Chapter Four
Adagio Dazzle scanned Sunset Shimmer’s tiny, disheveled apartment with an appraising eye. A thin coat of dust covered every surface, and despite the midday sun outside, light-blocking curtains ensured the single room’s interior danced with shadows. An aged brown sleeper-sofa dominated the room in its “bed” position, with a pile of red, yellow, and black clothing pushed over to one side. A rickety wooden ladder and ancient ironing board rested against one another in the far corner of the room. Adagio, her stomach grumbling, carefully opened the cupboards near the stove where a single small pot sat.
“Noodles? Sunset, how very human of you.” Adagio sneered at the half-eaten case of cheap Ramen. She was angry and very nearly humiliated that her non-magical appetite demanded that she consume some food. The Siren grudgingly started the mundane process of boiling water on the stove. Continuing her inspection of the apartment, she found nothing else of interest to her appetite or curiosity inside the kitchenette. Turning back to the bed, she climbed over the pile of clothes to reach the writing desk and sat in a wobbly chair.
In the top drawer, she found evidence of Sunset Shimmer’s growing friendship with the five musicians that had defeated her. With growing condescension, envy and anger, Adagio found a large, felt sock amid the collection of notes and photo booth snapshots. Inside, carefully wrapped in a stained handkerchief with an apple embroidered on it, were a set of valuable custom earrings, a rainbow-colored aviator’s scarf, an empty candy box and a piece of paper folded to look like a flying insect. Snorting in disdain, Adagio pocketed the jewelry and wrapped the other items back into the handkerchief, frustrated she had not yet found anything useful.
We were so close! she thought in fury and disappointment.
There was never any question that Adagio would be the unchallenged leader of the three Sirens. Even in those few years she spent as a mermare before her transformation by He Who Swims in Darkness, the princess became infamous for her cruel devotion to her royal duties. In the unforgiving Aquastrian Empire, Adagio Dazzle spotted weaknesses in the courtiers and nobles and used the few words she was permitted in her mother’s court to masterfully inflame divisions and destroy opposition. There were whispers among the nobility that Queen Blinding Dazzle would soon meet with an accident to clear the way for her committed, ambitious and ruthless daughter.
Adagio was guided by her mother, who continually spoke to her of “my people” and “your future daughters”, focused upon two things. The first was duty. Building and maintaining the security, supremacy and strength of the mermares was vitally important. For generations, the monarchy was continually preparing for battle, ridding the Empire of the weak, crushing internal dissent and enslaving lesser races such as the seaponies. The second focus, and this she proudly displayed as her unique gift to the Empire, was her talent for song. The haunting undersea melodies Adagio learned to sing without accompaniment told stories of the importance of obedience, the penalty for failure and the need to meet obligations to the Crown. At her mother’s urging, her songs compelled the strong to dominate the weak in service to the Queen.
As a Siren, her commitment to her mother and to the mermares easily shifted to the demands of He Who Swims in Darkness. Adagio sternly proved herself able in the field leading the other two Sirens, composing songs that amplified fear, created uncertainty and caused long-forgotten disagreements to ignite among the surface races. They grew powerful upon the negative emotions they sowed as the Aquastrian army readied their invasion. But, Adagio and her Master grew too confident, dispatching the Sirens far inland in an attempt to destroy the pair of alicorn sisters rumored to rule Equestria. The unicorn mage, Starswirl the Bearded, used an icy, mountainous land of mirrors in a desperate bid to reflect their magic against them. The use of the Equestrian rulers as bait proved successful in the ensuing battle, with Starswirl somehow redirecting their innate magic to banish them to the human world, but not before Adagio had been able to infect the younger of the two alicorns with a seed of primal jealousy for the other.
Adagio shrugged off thoughts of the thousand years since, which were dominated by confusion, hunger, and separation from the power of He Who Swims in Darkness. Most galling to the exile was her inability to directly impact the mermares. During the times when the Sirens’ arcane hunger turned to starvation, the Sirens were forced into dreamless magical hibernation. The longest such slumber lasted two hundred years, but despite their disorientation, they were able to preserve their eternal youth and wait for an opportunity to serve their Master.
From the moment they left the Canterlot snack shop and saw the Equestrian magic flare light up the sky, Adagio knew their moment had come. They could, at last, absorb enough magic to rip open the fabric between worlds by brute force and reach the side of He Who Swims in Darkness once again, delivering this world as a prize. Her improbable defeat at the Battle of the Bands had left her broken, vengeful and unpredictable. To touch the pinnacle of her innate magic, then to have it immediately snatched away caused Adagio to be more desperate than at any other point in her thousand-year exile.
The water on the stove had begun to boil, with steam starting to fill the room. She clambered back over the bed to the stove and dropped the block of noodles into the water. Adagio’s thoughts turned to the other two Sirens. Sonata would, unwittingly as usual, serve her purpose. Humans liked Sonata. The males, in particular, were drawn to her for some reason, making her an ideal distraction. With their magical harmony broken, Adagio Dazzle certainly took pleasure in administering a good beating to her after a thousand years of inane questions, idiotic statements and blank stares. This time, Sonata hit the center of Adagio’s anger.
“Are we human now?” she could still hear Sonata whimper, looking at her expectantly for answers.
Adagio quietly addressed the quiet room with clenched fists. “We are Sirens. Not humans. Never humans. We use them and their capacity for conflict until we can return.” A whisper of a nearly-forgotten-self added, “You are a mermare and a princess…”
Adagio ran a hand through her long orange-tinted curls to clear her head. Aria’s overnight absence was a concern. She thought, Where are you? Where did you follow that girl to, and why haven’t you returned to our hiding place?
While not knowing exactly how the defeat had affected Aria, Adagio trusted in the purple-haired Siren's stubbornness and dedication. Aria Blaze's quarry, a mere girl, would prove no threat.
