Wedding Bells and Bacos

by Mokoma

Chapter 3 - Siren's Hoard

"I'm not fixing the portal." The bearded stallion said. He folded his hooves and shook his head, like a foal refusing to eat his vegetables.

"Hey, what gives!?" Sunset shouted at him, barely restrained by Twilight. "What do you mean!? Can't, or won't!?"

"Either." Sighed the bearded stallion. "It's for the greater good! Besides, you're from Equestria. It's best keep the balance of the two sides of the mirror. I've learned of one incident that happened during my absence, when Celestia couldn't help but help herself to meddling in the affairs of another reality. Have you not considered the effect you might already have had!? Or perhaps the effect you might've had on your counterpart, if there is one?"

"Starswirl." Sternly, quickly said Celestia. She approached him and ushered him off to the side, away from earshot. "Listen to what I have to say." The alicorn now spoke quieter to make sure that others couldn't hear her, but it made her voice all the more intimidating. "They're getting married, and they need to return home. I'm sure that's as good a reason as any to fix the portal, don't you?"

"Hmph." Starswirl sighed. "Celestia, do I need to remind you, of all ponies, what happens when you find lovers from other dimensions?"

"Starswirl." The alicorn rose a brow as she towered above the older unicorn. "I at-least haven't used other dimensions as a dumping ground for Equestria's problems. Care to remind me how an entire school came under threat of three Sirens with hypnotizing powers?"

"Well, what would you have me do? Turn them to stone!?"

"At-least that way we have tabs on them. I am still doing my best to draft a plan to redeem those three." Celestia said, her tone not faltering, and neither did her firm gaze on her mentor. "Oh, and Starswirl, you shouldn't forget that Sonata is from this world, too. So your argument is a little...misplaced, softly to say."

"You just don't understand!" Starswirl exclaimed. "The three sirens are strongest when they are together! We are weakening a dangerous group of creatures! What if they return their magic!? You know the elementary lessons of magic, Tia! Magic cannot be destroyed nor created, just like energy - it can only move through different currents. Do you understand what I mean? You can never say never to this."

As the two argued, they turned their heads to the sounds of hoofsteps, and the sound of slithering - both Sonata and Sunset approached, though the siren stayed behind her fiance. "Starswirl, I just need you to understand this. Tomorrow should be the happiest day of my life. I'm asking you as somepony who needs this. I need this as help. I need to return to my friends!"

"And I'm telling you as a guardian of Equestria that I'm not fixing the portal!" Humphed Starswirl. "What if this is all just a plan to get the siren to steal a magical artifact to bring back to the other side? Do you want them to have another chance at brainwashing your school, Sunset Shimmer?"

"Wait, you really think I'd spend a whole year going on dates and getting close to Sunset just because I wanna grab like, an artifact?" Sonata put a claw to her lips. "Wow. Maybe I should've been the one who made evil plans back when we still wanted world domination..."

"Sonata is NOT trying to manipulate me, Starswirl!" Sunset wagged her hoof at him. "We love one another, and we are trying to get to our wedding! And didn't Twilight Sparkle prove you wrong with everything you were complaining about when you returned?"

"Okay." Sighed the stallion. "I see you're stubborn. Do you know what sirens are capable of, Sunset? Entire fishing villages and fleets disappeared because they spent years of their lives as slaves for them. They had no remorse nor care for who they targeted. What makes you think your fiance isn't just playing a long game? It's in their nature, Sunset. We worked hard to banish them, and I'm not going to risk my efforts."

"Okay, I see..." Sunset sighed. Celestia felt a tinge of heartbreak, seeing that Sunset seemingly acquiesced...until she saw that look in her eyes. Sharp, and determined - only appearing normal and calm on the surface. Oh yes. She knew what Sunset was about to say. "...So, Sirens are evil. What about ponies?"

"Hmph. Well we certainly have a better track record." Starswirl muttered. "Yes, our diversity is good, but I don't recall any particularly heinous villains in the past, sans Cozy Glow, being ponies."

