Chapter 16- Doppelgangers
The Nightmare’s Moon costume and prop emporium stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the rest of the stores and kiosks at the Canterlot Mall. While most stores celebrated the upcoming holiday with tasteful window displays or the occasional cardboard standee, the Nightmare’s Moon was only around for a short time before it’s namesake holiday, and it went all out for those precious few weeks in order to draw in as much of the business that was its lifeblood as it could.
A pair of seven foot gargoyles flanked the entry, leering down at prospective customers with blank eyes. Synthetic spider webs covered half the ceiling, dotted randomly with giant plastic spiders and the mummified remains of their imagined victims. Creepy background music screeched from hidden speakers, and black painted walls and floors gave the entire place a dark, eerie look.
Every square foot of the place was positively packed with shelves, displays, and standing hangers, all filled to bursting with costumes and props for Nightmare Night. From classic monsters, to modern fairy tales, to obscure television shows, they had it all. So packed was it that on looking in, one might be forgiven for believing that it went on forever. The only thing breaking the mood was the checkout counter near the entrance, where a bored-looking attendant leafed through a magazine by the light of a small reading lamp.
Sonata pouted as she checked her phone. She and Aria were supposed to meet up to get lunch and spend the day together, but when she arrived at their designated meeting spot her sister was nowhere to be seen. Sonata had never been a very patient girl, so after about five minutes of waiting she had sent her sister a text.
-Ariiiii, wher r u??? I ben waiting 5ever!
-Thats longr then 4ever!
To her surprise, her answer had come almost immediately.
Aria (2):
-Black waters, Sonata! Learn to fucking text!
-I found that costume shop Bacon Bits told me about. This place kicks ass!
Sonata’s face brightened. A costume shop! That sounded fun!
-Ill b rite there!
Aria (3):
-Nuh-uh. No way. This place is a fucking mess, I’d never find you in here.
-I’m almost done anyway, I’ll meet you outside.
-Besides, isn’t your pal Rarity making your costume?
Sonata frowned at that. She would not get lost in a store! How old did Aria think she was, fifty? So what if she already had a costume, trying them on was fun! After a few minutes wandering the mall, she had found the store. She grinned, preparing to go in, when her phone buzzed again.
Aria:
-Sonata? I mean it, don’t you dare go in that store!
Sonata pouted as she read the message. Then, her eyes lit up with a mischievous glint.
-Ok Ari, whatevr u say.
Then she grinned, hit the send button, and skipped into the store.
The place was even cooler than she had imagined. It took her only a minute to become lost in the labyrinth of merch, surrounded on all sides by capes and dresses and hot dog suites, by sparkling wands and wicked scythes. So many neat toys and outfits, just waiting to be touched and played with! Sonata spun around with a massive grin on her face, eyes wide as a kid in a candy store. She was going to try them all!
Where to start? There were pirates, and ninjas, and spooky scary skeletons! She could be anything, like a mermaid or a popstar! Or a mermaid popstar! Wouldn’t that be original? Deeper she delved, like that guy with the yarn ball and the minotaur, exploring the poorly lit store with a sense of wonder and excitement. She and her sisters had never really celebrated human holidays, which was a shame because they always looked so fun! Turning a corner, she came across a rack of glowing swords, flashing with red, blue, and green light. She picked one up, giggling as it made a distinctive vmmmm-vmmmm sound with every swing. She struck a heroic pose, thrusting the glow-sword up toward the ceiling. She was Sonata Dusk: Rave Knight!
She twirled the sword in her hand, giggling as it hummed along with every move. “Hello! My name is Sonata Dusk! You killed my father, prepare to die!” She took another swing, only for the blade to catch on something behind her, yanking it out of her hand. She heard a crash! and cringed as tiaras and ninja stars skittered across the floor, their display tipping over and crashing into another shelf, sending dozens of costumes to the floor.
“Oopsies…”
Covering her mouth, she looked frantically back and forth to check if anyone had seen her. Fortunately, no salespeople were there to yell at her, and no customers were rushing off to tattle to the manager. She breathed a sigh of relief, and slowly edged herself out of the aisle, distancing herself from the scene of the crime as casually as possible. Maaaybe it would be better to take it slow, and not touch every little thing…
Maybe.
Where was everybody anyway? Between the low light, the labyrinthine aisles, and the way the piles of fabric muffled even the sound of her boots on the floor tiles, she might well have been the last person on the planet! Even the background music seemed to fade away so far into the store, leaving her with only her own thoughts and the smell of cheap fabric.
Needless to say, she was quite relieved to round the corner and spot a familiar head of violet hair, cut through with seafoam highlights. Aria! She almost called out to her sister, then stopped herself. The other siren was engrossed in the rack in front of her, thumbing through several sets of grey wizard’s robes. Sonata grinned, creeping forward with careful footsteps, carefully keeping her breathing down so her sister would not hear her coming. She stopped right behind her, raising her hands in claws as her grin grew to sharklike proportions.
“HEY ARIA!” She shouted, shooting her hands out to scrabble her fingers across the other girl’s sides.
“E-eeep!” She squealed.
…
Eeeep? That was not a sound Aria would make. Sonata’s eyes widened as the other girl whirled, eyes darting back and forth in panic. Sonata felt her face go red with embarrassment as she realized she had the wrong girl. Backing away, she barely managed to stutter out an apology before turning and dashing back out of the aisle. She thought she heard the other girl call after her, but she was far too embarrassed to stop.
