The Heart of The Queen

by Pumpernickel Rye

Devious Dares and Startling Truths

Devious Dares and Startling Truths

Even with the music blaring at maximum volume, it did little to soothe the partiers. Rather than dance, they either talked about whether or not the Burial Sea was real or were scared enough to jump at their own shadow. Realizing that the situation was dire, Pinkie had brought out a karaoke machine so they she and her friends could recover through song. Since Sonata was invited to this party, Pinkie was eager to get her to perform and planned ahead of time by bringing the machine. Fortunately, all of the Dazzlings had come and none could deny that they wanted to see them give a performance. While they were still a massive threat to Equestria, the ponies did want to experience their legendary voices.

Unfortunately, Adagio for once did not feel like showing off her talent as she asked that they all pay her in full ticket price with hers being three hundred bits each. Clearly the idea of giving a free show for her enemies did not sit well with her. In spite of this, the other party guests still went ahead with singing for their own sake. Pinkie sang a few songs first while doing duets with Fluttershy later on before everyone else got the chance to try. During Nymph’s turn, she chose to sing a familiar upbeat pop song with Chrysalis. It was hard for her to believe so much time had passed since they last sang together at a party, but rather than think of those years, she would focus on today and would not forget this night. After they were done, Sonata eagerly wanted to go next and chose Applejack as her partner for a country song.

Eventually with enough pleading (and flank kissing), they finally convinced Adagio to give just one performance. Rather than sing something from the karaoke list, she had chosen to have her band sing one of her own songs titled ‘Give Your Girl the Pearl’. While the song involved ponies, it was obvious it’s true meaning had something to do with sirens and their dating customs where the male would impress females with large, beautiful pearls. It was catchy, energetic, and even a bit sweet with the two ‘ponies’ getting together in the end. Everyone watching the show couldn’t get enough of their singing and were mesmerized by the way they moved.

Once the song was over, the whole audience exploded into cheers and the Dazzlings took a bow. “Thank you. Thank you. Now live your lives knowing you will never hear any voice better than ours,” Adagio said proudly.

“Geez. Get a load of the ego on this one,” Rainbow Dash muttered to her friends.

“Woo! Best singers ever!” Pinkie cheered as she kept clapping her hooves. “Ten out of ten! No wait! Eleven! Twenty? A hundred?”

“Can we do another song, Dagi?” Sonata pleaded as she kept waving to the crowd. “That was so much fun!”

“Sorry, but no. That’s the only time I will ever perform for them for free.” Stretching, Adagio released a loud yawn. “Besides, I’m starting to get tired and I will not give anything but a perfect performance.” She and her friends stepped down from the stage. “I told you I would make this party dazzling.”

“Could you sing at some of my other parties!?” Pinkie requested as Adagio walked by her. “Ponies would be so happy to hear you three!”

“We’re not party performers,” Aria snapped. “If you want to hear us sing, it’s going to be on a big stage with hundreds if not thousands of fans cheering us.”

Before Adagio could take another step, Pinkie slid across the smooth crystal floor and clung to her hoof. “Pleeeeeease? You three are the best singers ever and I know a lot of them!”

“Oh?” Adagio looked down at Pinkie with a sultry grin. “Are we that good? I mean, I already knew that from the start, but it still feels so good to hear it. I was the biggest star of Chantlantis, you know.”

“Please don’t get started,” Aria groaned. “We don’t need another marathon on how amazing you are.”

“You’re just jealous because Dagi is amazing,” Sonata taunted with a mouth full of pastries.

“I’m not jealous. I’m tired of hearing her going on and on about herself. You know, like she usually does?”

Adagio whipped her head around. “I do not do that!” Aria looked unconvinced, so she turned to Sonata. However, Sonata grinned in a way that showed she was trying to be nice, but she completely agreed with Aria.

Nymph felt a spike of interest coming from Twilight and she quickly got the same idea. “Well why not let her?” the queen encouraged. “She has clearly proven herself to be the star of the party and has earned the right to tell us all about her.”

“What!? Are you-” Twilight magically held Rainbow Dash’s mouth shut.

“It’s not every day I get to have a living legend perform for me,” Twilight complimented. To hear her nemesis describe as such caused Adagio’s eyes to widen with devious delight. “I wish I knew more about you from the history books, but they barely have any information on you three. I’m sure you have so many interesting things about yourself you could share.”

“Do I ever.” Adagio sat on the edge of the stage. “Lights!” Pinkie turned a lone spotlight onto her. “There’s just so much I could say about me. Where do I even start?”

“That’s it. I’m sitting this one out.” Aria marched off to one of the coolers on the other end of the room and dug her head in to find a suitable soda. When she found one, she pulled her head out and was surprised to see Fluttershy next to her, who look just as annoyed as she did.

“Give me something strong. Please.”

Unsure of what to think, Aria slowly gave her a can and they sat at table. The mares popped the tops, banged their cans together, and threw their heads back to drink.

“Rather than a whole biography, why don’t we ask questions about you?” suggested Nymph. “We would love to learn all about you.” She glanced at everyone behind her. “Wouldn’t we?” Although reluctant, they caught on to what she was saying and nodded their heads.

Adagio touched up her mane and posed for them with her hind legs cross and one hoof behind her head. “Ask away.”

“What was it like to live in the ocean?” asked Spike. “Is it like living in a swimming pool your whole life?” He suddenly looked uncomfortable. “Wait. Where do sirens pee?” Twilight immediately stuck her hoof in his mouth.

Adagio gave out a nostalgic sigh. “The sea was truly heaven for us. You think your land looks nice? It fails to come close of being as beautiful as the coral reefs. They stretched as far as the eye could see and were inhabited by an uncountable amount of colorful fish.”

“Free food without any need for preparation!” Sonata added.

“We were the top predators of the sea. There was no fear of anything as you swam across the ocean floor to do whatever you pleased. It was true freedom. What danger was there? What limits were there to what you could do? None, that’s what. You could explore by swimming or flying. You could sit on the rocks and sing to the heavens. You could make any fish your meal. You could rob ships of their treasure. The world was your oyster.”

“It sounds marvelous,” said Rarity. “Why would you ever want to leave?”

Adagio’s face soured. “Because I knew I was destined for more. My voice was the grandest in all of Chantlantis. Why settle for being the greatest singer when I could become something more? With ponies being prey to our songs, there was no reason not to make Equestria my own. Yes, this land is not as glamorous as the sea, but it would be my kingdom! My reign created through my voice! Although we failed, our presence has gone down in the history books. Doesn’t that alone show just how dazzling we are? Just the three of us were a force to be reckoned with.”

“What about your family?” Twilight already had quill and paper ready to go. “It doesn’t sound like you were royalty, so were you perhaps nobility?”

Her face beaming with pride, Adagio placed her hoof on her chest and loudly boasted, “But of course. I am a pureblood siren after all.”

“What does that even mean?” interrupted Aria from across the room. “Adagio, I really do like you, but maybe that’s something you shouldn’t go bragging about. From a history show I saw, it seems like having pureblood in the olden days means having siblings and cousins f-”

“The point is I was from a noble family and I was its greatest treasure,” Adagio continued angrily. “Born with golden scales and a golden voice, I was sought out by every siren in Chantlantis. I’m sure all the sirens back then knew my name. I bet even the king would have come to me if he was not already married.”

“Tell me everything about the king,” Twilight requested with a huge grin on her face. “What did he do? Was he powerful? Was he immortal? Did he rule the entire ocean? Spare no detail!”

Adagio turned her head to Twilight to show she was not thrilled at all with her questions. “Everything Aria said fits the bill.”

Twilight was in the middle of writing before she halted and looked up. “You mean all those rude things she said…”

“Yep,” both Aria and Adagio replied.

“What was your family like?” asked Thorax. “You have never talked about them before.”

“They’re all dead. What’s the point of bringing them up?” Adagio noticed the way they were looking at her, expressions mixed with disappointment and sadness, and she sighed. “But if you really must know, I was an only child and my parents showered me with love. With their riches, they would give me so many gifts. How could they not with me being such a gift to them? My cousins always tried to leech off me because of my amazing talent.” She chuckled. “Sometimes I miss that.”

“But ya left them,” Applejack stated harshly as she approached her. “They gave ya everythin’ and ya left them. Why?”

“I had to follow my dreams. A whole world out there for me to rule. If I had to leave them all behind, then so be it. What good are they compared-” Everyone in the room jumped when Applejack threw her half empty can of soda onto the floor and left without saying a word. Sonata stepped forward, looked to Adagio worriedly, and then ran after the earth pony. “What’s her problem?”

“You’ve insulted her without realizing it,” Chrysalis answered bitterly. “I didn’t think it was possible for my opinion of you to go any lower.”

“Please continue, Adagio,” Nymph encouraged. “I know it’s a hard subject to reflect on, but what do you miss most about your old life?”

Adagio leaned back and took a moment to ponder over the answer. “The sea. I’ve lived on land for so long and yet I can’t stop thinking about the ocean. The feeling of the water around me. Being able to move gracefully in any direction. Living in an area free of the dangers of predators or war. Never going hungry because there always food if you looked for it. You all think you know what it’s like to live in paradise, but you never truly will.” For a moment there was silence as Adagio stared into space and Nymph was certain she understood what the siren was feeling. Adagio then suddenly leapt onto the floor. “This interview is over. I don’t feel like talking anymore.”

“It’s okay. Thank you for sharing with us, Adagio.” When Twilight finished writing down everything she learned, she looked up to see Sonata returning with Applejack. “Now I know it’s getting a bit late, but we have time for a little game that I know you three will find fun.”

“A game? Is it seven minutes in the Crystal Empire?” asked Sonata, hinting eagerness in her voice.

“What game is that?” questioned Nymph with immense intrigue as she imagined Cadance had a hoof in making this game. “With a name like that, I can’t help but feel curious.”

“It’s when two people get in a closet for seven minutes and make out!”

“I wanna play that game!” Everyone in the castle turned and stared silently at Thorax, causing him to lose his excitement and lay down, hiding his head between his hooves.

“We’re going to play truth or dare,” said Twilight loud enough to distract her guests from Thorax. “It’s pretty simple. You call someone and they say truth or dare. If they choose dare, you can make them do anything. If they truth, you can ask them anything and they have to be honest.”

“Is that so?” Everyone could see the evil smile on Adagio’s face. “I can make somepony do anything?”

Twilight slowly backed away from her. “We better set some rules. Luckily I already wrote down a few to keep this party safe!”

“I think that’s a good idea,” complimented Chrysalis. “With your company, we need to ensure things don’t get too dange-” Twilight magically held out a large book that was as thick as her head. “Oh no.”

