Adagio spent the last two hours tossing back and forth on her bed, unable to get to sleep. She couldn’t get what Aria had said out of her mind.
'We’re still looking for a way to get our magic back. Don’t worry, we’ll figure this out.'
“But there’s nothing to look for” she groaned, turning her head into her pillow. “I’ve already looked. There is nothing we could use to replace our magic in this world.”
Having been in this world for hundreds of years, Adagio had already spent time investigating the pitiful excuse for magic the humans used, while they still used it. It was mostly used by court wizards to perform mundane tasks or basic fire spells; nothing in comparison to what was wielded by the Sirens at their full potential.
After enough time had passed, as technology grew and different forms of machines became prevalent, humans eventually discarded all of their teachings of magic, and wizards ceased to exist entirely. Even at the peak of human’s potential, they lacked anything strong enough to restore their magic; looking for artifacts or hidden scrolls would be a waste of their time.
And Adagio had wasted that time already, when they still tried to find a portal back to Equestria. There had been multiple events where she and her sisters discovered a trinket with some magical ability, but all they could do was make you lighter, or open any locked door; nothing of any use to getting home.
It wasn’t until centuries later, where Adagio realized that they were not going to be able to go home after all; not with any magical device made by humans, anyway. That wasn’t a problem, though, not when they had eternity to think and wait for another chance, when something else would pass through from Equestria. Given enough time, it was bound to happen one day.
She never told them that it was pointless to keep looking, though. Just because she gave up, it didn’t mean she ever told them that. She couldn’t even remember exactly when it happened, but there was just a point in time when she stopped telling them these depressing truths.
But now she wondered what would happen if she just came out with the truth after all these years. 'How would they react? Would they forgive me for lying to them? Would they still trust me?' She had never had these thoughts before, and she never before doubted her decisions and reasoning for deceiving people. Adagio had been doing it for their own benefit to begin with, so there shouldn’t have been any doubt in her mind.
Letting out another groan, Adagio rolled over to look at her nightstand, where a new jar sat containing her jewel shards. She stared at them momentarily before gazing down at her cell phone. Her eyes locked on to it, and she immediately thought about Sunset Shimmer and the other Rainbooms.
We could start as allies. We’ll help you out, if you ever need it. Sunset’s words echoed in her mind.
It wasn’t that Adagio needed help. Maybe just another perspective; someone else to hear her out and help her organize her thoughts. Organizing everything herself was difficult, and it was starting to affect her.
Adagio stared long and hard at her cell phone, fighting the urge to just give in. Eventually, her resolve crumbled, and she grabbed her phone, calling the number Sunset left her.
As the dial tone repeated itself, Adagio grew more nervous, tempted to just hang up with each ring, before the other line picked up.
“Uh, hello?” a groggy voice answered.
“Sunset Shimmer,” Adagio started, hesitating for a bit. “It’s me, Adagio.”
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, followed by a loud sniffing noise. “Adagio? What’s up? It’s really late.”
“I know. It’s just...” She took a breath before finishing. “I need to talk.”
It was around 9pm on one of her Saturday shifts when the crowd began to flow into the Wild Turkey Bar. The patrons always liked to wait until the late evening to drown away their problems or sorrows of the day. Adagio Dazzle never did mind the late night traffic, in comparison to playing for an audience of one, but the company of so many people who regularly complain about their problems left her irritated at times. Each night, Dazzle, as she was known by the bar patrons, played her piano, she was first bombarded with attention of how well she made it sound, then ignored as night went on and the drinks began to take effect on them.
Adagio was actually surprised that she had managed to stay here for a couple of weeks now. In truth, playing the piano was boring, since she had done so since the instrument was still in its infancy. Yet, the charm of the humble bar kept her more relaxed at work than at home. Besides, if she didn’t feel like playing, High Rye would let her work behind the counter, so she didn’t have to force herself.
She picked up the glass left for her on a little stand nearby to take a quick sip between her next song. Alcohol always stung on its way down, but it made the night easier as it went along. She never drank so much she became inebriated, but a little bit never hurt anyone.
As she set her glass down, one of the patrons stood up, calling out to her. “Yo, Dazzle! Ya gonna sing tonight?” His question was followed by the whole room murmuring agreement to the idea, trying to encourage her more.
Adagio tried her best to put on a sweet smile, leaning forward to a microphone that was placed nearby. “Come on now, Anchor. You know I don’t sing.”