It took a few minutes and several wrong turns, but Sonata eventually found her way back to the front of the store. She paused to catch her breath. Looking back into the store, she frowned. She really should go back to find that girl and give her a proper apology. But she sincerely doubted she would ever find her in that maze. Besides, looking back, the whole thing was rather silly. Just a funny little accident between two strangers in a costume shop. It was not like they would ever see each other again. Shrugging, she turned to look for Aria.
Her sister was standing just outside the store, an irritated look on her face as she glared down at her phone. By here feet rested a pair of massive, black paper bags emblazoned with the logo of the costume shop. Sonata smiled. Clearly she had finished her shopping while Sonata was wandering around inside the shop, so now they could hang out!
“Hey Aria!” Sonata called in greeting, stepping out to meet her fellow siren.
Aria snapped her head up, shooting Sonata a dirty look. “I knew you were gonna follow me in.”
Sonata giggled sheepishly, scuffing her boot on the floor. “Sorry Ari, I couldn’t resist. There’s so much cool stuff in there!”
Aria rolled her eyes, doing her best to look annoyed, but the slight smirk playing across her lips kind of ruined the effect. “You’re just the worst, you know that?”
“Nuh-uh, you are!” Sonata retorted, sticking her tongue out at the older siren.
Aria stepped forward with an almost believable glare. “You wanna say that to my face you little punk?” She asked, grabbing her sister by the collar and pulling her close. Her free hand shot up to tousle her hair before letting her go. “That’ll teach you!”
“Hey, no fair!” Sonata protested, brushing her long blue bangs out of her eyes. She shot Aria a glare, but it lacked any real venom and shortly they both broke down in a fit of laughter. THey recovered quickly, and Sonata looked to her sister with a smile. “This is nice, Aria. We never used to do this.”
“Yeah, I guess it kind of is,” Aria said thoughtfully. The she grinned, giving Sonata a gentle punch in the arm. “Come on, I’m hungry. Let’s hit the food court.”
“Oh yeah, I’m starving!” Sonata agreed eagerly. Then she let out an excited gasp. “Ari, do you think they have-?”
“Yes, Sonata,” Aria interrupted with a roll of her eyes, “I’m sure they have tacos.”
Sonata pumped her fist in excitement. “Yesss!”
The food court occupied a massive atrium in the south end of the mall. There the double leveled storefronts gave way to a single space, bordered by a huge semicircle of different restaurants, offering everything from sushi to pizzas to paninis. A giant fountain dominated the center, surrounded by dozens of tables seating hundreds of people. The tall, domed glass ceiling gave the entire space an airy, outdoorsy feel, even despite the crowd. The two girls paused for a moment, breathing in the scent of orange chicken, burnt cheese, and taco meat, wide grins adorning their faces.
“I gotta say, Sonata, you were right about food,” Aria admitted.
Sonata’s grin widened. “I told you you’d like it if you just tried it!” She sang. “Now come on, I’m gonna fall over if I don’t get some food in my belly!”
Aria rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay, we’ll get your damn tacos already.” Shaking her head, she followed her sister over to one of the restaurants and joined her in line.
“Oh yeah!” Sonata said after a few moments. Turning back to her sister, she grinned excitedly. “I almost forgot! I saw your double-banger in the costume shop.”
“Doppelganger,” Aria corrected reflexively. Then she blinked, her brain finally registering Sonata’s words. “Wait, the other Aria’s here!?”
Sonata tilted her head in thought, then shook it no. “No, I don’t think it was her, just a look-alike. It was really dark in there so I can’t be sure, but she didn’t punch me in the face when I tickled her.”
Aria shot her a look, “Let me get this straight. You met someone you thought might be my double, and decided to find out by molesting her in public, knowing full well that if it was her she would almost certainly kick your ass.”
“No!” Sonata huffed, “Of course not! How dumb do you think I am? Obviously, I tickled her before I knew it wasn’t you!”
Aria’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Sooo,” She said with deliberate slowness, “What you’re saying is: you went into the store alone, after I told you not to, tried to sneak up on me and tickle me, knowing full well that if it was me, I would almost certainly kick your ass?”
Sonata gulped, eying her sister nervously. “Umm… m-m-maybe?”
Aria growled. “So help me Sonata, when we get home I’m dumping all your stuffed animals in the washer with a bucket of bleach.”
“You can’t!” Sonata gasped, “Mr. Manatee is a mammal! He can’t hold his breath that long!”
Aria’s growl petered out to a low groan as her head fell into her hands. “Oceans, Sonata, you are just… such a moron.”
“Nuh-uh, you are!” Sonata countered.
Aria’s glare sharpened. “Watch it missy, you’re on thin ice.”
Sonata giggled. “Sorry, Ari!”
Rolling her eyes, Aria gave her head a good shake. Somehow, she always did this. She would be talking to Sonata, thinking they could have a normal, sane conversation for once, and then… She smiled, unable to suppress a small chuckle. “Never change, Sonata,” She said, hopefully quiet enough that her sister would not pick up on it. Still though, if Sonata was in a ticklish mood, Aria was going to have to be extra careful for the next few days. She hated being tickled.
