was the first time that winning felt annoying.” Adagio grumbled, but a sudden kiss from Sunset quickly changed that.
She really liked it when they kissed her unexpectedly.
“Thank you for all the effort you went through,” Sunset said with a smile so warm Adagio felt her cheeks melting.
“Y-you are worth the effort,” the Siren whispered as she smiled.
Sunset turned to Trixie. “Do you want to give yours next?”
The magician scoffed. “Oh, please. You always save the best for last.”
Adagio and Sunset rolled their eyes and smirked in perfect synchrony. “Fine, I’m next then.” Sunset then pulled out a large package the size of a pizza box and gave it to Trixie.
The magician opened the package with ease and pulled out the contents. Then she stared at them.
And kept staring.
Sunset was grinning from ear to ear. “Why don’t you try it on?”
Trixie grabbed the hem of her hoodie and, in a move that could only be described as magic, she discarded her usual clothes, and was now wearing a full set of brand new magician’s clothes. But it wasn’t just something bought in a store. It had hidden pockets in Trixie’s favorite spots to hide her tricks, it had her trademark pattern clearly visible from different views, her favorite colors, her exact measurements. It was obviously tailor made for Trixie, by someone who knew Trixie very well.
“Where did you get it?” Adagio asked since Trixie was too busy looking at herself in awe.
“I made it myself,” Sunset admitted with pride. “With some help from Rarity, of course.” Sunset was suddenly lifted from her chair and given a very deep, almost passionate kiss by The Happiest and Very Thankful Trixie. Adagio watched them with a smirk, fully enjoying the view as Sunset embraced the magician and her loving kiss.
After a few long seconds, they pulled apart, and Trixie muttered another thank you before going back to her chair.
Sunset took a moment to recover and then turned to Adagio. “Now, I wanted to give you something special for your first Hearths Warming, so I hope you like this.” Sunset pulled out the book, which had a quickly put together wrapping that obscured the view of the title.
“Well, now I’m very curious.” Adagio tore apart the wrap and as soon as she read the title, she froze completely.
She opened the book and looked through the pages, going over the lines of Siren text she had thought she would never see again. “W-where did you get this?” she asked as tears started to form around her eyes.
“I borrowed it from Celestia’s personal library. She has a lot of books preserved there. I may find more, but I thought this one would be a good start.”
“Yes, I… I would love that.” Adagio wiped her eyes and looked at Sunset. “I love you,” she added as she closed the book and hugged it.
Sunset gave her her brightest smile. “I love you too, Adagio.”
Trixie waited happily till her girlfriend calmed down, and once both were ready for her turn, she stood up and changed back to her usual clothes in an instant, leaving Sunset's gift neatly packed to the side. “Now, it’s time for The Great and Powerful Trixie’s gifts!” she announced before pulling out two handkerchiefs from her sleeves and setting them on the table. She did some coordinated movements with her hands over them before sliding them gently towards her partners. “Prepare to be amazed!”
Adagio and Sunset looked at each other and then gently lifted the handkerchiefs in front of them to reveal two pieces of beautiful jewelry.
In front of Adagio was a gray metal necklace with a bright ruby gem in the middle of the centerpiece, which was shaped like a singing Siren.
In front of Sunset was a golden crown with a huge gem at the front shaped and colored like her sun cutie mark.
Sunset immediately directed a light glare at Trixie. “Are you still semi-obsessed with us being villains?”
“Hey, can't blame her for liking bad girls,” Adagio said as she put on the necklace.
“It’s not an obsession, I just like it when we roleplay it,” Trixie admitted crossing her arms. “And I got these because I want you two to indulge yourselves a little and because you'll look pretty with them.”
Sunset looked at the crown. “I guess it can't do much harm.” She slowly placed it on her head and found herself smiling. “Okay, I admit it feels kind of nice.” Then she felt a familiar tingling coming from it.
She immediately took it off. "This has Equestrian magic.”
"What?!" Trixie exclaimed, jumping out of her seat.
“Same here,” Adagio said as she saw the gem in the necklace start to shine.
"Take it off!" Both girls shouted in unison, but it was too late. Adagio’s body started to glow red, and a second later it let out a sudden flash of magic.
