5 - I'll Spread My Wings So Take My Heart
Rainbow wasn’t entirely sure when she had come to. All that she could focus on was the pain. Everything hurt and the frigid floor beneath her wasn’t helping to calm the flared agony all over her body. With a few breaths, she managed to open her eyes. The cracked tile before her spread out into the darkness.
Tile? This wasn’t the gym.
“Wakey wakey!” Pain exploded in her side as she was forcefully rolled over by a foot. “Welcome back to the world of the living, Dash.” Gilda smiled down at her.
“Wh-where...?” Rainbow found it hard to talk. Everything felt floaty, half real, like she was trapped in some terrible nightmare.
“Are you? Or are you looking for your partner in crime?” Gilda snorted, “Relax. She’s over there.” She nodded her head off in a direction that Rainbow couldn’t see from her position on the floor. “As for the where, welcome to Chateau D’if.”
“Chateau…” Dash gulped. She knew where that was, all of CHS did. Filthy Rich had attempted to build a new hotel south of the city before Canterlot’s economy had been hit by a slight market crash. Diamond Tiara had gone from non-stop boasting to utter silence overnight. It probably didn’t help the project that his plan for an exotic name happened to mirror that of a Prench prison. Forcing her head up, Dash could make out the interior of what had been a lobby. Canterlot wasn’t Detrot, but that hadn’t stopped every self-proclaimed looter and graffiti artist from descending on the place. The interior of the building was a wreck, flooring ripped up, windows smashed, and furniture long since stolen.
“Hope you like it. You’ll be staying for awhile.” Gilda moved to walk away.
“Sunset...Wha-what’d you do to her!?” Dash forced the question through, finding her voice as she maneuvered onto her belly, despite her body’s protest. It was lighter than it had been in the gym, despite it being much later in the night. The smashed windows above a second floor balcony allowed moonlight to filter in and lightly illuminate the room. The pale lighting set everything in a balance between serene and unnerving.
Gilda smirked, nodding back behind her. Dash looked, finally noticing the thrashing protests going on across the lobby. Half the attackers were no longer present, but those that were happened to all be standing around whom she presumed to be Sunset. “Gotta give you two credit. Managed to break Dust’s nose. Shame she didn’t get to come.”
Rainbow struggled to her knees, panic setting in again, “What are you doing?!”
“Didn’t wanna make a mess in the gym.” Gilda pointed her finger at Dash, “I’d stay down if I were you.”
Dash ignored her, stumbling onto her feet as adrenaline began pumping. Then she took another look at Gilda. She wasn’t pointing her finger, that was a switchblade. “...G, come on, let's not do something rash...more rash.”
“I think we’re past that.” She responded with a frown.
“Just...let us go, you’ve made your point.”
Gilda found the choice of words amusing, “No, I don’t think I have.” She swiped at Dash, not giving her time to react as the blade caught Rainbow’s shoulder, tearing into her jacket and earning a panicked cry of pain. Dash fell backwards. Gilda was on top of her in an instant, knife still brandished at her. Rainbow was screaming now, doing everything she could to fight her off, but the strength just wasn’t there. Another few cuts caught her along the collarbone, two more near the lower torso.
“STOP! PLEASE!” Tears were flowing now and it was clear to Gilda that the pleading response had hurt to utter.
“Delete the account.” She ordered.
“We’re...we’re not Anon-a-Miss!” Dash screeched, throat burning.
Gilda swiped at her again, slicing Dash right across the mouth. “TAKE IT DOWN!”
“AHHHHHH!” Dash spasmed, clutching her face as she rolled onto her side. Her clothes had noticeable blood stains growing across them at this point. “IT'S NOT US, YOU FUCK!”
Gilda shook her head, winding up again after Rainbow had left her face open to scream at her. Another cut, parallel to the first.
“AGGHHHHH!” Rainbow’s scream was mixed with a violent sob, “Stop...p-please.” She begged.
“Delete. It.” Gilda pressed.
At her wits end, Dash collapsed. “Okay...okay, we will. Just stop.” That’s when the agony hit its apex. Rainbow registered something piercing her skin near her abdomen.
Gilda ignored the next round of violent cries, letting go of the blade and leaving it there. “That’s for lying. There won’t be anymore Anon-a-Miss posts, loser.” Gilda stood, heading back over to where Sunset was now echoing her friend in high pitched wails of terror. ‘Looks like she admitted too.’ The white-haired girl grinned.
Her victim had chosen not to respond, caught up in the pain and gross sobbing. Rainbow held herself, daring not to look at the blade now impaled in her. She wanted it gone, to reach down and yank it out, but she knew better.
‘So you’ve been stabbed before, mom?’ A younger Rainbow had gasped in shock, seeing the scar across her mother’s left side.
‘My line of work’s dangerous, Dashie. It's a risk I’ve gotten used to.’
‘So you just yanked it out? That’s...awesome!’
‘No no no! Never pull out a blade unless you have an immediate way of dealing with the wound. You risk bleeding out otherwise.’