---

“No asking for someone’s darkest secret. No setting fire to anything. No daring to be granted complete political authority. No dares involving self harm. Finally, no daring to remove magical restraints.” Twilight slammed the massive tome shut once she added the last newly added rule. “That covers it! Is everyone ready?”

“Ready to fall asleep,” Spike muttered while making himself comfy on the pillow, struggling to stay awake along with everyone else who was forced to listen to Twilight list every rule for what felt like days. For this game, Twilight had brought in beds from the other rooms into her bedroom as that was where everyone would sleep once the game was over. They were arranged in a circle with each guest having one of their own, so there wasn’t too much space in between as they had to fit so many into one room. “Did we really need to have all those rules?”

“One must be careful when dealing with clever enemies,” Nymph eyed Adagio suspiciously. Even with so many rules in place, she just knew Adagio would find a way around to unleash mayhem on this party. “Shall we begin?”

“Question,” spoke Aria with her hoof raised. “What happens if someone wusses out of a dare?”

“Hmm. I don’t know,” answered Twilight. “I guess you make them to truth.”

“That’s it? A game needs to have stakes or else it’s boring.” Getting off her bed, Aria took hold of the massive rule book. “If there’s no real penalty, then how the heck can you get someone to do a crazy dare? You need to add something to make this game interesting or it’s going to be as fun as hearing you talk.”

“I’m with ya,” said Rainbow Dash. “I mean I would never say no to a dare, but we need to punish anypony who does. I know!” She flew over and took the book. “What if they have to sleep outside in the cold?”

Thorax looked worried as Rainbow Dash wrote down the new rule. “Just from saying no to a dare? That feels pretty mean.”

After setting the book on the nightstand, the pegasus flew up to his face. “Then do your dare! Of course, you can be a weenie and never pick it if you’re so scared.” With grace, Rainbow Dash zipped back to her bed and made a perfect landing. “And I’m the most daring pony in this room, so I have nothing to worry about.”

“As for truth, Ah got it covered,” Applejack stated proudly. “Ah can spot a lie from even changelin’s, so it ain’t any use lying.”

“That should cover everything,” said Adagio with some impatience. “We should get this show on the road already.”

“Alright. Now since Pinkie threw this party for Sonata, it’s only fair that-” Twilight quickly frowned when Rainbow Dash flew right next to her with her a hoof up and a massive grin on her face. “Rainbow Dash goes first.”

Dash did not hesitate to call her target. “Adagio! Truth or dare!?”

The siren did not appear to be intimidated in the slightest. “Dare.”

Rainbow Dash flew out of the room, leaving behind a gust of wind that knocked a few things over, and returned with a bowl in her hoof. “I dare you to eat some dragon peppers!”

“Oh! That’s a crazy dare!” Pinkie stared excitedly at the vegetable her friend held up as if it was candy. “Way to start off the night, Dashie!”

Adagio picked one up to closely examine. It was a large red pepper in the shape of dragon’s claw. Just the name alone told Nymph how powerful it was and she couldn’t wait to see where this was going. “Dragon peppers?” repeated the golden siren. “Never heard of them.”

“Some of the hottest peppers around!” Dash smirked triumphantly over her. “I figured since sirens need their mouths to do magic, then spice is the perfect way to counter it! Hard to sing or shoot lasers with your mouth on fire! Your dare is to test out my theory!”

“My my, Dashie. You really thought this one through. I’m very impressed.” Rarity then let out a giggle. “Way to spice up the game.”

“I know, I’m a genius. Well go on, fish breath. Time to-” Adagio ate the pepper whole. Everypony in the room leaned in to watch what would happen next as she chewed it. Once she swallowed, she reached for another and ate it. “You...feeling okay?”

“I’m fine.” Once she finished with that one, Adagio took another. “These are pretty good. Do they come in a salsa?”

The shock knocked Rainbow Dash out of the air and she leapt up right now to her to do a double take. “Those are extremely hot peppers! How the heck are you not burning up!?”

Adagio shrugged. “I love spicy food.”

“I took up cooking when were trapped,” said Aria. “There was all sorts of food to try that home just didn’t have. Spicy food was just something we grew a liking to.” She took a pepper and bit it. “Eh. They’re alright I guess.”

While the three sirens helped themselves, Twilight was already in the middle of writing down her observations. “Hmm. Maybe their mouths have adapted to heat from being able to produce magical attacks. A miscast could seriously damage the inside of their mouths, so it must be protected.” Noticing how annoyed Rainbow Dash looked, the princess gave her a pat on a shoulder. “Hey, cheer up. This is what science is all about! Sometimes you test one hypothesis and then you suddenly get another!”

Once Adagio finished, she placed the empty bowl on the floor. “Thank you for the meal, Rainbow Dash. It was pleasant.” The pegasus threw a silent fit on her bed. “Sparkle. Truth or dare?”

The princess hesitated and chose the safe option. “Truth.”

“Are you a virgin?” Adagio questioned very loudly.

Twilight’s face lit up as if she had a mouth full of dragon peppers. “W-w-w-w-w-what kind of question is that!?”

“That’s a yes for sure!” Along with Aria and Sonata, Adagio broke into hysterics. “A princess who can’t score a date! How tragic!”

The absolute shame was overwhelming for Twilight and she stuck a pillow over her head. “I-I-I-I-I’m just waiting for the one! That’s normal for people to do! Cadance said so!”

“Love can come at any time,” said Chrysalis loud enough for the Dazzlings to hear her. “I thought you would understand that Twilight has more pressure placed on her being a princess. The media was all over me and Luna when we started dating.”

“Oh I’m sure that’s the only problem,” taunted Adagio. “No other reason.” She put one hoof over her eyes and looked all around the room. “Other than Thorax, I don’t see any guys here. I wonder why that is.”

“Let’s just keep playing,” Twilight groaned. Once the sirens had calmed down, the alicorn looked at the matchmaker in the room. “Cherub! Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

Suddenly, Twilight appeared a bit nervous. “What’s, uh, the most unethical thing you’ve done since opening Cupid’s Arrow?”

While all the ponies and Spike felt curious, Nymph dug her face into her hooves as she wondered why in the world Twilight would dare ask that of Chrysalis in front of everypony. “This has been nagging you for a while hasn’t in?” the matchmaker asked, highly amused. Twilight hastily nodded, although she looked ready to brace for impact. “Well I suppose it has been long enough for everyone to calm down, so I will share something with you. It was only months ago, but it really feels like years.” She chortled happily. “Anywho, it was I who created Hooves Syndrome.”

Everyone in the room save for the Dazzlings and Thorax exploded into an uproar of shock, confusion, and anger. “T-THAT WAS YOU!?” Twilight shrieked. The panic was so great that her wings were flapping on their own and she took to the air. “YOU CAUSED THAT AND NEVER TOLD US!?”

“What’s Hooves Syndrome?” asked Thorax nervously.

“Hooves Syndrome was this freaky magic disease that infected one poor pony and had the whole town in a frenzy! We even had to get the princesses involved!” Applejack pointed her hoof in Chrysalis’s direction. “Ya better have a good reason for causin’ that whole mess!”

“It wasn’t like I intended for that to happen! I tried making a love potion through Zecora's materials and may have...botched the recipe.”

“How many times have I heard that phrase?” Nymph giggled.

“Well this will be the last time because I will never partake in alchemy again.” Chrysalis noticed the way her friends were staring at her. “Hey, it’s all in the past. Everyone lived so let bygones be bygones. You girls are all about forgiveness, right? Great!” Chrysalis looked around before setting her sights on Aria Blaze. “Aria. Truth or dare?”

“Dare.” She pounded her hooves together. “Bring it.”

Chrysalis had a devious grin and Nymph suddenly felt bad for Aria. “You seemed awfully eager to raise the stakes, so I assume you are willing to go through any dare?”

“I’m not scared of you,” Aria bragged.

“Very well. I dare you to kiss Adagio on the lips.”

While her friends had suspected Chrysalis would do something rather extreme, none had predicted she would go this far. Everyone’s mouths hung open except for Pinkie, who was giggling with glee. Aria slowly turned to Adagio, who wore the same expression of surprise as she did. “Why in the heck do you want me to do that!?”

“Because I want to see how far you are willing to go with the dares,” Chrysalis chuckled. “I’m just trying to think of something that would really make this interesting. I hope you don’t disappoint.”

Aria gulped and faced Adagio. “You...you okay with this? I’m sure as heck not doing this if you aren’t.”

“Let’s get this over with.” Adagio closed her eyes. “I’m not backing out of a dare during Twilight’s party, so just hurry up.”

Aria moved fast and planted her lips over Adagio’s. Nymph wasn’t sure what shocked her more: The fact Chrysalis would make such a dare or the fact Aria was following through. Rather than a quick kiss, the two sirens held it for a moment until someone suddenly spoke up. “Aria, that’s enough!” Sonata begged.

With the dare completed, Aria rushed back to her bed, looking much redder than usual. “Hey, why are you so embarrassed?” Rainbow Dash taunted. “I bet you’ve kissed her tons of times, but I guess this is the first time it was on her lips rather than her butt!”

With everyone sniggering at her, Sonata included, the beast within Aria awoken and she set her sights dead on Rainbow Dash. “You! Truth or dare!?”

Feeling very cocky of herself, Dash replied, “Dare!” Aria got up and walked over to whisper in her ear. The color drained from the pegasus’s face and Nymph swore even some of her mane lost its luster. “You’re…you’re crazy! Like ‘needs to be sealed in another dimension’ crazy!”

“You backing out? Are you a pegasus or a chicken!?”

“N-no! I just need-” Aria dragged her off the bed and took her to the wardrobe. “Hey! Let me go!” The siren took something out from one of the drawers and pulled Dash into the bathroom. A series of bangs and shrieking followed and everyone could only stare silently as they tried to figure out what was happening. Shortly after, the door opened and Rainbow Dash was shoved out.

“Don’t look! I’m hideous!”

It was impossible not to look at the pegasus with the outfit Aria had stuffed her in. It was a large, poofy gown with so much pink that it actually hurt to look at. Nymph didn’t even realize that so many shades of pink existed and to see them all together in a stripe pattern gave her a sudden urge to gag up slime. The extra sparkles that littered the insult to fashion did not make it any easier to take in. Twilight was never exactly a pony with a strong sense of style, but Nymph could not understand why the princess would have something this horrible in her wardrobe.

“Ha! More like hilarious!” Chrysalis burst out laughter and like a contagion, every caught it and laughed. The utter humiliation was too much for Rainbow Dash to handle and she tried to take it off, but Aria kept her from doing so by restraining her. “Why in the world would you keep such an eyesore, Twilight? It looks like if Pinkie stuffed herself with pink frosting and threw up!”