The crowd unanimously moaned in disappointment, returning to their conversations.
She felt her smile slowly slide back to a frown as she looked away. Just the idea of singing was tempting, but she knew that it would mean exposing her horrible voice. It would be downright embarrassing, even in front of a drunk audience, and she wouldn’t like to put herself through that. Strumming her fingers along the keys to get herself back in the mood, Adagio picked a more modern song to play, to counter how long she had been thinking in the past. She normally preferred playing songs now described as “classical,”, but High Rye told her that folks are more into the modern music, and suggested a couple of songs to pick from to add to her collection.
As she made her way through the first half, she noticed something bright red make its way into the bar. Sneaking a peak without turning her head, Adagio tried to catch what stood so colorful in the brown and sulky scene of the Wild Turkey. It was a girl, and it was her hair that caught her attention. Bright red with yellow stripes; it was impossible to mistake that hairstyle.
Sunset Shimmer made her way to the bar counter, seating herself up like she belonged here. She saw High Rye approach her, and pulled out her I.D. card from her wallet. He seemed content with it, and proceed to get her a glass of whatever she ordered. After getting a drink, Sunset turned around in her chair to face the main seating room and stage. Her eyes glanced about, watching the different patrons before her eyes caught Adagio’s. Sunset gave her an awkward wave, before looking away.
Adagio shook her head, trying to keep her attention to her fingers until she finished up the song. She was supposed to be here.
Finishing, Adagio stood, getting a couple of whines from the crowd. She promised she’d be back in a few minutes, and they seemed pleased for now. Idiots, she thought to herself.
She made her way across the bar, casually sitting down next to the girl in the leather jacket. Sunset appeared to not notice her at first, so she cleared her throat to make herself known. Spinning around in surprise, she smiled gently. “Oh, hey Adagio,” she said cheerily. “I didn’t know that you worked here.” Sunset took a small sip of her drink
Adagio just raised an eye at her, looking to the cup. “Do you mind telling me what you’re doing?”
She laughed, holding up her glass. “Getting a drink, obviously.”
“Obviously,” she repeated. “But aren’t you a bit young to be drinking?”
“Not with a fake I.D. I’m not,” she joked, waving her card. “You know I’m originally from Equestria, and I was drinking age back then. There’s no way I’m missing out when I need a pick me up once in a while.”
“I didn’t take you for a rule-breaker anymore,” Adagio purred, finding her reasoning interesting.
“Well, when you spend an entire day with Pinkie Pie, you need something to help you unwind.” She quickly downed the rest of the glass, her face turning more serious. “Anyway, you said you wanted to talk?”
Adagio sighed. “Yeah, it’s... Complicated.” She turned her head up to look behind the bar, and called out to High Rye. “High Rye! I’m taking a break outside!” He just nodded in response, waving her to go.
The two got up from the counter, and Adagio led Sunset out through the back alley door. The loud noises of chatter and banging nearly vanished entirely when the door shut behind them, leaving them in the dark alleyway. Adagio stared at the opposite wall for a moment, running everything through her head again; she wanted to know where to start. Sunset Shimmer just shifted awkwardly, trying to find something back here to keep her attention until Adagio started talking.
“I need you to hear me out, Sunset Shimmer,” Adagio spoke finally, not taking her gaze from the wall.
Sunset nodded, stepping a little closer to Adagio.
“You’re-” she started to say, then cut herself off with a short laugh, followed by a fit of giggling. Sunset was tempted to ask if she was alright before she finally stopped, Adagio waving a hand in front of her. “Sorry. It’s just really hard for me to imagine this is actually happening.”
She took a few deep breaths, calming herself until she was satisfied. “You’re the only person I can think of to come to this with, and I hope you’ll not hold our...” she paused, holding her breath as she looked for a way to finish. “Past against me.”
Sunset Shimmer shook her head quickly, her expression attentive and serious. “Adagio, that’s nonsense. If you need my help, I’ll do whatever I can.”
Adagio just smiled. “It has to do with Aria and Sonata,” she started solemnly. Looking up to continue, she saw a look of worry grow on Sunset’s face. “No, it’s not like that!” she quickly added. “They’re fine. Nothing happened to them.”
“Oh, thank Celestia,” Sunset burst out, taking a sigh of relief. “I don’t know if I was prepared for something like that.”
“Anyway,” she continued. “It’s about what’s happened since we last saw each other. I haven’t really been holding together as well as I thought I was.”
