Dazzling.
That was the word most would use to describe the night sky this evening. A fitting word, truly, to describe the billions of stars that sparkled against the velvety blue-violet sky. It was a gorgeous night. The air was chilly, but not too cold. A slight breeze carried the faint notes of music and laughter from the outdoor auditorium of Canterlot High.
The night was lovely. It was magical. It was… Dazzling.
Adagio Dazzle didn’t care. She didn’t care to notice the beauty of the evening around her, the evening described by an adjective matching her name. She didn’t care that her ankles were beginning to hurt from the heeled purple boots she was wearing or that the shards of her broken jewel were cutting into her palm. She didn’t even care that her throat was sore for the first time in decades.
All she cared to think about was the defeat. So close. She and her sisters had been so close to victory. Adagio had been able to feel it. She could have reached out and touched it. But here they were, back to square one - no, to square zero this time.
And if it weren’t for that blasted Twilight Sparkle…
“Adagio!” The tapping of Sonata Dusk’s pink boots forced their way past the sound of blood rushing in Adagio’s ears. “Adagio, slow down!”
Ignoring the request, Adagio pressed onward. Nothing mattered any more. She tuned out her sister’s pleas and focused on the stomping sound of her heavy boots on the pavement. Clunk, clunk, clunk. It was a balanced beat, one that reminded Adagio of drums.
Drums. She grit her teeth. The last thing she needed to be reminded of was drums. Even now, she could hardly get the pounding of the Rainbooms’ bass drum out of her head. Those darned Rainbooms. Darn them and that Twilight Sparkle. The sound of the drums mingled with the stamping of her boots. Defeated, defeated, defeated, it seemed to thump. You’ve been defeated, defeated, defeated again.
“Adagio!” Aria Blaze’s voice sliced into her thoughts. This time, a hand grabbed Adagio’s arm. “Stop!”
This time, Adagio complied, coming to a halt on the sidewalk. She wrenched her limb free of her sister’s grip and crossed her arms in silent fury. A moment later, she felt Sonata bump into her with an oof.
“Adagio.” Aria sounded impatient. “We’ve been following you for five minutes straight, but we haven’t been actually going anywhere.” Her usual annoyed tone of voice hadn’t changed.
“Yeah, and I’m getting hungry,” Sonata complained.
“You’re always hungry,” Aria grumbled.
“Not always,” Sonata shot back indignantly.
“Besides, food isn’t going to solve the issue now,” Aria muttered. “Adagio’s plans have taken us right to destruction. Maybe it’s time I took charge for a change.”
“Maybe we should start by eating,” her sister suggested.
“Isn’t there anything else you think about? Gosh, Sonata, you really are the worst.”
“You’re the worst!”
“You are!”
“You!”
“Enough!” Adagio wheeled around to glare at her sisters. “This is all your fault!”
“Us?!” Aria stomped her foot in frustration. “You’re the one who led us straight to defeat!”
“If you two had just listened to me and followed my orders without complaint, none of this would have happened!” Adagio thundered. She sighed, pressing the heel of her hand against her forehead. “I never asked for this. I wish I’d been banished with two loyal followers. Instead, I get a stubborn donkey and a ditzy blue puffball who has no idea what she’s doing!”
“Aria isn’t blue,” Sonata insisted. “She’s purple. Besides, it’s not like we can’t just try again. We’ll feed on negativity just like last time and fight back.”
Adagio opened up her palm and shoved the broken pieces of gemstone towards her sisters. “You know we can’t try again!” she spat. “Even if we could sing or provoke people to fight with each other, we can’t absorb any of the energy that might come from it.”
There was a short silence, during which Aria quietly seethed and Sonata just looked confused. Adagio tipped her palm. The tiny red shards clinked to the sidewalk, glinting dimly in the moonlight.
“I’m done,” she said, slowly. Then she turned on her heel and walked away.
Aria and Sonata watched her go. They said nothing for a few moments. Sonata stared at Adagio, looked at Aria, and turned to Adagio again.
“Wait!” Sonata took a few running steps toward Adagio, and then stopped, looking back at Aria. “Shouldn’t we stop her?”
Aria rolled her eyes. “Forget her.” She turned her back. “It’s not like she ever needed us anyway.” She, too, began to walk in the opposite direction. “Go eat some tacos or something.”
Sonata blinked. “But…”
“Just forget it!”
Sonata stood in the middle of the sidewalk, at a loss for words. This had never happened before. For as long as she could remember, the three of them had always been together, working and growing and stirring up trouble wherever they went. They were stronger when they were together. They were better.
But now…
“But…” Sonata repeated, softly. The word fell from her lips and rode away on the evening wind, unheard by any living thing. Then she turned slowly and, shivering, chose her own direction to go.
Thus was the separation of three beings who belonged together and yet couldn’t quite fit. No one knew where each of them went. Some said they went insane. Some said they integrated into society. Some said they hid in the mountains and quietly let their lives fade. Some said they simply disappeared.
Not a soul saw, as the distance grew between the three of them on that night, three silver tears glisten, drop, one by one, and dampen the ground below.