Each month we will be spotlighting one pairing, or suggesting a writing prompt. As you may have seen on the main page, this month's area of focus is Adagio x Twilight. That means either Twilight, by the way, Pri-Twi or Sci-Twi each lend a different flavour to the ship, both of which can be explored here.

What could the Princess of Friendship possibly see in someone who drives ponies apart with her very nature? What could a well-behaved purple pony ever offer to a siren bent on world domination? Here's a well-regarded sample of the ship, but we need you to write more! Maybe Adagio has no choice but to turn to Twilight to help cure an ailing Aria, maybe Twilight tracks down Adagio to double-check the historical accuracy of Star Swirl's tales, maybe they're thrown together in a social situation and have to make uncomfortable conversation...

Beautiful artwork provided by magneticskye, may it inspire you to come up with a delightful new tale of the Poof and the Princess.

If this is a ship you like the sound of, this thread is probably a good place to discuss it. I joined this group not just to see all the unusual siren ships in one place, but to encourage others to write more of them, so if you're thinking of writing an Adagio x Twilight story or have one in the works already, by all means let us know in the thread below. Or just discuss the ship: what you like about it and why, what problems you've encountered with it before, what scenarios you can envision for the two of them. Just talking about it like that can inspire others with new story ideas, some of which might get written down, at which point we all benefit

This is an idea I like, both the ship-highlighting and TwiDagio in general!
However, I quit posting in the main Blueblood group precisely because I felt like I should be writing stories rather than talking about writing them, so I'll try to keep this quick!

While I have some mixed feelings about Adagio with Sci-Twi (not that it isn't still a very cute ship), Pri-Twi seems noticeably more mature (probably because the pony counterparts have had a lot more time for character development than the teenagers of EQG) and her position as a magical princess opens some interesting doors. I thought about writing this one once and my reasons for not doing so are included in the post, the primary one today being that I'm writing too much other crud too slowly as it is.

The main issue (I think) with Pri-TwixAdagio is that living-in-different-worlds business, which wouldn't be too hard to overcome by itself, but situating Adagio in Equestria outside of a prison or the ocean if she isn't easily reformed might be. I think a reason would have to be contrived to keep Adagio (most likely in pony form or at least a floating, pony-sized merhorse) within walking distance of Twilight for there to be any time for things to develop between them, because I'd like to think the ship could be handled better than make-eye-contact-instant-true-love.

If I go into specific interpretations of each and how they might fit together, we'd be here for hours, but Twilight's hunger for knowledge and someone to actually engage with her without a sense of "Yea... uh-huh... neat... Are you like, almost done?" (like her tendency to excitedly babble about her findings/things she's learned is something to put up with rather than something they like about her) and Adagio's cravings for adoration and the sheer joy of talking to someone much smarter than Aria and Sonata make for a feasible ship to start, I think.

And now to word-vomit ship-starting ideas (perhaps the most useful part of this post for anyone interested in writing the ship) that have cropped up in my Siren garden:

-Adagio's I-sense-a-disturbance-in-the-force magic detection thing being a rare and useful ability in Equestria (not far-fetched, as I think Adagio is the only one in the series so far to ask someone "Did you feel that?" in regard to magical surges), Pri-Twi not trusting her, but having a specific purpose or even dire need for that ability to save a friend or something, whether Adagio (and, one hopes, Aria and Sonata as well) is brought back to Equestria for that alone or not.

-Sirens being creatures of chaos, unconscious connection to knowledge of otherwise inscrutable things and long-lost information in a Malkavian Madness Network kind of way, and when sick/really sleepy/delirious, they mutter things they shouldn't rightly know, weird and dark insights into the workings of the universe, the future, magical know-how, things a magic scholar would kill to know.

Discord is the most likely candidate to divulge this information to one of the princesses, and not wanting to have to be bothered with it himself, suggests any other chaos-aligned entity they can get their hooves on. This could go silly or dramatic, Pri-Twi telling herself she's just making the most of the opportunity as she deliberately, perhaps unconsciously keeps a siren or two babbling in fever dream or something in the hope of more tid-bits vs. wacky shenanigans as the sirens are encouraged to drink and/or stay up late partying or something, but there's room for a ship to develop (with any of the sirens and nearly anyone in Equestria, come to think of it) here.

