//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Out of the Cold // by Test4Echo //------------------------------// Sunset slowly unlocked her apartment door, and was surprised to find Aria slouched on the couch watching TV. After putting away her winter gear, she picked up the small bag she was carrying and walked into the living room. From this distance she could see that Aria was asleep, completely oblivious to the program on the television. Sunset picked up the remote and turned off the TV, Aria jerking awake at her movement. Yawning and stretching, the Siren actually gave a small smile at seeing Sunset. She rotated into a sitting position, fixing her hair a little. Sunset spotted that Aria had placed the broken pendant and photo on the small stand beside the couch. Looking back at Aria, she cocked an eyebrow expectantly. Now fully awake, Aria mumbled, "I thought about what you said." She scratched her arm nervously. "I wondered if that was why you were out here," Sunset replied, slowly nodding her head. "And what do you have to say?" She calmly waited for Aria's response. Taking a deep breath, Aria began, "I don't regret everything I've done--" She twiddled with her loose hair as she went on, avoiding Sunset’s gaze "--but maybe it's time to move on and start over." Giving a friendly smile, Sunset went over and sat next to Aria, quickly hugging the girl. "I'm glad that's what you decided." she said, pulling out a small box from the plastic bag she held and presenting it to Aria. Taking the box, Aria gave Sunset a confused look. At Sunset's encouraging expression, she ripped off the wrapping paper covering the box, revealing its plain, white surface. Opening the box, her face lit up in surprise as she pulled out a small, gold-colored music note attached to a necklace chain. Speechless, she finally uttered, "D-did you get this for me?" Sunset hummed an affirmative. A few tears forming along the edges of her eyes, Aria choked, "No-one has ever done something like this for me." She sighed and put the necklace down, "At least, not out of their own free will." "I just wanted to say that you don't have to be alone anymore, but, I think you know that now." Sunset replied, a couple of tears welling up for her as well. Aria tried the necklace on, the music note resting almost exactly where her pendant used to be. To Sunset's surprise, Aria gave her an awkward embrace. Realizing her show of emotion, Aria let go of Sunset and crossed her arms, saying, "You know I'll deny this if you mention it to anyone, right?" Sunset laughed. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." She got up and put the bag in the garbage. Pulling open one of the kitchen drawers and grabbing a knife, she asked, "You hungry?" "I thought you'd never ask." Aria replied from the living room. Quickly dishing up a couple of sandwiches, Sunset walked back into the living room and sat down next to Aria. She handed the Siren a sandwich and calmly bit into her own. As she was eating, Aria noticed Sunset's guitar that was set up near the kitchen. Finishing her food, Aria pointed at the instrument, asking, "Can I see that?" Surprised at Aria's interest, Sunset hesitatingly replied, "Sure." She got up and grabbed the guitar by the neck, walking back and handing it to Aria. She sat down on the old easy-chair and watched Aria fiddle with the tuners of the instrument. Stretching out and propping a leg to support the guitar, Aria plucked a few strings to check their tuning. Satisfied, she slowly started playing a few notes, jerkily at first, but soon more smoothly. Soon she was playing a sad classical piece, hints of Spanish influence peppered throughout. Sunset watched quietly for a couple of minutes. Suffice it to say, she was impressed that Aria could play so well considering the only time she had ever seen the Siren being musical was singing harmony for the Dazzlings' leader. "That's beautiful," she lauded, inadvertently breaking Aria's concentration and causing her to hit a few bad notes. As Aria went back to playing, she asked, "Where did you learn to play?" Sighing, Aria planted her strumming hand on the strings to mute them. "Nowhere where you could." she answered, striking up the piece again. "Why not?" "Because," Aria began, watching her fret-hand and strumming a few chords, "it was destroyed during the Inquisition." "Th-the Inquisition?" Sunset gasped as Aria went back to picking the guitar strings. "But wasn't that over five hundred years ago?" "You thought we were just dumped here in North America when we were banished? We've been in this realm for over a thousand years." Aria glumly looked at the guitar, soon finishing the piece. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry." Sunset said, taking the guitar back when Aria offered it to her. "Life gets boring after spending a couple of hundred years doing nothing but singing and playing second fiddle to Adagio. I had to do something to keep from going nuts." Aria stated, flopping back on to the couch. "But noooOOOO! 