When Sunset and Trixie recovered, they both saw Adagio floating in the air. Her skin covered in scales, her ears replaced by fins, her pupils now slited, her teeth now looking sharp, and a long Siren tail coming from under her skirt.
"Adagio, are you okay?" Trixie asked as she slowly approached her stunned girlfriend. "I'm sorry if I-"
"Yes! Fuck you gravity!"
"Oh, she's okay. Thank God."
"Give me that!" Sunset shouted before pulling the necklace off from Adagio, creating another flash of magic that returned her to normal, leaving her to fall back to the floor. "Looks like whatever you did to it made its magic much weaker," Sunset said after looking over the amulet. She then looked at the crown. “Is the gold in this from Twilight’s original crown?”
“Yes, but Trixie thought it was just a piece of metal.”
“So you stole it from her.”
The magician crossed her arms.“No, Trixie asked politely.” she answered, looking offended.
Sunset tried to ask about the necklace next, but Adagio quickly snatched it from her hand and put it back on. “Who cares where she got them from? It can change us into our Equestrian forms. It’s a dream come true!”
Sunset pointed at the crown.“I’m pretty sure if I put this on, it’ll turn me into a demon again.”
“Oh, and that would be too bad? You said it didn't have much power left.” Adagio countered.
“Yes, but-”
“Didn’t you say ‘Ponying up’ always feels great?”
“Y-yes. But-”
“And here you can do it on command.” Adagio took a step closer. “In private.” Till she was right in front of Sunset. “With us.” She whispered.
“Fine! I’ll try putting it on!” Sunset exclaimed, her cheeks fully red. “But if I start throwing fireballs-”
“I’ll stop you, now get on with it!”
Sunset rolled her eyes and carefully placed the crown back on her head. She felt that familiar tingling sensation spread fast along her body, but didn’t feel like the night of the Fall Formal, or even when she Pony-ed up. This felt more mute due to the very small amount of magic she was being given. “How do I look?” She asked before opening her eyes.
Adagio looked disappointed. “You look the same, how boring.”
Sunset looked at herself, seeing nothing different, but she could feel the magic still inside her. “What if...” she closed her eyes and concentrated, focusing on an image in her mind before sension the magic expanding out of her body.
Trixie and Adagio shielded their eyes from a sudden flash, and when they looked at Sunset again, they saw her floating in her angelical form.
“Trixie had forgotten how beautiful-”
“And sexy,” Adagio added with a smirk.
“-you looked like that.”
Sunet looked at herself, smiling. “Guess I’m finally not considered evil by this crown.” She said feeling an old weight lift off her back. She then turned to Trixie. “Thank you for the gift.”
The magician’s smile was beaming. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has achieved her goal! Her gifts have no comparison!” she exclaimed, posing for a nonexistent crowd.
While she did this, Adagio floated closer to Sunset. “Hey, angel form is nice and all, but can you also do the demon thing?”
Sunset lifted an eyebrow. “Uh, maybe? Why?”
“Oh, you know.” The Siren pointed to Trixie with her tail. “To thank someone for the gifts.”
Sunset rubbed her chin in thought for a moment. “Ah fuck it. It’ll be fun.”
“She’ll certainly love it.”
“Trixie will love what?” the magician asked, catching on to the whispered conversation.
“Being captured by two evil villainesses,” Sunset answered, her eyes changing so they were completely black save for a small circle of zaphire blue.
Trixie swallowed loudly as her girlfriends grinned maliciously, but immediately cleared her throat and crossed her arms defiantly. “As if the Valiant and Brave Trixie would tell you two anything!” She then added in a whisper. “Safeword?”
“How about…” Adagio whispered as she grabbed one the the magician’s arms.
“Mistletoe?” Sunset finished, grabbing the other arm.
Trixie gave a quick nod in response.
Later that night, the three lovers found themselves in bed, naked, sweaty, and exhausted.
“Before I forget… you two are forbidden… from ever going to… Equestria without me,” Sunset exclaimed through labored breaths.
“Trixie has… zero regrets,” the magician whispered with a very happy smile.
“Can we try… giving the necklace to Trixie… next time?” Adagio proposed. “I’m curious to see… what she would turn into.”
Sunset grumbled something and turned over, deciding to get some rest before dealing with the fallout of her girlfriends’ mischiefs.