Adagio checked the noodles bubbling in the pot. They were ready, so she carefully poured the boiling water into the sink. The steam stung her eyes, so she looked upward, to see the vapor escape into a small hole in the ceiling. Forgetting the food for a moment, she grinned in triumph.
“So, Sunset Shimmer, you’re hiding something after all!” Adagio muttered with a note of self-satisfaction.
The Siren grabbed the ladder and expertly found the cutout between the ceiling and the building’s room and found a treasure trove. The small compartment held a surprisingly heavy metal box. Cataloguing its contents on the tiny kitchenette counter, Adagio found a small notebook, mini photo album, a tin full of cell phone chips, three disposable cell phones, an electronic device marked “for law enforcement use only” and a razor-sharp butterfly knife with accompanying whetstone. A false bottom in the box hid many thousands of dollars in cash, seventeen ten-ounce bars of gold and fingernail-sized fragments of expertly cut, nearly flawless amethysts.
The final item appeared to be a nondescript makeup compact, but when Adagio’s fingers touched it, she felt the resonance of powerful magic. Popping it open, she looked into the mirror, and gasped in shock. Concentrating, Adagio Dazzle looked thorough Sunset Shimmer's scrying device to view an ornate, white marble throne room, full of earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns happily going about the castle’s midday business. She bared her teeth in fury as she caught sight of the crowned figure upon the throne – the archenemy of her Master – the snowy-white alicorn with the flowing multi-colored mane and the sigil of the Sun upon her flank.
-----
“Pinkie Pie, thank you soooo much for teaching me about your favorite drink!” Sonata Dusk giggled and fidgeted, “This is delicious and I feel great!”
“I just had to share everything that’s fantasteriffic about a quadruple-shot marshmallow fudge mocha with extra whip!” squealed Pinkie Pie.
Rarity and Sunset Shimmer joined the group by squeezing into the last booth in the back of Sugarcube Corner, which was ironically the same one that the Dazzlings sat in on the night of CHS’ Fall Formal.
“Pinkie! I asked you to get Sonata a snack after school while Rarity and I ran a couple of errands! This,” Sunset Shimmer said, waving her hand at the detritus of six coffee drinks, four slices of pie, two pieces of cake and an unknown number of cookies, “looks like…”
“A You’re Not Evil Any More Party!” interrupted Pinkie with a toothy grin. She flung two handfuls of multi-colored confetti in the air for emphasis. Sonata, taking another long drink of caffeine and sugar, just smiled and rocked back and forth.
“This might be the last time I leave the two of you unsupervised for an hour,” grumbled Sunset Shimmer, half zipping her leather jacket.
“Oh, she’s been wonderful to me, Sunset! I just told her that I was a bit hungry and Pinkie kept bringing all this wonderful, yummy food,” Sonata’s eyes were wide with childlike, sugar-boosted enthusiasm. “I didn’t sing at all. I didn’t steal anything. I tried to say thank you, but my mouth was always full.”
Sunset Shimmer put her face in both her hands.
“Sunset Shimmer, dear,” said Rarity, placing a hand excitedly on the other girl’s arm, “she’ll need all that energy for all that I have planned at the boutique!”
Annoyed, she grabbed everyone in a big bear hug and brought their heads close together. “What part of 'low profile' do you girls not understand? Recap alert: We’re not out of the woods yet. We don’t know where Adagio and Aria are. I don’t want anything bad happening to her,” jabbing a finger at Sonata, “which means that I’m trying not to say anything I might regret to you,” as Sunset double-pointed to Rarity and Pinkie Pie.
“I understand the need for caution, darling,” replied Rarity, “but you needn’t be so serious about this. The two of us will take great care of Sonata tonight and we’ll get a chance to propose a longer term plan to the others. Just leave everything to me,” she added with a warm smile.
With a glance at Sonata’s smiling face, Sunset Shimmer locked eyes with Rarity and returned her grin with a much less confident one. “That’s what scares me, Rarity.”
-----
Escaping Sugarcube Corner by sunset took the intervention of both Mr. and Mrs. Cake and a call to Applejack, who was glad to help Sunset Shimmer get Sonata to Rarity’s. It seemed that Pinkie Pie’s immediate help was needed to receive a shipment of Apple Family pastries in the back of the store. Though it stretched Applejack’s sense of propriety, she showed up in Big Mac’s pickup truck with six fritters, two pies, and a cobbler. She called it a “shipment” with a mostly straight face to lure the pink-haired dynamo away from Sonata, but all the items didn’t even cover the truck’s passenger seat.
Rarity lived with her sister Sweetie Belle in the upper floors of the Carousel Boutique. Their parents lived in another city and visited infrequently. Ostensibly, the store was managed by Elegant Ensemble, a pretty, willowy fashion consultant in her mid-thirties, who also doubled as Rarity and Sweetie Belle’s legal guardian in Canterlot. But, it was an open secret that Rarity was the force behind the store’s success, designing her own fashion lines and shrewdly marketing them. Rarity’s theatrics about her appearance and her preference for the spotlight often concealed her thoughtful and generous nature. For example, only her closest friends knew that she made such a steep profit on her work for Canterlot’s upper crust that she essentially gave away other elements of her line to more modest customers, particularly CHS students. Of course, the beautiful, image-conscious girl could be difficult and stubborn in her way, but Sunset Shimmer considered it a relief that Rarity’s flaws were more visible and thus more easily avoided than those of others.
“Welcome to the Carousel Boutique,” announced Rarity to Sunset and Sonata, spreading her arms wide. “It’s just divine to have you here at last! Sonata, dear, please follow me upstairs and I’ll show you to the guest room.”
The two girls disappeared up a rear staircase, leaving Sunset Shimmer to make idle small talk with Elegant Ensemble, who was at the cash register preparing to close the store for the day.