Fortunately, it only took another minute or two for them to get their food. Sonata was grinning at her tray, piled high with crunchy tacos, while Aria balanced her own generous but far more reasonably portioned plate of chimichangas and a side order of churros. The two gazed out over the overcrowded cafeteria, until Sonata spotted a familiar face.
“Sunny!” The youngest siren shouted, making her way toward the girl’s nearly empty table, Aria close on her heels.
Sunset Shimmer looked up and smiled as she saw two of her favorite neighbors making their way toward her table. “Aria! Sonata! What brings you to here today?”
“Sister bonding day!” Sonata answered cheerily, balancing her tray in one hand and throwing her other arm around her sister’s shoulders.
“I needed a costume for Nightmare Night,” Aria said, trying to shrug free of Sonata’s hug, but with her arms full of food and merchandise it was a losing battle. She rolled her eyes. “Mind if we join you?”
“Of course!” Sunset said brightly, smiling. A month ago, Aria never would have joined her for lunch, let alone asked. She nodded to the two unattended trays of food next to her own. “You’ll have to pull up an extra chair so we have enough.”
“What, you mean all this isn’t for you?” Aria asked with a snort.
“Ha ha,” Sunset answered sarcastically, “I’m not that fat, thank you very much.”
“You aren’t fat at all!” Sonata chimed in.
Sunset smirked and Aria rolled her eyes. “Thank you, Sonata,” the former unicorn said.
“Welcome!” Sonata replied around a mouthful of tortilla and hamburger.
“So where are your friends?” Asked Aria, before taking a much more appropriately sized bite out of her own food.
“Bathroom,” Sunset answered. “We were going to see a movie later, Age of Megatron. You wanna join us?”
“Yes!” Sonata answered before Aria could be a grouch and say no.
The older siren shrugged, chewing thoughtfully. “Maybe, depends who it is.”
Sunset nodded, “Fair enough. It’s Twilight, and uh, a friend from home.”
Aria raised her eyebrow questioningly. “And by ‘home’ you mean…?”
Sunset nodded. “Yeah, she’s from the other side. She’s the Equestrian Twilight’s personal friendship student.”
“W-wait!” Aria laughed, nearly choking on her chimichanga, “Did you say friendship student?” Even Sonata broke into a giggle at that. “What the fuck is a friendship student?”
Sunset blushed. “W-well, she could explain it better than me, probably. I mean, I’m kind of Twilight’s friendship student too but-” She was cut off by another round of laughter from the sirens. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” She said, retreating into her plate of noodles.
Aria pinched the bridge of her nose, finally coming down from laughing. “No no, it’s just… only a pony would come up with something like that. Oh, the poor thing, I almost feel sorry for her. At least you get to live in an entirely different dimension from that shit.”
Sonata has to suppress a bout of hiccups as she came down from her giggling. “Yeah, heehee, I bet, hahaha, I bet she spends all her time arranging flowers, a-and flying kites!”
“What’s wrong with flying kites?” A pouty voice asked from behind the two sirens. They whirled, spotting the newcomer, a lavender skinned girl with purple and teal hair that matched Aria’s nearly to a tee. Sonata gasped and hid her face behind her hand, recognizing the girl from the costume shop. Aria frowned, looking the unfamiliar girl up and down. She wore a mint green shirt under a black vest, and her tight jeans were torn at the knees and thighs. The siren glanced down at her own outfit, a torn, green vest over an off-white shirt and black jeans, the same outfit she wore on her first visit to Canterlot High School. She looked back at the girl and frowned.
“This bitch is totally ripping off my style,” She decided.
Sunset laughed out loud, nearly toppling out of her chair. The new girl glanced down at her outfit, looking distinctly uncomfortable. “S-sorry?” She said, “I don’t really have any other clothes…”
“It’s fine, Starlight!” Sunset said, coughing politely into her fist. “Have a seat, they don’t bite. These are my neighbors, Aria and Sonata.” She motioned to the two sirens.
Starlight nodded and awkwardly took her seat, which happened to be next to Aria’s. She subtly leaned away from the leering girl. “Hiiii,” She said, drawing out the greeting with a wide, strained smile. “My name is Starlight Glimmer. It’s, uh, nice to meet you?”
“Sup,” Aria nodded, her scowl easing back to normal levels. The siren extended her fist in greeting, and Starlight looked at it in confusion before hesitantly meeting it with her own. Aria’s frown deepened, albeit in a thoughtful way rather than a threatening one this time. “You’re gonna need some work if you’re gonna try to rock the whole punk look.”
“Okay?” Starlight said, looking to Sunset for guidance.
Sunset smirked. “Relax, that just means she likes you, right Aria?”
“Up yours, Bacon Bits,” Aria retorted, presenting her middle finger.
“See?” Sunset said with a smile. “That’s just how she shows affection.”
Aria groaned. “You’re worse than Adagio.”
“I will take that as a compliment!” Sunset grinned. Then her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Um, Sonata? You’re being unusually quiet over there.”
“No I’m not!” The younger siren protested, slouching in her chair as she continued to hide behind her hands. The others stared at her, the gears slowly clicking into place for Aria and Starlight. Their eyes widened as they both came to the same realization.
“Oh my gods, it was her-”
“Wait, you were the one-”
“I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to I thought you were Aria!” Sonata shouted before clapping her hand back over her mouth, blushing profusely.