Don’t touch the blade. Leave it. Rainbow felt sick. Leave it be. The sound of metal clattering against the floor drew her attention back towards where Sunset was. Something had been tossed away from the group. Sunset was still screaming. Had they stabbed her too?!
Another thought suddenly rushed over her. ‘Are we going to die?’ The idea made her freeze in place. No, no, Gilda wouldn’t go that far, right?
“Come on guys, our work here’s done!” Gilda announced. Rainbow felt her stomach drop.
“We just leavin’ ‘em?” Dumbbell asked.
“Where we gonna take them in this shape? They’d rat us out if we took ‘em anywhere.” Gilda delivered a sharp kick to Sunset, who had devolved into whimpers. “Lets just cut our losses and bail. Problem solved.”
“Later, Anon-a-Miss!” Hoops gave a dumb laugh, following Gilda outside, along with the other few. Soon enough, they were alone again in the cold.
“...Sunset?” No answer. “Sunset!” Dash croaked out again, louder this time. She received a pained cry in response. Gritting her teeth, she moved herself onto her side, and began the long trek over to Sunset’s position. The going was slow, and painful. The floor was littered with trash, broken glass, and forgotten screws. The place had been abandoned mid-construction.
“D-Dash…” Getting closer, Rainbow could see Sunset was sitting up, arms behind her back. A pole or pipe of some sort rose out of the ground and above from behind her. It appeared as though they had used it as a means to hold her in place. “S-so...cold...so h-hot.” Sunset stuttered.
“What?” Dash blinked, glancing around. She spied the metal rod that had been tossed aside earlier. It looked like it had been made in a garage by someone who had no idea what they were doing or were in a huge rush. The pole ended in a roughly soldered together sun shape, probably meant to resemble the one on Sunset’s journal based on the attempted shape...oh. Ohhh. Rainbow’s eyes widened, hurrying closer to Sunset.
“Holy crap!” They both managed to shout with varying levels of volume.
“Sunset, your face!” Dash breathed, seeing the bloody burn mark staining her cheek.
“Y-your face!” Sunset’s eyes widened, seeing the bloody marks across Rainbow’s lips. Looking down more, she locked her gaze on her friend’s midsection, “...Dash...holy shit.” Her already raspy voice quieted to a whisper.
“H-hey, don’t worry about it.” Dash winced, scooting a bit closer, “I’ll be fine.”
“Will you? Will either of us?” Sunset looked around. “No one knows we’re here. We won’t make it to morning…”
Dash winced. Her toes had started to go numb already, and neither of them were really going anywhere. “L-look, lets just think about the now.” She inched closer to Sunset, pulling herself into a sitting position, groaning the whole way, and leaned into her, “We’ll manage longer if we can stay warm, right?”
“...right.” Sunset responded, hope draining from her voice. “Dash, what if-”
“No what ifs. Let’s just, nng, stay warm, stay awake.” Dash nodded, “Anything, let's just keep each other up. Ask me a question. Anything.”
“Okay...the photo with Gilda. Were you two...a thing?”
Rainbow sighed, “No. I was just...curious. It was the one time, we swore never to speak of it again. Cut pretty much all contact after.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t delete all of them.”
“...it’s not your fault that you didn’t get them all.” Dash sighed, “Your intent was to delete it all and...I can appreciate that. I don’t know how I’m gonna show my face at school again.”
“What’s with that?” Sunset changed the topic, trying to move her mouth without aggravating her cheek. “Sexuality was never a problem in Equestria.”
“Well, this ain’t Equestria.” Rainbow sighed, “I don’t even know if that is the case with me! I was just curious!” Her outburst made her grab her side, “Agh...right, stay still…”
“This world seems like it's out for blood on some days.”
“...”
“What?”
“Was that a joke? Cause I oughta punch you for that.”
Sunset laughed, “What a way to spend the night.”
“Two days til break too...this...this doesn’t feel real.” Dash ran a hand through her ragged hair, “...hey...where’s-AGH!” Her hand brushed a spot that felt particularly sensitive, “I-I think they pulled hair out!”
Sunset winced, “I...think they may have done the same to me. The pain was coming from all directions, it was hard to keep track.”
“I swear when I get my hands on Gilda…” Dash started pulling her jacket off.
“What are you doing?” Sunset watched her nervously.
“Blade. Can’t keep it there much longer, no doctor.” She explained, getting a grip on it and wincing, “Gonna have to put some sort of pressure on it. 1...2…” Dash ripped the knife out of her, “AGGHH-!” She bit her tongue, pulling her jacket around her waist by the sleeves and tying it over the wound.
Sunset winced, “Will that...hold?”
Dash smiled, “It’ll do.” She nodded. It wouldn’t, not without pressure and even then, not for very long. Infection was possibly out of the way, but this left a possibility for bleeding out now. ‘Just...got to keep it tight.’ Dash gulped, pulling at the sleeves again. “So how about you? Uh, what are you gonna do after we make it out of this?”
Sunset sighed, deciding not to go pessimist again, “Dropping out of CHS. I’m not going back there. I just...no…” She yawned.