“Sunset Shimmer, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you here,” mentioned the older woman. “Didn’t I fit you for a dress that you wore to Sophomore Prom when you were escorted by Flash Sentry?” she asked knowingly.
“Yes, Ms. Ensemble. That was a beautiful gown and I’m grateful for all the work you put into it,” answered Sunset Shimmer.
The pretty blonde woman raised a questioning eyebrow and asked, “But the two of you stopped being an item a while ago, correct?”
Nervously scratching the back of her neck, Sunset replied, “Yeah, we were um, growing in different directions last summer and it just didn’t work out.”
“Ah, young love.” Elegant Ensemble sighed and stepped out from behind the counter. “Over the phone, Rarity couldn’t stop talking about you and your friend coming to visit. I know she’s very excited.” Eyeing her leather jacket and orange T-shirt, the saleswoman continued, “Our spring and summer line has colors that are just simply made for you and would be so much more flattering than your usual attire.”
“Now, Elegant, you can’t force Sunset Shimmer to change her look. We’ll have to nudge her there one step at a time,” Rarity broke in as she and Sonata returned from the upper floors.
Elegant Ensemble sighed and said, “It appears you escape unscathed this time, Sunset Shimmer. I’ll say only this for now: Any time you choose to accent your beauty instead of hide it, I’d be very pleased to make that sale,” she concluded with a cryptic look.
“Elegant, that will be all for tonight, and thank you very much for making sure those papers were filed with the local government,” said Rarity.
“You’re welcome. This is a big step for you and I’m glad I could help. I will see you and Sweetie Belle tomorrow after school. Have fun tonight,” she concluded with a smile.
Rarity locked the front door behind her, flipped the sign to “Closed”, and drew the curtains. Sonata was slowly looking at the mannequins and clothing racks, exploring Rarity’s handiwork.
“Wow, Rarity, do you make all of these yourself?” Sonata asked in amazement.
“No, not even a fifth of them, I’d wager. I usually only sew custom orders and the first few examples for each line that I release before turning the designs over to Elegant and a small group of seamstresses that I can trust,” she explained.
“Everything shimmers and glows when you move the fabric!” she remarked, playing with a heavily sequined purple gown, “Why don’t you wear these every day? You’d get so much attention!”
Before Rarity could respond, Sunset Shimmer jumped in. “Well, something like that isn’t exactly practical for school and work. And, while I know Rarity loves the spotlight, it’s not polite to continually show your talents. Her abilities are just well, more visual than others. It’s what’s inside and the decisions you make that count for more.”
“Well said, darling. These clothes are expensive in time and money to make and while they are the product of my inspiration and creativity, I would hate for people to feel bad about wearing them or use them to make others jealous. Well, maybe a little jealousy is OK. You know what I mean, right?” Rarity finished nervously.
Sonata giggled. “You want people to say ‘whoa’ when your designs enter the room, but not so over the top they whisper ‘that bitch’. Am I close?” Rarity smiled at Sonata's compliment.
Sunset rolled her eyes at the simplification. “Close enough, I guess,” her green-blue eyes twinkling in amusement. “Sonata, maybe you are starting to understand more about making the right choices. What do you think, Rarity?”
“I think it’s time to give you and Sonata a little glamour! But first, I have to arrange for dinner, since Sunset and I weren’t provided a Pinkie Pie smorgasbord,” answered the fashionista.
Rarity dialed a number on her cell phone and ordered a large cheese pizza, confessing that it was one of her guilty pleasures best saved for special occasions, and began setting out a wide array of cosmetics in the shop’s rear dressing area. After concluding her call, she patted the chair and invited Sonata to sit down.
“Sonata, you’re in for a special treat. I’m going to replace sadness with mystery, and make that bruise disappear. No offense, darling, but the foundation you have been using just isn’t the same caliber of what I have at my disposal. So, please tell me all about what troubles you as I work,” ordered Rarity as she began to apply pale blue makeup to the remnants of the injury inflicted upon Sonata by Adagio.
Sunset Shimmer watched Rarity at work, her tongue escaping the side of her mouth as she concentrated intently on Sonata’s face. Sunset always admired Rarity’s ability to gather information without interrogating, and this was no exception with her partially captive audience. Sonata started with repeating the story she had told Sunset Shimmer in the equipment storage room. After 36 hours of pampering and sheltering, the story was much more coherent during the second telling. The most striking addition that Sonata made during this telling is the initial shock of separation she felt from Aria and Adagio, which prompted the questions that led to Adagio’s assault.
Rarity, sporting her signature red spectacles, had moved on from the Siren's cheeks to her eyes. Sonata was commenting freely now and said, “Lying there in the alley, for the first time, I somehow knew that I didn’t have to follow Adagio. I could go back to the school and find Sunset Shimmer. I can barely remember the last time I got to choose anything before then.”
Rarity’s blue eyes looked over the top of her glasses at Sunset Shimmer as Sonata continued. “Adagio always made the songs, and every time we were separated, I felt, really deep down, that I had to find her and Aria. It was more than the fact I couldn’t feed myself alone, but I never really understood until my jewel broke.”
Sonata was rambling, and neither Sunset nor Rarity wanted to break the spell. “It was sort of like that time a couple hundred years ago when I sang that solo in Baltimare after some battle over a fort. Adagio was furious about the song those men talked me into singing. I figured it would be right up her alley, because it was about rockets and bombs and flags and all that stuff she usually makes us sing about when we got hungry.”
Rarity’s mouth was hanging open, eyeliner brush suspended in mid-air.
“We argued but all three of us stayed together. We had to stay together. But whatever you did broke it apart, and being with Sunset Shimmer the past two days has made me less afraid than I’ve ever been,” Sonata admiringly stated.
Recovering her composure and not knowing what to do with the attention being lavished on the other girl, Rarity announced, “Sonata dear, you’re finished!”
