Dazzling Doubles

by icecreammac

4. Dawning on Sunset

“Why so glum, sugar cube?”

Sunset jumped slightly, startled at the sudden question and blushing at being caught staring. Across the cafeteria, at their usual table, Adagio Dazzle and her sisters sat alone, eating and talking without much animation. Sunset just couldn’t keep her eyes off them, particularly Aria, who had cut her other ponytail off over the weekend and now wore a sporty, shoulder-length cut. It looked good, in Sunset’s opinion, though she knew that if she were to say anything regarding Aria’s hair to the sisters, she’d likely find herself on the wrong side of a haymaker.

Sunset also couldn’t help but notice that the three were dressed far more plainly than they were last week, seemingly doing away with the showy clothes they were wearing in favor of clothes that attracted as little attention as possible.

Sighing, Sunset turned to Applejack, who was still waiting for an answer, as were the rest of her friends, who had joined them during Sunset’s musings. “It’s nothing,” Sunset answered. “Just…thinking about the sirens.”

“They didn’t do anything to ya, did they?” Applejack asked defensively.

“No, nothing like that,” Sunset said quickly. “They just look so…sad.”

“Yeah, well, serves them right,” Rainbow said sternly. “After everything they did, they deserve some revenge.” Suddenly, she started snickering. “I gotta say, I’m loving what they did to her hair. I just wish I knew their names so I could give my compliments to the barber.”

“I don’t know,” Rarity mused. “As much as I agree that they should be punished, I do wish they would leave their hair out of it.”

“Aw, come on, Rarity,” Rainbow said. “It’s just hair.”

“Perfectly maintained hair,” Rarity corrected. “And besides, taking scissors to them is just…” Rarity trailed off with a disgusted sound.

“Hair aside, what were ya thinkin’ about?” Applejack asked, bringing the conversation back to Sunset.

“Just…” Sunset said, trailing off as she thought about how best to say this. She took a deep breath as her friends waited for her to finish her sentence. Finally, she said, “Do you think we’re wrong about them?”

There was a surprised pause before anyone answered.

“Uh, no,” Rainbow said as if Sunset were stupid to even ask. “Of course, we’re not wrong.”

“B-But they haven’t done anything all last week. Or at least, they haven’t started anything,” Sunset argued. “And besides, Principal Celestia seems to be fine with them.”

“They’re just bidin’ their time,” Applejack said.

“And if you’ll recall, darling, the last time they were here, they hypnotized Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna and turned them against you,” Rarity added.

Suddenly, Pinkie gasped loudly. “Maybe they hypnotized Sunset!” she said loudly, drawing the attention of several nearby students, though thankfully, the sirens didn’t seem to notice.

“Pinkie!” Sunset snapped. “Be quiet. I’m not hypnotized.”

“That’s exactly what a hypnotized person would say!” Pinkie said, still a little too loud for Sunset’s liking.

“Pinkie!” Sunset snapped again. “Shut up!”

“Okay,” Pinkie said suspiciously, “but I’m watching you.”

Ignoring her hyperactive friend, Sunset continued, “Anyway, they haven’t done anything to me, but they did have some things to say to me last Friday.” Sunset gauged her friends’ reactions, which were mostly tense silence as they waited for her to continue. “Some of the things they said really hit me, and I’ve been giving it a lot of thought.

“Applejack, you said they were biding their time, but the Dazzlings I saw at the Battle of the Bands were proud. Very proud. Why would they let themselves be tormented so much, even to the point of losing their hair?”

“Revenge makes you do weird stuff,” Rainbow said simply. “You should know.”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity chided.

“No, it’s fine,” Sunset said honestly, “but that’s the thing. I do know about revenge, but when I got revenge, there was a goal. What’s their goal here?”

“To get their magic back?” Applejack guessed.

“With what, the gems we destroyed?” Sunset rebutted.

“To get their gems back?” Rainbow tried.

“They left the shards behind. And besides, how would attending CHS accomplish that?” Sunset asked.