“Stay with me, Sunset.” Dash snapped, rubbing her hands together afterwards. Using her jacket as a bandage made it much colder.
“I’m...I’m, I’m fine.” She nodded back, Dash scooting closer to her. ‘...we’re not seeing the next Sunrise…’ Sunset shuddered.
“Alright...uh, so next question.” Dash nodded.
“C’mon ‘Shade! This place is perfect!” A lavender girl with a slicked back head of pink and white hair, styled to a curled point, grinned up at the building.
“You sure, Skies?” Another girl, this one a pale blue with a darker mop of navy hair, asked skeptically, “Place looks like a dump. There might be hobos living in there.”
“If there are, can we do the documentary on them instead?!” The third and final member of the party grinned, pointing her video camera at them. She bounced in place, having dressed lighter and wanting to keep warm in the colder-than-expected temperature.
“Hold the camera still, Blitz!” Shade reprimanded, “We can’t use the footage if it's all a big blur!” Blitz was a far darker shade of blue, hair a similar shade in a jagged, bolt-like shape.
“Its coooooold!” She pouted, pulling her purple, gray, and yellow hoodie closer to herself. “And hey, why are you complaining? I’m the only one who can work this thing and would show up at 3 AM!”
“Would you two cut it out?” Starry Skies cut them off, “Are we going to get started or what?”
Nightshade lifted the bolt cutters, “I got the keys.”
“Uh, the door’s open…” Blueball Blitz noticed.
“What?” Nightshade darted to the door, pushing at it with her hand, watching as it drifted open.
“I...maybe we should go?” Starry suddenly reconsidered, looking light on her feet.
“Yeah...what if this is where the-”
Blitz charged forwards, nearly kicking the door down. “YAHHHHH! STAND AND DELIVER BITCHES!”
“Blitz! NO WAIT!” Starry and Nightshade tumbled in after her, worried for their friend’s safety. They had found her a few yards in, frozen in place now. “Blue?”
“Girls…” Blitz was shaking, looking around, “Is that...blood?”
“Is what bl-” That was when a gust blew through the room and the stench hit them. “...lights. Now!” All three girls pulled out their phones, activating the flashlights, and jerking them around the room.
“AGH!” Nightshade jumped, spying the source. “OH MY GOD!” Two figures sat against a wall to the left, beaten and bloodied. “CALL THE COPS! NOW!”
Starry fumbled with her phone, dialing 911 and making Nightshade toss the bolt cutters behind a desk. Blitz ran up to the two, trying to see if they were breathing.
“?!” That’s when the rainbow haired one jerked her head up, eyes wide.
“YEEEEH!” She screeched, hopping back.
“No!...p-please. Help us!” Dash reached out weakly, breathing equally so.
“W-we’ll help you!” Blitz nodded, eyes wide as saucers, “There should have an ambulance out here soon!”
“What happened to you two?!” Starry kneeled down next to Sunset, checking her pulse after the fiery haired girl hadn’t moved.
Dash looked ready to tear up again. “She f-fell asleep a while ago. I d-don’t know how long...I’ve been f-fighting it myself…”
“Names, let's hear your names.” Starry insisted.
“R-Rainbow Dash...this is Sun...Sunset Shimmer.”
“Nightshade! Wait outside for the ambulance!” Starry called, the bluenette nodding and running back outside. She shrugged off her jacket, holding it over Dash.
“N-no! Put on her...she needs it more.” Dash requested, trying to brush her hand aside.
She bit her lip, eyeing her for a moment before laying the Shadowbolt hoodie over Sunset instead. “It’s...it's going to be okay, Rainbow. You’re both going to be fine…”
“I...I gotta...oh God.” Blitz stumbled away, covering her eyes.
“Outta the way!” A new voice came, a group of paramedics rushing into the building with two stretchers. Skies jumped back with Blitz. “I suggest you two get outside, the police would like a statement.”
“Y-yes sir, right away.” She grabbed Blitz by the arm, dragging her back into the snowy night, both feeling drained. A few feet way, Nightshade was already talking with an officer.
“-came out here to do some urban exploring. We found them inside when we pushed the door open.”
“Are you three aware that this property is off limits to the public?” The man managed to ask in response without eating his comically large mustache.
“No sir.” Starry lied with ease, “We knew there was a few old buildings that ringed Canterlot, and this one seemed ideal for our project.”
“Hmm, well it seems whoever came here first pulled up the trespassing signs, so that’s fair enough.” He mumbled, “Miss Nightshade here states that no one else was here when you found these two, correct?”
Starry nodded, the cold air bringing her back to her senses, “We found both of them inside after we noticed the smell of blood around the place. Whoever put them there were long gone.”
“...are they gonna be alright, sir?” Blitz gulped.
The officer sighed, “I dunno, kid. That’s gonna come down to the folks at Canterlot General.” He tipped his hat at them, “You kids get home. This ain’t a pretty sight, and you should all be asleep at this hour. If I recall correctly, Crystal Prep doesn’t let out for winter vacation yet.”