-Jumping off the last one, I guess knowledge of chaos/dark magic in general is a feasible reason for Adagio and Pri-Twi to interact, the ponies possibly needing an expert opinion and constantly on-guard against subtle, but insidious machinations by her to seize the research ("Steal? No, no, I'm taking it back.") for her own ends.

-Spoilers! This is one I'm already kind of planning to do in one of my stories, but without the ship, and may not get around to for ages and ages anyway (come to think of it, I vaguely remember talking a bit about this one in the Blueblood group), so what the heck?
-The sirens being the last of an ancient, royal line in the ocean, possibly Coltlantian princesses before they went rogue (whatever their reasons), politics demanding that the pony princesses get up and do something about it. Plenty of room for shenanigans as well as political intrigue if the parties in charge modern-day oceanic civilizations (I've heard about seaponies or something in the movie, but still haven't actually seen it) maybe not wanting the sirens, legendary monsters to the rest of the world, ever coming back. Everyone's feelings and reactions to this are pretty open-ended to start, I think (the sirens could be in favor of a chance to seize some measure of power, if only enough to spite the ponies, or could be entirely opposed to anything to do with kingdoms of the sea, for instance), but there's definitely room for a relationship in there somewhere.

...Almost an hour and a half later and those are my brief thoughts.

EDIT: And still going!

I guess it kind of goes without saying that Sci-Twi and Adagio aren't as difficult a pairing and there's any number of ways they could be brought together. Here's a few off the top of my head!

-Sci-Twi hearing about the sirens before the Friendship Games, finding them, and getting their help to build the spectrometer (there was a cute picture somewhere), which could have serious consequences if the sirens did a little more than help, but maybe Adagio took a liking to her anyway.

-Having been given a chance herself after almost ripping apart time and space, Sci-Twi is the first to reach out to the sirens, possibly even against the advice of her friends. Whether or not this bites her (or anyone else) later is up to the writer.

-Sci-Twi still wanting to learn more about magic and the only one in the human world offering anything outside the Rainbow Friendship Ex Machina route is Adagio. I have a whole story outline for this one (though it isn't the focus), so maybe it should be a blog post.

-The sirens, never having conceived of mechanical life before, are fascinated by robots (and not just because of the total obedience factor) in the same way average teenage girls might be by playful kittens, giggling merrily when a rumba so much as chases them across the floor. Sci-Twi sees them having a good time at some kind of robot convention thing...

-(works for any of the Rainbooms, I guess) One of the sirens in danger, Rainboom saves their life (most quickly and easily written as it being done with their powers, Sci-Twi TK-ing a heavy, falling object away for instance), gratitude leads somewhere. More specifically, it could be done like: Aria nearly dies > Quick heroism > Grateful Mamadagio > Friends/Acquaintances/I-Owe-You-A-Favor > Ship!
It might be worth noting that, being the least likely to recognize the sirens in their human forms, Sci-Twi might act without any idea who she's saving, no hesitation whatsoever even in the form of "Oh, it's those girls again," which may factor into the sirens' reaction.

Writing prompts, you say?

*cackles*

Sigh, I love Twidagio way too much.
Proof? Look at who commissioned that picture from Magneticskye.

I have too many ideas for them and I want to write but it is so difficult :< In general, Twilight and Adagio can learn a lot from each other about leading. Twilight needs more confidence, Adagio needs compassion. Its something for them to start out with. Hell, they can both make up for a weakness of the other. They would be such a perfect ruling couple...

6263761 Probably alternating monthly; January has a promoted ship, as will March, May and so on, while February, April and June will have writing prompts. Unless either are found to work substantially better than the other, I'd guess, in which case they may be stuck with.

6263931 It is a very pretty picture, looks like money well spent Where do you envision them ruling together?

6263743 I think you hit the nail on the head with the word mature; that's the surest difference between the Twilights. Friendship Games was in many respects Sci-Twi throwing a temper tantrum, and since then she's been insecure and angsting from time to time, where most of the rest of the cast have dealt with their hangups by now. I think that might be one of the reasons people don't like the relationship with Timber Spruce - because even though they could feasibly be similar ages, she comes across as the young schoolgirl complete with formal uniform, and he's the adult in charge of running the summer camp. Had it been Rarity instead of Sci-Twi, I doubt the complaints would have been nearly as many.