In the midst of all the mockery, they had not noticed that one pony was not laughing. “It was a gift. From me.”

One by one the laughter died down. Seeing the hurt look on Rarity’s face made everyone feel completely ashamed (except the Dazzlings as they were still cracking up) for insulting their friend like that. “Ah come on,” comforted Applejack. “We don’t think it looks bad! It just...er...clashes with Dash’s colors! That’s the only reason we’re laughing!” All of her friends hastily nodded in attempt to appease Rarity.

Rainbow Dash at last took the outfit off and threw it in Aria’s face. “It clashes with my eyesight! Rarity, aren’t you supposed to make good dresses?”

“It was in style back then!” the unicorn argued. “It’s not my fault it has aged terribly!Twilight, be honest. Is it that bad?” Twilight opened her mouth until Rarity quickly raised her hoof. “No! I don’t want to know.”

As Aria headed back to the bed, Rainbow Dash suddenly appeared in front of her. “How the heck did you even know about that dress?” She repeatedly jabbed her hoof into her chest. “Admit it! You’ve been sneaking around here, haven’t you!? Bet you got something set up to get revenge on Twilight!”

Annoyed, Aria smacked her hoof hard, causing the pegasus to back off. “Twilight’s a princess with a friend who makes clothes. Obviously she would have several dresses lying around. Too bad for you she kept a really ugly one.” Climbing on her bed, she shot Rainbow Dash a taunting look. “Just try getting back at me. When it’s my turn again, I’ll gladly make you suffer an even worse fate.”

Nymph felt slightly nauseated from the rising levels of fury coming from Rainbow Dash. The fast flyer panted like a feral animal as she stared down Aria. It didn’t take long until she backed off and picked someone else. “Hey, Adagio! Truth or Dare!?”

“I think I’ll go with truth this time.”

“You planning on betraying us and taking over Equestria?” Dash questioned intensely.

“Duh. Now who to pick?” Adagio scanned her potential victims until Rainbow Dash flew in her face.

“Seriously!? You’re just gonna admit it like it’s nothing!?”

“It’s a poorly kept secret, Rainbow Dash. The fact you think of yourself as being brilliant for asking me is so laughable that it’s adorable. Like a child trying so hard to impress their parents. Sorry you wasted your turn.” She brushed the pegasus aside and locked eyes with Nymph, who straightened her posture as she expected the worse. “Nymph. Truth or dare?”

This was truly a dangerous situation. If she chose dare, Adagio would no doubt make her do something either very dangerous or embarrassing as sirens thrived off of suffering. However, if she chose truth, would Adagio risk exposing their deal? No. She wasn’t that stupid. If they were found out, Adagio could kiss her dreams goodbye. “T-truth.”

“Do you think you are truly worthy of your crown?”

Nymph hated herself for walking right into that one. With all the rules Twilight placed, choosing dare looked to be much safer in hindsight. The queen’s friends were both annoyed with Adagio for asking such a personal question as well as concerned from Nymph’s hesitation. Fortunately, Nymph had wondered this herself and knew how to answer. “Yes. It’s true I have had a poor first reign, but now my changelings are thriving off my successes. There are still plenty of struggles for them as you know, but I will do anything necessary to ensure the happiness of my changelings and that exactly what a good queen does.”

Nymph felt a sense of victory as Adagio scowled. The siren quickly looked at Applejack, who stared back with a smug expression. “She told the honest truth.”

“Um...this is supposed to be a fun game,” Fluttershy muttered quietly with her head under a pillow to avoid Adagio’s gaze. “Maybe we shouldn’t try to make each other feel bad and just have fun?”

Annoyed, Adagio rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling. “It was supposed to be fun for me.”

“You should really work on your sense of humor. I’ll show you how to properly play this game.” Nymph turned to one of the beds next to Adagio. “Sonata. Truth or dare?”

“Dare!” she answered boldly. “Give me what you got! I’m ready for ya!”

“Splendid.” Nymph did everything she could to hold back her laughter. “I dare you to sing.”

Sonata seemed to be disappointed. “Really? That’s easy.” Fury suddenly took over and she pounded her hooves on the mattress. “Are you going easy on me because you think I can’t take it!?”

“Not at all. There’s actually more to this dare. I want you to sing after inhaling some helium.”

All of her friends began snickering, but the sirens were confused. “Why?” asked Aria. “What exactly will that do?”

“You’ll see. Pinkie, would you be a dear and fetch a balloon?” Pinkie zipped out of the room and returned with one. She quickly undid the knot and held it to Sonata, making the siren feel anxious just from the way she was grinning at her. “Breathe in a little and sing for us. Your dare is that simple.”

Sonata took the balloon and stuck the end in her mouth. When she inhaled, she began to sing, but in no less than two seconds, everyone in the room exploded into hollering with her bandmates laughing the hardest. “Hey! Why are you all…” She quickly covered her mouth as the laughter amplified. “My voice! It’s ruined! I’m gonna punch you so hard in the face, Nymph!”

“Don’t worry! It’s only temporary,” Nymph managed to say when she could breathe. Several minutes passed by with nothing but laughing and one embarrassed siren hiding her face in her hooves. “That was far funnier than I had imagine. You see that, Adagio? That is how you have fun in this game!”

“Best dare of the night!” cheered Thorax before getting knocked off his bed by a high velocity pillow.

“Jerk! You’re supposed to be my friend!” Sonata gasped happily. “Hey! I’m all better!”

“It doesn’t last very long,” said Twilight. “Okay, Sonata. It’s your turn now.”

“You’re right! It’s MY turn!” Sonata was now the one to laugh. Rather then one of humor like everyone else earlier, this clearly held evil intent. “You better watch out for out for my incredible power! I can make you do anything I please! Will you break before my daring dares!? Or will I extract your darkest secrets through my...um...truthest truths! You think you know pain? You think you know humiliation!? Well you better watch out because I have dreamed about something like this for a long time! Quiver in fear as I could call your name for ultimate suffering FOR I AM YOUR GOD! AHAHAHAHA!”

“Okay, now Ah see her wantin’ to rule Equestria,” said Applejack. “Ah thought she was too sweet for that sort of thin’, but Ah was wrong.”

“Mind hurrying up?” requested Chrysalis. “We haven’t gotten all night.”

The siren’s power high dropped off. “Oh. Okay.” The blue siren looked around for a moment before she grew a giant grin. “Spike! Truth or dare!?”

Perhaps because the helium made him take her less seriously, Spike bravely answered, “Dare!”

“I dare you to come here and snuggle with me!”

The dragon slumped his shoulders. “Aw really? Do I have to?”

“Now hold on a minute!” Rarity protested. “You can’t do that to poor Spikey-Wikey! I will not stand for it!”

Pinkie appeared right next to her with the book. “Sorry, but there’s nothing in the rules that says she can’t! Now Spike has to accept or else!”

“Why was I born with the curse of being so irresistible?” Spike climbed off his bed and went to Sonata, who quickly picked him up and tenderly nuzzled him. “Okay. We’ve snuggled. Can I go now?” His question fell on deaf ears and Spike felt defeated when he realized just how long he could be stuck like this.

“Just deal with it,” said Chrysalis. “If it makes you feel better, pretend she’s Rarity.”

“But she’s right there!” Spike desperately reached out for Rarity, but Sonata was an inescapable trap. Seeing him fail made Adagio smile, which Spike caught. “Hey, Adagio. Truth or dare?”

“Oh, is our little dragon feeling bold? Fine. Dare.”

“I dare you to give a sincere apology to Twilight right in front of all of us. You know exactly what I mean.”

Adagio’s taunting smile slowly bent into a frown. She even growled when she heard Nymph chuckle at her. Nymph knew there was no way for her to worm her way out of this and planned to hold it over her head for a long, long time. “I won’t be forgetting this, little hero.” Climbing off the bed, Adagio made herself walk right in front of Twilight Sparkle. Just from her face Nymph could only imagine the fury and humiliation she was feeling at this moment. About a minute was stretched out before the siren finally spoke. “Twilight, I don’t expect you to believe me, mainly because I’m doing this out of a dare, but I’m going to try anyway.” Adagio breathed in deeply. “Princess Twilight Sparkle, I am so very sorry...that you are a virgin.”

“W-WHAT!?” Twilight shrieked as her wings fully opened.

“I know. It must be so horrible to have all this power and fame, but still be unable to get a pony in the sack. Then again, we shouldn’t be surprised since you had to go to school to learn how to make friends. What? Couldn’t find anything useful in your books? I wouldn’t be surprised if you kept a stash of filthy books somewhere in this castle. So again, I am so sorry about your inability to score.” Twilight was left speechless with her jaw hitting the mattress. Seeing this and hearing Sonata and Aria laugh their flanks off filled Adagio with utter satisfaction as she went back to her bed, giving her two friends a high-hoof.

“That wasn’t what I meant at all!” Spike shouted angrily over Sonata. “I demand a do-over!”

“I’m afraid not,” Adagio replied. “I have technically fulfilled my requirement for the dare. Next time be more specific with what you want, but I thank you for the laugh.” She eyed Fluttershy, who was mostly hiding under her pillow. “You.”

“Eep!”

“Truth or dare?”

“D-dare!”

“Whoa, wait a minute!” Rainbow Dash flew over to Fluttershy and shook her like mad. “You are actually picking dare with her!?”

“I panicked!”

“Being the Element of Kindness, I think this will be an interesting dare.” With a twisted smile on her face, Adagio rubbed her hooves together. “I dare you to say something mean about Pinkie, your precious marefriend.”

“Absolutely heartless!” Rarity cried.

“Ah’ve known a lot of bad apples, but you’re easily the most rotten, Adagio!” shouted Applejack.

“What have I done?” Nymph asked herself. “I should of known better than to bring her here!”

“Don’t do it, Fluttershy!” Thorax pleaded. “It’s not worth it!”

Fluttershy trembled violently and whimpered as she tried to form words to say to Pinkie. “It’s okay, Flutters,” the party pony said gently. “I know you love me. No matter what you say, I can take it!”

Slowly nodding, the pegasus finally spoke. “Pinkie...you’re...um...er...you’re...kinda…”

Everyone’s heart skipped a beat when Pinkie’s mane suddenly deflated and the party pony threw herself onto the floor in front of Fluttershy. “I can’t take the pressure! Just give it to me straight, Flutters!”

“Well...sometimes...you...um...are...don’t take this the wrong way...but...maybe...you..uh...I think that…how do I put it...now just hear me out...it’s just that...um...well...you see...”

“Oh, forget it!” Adagio slammed her face on the mattress. “Are you really incapable of even saying anything remotely rude?”