Blitz tugged at her jacket again, growing nervous as she glanced back at the building, seeing the two teens being pulled out on stretchers. Sunset still had the jacket over her. “...okay, yes sir. Let's get going, girls. I think that’s enough exploring for one night.”
They headed back to what may have been a parking lot if the building had never been given up on, and piled into Starry’s car, said girl speaking up after a moment of silence. “So...is it just me or did they look familiar?”
“Rainbow Dash.” Nightshade nodded, “She’s a Wondercolt. Bumped into her a few times at the Friendship Games.”
“Wondercolt? What’s she doing out here?” Blitz hugged herself in the backseat.
“Dunno, and that’s pretty worrying.” Nightshade sent Starry a nervous glance, “...you don’t think it was...them?”
“We can’t be sure, but it's best we call the others and let them know.” Starry put the car into drive, “Lets get going. We have a bit more to worry about now, and I’d like to get some sleep before we head to the Hospital in the morning.”
Rainbow Dash was hardly conscious at this point. Her vision was fading in and out with every breath. She didn’t know by what power she was still awake, but she was grasping onto it with ever fiber of her being. Above her, she could see the outline of other people dressed in white coats and scrubs as well as the repeating pattern of ceiling tiles. “...sun...set…” She’d lost sight of her companion when they had been pulled into separate ambulances.
A nurse leaned in, “Don’t worry about your friend, my dear.” She said, stroking Dash’s hand comfortingly, “Now, I want you to stay with me, okay? What’s your name?”
“R-Rainbow Dash…” She groaned, “I’ll...try. Wh-where is she? I promised to stay...by her.”
“She’s right next to you, and she’ll be fine. I’m Nurse Tenderheart, and I want you to tell me about your family. Where do you live?” The nurse swabbed Rainbow’s wrists before inserting the IV into them, keeping her distracted while the painkiller was being inserted. It needed time to take its effect.
“Cl-cloudsdale...district. With my dad…” Dash shut her eyes for a moment. The light had started to hurt. “...no, no, I need get back to Sunset...I-I promised!”
Nurse Tenderheart gently pressed Rainbow down onto the bed as the nurses delivered the duo to a room, both cots separated by a heavy green curtain. She was careful not to disturb the bandages already wrapped around the prismatic teen’s torso. “She’s in the cot next to us, dear, it’s alright. I need you to keep talking. Don’t get up.” She said, nodding to the other nurse in the room, “It’s bloodloss. We need to get her stable, now.” She pressed her hand into Rainbow’s again, “Alright, sweetheart, tell me more about your dad.”
“My...my dad? Rainbow Blaze. He’s a retired...soccer player.” Dash coughed, hacking up a bit of blood, “...where are we?”
“Canterlot General. You and Sunset are in the safest hands in the city, and I want you to focus on staying awake for now.” Tenderheart continued, “So, I wanted to let you know that your Dad is on the way over here.” Dash was starting to feel her body going numb from the medication, the wound in her torso suddenly less noticeable.
“He’s coming?” She asked, eyelids drooping, “Gotta...awake...Sunset…”
“Rainbow, is your throat dry?” The other nurse asked, offering Dash a cup of water.
“Everything’s cold…” Dash shivered, “Can’t...feel anything...when did the ceiling change?”
“Alright, here, I want you to swallow this…” The other nurse tipped the cup gently into Dash’s mouth.
Meanwhile, Tenderheart leaned over behind the curtain, where Doctor Horse scribbled notes hastily onto a clipboard, stethoscope still hanging from his ears. “Any better over here?” She whispered to him, looking over at the fiery-haired girl in the second cot, covered in bandages nearly from head-to-toe.
He shook his head, “No papers, no birth certificate, no medical records…” He trailed off into thoughtful mutters for a moment, “I won’t know what she’ll react to or if she has any underlying genome conditions. The frostbite’s so severe, I don’t know that I’ll be able to do much, and her heartbeat is so faint… I doubt she’ll make it to sunrise.”
Tenderheart frowned, shaking her head, “This is insane. I’ve never seen something like this in a city as peaceful as Canterlot. To have two high schoolers mauled, an attempted murder case...” Trailing off, she glanced back at Dash, “I’ll make sure the grief specialist comes in tomorrow.” She sighed.
Doctor Horse nodded, “It’s for the best.” He closed his eyes, running a hand through his hair. “Even if she does make it, somehow, she’ll be paralyzed for the rest of her life. The tissues in her arms and legs have been completely killed by the frostbite.”
Dash was making some attempt to climb back up onto her elbows, looking around, “Sunset…?”
Tenderheart went back over, pushing Dash down again, “Stay down, dear. You need to let your body rest and heal now.”
“At least we know the pain medication’s working.” The other nurse commented.
“No...I need to...I need to find her. I’m all...she has!” Dash insisted, looking around.
“She’s fine, and listen. Now I need you to rest. You’ll be fine, and so will she. Just relax. Your Dad’s coming to see you soon.”
“Rest?...no, can’t...have to stay awake…”
“Yes, you need to rest, so that I can help them focus on helping Sunset. Can you do that for me?” Tenderheart asked.