"A better track record, huh?" Sunset grunted. "Do you know what I did when I was there, Mister Starswirl? I went there to bully, manipulate, and brainwash a whole school into submitting to me. I acted like a monster, and was deadset on returning to Equestria to show my teacher the monster I had become."

"Not to mention..." Celestia added. "Starswirl, what Stygian went through wasn't entirely his fault, either."

By now, Starswirl was unable to look anypony in the eyes, his gaze cast to the side. "..."

So, Celestia continued. "Villainy only appears when with distrust, hate, and fear. Sunset worked hard to prove that she's better than she was when she was lost to those negative feelings. But if you keep it up like this, you'll prove that no matter who you are - you never change. That's really the lesson you've learned after brushing off Twilight Sparkle when she returned you from eternal stone slumber!?"

Starswirl exhaled through his nostrils. "...I.." And sighed once more. "Very well. I will at-least look at the portal to see if there's something I can do."

"Thank you, Starswirl." Celestia's smile finally appeared.

As Sunset believed that the matter was resolved however...She noticed something was off. The massive shape of blue was no longer in the room. Sonata was not here. Curiously, she looked around...And she saw the little blue fin that was just sticking out of the closet door. While all others were distracted with the mirror, Sunset quietly walked over and opened the closet.

It broke her heart.

The sight of the massive Siren - hiding her face in the shadows as she sobbed.

"S-Sonnie!?" Sunset gasped, immediately squeezing herself into the closet so that she could reach Sonata's muzzle. She put a hoof to her cheek, and pressed her face to hers, frowning in deep concern. "Hey hey hey, S-Sonnie! T-They're gonna fix the portal! It's okay, shhh...W-What's the matter, sweetie...?"

But the tears were not shed over the portal. "Sunny...M-Maybe..." Sonata sniffled. "Maybe he's right. I...I might just be doing something manipulative, I might be trying to trick you - but I don't even know it! Maybe it's so deeply rooted in my nature, that all of this is gonna lead up to me doing something stupid and evil. What if I don't change? I-I'm not a pony, I'm a siren - all of this bad stuff could be a part of me from the start, and--"

"Sonata!" Sunset's hooves closely held the siren's cheeks. "Listen to me, please! Look, Starswirl's a grumpy old guy who's from a different time! I mean, he basically had to go through a timeskip over like, what, a few hundred years? You're an amazing person, Sonata - and the fact you've been able to fight against your past means you're also really strong. Please remember that?" She was hugging her face gently, planting soft kisses on her forehead. "You're perfect, and no matter what happens, I'm never refusing to be together with you. You're the best - from the seas, to the human world."

Sonata sniffled, looking at Sunset with wet puppy eyes. "F...For realzies, Sunny?"

"For realzies, Sonnie." Sunset nuzzled her. Wiping her tears with a fin, Sonata found the strength to bring in a smile. She nuzzled back, and giggled when Sonata planted a cheeky kiss on her chin.

"O-Okay, okay..." Sonata sighed, her huge serpent body briefly expanding before contracting. "Okay, then...I-I'm okay!"

Sunset led Sonata back to the room, where things were quiet due to the portal that was being pieced together. However, it took mere seconds before the silence was broken.

"Uuuuh, heya everyooonyyyy-poonyyyy!" Chirped a sudden voice. All turned their heads when they saw the appearance of none other than a pink mare. A pink mare who looked surprisingly on edge.

"Pinkie?" Twilight gasped, though smiled afterwards. "What're you doing here? I thought you were still in Ponyville!"

"Oh, I was just uh..." The pink mare swallowed nervously. Her eyes constantly scanned over the mirror, which she noticed was at the moment shattered, but felt a slight sense of ease noticing that Starswirl was piecing it together. "Y'know, uhm...Well, I uh...Felt that...there was some kinda...party energy from Canterlot and I uh...wanted to investigate!"