'You can't waste your time on those silly instruments, Aria; they'll just distract you from gathering the energy we need'." she ranted, imitating the voice of the Dazzlings' leader, who Sunset surmised was Adagio. A few angry tears streamed down Aria's face as she scowled at the memory. "But that didn't stop me from practicing in secret, huh? You orange, lint-ball headed bitch!" she hissed, wiping a few tears from her eyes. Sunset sunk into her chair slightly at Aria's outburst. When the Siren remained silent, Sunset said, getting up and placing the guitar back on its stand before placing a comforting hand on Aria's shoulder, "It must have been difficult. But they must have meant something to you, why else would you keep that photo?" She pointed to the photo and pendant still on the stand. "They were the only family I knew!" Aria tearfully admitted, shrugging Sunset's hand off as the last reserves of tears started to flow. "It's hard. But at least you know that you can soon have friends to fall back on." Sunset stated, sitting back down in the chair. At Aria's silence, she went on, "How about you come to school with me tomorrow? I'm sure Principal Celestia will let you back with some explaining." "And have my dignity destroyed by an angry student body? Not a chance!" Aria exclaimed, shooting an annoyed look at Sunset. "Don't be so melodramatic," Sunset said, waving her hand down in amusement at Aria's reaction. "Do you plan on doing anything else while I'm there?" "No," Aria huffed, blowing a few of her bangs out of her eyes. "Fine. I'll go--" She pointed a finger at Sunset "--But if someone ends up with a black eye, it was in self defense." "I don't think you'll need to worry about that." Sunset chuckled. Checking the clock, she said, "Probably should get ready for bed. Morning comes early." As Aria got up, Sunset said, "You take my bed tonight. You still need to rest up after what you've been through these past few months." Smiling thankfully, Aria headed down the hallway to prepare for the night. Sunset sighed and sat down on the couch. A warm feeling permeated her body as she felt that she made some good progress with the Dazzling. Soon enough, the apartment was dark and silent as the two girls slept. Sunset muddled over the past couple of hours. She'd have to apologize to her friends tomorrow. She was out of line in accusing them at the CSC, even if she felt she was right. Hopefully the next day would go better. *** Groaning, Sunset awoke. She’d had a rocky sleep, and she was aching from being in such a compressed position on the couch. She slowly got up and opened a couple of the blinds on the windows. The horizon was starting to glow a soft pink, signaling the start of a new day. Stretching her back, she felt a few pops as she walked down the hallway and knocked on her bedroom door. A moment later, Aria opened the door. Sunset stifled a giggle. The Siren's hair was completely riddled with bed-head. Stifling another snicker, she looked mirthfully into Aria's irritated gaze. "Let's get your hair fixed, shall we?" she said, this time failing to hold back a laugh. After a short breakfast, the two prepared to get ready for heading out into the cold weather. Aria's hair was let simply loose, although her bangs had been done up how she normally had them. "This isn't exactly my idea of a good fashion statement," Aria murmured as she held up a neon-pink parka. "Hey, be thankful that I still had a second set of winter clothes, aside from some boots." Sunset snickered. "Besides, it'll match the blush on your face right now." "You have no idea how hard it is to suppress the urge to strangle you." Aria groaned, reluctantly putting on the parka. She was thankful for the warm clothing, and that the Dazzlings decided to get new shoes shortly before their stint at CHS. The walk over to CHS was made in relative silence. Neither girl really wanted to talk to avoid getting a cold blast of wind in their mouth. The morning sun reflected off the fresh layer of snow on the buildings and sidewalk, almost making the cold temperatures worth the picturesque display. Soon, the girls reached the school. Sunset held the door open for Aria, who tried burying her face behind her scarf as the pair entered the hall. At first, they received no notice, although a few students soon pointed and stared at Aria, the effect spreading like wildfire amongst the students in the halls. Sunset scowled at their gawking, but pushed through to her locker, Aria quickly following. After they put away their garments, Sunset motioned for Aria to follow her to Principal Celestia's office. Along the way, groups of students glared at Aria, the Siren covering her face to try and avoid any more embarrassment. None of the students came to confront her though, seeing she was with Sunset, who still appeared to carry some intimidation factor with her. Reaching Celestia's office, Sunset knocked on the door. A few seconds later, they heard, "Come in!" Opening the door, the two entered the office. Principal