The storm raged on with no signs of slowing down, even as Adagio woke up from her nap. Sci-Twi explained to her over a cup of hot cocoa that the weather would not ease up for at least two more days, according to the weather reports. It did not take very long for the reality of the situation to hit home for the former songstress;
"Trapped in a house with three would-be slaves and the Human version of one of the girls who defeated us...", she grimly thought to herself while slowly taking a sip of her steamy chocolatey beverage;
"It's official: Starswirl dumped us in Limbo."
By now, Adagio had regained more energy. Enough to stand on her feet and walk a little, but not quite enough to move around a lot without coughing up a storm or losing her balance. So, while Sci-Twi sat on a chair off to Adagio's right side, the Wondercolt trio were enjoying their own cups of hot cocoa while sitting on chairs that they had placed dead center of the living room, their barely blinking eyes fixed on Adagio. Apple Bloom sat in the middle, with Sweetie Belle positioned to her right and Scootaloo to her left. Their arms were crossed and deep frowns were etched on their faces. An eerie silence filled the room, making the purple scientist a tad uncomfortable in her seat. She would look over at her recovering guest from time to time, but not enough to give her any lasting glares. If the trio of girls felt unease, they did not show it. Adagio, however, was enjoying the quiet and her drink immensely, in spite of feeling the piercing daggers that were the three pairs of eyes aimed at her person.
The simple things, she had learned, were magical in their own ways.
The quiet time, however, would be shattered. At first, Adagio was annoyed by this interruption of her silent enjoyment of a good drink. But, hearing the source was enough to turn that annoyance into surprise;
"This whole 'being sick' thing is totes horrible!", cried a distressed Sonata as she walked into the room, her nasally rasp-ridden voice revealing her stuffed up nose and sore throat. The eldest Dazzling sharply turned her head to see her entering the room alongside a visibly frustrated Aria, who was just as stuffed up and raspy as her younger sister. Like Adagio, they were wearing simplistic outfits. Their hair, like hers, had seen better days. Gone were Sonata's ponytail and Aria's pigtails, which were replaced by long flowing messes filled with split ends. The former made it a point to expand on her complaint while giving the sister next to her a most dramatic pleading expression;
"I mean, how can I enjoy the deliciousness of tacos if my belly says no to them?!"
She grabbed Aria by the collar of her shirt out of intense. raspy desperation;
"They're tacos, Aria!"
Aria gave herself a fierce facepalm before carefully pushing Sonata away while noting begrudgingly with a rasp of her own;
"Ugh... I hate to admit it, Sonata, but I get what you mean."
She had to use both hands to hold Sonata back from giving her the mother of all hugs for that comment. Once her younger sister had settled down, she then pointed an indigent right index finger squarely at Sci-Twi while giving her a venomous glare as she uttered, her grumpiness back with a vengeance;
"How long will your medicine take to work so that we can have a real meal again? I'm already sick of having to eat nothing but saltine crackers and buttered toast!"
She was rewarded for her ranting with a bout of coughing that kept her from speaking further for a bit. Adagio decided to not chime in just yet, preferring to sit back and enjoy the fireworks for a spell while internally composing herself as Sci-Twi nervously answered while raising her hands in self-defense;
"As long as necessary for the medicine to clear up the nausea, cough, and acid reflex! At least you're not throwing up anymore!"
The eldest Dazzling could not help but chuckle while feeling relief over not having thrown up her drink. She declared to her sisters with a toothy grin;
"Figures, it would take getting sick to make you two idiots agree on something for a change!"
The two sisters were so focused on each other and Sci-Twi that they didn't notice Adagio until she spoke up. Once they did, however, Sonata reacted by giving her a tearful pouncing while exclaiming happily in a rapid-fire pace that would almost be a match with that of a certain pink haired party planner;
"DAGI! I'm so glad you're alive! I was so worried about you! I thought we were going to die out there in the freezing snow! Being sick sucks, I hope we never go through that again! I'm just so happy you're okay!"
