Tell Us That You Want Us

Chapters

Broken Hearts
Rainbow's Choice
A Siren's Apology
A Short Visit
Making Connections
Uninvited Guests
Nothing Left
All We Want and More
Worse Than Ever
Reaching Out
Intermezzo: Slumber Party
Sins of the Past
Once More Unto the Breach
Now It's Time to Finish You
A Second Chance
Aftermath
Casualties of Battle
Back to Equestria
Epilogue: Goodbye for Now

Broken Hearts

“Wow, that’s some attitude,” Adagio remarked once the door had slammed shut behind Rainbow Dash. She turned to Sunset. “If you’d acted like that, I might have actually believed that you’d refuse to help.”

“Rainbow Dash is remarkably loyal to her friends,” Rarity answered her sternly. “As far as she’s concerned, hurting the people she cares about is completely unforgivable.” She sighed. “She’ll come around. She did for Sunset Shimmer.”

“No point in goin’ after her when she’s like this,” Applejack added. “C’mon, let’s have a look at those jewel things.”

Fluttershy whimpered, but nodded in agreement.

“Here.” Sonata stepped forward and untied a pouch from around her neck. She opened the pouch to reveal a number of gleaming red shards, which she carefully set on the ground. “Putting the pieces back together is easy enough,” she said, “but we can’t get them to stay that way. I tried gluing mine, but I couldn’t get it to hold together right.”

Aria and Adagio rolled their eyes behind her back. Adagio stepped forward and set the pieces of her own heart next to Sonata’s. Aria followed suit, then knelt down to examine them. Sunset and the others gathered around to see what they could learn about the jewels.

“Well, Rares?” Applejack said. “This kinda thing’s more up your alley than mine.”

“Jewels, yes,” Rarity answered. “Magic, not so much." She held up one piece of broken red stone so that it caught the light, reflecting and refracting just as she'd expect any gemstone to.

“Maybe we should play a song?” Fluttershy suggested. “If we call out our magic again, maybe we can use it on them.”

“Let’s try to get some more information first,” Sunset answered. “Blasting them with magic is how we broke them in the first place.”

“Do you mind?” Aria snapped at Pinkie. “That’s my heart you’re licking!” She rocked unsteadily as she reached out for it.

Pinkie Pie, who had indeed been caught in the act of tasting a shard of Aria’s gemstone, shrugged sheepishly. “It tathtes like rock candy!” she said around her still-extended tongue.

"That's... that's great, Pinkie," Sunset said. "Good to know." She turned her attention back to Sonata's heart. With help from Rarity and Sonata, who had clearly done this many times before, she arranged the pieces into their original shape. Like Sonata had said, putting them together wasn't much of a problem. The trick was going to be getting them to stay that way.

Sunset sighed and shook her head. "I don’t know anything about these artifacts. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

“It’s possible to fix a broken gemstone,” Rarity said, studying the shards through her glasses, “but it would never be quite the same. Besides which, I obviously have no way of knowing if that would restore their magic.”

“Well, it’s a good place to start,” Sunset replied. “How do we do it?”

Rarity sighed. “It’s not something that just anyone can do," she explained. "You would need the right epoxy, some way of applying pressure, and it often involves heat as well. You girls really should have taken these to a professional.”

“Ooh!” Pinkie exclaimed. “You know who’s really good with rocks?”

"Somehow I don’t think your sister is gonna be able to fix this,” Applejack replied.

“We tried going to a jeweler,” Sonata said to Rarity, “but it was so expensive. There’s no way we can afford it, and he wouldn't take the job without a down payment. If only we had our magic, we could probably have convinced him to do it for free.”

Aria scoffed. “If we had our magic," she mumbled, her voice slurring strangely, "we wouldn’t need to... worry about it in the first… place... ooohhh.”

Aria's eyes fluttered closed. She swayed where she was kneeling, then slowly slumped over toward the floor.

“Aria!” Sonata cried, lunging over to catch her as she fell. She clutched the other girl against herself and gently rocked her, doing what she could to comfort the slowly dying siren. “Aria used up more magic than Adagio and me when we were trying to fix our hearts,” she explained to the others. “She’s got nothing left.”

Aria groaned softly.

“Shh,” Sonata murmured, “shh. It’s gonna be okay. You're gonna be fine. The Rainbooms are going to help us.”

“Unnhh,” Aria groaned. “Let me go." She feebly tried to move, but succeeded only in nestling up closer to Sonata as the other siren held her protectively. "You’re the worst,” she grumbled into Sonata's shoulder.

Sonata gave a sad smile and hugged her more tightly. “Nuh-uh," she said with a small giggle, "you are.”

Sunset watched the oddly touching scene and had to swallow a lump in her throat. “How long does she have?” she asked.

“Who knows?” Adagio shrugged carelessly. “A couple of days, maybe less.”

“Why in the heck did'ja wait so long to come find us?” Applejack demanded.

“I think your friend Rainbow Dash answered that pretty clearly,” Adagio replied, hands on her hips.

Sunset nodded in understanding. “You didn’t think we’d actually do it." It only made sense. After all, from the sirens' perspective, why should they? "You tried everything else first, and only came back here because you were totally out of options.”

“Yeah,” Sonata answered sadly, still cradling Aria. To her surprise, she found herself being held in turn by Pinkie Pie.

“Don’t you worry,” Pinkie said, as quiet and serious as anyone had ever seen her. “We won’t let anything happen to your friends, or to you.”