Rotating the chair to face the mirror, Sunset Shimmer’s eyes widened in surprise as she viewed Rarity’s exceptional work. Sonata’s bruise was completely hidden by an expensive light-blue foundation. Judicious application of a purple-tinted blush accentuated the girl’s high cheekbones and slender facial features. But, Rarity’s masterwork was Sonata’s eyes. The eyeshade and eyeliner drew all attention deep into the light purple irises. Smiling and pleasant, Sonata Dusk’s visage would cause heads to turn and hearts to race all over Canterlot.
“Thank you, Rarity! I look so beautiful, and you can’t even tell that I was hurt!” Sonata gushed.
“I’m grateful you appreciate an artist at work, darling. Please relax while I begin work on our other subject,” Rarity smiled and spun the chair with a flourish.
“Really, Rarity?” replied Sunset Shimmer skeptically.
“Come now, this is the price you must pay for my boundless hospitality,” she replied with a coy wink.
“Can I have another look upstairs?” asked Sonata.
“Certainly! I’ll call you when we get to my favorite part of this evening extravaganza, which is gown modeling, of course.” Rarity replied.
Sonata departed, leaving Sunset Shimmer to the tender mercies of Rarity’s makeover.
“So, my dear, please hang up that jacket of yours and have a seat."
Sunset Shimmer did as she was instructed, “Rarity, thank you very much for having us over tonight.”
Rarity began her work on the other girl’s makeup. “Think nothing of it! There’s no possible way that I was going to let you go back to that perfectly hideous place where you keep your things. Besides, you’re doing all of the right things with Sonata. I admire the way that you’re helping her.”
“I will never forget that you came to help me after Twlight returned to Equestria, so that means a lot to me, Rarity, even if you are a bit dramatic from time to time. Where in the world did you learn how to lay bricks?” asked Sunset Shimmer.
Rarity chuckled as she grabbed a container of mascara. “My parents, particularly my father, taught me many things that surprise my friends. But a lady never reveals her secrets all at once, darling.”
“So what was this paperwork that Elegant Ensemble was talking about? The mix of mystery and compliments didn’t get by me.”
Admiring her progress, Rarity said matter-of-factly, “I just finalized all of the paperwork to take ownership of the Carousel Boutique building and the associated business.”
Sunset Shimmer struggled to stay still, even with the mascara brush tickling her eyelashes. “Wow, how did you pull that off? You’re not even an adult in the eyes of the law around here!”
“Lawyers are useful creatures from time to time, darling,” Rarity smiled. “Besides, with my parents so notoriously detached, I wanted to make sure that Sweetie Belle and I wouldn’t be at risk. My fashion income is more than sufficient to support us, and I needed a measure of legal independence to ensure a successful future. Ah, finished!” she declared, “Let’s have a look, shall we?”
As Rarity spun the chair around to the mirror, Sunset Shimmer saw a face she would have barely recognized this past fall. Her blue- green eyes smiled with satisfaction, accentuated with rich mascara and a hue of eyeshade that complemented the colors without clashing with her yellowish skin tone. Rarity made sure that Sunset’s more frequent smiles were emphasized and where Sonata’s face was more elfin, the fashion expert took care to make her friend’s face more round and inviting.
With Sunset Shimmer speechless, Rarity filled the pregnant pause by leaning close to the other girl’s face. “You are a beautiful woman, darling. You sell yourself short behind all that toughness.”
Without warning, loud singing interrupted the moment:
Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.
As Sweetie Belle and Sonata transformed the children’s song into a round, Sunset said, “I think we’d better get up there.”
Biting her lower lip, Rarity nodded and led the way upstairs to Sweetie Belle’s room. They found the two girls smiling broadly and singing loudly.
As they broke in, they heard Sweetie Belle say, “Okay, Sonata, let’s sing the one I just taught you and remember to hold hands,”
Stunned, Sunset Shimmer and Rarity watched the two act just like young schoolchildren while singing:
Ring around the Rosie
Pocket full of posies
Ashes, ashes,
We all fall down!
The two singers fell to the floor, laughing uncontrollably.
“Sweetie Belle, my dear sister, what are you doing?” Rarity asked cautiously.
“I’ll explain, Rarity!” Sonata composed herself. “Your sister was practicing her music and I just had to listen. She has such a beautiful voice. Well, I tried to help, but I still can’t get my voice to work. So, Sweetie volunteered to teach me!”
“Um, I’m not so sure that was a good idea, Sweetie Belle,” said Sunset suspiciously.
The enthusiastic girl bobbed her two-toned curls. “I did such a good job! She couldn’t carry a tune in a brown paper bag when we started a little bit ago. No offense, Sonata,”
“None taken, little one. Thank you!” she replied with a smile.
“I ran her through some of my scales and after six or seven tries, she was able to hold pitch, but not very well. So, if we were just starting to learn, I figured we’d start with some of the songs I first learned! She can be very good again, I think, but you’re going to need some practice, just like my big sister tells me!” Sweetie Belle was beaming with pride.
Eyes shifting from Sonata Dusk to Sunset Shimmer, Rarity executed skilled misdirection. “Well, that’s so wonderful and all, but it’s time for Sonata to try on some of the gowns downstairs. The pizza is on its way, but do continue your practice and finish your homework.”
Sonata cheerfully followed behind the other two girls, where Rarity immediately grabbed a small selection of evening gowns for her two guests.
More steady now that she was back to her original plan, Rarity ordered, “We must put that makeup to good use now, ladies. The rule is that you must try on all three gowns but only come out in your favorite and we’ll pose for a picture!”
“What about you, Rarity?” asked Sonata.
“I already know what I am wearing so I’ll be ready when you are,” she replied.
Sunset Shimmer carried the pile of expensive fabric into the dressing room and looked at the choices Rarity had made for her. She gave a low whistle when she realized that the least expensive of the three gowns was six thousand dollars.