Adagio was taken aback by this show of affection for a moment before slowly wrapping her arms around the head of her overjoyed sister, the latter's tears and snot staining the front of her shirt. After their recent brush with the end, the eldest sister figured it best to let her have this one. After taking a moment to watch Sonata continue to bawl while repeatedly promising to make her sisters the most yummy tacos in the history of everything ever, she looked over at Aria, who glared at each of them for a second before looking away while crossing her arms to keep up her grumpy exterior. She did, however, allow for the tiniest of smirks to slip through her expertly crafted armor. Adagio's face revealed a neutral expression, but her eyes told a different story that only two people in the room could notice if they looked closely enough; a story of quiet emotional relief. While all of this was happening, Sci-Twi noted in her head with the clarity and calmness of an experienced scientist as she carefully observed each Siren;
"Subjects Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk have regained enough energy and strength to move beyond their beds and have reunited with Subject Adagio Dazzle. All three are recovering from their early-stage hypothermia and acid reflex, each at a different rate, thanks to the medicine and care given to them."
She then thought of a key detail in this situation as she turned her attention to the other trio of girls, their eyes still fixed on ailing Sirens;
"The Canterlot Movie Club has been a major contributing factor in their recovery process, in spite of their understandable contempt towards our guests. Unfortunately, the storm has kept our phones from accessing cellular towers and WiFi, which has made it quite difficult to contact our friends and family about the situation. On top of that..."
She shuddered slightly for a moment before finishing her thought;
"I dread what might happen once the recovery process is complete!"
It took Sonata roughly five minutes of crying and hugging to calm down before The Dazzlings positioned themselves to sit on the couch together, with Adagio in the center, Aria to her left, and Sonata to her right. Now, they were all giving the trio of kids a combined glare of their own, but one filled with curiosity instead of intensity. As frustrated as they were over having to be in the same room as not one, but three Wondercolts and who might as well be the Princess's twin, they knew better than to bite the hands that were helping them. The eldest sister tried to get a read on the trio before her by inspecting their facial expressions. What she saw on the faces of Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, to her surprise, was far from hidden or complicated:
Determination, concern, and suspicion.
Years upon years of experience with dealing with Humans allowed her to catch a glimpse of something else on their faces. A subtle sign that would otherwise be unnoticed underneath the obvious feelings:
A sign that these girls were hiding something. As much as she wanted to pry that secret out of them, with more pressing matters to attend to, Adagio decided to let this be for now.
After staring each other down for about a minute, the lead siren asked Sci-Twi while turning her gaze upon her;
"So, how did you get us out of the storm?"
The studious host gave a short nervous laugh while adjusting her glasses for a moment before clarifying;
"While I did take the time to help clean you three up and get you situated into your current lodgings, among other things..."
She then aimed her right arm to point her index finger at the three girls sitting to her right before finishing;
"You can thank the three of them for getting you out of the storm and into the house."
The eyes of The Dazzlings went wide in shock, Adagio's especially! Aria's mouth was agape for good measure, while Sonata covered hers with her right hand in an instant.
It was one thing for these kids to help them get well, but for them to have saved their lives...
"Wait... that means...!", Adagio thought to herself as a great and terrible realization struck her mind with the force of a typhoon, keeping her shocked expression firmly etched on her face. She quickly put that realization aside in spite of her shock, as it was a matter best discussed with her sisters in private later. She figured it had hit them just as hard anyway.
While Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo did their best to contain their smiles over The Dazzlings' silent reactions, Apple Bloom couldn't resist letting a satisfied sideways smirk creep up her face as she asked them slyly;
"Ya'll didn't see that one comin', did ya'll?"
All three sisters slowly shook their heads in perfect unison in response. Apple Bloom chuckled while shaking her head for a bit, her bow bouncing as she did so. After recollecting herself, she noted in a casual manner while gazing at Adagio once again;
"Ah thought not."
It was at that moment that Sweetie Belle's mind formed a thought that she was quick to express to the sisters before her;
"Why in the world were you three walking through a blizzard?"
Scootaloo raised her right eyebrow before adding;
"Yeah, didn't you see the weather reports? They called it the worst blizzard to hit the Crystal Lands all Winter."