Sonata nodded her thanks and gave Pinkie a watery smile. Somehow, Pinkie made her think of fresh cotton candy: warm and soft and sweet. It was oddly comforting.

“Alright girls,” Sunset said. “I know I said it would be our last resort, but I think we just ran out of time. The only thing I can think of doing right now is putting the pieces back together and hitting them with our magic.

“What if that just breaks them worse?” Adagio demanded.

“They’re in pieces,” Sonata argued. “How much worse can it get?”

“Fine,” Adagio snapped back, “then you go first.”

“Alright, I will!”

Sonata carefully lowered Aria to the floor. She gathered up the pieces of Aria’s heart and set them next to her horribly weak companion. Adagio picked up her own shards and stepped out of the line of fire. Sonata now sat alone, facing the small stage where the Rainbooms were gathering and preparing their instruments.

“You sure about this?" Applejack asked as she adjusted her bass strap.

“Mhm!” Sonata grinned with a hint of her usual bubbliness. “I know you’ll do everything you can, so even if this doesn’t work, it’s not your fault, alright?”

“Um,” Fluttershy said, “I hate to be a bother, but how are we supposed to do this without Rainbow Dash?”

“I’ll play her part,” Sunset answered quickly, picking up Rainbow’s guitar.

“Well, I suppose that should work. Which song shall we play?” Rarity asked.

“I definitely know ‘Music in Our Hearts’ the best,” Sunset answered.

“Uh,” Sonata broke in, “maybe not that one?” She gave a nervous laugh.

“Oh! Ah, no, maybe not,” Sunset said quickly. Using the same song that had shattered the hearts in the first place would certainly be uncomfortable, if nothing else.

“Well, how about ‘Shake Your Tail?’” Pinkie Pie suggested. It was one of their easiest songs, so Sunset should be able to follow along easily enough despite her lack of practice at it. The others nodded agreement, so Pinkie settled down behind her drums and gave Sonata a grin. She picked up her drumsticks and got ready to cue the others in.

Sunset was always amazed at how much that girl could convey with a smile. This one said, you can trust us. It’ll be okay.

“Ready girls?” Pinkie banged her drumsticks together. “One, two, three, four!”

With Sunset filling in for Rainbow Dash on lead guitar and vocals, the Rainbooms launched into the song. As usual, they all felt the surge of magic rising up. As they got more into their playing, each of them sprouted cute pointed ears and pony tails.

"We don't know, (we don't know)

What's gonna happen."

That's the truth, Sunset thought grimly.

"We just know (we just know)

It's gonna feel right

All our friends are here,"

This is it, Sunset thought. Their magic was peaking right as they reached the chorus.

"And it's time to igniiiiiiiite the liiiiiight!"

And ignite they did. As they started with the first of many "shake your tail"s, a rainbow of energy surged up around them, swirling with power and waiting only for a direction. The sirens were looking distinctly uncomfortable as they put themselves at the Rainbooms’ mercy. The only one who didn’t seem worried was Sonata, who sat directly in front of them with a confident smile.

The girls unleashed their magic, but even as they did so, they knew that something was off. They were used to seeing their power emerge as a full rainbow. This time, the energy was much redder than it should have been, and it seemed as if some colors were missing. The semi-rainbow washed over the still-smiling siren and… nothing. There was no responding surge of energy, the pieces of Sonata’s shattered heart didn’t fuse back together. There was no effect at all. Sonata’s smile faltered.

The song wound down to its close, and they had nothing to show for it.

“I’m sorry,” Sunset said as she carefully set down Rainbow's guitar. “I’m so sorry. Maybe I’m just not experienced enough with this magic?”

“Maybe it’s because Rainbow Dash wasn’t playing with us?” Fluttershy suggested.

“Could be, or maybe we need Princess Twilight to make it work right,” Applejack answered.

Sonata’s lip trembled. “That’s,” she squeaked, “that’s alright. Like I said, I know you did everything you could.” She quickly turned away so the others wouldn’t see her start to cry.

“Hey!” Pinkie slammed a drumstick down onto one of her cymbals, catching everyone’s attention. “There’ll be none of that, missy. We’ll get Rainbow Dash and Princess Twilight and we’ll fix your magical whoosits. That’s a Pinkie Promise!” She performed a strange series of gestures that ended with her mashing a cupcake into her own eye. Where she’d gotten it from was anyone’s guess.

“What do you girls think you’re doing?” a sly male voice slithered through the room.

“Oh!” Sunset gasped at the sight of the brown-coated teacher. “Um, Mr. Discord, sir, we were just—”

“It was a good show, but surely you have someplace else to be?” He raised one of his abnormally bushy eyebrows.

“Right. Sorry, sir, we’ll go right now.”

“See that you do. Oh, Miss Shimmer, I do believe you dropped this outside.” He tossed Sunset’s backpack to her, then looked them over with his strangely yellow eyes. “And take off those ears," he added, "you look ridiculous!”

Mr. Discord opened the door and walked out of the practice room. Sunset didn’t realize until much later that he most definitely hadn’t been holding a backpack when he walked in. For now, she was too dazed by the entire incident to string two thoughts together.

Once the door was closed, Pinkie stuck her tongue out at where he had been.

“I saw that, Miss Pie!” his muffled voice floated back through the room. Everyone was silent for a long moment.

“So, how come he isn’t in class?” Applejack finally asked. A round of shrugs were the only answer she got.