Whereas Pri-Twi we've seen mature over the course of the series. She starts out essentially a student while all those around her have jobs, and she learns as she goes and takes on more responsibilities, and then grows into her new role as princess until she can speak with quite some authority on the subjects she's learned about. As such my preference would also be towards shipping Adagio with Pri-Twi over Sci-Twi, as Adagio isn't the most child-friendly of characters.

Yep, got to contrive a way to keep them in the same vicinity (in a way that doesn't just cause tension, like one kidnapping the other). I really like the ideas you suggest, especially the disturbance in the force one. I've not seen that done before, and it would make an interesting struggle that the Element of Magic has to rely on another, one she'd normally shun, for a type of magic she has no access to.

You're right, there's a short comic strip I've seen which is Sci-Twi talking about how three new girls joined Crystal Prep sometime before Friendship Games and became friends with her while helping build the spectrometers. I can also see Sci-Twi wanting to give them a second chance as she was, as you say. Especially if you combined that with the bit you mentioned about her not recognising them. So she'd build up a positive bond with Adagio, then someone else would tell her about the past interactions, and she'd already be inclined to stick up for Adagio and question why the sirens can't be given another chance. What do you think Adagio would value in Sci-Twi in those circumstances?

...Do you think there's the possibility of a one-shot based on the sirens squeeing over robots? That's too adorable to ignore

6263931 I have seen a few of your commissions, and thank you for those! Adagio as Twilight's vizier is a lovely, but narratively difficult thought, but the fruit could be moments like this.

Seems easiest to do in an AU or a not-too-distant-future type thing, just fast-forward a few years to find Adagio (and possibly the others) helping Twilight do actual government stuff. Maybe there were too many cases of good-hearted Twilight being duped with sob stories and/or having to make difficult choices she wasn't quite prepared for and they couldn't think of anyone better for the job?

"Ah, I'm hired? Lovely. First tip, Princess? Maybe you should hire some guards. You're not sure? Maybe if you had another consultant. Don't worry, I know a few girls..."

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I've not seen that done before, and it would make an interesting struggle that the Element of Magic has to rely on another, one she'd normally shun, for a type of magic she has no access to.

I think it's relatively common in fantasy stuff; the heroes needing bad guy magic to do a thing, the bad guy possibly needing something from them too, and saying "We can kill each other later, but..." to make for a rare episode. I could swear I already saw something like that done on this site, actually, a pre-reformed Discord being de-stoned to help go on a quest to save an ailing Celestia. (And because it's Discord, he waits until the end of the journey to just grab the mcguffin and pop back to the castle, something I think he made an excuse for not doing entirely because he was trying to avoid being helpful at the start, if I remember right.)

I bring that up because (going with the vizier thing again) it reminded me that it isn't strictly magic they could call Adagio in for, our young princess possibly needing some pointers in ruthless, Machiavellian manipulation (or at least how to look out for and counter it) to get a few ambitious parties (just anyone with political power, be it through business or lineage, that might be a problem) off her back/keep them from exploiting her and Ponyville for their own gain, if that makes sense. This depends on Celestia not just giving Twilight a little notebook of Stuff To Watch Out For and a reason they could trust Adagio of all people not to mindscrew her with the whole thing (as part of her own plans or even sheer spite), of course.

What do you think Adagio would value in Sci-Twi in those circumstances?

It'd kind of depend on their interactions up to that point, the specific characterizations of all involved, and the circumstances the sirens were in when Sci-Twi showed up. If they're well-off (for whatever reason) and just magicless, then Adagio might see her as a potential means of revenge/power (that, if Ship, she gets less and less sure about executing), might see her as an equal that she can actually talk to without needing to stop and explain/re-explain things she thought were painfully obvious (even Aria wasn't too quick on the uptake a few times), or might even be completely apathetic to her.
"She wasn't involved last time, so to us, she's just the weird neighbor girl."