Sonata blinked at Pinkie Pie - pleased that this newcomer didn't mind her siren appearance. "Wow. Even the pony Pinkie Pie has a weird sixth sense! It applies to weddings too?"

At the word, the pink pony sprung up like a spring. "A wedding!? I-I mean, of course I knew there was a wedding! Uh, I was just on my way to see, uh, who's getting married!"

They were interrupted by the sound of a cough, and a slight tap on the floor to catch their attention. "...The portal is fixed." Said Starswirl, unable to make eye contact as he held his hat to his heart, not unlike Applejack when she was ashamed. "I've added an auxiliary spell to allow larger elements entering it to retract and bend until they fully pass the teleportation barrier. In other words, Sonata, you'll just squeeze through without breaking anything."

"Yes! Starswirl the Bearded, thank you! Thank you so much!" She exclaimed. Starswirl remembered it like yesterday - the sight of a Siren with her fangs beared rushing at him. He flinched - but didn't back away as Sunset immediately came close...Only to hug him.

"Ahem..." Starswirl adjusted the brim of his hat. "Don't mention it, I guess. Just know I'll definitely be unsealing some of my more potent scrolls if I find out this is a masterplan of some sort..."

"It's a masterplan to steal the heart of the best mare in the world, eheheh!"

Sunset eagerly walked over to the two princesses, smiling eagerly and warmly. "You two guys are gonna come, right?"

"You have my word." Celestia bowed.

"And mine!" Twilight beamed. "I'm sure we can figure something out to take care of the work and responsibilities we've got...Maybe Princess Luna could substitute us? Could see if Starlight might wanna give it a shot, though I'm a bit scared she might use an experimental spell when meeting the festival organizers from Mount Aris...I bet she'd know where Starswirl hid a "automatically plan a festival" scroll somewhere..." She muttered, ears twitching when she heard the stallion exclaim its location in the background - under a potted plant in the forbidden section of the library.

"As long as it isn't Spike." Celestia chuckled. "I mean, I do hope he comes along, as do your friends. It's just that...I'm still humored remembering the silly shenanigans that took place when he tried to solve problems on your behalf."

"I'd be happy if you two could make it." Said Sunset. "Besides, I wonder if you've had the chance to really get to know your doppelganger, and the others..."

"Y-Yeah!" Pinkie Pie nervously smiled as her eyes shiftily looked back and forth. "I would reaaallllyyyy wanna go through the portal! I-I mean, to be at the wedding!"

***

The wedding was perfect. Or rather, it was going to be perfect. Almost perfect.

But perfections always invited blemish.

The figure in the shadows ran through the cover of objects and people with a goal in mind. It was a masterful plan. She slipped through the blind spots - though had to take emergency shelter under a table when the glasses-wearing Twilight Sparkle walked past with a notebook in her hand.

"The wedding is at 87.2% accuracy of our plans!" She said, ordering technicians as they set up the equipment for music, lights, and other activities. "If we lack the remaining 12.8%, then this wedding will be a failure! We're not accepting anything less than 99.1% purity here, people! If you need barometric readings to determine whether or not some of the items should be rainproofed overnight, then worry not! We're looking at clear skies in the next 72 to 96 hours!" She exclaimed. With that, she walked off - and the mystery figure was free to keep going.

Vinyl Scratch happily adjusted the musical equipment at her booth, but as Twilight approached with technical questions, she stepped away, leaving her turntable and laptop vulnerable. Under the cover of the evening, the hooded figure slipped up to the computer, and inserted a USB drive into it. With only a few clicks, she smiled deviously. The deed was done - and the DJ was none the wiser.

Then, it was a matter of the refreshments. To avoid hauling too much stuff, the fruit punch was prepared in advance, being cooled in the refrigerator in the venue's kitchen. The shadowy figure slipped in - and had ease doing so, for the kitchen staff were being distracted by yet another mysterious figure, who had brought up that a health concern regarding rats was to be addressed. In the kitchen, the mystery person opened the large bowl, and looked at the packet in her hand.