“I...o-okay.” Dash’s head lolled from side to side as her eyelids began to droop again.
“Alright, good girl.” Tenderheart squeezed her hand again. “We’ll be right here.”
“...just...help her.” Rainbow’s eyes slid closed, finally falling into a peaceful slumber.
As soon as she was sure the girl was asleep, Tenderheart motioned to the other nurse, “She’s stable, at least, but keep an eye on her.” She said before heading back over towards the other nurses swarming around Shimmer. “How soon can we manage to get her stable?” She asked the group.
“Hopefully it won’t be long, we just need to hope the medications we used aren’t going to have adverse effects. We don’t exactly have anything to run off of.” Another nurse reported quickly.
“Well, it’ll have to do for now.” Tenderheart looked over at the Sunset, who had all of her limbs in slings and was pale as freshly fallen snow.
“Okay. Her breathing’s normal.” One of the nurses called out softly, “It’s a waiting game now.”
“...” Sunset suddenly began to wheeze, body convulsing with what little energy she had left. Large red welts had started appearing on her skin.
“She’s having a reaction!” The nurses scrambled. “Get me an Epinephrine injection, stat!”
The shaking didn’t last long, the wheezing slowing as Sunset stopped moving entirely. By the time the injection was given, it was already too late.
Several people rushed into the room, and immediately they began to pound Sunset’s chest, attempting to get any sign of recovery. An oxygen mask was placed over her face for the grueling forty minutes as they tried to restart her heart.
“...Time of Death, 5:17 am.”
Sunset opened her eyes. She was lying on the floor, staring up into a white nothingness. It took her a moment to come to her senses, pulling herself to her feet. “...where...am I?”
“Sunset Shimmer.” A female voice spoke out from the infinite white, “Never thought I’d get the opportunity to meet you.”
“Who’s there!? Where am I?!” Sunset spun on a heel, searching for the source of the voice.
Out from the mist came the form of an older woman. She had long locks of emerald green hair and glittering gold eyes. Her skin was a creamy alabaster and was cloaked in royal robes, a golden crown shone on her head. Above all else however, Sunset’s eyes were drawn to the wings on her back. The golden webby wings extended with a poised grace that only added to her breathtaking appearance. It also could only mean one thing.
“Siren.” Sunset gulped.
“Greetings, Sunset Shimmer. I am Crescendo Avanti, Queen of the Sirens.” She introduced herself, “You and I have much to discuss.”
Sunset took a breath and smothered her fear, shifting her stance, “Where are we?”
“A small little plane of existence off to the side. Rented space, if you will, to talk.” Crescendo smiled simply.
“Rented?” Sunset made a face, looking around, “From who?”
“Who else?” Crescendo’s expression fell for a moment, looking at Sunset sadly.
“...but, that would mean.” Everything suddenly came flooding back. The trap, the kidnapping, everything from Chateau D’if.
“I’m sorry, Sunset Shimmer, but you’ve passed.”
“...” Sunset stared at the siren. “I...no. It-it can’t have just ended like this!”
“You’re right. It can’t, or at least it shouldn’t.”
“Shouldn’t?” Sunset took a step back, the reality of the situation settling on her, “What do you mean?”
“What if I told you that it didn’t have to end here, Sunset?”
“...I’d ask what you were talking about.” Sunset gave her a weary look, “And why you want to talk to me. This isn’t some sort of revenge for what the Rainbooms did to the Dazzlings, is it?”
“Revenge? Oh no, that battle was one of unfortunate circumstances. You did what you had to, and so did the ‘Dazzlings’.” Crescendo said, “I don’t condone what those three did, but I understand that they did what they could to survive.”
“I suppose that’s-survive?” Sunset took a hard right turn as the word registered, “What do you mean by that?”
“What I mean is what I said. Those three needed the strife to power their magic, which in turn keeps them alive.” Crescendo said simply.
Sunset subconsciously recognized that as a kind of dark cycle, “Why would your powers work that way?”
“I suppose the best way to tell you why, is to give you the full story of our species. Would you mind?”
Sunset looked around glumly, “Not like I’m in a rush to be anywhere, am I?”
“Alright then,” She nodded, “It began some time ago in Equestria, before the Tree of Harmony, and before much of written history. At that time, only dark magic existed in the land. An Earth Pony, her name now lost to time, tried using said dark magic on herself, and was transformed into the first siren, redubbing herself Marea Opus.”
“Wait wait wait!” Sunset gestured, rubbing her forehead from the info rush, “Sirens used to be normal ponies? The species is that old?!”
Crescendo nodded, “Sadly the knowledge of our kind has nearly been wiped from the minds of many in Equestria.”
“Why? How come there isn’t any information aside from the clash between these three and Starswirl? The book made it sound like there were only three sirens!” Sunset pressed, curiosity begging for more information now.
“Because, nearly all of us died out long before those three.” Crescendo said sadly, “They’re all that’s left.”
“How many were there? How can there only be three?!” She gaped at the prospect of such a major level of extinction. “D-did it happen over time or…?”