“What does that weirdo teach, anyway?” Adagio questioned.

“Science,” Rarity said. “I’ve never taken his class myself, but they say that he’s absolutely fascinated with chaos theory.”

Another long, awkward silence filled the room.

“Alright,” Sunset said, shaking off the strange encounter. “We need to find Rainbow Dash. You girls talk to her, and I’ll write to Twilight right away.”

“What’re we gonna do about these three while we’re gone?” Applejack asked, looking at the sirens. “We’ll all be in a heap o’ trouble if someone finds them hanging around.”

“We can take care of ourselves,” Adagio replied.

“Clearly,” Rarity answered her flatly. “Even so, we would need a way to find you again.”

“I’ll give you my phone number!” Sonata reached into the pocket of her hoodie and pulled out a small, pink phone.

“You have a cell phone?” Sunset asked. Come to think of it, she wasn’t sure why she thought that was so strange. Surely the sirens had been here long enough to familiarize themselves with modern conveniences.

“You have a cell phone?” Adagio echoed, looking just as surprised.

“Duh!" Sonata giggled. "I don’t know how you and Aria live without one.”

Pinkie Pie jumped down and traded numbers with Sonata. As they were swapping information, Applejack tilted her head in confusion.

“So, who does a siren need to call, anyway?” she asked curiously.

“The pizza place, mostly,” Sonata answered.

“Are you two done?” Adagio asked impatiently.

“Yepperooni!” Pinkie put her phone away, and Sonata followed suit. The siren’s smile was slipping again, until Pinkie caught her in a huge hug. “Don’t be such a frowny-face,” she said softly. Despite the light words, her tone was warm and caring. “It’ll be alright. You’ll see.”

“I know,” Sonata answered, her voice muffled a bit by Pinkie’s shoulder. “Thanks.”

Applejack laid a hand on Sonata’s back. “Buck up there," she said kindly, “we ain't givin' up yet.”

"You guys are the best," Sonata murmured happily, still pinned against Pinkie Pie.

“Ugh.” Adagio leaned her head back against the wall. “You all make me want to puke.”

They left the sirens in the practice room and split up, Sunset to write a letter to Princess Twilight, the others to track down Rainbow Dash and talk some sense into her. Keeping an eye out for the hall monitor, Sunset slipped over to her locker as quickly as she could. She pulled out the diary that bore her old cutie mark and sat down against the lockers to write.

Dear Princess Twilight,

I wish I were writing to you because I’d learned some great lesson about friendship, but the truth is that I desperately need your help. The Dazzlings came back. but they’re I can’t say that they’ve changed, but they’re in a lot of trouble and we’ve promised to help them.

When we beat them in the Battle of the Bands, our last attack broke something. They each had a red jewel, they call them their hearts. It turns out that those things are the source of their power, and also how they feed. Without them, the sirens are starving to death. They don’t have much time left. I feel sick just writing about it.

I know they did terrible things before, but, well, so did I. If all I needed was a friend to help me through it, why not them? Please, Twilight. Please help.

Sunset Shimmer

Sunset leaned heavily back into the lockers and hugged the diary to her chest. “And please hurry.”

Rainbow's Choice

“Come on, girls!” Pinkie cried, striking a heroic pose. “Our mission, should we choose to accept it—which we already did—is to find Rainbow Dash!”

“We know, darling,” Rarity answered, “we were there. Where is that girl, anyway?”

“It’s third period,” Fluttershy whispered, “so she should be in English class.”

“Rainbow Dash, go to class?” Applejack replied sardonically. “I’d bet mah family’s farm that we’ll find her out on the practice field.” A look out the window confirmed her guess, as a familiar rainbow-headed figure kicked a ball past three defenders and a goalie to score a point. "Yep, there she is."

“Really, I don’t know how she gets away with it,” Rarity said, joining Applejack at the window. “The teachers must think that she has nine periods of gym per day.”

“Yeah, her and that Bulk Biceps fella,” Applejack added. "Well, time's a-wasting."

The group glanced around to make sure there were no teachers or hall monitors watching, then left the school by a nearby side door. With the coast clear, they hurried over to the soccer field, where Rainbow had just performed an admittedly impressive sliding tackle to take control of the ball once again.

They waited a few moments for a break in play. As soon as someone kicked the ball out of bounds, Pinkie called out Rainbow Dash’s name. Fluttershy did as well, though not even the girls standing next to her heard.

Rainbow looked over and spotted them. With a water bottle in hand, she trotted over to join them.

“If you’re here to talk me into helping the Dazzlings,” she cut in before any of the others had a chance to speak, “then forget it. They don’t deserve anything from us or anyone else.” She unscrewed the cap of her water bottle and took a deep drink.

“Rainbow Dash, they’re desperate,” Rarity pleaded. “More than desperate, they’re quite literally dying. One of them looks like she could go at any minute.”

“Why should I care?” Rainbow demanded.

“They’re dyin’ because of what we did,” Applejack told her. “Ah dunno about you, but I don’t think I could sleep right anymore if I knew that three girls were dead because of me.”

“We were protecting everyone,” Rainbow spat back. “They were evil monsters. We’re heroes!”

“Sunset Shimmer used to be ‘evil,’” Rarity countered, “and now you two are the best of friends!”

“Sunset was sorry for what she did,” Rainbow argued. “I haven’t heard an apology out of any of the sirens, have you? They’re just going to take what they need and go right back to their old tricks. It’s what they do.”