Tsar Bomb Sour Candy Powder. The strongest stuff you could buy - and certainly under the table. The infiltrator giggled each second they poured it in, before closing the lid - and slipping out like nothing ever happened.

Finally...The altar. She learned of the secret banner that would be unfurled the moment the two were officially wed. Luckily, the banner was not yet attached, and was rolled up. Sneaking into the supply closet, she had all the time in the world as her partner made sure nobody got close. She rewrote the text to something more appropriate.

When the job was done, it was time to rendezvous with the partner. She took her hood off in the back area, where the large dumpsters stood. Aria Blaze was smiling wide the whole time - too giddy to see where this would go tomorrow.

Then, her partner approached, and took off her hood - from which her large, puffy hair was unleashed. Adagio Dazzle's smile was no smaller.

"You did everything correctly?"

The purple-haired girl nodded. "Yeah, those shoulda been the last big three, along all the other annoying things we've set up already."

"Perfect." Laughed Adagio. "Music?"

"Replaced with something that will make them hate having ears!" Grinned Aria.

"The punch?"

"I put in the most sour candy powder I could find. Their faces are gonna go inwards like black holes!" Laughed Aria.

"Fuhuhuhu~...And the banner?"

"Sonata and Sunset. Happy together forever and ever? More like not meant to be, never and ever.

"Great." Adagio placed her hands on her hips. "And good job on the food, too. What a nasty little idea..."

"...But I didn't touch the food." Aria tilted her head.

"Huh? So the bacon tacos were their idea!? That's a new low..."

Suddenly, a shrill and high-pitched voice cried out right behind them, making the sirens gasp and grimace. "That's not a low! That's called Tacos De Alambre, and they're delicious!" Pinkie barked at them, having popped out from the dumpster.

"Gah!" Both Adagio and Aria recoiled from surprise and shock - but as they backed away, they felt a softness hit them. They bumped into someone. They turned around quickly, faced with both Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who folded their arms and looked with raised brows.

"So..." Rainbow muttered. "Vinyl Scratch showed me a mysterious file on her laptop that replaced Sonata's and Sunset's favourite playlist...Crying baby, smartphone alarm and fork scraping ASMR 48 hour loop!?"

Adagio's eyes were aflame with righteous fury as she turned to Aria, her mouth nearly unhinging from the jaw to deliver the sheer volume of her yell. "YOU DIDN'T EVEN CHANGE THE NAME OF THE FILE!?"

It was surprising to see for once, but Aria winced, covering her face with her hands to try and protect herself from the near shockwave of her words. "A-Ah! W-Well, look, knowing Sonata, it definitely sounds like the title of one of those weird albums she listens to! You know she's always been into experimental pop stuff! I mean, have you seen the names they're calling their songs and bands nowada--"

"Imbecile!" Adagio exclaimed. "Where else have you left your fingerprints on our - no, MY perfect plan!?"

"Ahem..." Applejack coughed. "Actually 'ah knew somethin' was up when you tried hidin'
'round here, Adagio. Yer' uh...hair...It sticks out a lil' bit more than y'think...'Ah thought a Pomeranian escaped the doggy saloon or somethin' till' ah took a closer look..."

"Yeah." Rainbow narrowed her eyes fiercely. "What are you two doing around here sneaking if not to sabotage the wedding after all, huh? What, Sonata didn't invite you guys?"

"We were invited!" Aria shouted with fury.

"Oh, I see." Rainbow Dash scoffed. She folded her arms, leaning in with an inquisitive, raised brow. "Someone's jealous that their sister is getting married, but you're not, huh? Is that it? You wanna sabotage the wedding cause you two are so toxic you can't get along with anyone?"

"Listen here!" Adagio shook her fist, taking steps towards her. "We can have anyone wrapped around our fingers whenever we want to! This has nothing to do with jealousy, you--"

Pinkie leaned in with deep inquisition. "Or are you just really weird and you think that ruining a wedding means "I love you"? Cause there's no language where ruining your wedding means that "I love y--"

Adagio screamed with rage, balling her fists and holding them to her sides, as if screaming at the skies. "QUUUUIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!"