“What part of ‘Element of Kindness’ did you not understand?” asked Chrysalis. “She won’t say anything even slightly offensive unless in extreme circumstances but even then, it’s not exactly mean.”

“What a let down,” Aria groaned. “I guess this proves Fluttershy is the biggest pansy of them all.”

Looking unhappy with Adagio and Aria, Fluttershy turned to the princess. “Twilight? Truth or dare?”

“Truth?”

“Why did you let Adagio stay?”

Twilight shot the siren a disapproving look. “I thought she would be mature.”

“Hmph,” Adagio replied.

Realizing it was now her turn, Twilight got an idea. “Hey, Adagio. Truth or dare?”

“I feel like there’s a pattern of me getting picked all the time.” Adagio grinned. “Sorry, but I’m not letting you get revenge today. Truth.”

“Just what I was hoping for.” Adagio cocked her head. “Who is your best friend?”

At first, Adagio loudly chuckled at the simple question. However, it was only a moment before realization struck her. Slowly, she looked at the two sirens at her sides. Nymph could see Aria staring with a mixture of fear and expectation while Sonata held Spike tightly as she looked ready to burst into tears. She would never say it, but Nymph felt a bit proud for Twilight for this delicious bit of payback. “Well...they’re both my best friends!”

“You can’t have two best friends,” said Nymph. “So who is the one? Which of these two to you consider to be your closest companion?”

“It’s me! Duh!” stated Sonata happily. “She’s my best friend, so I’m her best friend by default!”

“Yeah, but you went behind her back to make other friends,” countered Aria. “I’ve always been loyal to her.”

“Except when you were trying to be the boss!”

“Well now I’m not! Besides, I think you’re a bit childish to be her best friend.”

“At least I’ve always been friendly to Dagi even when things got bad! You were and still are a jerk!”

“Could you two knock it off?” requested Nymph. “We should hear what Adagio has to say.”

“Yeah. Who is it, Adagio?” Aria asked coldly. “I’m just dying to know.”

“Dagi, you better say it’s me!” Sonata tightly wrapped her legs around Spike’s neck without realizing it. “Doesn’t our friendship mean anything to you!?”

“ENOUGH!” Everyone jumped from Adagio using her voice to amplify her yelling. “Fine. Since you all want to know so badly, I consider Aria to be my best friend.”

“WHAAAAAAT!?” Sonata marched up to Adagio with Spike hanging in her foreleg, blue and still. “How could you do this to me, Dagi!? You swore to be my best friend over ice cream! ICE CREAM!”

“Sonata, listen to me,” Adagio said as she scooted away from her. “I love you as a friend. Really. You’re sweet and can be very fun, but Aria and I have a lot more in common and I think she is easier for me to relate to.”

“My, my, my. Now that is interesting.” Chrysalis glanced at Aria and gave her a smile. “From fighting over leadership to becoming best friends. I find that to be very sweet.”

“I really thought you were going to pick Sonata,” admitted Aria in disbelief. “You two always did seem a little close since you did take care of her.”

“It was a close race,” Adagio replied, only for Sonata to turn her back to her. “Don’t you dare start.”

“What? I’m just enjoying this great party thrown for me. Thrown for me by my friend Pinkie.” She angrily glanced at Adagio. “When did you ever throw me a party?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Maybe I found a better friend than you! Maybe I’ve decided that Pinkie is my new best friend! She throws the best parties and she can sing! She even comes with a fluffy mane!” Sonata pulled in Applejack from the bed next to her. “And my great friend AJ is cool and tough like Aria! I’m just soooo happy with them!”

“Sonata, stop overreacting,” Adagio snapped in annoyance. “This doesn’t mean we’re not friends, it’s just that I feel a closer bond with Aria.”

“And why is that?” questioned Chrysalis. “What quality of Aria draws you to her?”

“Honestly, it’s mostly that she’s mature.”

“I CAN BE MATURE TOO!” Sonata shrieked.

“You’re certainly showing that right now,” Rarity said sarcastically.

“Well my new best friend Pinkie invited me to this party and she’ll invite me to many more! Since you two are such best friends, you can go make your own parties! And you know what? Me, Pinkie, and Applejack can make our own band! A band powered by friendship!”

“Why are ya ropin’ me into this?” Applejack muttered.

“Be sure to include Fluttershy!” Pinkie happily suggested. “She can sing too and she can easily be the cute one!”

The purple gem hanging from Sonata’s neck suddenly erupted bright sparks and loud crackling as it did everything it could to contain the surge of raw power coming from the siren with glowing red eyes. “I’M THE CUTE ONE AROUND HERE! AND IF ANYPONY DARES TO TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME, I’LL BE SURE TO FIX THAT BY MAKING THEIR FUNERAL CLOSED CASKET!” Smoke poured out from her nostrils and she looked at everyone in the room. The sudden outburst caused them all to move a few feet away from her with several ponies taking cover under or behind their beds.

“Adagio, please resume the game! I’m begging you!” Thorax cried from beneath his mattress. “We need to distract her before she ends us all!”

In response, Adagio waved her hoof uncaringly. “Forget it. You all are so determined to get quick jabs at me that we’ll be in an endless loop. And because you all just want to get the better of me so badly, look at what has become of Sonata. So instead, I’ll just pass my turn to Pinkie.”

“You will? Really?” questioned Twilight.

“I’ve been called five times already and I’d rather watch you all humiliate each other. She’s supposed to be the fun one, right? I kinda want to see what she will do.”

“Thanks, Adagio! I’ve been saving something good all game!” Pinkie excitedly looked to the purple siren. “Aria! Truth or dare?”

“Dare.” Pinkie suddenly rushed over to Aria and went to work on her mane. “Hey, what the heck are you doing!?”

“Just a sec!” When Pinkie was done, Aria’s mane had changed from two pig tails into a large bun. “There! Now I dare you to read this in your evilest voice!”

Aria was given a card to read off of. “I will one day overthrow cutie marks and bring equality to all of Equestria! You ponies will rue the day you ran my out of my own town and I will have my revenge some day! And don’t think I’ve forgotten about Fluttershy staring at my butt!” Once she finished, she quickly reread it to see if she missed some sort of joke. “What the heck was that?” When she looked up, she saw the ponies look at her with their mouths open. “What?”

“Aria, would you happen to know somepony by the name of Starlight Glimmer?” asked Rarity. “A pink unicorn around your age?”

Aria glanced at Adagio and Sonata, but they too were completely clueless. “Never heard of her.”

“Ya look so much alike that it’s scary,” said Applejack. “Ya both have the same colored coat and same mane color. Ah can’t believe Ah never noticed it until now.”

“Right!? I bet there’s some crazy connection between them. Maybe she had a baby a thousand years ago and Starlight is her descendent!” Pinkie suggested.

“I’VE NEVER BEEN PREGNANT IN MY LIFE!” the siren boomed loud enough to rattle objects in the room. “I don’t know who this pony is, but I am telling you right now I have nothing to do with her!”

“Alright, geez! We believe you!” Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes at her. “Still, it’s freaky when you think about it. Like it’s too much of a coincidence.”

“Who is Starlight Glimmer anyway?” asked Adagio.

“Crazy pony who hates cutie marks,” Spike answered. “She ran a whole town where she stripped everypony of their cutie marks.”

“I don’t wanna know what’s her problem.” Aria looked at the alicorn. “Twilight. Truth or dare?”

“I’ll go with dare.”

“Great. I dare you to prank call somepony.”

Cocking her head, Twilight replied, “I don’t know what that means.”

With a loud sigh, Aria pressed her face against the mattress. “Right. You haven’t made phones yet.” She raised her head. “Anyone you can contact real quick? Not in person, but through like magic or something.”

“Just Princess Celestia through Spike. Oh! And Sunset!”

Aria leapt onto her hooves and her two friends lit up with excitement. “Perfect! Prank call...write her through that book!”

“Alright. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind a little prank.” Twilight pulled the book off her shelf and opened it to the first blank page. “Okay, what do I write?”

“Needs to be something to fool her. Usually these are done on the phone where you directly talk to them, but writing is gonna be different.” Aria sat next to her to look at the open book. “Now what would be a good thing to write that would totally get her?”

“Twilight, tell her you’re pregnant!” said Pinkie.

“EXCUSE ME!?”

“As if she would buy Twilight got somepony into her bed,” commented Adagio. “We need something much more clever.”

“Tell her Celestia is dying and she needs to come right away!”

“Woah woah woah! Sonata, that’s going way too far, even for us!” scolded Aria, which made Sonata feel ashamed. “Now how the heck are you supposed to make something funny with a book?” She bit her hoof and sighed. “Screw it. I’m changing the dare. Since you’re a princess, you’re supposed to be very proper and all that, right? No having fun?”

“Not exactly, but I try to be whenever I can. Why?”

---

Sunset Shimmer laid awake on her bed as she boredly flicked through her phone. She wasn’t tired or anything and just needed something to amuse herself before waking up the next day and starting a new week of school. She spent the weekend with her friends as usual but it did feel different this time. From her conversations with Twilight, she was reminded that the other Pinkie and Fluttershy were dating and had been doing so since last year. When she saw this world’s Pinkie and Fluttershy, she couldn’t stop thinking about how they didn’t have that sort of relationship. Should she say something? Maybe a push in the right direction? If her friends caught on to what she was doing, that would be far too awkward to explain and maybe it would prevent the two from getting together on their own. She wasn’t exactly fluent in romance, so the best plan would be to just keep silent on it all together.

Sunset let out a heavy sigh and she flicked through her favorite websites. Sometimes she wished she shared her apartment with someone else and not just to split rent. The dead silence around her drove home just how alone she was here. All of her friends were at home with their families while she was just a visitor from another world. If she could pick, who would she choose to have as a roommate? Probably Rarity since she could help keep things tidy and could cook something healthy to offset some of the fast food Sunset liked to eat. Having someone giving her good fashion advice was always a plus as well.

Another idea was Twilight. It would be nice to live with somepony from home, but she certainly couldn’t ask a princess to leave her kingdom. Thinking about the pony made her sigh. The last time she was here in person was when there was an emergency situation with the Dazzlings. While she did enjoy hearing from her now and then, she really wished she could make time to actually visit. The other option was to go through the portal herself, but thinking about doing such a thing caused her to lock up.

As she flicked through her phone, the glow of the magic book caused Sunset to immediately sit up. She couldn’t imagine why Twilight was writing to her this late, which made her worry. It had to be an emergency if she was contacting her in the middle of the night. When she opened the book, the pages that glowed were strangely blank. Sunset then realized that strange lines were being drown on the edges. Over time, an image started to form and at first she wasn’t sure, but once enough were lines were made for her to figure it out, she was left speechless.