Aria rolled her eyes, sniggering. “Smooth, Nata. Real smooth.”
Sunset looked at the trio in confusion, glancing between the sisters and Starlight, who was watching them warily with her hands covering her sides. “Wait,” She said, “Am I missing something here?”
“Oh yeah,” Aria said with a savage grin, “Sonata met your friend in the costume shop and decided to feel her up!”
“What!? No!”
“She didn’t-”
Both girls protested, faces flushed as red as Sunset’s hair as Aria laughed at their embarrassment. Sunset continued to look between the girls, before her eyes flashed with realization and she donned a grin of her own. “So Sonata mistook Starlight for you, and her first thought was to try groping her?”
And just like that Aria had joined the red face club. “W-wait, no, that’s not what-”
Sunset laughed, cutting her off with a raised hand. “It’s alright, guys, I get it. It was just an innocent mixup, right?” The other girls seemed to relax on getting let off the hook, although all three still bore a slight blush, and Aria crossed her arms with a pout. Chuckling softly, the redhead turned her attention to Starlight. “Hey, what happened to Twily?”
Starlight blinked, seeming to come back to the situation. “Oh, um, she noticed that your uh, friends joined us, so she said to go ahead while she grabbed ice cream for everyone.”
Aria grinned. “I knew there was a reason I liked her.”
Sunset nodded. “She’s pretty sweet.” She blinked, blushing slightly as she realized what she just said, but fortunately for her no one seemed to notice.
“Wait wait wait,” Starlight said, suddenly fixing the sirens with an icy glare, “What is wrong with flying kites?”
Aria rolled her eyes, waving her off. “Nothing, don’t worry about it.”
“I actually kind of like flying kites…” Sonata said hesitantly. Starlight’s eyes brightened and she smiled.
“So,” Aria said, interrupting before they could get too into whatever they were getting into. “What is Princess Bitchass’ personal student doing in this backwater little world?”
Starlight’s eyes widened and she looked to Sunset in near panic. “They know!?”
“It’s okay Glimmy!” Sunset said, raising her hands in a placating gesture. “They’re alright, they came from Equestria too.” She turned a stern look on the sirens. “Also, please don’t call her ‘Princess Bitchass,’ she’s my friend.”
Aria scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Gotta tell them apart somehow, and I actually like our Sparky.”
“Hey girls!” The human Twilight Sparkle said cheerfully, balancing a tray with six ice cream sundaes and six plastic spoons. “I got hot fudge, caramel, and strawberry!”
“Thanks, Twi,” Sunset said with a smile, taking the tray off her hands so she could sit down.
Aria nodded. “You rock, Sparky,” She said, sticking out her hand for a fist bump, which the bookworm returned with a giggle.
“Anytime, Ari.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow at the exchange. She knew the two had hit it off at the music festival, but she didn’t realize they were on such good terms. She smirked inwardly as she snagged the last strawberry sundae. Even Aria was warming up to the girls, despite her rocky reaction to Starlight. Maybe the sirens really were coming out of their shells.
“Hey, Twily,” Sonata asked around a mouthful of sticky caramel, “How come you got six ice creams?”
Twilight blinked, glancing around the table. “Oh, I guess I just assumed Adagio would be with you. Isn’t she?”
Aria shook her head. “Nah, she went in to the SCC today. She actually likes that job.” She scoffed. “Oceans know why.”
“Ooh!” Sonata gasped, “If she’s not here can I have the extra?”
“Oh,” Starlight said, looking disappointed. She lowered her hand back to the table. Clearly she had been about to ask the same thing, before Sonata beat her to the punch.
“It’s alright, Glimmy!” Sonata said happily, “We can share!”
Aria groaned. “You’d better not go reaching across me, I don’t want to have to clean ice cream off my pants, and I really don’t want to explain the stains to Adagio.” Everyone at the table shuddered, except Starlight, who had yet to meet the eldest siren.
They ate their ice cream in peace for a while, before Starlight broke the ice. “So, you two are from Equestria? I don’t remember Twilight saying anything about ponies other than Sunset living on this side of the portal.”
Aria flashed a predatory grin, exchanging a knowing look with Sonata, who once again was giggling behind her hand. “Not quite,” The elder siren said, drawing out her answer dramatically. “We’re actually ancient monsters who fed on hate and conflict and used our power to bend ponies to our will. We were banished here for our crimes, where we continued our reign of terror for a thousand years before a certain incident robbed us of our powers.”
“Oh,” Starlight said, visibly relaxing. “That’s a relief.” The rest of the table stared at her for several long, awkward moments, clearly expecting any other reaction. She blushed, scooting down in her chair. “W-what?”
Sunset rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Anyway, that’s a slight exaggeration,” She said, shooting Aria a look. “These two and their sisters were actually the sirens of Equestrian legend.”
“Are, the sirens of Equestrian legend,” Aria corrected firmly, “We aren’t dead yet.”
“Right, sorry,” Sunset said sheepishly, “I didn’t mean it like that.”
Aria rolled her eyes. “Sure.”
“Oh yeah,” Starlight said, nodding, “Twilight- er, Princess Twilight had a book on them- you- whatever. You were banished here by Starswirl the Bearded, right?”