The scream had blown the girls of the surrounding mare, they could only stare with wide eyes, including Aria. She wanted to propose that maybe Adagio still had her voice, but this was not the right time. Adagio started to march towards the six, wagging her finger at them. "Listen UP! I AM upset about this wedding! I AM upset about the fact that you're here. I am VERY upset that Sonata decided to marry Sunset SHIMMER, and oh - you cannot believe how upset I am that this wedding is even happening. Do you know why!?" She had backed the five girls against the wall, her finger landing on Applejack's chest, who stood in-front of them protectively. "Because we are saying goodbye to our SISTER!"

"Sayin' goodbye!?" Applejack furrowed her brows, smacking Adagio's hand away. "What's that supposed t'mean!? They're just gettin' married! They ain't leaving town! What on Earth has gotten into--"

"But we ARE saying goodbye!" Aria cried out, shaking her fists as tears swelled in her eyes. "It's my - no...our fault! We made her wanna leave and find someone else to spend the time with!"

"Aria!" Shrieked Adagio. "You promised we won't admit how we fe--"

"I don't care!" Aria yelled. "Does it matter when Sonata is gonna cut us out because she's gonna realize she doesn't need to be around sisters who treat her like a nuisance!?"

"Oh!?" Adagio turned to Aria, now storming towards her instead. "You're one to talk, Aria! You took every chance you had to belittle her and bicker! I at-least tried to keep you two focused on our objective. And yet there you were, yapping and barking at Sonata just because, what, she wanted to visit the zoo? Or she wanted to go to some taco festival?"

"You've never even given her a single compliment!" Aria exclaimed, the two sirens now butting in forehead-to-forehead.

"Have you!? Once!?"

The high tensions were making the air in the room feel like it boiled.

Until, three girls stepped forward. Applejack put a hand on Adagio's shoulder, while Rainbow Dash did so with Adagio.

"Whoa nelly. Dazzlin's. simmer down." Applejack said, removing her hat with the other hand.

"Don't you dare touch me, cowgi--"

"Hey." Applejack hushed, not aggressively, but gently, calmly. "Adagio, right? Listen...'Ah understand you. You both care about Sonata. But y'all are realizin' this only now because we really can't value somethin' fully until it's almost gone. 'Ahm afraid that's...pretty normal."

Aria's tone had gone from furious, to desperate. Bargaining was the current stage of grief. "But we do value her! And the last thing we want is for her to disappear from our lives! Don't you understand!?"

"Does she...know you value her?" The blonde girl asked. Immediately, silence followed.

"Look..." Rainbow sighed. "Just, think of it this way. You guys are just makin' it worse for yourselves. What Sonata needs right now is to know that she's actually being supported from her side of the family too. Nobody wants to play soccer and then look at the benches to see they ain't got any fans cheering them on! What, can you three imagine singing without an audience too? How do you think she's gonna feel when her side of the chairs at the altar is empty?"

"Wow, Rainbow Dash..." Gasped Pinkie. "You...that was impressively said! And...poetic!"

"Oh, thanks. I picked up on the dramatic speakin' skills." Rainbow grinned, proudly folding her arms. "Sunset's been showin' me this stuff called "Mango". Not sure why they called comics after a fruit, but, hey, it's cool stuff! Just wish they actually had some color, though...And didn't force me to read them right-to-left."

Applejack coughed to get things back on track. "Dazzlin's, let's be honest. We're growin' up, ain't we? We're moving forward with our lives. I ain't wanna say we're moving on from anythin', but we are movin'. Girls - how long've you been tryin' to, y'know...mess around with ponies? Tryin' to take over the world n' all that? I ain't sayin' just 'cause you lost your magic you had to give up, I'm sayin' that in between makin' the audience hypnotized 'n feeding off of hate or whatever that green stuff you used to take from people when they were upset...Have y'all never thought of finding the next things to do with life? Real love? Makin' a real career and tryin' to learn how to sing so that y'all don't have to rely neither on magic nor fancy-shmancy tech? Y'all can't punish Sonata for wantin' progress in her life, sugarcubes...Y'all should be happy for her, 'n happy with her!"

