Chapter 5
“I’m telling you all, this is a mistake!” Rainbow Dash warned, standing in the middle of the empty town auditorium with her arms crossed – it was still early in the afternoon, people wouldn’t be arriving until much later. “She picked a side. Whatever she wants to meet us here for, it can’t be good.”
“Well, I agree with Twilight.” Applejack replied, looking down at the text message in her phone sent to them by Sunset Shimmer, asking to meet all of them right there. “After the way we treated her even though all she wanted was to be our friend, we should at least give ‘er the benefit o’ the doubt.”
“What if it she was just pretending to be one of them so she could spy on them, and now she’s coming to tell us everything she learned about the sirens?” Pinkie theorized.
“What if she’s just pretending that she was pretending to be spying on them, and this is all a trap?” Fluttershy looked around with fear in her eyes.
“Trap for what? We already lost the battle of the bands.” Applejack pointed out. “If they wanted us out of the competition, they already got what they wanted!”
“But what if that’s not what they wanted? What if they wanted something else?” Rarity asked.
“Like what?” Applejack placed her hands on her hips.
“Hi, hi! Sorry I’m late.” Sunset Shimmer apologized as she joined them on stage. “We were shopping for a dress for me to wear during the grand finale and completely lost track of time.”
“It’s ok, don’t worry about it.” Twilight said. “What did you want to talk to us about?”
“It’s about the Dazzlings. You were right all along, they really are the sirens from Equestria.”
“I’m glad you can finally see it. Now that you know the truth, maybe you can help us defeat—”
“I’m sorry, but that’s not what I’m here for.” Sunset interrupted. “In fact, I’m here for the exact opposite reason.”
“Wh-What do you mean?”
“I’m here to ask – no, to beg you: don’t fight the Dazzlings. They’re not doing what they’re doing because they think it’s funny, it’s because they need it!”
“So you’re asking us to roll over and let them step all over us?” Rainbow Dash’s glare couldn’t be any icier.
“No, I’m just asking you to… step aside. I can’t go into too much detail because it’s a very sensitive matter that they’re not comfortable sharing with just anybody, but if it wasn’t important I wouldn’t be here telling you about it.”
“Telling us about what? You’re just being strangely vague and cryptic.” Rarity accused.
“It’s just… Look, would you blame a lion for eating a gazelle?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rainbow asked.
“Are they going to eat us?!” Fluttershy fearfully asked.
“No, they’re not— Ugh, Adagio explained it so much better!”
“Enough games, Sunset Shimmer!” Rainbow Dash pointed an accusing finger at her. “I don’t know what kind of jiggery-pokery you’re up to, but it’s not going to work. We’ll stop the Dazzlings and save CHS from them and from you. Again!”
Sunset sighed in defeat. “I was hoping we could solve this peacefully, but Adagio was right about you. Plan B was a bust, back to plan A.”
“What plan—”
Before that sentence could be finished, a trapdoor was opened beneath their feet and they fell in the storage room underneath the stage, all six of them screaming on their way down. Sunset Shimmer turned around to look at Sonata, who still had her hands on the lever that opened the trapdoor. With a smile on her face, she gave Sunset a thumbs up – Sunset returned the gesture with a considerably weaker smile.
The blue-haired siren pushed the lever and the trapdoor was closed. While the siren and the pony were distracted, Spike the purple dog snuck away to look for help.
“You better believe I’ve got tricks up my sleeve~! And I captivate ‘cause I’m powerful and great~!”
While Trixie and her bandmates performed on stage in front of a large crowd that was most definitely in the three digits, the four Dazzlings had a meeting backstage, all of them already wearing the fancy clothing they were going to perform on – Sunset even styled her hair differently. Adagio, Sonata and Aria stood in a triangular formation, all three of them holding their own gemstones on the palm of their hands, with the fourth member standing right in the middle.
“Are you sure about this, Sunset?” Adagio asked. “This is your last chance to back down; becoming a siren is a permanent commitment.”
“You three are the best friends I’ve ever had, I can’t bear the thought that I’ll grow old and die, left behind while you three move on. Sure, from what you told me being a siren is very scary, but as long as I have you girls with me, I’m sure everything is gonna be ok.”