Sunset cleared her throat loudly, drawing her hand across her throat urgently. Aria rolled her eyes. “Relax, Sunny. I’m not gonna blow up just because I heard that old bastard’s name,” The siren said. Then she turned to Starlight. “But on that note, don’t say that old bastard’s name, it pisses me off. He couldn’t beat us in a fair fight, so he sent us here to this magic-blind world in an attempt to starve us to death. He was an asshole, and I don’t care what your history books say.”
“To be fair,” Sunset interjected, “Although the history books paint him as a hero- rightfully I might add, as he was a very accomplished sorcerer and he saved Equestria from numerous threats, including yourselves- everything I’ve read does make him seem like kind of a dick.” Both Twilight and Starlight gasped.
Aria nodded in satisfaction. “Damn straight.” The table fell silent as the rest of the girls ate their ice cream.
“Oh, I’ve been just dying to ask,” Twilight said as they were all finishing up, “But you know how there’s, ah, two of me? A pony one, and me? And Sunny says that there are pony versions of most of our friends, and the principals are like, literal goddesses in Equestria-”
“I never said that,” Sunset interjected.
“They move the sun and moon Sunset!” Twilight exclaimed. Then she turned back to the sirens. “I guess what I’m asking is, did you ever run into your human selves?”
Sunset laughed, looking between Aria and Starlight. “If I didn’t already know better, I’d almost guess it was you two.”
Sonata laughed. “I thought that at first, too! But human Aria is always a lot meaner!” The others stared at her in shock, save for Aria, who was chuckling.
“I-is?” Sunset asked in surprise.
“Oh, don’t act so shocked,” Aria griped. “Like you said, Celestia and Luna are around. They cycle through every generation or so.”
“W-wait, what do you mean ‘cycle through?’” Sunset asked in confusion.
Aria rolled her eyes. “What, are you dense? You think it’s just a coincidence your princesses both happen to exist at the same time as you coming here, despite the fact that humans only live about eighty years on average? You ever notice how there are an awful lot of famous people named Celestia? Ever notice how most of them look really familiar?”
Twilight gasped. “A-are you saying our principals are immortal!?”
Aria facepalmed. “No, Sparky, just no. Look, I dunno why, but for some reason this world seems to parallel a lot of what happens in Equestria. Can’t really confirm that, because we’re fucking banished, but we noticed pretty quickly that there were a lot of familiar names hanging about the human world. Celestia, Luna, Sombra… Starswirl,” She growled. “Oddly enough, a lot of ponies that we hated. Anyway, it seemed like every few decades one of them would rise to power somewhere in the world, like some sort of reincarnation. The humans think it’s all coincidence, aside from a few nutjob conspiracy theorists, but most don’t pay it any mind. It’s not too surprising, actually. Powerful families name their kids after other powerful people, and they grow to fill that roll like a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
“But we always suspected it was more than coincidence. You wouldn’t notice it unless you lived through it all like we did, but in most cases the… well, the doppelgangers were pretty much identical to their past selves, like some sort of reincarnation. More than that, a lot of them paralleled their Equestrian likenesses, like Celestia the First being known as the Queen of the Sun, or the various Sombra’s almost universally being evil bastards.”
Aria paused her lecture to eat another spoonful of ice cream. “Of course, now that we know about your little group, I’m pretty sure it’s more than coincidence. I think whatever hole Starswirl punched in this world has let a certain amount of magic through to influence history, and exceptionally powerful beings on your side are sort of copied over here because of their influence. Ironically, that little bit of magic is probably what kept us from starving all those years.” She glanced around the table, finally noticing the other girls’ looks as they listened with rapt attention. She blushed a little as they all stared at her. “What?” She snapped.
“That makes so much sense,” Sunset said, shaking her head. “I mean, that answers so many questions I had.”
“It’s an interesting magical theory…” Starlight admitted, “I’ll have to look into it when I get back.”
“Ooh, you have to let me help you!” Twilight insisted excitedly. Then she turned back to the sirens. “Wait, you still didn’t answer my question. Have you ever met yourselves?”
Sonata giggled. “All the time! Well, not all the time, but we usually run into each other every couple of decades, right Aria?”
Aria waved her hand in a so-so gesture. “We don’t exactly go looking for them, but we’ll usually pay them a visit if they become famous or one of them makes the news.” She smirked. “My human self is some of my favorite people.”
“Ouch,” Sunset cringed, rubbing her temples with a groan. “I don’t even want to think about that sentence.”
“I always like playing with my self when she’s around!” Sonata piped up.
“I really don’t want to think about that sentence!” Sunset groaned again, hitting her head on the table. Aria cackled as Starlight and Twilight went red with embarrassment.
Sonata looked around in confusion. “W-what? What did I say?”
“Nothing!” Sunset insisted. She made a point of looking at her bare wrist. “Oh look, it’s time for the movie. Let’s go before this conversation gets any weirder.”
“Agreed!” Starlight and Twilight said in unison.
“Oh!” Sonata said excitedly, “I’m sitting next to Sunny!”
“Aw, I was gonna sit next to Sunny,” Twilight and Starlight said, still speaking in tandem.
“It’s okay, Sparky,” Aria said, “You can sit by me, and we can put loooots of distance between us and Sonata’s grabby little fingers.”
“Aw, you know you love it, Ari,” Sonata giggled, poking her sister’s unprotected side.