"What she said!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Adagio, Aria...Your sister has been hoping all this time that you'd support her! And if you didn't do it before, why not start now? This is the moment she needs you the most! Ever!"

"And elephant in the room where the elephant ain't supposed to be - I grew up with three sisters!" Pinkie said, finally vaulting over the dumpster to stand beside Rainbow Dash and Applejack. "They're definitely different from me in a lot of ways, and they might think I'm a lil' cooky! But even when I left the rock farm..." She said - briefly causing confusion for the other two since they never heard of a rock farm before, nor Pinkie working on one. "...Even when Limestone mumbled at me for my choice, she never once said she was against what I wanted to do in life! Sure, the rainboo--, uh, fate brought me and my friends together, but if my sisters weren't there for me, I dunno what I woulda done!"

"So, what do you say, Dazzlin's?" Applejack took a step forward. "What say we make things right? 'Ah dunno if you sirens got your own way of doing sibling love, but you've got a chance to turn things around! Be the sisters you knew you wanted to be deep inside! 'Ah know it's true - y'all were just being tough to one another to keep each other competitive and determined, but there's no need for that. Please, girls...For Sonata?"

Adagio didn't care that they were in the dump. Literally and metaphorically. She sat down with her back against the filthy metal of the dumpster. "...I..." Adagio put a hand on her forehead, her world was breaking. She thought that she was alone in this sea of regret and misery - realizing just how much of a child she was...

But when she felt Aria's hand on her right shoulder as she sat by her side, it was all clear.

She cherished that she felt that hand on her right shoulder...

And she felt immense misery that she didn't feel a hand on her left shoulder.

It became clear to Adagio that by doing this - by doing these horrible acts against the happiness of her sister - that she would never feel that hand on her left shoulder. And if she continued as she did, maybe in the future, the one on the right would disappear too.

The tears that budded in Adagio's eyes were too much, and she immediately turned right - to wrap her arms around Aria. She didn't care how humiliating she looked - to sit in a dumpster and start sobbing...But the fact she was able to hold her sister in her arms made it all worth it.

"I-I'm so sorry, Aria!" She said in-between hiccs and sniffs, leaving a warm wet spot on Aria's neck with her tears. "I...I-I'm the worst sister ever...I-...I never should've been so strict! I never should've put our plans or our power above you! I'm so sorry, I--"

But then, she felt two arms wrap around her in turn.

"...I'm sorry too, sis." Aria quietly said, keeping her eyes shut to make sure none would see them glisten with tears. She breathed deeply and slowly, doing everything she could to not sob. If one sister had broken down, the other had to stay strong. That much she at-least knew. "We messed up...big time. I guess we were so embarrassed to admit we went overboard with how we did things that we never even thought about talkin' about it..."

Adagio gasped for air - the crying too intense. "I...I'll never treat you the way I did ever again, Aria. I promise you...You're more important to me than magic. I-If we're just gonna be living normal lives without our magic, so be it! I just...I just want to be with you and Sonata!"

Aria's hug became tighter as she hid her face in Adagio's shoulder and hair. "I'm gonna make t-things right too, sis. I...I have to make up for all that bickering and taunting and teasing and bullying I've put Sonata through, and all the times I tried to fight you thinking that it mattered which one of us is the leader..."

The two sat like this for a moment, gently rocking back and forth. Their voices were too broken to sing - but they imagined it both. They both knew that in their heads, they sang one of the first songs they had composed when they lurked at the bottom of the ocean - just three sirens with the seas to be their oyster. But it was not a song of ambition and conquest. Merely, it was a song to show that they three were here together - and that they were one.