Adagio looked at Aria, who nodded. She then looked at Sonata, who nodded as well.
“If that’s what you truly want…”
“Aaaaaah~ aaah~ aaah~! Aaaaaah~ aaah~! Aaaaaah~ aaah~ aaah~! Aaaaaah~ aaah~!”
The faint glow of the gems grew brighter until it looked like each siren was holding a burning fire in their hands, but Sunset felt no heat. A beam of red light shot out of Adagio’s gemstone, connecting with Sonata’s. Sonata’s gemstone did the same, but connecting with Aria’s instead. Finally, Aria’s gemstone shot a beam of light as well, connecting it with Adagio’s gemstone.
Sunset felt her throat growing warmer; it was neither painful not pleasant, just alien. The warmth was replaced by the sensation that something was wrapped around her neck; she couldn’t see it, but a black choker magically materialized itself in the area that slowly grew looser until it looked like one of the necklaces the other Dazzlings wore, except without the gem.
Sonata’s and Aria’s gems lost their glow and they stopped singing. The beam of red light connecting them to Adagio’s and each other’s also faded, leaving Adagio that last siren singing and her gem glowing brighter than ever. Suddenly a stronger beam of light shot out of the gem, hitting Sunset Shimmer right where the black necklace was located. The impact was so powerful that she was knocked to the ground.
Adagio’s gem finally stopped glowing, and she started panting from exhaustion.
“Go… help her up…” She said between gasps for air.
Aria and Sonata each grabbed one of Sunset’s arms and helped her stand. Hanging from her neck was a brand new siren gemstone, the first thing she focused on once her head stopped spinning.
“It.. It worked, I… I’m one of you!” She said, also between gasps for air.
“Congratulations, now we’re double species sisters!” Sonata celebrated with another hug.
“How do you feel?” Aria asked.
“Very… hungry.”
Aria patted her on the back. “Get used to it, it won’t go away anytime soon.”
“I know, but that was my choice. I don’t regret it one bit!”
The purple-haired siren smiled. It was the first genuine smile that she didn’t try to hide from everybody else.
“We should get ready.” Adagio reminded them. “Trixie won’t sing forever.”
“See me dominate ‘cause I’m powerful and greeeeee-yea-yeaaat~!”
A burst of fireworks signaled the end of Trixie’s performance, and the crowd cheered and clapped as they exited the stage.
“Try to top that.” Trixie challenged as she walked past the Dazzlings with her bandmates.
“Oh gosh, I don’t know if we can.” Adagio mockingly said with fake distress in her voice before all Dazzlings shared a laugh.
Sunset looked at the stage, finally able to see the green mist of negative energy that served as nourishment for sirens. Unlike the regular smoke of energy that only had a faint glimmer to it, this one sparkled thanks to the magic mixed into it, not to mention it was much larger.
“Looks like they’re having a heated argument down there.” Adagio pointed out. “Oh well, the more, the better!”
Sunset was the first to walk on stage, standing right in the middle as she proceeded to play her guitar. After playing a few notes, the other Dazzlings walked on stage as well and began to sing.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah~! Aaah~ aaah~ aaaaaaaaaaaaaah~!”
The four gemstones began glowing as they sucked the sparkling mist into themselves, finally sating the centuries long hunger the sirens wearing them felt. The cloud vanished in a matter of seconds, leaving only the four sirens on stage, but even then the glow of the gems didn’t fade. Filled to the brim with energy for the first time since they were banished to the human world, the Dazzlings were singing and dancing while Sunset played.
“Welcome to the show~! We’re here to let you know~! Our time is now~! Your time is running out~!”
Nodding at each other, they finally cast the spell they had been saving up since the moment the CHS Musical Showcased morphed into the CHS Battle of the Bands; it was a spell that required a ridiculous amount of magic to cast, but it was worth it.
The bodies of the four sirens in human form were wrapped in magical energy, a fact that went unnoticed by the audience that was completely entranced by their mind control spell, which the Dazzlings would later unleash into the town to cause as much chaos and disorder, generating massive amounts of negative energy for them to feed on.
Under the magical cocoons, their bodies began to mutate; their hair became longer to simulate an Equestrian tail, equine ears grew on top of their heads and translucent, fin-like wings sprouted from their backs – Aria, as a former pegasus, was very happy about that change in particular.
