Power Restored
Chapter XII: Power Restored
Gently pulling the shoebox from the top shelf, I can’t help but take a deep breath, knowing what I’m about to get into. A part of me hopes this doesn’t work… The reason I hid this box all the way up at the top of the closet was because it is filled with pretty personal things, but the one thing I never wanted to take out again was what Twilight wanted to see. Bringing the box to our bed, I place it down, gently dragging my fingers across the top of the lid. Am I even sure I want to go through with this idea…? What if it doesn’t work and it is all one big waste of time? No… That’s not what I’m scared of. I want this to fail. If anything, I’m scared of what might happen if this does work.
What if it does work…? What if I get my magic back, even if it is temporary? What will happen then? The thought of that reality scares me… Who am I to tell Sunset to stop being afraid of magic, yet here I am doing the same thing? How much of a hypocrite can I be? I was a hypocrite back when I had my magic as well. Have I even changed at this point or is it my hopeful denial? I’ve done so much to change, but it still feels like I’m at square one…
Gently letting my breath hit my lips, I guide my hands to the sides of the lid. If this does work… If it works, then I don’t know what will happen. I don’t have the answers and that scares me. I prefer to have the answers. I want to know what will happen and have a plan of action. Right now? I’m at the mercy of the future. I could rely on the postcards, but they never sent a postcard from the same place, so they often moved all over. This is… my only real way of finding them.
Lifting up on the lid, an image flashes in front of my eyes, making me jump slightly. An image of a broken TV… That was one of my first hallucinations of her… Trying to lift the lid again, more images of her flash in front of my eyes. God damn it. I’m so worried about what is going to happen that my mind is trying to convince me that… she will do something. Fuck off…
Pulling the lid off the shoebox, I take a deep breath and look down at the contents. Inside are a few postcards, a purple spiked headband, and… a glass container with shining red shards…The last time I looked at these was when that siren had taken them out to try and put them together herself. It’s funny. If she remembers everything I do like she claims, then why would she had tried that? I already did that years ago…
My fingers gingerly grab the container, pulling it out of the shoebox to look at the pieces in a better light. “1, 2, 3,” I whisper to myself, counting the pieces. The words leave my mouth without any real meaning. I know they’re all in there. I can tell from a single glance. I’m just prolonging the amount of time it takes for me to bring these to Twilight. Both Sunset and Twilight are waiting in the living room. As much as I don’t want to keep them waiting, I also don’t want to hurry downstairs…
After counting every single piece of the long since broken gem, I take a deep breath and look towards the door. If this works… I can only expect two different outcomes. I would be able to cast the spell and find Sonata and Aria or she might be in control once again. If that’s the case… I just have to have hope that Sunset’s magic is as strong as she says it is.
Walking out of the bedroom, I quickly make my way down the stairs, trying to compose myself so that I don’t seem afraid in front of them. Looking into the living room, I see Twilight, sitting in front of the coffee table, inspecting her necklace. Sunset is sitting down on the opposite side of the table, looking down at the cleared space with her arms crossed. As soon as we make eye contact, a hopeful look comes across Sunset’s face, but I can tell she’s a little scared too.
“Did you find it, Alligator?” Sunset asks me with a kind smile. Raising the container in the air, I shake it slightly. The sound of the shards clinking against the glass container seems to catch Twilight’s attention, her eyes looking up from her gem.
“Oh? It is more red than I imagined,” Twilight remarks, making me remember that she hasn’t seen this before. Sometimes, I can’t help but get the two versions of her mixed up. The other Twilight was less shy though. Socially awkward? Sure, but shy? Not really. Maybe that’s because she is a princess. “It looks beautiful though! I wasn’t trying to say it is bad or anything,” Twilight states with a slight blush, trying to recover from her mixup. Sighing to herself, she holds her hand out towards the table. “Just put the pieces down here and I’ll do my best once I get used to my magic again.” A look of apprehension comes from Sunset, clearly worried about this. Sitting down next to her, I do my best to reassure her by rubbing her shoulder. Her smile gets a little bigger from this, nodding for me to follow Twilight’s instructions.