Whilst they were locked in their shock-induced stupor, the Dazzlings were able to process what was said to them. So, after taking a few seconds to reclaim a reasonable level of calmness, Adagio was the first to answer, albeit with a deadpan tone to hide her continued disbelief;
"When we had gotten wind of what was coming, we were driving our way back from a gig in Manehatten we had finished up earlier."
Aria let out a short angry growl before adding;
"By the time we had reached Canterlot City's borders, our RV was barely pushing through enough snow to fill an ocean. It finally broke down in the fog, the tough bas-!"
Before she could finish uttering her choice expletive, Sonata chimed in with her own contribution, her voice laced with sadness and her eyes tearing up out of grief over the loss of their vehicle;
"I miss Rose Quartz already! Lots of happy memories were made in that RV..."
She sniffed back the tears and snot before continuing while looking for a tissue;
"So many songs written... So many delicious tacos made..."
Adagio thanked her lucky stars that her younger sisters were still too sick to argue with each other over something as trivial as the name of their RV. She, of course, had had enough of headaches as it was by then. Adagio finished the story calmly with slightly less deadpan in her voice;
"We had to walk through the storm from there and... well, you know the rest."
The Dazzlings recent revelations threw them off for a bit, but now, as far as Adagio was concerned, they were back to utilizing a skill that they had cultivated for many Human ages;
"Show no weakness when you can.", she thought to herself as she spoke while trying, and failing, to breathe through her stuffed up nose, her unsuccessful attempt producing an annoyed frown for a moment before her face reverted back to a composed expression. It was after this that a question from earlier made itself known in her head again;
"Why do they-?"
This time, it was Apple Bloom's turn to interrupt her train of thought before it could reach its increasingly enticing destination. With a hint of her natural excitement shining from her eyes, she happily declared;
"Don't ya'll worry none. If anyone can track down your ride, it's Miss Twi 'ere!"
She sharply turned her head to give the bookworm a dopey smile that exploded with the kind of encouraging warmth that could melt steel beams. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo joined in, their combined grins warm enough to be a match for the planet's core! So, when Sci-Twi took a glance at said smiles, any nervousness she might have felt was quickly disintegrated by the power of unadulterated sweetness. With a quick readjustment of her glasses and a warm smile of her own, she declared concisely to the group of ladies;
"Once the weather clears up enough for me to get a clear signal with one of the Dazzlings' smart phones, I should be able to lock onto the RV's current location. Provided that it has a GPS tracker built in and one of those phones has the correct tracking app, of course."
Her nervousness rose from the dead, albeit in a weakened state, before continuing;
"I don't want to break the law just to find a vehicle."
As much as she hated the very notion of getting help from any version of Twilight Sparkle, Adagio saw an opportunity to resolve at least one problem painlessly, and she was nothing if not opportunistic;
"You'll want my phone then, it has the tracking app you need.", she noted while gagging internally before clarifying;
"It's the one with the hydra on its golden protection case."
Sci-Twi affirmed her answer with a quick nod before noting;
"Ah, the one with the gold paint."
"No, the golden one.", Adagio clarified with a confident tone and toothy manure-eating grin that, together, spoke volumes of her arrogance. Now, it was Sci-Twi and the trio's turn to be shocked, which pleased her greatly. As she chuckled at the sight before her, Scootaloo shook her head in disbelief while exclaiming;
"Seriously?! Those cases are hilariously expensive! How the hay did you-?"
She then quickly each of the sisters a glare riddled with restrained disdain, with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle joining in, before answering her own question with annoyance in every word;
"Oh, of course you would use your Siren magic to steal the case!"
Adagio was always quick to recognize, and take advantage of, a chance to mess with a pathetic Human. Her toothy grin returning with increased strength, she corrected the annoyed daredevil with a chuckle that teetered on the edge of being a cackle;
"I wouldn't say I stole it. I simply..."
She gave the girls a devious wink before finishing;
"Persuaded the fine gentlemen behind the phone store counter to offer a more reasonable price."
