“It seems that we underestimated you,” Rarity said to Adagio. “You’re perfectly able to manipulate people without your little accessory.”
Following her rough treatment at Applejack and Rarity’s hands, the siren was dusting herself off unconcernedly.
“You are really pushin’ your luck!” Applejack shouted, further enraged by Adagio’s nonchalant attitude.
“And what did I have to lose?” Adagio finally replied. “If your colorful friend there hadn’t come around to my way of thinking, we were all dead anyway.” Looking as haughty as a queen on her throne, she settled herself into one of the practice room’s chairs.
“Rainbow was right,” Applejack growled. “She’s been right this whole time. You sirens don’t think of anyone but yourselves.”
Sunset approached her friends. “Applejack, Rarity, please tell me what happened. Is everyone okay?”
Adagio held up her hands. “Don’t worry, nobody’s injured. All I did was offer Rainbow Dash a choice: she could offer us her help, or she could face the fact that she would be as good as a murderer.”
“Adagio,” Sonata whispered, “what exactly did you do?”
“She gave Rainbow a knife,” Applejack said through clenched teeth. “Said Rainbow Dash could either help, or take the knife and kill her with it, since that’d be easier than starvin’ to death.”
Sunset gasped, and her hands flew to her mouth. “That’s… that’s horrible! You’re horrible! Forget it, I’m writing Twilight back and telling her not to bother. You three aren’t worth it.” She slung her backpack off and began unzipping the main pocket where she kept the magical book.
Adagio sighed and slumped forward. She rested her head in her hands, showing a hint of weakness for the first time. “Look,” she said quietly, “maybe I went too far. I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry,” Rarity answered flatly. “I think it’s rather late for that.”
“I’m dying, Rarity,” Adagio replied. Her normally vibrant, confident voice was so small and soft that it could have been mistaken for Fluttershy’s. “I’m weak, I’m scared, and I’m in so much pain. Aria’s got a few days left at most, and Sonata and I won’t be far behind her. If my only chance to save us was to rattle one of your friends a bit… I won’t ask you to forgive me, but can you at least understand why I did it?”
A thoughtful silence filled the room. Sunset paused in her search for the book, taking a moment to appreciate the full impact of what Adagio had said. At last, Applejack slowly nodded. “Y’know,” she said, “ah think those might have been the first honest words that ever came outta your mouth.”
“I’m sorry,” Adagio repeated. She reached out and weakly took hold of the edge of Sunset Shimmer’s coat. “Please, don’t tell Princess Twilight not to come,” she beseeched her former enemy. “We need her. If you won’t forgive me, then do it for Aria and Sonata.”
Sunset looked down at the wretched siren. Adagio had the look of someone who’d ruled from on high, and been brought suddenly and violently back down to Earth. It was how Sunset had looked after her own battle with Twilight. I think we’re finally getting somewhere.
“Alright Adagio, I won’t write to Twilight again.” Sunset carefully removed her coat from Adagio’s wasted fingers. “But I don’t think I need to tell you that you’re on very thin ice right now.”
Adagio nodded and buried her head in her hands again. It might have been Sunset’s imagination, but she thought she heard a quiet sob.
“I think I like this Adagio Dazzle rather more than the mask you usually wear,” Rarity said. “If you’d been this open with us from the beginning, I’m sure you wouldn’t have had any trouble getting us all to help.”
Adagio nodded again, and this time Sunset was certain she heard the girl sniffle.
“Do you two need to be anywhere right now?” Sunset asked Applejack and Rarity. "I should go and wait for Twilight, but I think it’s clear that we can’t trust these girls alone.”
“Ah’m more than happy to keep an eye on these varmints while you’re gone,” Applejack said.
“I’ll stay with you,” Rarity added, “just in case of any further problems.”
“I appreciate it. Hopefully I won’t be gone for too long. See you soon.” Sunset opened the door and disappeared into the hallway, making for the Wondercolt statue and the portal it held.
“And we’ll be right here,” Applejack warned the three sirens, “so don’t even think about tryin’ anything else.” She and Rarity took up positions by the only door, making sure that no one could get in or out without their say-so.