“Now you need us~! Come and heed us~! Nothing can stop us noooooow~!”
Their performance was interrupted by the sound of drums. Looking around for its source, Aria pointed at the hill behind the benches where the Rainbooms played their instruments, amplified by the sound system of a very high-tech car manned by a seventh girl.
“Oh whoa oh whoa~! I’ve got the music in me~! Oh whoa oh whoa~!” They sang.
“How did they get out?!” Adagio asked, but the others were just as in the dark as she was.
The Dazzlings’ grasp on the crowd began to weaken, as the song played by the Rainbooms served as a counter-spell that slowly freed them from the mind control.
Just like the sirens, the human girls were surrounded by magical energy that proceeded to change their bodies; they also received hair extensions that imitated pony tails and the same pair of pony ears. Only half of them received wings, but for some reason they also received colorful additions to some locks of hair.
“Find the music in your heart~! Let the music make you start~! To set yourself apart~!”
“So the Rainbooms want to turn this into a real battle of the bands?” Adagio asked as she fiddled with her glowing gemstone. “Then let’s battle.”
“What we have in store~! All we want and more~!”
As they sung, the crowd was once again entranced by their magical voices.
“We will break on through~! Now it’s time to finish you~!”
Sunset Shimmer witnessed as their eyes glowed red and their necklaces were connected by a string of magic. The gems glowed brighter than ever before, covering the entire stage in a blinding red light.
A sinister wave of energy emerged from the gems before taking shape; the dark energy assumed the true form of their wielders: three massive sea monster/equine hybrids with the same gemstone sticking from their chests and showing their many sharp teeth. They were only astral projections, mere imitations of the real deal, but the fact that they were semi-transparent didn’t make them look any less intimidating.
Sunset, believing she could do the same, began to concentrate in an attempt to summon her own astral projection, but she felt something; it was like Adagio’s feelings were being directly transferred to her soul, and she was telling her to not push herself too much so soon. The new siren girl thought about what Adagio told her a couple of days prior, how she explained that all sirens were ‘connected’ – understanding that Adagio was literally communicating with her through that channel unique to sirens, she nodded and stepped back.
The purple, yellow and blue magically-generated sirens flew towards the Rainbooms, circling them menacingly – they weren’t physical creatures after all, so they couldn’t really do anything to them other than serve as a distraction.
The Rainbooms were unfazed, however, as they kept using the power of their music to challenge the magic of the sirens. The astral projections, clearly at a disadvantage, began to dissipate.
“Oh whoa oh whoa whoaaaaaaaaaaaaa~!” Twilight Sparkle sang, sending a wave of magic that would serve as the final blow against the projections.
Adagio, equally determined, fought back; channeling her voice through her own astral projection, she hit a high note that stopped the wave of magical energy dead on its tracks, before changing its direction and using the princess’s own power against her.
Sonata and Aria joined in, also channeling their voices through their projections, assaulting the Rainbooms with wave after wave of magic until the sextet couldn’t bear it anymore and were tossed backwards like discarded dolls.
All that was left was silence. The Rainbooms were down, the Dazzlings were standing, and the crowd was completely under their spell. But before the sirens could celebrate their victory, a singing voice broke the silence.
“You’re never gonna bring me down~! You’re never gonna break this part of me~!”
They were surprised when they looked at the hill once again: Vinyl Scratch, a.k.a. DJ Pon-3, known for never opening her mouth unless absolutely necessary, was holding the microphone and singing into it – not just regular singing, but very good singing.
“My friends are here to bring me around~!” Vinyl offered her hand to help Twilight up. “Not singing just for popularity~!”
Offering the mic back to the princess, she quickly returned to her car/DJ booth. With the band’s spirits lifted once again, they started singing and playing one more time.
“We’re here to let you know~! That we won’t let it go~! Our music is a bomb and it’s about to blow~!”
The Dazzlings tried to use their projections to distract the Rainbooms one more time, but a wave of rainbow energy prevented them from getting too close. That same wave continued to grow, freeing all humans from the mind control spell and causing the flying sirens to be knocked back a few inches.