It was a trace of a butt.

Sunset Shimmer could only blink as she had no idea how to respond to a royal princess sending a picture of her own rear to her. Words then appeared in the sketch that only left her with more questions.

Every book needs a great plot! :)

Had she already fallen asleep? There was no way Princess Twilight would do something like this. It was hard enough trying to fathom what Twilight was doing, but how could she respond to something like this? What if somepony else did it? Maybe Pinkie? If it was Twilight, why would she chose this as a joke? Was she trying to tell her something by sending her this? Sunset realized people texted others rather controversial pictures and her face suddenly started to burn as the implications ran through her head.

Sunset slammed the book shut and dropped it on the floor. It was too late to deal with this. She pulled the covers over herself, closed her eyes, and tried to think of something to distract herself until sleep finally rescued her.

---

Twilight bit her hoof as she waited for Sunset to reply so she could explain herself, but none came. “Maybe sleeping outside would have been a better idea.” She stowed the book away and turned to her guests, who were far too busy laughing to notice her concern.

“Why?” Pinkie asked as she gasped for air. “Don’t like being the butt of a joke?” She and Sonata fell off their beds as they laughed even harder.

“Not exactly up to my standards for a good joke, but everyone seems to like it.” Aria jumped onto her bed and kicked back with her hooves behind her head. “This game is great. Why haven’t I played this before?”

“I’ll be sure to have this game banned in every slumber party from now on,” Twilight muttered loudly.

“Perhaps we should be more careful on calling on a siren,” warned Nymph, still wearing a smile from the previous dare. “While you may get the chance to humiliate them, you also give them the power to do the same to you.”

“You’re right. I should pick somepony who hasn’t had a turn yet.” Twilight looked through each of her friends before settling on Rarity. “Rarity. Truth or dare?”

“Dare, darling. I’m sure you’ve got something entertaining planned for me that’s not as severe as what we’ve seen so far.”

“Oh, dare? I actually wasn’t expect that.” Nymph could sense she was struggling with coming up with something creative. “Uh...I dare you to really mess up your mane?”

The sudden shift in emotions made the changelings in the room feel a bit dizzy. “SAVAGE! BRUTE! MADMARE!”

Twilight almost flew back from the outburst. “R-Rarity?”

“Do these dreaded sirens have you under their spell!? Why else would you make me to do something do something so heinous?”

“It was just a dare…” said Thorax while hiding behind his pillow..

“A dare most foul! Who do you think you are to make your friend go through such an ordeal!? Have I wronged you in some way!?” Rarity loudly gasped in shock and glared at Twilight. “This is about the dress, isn’t it!? You hate so much that you wish to see me suffer!”

“Now you know how I feel when you criticize my book,” Nymph whispered under her breath.

“So are you going to go or not?” questioned Adagio. “We haven’t got all night.”

Rarity harrumphed at her. “It seems I have no choice.” The seamstress got up and stood in front of the mirror. “Okay. I’m going do it. I’m going to go through this dare.”

“Go faster,” complained Dash before noticing Sonata creeping past her.

“Don’t rush me! Now I could just tussle it a bit. Maybe magic would be better? She never said how messy it had to be, so maybe I should just-”

Sonata struck with the balloon used earlier, rubbing it against Rarity’s mane with extreme speed. Before Rarity could react to her defilement, the siren quickly hopped back and the balloon pulled most of the unicorn’s mane with it. What was once a work of art had quickly become an electrically charged mess that towered over the pony. “There! Now the game can go on!” Sonata cheered.

Rarity gritted her teeth as everyone in the room snickered. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but thank you, Sonata!” Rainbow Dash cheered.

“Rarity? Are you alright?” Nymph asked as the pony continued staring into the mirror .

“I will be when I fix this!” Rarity, too worried about her appearance, touched her mane in her attempt to begin fixing it to only meet with an electric shock. Once the pain wore off, Rarity slammed her head on the dresser. “I look like a natural disaster.”

“I still think you’re pretty!” complimented Spike. He tried to get away from Sonata to reach Rarity, but his keeper was adamant on holding him. “Even with a messy mane, you have the purest beauty in all of Equestria.”

“How sweet. Maybe I should write that one down,” Nymph muttered quietly.

Like magic, Spike’s words eased Rarity’s hysteria and she calmed down. “Thank you, Spike.” Rarity turned from the mirror and got back onto the bed. As a way to show she was sorry, Twilight offered her a hairbrush so that Rarity could undo the damage.

“You think she’s prettier than me looking like that?” asked Sonata, sounding a bit hurt.

“Yep! You don’t even come closer to her!” Sonata frowned as she stared daggers at the dragon.

“Spikey-Wikey has an appreciation for what’s on the inside,” said Rarity as she slowly restored her mane. “He truly sees me for who I am.”

“Rarity?” Applejack called. “The game?”

“Very well.” Rarity hummed casually as she looked over her friends before her eyes locked onto someone. “Thorax! You’ve been left out this whole game! Truth or dare?”

He loudly gulped. “Uh...I’m going to stick with truth.”

“Perfect! Since you are the only gentlecolt here other than Spike, I am rather curious of something. Who do you find to be the most attractive in this room?”

Thorax couldn’t help but gulp as every mare looked at him great curiosity as well as amusement. Maybe there were even hoping Thorax would call their name. Given he was her subject, Nymph already knew what his answer would be, but she still wanted to hear it out loud. When Thorax caught her looking, he quickly said, “Queen Nymph is! Look at her gorgeous hair, her shining chitin, and her beautiful eyes. She’s the best looking mare I’ve ever laid eyes on. No question.”

Nymph reached over to the smaller changeling, gently rubbing her hooves on his cheeks. “Oh, Thorax,” she said warmly. “You have no idea-”

“Uh, hate to break the bad news,” interrupted Applejack, “but he’s lyin’.”

Her hooves moved down to Thorax’s throat and the queen applied immense force. “How much you have offended me!”

“Nymph, easy!” Chrysalis and Pinkie rushed over to pry her grip off the poor changeling, which required an extraordinary amount of effort.

Chrysalis had to hold back her sister as she lashed out at him. “So who is it, Thorax!? Who has the beauty that surpasses a queen’s in your eyes?”

Seeing how everyone was even more invested in his answer, Thorax whimpered. “Do I really have to say it?”

“You could sleep outside in the cold, merciless dark,” taunted Aria. “With how upset you made your queen, I think I can hear windigos outside.”

“Okay, I’ll tell! Just promise me that you won’t judge me.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “It’s Adagio.”

The entire room went dead silent for only a few seconds until Adagio herself began chuckling. “Now that is certainly interesting.”

“You have to be kidding me.” Aria turned to Applejack. “Is he pulling our leg? Please tell me this is some joke of his.”

“‘Fraid not. What he just said is the honest truth.”

“Thorax, as your friend, I question your tastes,” said Spike. “Why Adagio? She is evil incarnate!”

“It’s her hair! It’s the greatest mane I have ever seen in my life! We changelings don’t really have hair at all. Royal changelings have the greatest manes of all changelings, but I never met either of them until coming to Equestria. I’ve seen so many hairstyles since coming here, but hers is just so big and fluffy! S-sometimes I just want to touch it!”

“Seriously? All because of her hair?” asked Rainbow Dash. “That’s really weird. It’s almost like a fetish.”

“It’s that and she’s got this weird combination of sexy and evil going on.” He glanced at Adagio and felt a chill. “It’s stimulating and terrifying.”

“My, my, my. Now this is certainly a shock, but I’m not surprised.” The way Adagio spoke did not sit well with the Changeling Queen at all. Her voice was absolutely dripping with honey and she had a look on her face that Nymph had often seen with Chrysalis when she was alone with Luna. “It’s only natural for you to fall for me after being by my side so long.” Nymph was on full alert when she saw the tip of the siren’s tongue brush across her lips. “So Thorax, just how good of a shapeshifter are you?”

“Thorax, don’t fall for it!” shouted Spike. “She’s trying to seduce you and turn you against us!”

“As if,” Aria scoffed. “No offense, Thorax, but you’re a giant bug. Not exactly what a siren and probably any girl wants.”

“I don’t know. He’s kinda cute!” complimented Sonata. “He actually looked nice as Crystal Hoof!”

“And I don’t about you, Aria, but I’ve gone too long without any...fun.” Adagio bounced her eyebrows, causing Thorax’s face to turn pure green.

“Okay, game’s over!” Twilight shouted as she jumped onto her hooves. “It’s just so late that we should really call it a night. Right, girls?” Her friends quickly nodded in agreement. “Right! So why don’t we get some sleep?”

“Of course you would end it when it was finally getting good,” Adagio sighed as she got off the bed. “I hate to say it, but coming here wasn’t such a horrible idea after all. Could of been better, but I’ll take what I can get. “

“Where are you going?” asked Chrysalis as Adagio headed for the door.

“I’m finding another room to sleep in. I prefer some privacy for my beauty sleep.” She cast a suspicious glance at Rainbow Dash. “Not to mention I feel like one of you has some sort of joke to play on me while I sleep. I haven’t forgotten what you have done to Aria.”

“Aw come on, Dagi,” Sonata pleaded. “Just come stay with me!”

“Nah, we’ll just crash in another room,” said Aria as she got beside Adagio. “You’re the only one of us they like, so just stay here with your pals.”

At first she looked to disheartened, but a sudden fire of anger ignited within Sonata. “Oh, I get it. You two are looking for a room to make out!”

“Sonata, drop it! We’re just friends!” Aria shouted furiously. “We only did that as part of a dare!”

“Yeah right! I don’t trust you being all alone with Dagi! First you suddenly become best friends with her and before you know it, Adagio’s going to tell us that she’s pregnant with your baby!”

“Sonata, oh my cod! Knock it off already!” Aria roared in fury and embarrassment. “That’s not even possible!”

The blue siren eyes narrowed hatefully. “You’ll find a way.”

“Like we’re going to let you wander the castle by yourselves!” said Spike. “You’re obviously going to do something while we’re all sleeping!”

“Not a chance,” said Aria. “Celestia and Luna know we’re here so if we did anything, they would find out in the morning and we’d be done for. Besides, with our magic mostly gone, we don’t have a chance against any of you.”

“Smart girl.” Chrysalis got up and stood in right in front of Aria. “Do you swear that you and Adagio can be trusted by yourselves?”

“Yes. We don’t need a foalsitter.”

Chrysalis studied her for a moment before looking at Applejack, who nodded her head. “Very well. Have a good night, Aria.”

“Night, Cherub.” Aria walked out first and Adagio closed the door behind her.

For a moment, Sonata held her furious gaze at the door until sorrow took over. “So is the party over?”