If the sirens were homeless or otherwise in dire straights, she could be all of that and a source of needed money/supplies, possibly adding an angle of desperation to the sirens' situation if no one's pride got in the way too much for it to be a factor.

But on the off-chance you meant "What would she value in her as a person," I'd guess the pleasant, intelligent conversation, interest in magic (and therefore power, whether either Twilight or any of the Rainbooms could admit it or not), and general niceness she probably doesn't get from Aria or Sonata all that much.

Do you think there's the possibility of a one-shot based on the sirens squeeing over robots?

I tend to use most of my one-shottable ideas by integrating them into bigger works, and there's already two or three stories I could fit something like this into. Besides, I don't trust myself with cutesy shipping fuel enough to keep it as a one-shot, especially as I'm still tying up loose ends to my last one two and a half years later.

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I'd imagine them ruling in pony world. Twi still needs a lot of confidence to become a good ruler, and with the sirens showing her how it is done, they could support each other well (I love Twinata a whole damn lot as well, btw).

Each of the sirens could grow into their own role. I expect with her general demeanor, Adagio would probably be a very accomplished sorceress as well. Sonata I'd always imagined as being very social. She would deal with a lot of things that need a friendly face on it. And Aria likes being contrary, so in addition to her strength, she'd also be good as an adviser.
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Getting them together would definitely be a bit of a painful process in my mind. In fact, the easiest way for a Twidagio relationship to start is for one of them to have an ulterior motive, or be in trouble in some form.
However, once you get them interacting, I think it is possible to get them together. I mean, the show portrays them as the sort of we-are-very-evil-and-are-really-petty type of villains, but for a story, it would make sense to give them some depth. There are several ways to give Twi an "in" to be able to form a connection with Adagio. And at this point, its possible to build their connection.
As for the specific start, forbloodysummer already suggested some good directions. Either the sirens being in a desperate situation, either by threat or by realizing that reforming is the only way they could have a chance at going home again, or by Twilight and/or the Rainbooms moving in on them, either (in Twi's case, for example) being interested in their knowledge or magic, or in reaching out to them out of sympathy.
Its even easier when you assume that, despite appearance and age, the sirens might appear as teenagers because they really are rather young in terms of their species, and they still hold a lot of the ferocity of youth, so to speak.

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I think it's relatively common in fantasy stuff; the heroes needing bad guy magic to do a thing, the bad guy possibly needing something from them too, and saying "We can kill each other later, but..." to make for a rare episode. I could swear I already saw something like that done on this site, actually, a pre-reformed Discord being de-stoned to help go on a quest to save an ailing Celestia. (And because it's Discord, hewaits until the end of the journey to just grab the mcguffin and pop back to the castle, something I think he made an excuse for not doing entirely because he was trying to avoid being helpful at the start,if I remember right.)

I bring that up because (going with the vizier thing again) it reminded me that it isn't strictly magic they could call Adagio in for, our young princess possibly needing some pointers in ruthless, Machiavellian manipulation (or at least how to look out for and counter it) to get a few ambitious parties (just anyone with political power, be it through business or lineage, that might be a problem) off her back/keep them from exploiting her and Ponyville for their own gain, if that makes sense. This depends on Celestia not just giving Twilight a little notebook of Stuff To Watch Out For and a reason they could trust Adagio of all people not to mindscrew her with the whole thing (as part of her own plans or even sheer spite), of course.

Yeah I've seen it done outside of pony contexts before, but not with the sirens. I think it's more interesting if it's a magical power, simply because Twilight could in theory learn all that from an already-redeemed enemy like Discord or Starlight. Whereas a magical power that only Adagio would have access too would mean she'd have a constant hold over Twilight, and a good reason to be allowed to behave however she likes. It feels more like something Twilight absolutely needs and can't possibly be without, rather than just Adagio helping out to make Twilight's life a bit easier. Lots more drama!

But on the off-chance you meant "What would she value in her as aperson," I'd guess the pleasant, intelligent conversation, interest in magic (and therefore power, whether either Twilight or any of the Rainbooms could admit it or not), and general niceness she probably doesn't get from Aria or Sonata all that much.