A multicolored aura of energy began emanating from the six girls until it shot up into the sky, disappearing into the clouds. In just a few seconds a pillar of white energy began emerging from behind said clouds, which revealed itself to be the horn of a massive alicorn construct made of pure magic. Its mane was flying the same colors that flew into the night sky just a moment prior, and the tip of its horn began glowing.
Sunset Shimmer could feel sparks in the air, and her eyes grew wider; she felt the same way during the Fall Formal, seconds before she was blown away by a beam of pure energy.
“Here to sing our song out loud~! Get you dancing with the crowd~! As the music of our friendship survives~!”
“Survives~!”
“Surviiiiiiiiiives~!”
The construct pointed its giant horn at the stage, and Sunset Shimmer’s heart skipped a beat as she felt her blood freeze.
“NO!” She screamed before the alicorn shot a beam of harmony magic at the stage, causing all the spectators to shield their eyes to avoid the risk of going blind.
With a smiles on their faces, the Rainbooms looked at the stage, waiting for the glow to fade so they could spot the defeated forms of the Dazzlings. The smiles were replaced by a look of confusion when, instead of four people on stage, they could only see one.
The three original Dazzlings had been pushed off the stage and were lying on the grass, shielded by a fourth, orange-colored astral projection. Sunset Shimmer was still standing, steam coming out of her body as she glared at the Rainbooms with a defiant look in her eyes.
“I warned you… not to mess… with my…” The gemstone hanging from her neck was already cracked, but it finally shattered while she was trying to talk – she lost consciousness and fell before she could finish the sentence, her astral projection fading into nothingness.
“SUNSET!” The three sirens shouted as they climbed back on stage to check on their friend.
“Sunset, are you ok? Talk to me!” Sonata begged, holding the girl’s hands.
“She can’t talk, she’s out cold!” Aria replied, kneeling on the stage and resting Sunset’s head on her thighs.
All Adagio could do was try and gather all the pieces of the gemstone she could find – she had no idea if it would serve any purpose but she didn’t know what else to do, they never had to deal with a siren losing her gem before.
“Uh, what’s going on?” Rainbow Dash asked with the other Rainbooms in tow, all of them visibly worried.
“GET AWAY FROM US!” Sonata screamed, pulling Sunset’s unconscious body into a protective hug.
“It’s all my fault…” Adagio muttered while picking up the pieces. “I should have been more convincing. Should have scared her so badly that she never would have said ‘yes’. I should have… I-I should have…”
People in the crowd also began to realize how serious the situation was, so Luna and Celestia began urging everybody to evacuate the premises in an orderly fashion with help from the rest of the staff.
“Is… Is she gonna be ok?” Trixie of all people asked on her way out, but no one had a clear answer; she was just lying there, still breathing but motionless.
“I-I don’t u-understand.” Fluttershy stuttered. “Last time we just purged the magic from her body and she turned back to normal. Why is she… Why is she…”
“Because she wasn’t under the influence of any external magic, all she had was internal – all of it part of her very being!” Aria angrily explained. “Without magic in her body, her gem became unstable and shattered. Our gems is where we store the energy we consume. Without that energy, she is going to die!”
All the Rainbooms gasped in unison.
“B-But she isn’t a siren!” Twilight pointed out.
“She wasn’t a siren. She wanted to be one of us and we gave her what she wanted, but now… now she…”
“Is… Is there anythin’ we can do for ‘er?” Applejack asked, taking off her hat and holding it against her chest.
“You’ve done enough already.” Aria glared at them before turning to look at Adagio. “Did you find all the pieces?”
“I don’t know, I don’t know, I DON’T KNOW! I’M LOOKING FOR THEM BUT THE PIECES ARE TOO SMALL!”
“If you find all the pieces, will you be able to save her?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“We never had to deal with anything like this before, we’re just doing whatever comes to mind and hoping something will happen!” Aria placed her hand on Sunset’s forehead. “She’s burning up, I don’t know how much time she has left.”
Twilight Sparkle tried to climb on the stage, but Sonata quickly stood up and pushed her off – her friends managed to grab her before she fell on the grass.
“I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY!” She screamed, tears streaking down her face.
“I-I don’t know if there’s anything that can be done in the human world.” Twilight explained. “But if we take her back to Equestria, maybe something can be done.”
“You’re not taking her from us again.” Aria squeezed Sunset tightly against her body.