“Are you having a hard time with your money?” Sunset asked, getting more curious.
“No. We all have jobs, so money is not a problem,” she stated bluntly. “And our identification is almost renewed, so the government won’t be barging in on us. It’s just them.”
Sunset paused to see if she would continue. “What about Aria and Sonata?”
Adagio debated briefly on how to say what she was thinking. “I’m lying to them, Sunset.”
“Lying?” she asked, not quite understanding how she meant. “What are you lying to them about?”
“Everything!” she snapped suddenly, turning to face a startled Sunset. Adagio’s eyes widened, realizing her outburst, and she brought a hand to her forehead. “I’m sorry, I just don’t know what I’m trying to say right now.”
After collecting herself, Sunset Shimmer waved her hands in front of her. “No, no, it’s okay. Take your time.”
She took another pause before continuing. “It’s just throughout all of these years, I’ve been lying to them; About small stuff, as well as important things. I lied to them about the surface, and why we left the ocean; I lied to them about our banishment here, saying we would find a way home; I even lied about a way to restore our magic after you destroyed our pendants.” She clasped her hands together, over where her gemstone normally rested
Sunset just nodded, staying quiet.
“Sure,” she continued, “it was for their benefit, so that they wouldn’t worry. But it’s still the same thing. I don’t want them giving up, and that’s why I always act so brave in front of them.” Adagio lowered her gaze to the ground, still holding her hands near her neck.
“I’m their big sister; that’s what I have to do; I have to be there for them, and let them know everything will be okay. But they would hate me if they thought that I wasn’t doing this for their best interest. If I tell them now, they would understand, but would they forgive me?” She shook her head, looking back up at Sunset. “I don’t know. I’ve never not known so much before, and that’s what’s making this so hard.” Taking a deep breath, she held back a few tears she felt building up to appear more calm.
Sunset looked like she was holding back a smirk, making Adagio suspicious briefly, before clearing her throat. “Well, I can’t say I’ve ever had that problem before. When I used to lie to people, I would purposefully do it to drive people apart, not keep them together.” She put a finger to her chin, pondering for a moment. “You know, this could be a side effect caused by the Magic of Friendship,” Sunset thought aloud.
“A... Side effect,” Adagio repeated, confused at the meaning.
Sunset Shimmer just nodded in return. “The Magic of Friendship we used to destroy your pendants may have also had an underlying effect on you three, just as it did when Princess Twilight used it against me.”
She thought it over in her head for a moment. “I don’t think I understand.”
“When Princess Twilight blasted me with the Magic of Friendship, I was scared; scared of what the magic was doing to me, what would happen after, even of myself at that moment.” Sunset let out a sigh, her face reflecting a feeling of pain. “That magic removed everything inside of me that I had come to think of as second nature: Ambition, power, deception. The weight of my own sins was bearing on me so greatly that I could hardly stand. Quite literally, at that.
“Whatever the Magic of Friendship does, it’s supposed to set right whatever is wrong in the heart of those exposed to it,” she said solemnly, closing her eyes. “That’s what I believe happened with me. Maybe it did something similar to you three, and you just haven’t noticed yet.”
Adagio contemplated what she was getting at, then gave a short laugh. “So you’re saying your magic gave me a conscience? That’s really funny, Sunset Shimmer, but I don’t see what kind of proof you have to support that.”
Sunset just chuckled, raising an eyebrow. “Well, it would explain how telling the truth is so difficult for you,” she bluntly retorted.
“You’d be surprised,” she sighed, her smile fading. “When you’ve been lying for so long, you start to deceive yourself.”
“At least it isn’t something that can’t be solved. I was worried at first you had a real problem.”
Adagio suddenly felt like someone knocked the wind out of her chest. “What?” she whispered in disbelief.
Sunset hesitated as she finally interpreted what she just said. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she said after stuttering for a moment.
“No,” Adagio cut her off, her voice very neutral. “I should have realized that you wouldn’t be able to take this seriously.”
“It isn’t like that, Adagio-”
“You’re just so overjoyed inside, seeing me like this.” Adagio started raising her voice as disbelief filled her head. “After all, I tore your best friends apart right before your eyes. Why wouldn’t you hold a grudge, no matter how hard you try to deny it?”
“Adagio, that’s not what’s going on,” Sunset explained, trying to keep a calm tone. “I just wasn’t aware that was the issue.”