“To get us back?” Fluttershy asked softly.

“They could do that whenever they want,” Sunset said, “and a school is hardly the best place for that, anyway.”

“They could be wanting to ruin our reputations to get us back,” Rarity said.

“Maybe, but I didn’t get those vibes the few times I spoke to them. And I like to think I’m good at reading people.”

“No offense, Sunset,” Rainbow said, “but these girls have been hiding their nature for a thousand years. I think they might be a bit out of your league there.”

“Appearances can be deceiving,” Rarity agreed.

“Yeah, but so can preconceptions,” Sunset argued. “Remember Anon-a-Miss?”

Each girl visibly winced as a look of guilt overtook their features. “That’s low,” Pinkie said softly.

“Maybe, but it illustrates my point,” Sunset pressed. “You all thought I was Anon-a-Miss because I used to be a terror and a bully. Turns out, I wasn’t Anon-a-Miss. This could be the same thing!”

“Now, hold on, Sunset,” Applejack said. “I admit, we screwed up there, but remember that you went through a ton to prove to us ya changed, even going so far as to save us, the school, and maybe the world from the sirens. Yeah, we shoulda thought o’ that during the whole fiasco, but that’s beside the point. Those three have done nothin’ to prove that they ain’t bad news no more.”

“Other than go a full week without starting anything?” Sunset asked.

“You ‘n’ I both know it takes a lot more than a week o’ good behavior to undo what they did. And ya still didn’t give us any reason not to think they’re here to ruin our reputations.”

Sunset sighed irritably. “Okay, fine, I don’t have any arguments for that,” she said bitterly. “But will you at least hear me out?”

The others exchanged glances, then Applejack sighed and said, “Alright. We’re listenin’.”

“Thank you,” Sunset said, holding out three fingers. “So, the way I see it, there are three possibilities.” Sunset touched her index finger. “One, they really are here for revenge and are just trying to fool everyone. You already know why I don’t think that’s right, but I can’t rule it out.” She touched her middle finger. “Two, maybe their story about Manehatten is a lie, but it’s not out of malice. Maybe they lost their memories.”

“What?” Rainbow interrupted, incredulous.

“Think about it,” Sunset argued. “They’re at CHS despite everything they did here, they’re acting like they don’t know about the Battle of the Bands, and they seem genuinely hurt by all the bullying, as if they never expected people would be sore at them.”

“I don’t know,” Applejack said. “They sure seemed like they had their memories after we beat them.”

“Maybe they didn’t,” Sunset pressed. “Maybe all they remember is that they were singing, so they tried again, only to be surprised at how really, really bad they sounded. Then, people start throwing things at them, so they did the only thing they could do: run.

“And speaking of when we beat them, remember that the sirens used dark magic to feed. They might very well be beings made of dark magic. Which we purified with our friendship magic. Maybe we didn’t just destroy their gems. Maybe…Maybe we destroyed what made them them.”

A chill came over the table as shudders and flashes of guilt passed through the girls’ features at the potentially extreme consequences of their actions. After a few moments, Fluttershy asked softly, “What’s the third thing?”

Sunset sighed. “Three, those aren’t the actual sirens. They’re their human counterparts.”

“Oh, come on,” Rainbow said. “Don’t you think you’re reaching?”

“Not really,” Sunset said. “Again, their sadness seems so…genuine.”

“Still,” Rainbow continued, “what are the odds that the human versions of the sirens would show up only months after the Battle of the Bands?”

“I don’t know,” Sunset said. “What are the odds that our statue has a portal to another dimension of talking ponies? What are the odds that big, bad Sunset Shimmer was actually one of those ponies? What are the odds that two ponies would come over to fight it out for a magical crown? What are the odds that the sirens would be in Canterlot City on the very night that took place?”

Silence overtook the group again as the others thought about it. “I know that’s not proof that they are the human Dazzlings,” Sunset admitted, “but I think it’s evidence that we shouldn’t rule it out.”

After a time, Rarity said. “Okay, well, how do we figure out which possibility is correct?”