Celestia was working on forms, quickly scribbling a signature down on one and placing it in a folder. As the two girls entered, her expression hardened as she looked up and saw Aria. "Well, this is certainly surprising." she stated dryly, stamping a different document. "Principal Celestia, Aria here wants to be allowed back to CHS. She's sorry and promises not to cause more trouble." Sunset said, giving the principal a pleading look. "I'd like to hear that from... Aria herself." Celestia replied, looking sternly at the Siren, who flinched slightly under her authoritative glare. Taking a deep breath, Aria began, "I-I am truly sorry for what happened here." She looked at Sunset, a small hint of respect in her eyes. "I guess when Sunset found me living on the streets, something started to change. As she said: I swear that I'll try to stay out of trouble; I guess I'll just have to let people get used to me, though." Celestia glanced between the two girls. Softening her expression, she said, motioning a hand to sit down, "Very well. Sunset, you may go. I want to speak with Aria in private." Reluctantly, Sunset obeyed and gave Aria a reassuring smile before leaving. She heard the office door close behind her, followed by muffled voices. While she would have liked to stick around, she had no idea how long they would take, and she needed to get to class soon. Trudging down the hall, she bumped into a blue, silver-haired girl, causing the girl to drop her textbooks. "Watch where you are going!" the girl began, her voice a rather annoying showman's accent. "Wait, Trixie remembers you: you were with that Dazzling!" Trixie leaned in close to Sunset, smirking wickedly. "Well, let your new friend know that Trixie is not easily mocked. She will have her revenge for those three causing her to make a fool of herself!" Dramatically Trixie emphasized her point by throwing a fist in the air. Sunset gave the school magician a bored stare, eliciting an annoyed glare from Trixie at her lack of response. "Really?" was all she could think. Putting a hand on her forehead, she replied, "Trixie, what are you going to do? Magic wand her to death, smoke bomb her until she disappears?" At Sunset's remark, Trixie sputtered a few incoherent phrases, grinding her teeth on her bottom lip. Finally, she snapped, "Just let her know Trixie is on the hunt!" "Whatever." Sunset muttered, watching the irate girl stomp off down the hallway. Continuing on, she made her way to her first class of the day. *** Lunch break had rolled around again, and Sunset made her way out of her English class. While it wasn't the easiest class, she probably enjoyed it the most, if only because she could study more of Earth's culture via her assigned books. She stopped by her locker, placing a couple of unneeded textbooks inside. After she had finished, she started walking to the cafeteria. As she walked down one of the more empty hallways, she heard scuffling and a few angry voices. Turning the corner, she saw a group of students struggling with Aria, who was managing to put up a decent fight despite the odds. As soon as she saw the group, she dashed towards them. One of the teens turned his head, spotting Sunset running towards the group. "Quick guys! Let's scram. It's Sunset Shimmer!" he called, distracting a couple of the other students who both received a quick fist in the face from Aria. Not wanting to face the wrath of Sunset, the group quickly let go of Aria, bolting down the hallway. Sunset could see both of her old lackeys in the group as they sped away. She made a note to bring this up with Celestia or Luna after school. Aria slowly sat up. A few bruises were already starting to appear, and her hair was mussed up, but aside from that and a bit of dirt on her borrowed clothes, she seemed all right. Stretching out an arm for Aria to grab, Sunset asked, "What happened?" "I guess it's the start of paying my dues," Aria grunted, taking Sunset's arm and pulling herself up. A small trickle of blood oozed from one of her nostrils. At Sunset's concerned face, she wiped her nose with her hand. "It's nothing to worry about." she said, rolling her shoulder around to stretch it. "I shouldn't have left you after Principal Celestia talked with you, classes be damned." Sunset said, bowing her head regretfully. "Thanks." Aria replied. The two made their way to the cafeteria, although no more students bothered them. Entering the room, they stopped as the entire student body in the cafeteria turned to look at them. Once again, Aria shielded her face from the crowd, although it really did nothing in the end. Sunset prodded Aria forward toward the line of students getting served the day's meal. A few students went back to their food, but most still glared at Sunset and Aria. When Aria's turn to get served arrived, the Siren winced at the withering look Granny Smith gave her, but tried to give a thankful smile after she received her food. Aria waited by the side of the serving area whilst Sunset was served. Spotting her