This produced a cacophony of groans from all four of the girls who sat before her. The Dazzlings, however, could barely contain their laughter, if nothing else but to avoid another coughing fit. Apple Bloom, in particular, had had enough. She promptly shot up off of her chair and walked over to the kitchen in a brisk pace while holding her head with both hands and declaring loudly;
"Ah'm gonna go get ya'll a snack! Ah'll deal with ya' Sirens later!"
Adagio, by this point, had already guessed as to who she was related to, thanks to her southern drawl being almost a match to that of a certain Stetson-wearing blonde. As much as she wanted badly to have some fun at her family's expense, she figured it best to save that number for after they recovered.
She almost wished she could feed off of the slight venom in Apple Bloom's voice as she walked off. Almost...
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo quickly followed suit while giving Adagio one more glare for the road. She was, by comparison, more than a little pleased with their reactions to her comment, for she reclined on her spot on the coach with a look of immense satisfaction on her face. Aria enjoyed watching the short back-and-forth, if her amused grin was any indication. Sonata, however, was visibly upset by the girls' departure;
"Ohhhh, I wanted to talk with them some more!", she exclaimed in disappointment.
Aria rolled her eyes before asking her younger sibling with a raised right eyebrow and old frustration;
"Why would you want to talk with those Wondercolt brats?"
Sonata turned her head to look around the room they were sitting in before explaining with one of her giant smiles;
"Well, we were freezing to death before. But, now, we're here and getting better because of those girls! The least we can do is try to talk with them."
She looked right at Sci-Twi, who was giving Adagio a look of pure disappointment over her earlier comment before turning her attention over to Sonata. With a giggle, the bubbliest Dazzling added happily while taking the lavender girl's hands into hers;
"You helped save our lives too, Twilight! Thank you!"
She got a genuine smile from Sci-Twi for that show of gratitude, although she did gently pull her hands out of the cyan girl's grasp.
Aria groaned over her sister's agonizing sweetness;
"Oh, if I wasn't already having a splitting headache..."
Adagio sensed it was time to play peacemaker. She spoke to her fellow sirens with as much authority as she could without making herself cough... again;
"Look, Sonata is not that far off the mark. I don't like the idea of being around those brats either. But, we'll be here for a while, like it or not, so the least we can do is be somewhat polite around them, even if it means talking with them sometimes. We don't have to be friendly...",
She used air-quotes when she spoke that last word, her distaste for it as plain as the snow falling outside as she finished;
"to be polite."
She looked over at a visibly disappointed Sci-Twi before clarifying with an air of calculated courtesy;
"What I mean is that, while we're not...
She had to hold back the urge to gag for a second or two;
"Unappreciative... of you girls helping us, we're not here to make friends. We'll stick around until we're healed up, our RV is found, and we have a safe ride home. We'll all be out of each other's hair after that."
With an exasperated grunt, Aria noted;
"Fine by me, I guess."
Sonata looked a little upset, but she held her tongue. Sci-Twi got up and walked over to the door that led to the kitchen before stopping. She then told the Dazzlings with certainty;
"I'll respect your choice on the matter and get the girls up to speed so that we're all on the same page..."
She turned her head and adjusted her upper-body to look at them one more time before adding with heartfelt concern;
"But, take it from me; having a friend just might do you girls a world of good."
She turned right around and left for the kitchen.
The Dazzlings sat in silence for about five seconds before switching the subject, outright refusing to dignify Sci-Twi's comment with a response. Adagio started things off by asking with uncharacteristic hesitancy;
"Girls, I know this sounds crazy, but... do you think... that..."
"I know what you're thinking, Dagi, and it is crazy.", Aria noted with a raised eyebrow, clearly not wanting to entertain whatever idea her leader was suggestion. Adagio would not budge, however;
"Perhaps, but it wouldn't hurt to check now, would it?"
"Seriously, Dagi?!", Aria exclaimed while almost dropping her whisper;
"We have no magic! That thing that you're thinking of is probably gone too!"
It was that moment that Sonata had expressed an idea;
"Well... we haven't checked for it after The Battle of the Bands, didn't we?", she asked while holding her chin with her right hand in deep thought.