“Well, if the first is true, we’ll find out in time; either they drop the ruse and show their true colors or enact whatever revenge plot they have, in which case, we beat them again,” Sunset said. “As for the other two,” Sunset continued, taking a breath, “we have to hang out with them and get to know them.”

The other five girls were hesitant, as Sunset expected they’d be. Still, Sunset couldn’t stop her irritation from bubbling inside her. “Come on, girls, you’re better than that,” she thought. “Remember what Twilight said? The magic of friendship wins in the end.”

That said, Sunset just barely kept her irritation out of her voice as she said, “Fine, but I’m going over there. It’s for the best, anyway; they probably wouldn’t like it if all of us rushed over to them.”

Without waiting for a response, Sunset got up with her lunch tray and approached the lone girls. Or rather, she would’ve, had the bell not rung as soon as she stood, causing all the students to begin quickly finishing their food or depositing their trays. Adagio and her sisters were the first out the door.

Sunset sighed, cursing her bad luck. “Oh, well,” she thought. “I can still meet them after school. Talking to Adagio alone will probably be easier than talking to all three at once, anyway.”

---

At long last, the final bell rang, and the students in Sunset’s class began putting their things away. Just like at lunch, Adagio all but bolted out the door, but Sunset was prepared this time. Having pre-stacked her books to avoid wasting time, she rushed out after Adagio, quickly catching up to her.

“Hey, Adagio,” Sunset said. Adagio eyed her suspiciously as they walked but said nothing. Sunset continued awkwardly, “You, uh, going anywhere now that school’s out?”

“None of your business,” Adagio answered simply, saying nothing more.

“Oh,” Sunset answered. “Well, uh, I was wondering…Do you wanna hang out?”

Adagio stopped in her tracks, giving Sunset her full attention. Her suspicious gaze never left as she focused on Sunset’s face, as if Adagio were searching for any sign of ill intent. “Why?” she finally asked.

“Well, you know, I figured you could use some fun after last week,” Sunset replied, grinning nervously.

Adagio raised an eyebrow. “You do know you were part of ‘last week’, right?”

Sunset maintained her nervous grin. “Uh…y-yeah.”

“Will you, then, tell us exactly why everyone hates us?”

Sunset’s grin faltered. “Uh…n-no.”

Adagio immediately continued on her way with a faster pace, forcing Sunset to almost run after her to keep up. “Adagio, please,” Sunset begged. “I can’t tell you that, but I wanna do something to make you three feel welcome here! Just give me a chance.”

Adagio stopped walking and studied Sunset again, while Sunset tried to ignore the cold look in her eyes. Finally, after an eternity, Adagio asked cautiously, “What did you have in mind?”

Internally, Sunset jumped for joy, though she tried to keep her outward excitement to a polite minimum. “How about the mall? It’s a pretty popular place, and there’s tons of stuff to do there.”

“As fun as that sounds,” Adagio said sarcastically, “I don’t want to go to any ‘pretty popular’ places; the last thing we need is for any of these hooligans to find us in public.”

“Oh,” Sunset said, wilting a bit. “Well, where would you like to go?”

Adagio thought a bit. “Rustic Pasture Plaza,” she finally said. “It’s a strip mall.”

“Oh, hey, I know that place,” Sunset said. “I actually live pretty close by there.”

“How convenient,” Adagio said with a wry grin. “It’s quite the distance from our house, but so far, we’ve found no other students from CHS there, so we prefer to go there for our bigger shopping trips. Not that we’ve had many, but still.”

“Hey, it’s fine. Sounds like a great place to spend an afternoon with friends,” Sunset said, a hopeful edge in her voice on the last word.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Adagio snapped. “We’ve been meaning to pick up a few things anyway, and Rustic Pasture is the best place to go for them. Other than Canterlot City Mall, of course, but again, we don’t go there.”

“R-Right, sure,” Sunset said, disappointed.