Yep, that's exactly what I meant I kinda figure putting two characters in a situation where they'll be able to fall in love is much easier than having them interact in a way that shows them sides of each other they'd want to fall in love with. Ha, those sound like most of the traits people usually give Sunset for her romances with Adagio, makes sense that they'd shift to Sci-Twi as the franchise as a whole seems to be edging Sunset out as a character and shoehorning Sci-Twi into the spotlight

6264931 What reason would you suggest the sirens would have in that story to show Twilight how to lead? Or would they already have been redeemed, and only brought into that context afterwards? Or would it be that the throne offers power, so it's worth helping former enemies just to get closer to that?

6264931

As for the specific start, forbloodysummer already suggested some good directions. Either the sirens being in a desperate situation, either by threat or by realizing that reforming is the only way they could have a chance at going home again, or by Twilight and/or the Rainbooms moving in on them, either (in Twi's case, for example) being interested in their knowledge or magic, or in reaching out to them out of sympathy.

Desperation, practicality, or compassion all sound like great starting points, and once things are established, the events of a story can lead pretty much anywhere.
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Whereas a magical power that only Adagio would have access too would mean she'd have a constant hold over Twilight, and a good reason to be allowed to behave however she likes.

Now there's a lovely angle for any hero-villain team-up!
Of course, they let Discord do pretty much whatever he wants all the time anyway, but in the early days of his "reform," I think it was because Celestia needed him for undisclosed-at-the-time purposes (it still bugs me a little that nopony even asked) and not wanting to upset Fluttershy by pushing him away. I guess another factor to that was that he had power to do pretty much anything in a blink and the ponies' options were kind of limited between disapproving stares or rainbow beams, which didn't really allow for much force on their part.

Yep, that's exactly what I meant

Wasn't sure, so I went with what felt like the most Adagio-like answer first.

Ha, those sound like most of the traits people usually give Sunset for her romances with Adagio, makes sense that they'd shift to Sci-Twi as the franchise as a whole seems to be edging Sunset out as a character and shoehorning Sci-Twi into the spotlight

I guess it fits, Twilight being the main character of the main series too and Sunset apparently not having much going for her in general. The most recent material seems to show her as adorable as ever, but not especially competent.
Considering that Sunset is one of Twilight's many foils, it's not too surprising that they'd have a lot in common, but where Sunset tends to get emotional and impulsive, Twilight is generally a nicer, more patient person when she's not super stressed. So provided that TwiDagio doesn't have the same pitfalls that Sundagio usually seems to (the perfect hero always being right and the reforming bad guy always having to kowtow to her or suffer horribly), it could work out pretty easily.

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It would definitely start out as a sort of exchange. It could be both before and after returning from Equestria. I think it could be easily done to have Adagio already sort of interested in Twilight, initially mostly because of the power. As a sort of "MY archnemesis" thing. Someone she simultaneously wants to beat because she sort of just stumbled into her life and bested her, and admires for the pure magic ability.

In the beginning, Adagio would be sort of annoyed about how indecisive/hesitant HER archnemesis is, so she'd be like "Okay, stop being such a wuss. You are a princess, so you'd better act like it". In a more romantic and intimate context later in the story, there'd be several ways for Adagio to help Twi feel more confident and better about herself.

6266051
The Siren's magic being linked to voice and sound easily lends itself to a niche where their power could be useful. And personality-wise, even in canon they didn't want to destroy the world or wipe out humanity, or anything like that. In essence, they want a piece of the cake. They want sustenance, and they want a safe spot in the world. That's how I would see it. Maybe they also like messing with people, and are not too fond of humans (maybe they've seen what we did to the oceans...). But for Twi and Sunset, and (maybe grudgingly) their friends, if they treat them decently and help them out... I consider Adagio pragmatic. If she can get what she wants by easier and safer means without having to be friendship-lasered, she might just take it. (Lots of headcanon in this, but we don't really know anything deeper about the sirens).

6266051

Of course, they let Discord do pretty much whatever he wants all the time anyway

You're right, though, there isn't much they can do about Discord, just hope that he behaves. The rainblast option is a bit all-or-nothing, and even that is dependent on them actually being able to catch him to use it (which, having been hit by it twice now, he'd be a really incompetent lord of chaos to stand in the path of a third time).