“About twenty-six thousand, I believe, at our highest. It happened very gruesomely over a very short time.” Her mouth pressed into a thin line, “Our decline started when the tree was planted, and light magic was introduced into the world. All of us lost our natural power of song because of dark magic’s weakened influence.”
“The Tree of Harmony…” Sunset rubbed her chin. The legend stated that the creation of Terra’s leylines had brought balance between dark and light. The details, like so many others, of that statement had been lost due to the lack of a worldwide magic community 2000 years ago. “So you didn’t have the amulets yet?”
“Those ‘amulets’ are our Hearts, Sunset Shimmer.” Crescendo said with an amused tone.
Sunset blinked in response, “Hearts?” She looked at the gem around Crescendo’s neck, “...is that literal?”
“It may as well be.” She chuckled dryly, “We can’t survive for long without them.”
“...you can’t?” Sunset froze, “Wh-why not?”
“That’s best explained by what the Hearts truly are. At first, they were a gift presented to me by Scorpan, who we welcomed into my kingdom with the highest honors. Inspired by the Crystal Heart and moved by our plight when dark magic was weakened, Scorpan had devised these gems to give us our powers back by channeling omnimagic…” Crescendo’s face twisted slightly, as if pained.
“But something went wrong?” She asked, having a good feeling of what it was. Wherever Scorpan went, he inevitably followed.
“Tirek.” Crescendo nearly spat out the demon’s name, “He came to me under the guise of peace, and began to speak to me of exactly what ‘omnimagic’ is. It is a mixture of dark, light, and chaos magic. He pointed out that no one understood chaos magic, and that light magic had been exactly what had ripped our powers from us originally. He gave me the means to question his brother’s gift, and offered me an easy out to this frightening omnimagic: rearranging the amulets to channel only pure dark magic. ...And I foolishly accepted.” Crescendo’s face fell.
“What did he do?” Sunset asked, feeling her own heart sink from the Queen’s tale.
“He cursed us.” Crescendo growled. “Locked us in the cycle that you saw in Adagio, Aria, and Sonata: We must use our power to create strife, which makes us stronger so that we may create more strife. If we refused to go along with this, refused to use our power to create discord when we had once created happiness… We would die for it. Starve.”
Sunset gasped, “St-starvation?!...ho-how long does it take to starve this way?” She thought back to the Dazzlings, realizing now what taking their powers may have truly done.
“Roughly two months.” Crescendo said simply with a sigh, looking over at Sunset and understanding exactly what she was worrying about, “They’ve lived one already.”
“We...we never intended to...we thought they- We didn’t know!” Sunset stumbled over her own words, feeling sick again. She had never exactly pitied the Dazzlings for what had happened after the final battle. Them losing their powers and disappearing into the night, off stage. They had all assumed they had just become normal humans, but knowing that they may have accidently doomed three girls…
“I know you didn’t, though unfortunately it will still happen. ...But here, right now is where you can help make amends for that.” The woman reached out her hand, a glowing “Heart” floating in her palm, “Sunset Shimmer, I would like you to live on. Take my place, and succeed my throne. You will be given a second chance at life, and give my last three subjects one as well. If you choose, that is.”
The rollercoaster of emotions just wasn’t ending, “You want...wait, what?!” This had to be some sort of cosmic joke. Celestia always had said her mother had a sense of humor.
“This Heart has been healed of Tirek’s curse by Lumencia herself, the only direct interference she has allowed for this, and with it you would be able to create others. ...Please, Sunset, save my species. Live again, and live for them.” The Queen quietly pleaded. “As I did once before you.”
“I...I’m just a high school student! A runaway from Terra!” Sunset shook her head, eyes wide as she stared at the Heart, “How can you possibly think I have the ability to do any of that?”
Crescendo smiled softly, reminded so much of a similar young pegasus faced with an impossible request, so many centuries ago. “I have seen your capabilities. I've actually had my eye on you for some time. A leader, who could call her friends to action when their usual leader was at her lowest point; a mage skilled in both dark and light magic; and most importantly, a virtuoso.” The siren queen winked at the girl with a small grin at that last one.
Sunset blushed, both from the praise and the implications some of that had, “I...well…” She shook her head again, “But a Queen? How could I deserve a role like that? I’m nothing but a thief and a…” She trailed off, a picture of a disappointed white alicorn in her mind. Failure.
“No, you’re not. Look how far you’ve come, Sunset, and how hard you’ve tried to make up for everything. And to have it thrown away like this?” Crescendo motioned around them, “Do you really want that?”
“Of course not…” She sighed, shutting her eyes, “No one would want to just throw their life away, not really.”
“Then understand that I believe in you to take care of my species.”
Sunset took a breath, “Are there any other caveats to know about?”
“Outside of returning a heart to Aria, Sonata, and Adagio; I will heal your body. But dark magic healing can only go so far… I can make no promises about what you’ll look like when you awaken.”
Sunset nodded, “I’m already returning from...the dead. I suppose asking for more would just be selfish.” She managed to crack somewhat of a smile, “Very well...I accept.”