Adagio continued walking, Sunset following behind, until the pair reached Adagio’s locker, where Aria and Sonata were just finishing putting their things away. Their relieved looks turned to scowls as they beheld their sister’s companion.

“What’s she doing here?” Aria said, glaring at Sunset.

Adagio sighed. “She’s…going to be spending some time with us.”

“What?!” Aria snapped.

“Why?!” Sonata demanded.

“She’s wants to ‘make us feel welcome,’” Adagio replied. “She’s asking us to ‘give her a chance.’”

“And why should we?” Aria demanded to Sunset.

“W-Well,” Sunset said, “because Adagio really got to me last week. I’m starting to think we’re all wrong about you—”

“Gee, there’s a surprise,” Aria interrupted sarcastically.

“—so I want to get to know you three better and be your friend,” Sunset continued, trying not to let Aria’s well-deserved sarcasm get to her.

Aria and Sonata gave Adagio a questioning glance. Adagio nodded subtly, and the two adopted a less hostile posture. “Fine,” Aria said, “but no funny business!” Sonata nodded her agreement with Aria, glowering. Aria turned to Adagio. “So, where are we going?”

“Rustic Pasture Plaza.”

Aria and Sonata stared suspiciously at Sunset for a few more seconds before Aria said, “Fine. We’ll be waiting at the statue.”

“Alright,” Adagio said. “I’ll text Mother and let her know we’ll be home late.”

That immediately got Sunset’s attention. “Mother?”

Adagio gave her a look. “Yes. We live with our parents. I don’t know how it works here, but back in Manehatten, we’re too young to live on our own.”

Sunset forced herself to remain calm. Inside, however, she was positively jubilant. “They have parents! That can only mean that they’re not the actual sirens!” Sunset opened her mouth, but stopped herself before she spoke. “Calm down, Sunset. You can’t just ask to go to their house so excitedly. They’ll think you’re weird. Besides, they wouldn’t say yes, anyway; they don’t just not know you, they don’t like you.” So, Sunset just said as calmly as she could, “Oh, yeah, that makes sense. It works the same here.”

That seemed to satisfy Adagio, and Sunset hurried off to her locker to get her backpack before running to meet the sisters at the statue, and one uncomfortably silent bus ride later, the quartet were at Rustic Pasture Plaza.

Rustic Pasture was by no means a fancy place. However, it made up for that with a wide variety of stores. A couple of restaurants, a bookstore, a grocery store, a general store, an arcade, a small sporting goods store, and a toy store all held business there, and the one big store—a high-end clothing store—kept the plaza on the map while a nearby, low-price gas station attracted business. The plaza was relatively out of the way from downtown Canterlot, so many of the stores kept their prices low to make up for the distance many would have to drive to reach it.

The only thing it was really missing was a café.

“So, where to first?” Sunset asked.

“We need to pick up some groceries first, then I’m going to buy a few books while Aria and Sonata go off to do their own shopping.”

Sunset nodded excitedly, and the four set off. As Adagio said, the group went to the grocery store first. The whole trip through the store was awkward, to say the least. Sunset tried several times to break the tension with some small talk, but the sisters’ resentment proved a solid wall. To make things even more awkward, Sonata seemed to make it her mission to keep Sunset away from Aria, always putting herself in between the two. Sunset didn’t notice at first, but it was certainly made clear when Sonata, on her way back from the restroom, literally shoved herself in between Sunset and Aria, making sure Sunset bore the brunt of the blow. Sunset seethed at the offense but did her best to keep herself calm. “You’ll get through to them in time,” she told herself.

Finally, the group left the store, and Sunset joined Adagio to the bookstore while Aria and Sonata went to the sporting goods store. Somewhat surprised, she commented as she walked into the bookstore, “Heh, I figured Aria was the sporty type, but I wouldn’t think Sonata was, too.”

“Oh, yes, because you know us so well,” Adagio said with a deadpan expression.

Sunset winced, trying to get the taste of her own foot out of her mouth. “Right, sorry.”