“We don’t know that for sure,” Fluttershy said. “The one with the ponytail seems really nice.”

“Seems nice?!” Rainbow slammed down her water bottle, spilling the contents out onto the grass. “So you’re going to risk all of CHS to help these evil witches because one of them seems nice?!”

“Uh, girls?” Applejack pointed out to the field, where everyone had stopped what they were doing to watch the argument. “Maybe we wanna take this someplace a bit more private.”

“What for?” Rainbow huffed, thankfully more quietly. “I said the world was better off without them, and I meant it. There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Please, Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy hit her with the saddest eyes she could muster. “Please at least come with us and talk it over?”

Rainbow met her eyes as long as she could, but eventually groaned and adjusted her hair uncomfortably. “Alright, alright, jeez, I’ll hear you out.” She turned back to the field and waved to catch the teacher’s attention. “Hey, coach! I gotta go take care of something, I’ll be right back!” Not waiting for an answer, she joined her friends in walking back toward the school. “This had better be good,” she said angrily.

With her letter to Twilight written and sent, Sunset Shimmer went back to check on the sirens. As she approached the practice room, she noticed that the door was slightly ajar. That was strange, since she was certain she’d closed it behind her. She could faintly hear voices from inside.

“Will you use your empty head for once in your life?” Aria appeared to have recovered from her fainting spell. “Think about what’s happening here.”

“Umm… the Rainbooms agreed to help us?” Sonata sounded puzzled. “Well, most of them did. They’re going to get the others and fix our hearts for us! Isn't that great?”

Sunset knew she shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but she had to know what was going on. She crept up next to the door so she could hear more clearly.

“Yes, but how are they going to help us?” Aria demanded. “They use Equestrian magic. How is that even possible? And Princess Twilight? There aren’t any princesses around here, but there sure are back in Equestria.”

“Not a Princess Twilight, though,” Sonata’s voice answered. “Only Celestia and Luna.”

“What about that pegasus filly? The pink one with the ridiculous name.”

“Oh, right, I forgot about her. Still her name wasn’t Twilight Sparkle.”

“My point is, it wouldn’t be the first time that there was a new princess. Now it looks like there’s a Princess Twilight too. These girls somehow use Equestrian magic, and they’re asking for help from an Equestrian princess.”

Sunset, unable to resist, put her eye up to the crack and saw Aria, who was still lying on the ground, gripping Sonata’s collar with the tiny amount of strength she had left.

“There is a portal to Equestria somewhere around here,” Aria growled, “and we need to find it.”

“Aria, please,” Sonata reached down to take her angry friend’s hand, “don’t cause any trouble. If the Rainbooms decide we’re not worth it, we’re finished.”

Sunset had heard enough. Sonata seemed to be toeing the line, but obviously she needed to keep a closer eye on the other two. She opened the door and stepped inside, as if she had only now gotten back.

“Princess Twilight’s on her way,” she said as she closed the door behind her. I hope. “How are you three… holding… oh no.” As she looked into the room, Sunset’s heart stopped and her stomach fell down to her feet. “Sonata,” she asked weakly, “where is Adagio?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head angrily. “I promised I’d hear you out,” she said with her arms folded and her eyebrows furrowed, "but I've heard it all before. The Dazzlings are dying. It's our fault. We need to help them." She opened her eyes and glared at nothing in particular. “It’s that last one that I still don’t agree with. And,” she added as Pinkie started to open her mouth, “I know that we gave Sunset Shimmer a second chance, but these three haven’t even said that they want one. They just want to survive so that they can keep hurting everyone around them.”

Rainbow looked around at her friends. Applejack’s angry stare, Rarity’s shocked expression, Pinkie’s downcast face and slightly flattened hair, and Fluttershy’s teary eyes. Her stomach twisted with guilt, but she knew that she was right, especially when nobody answered her. “Cool. Are we done here?”

“They are,” a silky voice joined their conversation. “I’m not.”

The others looked up in surprise to see Adagio Dazzle swaggering toward their group.

“You got something to say to me, too?” Rainbow demanded.

“Actually,” Adagio answered, “I have a present for you.” She reached into the pocket of her hoodie and pulled something from it, presenting the handle to Rainbow. “Go on, take it.”

Rainbow Dash looked down and her eyes went wide. “That’s a knife!” her voice cracked in her surprise. “Are you threatening me?” The others swiftly moved between the siren and their friend.

Adagio rolled her eyes. “Yes, Rainbow Dash, I’m threatening you with the hilt of a knife.”

“What’s this about?” Rarity asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“I’m making things easier for everyone,” Adagio replied. Silence and blank stares were her only answer. “What, you don’t believe me?”

“No, we don’t!” Pinkie shouted at her.

“Just what’re you up to?” Applejack asked.

“Rainbow Dash here has given us a death sentence,” Adagio explained, still holding the knife. “I’m just asking her to carry it out herself.”

“What?!” Rainbow squeaked, backing away from the knife as if it had snapped at her. “You’re crazy!”

“‘This world would be better off without them,’ isn’t that what you said?” Adagio pressed her. “You’d be doing me a favor, really. Do you have any idea how painful it is to starve to death? You can end it yourself, right here, right now.”

Rainbow Dash, the blood draining from her face, desperately looked at her friends for help. They all seemed as shocked by the sudden turn of events as she was.