“I guess she doesn’t need to sell too many of these to make rent each month,” remarked Sunset wryly.
After trying all three on, she rejected the asymmetric gown made of scarlets and yellows. It would have perfectly complimented her hair, but the fiery tone reminded her too much of the night she had become a demon. Sunset Shimmer nearly picked the flowing, traditional gown that was the same color as her eyes, but it seemed a little too girly for her current mood. Instead, she picked a form-fitting, sleeveless black dress with two long, vertical stripes along her left side. The hemline was just above her knees. The gown’s silk accents were the same red and gold of her hair, but what sealed the deal was the detailed, delicate embroidery on the right hip. In raised black silk, barely visible even in the brightest stage lights, was an exact duplicate of her Equestrian cutie mark. Appraising herself in the triple mirror and smoothing the fabric, Sunset Shimmer was confident and stunning.
She left the dressing room at the exact same moment that Sonata did. Their eyes met and then went up and down over each others’ dresses as they gave a simultaneous gasp. Sonata had selected an ice-blue, subtly sequined gown with white lace sleeves and lace accents upon the shoulders. The dress hugged the curves of her hips, but just above her knees, the blue fabric flared outwards. Sunset Shimmer was no expert, but any girl who had been to as many formal events as she had would be able to spot a mermaid dress a mile away, and the irony wasn’t lost on her. Adding the formal gown to Rarity’s earlier makeup work, Sonata Dusk didn’t need her voice to command attention. She could have crashed the runway of any fashion show in Canterlot and claimed the cover of a dozen magazines.
“You two look absolultely magnificent!” squealed Rarity in delight. She had selected a purple gown, accented in black that was cut low in the front. A scandalous slit up the left side exposed a daring expanse of white skin. Taking advantage of the additional time that the others needed, Rarity had also piled her hair on top of her head and added a blaze of diamonds around her neck. Marching forward, she embraced the other two girls.
Rarity called, “Sweetie Belle, could you please come down and grab your camera and laptop?”
“Okay!” came her muffled reply from upstairs.
“Sunset Shimmer, you must simply find more opportunities to dress in this manner!” Rarity shifted her gaze, “And Sonata, it’s about time you rid yourself of those rock concert artifacts and attired yourself in style. Oh, the plans I have for you!”
“Rarity, remember our conversation with Pinkie Pie. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, here,” Sunset cautioned again.
Sweetie Belle posed the three of them in the center of the Carousel Boutique, and snapped several pictures. The printer near the cash register whirred, producing three copies of the trio of devastatingly beautiful young women. The pictures provoked the trio to giggle and tease one another for several minutes.
“Sonata, darling? If you’d like a bath after all this excitement, there’s a tub adjacent to your guest room. Do you need any help getting settled?”
Smiling happily, Sonata replied, “No, I don’t. Thank you very much for the makeover, the chance to try on the dress, the singing, and everything else!”
“Then please hang the gown carefully on one of the hangers upstairs. Sunset Shimmer and I have a few things to discuss.”
Sonata took the stairs two at a time, exclaiming, “I love baths!”
Sunset smiled warmly at Rarity. “I think you may have made her century, Miss Generosity.”
“Well, I seem to have a certain affinity for lost causes, if you recall,” came the self-satisfied reply.
“Ooh, I have a great idea now that Sonata’s upstairs!” Sunset Shimmer walked over to her bag and pulled out the Equestrian tome and Twlight Sparkle’s pen. Excitedly, she said, “I wonder if it works this way. I guess we’ll find out. Watch this, Rarity!”
Sunset Shimmer took her pen and wrote boldly:
Dear Twilight,
I have to see if this works or not. Your advice to be cautious with Sonata is exactly what I’m thinking too, but she’s making some progress. We are all watching her very carefully. Rarity is watching me write, so I will have to postpone any arcane discussions until another time. I just wanted to save a thousand words and see if this works.
Sunset Shimmer left the center of the page blank and signed at the bottom:
Your faithful friend,
Sunset Shimmer
She affixed the photograph in the letter’s blank space and closed the book. The duplicate of Sunset Shimmer’s cutie mark glowed brightly for a couple of seconds and then slowly dimmed. Opening the book again, there was an exact duplicate of the picture embedded into the parchment, but no trace of the print itself.
“Ha! I guess I can send attachments after all,” Sunset triumphantly laughed, looking into Rarity’s blue eyes and putting an arm around her shoulders.
Rarity returned the gaze and moved closer to Sunset Shimmer, “I have a confession to make.”
Still smiling, she replied, “What’s that?”
“My motives for luring you here are not entirely altruistic,” Rarity purred, twirling a violet curl around an alabaster finger and placing her other hand on Sunset’s hip. “You are amazing. You are beautiful, courageous, and wise. I like and admire how you’ve changed in these past few months and I want to get to know you much, much better.”
Feeling Rarity’s breath against her cheek, Sunset’s mind immediately became a confused tangle with many simultaneous thoughts vying for supremacy:
Rarity has fallen for me?
She knows I’m really a unicorn, right?
Rarity is so gorgeous and those eyes, wow!
What would this do to my other friendships at Canterlot High?
The last internal question lingered for half a heartbeat when the doorbell relieved her of the obligation to respond.
Rarity seethed, breaking the embrace and approaching the door with money in hand. “The pizza delivery? Ugh! Perfect timing as usual. You have escaped me for the moment, Suns…”
Rarity's sudden break and rapid intake of breath as she opened the door caught Sunset Shimmer’s attention. Whirling around, Sunset saw Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy supporting an unresponsive figure between the two of them.
Fluttershy apologized, eyes wide with fear. “We didn’t know where else to go. We found her by the Crusaders’ clubhouse with no jacket and no supplies of any kind.”