Adagio couldn't help but give her a small approving grin upon hearing this from their typically air-headed sister. When she could come up with an idea that was on the mark (which was quite rare), it was usually one that worked out well for them. Aria would never admit to this aloud for the life of her, to say nothing of her expressing even a trace of approval on her face. Still, she knew when she was beat, so with a huff, she declared sharply;
"Fine, we'll do the practice this one time, just to shut you two up."
She rested her hands on her lap and ordered;
"Now, follow my lead."
"My lead.", was Adagio's response. Simple, direct, and commanding in every sense of the word. She would normally be incensed over anyone, especially her sisters, trying to lead the group instead of her, but she was, frankly, too sick to be angry. Aria knew the score, but she figured trying to take the lead (for the billionth time it seemed) was worth a shot. With a shrug, she waited for her sister's instructions alongside an excited Sonata, who was trying to not bounce on her spot on the couch.
"Oh, I haven't done this in too long! It's so relaxing!"
The eldest siren checked on each of her sisters to make sure they were ready before starting them off in a surprisingly gentle whisper;
"Close your eyes and take deep breaths in through the mouth..."
They did just as instructed.
"Hold for five seconds."
They held their breaths in while counting down the seconds internally.
"... and breathe out through the mouth."
As the exhaled, they felt tension they didn't know was in their bodies loosen up a bit. Adagio guided them further;
"Let your breathing return to its natural pattern as you tune into the currents in your blood..."
With practiced ease, each Siren saw in their minds those currents, that flow of blood in their bodies.
"Follow the currents... swim with them all the way down to your heart..."
Like with Adagio, Aria, in her mind, swam with her blood flow to her destination. Sonata, however, allowed her currents to carry her there while imagining herself raising her arms up high as if she was riding on a roller-coaster. Within a minute, they each felt their own heartbeat, which prompted Adagio to continue with her guidance;
"Feel your heartbeat... notice its rhythm... your rhythm..."
Each siren recognized their heart's rhythm and tuned into it whilst they imagined themselves floating on the ocean waters of Equis, with small waves rocking them to the beat of their hearts. Adagio continued on;
"Follow your rhythm... let it take you deep into the depths of you..."
It wasn't long before they each felt the world around them vanish, with only their heartbeats and Adagio's voice to listen to as they, in their minds, began to feel heavier and heavier by the second. They felt no fear as they embraced this experience for another minute before the three of them breathed in instinctively and held their breaths for five seconds before Adagio declared softly with a confident exhale;
"To the depths."
Aria was next to exhale with more calmness than she normally expressed;
"To the depths."
Sonata was the last to exhale with a content smile on her face;
"To the depths."
Through the power of their imagination, they allowed themselves to sink deep into the ocean. Deeper and deeper into the dark they went, leaving behind any thoughts, worries, or cares that would distract them.
There, they sat in silence with healthy postures, stiff as statues, yet utterly relaxed as they experienced a journey only they could see. All was quiet in the living room as Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle returned with bowls of soup in their hands. When they saw the sirens in their current state, they were more than a little perplexed as they sat on their chairs and placed the bowls on their laps. The girls watched them closely for a few minutes while feeling quite glad to catch a break from dealing with Adagio's flaunting of her ill-gotten goods. Before they could say anything, however, the eyes of The Dazzlings opened wide in a rush. The irises in their eyes shrank to the size of pebbles before Adagio perfectly expressed their combined shock with a stunned whisper;
"Oh, sweet seaweed..."
Apple Bloom tilted her head off to the right side slightly before asking;
"Ah beg your pardon?"
Hearing her question was enough to bring the sirens back to reality, which allowed Adagio to shoot a death glare at the trio in front of them before stating with growing anger;
"Not in the mood."
Aria was staring daggers at them as well, but Sonata was not so angry. She glared at them, yes, but she was more surprised than anything. They took a stuffy whiff of the pleasant smell coming from the soup, which made their stomachs growl. Sensing the need for food, Adagio added softly with resignation;
"We'll accept the soup though..."
After receiving their meals, the sisters ate in a furious silence. Thankfully, the Wondercolt trio decided to not press the issue further, at least for the moment. As she ate her surprisingly tasty tomato soup, a certain question popped into her head once again;
"Why?.... Just why?!"