“What?” Adagio refused to back down. “No snappy comeback? No bickering? Well, if you really do stand by what you said before, I suppose there’s nothing to argue about. Just take the knife.” She craned her head back, exposing her throat. “I’d appreciate it if you went for the neck. That should be the quickest way to kill me. It’s a whole lot more merciful than what you’re doing now.”

"I... I..." Rainbow's insides twisted around until thought she might be sick. Adagio was as good as calling her a murderer. Even worse, Rainbow couldn't find a way to say that she was wrong.

“Alright, that is way more than enough,” Applejack finally found her voice. “Rainbow’s got some doubts about helping y’all, and ah can’t say I blame her.” She turned to look at her friend, whose normally blue coloring had gone ghostly white. “Rainbow Dash, don’t you listen to her. We’ll work this out without any 'help' from the Dazzlings.”

Rainbow Dash tried to moisten her throat, but couldn’t get any words out. She felt so cold, yet her ears were burning. That was weird, wasn't it? And why were her hands tingling like they were asleep?

“What’s this?” Adagio asked coyly. “Could it be that, despite what you’re trying to tell yourself, you don’t want us to die after all? Is there some part of you that believes we deserve to live?” She narrowed her eyes. “Or are you just too much of a coward to take responsibility for our deaths?”

Applejack lunged forward and took hold of Adagio’s arm, angrily tearing the knife from her hand. “Rarity? Gimme a hand here.” She handed off the knife to Rarity, who hid it inside her handbag. Between the two of them they marched Adagio back into the school, leaving Pinkie and Fluttershy with a badly shaken Rainbow Dash.

“Dashie?” Pinkie called quietly. “Yoo-hoo!” She waved a hand in front of her friend’s wide, staring eyes.

“Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy laid a caring hand on her friend’s back. “Don’t listen to Adagio.”

She didn’t respond. Fluttershy could feel the poor girl trembling under her hand.

“Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy tried again. "Are you okay?”

Rainbow staggered a few steps away, leaning on the building for support. Without warning, she suddenly bent over and vomited.

Applejack furiously kicked open the door to the practice room open and threw Adagio inside.

“That,” she said through gritted teeth, “was low. Real low.”

“What happened?” Sunset shot up to her feet.

“Oh no, Adagio, what did you do?” Sonata moaned.

Adagio smirked “I brought the last of the Rainbooms around, that’s all,” she said. “It turns out that she didn’t want to murder us after all. Girls, we’ll have our hearts back in no time.”

“Oh, goodness!” Nurse Redheart exclaimed as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie came into her office with Rainbow half-walking, half-carried between them. “What happened?”

Rainbow Dash had needed someplace safe to go. Since Rarity and Applejack would presumably take Adagio back to the practice room to keep an eye on her, they’d decided to take Rainbow to the nurse’s office instead.

“We’re not quite sure,” Fluttershy said to Redheart. “She was playing soccer, and she just suddenly got sick.”

“Poor thing, you’re white as a sheet.” Redheart clucked her tongue and laid a hand gently against Rainbow’s forehead. “She doesn’t feel feverish, but I’ll take her temperature just to be sure. Can you make it over to the bed, dear?”

Rainbow nodded and allowed her friends to help her across the room.

“Do you need me to call your parents?” Redheart asked. “You shouldn’t be in school if you're sick.”

“Nah,” Rainbow said with as much strength as she could muster, “just need to lie down. I just… got dizzy for a minute.”

“Well, no worries, we’ll take good care of you,” Redheart reassured her. “Thank you for bringing her, girls, now you’d better get back to class.”

Rainbow reached out and caught Fluttershy’s hand. Fluttershy looked over in surprise to see her friend staring up with pained eyes, silently begging them not to leave her alone.

“Oh, I have… um… lunch, right now,” Fluttershy stammered. “I’d like to stay with her, if that’s okay with you.”

Nurse Redheart looked at the clock and lifted her eyebrows, and Fluttershy immediately realized her mistake: there was no lunch during third period.

“Um,” she squeaked.

“It’s alright,” Nurse Redheart said. “You can stay for a little while, at least through the end of ‘lunch.’” She winked at Fluttershy. “Miss Pie? What about you?”

Pinkie looked at Rainbow clutching Fluttershy’s hand. Her rainbow-haired friend was in the best hands possible, and there might be more trouble with the other sirens. Besides, there was something else, something super-duper important that she had to do.

“Oh!” Pinkie said as if remembering something, “I have to, uh, go and… do-the-thing-at-the-place, bye!” She exited as quickly as Trixie pulling a disappearing act. Nurse Redheart shook her head and opened a cabinet, rummaging through it for whatever supplies she thought might be needed.

With Pinkie gone and Nurse Redheart occupied, Fluttershy pulled a chair next to Rainbow’s bed and held her friend’s hand in both of her own. “Rainbow Dash?” she whispered, hopefully quietly enough that the nurse wouldn’t hear. “What’s the matter? Is it what that awful siren said to you?”

“It's the fact that she's right, Flutters,” Rainbow said faintly. “If I don’t help, that’s as good as me taking that knife and killing her myself.”

Fluttershy shook her head and squeezed Rainbow’s hand, gently brushing a thumb across the back of it. “Don't you believe that for a second. She was just trying to upset you.”

“Well, it worked!”

"Shh. It's alright." Fluttershy softly stroked her shaken friend’s hair. “Whatever you end up deciding to do, make sure that you do it because you think it’s right. Don’t help just because someone bullied you into doing it.” Maybe that was a bit hypocritical, Fluttershy thought privately, but she wasn’t feeling especially kindly toward the sirens just then.