friends amongst the crowd, Sunset motioned for Aria to follow her. The two sat down at the table her friends were at, the group eying Aria, although not maliciously. "Hi girls." Sunset greeted, sitting down next to Fluttershy, who softly squeaked as Aria sat next to Sunset. The rest of her friends mumbled a greeting, avoiding eye contact with her and Aria. "This is Aria Blaze," Sunset began, putting down her drink and motioning to the girl next to her. "She's a new friend of mine." "Really? You're her friend now?" Rainbow Dash spat, pointing her finger at Aria, who glared back. "Don't you remember any of the trouble she and her two friends caused?" Leaning her face into her palms, Sunset shook her head, saying, "Do we really need to do this again?" She took her head out of her hands and gave Dash a disappointed look. Dash huffed and went back to looking at and eating her food. Clearing her throat, Rarity said, "I want to apologize to you, Sunset. You were right for calling us hypocritical for not being willing to give -- Aria, was it?" The purple Siren gave a slow nod, mainly remaining focused on her food to avoid any possibly awkward conversations. "I'm sorry for not giving her a second chance," Rarity finished, reaching over and placing a hand on Sunset's shoulder. "I can't speak for all of us, but I'd be willing to get to know Aria more." "I was wrong to go as far to say you were hypocrites, though." Sunset pointed out, poking her fork in and out of a piece of salad. "Ooo!" Pinkie exclaimed, noticing the necklace that Aria wore. "That's pretty!" "Thanks." Aria mumbled, keeping her eyes down. "That's why I was out at CSC last night," Sunset explained as a couple of her other friends commented on the necklace. "So, anybody want to hear that song I wrote yet?" Rainbow Dash asked, pulling out a black Stratocaster from its case underneath the table. "Actually, I have a better idea." Sunset replied, looking at Aria with a knowing glint in her eye. "Give me the guitar," she stated, opening and closing her hand to emphasize her request. "What? I just got this baby for Christmas!" Dash exclaimed, clutching the guitar to her chest defensively. "Just give her the guitar, RD." Applejack sighed, smacking the jock lightly upside the head. Reluctantly, Dash gave Sunset the guitar, who offered it to Aria. Aria looked up from her now empty tray, and pointed at herself. Sunset gave a reassuring nod. "You have got to hear this." Sunset told them as Aria slowly took the guitar from her. Quickly checking the tuning, which she found to be somewhat flat, Aria readjusted it and started playing a few chords before breaking into an up-tempo song. Rarity hummed in amusement at Aria's display on the guitar; Pinkie, Applejack and Fluttershy watched silently while Rainbow Dash sullenly glared at Aria as she continued playing. Soon, Aria finished with a small flourish and handed the guitar back to Rainbow Dash, who yanked it from her as soon as it was in reach. She grabbed a pick and turned her back to the group, playing a progression of power chords. "That was quite impressive," Rarity complemented, causing Aria to blush slightly at the praise. Before anyone else could speak, the school bells let loose with their clanging. The body of students started to leave the cafeteria and head to their next set of classes. Sunset got up and grabbed her and Aria's trays, stacking them on the nearest trash container after dumping any rubbish in the bins. Grabbing her textbooks, she bid farewell to her friends as Aria followed her out. She looked at the Siren, whose face was largely unreadable. "I'm going to see Principal Celestia," Aria stated, catching Sunset by surprise. "Do you want me to come?" Sunset asked, starting to follow the Siren as she walked towards the principal's office. "I'll be fine." Aria tried to assure her. "Those punks were the only students who bugged me." She gave a quick wave and walked down the hall. "I'll see you after classes." she called as she turned the corner. Unsure of her next course of action, Sunset sighed and slowly started her way to her next class. If Aria said not to worry about it, there was no point in trying to argue with her after only starting a new and flimsy friendship. *** The end of the school day came around once more, releasing its hold on the students and setting them free for the evening. As the students poured out from the classrooms, Sunset sighed and waited by her locker, searching for any sign of Aria. Craning her neck, she spied a head of purple and teal hair making its way towards her. Soon Aria pushed her way through the students, no worse for wear than when Sunset saw her last. Sunset sighed in relief when she saw that no more students decided to pick a fight with the Siren. Unlocking her locker, she asked, "You ready to go?" Aria mumbled an affirmative, running her hand tiredly through her hair and taking the borrowed parka from Sunset. After the two girls had suited up, they exited through the front entrance into the cold late