Gently taking the top of the container off, I hesitantly spill out the contents onto the coffee table, making sure none of the shards fall to the ground. Twilight looks at them curiously before nodding to herself. After putting the necklace on, Twilight takes a deep breath. She carefully holds her hand out towards a cup of coffee beside Sunset, closing her eyes. If I’m not mistaken, I can almost swear I see a purple aura around her hand… Within a moment, the cup slowly floats into the air, making my eyes widen at the sight. I was told what Twilight could do, but actually seeing it in this world… It’s been years since I’ve seen magic in use, especially in this human world.
“Okay. I still know how to use my magic. That’s a good sign,” Twilight tells me with a smile in an attempt to reassure me. It doesn’t work though… She doesn’t know what I’m really afraid of. She thinks I’m afraid that this won’t work, but I can’t stop thinking about what will happen if it does… “These are all the pieces, right?” Lifting one piece into the air, Twilight rotates it to inspect every side of it before her eyes turn to me.
“Those are all of them.” Every single piece of the gem that broke three and a half years ago. A lump forms in my throat as I see a gleam of light shine off of the pieces. Even though it’s perfectly cool in this room, I feel like I’m about to sweat just by watching this.
“Okay. So, I’m going to put the pieces together as tightly as I can. If I’m correct, this should give you back your magic temporarily until I let go of the pieces again.” A gut-wrenching feeling takes over me as Twilight’s magic lifts all the pieces into the air, lining them up side by side. The red shine is all too familiar… Memories of a life long past fill my head. “Do you remember the spell?” Twilight asks me quietly, her eyes still focused on me. “You’ll need to cast it while I keep the pieces together. That is if this works.”
“I do,” I reassure her, the words coming to my mind without a moment of hesitation. I haven’t forgotten a single part of my magic. I honed it like a fine art. Above all else, I was the siren with the most ambition. I… had the most control over my magic. “Do it,” I tell her quietly, readying myself for what could be the first time in ages that I feel magic again.
Slowly, Twilight brings the pieces closer to one another. One piece connects to another… Every piece that is added begins to resemble the gem’s former glory even more. Three down… Another piece is added. Every time another piece is added, the red shine almost seems brighter. I can see my reflection in the pieces, splitting apart at the cracks. The moment this gem was broken, my whole identity broke. I have worked so hard to fix myself. To be someone new. Now, I have to face this again. After all, I’m still Adagio Dazzle. Nothing I do will change that…
My body freezes up as I see another piece added to the gem formation. The lump in my throat gets bigger. A part of me wants to tell Twilight to stop, but I know… this is the only one-hundred percent way to find them. Any other method is likely to lead us to dead ends. Sunset grabs a hold of my hand, but I barely notice it at all. Hell, the rest of the room becomes a blur. My eyes focus on the gem and nothing else… Only one piece is left. Twilight brings it closer to the rest of the formation, making me bite my tongue to stop me from saying anything I might regret. Finally, the last piece is brought to the gem, making it whole once again. To my surprise, nothing happens. The only thing I can see is my reflection. No sense of power… No magic. No-
Widening my eyes, I can’t help but take a sharp breath in. My reflection in the gem quickly changed to a different image of me. One of me kneeling down on an icy sidewalk… A gun is in my hand as tears fall down my cheeks. A failure of a siren crying right outside her apartment. Nothing left to lose… The reflection of me raises the gun to the roof of my mouth. I remember every single thought that was passing through my mind then… I truly had nothing. Nothing of importance. I had no reason to live anymore. That was… That was the night Sunset told me I could be happy too.