Rainbow convulsively clutched Fluttershy’s hand, forcing the timid girl to bite back a whimper. Understanding her friend's need, Fluttershy leaned down and pulled Rainbow Dash into a hug. To her surprise, Rainbow—who was normally too proud to show any kind of weakness—gratefully laid her head against Fluttershy’s shoulder and held her tightly.

“I can’t do it,” Rainbow whispered into Fluttershy’s ear after a long moment. Fluttershy gently rubbed her friend’s back, silently offering what strength she could. “I can’t let the Dazzlings die,” Rainbow continued. “It’s not because they scared me into it or anything, it’s just that Adagio really was right. I'm the one who's always supposed to be there for people. There's no way I could live with myself knowing that I’d as good as killed them.”

Fluttershy murmured soothing words as she held her shaken friend, realizing with surprise that Nurse Redheart had left at some point without either of them noticing. Whatever the reason, she was grateful for the privacy and was certain that Rainbow would be as well.

Rainbow Dash stayed there in her arms until Fluttershy’s warmth stopped her trembling and brought some color back to her face. After a few long minutes, she finally pulled away and took a deep breath. “Okay," she said. "I’m ready.”

A Siren's Apology

“It seems that we underestimated you,” Rarity said to Adagio. “You’re perfectly able to manipulate people without your little accessory.”

Following her rough treatment at Applejack and Rarity’s hands, the siren was dusting herself off unconcernedly.

“You are really pushin’ your luck!” Applejack shouted, further enraged by Adagio’s nonchalant attitude.

“And what did I have to lose?” Adagio finally replied. “If your colorful friend there hadn’t come around to my way of thinking, we were all dead anyway.” Looking as haughty as a queen on her throne, she settled herself into one of the practice room’s chairs.

“Rainbow was right,” Applejack growled. “She’s been right this whole time. You sirens don’t think of anyone but yourselves.”

Sunset approached her friends. “Applejack, Rarity, please tell me what happened. Is everyone okay?”

Adagio held up her hands. “Don’t worry, nobody’s injured. All I did was offer Rainbow Dash a choice: she could offer us her help, or she could face the fact that she would be as good as a murderer.”

“Adagio,” Sonata whispered, “what exactly did you do?”

“She gave Rainbow a knife,” Applejack said through clenched teeth. “Said Rainbow Dash could either help, or take the knife and kill her with it, since that’d be easier than starvin’ to death.”

Sunset gasped, and her hands flew to her mouth. “That’s… that’s horrible! You’re horrible! Forget it, I’m writing Twilight back and telling her not to bother. You three aren’t worth it.” She slung her backpack off and began unzipping the main pocket where she kept the magical book.

Adagio sighed and slumped forward. She rested her head in her hands, showing a hint of weakness for the first time. “Look,” she said quietly, “maybe I went too far. I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry,” Rarity answered flatly. “I think it’s rather late for that.”

“I’m dying, Rarity,” Adagio replied. Her normally vibrant, confident voice was so small and soft that it could have been mistaken for Fluttershy’s. “I’m weak, I’m scared, and I’m in so much pain. Aria’s got a few days left at most, and Sonata and I won’t be far behind her. If my only chance to save us was to rattle one of your friends a bit… I won’t ask you to forgive me, but can you at least understand why I did it?”

A thoughtful silence filled the room. Sunset paused in her search for the book, taking a moment to appreciate the full impact of what Adagio had said. At last, Applejack slowly nodded. “Y’know,” she said, “ah think those might have been the first honest words that ever came outta your mouth.”

“I’m sorry,” Adagio repeated. She reached out and weakly took hold of the edge of Sunset Shimmer’s coat. “Please, don’t tell Princess Twilight not to come,” she beseeched her former enemy. “We need her. If you won’t forgive me, then do it for Aria and Sonata.”

Sunset looked down at the wretched siren. Adagio had the look of someone who’d ruled from on high, and been brought suddenly and violently back down to Earth. It was how Sunset had looked after her own battle with Twilight. I think we’re finally getting somewhere.

“Alright Adagio, I won’t write to Twilight again.” Sunset carefully removed her coat from Adagio’s wasted fingers. “But I don’t think I need to tell you that you’re on very thin ice right now.”

Adagio nodded and buried her head in her hands again. It might have been Sunset’s imagination, but she thought she heard a quiet sob.

“I think I like this Adagio Dazzle rather more than the mask you usually wear,” Rarity said. “If you’d been this open with us from the beginning, I’m sure you wouldn’t have had any trouble getting us all to help.”

Adagio nodded again, and this time Sunset was certain she heard the girl sniffle.

“Do you two need to be anywhere right now?” Sunset asked Applejack and Rarity. "I should go and wait for Twilight, but I think it’s clear that we can’t trust these girls alone.”

“Ah’m more than happy to keep an eye on these varmints while you’re gone,” Applejack said.

“I’ll stay with you,” Rarity added, “just in case of any further problems.”

“I appreciate it. Hopefully I won’t be gone for too long. See you soon.” Sunset opened the door and disappeared into the hallway, making for the Wondercolt statue and the portal it held.

“And we’ll be right here,” Applejack warned the three sirens, “so don’t even think about tryin’ anything else.” She and Rarity took up positions by the only door, making sure that no one could get in or out without their say-so.

Adagio remained in her chair, her back now to Applejack and Rarity, her head still held miserably in her hands.