afternoon. The sun had already sunk below the cityscape, but thankfully the wind had seemed to have died down substantially. The pair received a few hard looks from some of the students that were gathered in the courtyard, but for the most part, they were ignored. As they walked out of the courtyard, Sunset turned to look at Aria and asked, "So how was the first day at school?" "It could have been worse." Aria replied, stepping carefully around a patch of ice on the sidewalk. She put up an arm to block a gust of wind. "I'm sure my friends will warm up to you eventually." Sunset said, placing a comforting hand on Aria's shoulder. Aria stared apathetically at her hand, jerking her head around as she heard the sound of arguing voices coming up ahead from a small alley. She paused momentarily, a glimmer of recognition lighting up on her face. Sunset stopped to look at Aria, confused at her sudden halt. "That's Sonata and Adagio!" Aria exclaimed, pushing past Sunset and dashing across the street towards the alley. Caught off guard by Aria's sudden movement, Sunset hesitated for a few seconds as a car passed, then quickly followed the Siren, who had now reached the opposite end of the street. As she reached the alley, Sunset heard a tired, yet rather innocent-sounding voice ask in disbelief, "Aria? I-is that you?" Entering the alley, she got a sense of déjà-vu. Illuminated by a passing car's headlights, she saw Aria standing in front of her, arms crossed and staring down at two shabbily-clothed figures. One was the blue Siren who had reminded her of an evil version of Pinkie, if Pinkie sung all the time and in an eerie harmony, that is. The other she recognized as the leader of the Dazzlings, Adagio, who was just getting up from where it seemed she fell from dumpster-diving. The voluminously-haired Siren cringed back as she saw Aria. She slowly back away, looking behind her in surprise as she hit the back wall of a house that was blocking exit from the ally. "Sonata? You're alive!" Aria exclaimed, rushing up to hug the other Siren. Squeaking in surprise as Aria embraced her, Sonata looked at Aria in confusion before noticing Sunset. "Who's that with you, Aria?" she asked. Suddenly, a light of recognition appeared on her face. "Oh, it's the she-demon girl!" She managed to give a slight wave despite Aria's grasp around her body. Confused at the Siren's statement, Sunset gave a small wave back. Sonata's comment didn't sound antagonistic. In fact it seemed friendly even with its negative connotations. "How'd you end up with those new clothes?" Sonata inquired, although she received no response aside from Aria continuing to embrace her. Sunset noticed the poor condition that Sonata's and Adagio's clothes were in. Although they were slightly less worn than Aria's were, the winter jackets which were over what appeared to be their clothes that they wore during their time at CHS didn't look like they provided much more protection against the cold. She also spotted a few rips along the thick pantyhose that the pair wore. They obviously had at least a short while where they lived somewhere, if Aria was any indication of what they were wearing when they abandoned the purple Siren. "Uh, Ari? You in there?" Sonata inquired, knocking a fist lightly on Aria's head. She winced when she realized that she might have provoked the girl. When no verbal or physical retaliation was felt, she looked back at Aria, who had finally let go of her. The purple-haired girl smiled at Sonata, something which she didn't expect. "Wait, you're not going to punch me?" Sonata asked timidly, rapidly glancing between Aria and Sunset. "Why?" Aria asked, although her face showed that she knew why Sonata asked. "Because you hate it when we get in your personal bubble." Sonata replied. Scratching her head in befuddlement, she mumbled, "I have no idea what's going on." "You rarely do, you ditz!" Aria laughed, giving Sonata another quick hug. At Sonata's amazement in her change in demeanor, Aria explained to Sonata the events of the past couple of days, filling her in on every possible detail. As Aria informed Sonata, Sunset observed Adagio, who was still hunkered against the back wall and softly illuminated by a streetlight, watch Aria with dilated eyes. Her mouth was clenched in a tight expression of a mix between anger and fear, the two emotions battling for full control. Sunset looked back at the two Sirens as Aria finished her explanation to Sonata. "Don't you see, Sonata?" Aria said, placing both her hands on Sonata's shoulders and lightly shaking her. "We don't have to hide anymore! I mean, sure we're going to have to suck it up for a while, while everyone is angry with us, but we don't need to fear what people will do. Not with people to help like Sunset. I even have an idea for people to get used to us faster." She looked pleadingly at Sonata, "What do you say?" Another car drove by, briefly lighting up Sonata's blank stare at Aria. Sunset could swear she could almost hear the gears turning in