“Would you rather let her die?” Twilight fired back. “Even if it’s just for now, please trust me.”
Aria and Princess Twilight stared at each other for a few seconds, but to the others it felt like centuries passed; the tension was so thick it could be felt in the air.
“We’re coming with.” Aria said, standing up and carrying Sunset’s unconscious form. “Our real bodies are very big, I doubt you’ll be able to carry her anywhere fast enough by yourself.”
Aria and Sonata led Princess Twilight back to their minibus. Adagio soon ran after them, carrying as many shards as she could find.
The extra hair and body parts of the humans who stayed behind finally disappeared.
“Is it just me, or does this victory not really feel like one after all?” Rarity asked. The four crestfallen Rainbooms shook their heads.
The extra parts Princess Twilight and the Dazzlings were magically given also dissipated. Aria placed Sunset on the bed while Sonata and Twilight sat on the couch. Adagio tried to start the engine, but her hands were shaking so much that she couldn’t even fit the key in the ignition.
“You’re in no condition to drive.” Aria said while tugging at her arm. “Let me.”
Adagio didn’t say anything, she just nodded and handed her the key before hurrying to the back of the bus and sitting on the bed beside Sunset while stroking her head.
Aria started the minibus and drove back to CHS as fast but as carefully as she could.
Yes, I know that's not what happens when sirens get a taste of the rainbow, but that's why that Alt. Universe tag is there. The world is in my hands.
Also the original cover I made was slightly different, but then I remembered that I changed her outfit pretty early on, so I had to start over. I don't want all that work to go to waste, so here it is:
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10214064
because they enjoy your company?
10213968
Maybe Twilight asks her to come home?
10213742
Then they should have said no to Princess Twilight at the end of Equestria Girls. They were asked a favor by their new friend. If they couldn't live up to it, they should have admitted it then and there
Oh boy... hang in there Sunset
Holy crap I actually didn't expect that ending
Well shit, are we pissing our pants yet?
Sunset did try to tell you it wasn’t just some evil scheme. You didn’t want to listen then, so now you’re learning the sirens’ side of the story the hard way.
Also, I think you wanted to say “Is it just me, or does this victory not really feel like one after all?”
Poor Sunset...
10214545
Which means facing Celestia, something Sunset wasn’t ready for then. And she can’t stay with Twilight because it means dealing with the pony versions of the Rainbooms, all of whom have just as much reason to treat Sunset with hostility and mistrust as the human Rainbooms. Equestria was never an option.
10214649
nah, Sunset did one minor assault and theft and at this point the Mane 6 were already cool with Discord. Sunset would just be a slightly shady stranger
10214677
Would Sunset be so quick to believe that after dealing with the Rainbooms?
10214568
I sort of didn't
Woo! It looks like this fic has diverged more than I was expecting! So it looks like all of our wayward equestrians are returning home, for now at least. Can’t wait to see what happens next!
I knew this was coming from the cover image.
The Rainbooms making up without Sunset's help and Vinyl becoming the seventh for some reason seems a bit forced
I still like the story but that last one hurt it. Just having them lose to the 6 outright because of the power drain from making Sunset's necklace would have worked
10214634
Sometimes that's the only way folks will learn.
10213742
What should Sunset need to do to earn the Rainboom's trust? I'm pretty sure she's already apologized. She has definitely stopped bullying the other students, she helped with the repair work, she's been trying to reach out to the student body as a whole.
Obviously winning back people's trust takes time. The issue is that she's having to do it completely alone, and fresh out of her reformation. It would be rather ironic, in a series about how you need friends, to have Sunset forced to walk her path alone.
10214634
The sentence is poorly constructed, but not exactly wrong.
Doesn't = does not.
So yes. Your example is in fact much better, but his isn't wrong.
So joining the dazzling to manipulate the student body is good now Sunset? Why can’t we have the dazzlings as unambiguously manipulative.
10280237
Not good, necessary
10215538
Wow, I'm not the only smart one.
10215110
Yeah my question is why Vinyl? How, when and where?
She took that willingly!!!!!
10509028
She was there already
Oh man I didn't think it was possible for the sirens to really give a crap about anyone but themselves at this point in time they really do care about Sunset and the same could be said about her for them