Tell Us That You Want Us

by Summer Knight


Nothing Left

Sunset Shimmer's horn glowed brightly as she applied another basic geomancy spell to the slowly-forming crystal in front of her. Two pieces of the stone, carefully matched up to one another, flowed like water and formed a single piece. Twilight added her own magic, and the leylines within the heart fused and bent to accommodate the new structure of it. Sonata and Spike hovered beside them nervously in case the ponies should need anything.
"Yes, good," Discord said as he peered at it through his magnifying monocle. "That piece next, I think," he pointed to one of the largest remaining shards. Discord's oddly in-depth knowledge of Starswirl's magic and his natural affinity for dark and chaotic magics had proven invaluable in reconstructing Sonata's shattered heart.
Sunset wiped a thin sheen of sweat off her forehead and levitated the piece he'd indicated. It wasn't that the magic was difficult, just that it was a nerve-wrackingly delicate process with someone's life on the line. She imagined this was how the surgeons on TV felt.
With a little trial and error, Sunset determined how the current piece matched up with what they'd already finished and applied the spell to fuse them.
"Sunset, how did you do that?" Twilight asked.
"What?" Sunset asked, the surprise nearly breaking her concentration. "What did I do?"
"You reformed the leylines at the same time as you put the pieces back together," Twilight explained. "I didn't even need to do anything."
"Really?" Sunset examined what she'd done and found that Twilight was right. "Weird. It just seemed so natural that I didn't even realize what I was doing. It was like one spell just flowed into the other."
"Well, this is good." Twilight said. "The spells must be closely related enough that you can do both at once. Keep going."
Sunset nodded and waited for Discord to select the next piece of their puzzle.
"Wait," Twilight interrupted. "Let me try this one. I need to see what you meant about those spells."
"Alright," Sunset agreed, letting the charge go from her horn. She simply maintained her telekinesis to hold the jewel in place as Twilight went to work.
"Oh, you're right!" Twilight gasped as she melded the pieces together. "It's like two parts of the same spell. Once I put the jewel pieces back together, the leylines practically create themselves. Good, so it looks like each of us can take one of the other sirens' hearts. It's not so hard once you get the hang of it."
Sunset agreed, and they got back to work. Sonata's heart was nearly complete now, and the siren herself was so happy that she was on the verge of tears. She was almost physically restraining herself from tackling Twilight and Sunset with hugs, perhaps understanding that they needed to focus to complete the process. Discord selected the next shard, and the repairs continued.
"That's it," Sunset said at last. She sank down to her haunches and rubbed her aching head. "It's done. Oof!" Sunset yelped in surprise as Sonata flung her forelegs around the unicorn.
"Thank you!" Sonata squealed. "It's perfect, thank you thank you thank you!"
"Ack," Sunset gasped. "Air, Sonata. I need air." The siren finally let go in order to give Twilight the same treatment.
"Ahem. You're welcome," Discord said pointedly. Sonata gazed up at him uncertainly, then her boundless joy overcame her again and she tackled the draconequus as well. Sunset and Twilight were surprised to hear him chuckling as he returned her hug—not a dark laugh or a mad cackle, but an honestly happy sound. "Of course, we're not finished yet," he added as he put Sonata back down.
"Discord's right," Twilight said. "It's back in one piece physically, but we still need powerful dark magic to activate it."
"But you've got that all figured out too, right?" Sonata asked.
"Sort of," Twilight admitted. "I'd like to double-check the calculations, but I think I've designed a metamagic array that should do the trick. Now that we know what we're doing, I guess we need to bring the other two sirens here and fix their hearts. Then go back to the human world so we can create the array, tap into our magic, and recharge the artifacts." Twilight groaned and massaged her temples. "Right, that's all."
Sonata put a leg gently around Twilight. "I am gonna get you guys the biggest pizza you've ever seen once this is all over," she promised. "And you can come play video games at my place whenever you want."
Twilight gave a weak laugh. She had to admit that it was great seeing one of the sirens trying to be friendly. "Alright then. Discord, do you mind waiting around for a bit while we find the other sirens? We shouldn't be long."