“Pretty much, but we can stay up a bit and just talk about stuff!” said Pinkie.

“In that case, I better find another room for myself,” said Nymph. “I have to wake up early tomorrow to get to a charity event in Manehattan, so I really must get some sleep. Twilight, thank you so much for inviting me and I’m glad my magic wasn’t necessary tonight.”

“I’m glad you had a good time.” Nymph came up to the princess and they shook hooves. “You should come by more often.”

“I’ll try.” Nymph stood by the door and waved to them. “Good night, everyone.”

“Sleep tight, Nymph,” said Chrysalis.

“And Sonata, thank you for behaving yourself tonight.”

“That’s rather subjective,” Rarity grumbled. Nymph chuckled as she exited the room.

Sonata sighed happily as she lied on her back with Spike still in her clutches. “This was one of the greatest nights of my life. Thank you so much for inviting me, Pinkie!”

“Aw, you’re welcome! I’m so glad you had a blast! Next one will even be better, I promise!”

Sonata happily nodded until she realized what Pinkie just told her, causing her to sit up. “Next one? You mean it?”

“Uh-huh! I always invite my friends to parties! It’s what I’m all about!”

Hearing this caused Sonata to kick her hooves like crazy with a huge grin on her face. “I’ve never been invited to so many parties before!”

“Didn’t you go to a lot of...er…’siren’ parties?” asked Applejack cautiously.

“I snuck into those! No one really noticed since there were so many of sirens busy-”

“We do not need a refresher,” interrupted Rarity, shuddering.

“Are we really going to invite her again?” asked Spike. “She still hates you and she’s evil!” He frantically waved his arms around. “Are you fogetting that she’s tormenting me right now!?”

“She doesn’t really hate Twilight.” Pinkie giggled until she noticed how uncomfortable Sonata looked. “You still don’t like her?”

“I’ll hate her forever! She took my magic and left me on the streets!

“Oh, Sonata,” Twilight replied gently. “I didn’t mean to-”

“Stuff it, Sparkle! For a Princess of Friendship, you sure didn’t act like a friend to any of us!” A sudden crushing feeling caused Sonata to lay down, keeping herself from looking at them as she held Spike tightly. “You took everything from us and still think you’re a great pony! And people call me an idiot!” Sonata could feel the ample amounts of misery coming from Twilight and it made her feel better. Right now, all she wanted was for Twilight to suffer and this was only a taste of the revenge she would unleash onto the pony who almost completely destroyed her friendship with Adagio and Aria.

As vile thoughts ran rampant through Sonata’s mind, Applejack sat next to her on the bed and gently stroked her head. “Ah’m real sorry ya had to go through all that. It’s too awful to imagine. But ya have to realize that she didn’t know. It’s the honest truth that had she had known what had happened to ya girls, she would have gone to save ya. As a matter of fact, she agreed to let ya come home and even wanted ya at this party. She’s not a bad pony, Sonata. And ya’re not a bad siren.”

“Is there anything I can do to make you forgive me?” Twilight asked. “I know I have a lot to make up for, so I will do whatever it takes.”

Sonata wasn’t sure what she could ask of the princess until thinking of her authority gave her an idea. “I want you to make us the most famous singers. I bet you have all sorts of connections that you could use!”

“Connections? I do have a few, but I’m not sure who I could reach to help you,” Twilight answered.

“Actually, Ah think Ah can help.” Applejack looked down at Sonata. “Tell ya what. Since ya’re my friend, Ah can get a special favor for ya.”

“Really!? What is it!?”

Chuckling, Applejack replied, “That’s a secret. It’ll take a while to set up, but if ya can keep out of trouble and promise to try givin’ Twilight a chance, then ya’ll be famous in no time.”

With both hooves, Sonata tightly hugged Applejack. “Alright! Thank you soooooo much, AJ!”

“Finally!” Spike bolted off the bed and tried to reach his own until he was snatched by somepony else. “R-Rarity?”

“I’m not letting anypony take you away like that again.” She held him defensively as she glared at Sonata. “Never again.”

When she released Applejack, Sonata noticed Twilight was looking at her. “Alright, Twilight. Since you want me to forgive you so badly, you have to comply with all my demands! First, I want to be crowned as the Princess of Songs!”

“I’m not sure if I even have that authority,” answered Twilight. “And you know, being a princess isn’t about being famous and powerful. Ponies come to you with their problems, you have to meet with diplomats and other politicians, you need an organized schedule to-”

“Ah forget it!” Sonata then let out a yawn. “I’m too sleepy to think of anything. I’ll make more demands tomorrow.”

“I think I’m all party pooped out. Best rest up for the next one.” Pinkie pushed her bed together with Fluttershy’s and then snuggled under the covers. She then raised her head as she noticed someone leaving. “Where are you going, Thorax?”

Turning to her, the changeling replied nervously, “There’s something I have to do. Good night.” He then quickly made his exit.

“He’s probably looking for Nymph,” Chrysalis guessed tiredly. “Just leave them be. I’m sure they can figure it out.”

One by one everyone in the room got themselves ready for bed. During that time, Sonata thought more about what Applejack had said to her about Twilight. Since Adagio and Aria weren’t here, she decided to do something. “Hey, Twilight?”

The purple princess raised her head with her eyes half open. “Yes, Sonata?”

“Just wanted to say thanks for letting my friends stay. It means a lot to me.”

Smiling slightly, Twilight said, “Well they certainly made the party more interesting, for better or worse.”

“Still hate your guts!” Sonata reminded happily.

Twilight flopped her head on her pillow and sighed. “I know you do.”

“Enough chattering,” Chrysalis murmured sleepily. “Luna is waiting for me.”

“Could you be a dear and hit the lights?” requested Rarity with Spike asleep in her forelegs.

“Good night, everypony.” Twilight magically turned off the lights and all was quiet in the bedroom.

With nothing left to do but sleep, Sonata laid on her side and closed her eyes. All she could think about was how much she enjoyed this day. Even with the shocking news that Adagio didn’t see her as her best friend, she knew she could win her back with enough effort. But even then, why did she love this party so much? Of course there was the dancing, the singing, the food, and the game, but she felt there was something more to it. Shortly before succumbing to slumber, Sonata realized the answer and it gave her a feeling of tranquility.

It was because these ponies accepted her no matter what.

---

Queen Nymph could easily return to Canterlot to sleep, but she needed to be here as long as the Dazzlings were present to ensure her friends were safe. On that subject, she could hear two of them further down the hall and the queen could only sigh. Tonight was indeed a fluke. Any attempt she made to get closer to any of them didn’t even take off the ground. Obviously Sonata did fine with the ponies, but that would not help her with getting Adagio to change her mind. All that siren did was be a nuisance and talk about herself.

It was then she had an idea. Thorax seemed to think of the sirens as somewhat companions to him, so surely Adagio wasn’t entirely foul. Perhaps there was something similar to a soul deep down and she just needed to reach it. She increased her pace until there were in her sight. “Adagio.” They quickly turned around and looked ready for anything she may try. “May I have a moment?”

The golden siren sneered, but she turned to Aria and nodded her head. Reluctantly, Aria walked ahead to give them privacy. “Make it quick, insect.”

“I will. I want to talk about what you said regarding the sea and the life you once had.”

Adagio now felt a little curious. “What about it?”

“Do you miss it that terribly? I did not get that impression since none of you have made any effort to return to the sea.”

“Of course I do. But we both know I can’t go back. Even if we did find Chantlantis, there’s nothing to come home to. We’ve been over this.”

“I am sorry, Adagio. Truly. Returning home may not be possible for you, but perhaps you could help another?”

“What do you mean?”

“My sister Chrysalis. The reason I brought you all here. Maybe my kingdom is not as glorious as your Chantlantis, but it’s still her home. Where she was born. Where she was raised. Where our parents rest. She has many, many memories of our home and she misses it direly. I know we have our differences, but could you consider helping her return home? If given the chance, would you want to help someone go home?” The siren said nothing. “That is all I wanted to say. Have a good night, Adagio.” Nymph walked away and hoped tomorrow would bring good news. If Adagio still hadn’t changed her mind, it was time to cut ties.

“Wait.” Nymph’s heart stopped. She had hoped for something like this, but she didn’t feel certain it would. Turning around, she saw Adagio looking back at her. “I can sense it.”

“Sense what?”

“Desperation.” Adagio stepped closer with a smile that reeked of malevolence. “I bet I could make you do anything I asked.”

“You can’t force me to do anything,” Nymph snapped.

“I can. And don’t even bother trying to have Sonata and Aria betray me. They will always be loyal to me.” Adagio turned her back and only took one step. “Although,” she glanced behind her, “maybe those songs of yours wouldn’t be so bad.”

A sudden feeling of hope appeared within Nymph and she desperately grasped it. “You’re just going to change your mind like that? Why? What are you planning?”

Adagio gave her a wink. “Well I haven’t made up my mind yet, so don’t get your hopes up just yet. Maybe I just sympathize with a fellow conqueror. Better get some sleep. I’m sure you have a busy day tomorrow being a queen and all.” The siren walked away without saying another word to her.

Around the corner of the crystal castle was Aria , who seemed relieved to see her. “What did she want?”

“Just more begging for us to sing. I almost feel bad for her.” Adagio gave her a sinister look. “Almost.”

Giving her a nod of approval, Aria walked by her side. “She’s insufferable. The biggest phoney I’ve met in my life.”

“No arguments here, but she will learn who really is in control.” Adagio could barely keep down her laughter. “I’ve given her a tiny sliver of hope and soon, I’ll just snatch it away to crush her hopes.”

“Nice. Can’t wait to see her face.” Aria looked back to make sure no one was with them. “So you got anything in mind for...you know.”

“Patience, Aria. Let’s focus on our career and see where we end up. I can’t plan anything with where we are right now.”

“Good point.” Adagio still couldn’t get used to them having so many normal conversations. It was almost like a dream not having any sort of argument with Aria for this long. “So it’s just us tonight.”

“Good. Sonata is just a little too wild right now.”

“Seriously. What the heck was that all about? She just became a paranoid psycho out of nowhere. And now that I think about it, why does she keep calling you ‘Dagi’ all the time? It’s a little weird.”

“I think she just doesn’t really understand how friendship works and thinks I don't like her so much since I don't consider her to be my best friend. Or maybe she’s just extremely clingy. Remember how she cried in the restaurant? My guess is that she’s very attached to me since I’m the first real friend she has ever had and she’s scared that you’re going to take me away. We’ll just have to talk to her tomorrow.”