Before I can say anything, the image changes. Again, my face is present, but this time? I’m at the bowling alley. The image of Rainbow Dash laughing and Sunset smiling makes me remember what day this was. Why am I seeing this…? What significance does this have? I…
Again, the image changes. The pace of the images passing by is a lot faster now. Every image that is shown through the reflection is something that happened ever since Sunset came back into my life. The times I hung out with Apple Bloom. The day I realized I fell in love with Sunset… Valentine’s Day. My confession. The day we first made love. The Apple Family Reunion… They pass by so fast that it’s hard to recognize where each one of them is from before another image shows up.
Suddenly, two images show up in the reflection, parted by a crack in the gem. One of them is Sunset crying in the rain, making my heart ache for a moment. The other is a picture of Sunset standing in a beautiful orange dress, smiling as the sun shines down on her. Neither of these are… memories. What are they? How do they have anything to do with-
A green mist forms around the gem ever so slowly… Is that… Am I hallucinating or is this real? Gently, I reach out towards the gem. Touching the green mist, it happily runs along my arm, an all too familiar feeling entering my mind. All until my sight goes black.
This is my magic…
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A dark tune fills my ears from a piano. Every note is so soft that I can barely hear it, but the absence of any other sound makes it easy to focus on. The feeling of water at my fingertips is so… confusing. Opening my eyes, I see nothing but a dark gray sky. What is happening…? The last thing that happened was me touching my magic again… Quickly getting up to a sitting position, I see that I’m in ankle deep water. Black water that goes on forever in every direction. Except for the dark cliffside in front of me…
The entrance to a cave is embedded in the wall of the cliff, nothing but the color black coming out of it. What is this…? Slowly getting up to my feet, I can’t help but feel anxious looking at the cliff. Its imposing size makes me feel small… Small pieces of rock fall to the water, yet no sound comes from the splashes. Only the sound of a distant piano can be heard… Why am I here? Is this some kind of dream? It is a lot more realistic than most dreams…
“What is that feeling? It feels so… familiar,” a dark whisper lingers in my mind, making me look up towards the top of the cliff. Standing above me is a shadow of myself, red eyes looking down at me. The gem around her neck shines a bright cherry red, giving a distinct contrast to the black and gray world around us. “Like the taste of a home cooked meal after a long trip or the feeling of looking at the sunrise after a series of stressful events.” A mischievous chuckle wraps around my mind, lighting the fire in my gut once again. Why does it have to be her…? “Is that the feeling of… magic?” she asks me with a giggle, bringing her hand to her chin. “Could it be that we actually feel magic again? Is this some kind of dream?”
“I was asking myself the same thing,” I respond with a hateful tone, staring up at her. Why am I here with her? I should be with Twilight and Sunset, experimenting with my magic… “What do you want?”
“Oh? Are you under the presumption that I brought you here?” she asks me curiously, laughing to herself. “Don’t blame me for your trepidatious assumptions. Even I haven’t the faintest idea why you are here. That is unrevealed to me.” Looking up towards the gray sky, the shadow laughs again, floating in place as if she is sitting on some throne. “The bigger mystery is just how that Twilight managed to do THIS. I thought it would be near impossible for that magic to come back, but here I am, proven wrong.”
“So, you are saying the magic brought me here? That is ridiculous,” I reply with a shake of my head. My magic never did that before… What even is this place?
“You misunderstand me, Adagio.” Steadily, she descends from the top of the cliff, gently placing her feet in the water. Her arms outstretched as if to taunt me that I’m here to begin with. “I was simply commenting that it is interesting that this happened to begin with, not that I knew why you’re here.” She takes a deep breath before making eye contact with me again, walking closer to me.
“What is this place?” I ask her outright, tired of not getting an answer from her. This dark place is… eerie. It’s cold, wet and most of all quiet…
“This? Oh, this is the part of your mind that you have long since rejected, Adagio,” she whispers with a small chuckle, making the nerves along my back fire up. “I apologize for how dead it looks. It used to be more active. That was until the Battle of the Bands.” She raises her hand into the air, snapping her fingers. Within a moment, a throne rises up from the water, providing her with a seat. The throne is made up of what seems to be obsidian with crimson red cushions.