Adagio remained in her chair, her back now to Applejack and Rarity, her head still held miserably in her hands.
“Um, Adagio?” Sonata asked hesitantly. In the thousands of years they’d been alive, she’d never seen her bold, charismatic leader so dejected. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Adagio choked out. “Yeah, I’m alright.” She lifted her head just enough for Sonata to see her dry eyes and predatory grin.
Twilight's reply had said she'd be coming "soon." Just how soon is soon? Sunset wondered. She’d been here nearly half an hour, and it was only a matter of time before someone spotted her and demanded to know why she wasn’t in class.
Just as she was unzipping her backpack again, thinking to write Twilight back and urge her to hurry, one of the stone panels flashed brightly and started to ripple like water. Sunset’s heart leaped: quite aside from needing Twilight’s help, she was excited to see her friend again.
Sunset backed away from the portal, remembering how violently Twilight and Spike had been flung through it on their last trip here. It seemed that they remembered as well, for instead of flying through the air to land in an undignified heap, the two of them gingerly stepped through and made sure they had a solid footing.
Sunset had intended to tackle Twilight with a hug as soon as she arrived, but something—perhaps a memory of when things hadn’t been so good between them—stopped her. Instead she took a step forward and gave a hesitant wave. “Hi, Twilight.”
“Sunset!” Twilight darted forward and practically crushed the girl with an exuberant hug. “It’s so good to see you again!”
“Good to see you too!” Sunset gasped. Once she had her bearings, she gladly returned the hug.
“Don’t forget about me!” An enthusiastic purple dog reared up and put his front paws on Sunset’s leg.
“Haha, who could forget about you, Spike?” She scratched him briefly behind the ears
“Where are the others?” Twilight asked as she stepped back.
“Inside, along with… you-know-who.”
Twilight’s joy at seeing Sunset again faded quickly. “The sirens,” she murmured. “I have to admit, I was more than a little surprised when I got your message.”
“Probably no more surprised than I was to find myself helping them.” Sunset shook her head in disbelief.
Twilight squinted her eyes at Sunset, as if looking for something. “Is there any chance that they’re influencing you magically?” she asked. “Are there any lingering traces of their magic from when they attacked before?”
Sunset’s eyes widened. How had she never thought of that? The more she considered it, though, the less sense it made. “No,” she finally said. “We were never under their spell to begin with, and there’s none of that green energy floating around like last time. Besides, the whole reason they came to us is that their magic doesn’t work, and they can’t eat without it.”
Twilight nodded slowly. “Alright,” she said, “but keep an eye out for anyone acting out of character, including yourself.”
Sunset swallowed nervously. She’d seen Twilight be serious before, but that had been a nervous, panicky kind of serious as she tried desperately to cobble together a spell she had no experience with. Now Twilight was projecting a cautious yet confident aura that made Sunset remember she was standing in front of a princess.
“I will,” Sunset answered. “So, do you want me to take you to the others?”
Twilight nodded again. “Yes, please.”
With Sunset leading the way, they walked up the path to the front doors.
“So, everyone’s agreed to help the Dazzlings?” Twilight questioned as they walked.
“I think so,” Sunset answered. “The Dazzlings talked to me first, and once I vouched for them, everyone else agreed to help too, except Rainbow Dash.”
“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight repeated. “But you said everyone was on board. Did something change?”
“Something changed, alright,” Sunset said grimly. “Adagio Dazzle got to her. Not with a spell,” she quickly added, “but something she said apparently upset Rainbow Dash pretty badly.”
“And that got her to go along with you?” Twilight asked. “I don’t follow.”
“She…” Sunset hesitated, then decided to simply come out with it. “She basically told Rainbow Dash that if she didn’t help save the sirens, she’d be the one responsible for killing them.”
Twilight stopped dead. Sunset, caught off guard, took another couple of steps before realizing that she was walking alone. She turned back and nearly fell over at the fury in Twilight’s eyes.