"Oh, not at all, don't mind me," Discord said, waving his talon in an overdone show of apathy. "I'll be right here. Alone. Bored." He conjured a hammock that floated in midair and a glass of fruit juice with a bendy straw and an umbrella—a full-sized umbrella—in it. He took an obnoxiously noisy sip of the drink.
"Aw, don't worry, Dissy!" Sonata chirped. "We'll be right back with even more new friends for you."
Her attitude toward him certainly turned right around, Sunset thought, covering a smile.
"Well, yes, I suppose you will," Discord admitted. "Alright, I'll be here."
"Great," Twilight said. "Now, back to the human world. Again."
"Dissy?" Discord called after them as they stepped back through the mirror.

As soon as Sunset had her human body and, more immediately relevant, her human possessions back, she sent out a group text to the rest of the Rainbooms asking where they were. It took less than a minute for her to get a reply.
"Well?" Twilight asked.
"It looks like most of them went home," Sunset said, scrolling quickly through the replies. "Fluttershy is..." Sunset's eyebrows rose high onto her forehead. "At the sirens' house."
"Really?" Twilight leaned over to read the message. "I guess that's a good sign?" She didn't sound at all sure of that.
"I'll tell the others to meet us back at the practice room," Sunset said as she sent out another message.
"I'll let Aria and Adagio know," Sonata said pulling out her phone. She hit one of the speed-dial options and put the phone up to her ear.
"Dazzle residence," a refined masculine voice said from the other side. Twilight and Sunset shared confused glances.
Sonata giggled. "Breezie, it's me."
What's with this girl in nicknames? Sunset privately wondered.
"Ah, Miss Sonata. What can I do for you?"
"Are my sisters there?" Sonata asked.
"Yes," "Breezie" replied, "Miss Adagio and Miss Aria are both here. Shall I give them a message?"
"Just tell them to meet me back at the school," Sonata instructed. "By that horse statue out front. Tell them that we did it."
"You did it," the male voice replied. "Shall I use those exact words, Miss?"
"Sure, whatever," Sonata replied carelessly, too lost in her own happiness to really pay attention to what was happening. "Tell them I'll see them soon!"

Silver Breeze hung up the phone and re-entered the room where Adagio and Fluttershy were talking. Their conversation over the past couple of hours had ranged from stories from their own lives, to amusing tales they'd heard from other people or ponies, and was now branching out into differences between Equestria and the human world. Fluttershy was often uncomfortable with the stories Adagio chose to tell, as they mainly involved her abusing her powers and dominating others to get her way, but nonetheless she knew that it was an important step. Their talk stopped, however, as Silver Breeze gave a polite cough.
"Beg your pardon, Miss Adagio," he said, "but I have a message from Miss Sonata. She says to meet her back at the school, by the horse statue, and that they 'did it.' She didn't care to elaborate on that, but did express her wishes to see you and Miss Aria soon."
"Sonata did something right?" Adagio asked, pulling herself up to sit upright. "Isn't today just full of surprises?"
Fluttershy winced. She really wished that Adagio and Aria would stop picking on their sister, but she also knew that it wasn't her place to say anything. Certainly not yet.
"Go wake up Aria and tell her we're going," Adagio instructed her butler. "Fluttershy, get your things."
"O, okay," Fluttershy stammered. She often had trouble keeping up with Adagio's abrupt shifts in attitude, which was no doubt an intentional way to unbalance people. Still, she was very pleased with the progress they'd made today. It was with a growing sense of hope that Fluttershy picked up her backpack and slid into her boots.
Any good feelings she had were abruptly shattered by an alarmed cry from upstairs.
"Miss Adagio!" Silver Breeze called out, his smooth voice taut with panic, "Miss Aria won't wake up!"
Fluttershy barely had time to turn around before Adagio had rushed past her in a blur of movement. The normally cold and distant girl took the stairs three at a time as she rushed to her sister's side. Fluttershy followed behind more cautiously, unsure if she'd be welcome at the bedside of a dying siren.
Fluttershy slowly approached the room where Adagio was standing, and had to hold in a gasp at the sight before her. Aria had most definitely taken a turn for the worse. Her face had gone nearly colorless, and her breathing was labored. She feebly clutched at herself, caught in the throes of whatever uneasy dreams she was suffering.
