> Sunlight and Songs
>  by Hopeful_Ink_Hoof
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Notes of Dawn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another day, another festival, another successful performance, and still nowhere near enough.  They were barely making enough to feed and clothe themselves, and keep the van's gas tank full, to say nothing of living a life of wonderful luxury they were used to.  That they deserved.

Adagio Dazzle chugged down the bottle of water before tossing it.

"Hey," someone shouted. "Hey!"

Adagio turned to look at some human guy.

"You can't just leave it on the ground like that," he said, pointing at the empty water bottle.  "You need to throw it in the recycling bin."

A snarl of frustration bubbled in the back of her throat as Adagio turned to face him, hands on her hips.  She was tempted to ask "or what," but found herself reconsidering.  True, the current festival manager did not care, but if word got out, then fans would get upset.  Not only would that mean a decline in viewership, and thus profits, but it could possibly mean that future events were less likely to hire them.

With a sigh, she walked over and picked it up.  Her hand squeezed the plastic, crushing it as much as she could until her knuckles ached.  When a recycling bin came into view, she slammed the empty container in, slamming her fist against the lid.  The impact sent a small jolt of pain up her arm.

This world sucked.

It had been bad enough when they first arrived, and had almost no magic.  At least back then, they were able to use what power they could to get what they needed, and a few luxuries besides.  A little skin to get catch a person's eye, a little charm to get them close, a few notes of a song, and they would have anyone eating out of their hand.  Willing to give Adagio and the others anything they wanted, and everything the person had.

Now, their powers were gone, and they had never bothered to keep anything they had collected over the centuries.  It had been a miracle that they had managed to even get their stupid, crappy, hunk of junk van that Aria was somehow able to keep running.  Good thing too.  They had to use the van to travel from one event to another, performing for what they could get.

At least all the singing was getting their skill back.  Probably never as good as it was with magic, but better.  Hopefully, they will be able to actually sing their songs instead of recording, digitally adjusting, and then playing it while they lip-synced on stage.

Plus, this time they had managed to get some merchandise to sell, as well as an agreement for free food from the concession stands.  At this point, she would be happy to eat anything other than plain toast, even if it was a corndog.  Although the ice cream was pretty good.  Maybe she would get some later.

Meanwhile, she was going to take a break while doofus was busy with merchandise, and dingus was on a food run.  Just enjoy a few minutes by herself to relax and recover.

At least, that had been the plan.

As Adagio approached the van, she noticed a figure standing beside it.  The person must have been nearly seven feet tall, and dressed in white.  As she got closer and could see more, Adagio noticed that the person was a woman.  Although, that did not seem like an accurate description.  She looked like an Amazonian pin-up.  Especially since she was wearing a nearly sheer white dress that was practically a single piece of fabric that went from the cleavage down, with a golden belt the only thing giving it shape.

Adagio froze as she saw the woman's face.  It was one she had seen not too long ago, but definitely not on that body.

Was it possible?

The leader of The Dazzlings cocked her right hip outwards, placed her hand on it, and looked at the new arrival with a combination of boredom and disgust.

"Let me guess, Princess Celestia?" she asked, raising one eyebrow.

The large woman let out a deep chuckle, her broad shoulders shaking with the action.

"There are many who do call me that," she said as she stepped forward.  "Although, I think it's more out of habit than anything.  Can't expect centuries of such to end after only a few months."  She held out a hand.  "Still, please, just call me Celestia."

Adagio took the hand, noting that while proportional to the rest of the woman, it was still extremely feminine.  Had it belonged to smaller person, she would be willing to call them dainty.  The skin was warm, like it had been in the bright summer sun all day.  Although the grip was gentle, she could feel a lot of strength behind it.  She was certain that, if inclined, Celestia could crush every bone in Adagio's hand without any trouble.

And while Adagio hoped it did not happen, a part off her found the possibility exciting.

"Adagio," she said as she shook the hand.  "Although I suppose you knew that already."  She pulled back, crossing her arms.  "So, what are you doing here?"

"Mainly, I thought I would explore the human world, and see what it was like," Celestia answered.  She turned to look up at the night sky.  "Now that I have retired, I have the freedom and time to do all sorts of things.  That includes exploring some of the other realms we can access, meeting my counterparts, and reconnecting with those I lost touch with."

That last part made the former siren a little wary.  She shifted to look around, checking to see if any red and gold haired girls were lurking nearby.

Celestia pulled out a golden purse and opened it.

"More immediately, however," she said as she reached in, "I am here to deliver these" -- she pulled out three envelopes --  "to you and your compatriots."

Adagio carefully reached out and took a hold of the envelopes.  They were of a heavy stock, and had been sealed with wax.  On the seal was a crown, with a six point energy burst above it.

"What is it?"

"A royal declaration," Celestia answered.  "By decree of Princess Twilight Sparkle, you, Adagio Dazzle, as well as Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk, have completed you sentences, and are officially allowed to return to Equestria as free citizens."

"What's the catch?" Adagio asked automatically.  It had been a harsh lesson drilled into her in both worlds: nothing was free, not even her own freedom.  Anyone who offered anything wanted something in return.

"You may be free citizens," Celestia replied, "but you will still be citizens.  That means you will be expected to follow the laws of the land you live in, be it Equestria or another.  As such, should you commit any further crimes, you will be held accountable for them."  She let out a chuckle.  "Although, given recent events, if you tried, you could end up in stone, becoming a faculty member at The School of Friendship, or anything in between."

The last part gave the siren pause.  It sounded like Equestria judicial system had gotten stranger in the last thousand years.  Still, it would be nice to go, if only to see what things were like now.  Besides, could the three of them really do anything?  They had lost their gemstones, and with it, their magic.  They were just regular singers now.

Actually, could they go back?  What would happen to them now that their gems were gone.

A large, warm hand touched her shoulder.  She looked to find Celestia looking at her, smiling gently.

"There's no need to decide what to do right now," she said.  "Well, about the decrees at any rate."

She took a step back.

"I have a bit of human money with me, and I saw a place called The Cheesecake Factory on the way here."  Her eyes narrowed and smile grew wider.  "Perhaps you would like to join me there, and we can discuss this over something to eat."

"Are... are you asking me out on a date?"

"If you want to see it that way," Celestia answered.  "To be honest, it would be nice to speak with someone closer to my own age, other than my sister."

That was something Adagio found herself relating to.  There had been times when it would have been nice to talk to someone about how things had been, how much they had changed.  She had done that with Aria and Sonata, but sometimes, that did not feel like enough.

Dinner with royalty, and a chance to discuss what it was like to be so long lived?

Sounded like a wonderful time.

"Just let me leave a note for the girls so they don't worry... or try to do something stupid..."