“Um, Adagio?” Sonata asked hesitantly. In the thousands of years they’d been alive, she’d never seen her bold, charismatic leader so dejected. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Adagio choked out. “Yeah, I’m alright.” She lifted her head just enough for Sonata to see her dry eyes and predatory grin.

Twilight's reply had said she'd be coming "soon." Just how soon is soon? Sunset wondered. She’d been here nearly half an hour, and it was only a matter of time before someone spotted her and demanded to know why she wasn’t in class.

Just as she was unzipping her backpack again, thinking to write Twilight back and urge her to hurry, one of the stone panels flashed brightly and started to ripple like water. Sunset’s heart leaped: quite aside from needing Twilight’s help, she was excited to see her friend again.

Sunset backed away from the portal, remembering how violently Twilight and Spike had been flung through it on their last trip here. It seemed that they remembered as well, for instead of flying through the air to land in an undignified heap, the two of them gingerly stepped through and made sure they had a solid footing.

Sunset had intended to tackle Twilight with a hug as soon as she arrived, but something—perhaps a memory of when things hadn’t been so good between them—stopped her. Instead she took a step forward and gave a hesitant wave. “Hi, Twilight.”

“Sunset!” Twilight darted forward and practically crushed the girl with an exuberant hug. “It’s so good to see you again!”

“Good to see you too!” Sunset gasped. Once she had her bearings, she gladly returned the hug.

“Don’t forget about me!” An enthusiastic purple dog reared up and put his front paws on Sunset’s leg.

“Haha, who could forget about you, Spike?” She scratched him briefly behind the ears

“Where are the others?” Twilight asked as she stepped back.

“Inside, along with… you-know-who.”

Twilight’s joy at seeing Sunset again faded quickly. “The sirens,” she murmured. “I have to admit, I was more than a little surprised when I got your message.”

“Probably no more surprised than I was to find myself helping them.” Sunset shook her head in disbelief.

Twilight squinted her eyes at Sunset, as if looking for something. “Is there any chance that they’re influencing you magically?” she asked. “Are there any lingering traces of their magic from when they attacked before?”

Sunset’s eyes widened. How had she never thought of that? The more she considered it, though, the less sense it made. “No,” she finally said. “We were never under their spell to begin with, and there’s none of that green energy floating around like last time. Besides, the whole reason they came to us is that their magic doesn’t work, and they can’t eat without it.”

Twilight nodded slowly. “Alright,” she said, “but keep an eye out for anyone acting out of character, including yourself.”

Sunset swallowed nervously. She’d seen Twilight be serious before, but that had been a nervous, panicky kind of serious as she tried desperately to cobble together a spell she had no experience with. Now Twilight was projecting a cautious yet confident aura that made Sunset remember she was standing in front of a princess.

“I will,” Sunset answered. “So, do you want me to take you to the others?”

Twilight nodded again. “Yes, please.”

With Sunset leading the way, they walked up the path to the front doors.

“So, everyone’s agreed to help the Dazzlings?” Twilight questioned as they walked.

“I think so,” Sunset answered. “The Dazzlings talked to me first, and once I vouched for them, everyone else agreed to help too, except Rainbow Dash.”

“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight repeated. “But you said everyone was on board. Did something change?”

“Something changed, alright,” Sunset said grimly. “Adagio Dazzle got to her. Not with a spell,” she quickly added, “but something she said apparently upset Rainbow Dash pretty badly.”

“And that got her to go along with you?” Twilight asked. “I don’t follow.”

“She…” Sunset hesitated, then decided to simply come out with it. “She basically told Rainbow Dash that if she didn’t help save the sirens, she’d be the one responsible for killing them.”

Twilight stopped dead. Sunset, caught off guard, took another couple of steps before realizing that she was walking alone. She turned back and nearly fell over at the fury in Twilight’s eyes.

“She told her what?” Twilight growled.

“She actually said that to Rainbow Dash?” Spike asked in disbelief.

“Um… Twilight?” Sunset asked hesitantly. She’d never seen her so angry. Come to think of it, she wasn’t sure that she’d ever seen Twilight angry at all.

Twilight clenched a fist, then seemed to come back to herself. She took a deep, calming breath, and then another.

“I hope I don’t need to tell you that that is completely unacceptable,” Twilight said in a more normal voice.

Sunset uncertainly reached out and placed a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. The muscles under her hand were still incredibly tense. “We’ve had words with Adagio already,” she said. “She apologized for it. Once Applejack told me what happened, I came within an inch of writing you back and telling you not to come. Adagio started crying when I said that. She’s desperate, Twilight, they all are.”

"Wow, Adagio Dazzle crying? I can barely even picture that." Twilight took another breath, and her shoulders finally relaxed. "In the end it's going to have to be Rainbow Dash who decides whether to forgive her or not."

“Of course,” Sunset answered. They walked in silence for another minute or so, until Sunset glanced over again. “Twilight, I have to ask: are you alright? You seem… different.”

Twilight was silent for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. “The sirens were one of the greatest threats I’ve ever faced,” she answered. “There’s never been anything that my friends and I together couldn’t beat, but the Dazzlings even overpowered our magic of friendship. If you hadn’t stepped in, I don’t even want to think about what might have happened.” Twilight looked away and fidgeted with her hands, looking a bit more like the nervous, dorky girl that Sunset knew and loved. “I trust my friends’ judgment, but I’m really not sure about this.”