“And what part would that be?” I ask her warily, trying to not be caught off guard by some sort of trick.
“Your instincts, of course. You think I’m lying, but it’s true. You’ve stopped listening to your instincts and this is what happened.” Her hand moves out in front of her, making a gesture towards the world around us. “And will you please rest your shoulders? Your stiffness is killing me. Then again, your discomfort is a bit rewarding, so I do not know which to choose.” My instincts… What in the hell does she mean by that? I have instinctual desires all the time. “This is the part of your mind that you split away from after you got hit by that ‘friendship’ magic.”
“Every word you say makes less sense than the one immediately preceding it. I’m done listening to your mind games.” Rolling my eyes, I look up towards the sky with a heavy sigh, wishing I could get out of here already. I don’t believe her. I don’t have any reason to believe her…
“Fine. If you wish to believe that I am full of lies, then do so. Although, if there is anything I would urge you to listen to, it is this.” Her expression that was once filled with amusement is now nothing but a solemn sign of anger. “Do not try to use that magic again. You won’t be able to master it until you do what I want,” she whispers with a small smile, resting her chin on the back of her hand.
“And what is it that you want to do? You never told me directly other than it involves a damned nexus.” Throwing my hand out to her, I can’t help but let out a little bit of the anger festering inside of me. As a result, she just laughs at me even more, making me feel frustrated at her.
“That’s just it, Adagio. I have told you what I want. Just indirectly. And as you’ve shown here and now, you wouldn’t listen to me, even if I told you what I want. After all,” she looks at me with a smirk, chuckling to herself even more, “I’m just full of lies, right?” My legs start to feel weak and my head feels dizzy… Trying to stand straight, I try to shake the feeling off, but it persists. What is she doing…? “Oh, and I sincerely hope that you find Aria and Sonata. They are important for the future~” What…? What does she mean by that? Even though I’m trying to keep my eyes open, my sight begins to black out once more.
What does she want with them…?
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“Adagio?” a sweet voice calls out my name, ringing in my head. Every part of my body feels… drained. Slowly opening my eyes, a blinding light makes me squint and groan at the new sensation. Once I can finally see, I notice that the light came from an overhead light. Looking over to my right, I see beautiful blue eyes looking back at me, a warm smile making me feel alive again. The washcloth falls off my forehead, making me realize just how warm I feel. “Heya, Alligator~ Are you feeling alright?” she whispers with the kindest tone to her voice, her hand squeezing mine. Seeing her makes me feel like everything is alright, but I know it isn’t.
“What happened?” I ask her quietly, slowly moving my body up with her help. Looking around, I see the red shards on the coffee table, reassuring me that all of that did happen. Walking in from the kitchen, Twilight holds a cup and stirs the contents with a spoon.
“Oh? Adagio is awake?” she asks with curiosity, quickly putting her cup down and grabbing my wrist. “Her heartbeat is stable. And her eyes seem fine,” Twilight mentions as if I’m not here, placing her hand on my forehead. “And her fever is gone. How are you feeling, Adagio?” Blinking a couple of times, I push Twilight’s hand away from me with a raised eyebrow.
“I feel fine. I’m just wondering what is going on.” Looking at the red shards, my breathing stops. The images that flashed in that reflection come back to my mind. And what that demon said… Does her plan revolve around Sonata and Aria…?
“After Twilight put the gem together, you passed out. You had a big fever, so Twilight instantly took the gem apart. I… was really worried about you,” Sunset whispers, bringing her hand to my shoulder. Pressing my forehead against hers, I do my best to make her feel better.
“I’m alright. Really. It was just… the shock of feeling magic again, that’s all,” I tell her quietly, cupping her cheek in my hand. Looking back at the gem, I can’t help but feel conflicted. Should I even try to find them…? If she has a plan for them, would it be better for me to leave them alone?