Adagio stared at her a second more, then sighed. “It’s fine, I suppose. Honestly, Sonata isn’t much of a sporty girl, but Aria’s really been out of it after her attack, so Sonata’s been joining her on her afternoon jogs to give her a bit of company. Today would be no different, but Aria busted the heel of her shoe yesterday, so she needs a new pair.”

“Wow,” Sunset said. “That’s really sweet of her.”

Adagio smiled softly. “Yes, it is. She’s always been like that. She can’t read people as well as I can, but she can feel people more than I ever could, and she’s always there if we need her.”

Sunset smiled with Adagio, relishing the friendly conversation. “Well, what does Sonata like to do?”

“She fancies herself a collector. She likes to find model sets, toy lines, or whatever and collect things from them, hoping that they’ll raise in price and make her some money in the future. She’s sort of like our mother, that way.”

Sunset nodded along before asking, “What about you?”

“Well, I like to read, but that may be no surprise, since we’re here. Other than that, I like puzzles, riddles, anything gives me a bit of mental exercise,” Adagio said, smiling with pride before blushing slightly and lowering her voice. “And between you and me, I have a soft spot for cheesy soap operas.” Adagio let out an unusually girly giggle before saying. “But, enough about us. Tell me about yourself.”

Slightly startled at the sudden question, Sunset took a moment to gather her thoughts. “Well, I’m kind of well-rounded, if I do say so myself. I can thank my friends for that. I like sports and movies, and while I’m not all that into fashion, I have an eye for detail and aesthetics. And I do love a good puzzle, and reading’s always been high on my list of favorites.”

“What’s your favorite kind of book?” Adagio asked.

“Well, is used to be drama with political intrigue, but now, it’s high fantasy; it gives me a sense of…nostalgia.”

Adagio looked at her with a curious smile. “Nostalgia? Did you like playing pretend when you were younger?”

Sunset nearly slapped herself for her gaffe. “Uh, yeah, I was always playing those sorts of games with my friends. I moved away a couple years ago, though, and I haven’t really kept in touch.”

“Really? Where from?”

Sunset mentally kicked herself again. She paused a bit, thinking of a place. “Trottingham,” she finally blurted out.

“Trottingham?” Adagio said, surprised. “But, your accent is so…subtle.”

“Heh, yeah. I don’t know why, but after a few years, it just kind of…disappeared. Now, I sound like I’ve been here all my life.”

Adagio gave an interested hum, and Sunset took the opportunity to change the subject. “What about you? What’s your favorite genre?”

Adagio’s proud smile returned. “Well, this may come as no surprise, but I’ve always loved a good mystery novel. I absolutely love trying to piece together the clues before the detective can.”

“What about trashy romance novels?” Sunset asked. “Are they a guilty pleasure, too?”

Adagio hummed in thought. “Not really,” she finally answered. “Romance is much more fun to watch than to read about.”

With that, the two fell into silence, but unlike before, the silence wasn’t uncomfortable, simply natural, and they decided to finally do some shopping. Sunset found a few fantasy series that piqued her interest, and she picked up the first books of each, while Adagio bought five mystery novels of her own.

The duo departed the store and met Aria, who was sitting outside the sports store with the groceries, wearing new black running shoes. “Breaking them in?” Adagio asked as they caught up to her.

“Yep,” Aria said simply. “I’ll be wearing these home.”

“Where’s Sonata?” Sunset asked.

“She’s buying figures,” Aria said, sticking a thumb in the toy store’s direction. “I decided to hang back. Toys just aren’t my thing.”

“That’s cool,” Sunset said. “So, sports, huh? I’m a fan, myself.”

Aria was silent for a bit, long enough that Sunset started to worry that Aria was ignoring her, until Aria finally said, “What kind?”

Relieved, Sunset answered, “Well, soccer, for one, thanks to Rainbow Dash.” Aria immediately scowled at the name, so Sunset quickly continued, “But I like dodgeball, too!”

Aria’s face returned to its neutral expression. “Yeah, dodgeball’s pretty fun. I’m more of a runner, though. Sprints, races, hurdles, you name it.”