Sunset Shimmer took charge. “Rarity, draw a warm - not hot -bath in your room. There’s no way we’ll be able to keep her separate from Sonata, but we have to do this. Fluttershy, go to the convenience store and get some warm, easy to digest food, like soup. Rainbow, you’re going to have to help me carry her and get her undressed.” Checking the figure’s neck for a pulse, the purple skin was alarmingly cold and heartbeat abnormally fast. “Stay with us, Aria. You’ve reached help.”
-----
Upstairs, unaware of the situation rapidly evolving beneath her, Sonata Dusk gazed at herself in the full length mirror of the guest bathroom as the tub filled.
Admiringly, she addressed her gown-clad reflection, piling her blue hair atop her head. “Oh, Big Macintosh, you don’t stand a chance.”
She sang, only a little off key:
Lavender's blue, dilly, dilly, lavender's green,
When I am king, dilly, dilly, you shall be queen.
Who told you so, dilly, dilly, who told you so?'
Twas my own heart, dilly, dilly, that told me so.
Call up your men, dilly, dilly, set them to work
Some to the plough, dilly, dilly, some to the fork,
Some to make hay, dilly, dilly, some to cut corn,
While you and I, dilly, dilly, keep ourselves warm.
Lavender's green, dilly, dilly, Lavender's blue,
If you love me, dilly, dilly, I will love you.
Let the birds sing, dilly, dilly, And the lambs play;
We shall be safe, dilly, dilly, out of harm's way.
I love to dance, dilly, dilly, I love to sing;
When I am queen, dilly, dilly, You'll be my king.
Who told me so, dilly, dilly, Who told me so?
I told myself, dilly, dilly, I told me so.
The running water and the panic downstairs swallowed the sound as Sonata threw her head back and laughed.
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Very nice. And so the plot thickens...
Sonata don't do it!
You're going to regret it. 
Sunset and Rarity?
That's a rare one... if it even evolves that far.
Another delightful chapter, but that exposition in the beginning.
Regardless, it was very informative and fit the scene.
As it is, I have no real criticism, as I am no expert on these kind of things.
I look forward to the next.
Loving this so much right now!
Update ASAP pls!
SONATA, NOOO!!! YOU ARE BETTER THAN THIS
And now, another is in the mix! Wonder how Sonata will respond to this...
Seems that bad part of her nature seems to especially show itself when she's around water... wonder if there is a connection there because it sort of reminds her of her real self. Or it could be coincidental. Guess we'll see, and I look forward to the next chapter!
5191164
Pun intended?
*Incinerates random object* I crossed my fingers for Sunset/Sonata and this is what I get?
This is why me and Fate never get along. 
Hehe, jokes aside, I do like where some of this is going, especially with Aria suddenly showing up to the party.
The whole Rarity/Sunset thing did sort of come out of the left field... But it's also a ship that I have, in fact, seen before, so it's really not that odd to me. I also find it pretty endearing, and slightly clever, that Sweetie Belle is the one teaching Sonata how to sing again.
I'm going to be completely honest... I'm not entirely sure where you're going with the Big Macintosh and Sonata thing you left at the end... But my instincts are telling me that I'm not going to like it...
However, to be fair, that's more my fault than yours. Partly due to the recent storm of Sonata-waifu material, I've been on edge towards any shipping with Sonata and male characters, so if you are taking this in a shipping direction, I apologize for my antagonism.
...This is also sort of hypocritical (and slightly sexist), considering that I'm a lesbian that's enamored with Sonata, but I can't really help how I feel about it.
Basically, what I'm trying to say is, I may not like what you're going to do with that particular plot-line, but you shouldn't let that stop you from going down that path because that's just a result of my personal feelings towards certain romantic aspects, and has nothing to do with your actual quality of writing; I enjoyed the chapter regardless. I will keep reading this and look forward to seeing what Chapter 5 entails.
Well it looks like Aria's whole "I am mortal" thing has practically killed her.
So far this story has taken a turn I wasn't expecting (Witch is a very good thing). Originally I believed that we were going to get a scene somewhere down the line were Sonata was going to represent moving on and becoming good while Adagio was going to represent staying evil and getting revenge with Aria being stuck in the middle not knowing who to go with.
This latest chapter thought has me rethinking Sonata's and Aria's positions on that moral choice line. Now I think its going to be Aria representing the morally good choice and Sonata being the one making the choice.
(This is way to early to be making predictions like this but its sort of what I do when I read stories.)
Rambling aside I loved this chapter and I cant wait to read the next one.
Wow!
I'm floored by your kindness and comments! Thank you so very much! 
I'll do my best to address everyone either here or in a PM, so forgive the long message.
5190963 You were first on the scene.
I fear that the plot has gotten so thick that I'll need a shovel to finish Chapter Five...
5191164 I hope that the "
" face means you liked the part where Adagio's thoughts were wandering. Everyone wants to know about Sonata's choices... I'm a new, amateur fanfic writer, but I hope that I'm getting the "suspense" thing a little bit right. 
Right,
5191690 ? You'll find out... (or I have to figure it out before I can tell you).
5191691 Your incendiary (pardon the pun) comment forced me to write you a PM. I am happy you are so passionate about Sonata and Sunset and am glad you were so frank about the way you feel about the potential pairings that popped up during this chapter. I also thank you for explaining yourself a little further - you certainly didn't need to do that, but it made me more certain I wrote well instead of making a mistake.
The Crusaders have a very significant role to play as we move on and I hope I characterized Sweetie Belle well. 
5192006 You're very kind - and as much as I want to tip my hand and tell you how close to the target (or off in left field) you are, I can't do that without spoiling what happens next, and my ConningOfficer intuition tells me you want to be surprised.
Again, my sincere appreciation - your kind words added a silver lining to a very difficult real-life workday. Comment, PM, or bug me any time and I apologize in advance for dodging questions that will spoil the story.
Sunset x Rarity? I can... actually... sort of ship it! Maybe in one of those toy sailboats, but still! Not sure what this says about the Sparity fangirl in me, though I can never make sense of my ships.