“Excellent!” Crescendo smiled, “Now… There’s one thing that queens traditionally do that isn’t required, but I wanted to make you aware of: usually after…’evolving’ to a siren queen, we give ourselves a new name, following in Opus’s hoofsteps.”
“A new name?” Sunset blinked, the idea not being foreign, but outside of her experience. It wasn’t rare for a pony to change their name to match their occupation or cutie mark, but she never had a reason to change hers.
“It’s up to you, really.” She said, “But it’s usually a musical name of some sort that follows the siren pattern.”
The thought had never really occurred to her. What was really in a name? Crescendo never said she had to change all of it. “...Stanza.” She spoke after a moment, “Sunset Stanza.” With the declaration of the name, she took the Heart, slipping it over her head. In an instant, she felt a tingle fire down her spine as a wave of energy washed through her. Suddenly, it no longer felt as though the two were alone.
All around them, she saw ponies watching with grins and excited expressions. Each one with similar webbed wings as Crescendo’s, some larger than others, some with horns, many without. It seemed nearly all of her subjects had turned up for the imporomptu coronation.
“Good luck to you then, Queen Sunset Stanza. Bring back the knowledge and pride of our species to the Equestrian people, as well as the rest of Terra. And, please… Use your powers for a noble cause.” Crescendo gave Sunset one last, brighter smile, “I know you will, my successor.”
“I won’t waste this chance, your highness.” Sunset smiled, feeling oddly proud.
Sunset was passed the shimmering gold crown, “Not your highness, not anymore.”
Her last interaction with a crown miles from the forefront of her mind, Sunset tenderly took it from her, “Thank you...Crescendo.” In a moment in which she swore time had stopped, she set the crown upon her head.
The crowd around them cheered enthusiastically, and Crescendo backed away from Sunset, nodding her last goodbye before passing into the crowd.
Slowly, the crowd’s cheering seemed to distort, before it began to visually disappear as well.
Sunset opened her eyes.
Stats
Page generated in 0.027 seconds
Total duration
664 users online
865,511 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Congraturation!
Your Sunset evolved into Queen of Sirens Stanza!
congratulations on being placed into the featured box !
Holy shit. I did not see that coming. You made good on your promises last chapter, and then some.
Wha....oh my.....god.....
I'm just glad things between Rainbow and Sunset are still fine.
All joking aside, great job so far Uria! You totally deserve the front page for this twist!
... while the execution of the chapter itself is... okay, this is still a massive exposition dump and a abrupt change in setup considering this wasn't foreshadowed at all at the beginning. Its not story breaking, just could have been done a bit better.
8039826 It was meant to be chapters 5 and 6 originally, but I merged it all into 5 when I realized my schedule was slowing down for school and I didn't want to leave you all on these two just dying in the hospital. I wanted to break away from the 'formula' as soon as I could.
I don't see how I could have fairly foreshadowed this without just giving it away or making the foreshadowing seem silted and unconnected.
8039832 Agreed. That's why I didn't say it was story breaking. I didn't see any other way to foreshadow it aside from putting a bit more info in the summary. I was quite surprised you actually went with killing Sunset. It's going to be interesting seeing Rainbow's reaction when she finds out about the CMC...
OK, so I can only imagine how Scootaloo feels when she learns that the last post nearly cost Rainbow her life and Sunset actually died. I also bet those idiots would be shocked when there's another post after what they did to the pair. It would feel them with fear and guilt. Even Gilda will be panicking and become angry that she got the wrong people.
8039839 Like a pheonix, my friend.
...and, I suppose there is a light bit of foreshadowing. Right there in the title~
And today's song title comes from Aviators's "Constellations."
8039850 Congrats! Welcome to chapter 6!
Hope they managed to tell what happened and gilda and her cohorts gets into serious trouble with the he police
Plus like someone said I bet they will be angry when there's antoher post thinking they didn't delete it only to realise they didn't leave them to be in any shape to continue
Well that twist came out of left field, although it is an interesting one to be fair. Now we will see what happens when Sunset gets a taste of power again. Will it corrupt her as the crown once did before, or will she wield it justly as her savior, Princess Twilight does?
The CMC fucked up now didn't they?
Ok. Did not see that comming. That kinda came completly out of nowhere but... ill take it.
While I do have to agree with vren55 about execution, I must say I'm very interested in seeing where this is going!
8040092 68.media.tumblr.com/e267e7c32f100647641f3ca20b65f2d5/tumblr_inline_ofdndvR7rU1qgwxsu_500.png
It's time for the CMC and Gilda to get their ass beatening.
Are you going to write a chapter on what happens between sunset's death and before she wakes up?
8040125 Chapter 6 will explain further events. Worry not. Though, spoiler alert, she wasn't out for nearly as long as you might be thinking.
Ok. That did feel kinda out of left field, though as you said, lack of ways to actually foreshadow it. Plus I am a big fan of the backstory for the Sirens here, so I'll run with it.