“Well, there’s something for her and Rainbow to connect over, if they ever decide to be friendly with each other,” Sunset thought. Out loud, she said, “That’s pretty cool. Maybe I can join you on a run sometime?”

Aria paused. “Maybe,” she mumbled, looking away.

A nearby bell dinged, and the girls looked to see Sonata walking out of the store, a bag in her hand. “I can’t believe they still had the limited-edition holiday Kerry Berry doll!” she chirped. “And it was on sale! This is gonna be big in a few months!”

As before, she planted herself in between Sunset and Aria as the latter stood up, but it seemed less hostile this time, as if it was just habit, and Adagio said, “Well, Sunset, this has been…surprisingly pleasant, for the most part, but we must be going. We have to get these groceries home.”

A little sad that their outing came to an end, Sunset nevertheless said, “Yeah, no problem. Hopefully, we can do this again?” She nodded to Aria and Sonata. “I didn’t get to spend much time with you two, and I’d like to change that, if you’ll let me.”

Aria and Sonata exchanged glances before turning back to her. “Yeah, maybe,” they said in unison.

Undeterred by the noncommittal answer—“It’s a start,” she thought—she said, “Could I get your number, Adagio? I’d like to keep in touch.”

“I suppose,” Adagio said, pulling a pen from her purse. Grabbing Sunset’s hand, she wrote her phone number on the back before releasing it.

“Uh, thanks,” Sunset said, blushing at the gesture.

“Don’t mention it,” Adagio said. “Seriously. Don’t. Otherwise, the rest of your classmates will just think we’re controlling you or manipulating you or whatever, and we’d like to avoid that.”

“Uh, y-yeah,” Sunset said, startled by the sudden coldness in Adagio’s voice.

Adagio looked at the sky, noting that the sun was beginning to set. “You said you live nearby, right?” she asked Sunset. “Will you be alright on your own?”

“I’ll be fine,” Sunset said. “It’s actually a pretty safe neighborhood. I’ll hardly be the only one walking around this late.”

“Well, if you’re sure. See you tomorrow, Sunset,” Adagio said as the sisters began their trip to the bus stop.

“See ya later! Looking forward to next time!” Sunset called before walking away with her spirits high and a pep in her step. “This went great!” she thought. “I got a little on their good side, I got to know them a little better, and I found out about their parents! Wait until the girls hear this!”

---

“Well, that could’ve been worse,” Aria said once they reached the bus stop.

“Totally!” Sonata said. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was pretty serious about being our friend.”

“Don’t believe her?” Adagio asked.

“Well, it is pretty sudden,” Sonata said. “Like, last week, she thought we were just fakers, but now, she’s suddenly wanting to hang with us? Sounds fishy, if you ask me.”

Adagio considered that. “Aria, what do you think?”

Aria thought a bit before answering. “I mean, like I said, it could’ve been worse. She could just be leading us on, but she seemed pretty spooked last week after you told her off. Maybe she is coming around.”

“Maybe,” Adagio said. “I think we should give her a chance, honestly. We struck up a conversation at Batak Books, and she’s actually not all that bad. She just needs to work on her tact.”

The trio shared a chuckle as the bus rolled up. They boarded the bus and paid their fees before starting down the aisle as the bus began moving, where they stopped dead in their tracks, the color draining from their faces.

There, sitting near the back and staring at them with a face full of shock and terror, was Sonata Dusk.

Comments

[MDCommissioner]

.....so....they about to find out, aren't they.

[flamecom]

So you had to end this chapter with a cliffhanger.

[GamePlayer64]

Now they’ll learn why the students fucked them up and want to kill the bastard who sent their siren counterparts to their world

[ScribbleSnow]

OHH!!!! OOOOOO SHIT THIS GUNNA BE GOOOD!!!! XD CANT WAIT FOR NEXT CHAPTER! WRITE IT NOOOOOWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!y

[Iamsorry]

ooooh.....shiiiiiiit