I've been challenged to write a shipfic about two leaves falling from a branch. I've been outlining it in Geometry. I don't know how to feel anymore.
Sonata x Big Mac? Meh, as long as it keeps Celestia open for Discord, it works for me!
Anyway, I think that taking a time out to focus on character development was welcome. Oftentimes these kinds of interludes in the action are just boring filler from the average writer, but you managed to keep me thoroughly entertained! I will say though that the exposition in the beginning with Adagio did drag, and you still have that issue with commas I mentioned last chapter, but it wasn't anything God-awful. Which is good! Being not God-awful is good! We should all be... Satan-awful? Hey Sunny, you're into this demon stuff, mind helping me out?
Wait, something going on with your contacts, Sunny? They look a little red...
Err... moving on...
Characters! You certainly gave them the spotlight, so I will too!
Adagio: I. Love. Princesses. Hey, Disney did its job, okay? Dark princesses though, that's where it's at. That being said, I enjoyed her backstory, though I'm hoping to hear her in her "narrative voice" as it were, and to learn more about what goes on inside her head. Dully noted that she showed concern for Aria. She has a heart, folks! All in all, while there's not much yet, you have a nice platform to build upon.
Sonata: I. Love. Sonata. I love her cutiepie face, I love the way you write her as a cutiepie, I love how she's not just a cutiepie but has depth, I love her connection to Adagio and Aria, I love... the creepy way she laughs at the end? Whatever. It's good, alright? Just good, plain and simple. Keep it coming.
Sunset: Sunset honey, chill. There is no Pinkie spy to ninja-attack you. West Africa's being quarantined. We're all gonna be okay, hon. Just look at that cutiepie face and breathe. Is it bad that I think Sunset is my least favorite character so far? Not to say you're doing anything wrong with her necessarily: she's the centerpiece, the glue that holds the pieces together. Sometimes she's just got to be that One Sane Mare. Plus, she's competing against your Sonata and Chengar's The Freeport Venture Sunset Shimmer. Sunset has her work cut out for her. Adagio's discovery has peaked my interest, but for the rest of the chapter she was just lukewarm. I don't know, just something to take into account.
Pinkie: Pinkie will always be Pinkie.
Aria: Here's a challenge your character should overcome: try not to die.
Rarity: Interesting headcanon on her family and business situation. Parents are weird in Equestria, and even weirder when we try to apply Equestria's parenting system in our world, so I'd say you handled that little issue well, or at least, in the most sensible way I could imagine. You have a good handle on her character; none of her actions or dialogue really struck me as off. Although, I did roll my eyes at the instant fashion show, but hey, it's Rarity.
Random points!
Ramen is love. Ramen is life.
My mind immediately went two ways: drugs and undercover NSA.
Wait, this is a thing? I feel cheated.
That Sonata and Sweetie scene was too adorable.
Also, Sonata's with Sweetie, Aria's connected to Applebloom, so... Adagio and Scootloo? You do intend to keep the universe in tact, don't you? 
I have no words for the Sonata ending.
Another great chapter! See you on Chapter 5!
Well, it seems like Adagio is gonna be the lone villain here. Unless she beat up Aria for her evil scheme. You know, to get a spy in the midst of the human Mane Six. Oh and Sunsets eyes are blue. Not green.
Sorry it took me so long to get through this chapter; Firefox has been acting up the last few days and I've been trying to figure out what the problem is. Anyways, I love this chapter and continue to love this story; every time I think I know where you're going with this, you introduce a new element that throws me for a loop, while doing a great job keeping the existing threads developing. Last chapter was a positive goldmine of these, with Adagio's snooping, Aria's fear of mortality, and of course, He Who Swims In Darkness, and this chapter is no different. Let's see... Sonata may or may not be less remorseful than we thought, (though the evil laugh could still be for wholly mundane reasons; we'll have to see) Aria has collapsed and is now in the Humane Six's care, Adagio has indeed found some interesting things, and... Rarity may or may not be coming on to Sunset Shimmer. (though admittedly there is a tiny possibility that her words were misinterpreted) Huh.
So starting from the top, I love your glimpse into Adagio's thoughts. The exposition got a bit long-ish, but I wouldn't say it dragged out so much as there was a lot of content that would be difficult to condense. I like her findings; I imagine the jewels were brought over from Equestria, no? Of particular note, though, is the mirror, which I like for two reasons; first, it keeps to the theme of the worlds being connected through reflective surfaces, and is also a good explanation for how Sunset had been keeping up-to-date with events in Equestria. Also interesting is the question of what role it may play going forward, particularly now that Adagio's got it...
Next is Aria. Honestly didn't see it coming, though I guess it makes sense - and when (if?
) she wakes up, may be a grim reminder that would serve to accentuate her fears, or the fact of her survival may give her a somewhat more optimistic outlook - either way, waking up surrounded by her enemies (and Sonata) will be... interesting. 
Then there's Sonata; I see three ways this could go.
A: Sonata is well on her way to recovery, is genuinely crushing on Big Mac, and the evil laugh at her greater chances of success is purely habitual.
B: Sonata is still stumbling at the starting gate, (hah, see what I did there? Because ponies? Racing? Nevermind.) but is genuinely crushing on Big Mac, and has some sort of misguided scheme to win him over.
C: Sonata is actually still pretty evil and just really doing a good job of hiding it, and has some evil plan that involves Big Mac for some reason.
I guess I'm personally leaning toward option B, but any of them (or option D: Something completely different) could work, depending on what you do with it. Hard to tell which one it is at this point, really; I'll wait and see what happens before commenting further.