"Move!" Adagio roughly shoved Silver Breeze out of the way and knelt down at Aria's bedside. "Aria," she said softly, coaxingly. "Aria, can you hear me?" A note of anger crept into her voice as Aria failed to respond. "Don't you dare give up on me. Wake up, dammit!"
"Um," Fluttershy spoke up, and immediately took a step backwards at the angry glares she received. Still, she persisted. "A drink of water mixed with sugar should give her some energy," Fluttershy suggested, drawing on her knowledge of simple home remedies. "Not... not enough to live on, but maybe enough to get her up." She would normally suggest some type of medicine at this point, but the siren was so weakened that Fluttershy wasn't sure her body could handle any.
"Shall I?" Silver Breeze asked. Adagio gave a curt nod, and the butler departed to fetch the drink.
"I need you to leave right now," Adagio said to Fluttershy. "Go wait outside."
"Okay," Fluttershy whispered, stepping back uncertainly. "If... if there's anything I can—"
"Get out!"
Fluttershy squeaked and ran from the room. Adagio slammed the door shut behind her.
Fluttershy sat in the foyer, trembling and wondering how everything could have gone so wrong. She sent a panicked text to her friends, begging one of them to come with a car to drive the sirens back to the school. She got a reply from Rarity almost immediately saying that she was on the way.
At some point Silver Breeze returned, but he spared her no more than a glance on his way back to Aria's room.
After several more minutes of deep breathing and trying to stave off a full-blown panic attack, Fluttershy's head snapped up as the door to Aria's room opened. She went weak with relief at seeing Aria looking far from well, but at least up and sipping carefully at the glass of sugar water. Adagio, on the other hand, was noticeably paler than before she'd gone in. Fluttershy was tempted to put it down to simple worry for her sister, but she wondered if Adagio hadn't given up some of the tiny amount of magic she had left.
"We need to go. Now," Adagio commanded. Even her voice was weaker than usual.
"Rarity's coming with her car," Fluttershy said, her voice still shaking. "It'll be much faster than walking."
"Good. Where is she?"
Fluttershy checked her phone. "She says less than a minute." Indeed, even as Fluttershy put her phone away again, a familiar car drove up alongside the house. "That's her."
"Would you like me to come with you?" Silver Breeze asked, aware that there was much more going on than he was being told.
"No," Adagio snapped at him. "Just help me get Aria to the car."
"Yes, Miss Adagio." With Aria supported between them, Adagio and Silver Breeze carefully descended the stairs, both sirens looking ready to collapse at any second.
Fluttershy couldn't take it anymore. The emotional roller coaster she'd been through today, from the initial discovery of the Dazzlings' plight, to Adagio and her awful knife, to the stress of trying to befriend the aloof siren, and now this finally proved to be too much. She fled the house and ran sobbing to Rarity's car and the comfort of her friend's presence.
"Fluttershy," Rarity gasped, "dear, are you alright? What in the world happened?"
Between heaving gasps, Fluttershy choked out the story of how they'd found Aria apparently on the brink of death. She explained that the sirens were on their way out now, maybe with mere hours left to live. Rarity listened and tried to soothe her fears, but Fluttershy was inconsolable.
"Okay Fluttershy, I need you to calm down," Rarity said sternly, finally breaking through the other girl's panic. Rarity reached out and squeezed her hand. "I'm sure they're even more frightened than you are right now, and that's why they need you to be calm and in control," Rarity instructed. "You're the one who was able to get close to the sirens. Now they need you to be their friend."
"...Right. You're right." Fluttershy forced herself to breathe more normally. "I don't know what came over me. I take care of sick animals all the time, I should know better than this."
"Well, it's more than a little bit different from what you usually have to deal with," Rarity said sympathetically. "Still, I suggest you try to keep your cool." She pointed back toward the house. "Here they come."
Fluttershy turned around to see Aria leaning heavily on Adagio, who was none too steady herself. Together they stumbled to Rarity's car and slid heavily into the back. Fluttershy was almost impressed at their politeness at leaving her the front seat, before realizing that they were just used to sitting in the back because they normally had chauffeurs to drive them.