Wasn't sure, so I went with what felt like the most Adagio-like answer first.

This is a good protocol

Considering that Sunset is one of Twilight's many foils, it's not too surprising that they'd have a lot in common, but where Sunset tends to get emotional and impulsive, Twilight is generally a nicer, more patient person when she's not super stressed.

I figure Sunset Shimmer was created on a character level as a dark mirror of Twilight Sparkle, so she already has similar traits but twisted in different ways. Whereas Sci-Twi I think came about much more for plot/worldbuilding reasons; that if you've made a parallel world then where's the parallel Twilight gone? So suddenly you have these two characters both conceived of as spin-offs from Twilight, only now you're trying to have them both as members/leaders of the same team. I'd retire one and focus on the other, but that's me.

So provided that TwiDagio doesn't have the same pitfalls that Sundagio usually seems to (the perfect hero always being right and the reforming bad guy always having to kowtow to her or suffer horribly), it could work out pretty easily.

Thankfully I think there's less danger of that with Sci-Twi. I don't think we've ever seen her get sanctimonious about her own redemption before, and she's a lot lighter on the sass, too. Most crucially, I think writers are far happier to show her flaws.

6266079

In the beginning, Adagio would be sort of annoyed about how indecisive/hesitant HER archnemesis is, so she'd be like "Okay, stop being such a wuss. You are a princess, so you'd better act like it". In a more romantic and intimate context later in the story, there'd be several ways for Adagio to help Twi feel more confident and better about herself.

That sounds like a really cute and believable angle, the same words being used with different inflection later to go from irritable and imposing to bolstering and affectionate.

The Siren's magic being linked to voice and sound easily lends itself to a niche where their power could be useful.

If returned to them, I can certainly picture them using it to soothe monsters (if only temporarily) and gently lifting the spirits of those around them in the same way as they once drove them into a frenzy, given adequate motivation to do so.

And personality-wise, even in canon they didn't want to destroy the world or wipe out humanity, or anything like that. In essence, they want a piece of the cake. They want sustenance, and they want a safe spot in the world. That's how I would see it. Maybe they also like messing with people, and are not too fond of humans (maybe they've seen what we did to the oceans...). But for Twi and Sunset, and (maybe grudgingly) their friends, if they treat them decently and help them out... I consider Adagio pragmatic. If she can get what she wants by easier and safer means without having to be friendship-lasered, she might just take it.

Given some understanding of her options and awareness that cooperating with the nigh-unstoppable group and their consistent wins no matter what happens or how ill-prepared they are is an option, Adagio did seem genre-savvy enough to use that to her advantage. Whether it's with intent to undermine/usurp them later or she genuinely wants to give 'the nice way' a go (that is, getting what she wants through benevolent gestures and patience, not just giving up on everything in favor of a simpler life) depends on the characterization.

(Lots of headcanon in this, but we don't really know anything deeper about the sirens).

Which is what leaves so many possibilities open!

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I figure Sunset Shimmer was created on a character level as a dark mirror of Twilight Sparkle

I kind of got the impression that Sci-Twi was the dark mirror. Pursuing knowledge at the cost of everyone and everything around her, academics and her own selfish interests (if I remember right, she didn't give a damn about Cinch's approval, just the consequences she threatened, as opposed to Pri-Twi bending over backwards to please Celestia) more important to her than the pain (and near-death experiences) she causes throughout Friendship Games even when she's clearly aware of them struck me as more Evil Twilight than being an egotistical bully.

Come to think of it, maybe EQG3-Sci-Twi has even more in common with Adagio than Sunset does? Adagio pointing this out ("I've heard all about you, Twilight Sparkle...") could make for a very interesting scene.

Of course, Sunset's whole purpose in EQG1 was to be a stepping stone for Pri-Twi to get over her hang-ups about princesshood and wings, so in the sense that she was Twilight's opposite in that specific issue (ridiculously overconfident and power-hungry where Twilight was reluctant and uncertain), I think it fits.

So suddenly you have these two characters both conceived of as spin-offs from Twilight, only now you're trying to have them both as members/leaders of the same team. I'd retire one and focus on the other, but that's me.