the Siren's head. After a moment of silence, Sonata piped up, "Okay! I was getting sick of trying to find not-rotten tacos anyway." "Your mind never ceases to amaze me, Sonata." Aria muttered, flashing Sonata a small smile. With a quick clearing of the throat by Sunset to grab her attention, Aria looked at Adagio. Her former leader was visibly nervous, a few beads of sweat quickly forming then freezing in the cold weather. Moving away from Sonata, Aria walked slowly towards Adagio. As she reached Adagio, the yellow Siren laughed uneasily, holding up her hands defensively. "Aria! Funny meeting you here!" Adagio said, shuffling along the wall away from the approaching Siren. "You left me to die!" Aria screamed, pointing an accusing finger at Adagio. Adagio paled at Aria's outburst. She gulped and felt the corner she was now trapped in. Sliding down to the ground, she whimpered, "I'm sorry! I don't know what I was thinking. We were looking for you, honest!" She looked up fearfully into Aria's eyes, choking out: "It was a mistake. I've had too much time to think on this; we should've stuck together!" "You made a mistake, all right." Aria growled, readying a fist to deliver a forceful strike. Sensing that the situation was about to get out of hand, Sunset dashed up behind Aria and grabbed hold of her shoulder. As Aria looked over her shoulder at Sunset, the fiery-haired girl sent a barely visible stern yet knowing look at the Siren. Turning her gaze back to Adagio, who had raised her arms to shield her face, she sighed and shrugged off Sunset's grasp. After hesitating a moment, she held out her arm to Adagio. When she realized that she was still untouched, Adagio lowered her arms, looking at Aria's silhouetted arm in astonishment. She continued to stare amazed, almost a full minute passing. Aria moved her arm slightly to emphasize that Adagio should grab hold. Cautiously, Adagio reached out and took hold of the offered arm, shakily getting to her feet. She smiled a silent thanks at Aria, brushing a bit of her dirty, curly hair out of her eyes. "I have a feeling I'll be having two more guests tonight?" Sunset asked, stepping back out onto the sidewalk. After a quick glance between amongst the three Sirens, Aria said, "Yeah, I think so." "Well, let's hurry home. It looks like it might be getting ready to snow soon." Sunset stated, looking up at the clouding sky. The group left the alley, thankful the wind had stopped at least for now. As they walked, Aria asked, "Do you think Principal Celestia would be willing to have two more returning students?" Sunset glanced over at Sonata and Adagio. "They'll have to explain themselves like you did, but I don't see why not." A relieved look passed over Aria's features as she dropped back to talk between the two Dazzlings. Soon they reached Sunset's apartment building. Turning around as they entered the lobby, Sunset asked, "Who's up for some pizza? My fridge is bare and I have no desire to cook!" A quick chorus of hungry moans came from the Dazzlings, which was all the answer Sunset needed. The group entered the elevator and continued down the hallway to her apartment as it finished its climb, chatting all the way. *** Dear Twilight, How're things back in Equestria? It's been crazy here these last few months since you've last visited. Multiple holidays; being buried in papers and exams; and a million other things. Rainbow Dash keeps wanting to have another battle of the bands soon. She says that it needs to be done the "proper way" now that there isn't any threat leering over the school. Speaking of, recently the Dazzlings resurfaced. Not in a bad way, although it is rather sad. I never realized that Siren's relied so much on their singing to survive. It all started when I found one of them in a back-alley a couple of months ago, completely at the mercy of the elements and wasting away. Maybe I was soft, but I felt like she needed a second chance. She was resistant at first (you have no idea how resistant), but I'd like to think I helped reform her, although I think it was mostly time that really convinced her; I think some of my actions were just the catalyst. A few days later we found the other two Sirens too, not really any better off, but it was amazing to see how much a little mercy can change someone when Aria (that's the first one I found) was the one to do the forgiving, rather than, say, me. The school has yet to fully adjust to three more ex-villains attending, but they're warming up to them. The Dazzlings might have lost their abilities to sing, but they still have a lot of musical talent. Princess Principal Celestia allowed them to form a music class, and they'll be overseeing the next musical recital (whenever that is). They're slowly starting to reintegrate, but right now it's mostly just me and the Elements that they hang out with. But hey, baby steps, right? These past few months have had their ups and downs, but overall they were quite exciting. I hope you'll visit soon! Your friend, Sunset Shimmer FIN