What am I even thinking about? Fluttershy wondered as she got into the front seat. Her mind seemed to be wandering everywhere except for the problem at hand. It was a good thing that Rarity was the one driving.
Rarity glanced quickly around to make sure that her passengers were strapped in, then put the car into gear and took off for the school.

Sunset read the latest message on her phone with a growing sense of dread. "Something's wrong," she warned the others.
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.
"Look." Sunset turned her phone around so that Twilight and Sonata could read Fluttershy's plea for help. "It sounds like Aria's not doing well."
Sonata gasped, her infectious joy collapsing the instant she saw the foreboding words. "No..." she whispered. Even as she read the message, Sunset's phone buzzed again.
"Rarity's on her way now," Twilight read off of the screen, which was still turned toward her. "She's going to drive them back here."
Twilight thought quickly. If things had gotten so desperate, then they would need to complete their remaining tasks in the fastest and most efficient way possible. "Sunset Shimmer, do you think you can handle repairing the hearts by yourself? I need to make sure the metamagic array is in place and correct."
Sunset nodded. "No problem. I'll wait here for Rarity, you do what you need to do."
"Thank you." With that done, Twilight put a hand on Sonata's shaking shoulder. "Panicking would be the worst thing we could do right now," she told the siren softly. "Aria and Adagio are going to need your help to get through this."
Sonata nodded and, with a great effort of will, fought back the tears that were trying to fall from her eyes. She wiped her face off on a sleeve and took a shuddering breath. "Okay. I'm ready." She placed a hand over Twilight's, holding on for what little strength she could get.
After a moment, Twilight carefully removed her hand from Sonata's. She took Spike and went inside to start preparing the array, leaving Sunset Shimmer alone with Sonata. Sunset tried her best to comfort the siren and keep her from falling apart completely. She got the sense that she wasn't doing much good—though Sonata did her best to humor her efforts—and it was with great relief that she saw Rarity's car speeding up the road.
The car pulled up beside Sunset. Rarity and Fluttershy immediately got out and opened the back doors, helping two terrifyingly weakened sirens get out. Each was being half-carried by the girl helping her.
Sonata screamed upon seeing her sisters and ran forward to help. Adagio and Aria tried to shoo her away, but Sonata would not be dissuaded. She caught each of their forearms in one of her hands, and began glowing with a dark green energy.
"What are you—?" Sunset started to ask, but it was clear what Sonata was doing. She was sharing her own scant magic to buy her sisters a little more time. Sunset's heart knotted in her chest at the beautifully selfless act. Sunset had to turn away or else she'd be the next one crying.
"There ya go," Sonata said woozily, giving a shaky smile and a thumbs-up to the other sirens. "All better..." She swooned and fell heavily into the side of Rarity's car, which only added to the panic and confusion of the group as a whole.
"Okay everyone, stop!" Sunset's voice cut through the babble as she took command. Adopting a strong and confident demeanor, Sunset stepped into the middle of the scared and fragmenting group. "Aria, Adagio, I need your hearts," she instructed. "I can take them to Equestria right now and fix them. Rarity, Fluttershy, get the sirens to the practice room and keep them out of sight. Princess Twilight's setting up in there now." Sunset might not be a princess herself, but in that moment it was clear that she'd trained under one.
"How long will this take?" Adagio queried. To Sunset's surprise, that was the only question she asked as she handed over the pouch containing her shattered heart.
"It took about an hour for us to fix Sonata's, but now that I've got the hang of it, maybe half that?" Sunset estimated. "An hour total for the both of them, give or take. Hopefully Twilight will have her array set up by then, and we can recharge them right away."
Aria nodded and gave Sunset her own heart. It was a testament to how weak and wretched the siren felt that she didn't argue or put up any sort of fight. With a great deal of help from Rarity and Fluttershy, the sirens made their way back inside, leaving Sunset holding the two bags.
Sunset took a deep breath to calm and center herself. This was not the time for panic or for doubting herself. It was time to act. Holding carefully to the sirens' hearts, she ran to the statue and hurled herself back into Equestria.