“She told her what?” Twilight growled.
“She actually said that to Rainbow Dash?” Spike asked in disbelief.
“Um… Twilight?” Sunset asked hesitantly. She’d never seen her so angry. Come to think of it, she wasn’t sure that she’d ever seen Twilight angry at all.
Twilight clenched a fist, then seemed to come back to herself. She took a deep, calming breath, and then another.
“I hope I don’t need to tell you that that is completely unacceptable,” Twilight said in a more normal voice.
Sunset uncertainly reached out and placed a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. The muscles under her hand were still incredibly tense. “We’ve had words with Adagio already,” she said. “She apologized for it. Once Applejack told me what happened, I came within an inch of writing you back and telling you not to come. Adagio started crying when I said that. She’s desperate, Twilight, they all are.”
"Wow, Adagio Dazzle crying? I can barely even picture that." Twilight took another breath, and her shoulders finally relaxed. "In the end it's going to have to be Rainbow Dash who decides whether to forgive her or not."
“Of course,” Sunset answered. They walked in silence for another minute or so, until Sunset glanced over again. “Twilight, I have to ask: are you alright? You seem… different.”
Twilight was silent for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. “The sirens were one of the greatest threats I’ve ever faced,” she answered. “There’s never been anything that my friends and I together couldn’t beat, but the Dazzlings even overpowered our magic of friendship. If you hadn’t stepped in, I don’t even want to think about what might have happened.” Twilight looked away and fidgeted with her hands, looking a bit more like the nervous, dorky girl that Sunset knew and loved. “I trust my friends’ judgment, but I’m really not sure about this.”
“Aw, c’mon Twilight,” Spike piped up from beside her, “what’s the worst that could happen? The sirens get their power back and try the same thing again? You already beat them once, and now you know exactly how to do it! If they try anything, you can just Magic of Friendship those gems right back into pieces.”
“That’s the other thing,” Twilight admitted. “I was so sure that breaking those artifacts would cause them to become just ordinary girls, but that’s not what happened at all. Even when Starswirl the Bearded sent them here in the first place, he did it because he thought that their magic wouldn't survive in this world, but we were both wrong. They’re still sirens, and they always will be. Feeding on negative energy is how they live. Maybe we can find some kind of substitute food source, but what if we can't? What if we save them and they go back to their old tricks? We'd have to make them starve all over again. That’s too cruel, even for them.”
“Starvation is too cruel,” Sunset agreed, “and that’s exactly why we have to try to make this right. If they try to attack the school again, we’ll… we’ll figure something out. At least this time we won’t be caught off-guard.”
Twilight’s face relaxed into a smile, and she finally seemed like her old self again. “You’re right, Sunset,” she said. “I don’t have the answers to all of this right now, but it’s like you said last time: I can count on my friends to help me find them.”
Sunset nearly heaved a sigh of relief. Seeing Twilight looking so grim had been disturbing in a way she didn’t quite understand.
“And,” Twilight added with a giggle, “right now I need you to help me find my other friends.”
“Oh! Right, sorry,” Sunset laughed. She took the lead again and they continued toward the practice room.
“She’s been gone forever,” Aria groused. Once there were others in the room, she’d shoved Sonata away and picked herself up off the floor. She now sat in a chair across from Adagio. “Are we sure this Princess Twilight is even coming?”
“Twi said she’d be here, and she will,” Applejack answered firmly. She and Rarity hadn’t moved from their positions guarding the door, although Rarity had pulled a seat over for herself.
A few more minutes passed in silence, then the handle on the door turned. Everyone in the room looked up, expecting to see Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle. They were rather surprised to see Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy walk in instead.
Rainbow Dash glanced around the room and quickly spotted Adagio. Fluttershy whispered something into Rainbow's ear that no one else could hear. It must have been something encouraging, though, because Rainbow immediately strode over to the siren.
Adagio looked up at her with something between fear and hopelessness. She had to know that all of the Dazzlings' hopes rested on what Rainbow Dash said right now. Their lives hung on the edge of a knife, as it were.