And then Sunset/Rarity. I'll admit that I personally lean toward RariJack and SunsetSparkle (And while we're at it, AriSona, TrixAgio, and to a lesser degree SunsetDusk) as far as shipping goes, but I don't really have a problem with this (in fact I'm open to pretty much any pairing except FlutterDash and FlutterCord) if you can write it well - and not to sound like a suck-up, but based on what you've written so far, I'm reasonably confident in your abilities to do so.
I guess most of my surprise at this development, then, comes from the suddenness of it; as others have said, it seems a bit out-of-the-blue. I suppose it makes sense, though, since it's just as sudden for Sunset herself. Hmm.
And just to play Tirek's Advocate for a moment, I guess there's the possibility that this was a misunderstanding, though I'm at a loss for what Rarity may have meant instead; just keeping my bases covered.
Other notes:
Sending file attachments in the book; genius! Though they'll have to be careful to make an extra copy for every thing they send...
I also loved the subtle implication that Sonata either wrote or at least sang The Star-Spangled Banner. A really interesting use of the "Sirens really have been around for a millennium" theory, even if I'm part of the "time dilation" school of thought.
I liked the dresses, and Sunset's reasoning for her selections. Also, Mermaid Sonata makes far too much sense.
...Wow, that was the longest comment I think I've written in a long time. Huh. Well, looking forward to the next chapter!
5196262 Actually, they're sort of a teal color, and appear blue or green depending on the light.
5191690 That's an interesting theory...
5199136
MLP wiki says that Sunsets eyecolor is a moderate cyan, which is a shade of blue.
5200395 Then wouldn't be more accurate to say Cyan in the first place? (I'd contest that it's a blue-hued shade of Aqua anyway, but whatever.)
5200891
It doesn't matter in the end, as long as your story stays good.
5201006 True enough.
5191366
5191164
She's not mean, she's a thousand years old, and she just lost track of her moral code.
(Actually, I rather suspect the problem is that she hasn't.)
5201006 I appreciate the vote of confidence... even when I make mistakes.
5199136 I will say a lot more in a PM, but your opinion always means a great deal to me and I'm glad that I'm keeping you engaged.
I won't neglect the inner voices of the three Sirens and need to get more into Sunset Shimmer's thought processes in the coming chapters. You're on the money with one of your three scenarios for Sonata, though it'll take some doing to get there. Oh well, I didn't need sleep anyway. 
I'm glad you caught my Star Spangled Banner reference. There was a reason for it other than to work in "Baltimare".
As for everyone wondering about Rarity's attraction to Sunset Shimmer... well, haven't many of us had great affection for another and it blindsided the other? I haven't been a teenager for many, many years, but writing that scene reminded me of a few things... not all of them pleasant to remember.
5193847 What can I say other than thanks for everything. I know I wrote you a long PM, but your enthusiasm has been infectious and I appreciate your support and guidance a great deal - as I think you understand by now.
5202132 Stay tuned... much more to come! Just give me enough time to write it and write it well!
Oh, wow.
I wonder if Sonata is getting her powers back but... Here's the rub - They've come from love and friendship. It is the song of Harmony, not the song of discord! I even wonder if she might be drawing strength from the positive emotions around her?
Puzzling. I wonder why Aria blacked out. Was she at the end of her strength or did her flashback so totally dominate her psyche that she became catatonic?
I'm sensing a ship with Sunset and Rarity.
Hints at shipping? Please no.
I suppose there is no [Romance] tag, but I struggle to find anything that shipping will add to the story.
In any event, Adagio is nasty, and also, dat ending. Man oh man.
I think I got diabetes just reading that.
Oh please. Sunset looks awesome in that jacket.
Ummmm. Rarity/Sunset? Can't say I like the pairing, or think it works in well with the rest of the story.
But Sonata can sing again. Hmmmmmmm. Wonder where that is leading?
that makes it sound like she hitted herself.
It seems Sonata is not as innocent as she appears, we do have to remember that while she is a fairly nice girl, in the movie, she had no qualms in taunting Sunset and is capable of probably being just as cruel as Adagio and Aria in her own way, she has been around for ages, so, combine that with how they feed and some moral code degradation is to be expected. I'm interested in seeing where this goes.
Shut the Front Door!!! I had to read that twice to make sure I was seeing correctly. I don't get caught off guard like that too often
That is a nice little reference, and also a spectacular way to hint at other ways the siren's powers can be used. 
I have to say I'm really liking the story so far and am entering into "I can't put this down" territory. I like it.
Yikes, Sonata's song at the end. While her red jewel that lets her enchant may be broken, I have a feeling it won't stay that way for long...
Dang it Sonota! You almost got your... Toe day? One day? Chip! You relapsed! Stick with the twelve step program!
Also, "you've reached help, thank you for calling, how may I help you?"
Rarity likes Sunset? Interesting...
5597972 I wanted to reply to you separately.
You are an excellent author and I'm grateful that you devoted the time to take a look at a few chapters. Hopefully my interpretation of the Equestria Girls universe and Canterlot High isn't too unfamiliar to you!
You're at the dawn of this subplot. All I'll mention is that I haven't succumbed to a "romance" tag.
I hope you continue to read the story and that you enjoy it! Thank you for taking the time to comment. 
I TOTALLY support Sunset Shimmer hooking up with Rarity!
5297272
The shipping tease struck me as odd and out of place.
Yeah, I'll have to agree with you for once.
5597972
You know what to do.
The ending was . . . eerie. I'm not sure if we should worry or not at Sonata vying for Big Mac's love. But what I will commend you for, something that's been making me smile as time went on, is that you don't write Sonata to be innocent. Most people want to assume that she's the blonde of the group, the unwitting imbecile that's somehow not evil even though she's with the villains. Unfortunately, while that does provide some very interesting stories, it's less realistic. Having Sonata be conscious of the fact that she can influence people and have her way, and then subsequently have problems not doing that or being generally evil, is the best route.
Anyway, I wonder what happened to Aria. Maybe being confronted with he possible mortality was too much to take?