Aria jumped with a yelp. “Gods damn it, Sonata!” She shouted, taking off after the youngest siren.
“We’ll meet you at the theater!” Sunset called after the pair, chuckling.
“I swear, Sonata, you and your toys will rot in Tartarus!”
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I realize that I'm super behind on everything (I stopped watching in general after Season 4), but what I've seen of Starlight fits her here, at least.
Or, in a nutshell:
oi41.tinypic.com/qxnc4y.jpg
Rave Knight Sonata sounds like it would be a great anime.
Sounds fun.
That is an anime.
Food courts are great.
Doppleganger.
You're, not too smart.
Hope it's good.
She does have a kite fetish.
That'd do it.
Probably.
Understandable.
That has got to suck for you.
As something of a grammar nazi, that sentence makes my eye twitch.
Dammit Sonata...
That's our cue; HIT IT!
Hmm, it makes me wonder if equestia's citizens are causing the dopplegangers to pop up in eqg could the reverse happen. With sombra's death in equestria would that stop a new one showing up in eqg or if one currently exists in eqg could that revive sombra in equestria?
Yes im thinking more into this then i should.
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Starlight is a pretty divisive character, admittedly, and I almost hesitated to put her in, but honestly she is one of my favorite characters in the main show. Little Glimmy is an adorable lil NEEEEEEEEEEERD!
8597932
There's gotta be one out there haha.
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)
The real question is... HOW WOULD WE KNOW???
(Remember, this is all conjecture on Aria's part. She may not necessarily be 100% correct
8597975
This chapter was supposed to come out in October
But, to celebrate, regardless of season:
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I've been in a couple stores like this, and yeah they are usually pretty interesting
Probably several, to be honest, but I'm pretty sure I know the one you mean. Although this line was more Sonata forgetting that she is a mermaid popstar
Went back and forth on this several times, but doppelganger is correct. Thanks for keeping an eye out though!
You and Sunset both!
https://youtu.be/pZwYWYuqbj8?t=12
the power of SciSet is always more powerful !!!
Returning serious, congratulations for this chapter I liked a lot and I'm glad to see that you're back to regularly update this story. It would have been a shame to abandon it. I await the next chapters with trepidation.
Supposed to be "try" them all.
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I really should just stop thinking so much
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SciSet > TwiSet
Glad you liked it! I'm hoping to keep up the regular updates at least through December. It's a busy month, but the next couple of chapters shouldn't be too intensive.
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Thanks for the catch!
8598288
I cannot condone that, thinking is usually a healthy thing to do
Hah, i instantly love this story twice as much as I did before since you came up with a reason why the Equestrian immortals have living human counterparts. Not a lot of fics do that, that I've seen. Excellent chapter!
I think sonata is acting like a ditz on purpose to throw all of the innuendo in.
I wondered about this, what with Celestia and Luna existing at the same time in both worlds. Good explanation.
Now that Starswirl's returned in canon, I wonder if he'll make a cameo. I'm sure the Sirens would love to take out some frustration on the prick who tried to starve them to death.
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Thanks! I was pretty proud of the idea, to be honest. And with the sirens living as long as they do, it was the perfect opportunity to come up with something
8598742
Maybe
8598786
Thanks! I've never been the biggest fan of the idea that the human world was completely reliant on Equestria (though a few stories do it well I suppose). But leaking magic messing with the natural order of things? That only makes too much sense!
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I was torn, when the finale came out, but I already have a plan for revealing the lore, so as far as this story is concerned Starswirl passed a thousand years ago. His journal, however, will likely make an appearance
Is Sunset agreeing with herself?
8599493
Fixed! Thank you!
You mean Starlight and Twilight?
Great chapter!
This was a good chapter, and the lore dump had some neat ideas delivered without being intrusive. I have yet to meet someone whose first choice of words to describe Star Swirl wasn't 'dick.'
A couple of times here I think you have 'out' when you mean 'our.' I liked Starlight's relief after Aria said this, though, like she'd been worried about having to stand on ceremony for more high-and-mighty pony role models, but actually ended up with two Equestrians closer to Trixie in personality
8599625
Thanks! That one was found and taken care of
8599770
Oh well, I'll take care of it. Thanks!
Besides, I already made Aria the accidental exposition fairy back in Chapter 8, so now she's stuck with the job!
Whoops, another typo? Haha, guess I should have run this chapter through one more round of editing
Anyway, yeah I've been looking for a way to slip the lore in for a while, and with Starlight having such a similar color scheme to Aria, I figured I'd borrow that old joke and run with it
Wonder how'll the Sirens will react when the Pillars of Light are back in Equestria?
8599861 I'm really glad you wrote a bigger answer to the Wonderbolts bit, because there's a lot to say
I completely agree! Every school has a soccer team, where the Wonderbolts are the pride of Equestria. And while both Wonderbolts and soccer teams can, I'm sure, be dicks more often than not, the Wonderbolts are at least daredevils, and do risk life and limb every show, rather than just kicking a round thing about.