My only real complaint is that Sunset seemed to have changed her name awful fast. I personally think it may have felt more natural if she'd done that after haveing spent some time getting used to the idea of being the new queen of the sirens. That said, Sunset Stanza is a fantastic siren name for her.
Hmmmm. Interesting.
I like it!
8040138 Pony names don't hold the same weight as humans. Besides, it was more of an alteration than a full change. Sunset is still Sunset, in more ways than one. Wanted to add another detail of why she was willing to change it, but it slowed down the pacing and would have required addressing of another piece of backstory with Sunset that will appear next chapter.
Overall, by human standards, you're right, she did do so quickly. Pony standards, not really. It'll be brought up in conversation.
Glad you enjoyed the backstory by the by! It was one of my favorite parts to write of this chapter.
Not to interested in the Shimmer Siren twist. More interested in how things played out if Sunset Shimmer stayed dead. How things turned out. Let's face it in morning when Rainbow Dash wakes up she is going to go balistic. Portal Twilight will go into eye twice mode. The other four humane will always feel guilty for abandoning them. Rainbow Dash Pony will comment how only she figured her human would be true to her element. Princess Celestia will rain justice across human world. Discord will resurrect Shimmer where she and him will set at his pocket dismestion house watching them all on tv with Shimmer deciding if she wants to live again and or not. Not sure Siren queen suits her. But hey your story and I'll read a few more chapters before I decide if I like it or not.
8040425 I wouldn't call it a twist as much as a plot point. Was tempted for a few seconds to just kill her, but that's been done before to varying levels of success (IMO), and that's not quite the angst i'd like here. Sunset dies, guilt all around, Twilight screaming, etcetera. There's no fun there. Wanted to try something that hadn't been done yet, or at least not with a wider scope. Explore new possibilities.
You aren't alone in thinking that. Sunset isn't exactly going to wake up and just feel 'royal'. She was offered a chance to not die and grabbed it. The stipulations will catch up with her. i doubt she feels as though it 'suits her' very well at all.
8040381
That's a good point. I have seen stories where ponies do things like change there name when the get there cutie mark if the name and the mark don't match well or something. I'll just assume something like that is the case in this telling, and my brain won't have any more problems
Can't wait to see Gilda and her gang get locked up in jail for what they have done.
8040438 no worries still interested in reading. And haven't read any stories with her death yet besides yours. I'll be waiting on your next chapters while not my normal intrest as long as there is no major romance or shipping crap and the focus is on story and not who secretly loves who I'll be waiting. I am interested in seeing more of what happened to Sirens after RR tales.
8040908 I have a multitude of things in mind. Hope you enjoy.
wow, did not see that one coming, but it sounds pretty interesting. Keep up the awesome work
Well, you said things were going to be similar and then completely different later on.
You didn't lie.
Can't wait to see what she meant by dark healing magic can only go so far.
And congratulations on getting featured!
Also ...
I understand that all too well.
8042016 Always glad to hear, friend! The sirens were always my favorite part of the Equestria Girls world, so I hope to do them justice. Sunset is a close second, making a very interesting protagonist with what we do and don't know about her.
Thanks for the congrats, that really hit me out of nowhere!
The magic will be coming into play right away in the next chapter, and not just with our new friend Stanza.
Ok
I was not expecting this.
I was expecting it ending the other way. But now this whole goddess thing . well its a new take and i cant wait to see what happens next!
Saw more elements from of stories like you mentioned. But I'm still enjoying the story plot, looking forward to seeing how this will all play out.
Is Rainbow's father going to press charges?
I think Fluttershy might get arrested since it was her phone that was used for the trap.
Highly enjoyable, can't wait to see what's next. XD
8045044
Okay, I'm keeping an eye on this one.
I'm a bit confused by this. The Anon-A-Miss story takes place between Rainbow Rocks and Friendship Games (as evidenced by the lack of Sci-Twi). So when did Nightshade "bump into her" exactly?
This is a great story though! I'm eagerly awaiting the next chapter.
The friendship games as in the one 4 years ago. Not the recent one. Cause they have it every 4 years.
But I like the sudden twist in events.
Getting real interesting
Not thrilled with this siren Sunset idea.
Dash, try to remember the basics of CQC.
Okay. This is... unexpected.
🌆+🎶🐠=👍
8448802
That took me a second, haha!
I think you mean her.
8468270
Fixed. Thanks for pointing that out
“...Time of Death, 5:17 am.”
I was gonna scream bruh.
Why did you even bother with the name change if you were just going to change her last name?
It is a pointless change that never really comes up. Honestly how often does someone even mention your last name?
I understand this was probably to make it easier on you to write out the scenes, but seriously if you are going to say that she is being reborn with a whole different name than go all in with that idea.
Truthfully I was pumped when she said her name was Stanza...then I lost all tension when she said Sunset Stanza...
Everyone is still going to call her Sunset anyway, so what was the point of the name change?
Heck if you changed the first name and made it Stanza Shimmer that would have made sense since people would be calling her by her new name.
I am not hating on you, and I do like the story. I just cannot understand the thought process behind adding the name change mechanic if you do not actually change her name.