“And what did you think it was?” she nearly shouted, clenching a fist in front of her. “That without our magic we were dying? That I came crawling to you to save us?” Adagio felt her temper rising. She had assumed she would be able to trust Sunset, and that she could help her find a solution. But after listening to everything she said, Sunset still thought it was a trivial problem; she believed it was something that shouldn’t have been a problem.
She lowered her fist, pursing her lips. “I knew it was a mistake calling you here,” she spoke quietly. Adagio barely finished her sentence before turning to head back inside the bar.
“Adagio, wa-” Sunset’s voice was cut off from the door slamming behind her.
Adagio leaned against the door, shaking her head back and forth. She sat there, trying to comprehend everything. It all happened so fast, it felt like it almost didn’t happen at all. The truth was, it did, and Adagio felt betrayed. She couldn’t believe that Sunset would let her down like that, not after she had reached out like she did.
Her brooding was cut short by a firm hand on her shoulder. Adagio jumped in surprise as she opened her eyes to see High Rye, staring at her with worry. He just stared at her for a few moments, before gripping her shoulder a little tighter. “I don’t know what your friend needed to tell you. Whatever happened out there, I’m sorry.” He gave her a soft smile.
She stood there, confused for a moment, before brushing his hand away. “It’s no big deal. I’ll get over it,” she stated casually, starting to walk past him.
High Rye followed beside her as they walked back out into the bar. “Y’know Adagio, I think you should take an early night.”
“I said that I’m fine,” she insisted.
“And I’m old enough to know when someone’s trying to ignore a problem,” he retorted, his voice turning much more serious. They both stopped just beside the counter to face each other. “I knew enough about Crescendo to know that he couldn’t play at his best if something was bugging him. I can assume you would have a similar problem if I let you go back on stage right now.” His face sank a bit. “I hired you to perform in my bar, true, but I know your quality will drop if you aren’t yourself.” He let his words hang for a moment.
Adagio said nothing for a while, eventually turning her gaze away from High Rye. “I think I want a drink first.”
He gave a deep sigh, walking behind the counter. Adagio just stood there, staring at the floor while still trying to cope with everything happening at once. She was brought out of her thoughts from a mug being slammed down in front of her. “I don’t condone drinking away your problems, so I’m only giving you one. It should be strong enough for you, though.” High Rye poured a glass of alcohol for her, sliding it to the edge of the counter.
She stared at it for a moment, hesitant to grab the cup. Adagio knew what she was doing, but didn’t care enough to stop herself. Where she was right now, she reasoned that she needed this. She grabbed the glass and swallowed the drink in one go. This was stronger than what High Rye normally gave her while on stage; this stung the moment it hit her tongue, and burned like coals down to her stomach. Without saying anything else, Adagio made her way out of the bar, with the feeling of a rock in her gut.
The whole way home, Adagio could feel her thoughts getting more and more foggy. Whatever High Rye gave her was enough to put someone of her size down; it slowly became clear why he would only give her one. As she progressed, though, she gradually became less and less flustered about the situation with Sunset Shimmer. She was feeling better, but still thought it wasn’t enough.
Adagio quietly opened the door to her studio apartment, only to be greeted by a loud shout of “Surprise!”
She yelped and jumped a step back in shock, but her balance couldn’t keep up with her, and she planted her butt onto the cement walkway outside the door. Before she could collect herself, she found her arms being pulled, bringing her back to her feet. In front of her stood Aria and Sonata; Sonata had a big grin on her face, and Aria wore a half-cocked smile. “Girls, what are you doing?” she managed to ask, despite her now swimming head.
Sonata giggled in response. “Well, me and Aria were thinking about how you’ve been so upset and stressed lately,” she cheerily began. “So, we-”
“You,” Aria interjected.
“-decided that the best thing we could was throw you a party! So me and Aria-”
“Just you,” she interrupted again.
“-wanted to stay up until you got home!” Sonata finished with another big grin.
“Sonata wouldn’t let me go to bed, otherwise,” Aria commented, giving an eye roll. “I already got the cake and booze out, so there’s no room to say no,” she added with a smirk.
Adagio was touched. The two of them were worried about her, and they stayed up so late just for her. Though she wanted to oblige them, her mind was still back in the Wild Turkey; the picture of Sunset smirking still fresh on her mind. Tonight should have been the end to her problems, and instead made more.
No, she thought to herself. I need this. Besides, I would be wasting their effort if I said no, she reasoned. If she ever needed a time to unwind, tonight was it. “Alright, fine. You win.”