That said, I've come more around to the view that it's not the EG world that's parallel to Equestria; it's CHS that is. And the soccer team tends to be comparatively famous and popular in-school, on the same sort of scale that Wonderbolts are in Equestria. I realised earlier today it's the same thing Bowling For Soup were singing about:
Even so, I pondered it for a long time a while ago, but there's just no perfect answer that I could find. No human equivalent ticks all the boxes Wonderbolts do. They're physically athletic, they're super-famous, they're a team, they love to fly and travel fast, take great risks, and they have the whole military angle too. A flight display team wouldn't be famous enough, a sports team wouldn't have the daring angle or the flight, and something like an F1 racing team wouldn't have quite the same team spirit, or physical prowess.
So I think it really comes down to what traits you want to emphasise on the characters in the story, because they can't all be done
And as a (presumably one-off) appearance here, you got their fame and their edge, and it fitted really well 
8599873 I imagine that's not the worst kind of fairy to be, if you're Aria. At least if the whirling typhoon of violence fairy is already taken?
It's a good joke! There needs to be a lot more interaction between those two
8600526
True! There are a lot of ways they could be utilized, and it depends on the scope of the story. If it were taking place entirely within CHS, then having the Wonderbolts be the senior team or something works. But yeah, there really is no perfect parallel for them. Fortunately for me, I don't really need to worry about it in this story
Interesting theory about CHS being the epicenter of the parallels, what with the portal being RIGHT THERE. Although, I feel like you would need to at least include the whole of Canterlot City in that parallel, since you have Cadance and the Sparkle family over in crystal prep. Beyond that though, I guess all the parallels really are centered around the high school specifically... Well, there's Flim and Flam, and the Cakes, but we could call them alumni!
8600563
Aria could be the tooth fairy! Except she punches you in the face, then takes your teeth and money.
Right? So many people made the joke when Starlight was introduced, but I don't think anyone ever tackled it in a story. I'm not sure I've ever really seen her interact with any of the Dazzlings, for that matter. Which is a real shame, because there's a lot of interesting ideas you could play with there, like the fact that their goals and MO were the exact opposite in every way. Starlight was totally 1984, while the Dazzlings just oozed F451.
8598513
No problem.
8600613 Huh, sorry, I figured I'd already bored you with the the-EG-world-is-CHS suggestion before elsewhere, so I didn't go into it much here. I like the idea that Trixie goes from an antagonist who reappears once every three seasons to a classmate that they don't particularly like, but still see every day. Celestia moves from ruler of the world to ruler of the school, and distant ponies like Octavia in Canterlot are actually just in a different class (I think?). And I really like how, by the time of Legend Of Everfree, it's kind of just a greatest hits of the fandoms favourite ponies, with the mane cast backed up by Trixie, Lyra, Bon Bon, Derpy, Bulk Biceps, and not many others.
However, I think the parallel world being just CHS (and Sugarcube Corner, I guess) only really lasted for the first EG film; even by Rainbow Rocks we were hanging out at Pinkie's house and Applejack's garage. And then Friendship Games brought in Crystal Prep, (though as that's analogous to the Crystal Empire, it's sort of a different land anyway, so I was wrong in saying that CHS is the parallel world, it's more that it's a parallel Equestria, so the Crystal Empire would (sort of
) be outside that anyway). But then Legend Of Everfree rather scuppers that, so by that point it really doesn't matter.
Aria as the tooth fairy could work! And it suits the wispy wings of their ponied-up forms.
There was one which properly went into the similarity between them design-wise, and Justice3442 wrote a comedy one-shot of them interacting which if I remember rightly remarked on at least their physical similarities. I had a siren meta-commentary on Starlight as a villain and her backstory, but I hadn't really thought to compare the methods used.
I do know that the only Aria x Starlight shipping story has my name on it, though. Even if writing it was an accident
8603930
Don't you hate it when canon just blasts apart your carefully crafted lore? But even so, I think I'd be willing to buy that the farther away you get from the portal, the less influence it has. That could explain why, say, Crystal Prep exists, but isn't run by Sombra. Or why the Everfree Forest has magic, but not the evil, malignant magic of the Equestrian version. Although the biggest problem always comes back to Twilight, and why she was in the Crystal Empire/Academy instead of Canterlot where she belongs!
I do appreciate how much we get to see of some of the background "ponies" in the EG verse. Bulk is my personal fave, (I don't think Trixie quite counts as background anymore haha)
I'll have to check those two stories out! I just read Love Call like last week, so I can check out Mother without being totally lost!
I do really need to reread that Eyeball story again, don't I? I somehow forgot that Starlight was in it entirely
8604038 I don't mind if the thing canon replaces it with is just as good or better, but when it's not, then yeah
I think expanding it from just CHS was probably necessary once they started making further installments, though, to offer a wider range of plots, and also just so every EG movie doesn't look identical. That's a great theory about distance from the portal being tied into how closely paralleled the worlds are, though, I really like that. I guess it could be that the events leading to her being sent to Ponyville in the series instead had her sent to Crystal Prep in EG, though there's no handy portal-based explanation for what that might be.
Would be nice to see more of the background characters talking in EG, though, as they all have voices now and the fans are all onboard with them. Though they've started including the pony versions a lot more in season seven, so maybe that'll come soon.