Now that I know Twilight can give me my magic back, this situation might have gotten a lot more dangerous… She has already threatened Sunset’s safety and our marriage if I don’t follow her plan. She might make Twilight do this again if I just give it up… If I do this myself, there’s a chance I can keep tabs on her plan and form a plan to stop her.
“Okay, so now that we know what happened, I don’t think we should do that again. It is-”
“No,” I interrupt Twilight, shaking my head. Despite the fact she’s looking out for my health, I nod to the shards. “Put them together again.” A hesitant look dawns on both Twilight and Sunset’s faces, Sunset’s hand tightening her grip on my hand.
“Are you sure, sweetheart?” she asks me slowly, her eyes not breaking from my own. Her stare tells me just how worried she is to do this again, but… I have to do this. Nodding to her question, I turn my gaze to Twilight.
Twilight takes a deep breath and finally stands up, walking around to the other side of the table. “I don’t think this is a good idea,” she tells me with a wary stare, holding her hand out to the shards. “But if you insist, then I guess that’s your choice.” Lifting the pieces into the air once more, Twilight connects a couple of the pieces. “Just remember the spell. I WILL let go of this if you pass out again. If that’s the case, we probably shouldn’t try this again at all.” All I do is give her a simple nod as a reply, watching the pieces connect to each other. Sunset holds onto my hand as tightly as she can, hurting me slightly. I can’t blame her. This is a scary decision, but… it has to be done.
As soon as the last piece connects to the gem, the green mist falls towards me again. Taking a deep breath, I feel the overwhelming energy surrounding my body. The luster of magic… It feels so familiar. So… powerful. So good… The magic covers every part of me. I feel… connected to the universe itself. Every part of me that hurt before no longer aches. If anything, I feel… strong. Weightless. It feels as if I could fly.
I could fly if I wanted to. Every single spell comes to mind. All the memories of my life as a siren come flooding back to me. This is electrifying… Was I really this powerful before? Did I just take this feeling for granted? It feels like I have the world in my hand. Like I’m some sort of god… Every breath feels so fresh. It feels like everything is mine. This ambition. This drive. It feels so familiar, yet new.
“Adagio?” a voice asks for my attention, making me turn my gaze. Sunset’s eyes look at me, filled with worry. One glance at her face and I can instantly tell that I already have everything I want. She is everything I would ever need. This lust for power is exactly what blinded me to happiness before. I can’t let that happen again…
But god, it feels good.
Singing a single note, I can feel the magic leave my lips, filling the air around me. I had nearly forgotten what it felt like to use this magic. Stay on task, Adagio…
Opening my eyes, I hold my hand out to Twilight, telling her to stop. Within a moment, Twilight breaks the gem apart and the magic leaves my body. The magic was seductive, but… I was stronger than its appeal. God, I’m so proud of myself. That I could actually control it. I wasn’t a victim of ambition and power again.
“I know where they are…”
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I feel like Pandora’s box has been ripped open
11548353
Well, the gem didn't stay together~
The only thing I'm questioning about is why Adagio put in the box is the spiked headband.
No turning back now.
I really hope they're not visions of the future!!
Well... that's just creepy.
Damn!
Well, that's good to know.
11548533
This whole chapter was meant to be more of set up rather than explaining how Adagio's magic works. And the headband in the shoebox is the one from the Battle of the Bands. It is one of the only things remaining from her previous wardrobe, but I will elaborate on that more later on~ 
Thank you for the compliments~ I was definitely going for a creepy atmosphere in that one scene.
11548630
Got it.
Wouldn’t it be technically be Twilight instead of Sunset, due to Twilight casting the spell to molecularly fusing the pieces together?.
11670980
She's referring to if her darker side takes over, then she hopes Sunset and her friends can stop her like they did at the Battle of the Bands