“Just hope she can see reason.” Adagio picked one of the many doors in the hall and found it to be a guest bedroom. It was rather bare save for a large bed with curtains and a wooden shelf that had a few books on it. With no one living here other than Twilight and Spike, what need was there to decorate every room? “Guess we’re sharing?”

“No way. I’ve always wanted to sleep in a big bed.” Adagio jumped onto the bed and rolled around. “Oh, this is nice.”

“Come on. There’s plenty of room for the both of us.”

“Aria, I am not giving this up. You will just have to find another bed to sleep in.” Adagio went under the cover spread herself out on the large mattress to savor in its comfort.

As for Aria, she didn’t look too pleased with her answer and was about to leave, but then she turned around. “Sure. You can sleep all alone. Just shout when a windigo or the Headless Horse drops by.”

Immediately, Adagio sat upright. “T-that’s not funny!”

“I’m not trying to be funny.” She slowly approached the bed with a devious smile. “I mean, we’re in a world of magic, so I’m pretty sure all sorts of monsters exist. We can agree Luna herself is a creature of the night.”

Taking one of the many pillows, Adagio chucked it at her face. “Aria, stop trying to scare me!”

“I’m just telling you to keep an eye open when you sleep.” Aria crept closer to her. “Remember those slasher movies you and Sonata were so scared of? You know what’s something a lot of them have in common? A slumber party where the killer scores a few victims. Maybe there’s a reason for that trend.” Aria casually shrugged. “Better hope Equestria doesn’t have a whole lot of magical slashers around. With your magic sealed up and you being all alone, all you can do is scream.” She walked to the doorway, stopped, and smiled at her. “Good night, Adagio.”

Aria closed the door and Adagio slammed her head on the pillow. She hated that girl sometimes. It was obvious Aria was trying to get back at her in her own way for the bad years they had spent together. There was no point in fretting over such nonsense. There weren’t monsters hiding in Equestria. They were just stories meant to scare children and idiot teenagers. After all, she was a siren, a creature that would put up a good fight against any attacker. They certainly wouldn’t expect a pony being a siren in disguise.

That’s when a horrifying thought struck her.

Changelings might have had such tales about them in the past. Horrifying bug creatures that could take the form of any pony with the intent of draining your love. From what she learned, they were around for a long time and it was only recently that Equestria had any idea they existed. What if other such monsters lurked around in this world? Disguised as something harmless to lure in unsuspecting prey? And now Twilight told them that ghosts were in fact real, so that certainly didn’t help her.

Opening her eyes, she just noticed how dark and quiet it was in this room. No. She couldn’t let that get to her. Nymph already made a joke out of her earlier and she would not allow Aria to do the same. No pony would be stupid enough to break into Twilight’s castle. Unless they were her enemy. From what she heard, Twilight has made plenty of those and they seemed to have possessed immense power. Luna was one in the past and she had the power to grant nightmares. She already knew full well of Chrysalis and her powers, but what other enemies were there? What if one of them heard about this party and would come here to exact revenge on all the ponies who stopped them? If they found Adagio sleeping all alone, she would be powerless to save herself.

“ARIA!”

A few seconds later, the door opened and Aria strolled in with a smirk on her face. “You rang?”

“Shut up and get over here!” Aria climbed into bed and made herself comfortable. “If you tell anyone about this, I will be scarier than any ghost or killer from a movie and give you a death too graphic for theaters.”

“I promise.” Adagio rolled away from her and closed her eyes. While she did feel ashamed of herself for shouting for Aria like that, there was no denying she would sleep a lot easier with her being in the same room. After about a minute, Aria spoke up. “So I’m really your best friend, huh?”

“What of it?”

“Nothing. I just thought it’s a bit funny given we’ve hated each other for a long time. I always thought you liked Sonata a lot more.”

“I did for a long time, but like I said, we have more in common.” With Aria staying quiet, Adagio closed her eyes to get some needed rest.

“Hey, Adagio?”

The other siren opened her eyes, feeling slightly irritated. “What?”

“What do you like about me?”

“Aria, what kind of question is that?” Adagio asked as she sat up.

Aria shrugged at her. “I don’t know. I just wanted to know. Never really saw myself as best friend material for anyone before.”

“I said you were mature, but you are also easily less than a hassle than Sonata right now.” She slid back into bed and sighed. “And you were right.”

“About what?”

“How you took care of everything and I did nothing but wallow in my own misery. Aria, I think you give me some stability. No matter how bad things went and no matter how much we disliked each other, you took charge. You have to be crazy to stay as long as you did.” It was difficult to admit all this, but Adagio felt like she got some weight off her back.

While Adagio expected Aria to brag about how she was right all along, Aria didn’t seem to look too happy. She even looked to be sad when she faced the other direction, which confused her. “I never left because I was scared of being alone. Yeah, you both drove me crazy but you were the only ones I had. I was stuck in another dimension so how would I get by on my own? I was on my own all the time in Chantlantis and it sucked. I don’t want to ever go through that again.”

Feeling pity for Aria, Adagio placed her hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “I just wish it all went better during those years. Now because of Sonata, things have gotten better. The three of us have never been closer, so don’t worry about being alone. We’re together until the end.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean it should always be the three of us.” Aria faced her. “To be honest, I kinda wanted it to be just the two of us for a while.”

Adagio chuckled. “Words I’d never thought I’d hear you say.”

“What? Sonata’s fine, but you’re a lot more my type. You know, someone I can get in serious conversations with and just chill. I’m not talking bad about Sonata or anything, but you get what I mean.”

“No, I do. So what do you want to do with just me?”

“How about tomorrow we go see a movie? It’s the closest thing we’ve got to TV.”

“I think Sonata won’t like us ditching her for a movie.” Seeing Sonata explode like that earlier was something Adagio never saw coming, so she couldn’t imagine how she would react if they were doing fun stuff together behind her back.

“I’d bring her, but she kinda talks a lot during a movie. Plus I thought we could eat at one of the restaurants here. You know, like one of the rich ones. It’s something I always wanted to do and we both know she cannot behave properly in one of those.”

The thought of eating at such an expensive placed like she deserved filled Adagio with joy until she realized a problem. “I don’t have a dress.”

“But we got cash to spend. You and I can find something to wear and hit the town together.”

“Alright. Let’s wait until Sonata leaves again and we can go find something good.” Adagio shivered. “With how she’s acting, I really don’t want her to get the wrong idea. We both know how that would go.”

“Don't need to tell me twice."

With the conversation finished, Adagio closed her eyes to finally go to sleep. However, something popped in her head and she knew it would keep her up if she didn’t do something about it. “Aria, can I ask you something?”

“What’s up?”

“Obviously Sonata is getting quite attached to these ponies, but I have noticed you mingling with them as well. Are they starting to grow on you too?”

“No. We came to this kingdom to dominate it, not to make friends. Sure I’ll maybe hang out with them a little, but that will make it much more worth it when I show them why trusting your enemy is a bad idea.”

Adagio couldn’t help but laugh. “They really deserve it. Twilight invited us into her own home! What kind of fool is she?”

“One who can’t get laid.” They both cracked up. “But anyway, I’m not turning my back on you, so don’t worry.” There was a pause as Aria moved her eyes downward. “You’re...one of the best things that’s ever happened to me, Adagio.”

Hearing Aria saying that made Adagio not feel so tired anymore. She still clearly remembered the fights. The arguments. The insults. She was certain Aria hated her during those years, but what Aria just said her made her unsure of what to think. “That’s...a bold statement.”

“Okay, it hasn’t exactly been all uphill, but we’re getting there.” Aria looked at her. “Think of it this way. If I stayed in Chantlantis, I would be long dead and my name would be completely forgotten. Because of you, I can make something of my life.”

“I promise you that we will succeed this time. We deserve it much more than anything.” Adagio paused. She was sure Aria was still worried. The girl was known for keeping her emotions to herself, so Adagio needed to be smart to figure out how she was feeling. In effort to soothe her woes, Adagio said, “And Aria?”

“What’s up?”

She took a deep breath. Although it sounded extremely corny in her head, Adagio knew that this was the truth. “I just want you to know you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Aria’s eyes became wider than they ever had been. “W-what?”

“You’re not just a good friend. If it weren’t for you, I don’t want to think of where I could in that horrible world. I would have eaten cheap food and the house would have been a mess. Maybe I would have just given up. Sonata and I would have been fending for ourselves in a matter of weeks. Because of you, we got by long enough for a second and even third chance. I know you won’t admit it, but you were always watching out for us, so thank you. Thank you for everything, Aria.” The other siren held a look of surprise on her face before she suddenly gave her a hug. “A-Aria? What are you doing?”

“Don’t ruin the moment. I need this.”

Giving in, Adagio hugged her back. “Maybe we both do.” While she did feel a bit awkward, there was no denying that this felt pleasant. Never in a million years did she think she could get this comfortable with Aria Blaze, the toughest siren she had ever known. However, given how much she learned about her tonight, Adagio wondered if any of her personality was an act. The old Aria she knew would never admit to being afraid or give out any hugs. Maybe some alone time with her in the coming days would give her more of an idea just who Aria was.

Adagio was so lost in thought that she didn’t realize that her friend had been holding her for quite some time. “Aria?” From the sound of her breathing, she realized Aria had fallen asleep. Adagio felt she had the right idea and would follow her example. She tried to move around on the bed to get comfortable, but Aria had a strong grip on her. With some effort, Adagio managed get into a comfortable position, noticing that her friend had both of her hooves deep in her fluffy mane. Often during their stay in the human world she would she share a bed with Sonata, whether Adagio was happy about it or not, but never did she expect to share one with Aria. In a way, it made her feel happy as it showed her how far the three of them had come. She still had not made herself a queen yet, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the little things. Remembering her times with Sonata, Adagio put her hoof the back of Aria’s head, lightly press it against her chest, and rested her head on hers until she was fast asleep.

---

When Adagio went around the corner, Nymph sighed with relief. It wasn’t exactly a yes, but a maybe was much better than a no. Perhaps her plan worked and this party had softened her up. Aria was showing that as she was getting close to Chrysalis and maybe something good would happen with her and Rainbow Dash. If Adagio’s best friend could be won over, maybe she would be the key in getting the lead singer onto her side. Nymph would be sure to spend her free time finding ways she could get the sirens together with the ponies more often to finally show them the light.

“N-Nymph?”

Quietly gasping, she whirled around. “Thorax? What are you doing here?”

He stood right in front of her and knelt down. “I just wanted to apologize for upsetting you.”

Looking back at her, Nymph felt extremely embarrassed from her outburst. It was certainly not how a queen should ever act. “Oh. That. Well that’s now water under the bridge.” She patted him on the head. “It’s best to forget about it. Good night, Thorax.” When she turned around, she felt Thorax cling to her leg.