I haven't got around to reading Love Call yet (I was put off by the OC thing, but I'm thinking the rest of Justice's output is so good that I should give it a chance), so I read Aria Blaze, Mother! without knowing the main backstory and don't think I missed too much, plot-wise. Very funny either way
By virtue of it being the only story for that ship, I think I can say free from ego that if you want to see that ship, then yes, you do need to reread it. But if you don't want to, then it's entirely your decision, and it probably hasn't changed much since you last read it
8604078
I'm definitely happy that they expanded past CHS. The EG world is so much fun to write in, because there's still so much room for speculation and fan theories. Plus, it's cool to have an excuse to get characters together that otherwise never meet.
I could do with a nice long conversation between Bulk and Big Mac, myself. But yeah, the extended use of background characters is one of the best things to come from Season 7. And even for people that don't like Starlight, it's gotta be nice having an excuse to bring in characters like Trixie and Maud.
It's definitely pretty fun, but you'd probably want to read SweetieMash chronicals first, since most of the humor comes from the characterization of Button's mom. As far as OCs go, she is pretty entertaining. And honestly, Justice's stuff is always worth the read haha. I'll check out Mother soon. It's one I had wanted to read, then didn't because sequel, then forgot about by the time I actually read the prequel.
That's true! Well, it's a funny story regardless, so it's worth the revisit. Plus, cactus.
8604110 Thanks, I will give SweetieMash a look when I have a chance
I'm just off to read his new Chrysalis one now.
Awww, Sonata is so cute. Sunny and Glimmy are cool too. XD I want to see both Aria's get together and go on a troll spree.
8604228
I definitely need to read that soon!
8604261
Thanks! We may be learning more about human Aria soon.
8604345
*Dramatci gasp of enjoyment*
derpicdn.net/img/2017/10/11/1558656/large.png
That's an interesting theory and, yes, like you, I'm pretty sure that there is magical 'contamination' of the human world that may or may not be as old as the exile of the Sirens. When I first saw Legend of Everfree, I initially thought it was confirmation of that before the final pre-credits scene of the rupture in the portal at Canterlot High.
It's interesting though: Why no human Sunset? I suspect that there is something unique about her...
8608500
For sure! I'll expand on the idea a bit more down the line (probably far, far down the line at this point, haha) but that's about the idea I'm going for.
Hmm, it's a big world, so she could be out there somewhere. Although I don't think she will show up in this particular story.
Got so excited reading this paragraph. Didn’t expect Glimmy in this story, and now I’m hype. Great chapter.
8609384
I do love me some Glimmy! I don't know how much she will be in the story, but I couldn't leave her out entirely, especially after Mirror Magic.
And I'm all caught up now. Good story so far.
I'm liking the talk of dimensional counterparts...but that brings something to mind, all because of something said a few chapters back:
let's take a look at that last bit:
notice how she said IMMORTALS: that one word raises a number of questions, including:
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...and if you're reading this, Silver Quill, I apologize for borrowing your gag from yourEquestria Girls review8677478
Ooh, keeping me on my toes here
A lot of the answer comes from the fact that it's just Adagio speaking, so her information is not totally accurate. I have their backstory more or less fleshed out, but I haven't gotten to the point in the story where I want to share it yet, so I'll do the best I can to answer your questions without spoilers.
Yes, as well as a few others (notably Celestia, Luna, and Sombra)
Sonata and Aria saw the human Twilight at the Sisterhood Social in Sisterhood, but Sunset's party would be their first time actually meeting her. As of now (in this story's canon), she is the only human version of Twilight Sparkle. While Princess Twilight is an alicorn, she only just became one, so there wouldn't have been others before. (Obviously the Dazzlings first encounter with the Equestrian Twilight Sparkle was at the Battle of the Bands)
Assuming the show doesn't retcon itself and add a bunch of alicorns from the distant past, no, it would just have been Celestia and Luna. Until we get a clear answer from the show about Cadance's origin, I'm just assuming she wasn't around back then and so the sirens wouldn't have noticed her reincarnations, if she's even had any.
No, Sombra would count. As for any others, maybe. I haven't had a good reason to bring it up so I haven't really thought much about it. Chrysalis comes to mind, but considering her nature, even if she was being reincarnated in the human world she probably kept a low profile.
They never encountered the principals, but they might have run into some of their former incarnations. They at least know of them, as Aria was saying in this chapter.
Not really, I just mean ageless and really powerful, but not unbeatable or unkillable.
Not really, they didn't age in the human world for a thousand world, and their magic kept them healthy and made them stronger than most humans, but they could still be injured or killed.
About a thousand in the human world. They don't really remember much from Equestria, but no more than a few decades there before their banishment.
Oh, and as a point, they also likely encountered the human version of Starswirl, but since he wasn't immortal he wouldn't have been reincarnated. Any other mortal doubles would have been beneath their notice whether they were there or not, and at this point they've been in the human world long enough that, until they met Sunset and her friends, they would have had no way of knowing if any of the humans had Equestrian counterparts. They could only observe the reincarnation cycle for the immortals' counterparts, so Adagio wouldn't have known any better.
Thanks for the comment! I love knowing people are interested enough to ask these kinds of questions!
8677859
😄 fair enough on all counts; thanks for that
8677859
just thought of one last question: "have they ever had their own "immortality" tested?"
* disclaimer: I don't need the whole story right now, as we've already established that you're trying to avoid spoilers (and besides, I'm pretty sure there's a possibility we'll run into said story somewhere down the line): a simple "yes" or "no" will do
Ooh~! I liked that exposition dump!