I don't really get the impression that Sunset is in a leading role, because even though the others looked to her in EQG3, she kind of played more of a support/mentor sort of role in EQG4 and it seems like Sci-Twi has been more involved in figuring out their next move any time it mattered (granted, it's mostly been slice-of-life shorts since then). That does leave Sunset with very little to do, though, because it seems like lately, she's just kind of been there, Generic Reformed Villain Character not really having much of interest to say or do when Sci-Twi and Starlight handle things before she can.
Retiring one might indeed be a good idea for strict action/adventure purposes, but I feel that they're different enough personality-wise that this set-up works for the light-hearted stuff. Besides, Sunset is far too popular with the fans to be cut loose and a movie or two might be rendered kind of meaningless if either were to disappear now.

Thankfully I think there's less danger of that with Sci-Twi. I don't think we've ever seen her get sanctimonious about her own redemption before,

I like to think that means she's genuinely thought about what she was doing that day and found that she's living in quite the glass house, so she isn't as inclined to get high and mighty with anyone, but I don't remember a canon instance of Sunset doing that either.

Most crucially, I think writers are far happier to show her flaws.

And there's that! I wish I could say that it was because Pri-Twi getting so much screentime compared to Sunset made it easy to connect Pri-Twi's faults and failings to her human counterpart, but I left the Sunset group for a particular reason.

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In general, I'd say Adagio could easily decide to play along for power gain/pure practicality early on. She takes the other two along, they all sorta start slowly integrating into the group and realize that life with more friends and allies is so much easier and happier, so they decide to stick with it.

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That's generally the route I go for, if they've got some kind of opening for getting their magic/some kind of power back.

6264881
I always got more of a "queen and her harem" vibe from those pictures myself. But we are, perhaps, approaching that AU the wrong way. Maybe the relationship in and of itself isn't the most interesting part and the stuff going on around it is. Allow me to posit a scenario, Twilight announces her intentions to marry Adagio, while the common folk have the sense to keep their voices down, the nobility pitches a colossal fit. "You can't marry her!" they cry, "she is a woman for one, she is your grand vizier, and she is a criminal." However, her most vocal detractors are her own family, as they had already arranged her marriage to Flash Sentry. So with Adagio guiding her hand, Twilight decides to... remind the nobility of their place via drastic social reform and deal with her family's schemes. The best part about this plot is that Twilight and Adagio are the protagonists but can have dialogue that sounds villainous.

Tl;dr: Maybe the politics around Pri TwiDagio is where the juiciest story potential is.

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Maybe, maybe not, but the ship is definitely the main draw for me, personally.

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If Twilight were to exert her authority and grow into a queen-type ruler, I am absolutely certain Adagio would be all over that.

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Okay then here's the romance built through politics:

Adagio Dazzle and her sisters are infamous criminals within the kingdom of Queens Celestia and Luna and they are having a spat of poor fortune. However shortly before our tale begins, a new kingdom has arisen, Queen Twilight Sparkle's. We start in this kingdom's capitol city of Pontiville /Ponyville, where in the markets Adagio and her sisters lament their recent failures when the leader hears a pair of voices among the crowd. She looks to see who it is. Queen Twilight is being heckled by a messenger from one of the nobles in the neighboring kingdom attempting to acquire land in hers for further profit. The messenger appears to be winning Twilight over, but then, Adagio suddenly speaks out, she doesn't even know why she did it. Adagio tells Twilight that the noble's plan would push out people out of lands that they have owned for generations. This revelation causes Twilight to turn down the proposition, but immediately the mood turns tense, the Queen recognizes Adagio. Fortune smiles on the sisters however, instead of arresting the trio, Queen Twilight takes the Dazzlings into her castle.

Some time later, Adagio notices that Twilight is very soft when dealing with troublemakers, unwilling to exert her authority in any major way. When Adagio confronts Twilight over this, she learns that Twilight doesn't want to come across as a tyrant. Adagio counters this by telling Twilight that regardless of her actions someone in the world thinks she is already a tyrant, and trying to please the world is a foolish fantasy. This exchange inspires Twilight to exert her power more sternly and promote Adagio to her Grand Vizier, lighting the spark to build their relationship.