With time, the two calmed down, the sobs less frequent, and their voices more clear - but much lower in pitch, and a little nasal due to the buildup of snot in their nostrils.

"...I love you and Sonata so much, sister." Adagio said, reaching over Aria's shoulder to wipe her nose with her own arm, not caring how filthy or gross she looked.

"I love you two too, sis..."

...

They pulled away and smiled at one another. Their eyes were dry and slightly red, neither were able to stop themselves from chuckling. Mascara ran down Aria's eyes, while constantly rubbing her head against Aria made Adagio's puffy hair dotted in stray strands.

"...G-Gives me an idea..." Adagio found the strength and positivity to chuckle. "Let's try a glam rock thing later...? Your makeup kinda looks like you play guitar for Smooch. That's...the one where their members got that black-and-white face paint, right?"

"R-Really?" Aria laughed, wiping the crystalized tears off her eyes. "I didn't know I look that bad with runny mascara...Uh, your hair gives me an idea too. Think we might try an 80's thing...?"

Adagio blushed as she saw her own shadow, hair so messy that she could see all those strands that made it look as if a cat had messed with it. "As long as we don't look too much like clowns, s-sure. Ah..." Adagio was about to comment on how much of an embarrassing show they must've made in front of the others, until she looked around and realized they were alone. "...Oh. Guess they've chosen to give us some space..."

"...Hey!" Aria gasped. "W-We gotta..." She immediately stood up - but realizing she did so by herself, immediately leaned down to help Aria up by her arms, allowing the two sisters to stand before one another. "We gotta tell them what we did! I-I don't know how much damage we've done, but if we work really hard, t-then we can probably fix things!"

"Y-You're right!" Adagio exclaimed. They ran out of the dump area - but the moment they turned the corner, they were met with Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash - who were on their phones. When they saw the two siren girls, they all smiled.

"Well here they are." Rainbow smirked. "The best siren sisters in the world - here to make Sonata's wedding the best thing since padded sports shoes?"

The two were smiling, but they knew they were in the wrong. They hung their heads lower, now meek and ashamed. "We're so sorry for everything. We..."

Applejack stopped them by waving one of her hands. "S'alright, sugarcubes. We've been on our phones contactin' the prep group. Vinyl's restored the original file. Banner has been remade - somepony took a gander at the store rooms. Also we found which chairs have been tampered with to collapse."

"There's more, though!" Aria grit her teeth, blushing hard. She had to confess - as unpleasant as it was - but she had to remove all her and Adagio's mistakes. "Fruit punch - sour candy! W-We gotta make a new batch!"

"Don't worry!" Pinkie bounced up and down. "Twilight called me to report that the hue of the punch has changed to a shade of lighter yellow, implying the presence of acidic substances that can be correlated to sour candy - though she states her hypothesis may also imply the presence of intense citric acids not found in nature." She gasped, having said the whole thing in one breath - but doing her best to report on Twilight's words. "That's okay, though - I placed an emergency punch preparation kit in-case Sonata overdoes on grape juice!"

"There's...still a lot more." Aria sighed. "Sorry...I'll fix it..."

"We'll fix it." Smiled Adagio, stepping forward and holding a fist proudly. "We're not going to let a single bad thing happen on Sonata's day!"

"No..." Rainbow immediately walked over, and placed both arms around the sirens' shoulders. We'll fix it. Matter of fact, we're glad you two are on-board! Sonata might say stuff like she wants bacon pancakes or a pinata, but we need someone who knows her so well that we can put in more stuff that she likes without having to ask her! You take care of making this wedding perfect for Sonata, and we'll make it great for Sunset!"

"That would be great!" Said Adagio. "O-Okay, how much time've we got!?"

"'Ah don't want anypony skippin' on sleep." Said Applejack. "But, we can have all the others go home and time, while we take a few hours overtime to do the last prep bits. What do ya think?"

"Let's go!" Aria said. "Sonata - just hang in there. This is gonna be the best day of your life!"