“But I can’t! I feel awful! I said I thought Adagio was better looking than you! I can understand if you never want to see me again!”

“No, it’s fine.” She shook her leg, but he had a strong grip on her. “While I do question your preferences, I should not have acted as I did.” With magic being the easiest solution, she effortlessly pull him off and set him in front of her. “Besides, because of you, I think this night has made for a turn for the better.”

“How?”

“I think you’re a good influence on those sirens. They might even listen to you if you asked nicely enough.” The idea using Thorax to get Adagio to sing songs that would unite ponies and changelings brought her a tingle of excitement. It was no secret Adagio liked him far more than her and she was already considering following her orders, so it was a possibility he would be the key to having Nymph’s plan come to fruition. “I want to make up for my behavior. Why don’t you join me?”

“W-what!?”

“Why do you seem so embarrassed? Are you getting naughty thoughts?” Nymph chuckled as he blushed. “No, it’s nothing like that. This is a slumber party, so I would like some company. So do you accept?”

“Y-yes, Nymph!”

“I had a feeling you would say that.” Nymph magically opened the door beside her. “Shall we?” Thorax walked past her and she followed him into the room. It must have been one of the rooms Spike missed as she caught traces of dust on the bookshelf. Then again, forcing Spike to go through every room of this large castle would surely violate child labor laws. “What an evening.” Nymph placed her crown on the nightstand before getting into bed. “Chrysalis is right. Pinkie does throw the most interesting parties.”

“She’s the best! It’s one of the reasons I miss living here in Ponyville,” Thorax said as he got on the other side.

“Not to worry, Thorax. Once those Dazzlings have been dealt with, you can come back here to spend as much time with them as you want. I’ll still send you some pay until you find a new job to provide you with stable income.” She was about to get the lights, but she noticed that he looked to be upset. “What’s the matter?”

“What if I kept working for you? S-surely there’s something for me to do!”

“There’s no need. I am sure you will find plenty of opportunities-”

“Please! I can do whatever you want me to do!”

All of a sudden Nymph had a bad feeling about what was going on. “That would depend. What skills do you have?”

“S-s-skills?” Her worry only grew when he started to tremble. “I...I c-can look at gems. I-I-I can write a lot of stuff. I...I can…”

Nymph sat up to see Thorax shaking as he stared at the mattress. With her magic, she gently lifted him up and set him right next to her. Stroking the side of his face, she said, “Thorax. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Unable to hold back, Thorax held onto to her. “I don’t want you to go, Nymph. When I’m done with the sirens, what reason will I have to see you?”

“You can always visit me.”

“That’s not what I meant. It won’t be like it is now where we see each other every day and talk. When you go back, you’re going to be so busy ruling as the queen or spending time with Chrysalis while I would have no reason to be there. If I was skilled at something like my brother, then I would have an excuse to stay in your castle.” He pressed his hoof against her’s. “I’m not ready to say goodbye.”

Nymph wanted to tell him that nothing would change, but she recalled she didn’t even remember his name after their first encounter. Perhaps his worries weren’t so far fetched after all. “It doesn’t have to be goodbye. We’ll figure it out. Maybe Twilight or Celestia can give you a position so you would have an excuse to come by. And besides, you have your friends all right here.”

“But you’re my friend, too. I-I know I’m overreacting, but I think Twilight would feel the same way if one of her friends was leaving. You changed my life, Nymph. If we never met, I wouldn’t know what to do here in Equestria. I’m just so helpless that I keep needing my friends. Because of you, look where I am now! I could have never done any of this without you. I would have just been a miserable failure like when you found me. When you’re gone, we’re going to barely see each other and then we’ll probably just drift apart. I don’t want you to forget about me.”

Nymph lifted him up and embraced him. “I won’t forget you, Thorax. You’re a great friend to me. You helped me too, you know. You do have talent, you just don’t realize it.”

“I do?”

“Of course. I can’t figure out how in the world you did it, but the Dazzlings have warmed up to you. Celestia and I have been trying forever try get close to them and yet you did it.”

“I just acted like myself.”

“That’s what makes you so special. Don’t think I will ever abandon you, alright? I’m here for you.”

At last, she was able to bring a smile to his face. “Thanks, Nymph. Sorry to bring this up all of a sudden.”

“No, don’t be sorry. I don’t blame you for getting worried.” Nymph clapped her hooves, dropping Thorax onto the mattress as she did so. “I know! I’m free later this week and we could spend the whole day together!”

Thorax expressed his excitement through his buzzing wings. “The whole day? Sure! What do you want to do?”

“Why help you prepare for the Gala, of course. It won’t be long and we need you to be ready! We can get you a suit and we can even dine together out in Canterlot!”

The buzzing of his wings became steadily louder. “Alright! Can’t wait!”

“Me too.” Nymph gave Thorax a kiss on the forehead and pressed his face against her bosom. “Don’t worry your little head. Everything is going to be fine.”

“You’re right. Good night, Nymph.”

“Good night, Thorax.” She turned off the lights and lied down as she still held onto Thorax. It wasn’t long until Nymph finally realized something he had said. “Thorax, I had no idea you had a brother.”

The other changeling opened his eyes. “Really? I never mentioned him?”

“I don’t believe so.” She felt very eager as a feeling of immense curiosity took over. “What’s his name? What’s he like?”

Thorax looked to be unsure of what to think of the queen’s sudden interest in him. “Well his name is Pharynx and he’s a guard currently stationed in Changelingville. You can easily recognize him if you saw him. He’s got purple eyes, a purple shell, and red fins. He really stands out.”

“Oh, How fascinating! I’ll be sure to look out for him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a changeling like him before. And he’s a guard? That certainly differs from you.”

“He’s always been a tough changeling, so being the guard was the best job he could ask for. I think he wanted me to enlist too since he was always tried to get me to toughen up. When we kids, other kids used to make fun of me for playing with dolls and…” Nymph felt the other changeling’s body temperature rapidly climb. “I mean they always made fun of my action figures! My awesome, macho-”

“DOLLS!?” Nymph giggled like mad as she pulled on his cheeks. “That’s so precious! No wonder you and Spike get along so well!”

“What!?” Thorax cried while trying to free himself from the queen’s grip. “Spike the Brave and Glorious playing with dolls!?”

“Celestia tells me he does and I have no reason to doubt her.” Seeing Thorax’s stunned face only put her in a deeper fit of laughter. What would have been even better would be if she told Spike that Thorax knew his little secret. “But anyway, please go on about Pharynx.”

“Oh! He usually scared the other changelings away, but then...he would make fun of me too. N-n-n-not to be mean or anything! He wanted me to grow thicker skin, always telling the world above ground would eat me alive. I guess he’s the reason I haven’t run away yet from the Dazzlings.”

She found it to be sweet that his brother would look out for him like that, but Nymph felt there was some similarities between them, herself, and Chrysalis in a bad way given this was the first she had heard of him. “But what about now? Do you still get a long?”

“Yeah. We still write to each other. He’s pretty antsy for some action since he didn’t get to go to the invasion and he’s still pretty ticked off that there’s peace, which makes his job kinda boring. Pharynx doesn't believe that I work for you now or that I’m friends with Princess Twilight. He keeps saying I should come home so he can take care of me so I can stop being a homeless bum.” Thorax gulped. “I still haven’t told him about the rock.”

“I’m glad to hear he at least has a heart. He sort of reminds me of Chrysie and I don’t think I need to tell you why.”

“I think I get it. Did she ever make fun of you when you were kids?”

“Never! Chrysie loved me! I was her only friend in the whole wide world! We did everything together, even if we always did get in trouble.”

Thorax raised his head. “Trouble? Like what?”

“It’s hard to pick just one time we ended up being scolded by Mother.” Nymph felt nostalgia swell within her as childhood memories came flooding in. “I could go on forever about all things we did.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Nymph remembered that she had very important business in the morning, but she couldn’t help but share her stories. “Very well. There was one time one of the other children said Chrysalis’s dress from her birthday was ugly, so she wanted to get back at him in the worst way. She was getting the hang of her magic, so she stole one of the suits of armor for her idea. However, getting fake blood was the hard part, but we made it work. She made up a story about the castle being haunted by a ghost to scare him.” Nymph laughed. “Let’s just say we made quite a mess of things and mother showed us a true monster when she screamed like a banshee.”

Nymph continued telling stories about her adventures with her sister during their youth, sharing laughs with Thorax and feeling a sense of longing for those years long gone. Thorax shared some of his own stories and she was surprised by some of the things she learned. Over time, sleep took hold of them both and they drifted off, comfortable in each other’s embrace.

Author's Note:

Originally in the previous chapter there was a scene in which the Dazzlings are given makeovers for a little contest on who could give them the best one. Nymph was part of the team that worked on Adagio and tried to bond with her but failed. Aria would be the winner after being put into the disgustingly pink dress you see in this chapter and uses it on Dash as revenge during truth or dare. The scene was taken out because it was more for laughs and lacked good character interaction and was replaced by the scene of Chrysalis and Nymph talking to everyone at the party.

Long before the truth or dare game was made to be the focus of this chapter, there was another ending to the slumber party. Realizing that the party was nowhere as fun as she wanted it to be after the scary stories, Aria spikes the punch bowl with strong alcohol as she snuck some in a backpack before coming, making everyone drunk except for herself, Spike since she keeps him away from the punch as he is a child, and Chrysalis and Nymph as they have large bodies and need more alcohol to feel its effects. The partiers actually get pretty crazy with Twilight going wild with her magic and Sonata smashing stuff for fun, so they retreat into other rooms to wait of out the storm. However, during the drunken rampage, Aria would snap many photos for kicks.

The next day, Celestia and Luna would arrive with Luna greeting all the hung over people with her royal Canterlot voice. They would realize what has transpired the night before and would learn Aria was responsible. The final scene would be all of them waiting in a shop for the photos to be developed while all of them are very angry with Aria. The photos would come out and everyone would see the horrors of the night before. Adagio becomes furious when they find one of her passed out on the floor, looking like a total slob with Twilight snuggling with her poofy tail.

Celestia incinerates each photo as they go through them but saves one. Somepony got a hold of Aria's camera and used the last shot to take a picture of Aria holding Spike protectively as they sleep in one of the rooms. Celestia decides that keeping and framing the picture would be the perfect way to teach Aria her lesson.

Fun Fact: By now you have noticed Sonata fawns over Spike a lot and there is actually a reason I write this. It was all inspired by this one image.

Look at that face. How can you resist?

Comments

[Starfreedom444]

Another excellent chapter

[Razzy]

D'awwwwwww, that ending scene.

Heh, that photo idea sounds interesting.

Thorax really needs some self confidence training.