Rainbow got a chair for herself and sat backwards in it, resting her arms on the back and her chin on her arms. She didn't say anything at first, just sat staring at Adagio. Adagio looked back in silence, waiting to hear her fate.
“Not cool,” Rainbow said after a long moment. “That was so far beyond not cool that I’m not even sure what to say to you right now.”
“I’m sorry,” Adagio murmured.
Rainbow jerked back like she’d been shocked. “Did you just say what I thought you said?”
“I’m so, so sorry.” Adagio continued. “I was desperate. I was scared. It was so wrong of me to say what I said to you, but it was the only way I could think of to get you to help us. We need you, Rainbow Dash.” She reached out with one thin, shaking hand, not quite able to meet Rainbow’s eyes. “Please say that you forgive me. Please say that you’ll save us.”
Rainbow buried her head in her arms for a moment as she thought it over. After all the times she’d mentioned that the sirens didn’t seem sorry for anything they’d done, the worst of them all was apologizing to her. It could still be a trick, Rainbow reminded herself.
Trick or not, though, what Adagio had said before wouldn’t leave her mind. Letting them die is just as bad as killing them myself. I can’t. I just can’t do it. She sighed heavily.
“I don’t know about forgiving you,” Rainbow finally said, standing up from her seat, “but I will help you. No way would I leave someone hanging, even if it is you three.”
Unseen by the others, Aria and Adagio shared a knowing smirk.
“Where’s everyone else?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Sunset Shimmer left some time ago to wait for Twilight,” Rarity answered. “I’d expect them back any minute now.”
“What about Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy asked in a murmur.
“Wasn’t she with you?” Applejack cocked her head.
“No, she left once we got Rainbow Dash to the, um…” Fluttershy cleared her throat. “She left a while ago. I thought she was coming back here.”
“Weird.” Rainbow folded her arms. “Then again, ‘weird’ is just Pinkie’s ‘normal.’ She’ll turn up.”
Applejack nodded. “She always does.”
“Usually in the least expected, and indeed the least possible way,” Rarity added.
The door opened again, and this time Sunset Shimmer walked into the practice room. “Hi everyone,” she said. “I’ve got good news.” She gestured back toward the door.
Twilight Sparkle entered a step behind Sunset, and the sheer joy and relief that washed across everyone’s faces at seeing her was enough by itself to make the trip worthwhile. Twilight couldn’t keep a smile from her face as her friends rushed over to give her one of their signature group hugs. Something was missing, though…
“Where’s Pinkie Pie?” Twilight asked.
“SURPRISE!” Pinkie burst through the Styrofoam tiles of the ceiling in a shower of streamers and confetti. A huge banner reading "Welcome Back, Twilight Sparkle!" unfurled in her wake, attached to... Twilight had no idea what it was attached to, but it stretched across the entire ceiling of the practice room.
Pinkie picked up Twilight in a huge hug. “Sorry I’m late," she said happily, "I was busy planning your welcome back party!”
“Pinkie,” Twilight gasped, “it’s only been a few weeks.”
“Do you know how long that is in pony years?!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Well, you probably do, but I sure don’t! What if it was, like, a really long time, and then you thought we didn’t really care about you because you’d been gone for so long and we didn’t even welcome you back?”
“It was only a few weeks for me too,” Twilight assured her. “Time moves at the same speed in our two worlds, and as far as I know, ponies age at about the same rate that humans do.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I suppose we're accepted as fully adult a bit sooner than humans, but that might be more of a societal thing than a biological one.”
“Anyway,” Rainbow Dash cut in, “I don’t know how much Sunset told you, but we’ve got a bit of a situation here.” She gestured to the three sirens, who had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout all of this, including Pinkie Pie's blatantly impossible stunt.
The warmth and cheer that had followed Twilight’s entrance stopped dead. In the sudden silence, Twilight slowly approached the three, who were sitting in a rough semicircle. She pulled a chair across from them and sat in it. Her friends moved in behind her, offering silent support and the promise of their strength should it be needed.
“So,” Twilight said grimly, “tell me everything.”