“Aw, c’mon Twilight,” Spike piped up from beside her, “what’s the worst that could happen? The sirens get their power back and try the same thing again? You already beat them once, and now you know exactly how to do it! If they try anything, you can just Magic of Friendship those gems right back into pieces.”

“That’s the other thing,” Twilight admitted. “I was so sure that breaking those artifacts would cause them to become just ordinary girls, but that’s not what happened at all. Even when Starswirl the Bearded sent them here in the first place, he did it because he thought that their magic wouldn't survive in this world, but we were both wrong. They’re still sirens, and they always will be. Feeding on negative energy is how they live. Maybe we can find some kind of substitute food source, but what if we can't? What if we save them and they go back to their old tricks? We'd have to make them starve all over again. That’s too cruel, even for them.”

“Starvation is too cruel,” Sunset agreed, “and that’s exactly why we have to try to make this right. If they try to attack the school again, we’ll… we’ll figure something out. At least this time we won’t be caught off-guard.”

Twilight’s face relaxed into a smile, and she finally seemed like her old self again. “You’re right, Sunset,” she said. “I don’t have the answers to all of this right now, but it’s like you said last time: I can count on my friends to help me find them.”

Sunset nearly heaved a sigh of relief. Seeing Twilight looking so grim had been disturbing in a way she didn’t quite understand.

“And,” Twilight added with a giggle, “right now I need you to help me find my other friends.”

“Oh! Right, sorry,” Sunset laughed. She took the lead again and they continued toward the practice room.

“She’s been gone forever,” Aria groused. Once there were others in the room, she’d shoved Sonata away and picked herself up off the floor. She now sat in a chair across from Adagio. “Are we sure this Princess Twilight is even coming?”

“Twi said she’d be here, and she will,” Applejack answered firmly. She and Rarity hadn’t moved from their positions guarding the door, although Rarity had pulled a seat over for herself.

A few more minutes passed in silence, then the handle on the door turned. Everyone in the room looked up, expecting to see Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle. They were rather surprised to see Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy walk in instead.

Rainbow Dash glanced around the room and quickly spotted Adagio. Fluttershy whispered something into Rainbow's ear that no one else could hear. It must have been something encouraging, though, because Rainbow immediately strode over to the siren.

Adagio looked up at her with something between fear and hopelessness. She had to know that all of the Dazzlings' hopes rested on what Rainbow Dash said right now. Their lives hung on the edge of a knife, as it were.

Rainbow got a chair for herself and sat backwards in it, resting her arms on the back and her chin on her arms. She didn't say anything at first, just sat staring at Adagio. Adagio looked back in silence, waiting to hear her fate.

“Not cool,” Rainbow said after a long moment. “That was so far beyond not cool that I’m not even sure what to say to you right now.”

“I’m sorry,” Adagio murmured.

Rainbow jerked back like she’d been shocked. “Did you just say what I thought you said?”

“I’m so, so sorry.” Adagio continued. “I was desperate. I was scared. It was so wrong of me to say what I said to you, but it was the only way I could think of to get you to help us. We need you, Rainbow Dash.” She reached out with one thin, shaking hand, not quite able to meet Rainbow’s eyes. “Please say that you forgive me. Please say that you’ll save us.”

Rainbow buried her head in her arms for a moment as she thought it over. After all the times she’d mentioned that the sirens didn’t seem sorry for anything they’d done, the worst of them all was apologizing to her. It could still be a trick, Rainbow reminded herself.

Trick or not, though, what Adagio had said before wouldn’t leave her mind. Letting them die is just as bad as killing them myself. I can’t. I just can’t do it. She sighed heavily.

“I don’t know about forgiving you,” Rainbow finally said, standing up from her seat, “but I will help you. No way would I leave someone hanging, even if it is you three.”

Unseen by the others, Aria and Adagio shared a knowing smirk.

“Where’s everyone else?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Sunset Shimmer left some time ago to wait for Twilight,” Rarity answered. “I’d expect them back any minute now.”

“What about Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy asked in a murmur.

“Wasn’t she with you?” Applejack cocked her head.

“No, she left once we got Rainbow Dash to the, um…” Fluttershy cleared her throat. “She left a while ago. I thought she was coming back here.”

“Weird.” Rainbow folded her arms. “Then again, ‘weird’ is just Pinkie’s ‘normal.’ She’ll turn up.”

Applejack nodded. “She always does.”

“Usually in the least expected, and indeed the least possible way,” Rarity added.

The door opened again, and this time Sunset Shimmer walked into the practice room. “Hi everyone,” she said. “I’ve got good news.” She gestured back toward the door.

Twilight Sparkle entered a step behind Sunset, and the sheer joy and relief that washed across everyone’s faces at seeing her was enough by itself to make the trip worthwhile. Twilight couldn’t keep a smile from her face as her friends rushed over to give her one of their signature group hugs. Something was missing, though…

“Where’s Pinkie Pie?” Twilight asked.

“SURPRISE!” Pinkie burst through the Styrofoam tiles of the ceiling in a shower of streamers and confetti. A huge banner reading "Welcome Back, Twilight Sparkle!" unfurled in her wake, attached to... Twilight had no idea what it was attached to, but it stretched across the entire ceiling of the practice room.

Pinkie picked up Twilight in a huge hug. “Sorry I’m late," she said happily, "I was busy planning your welcome back party!”

“Pinkie,” Twilight gasped, “it’s only been a few weeks.”

“Do you know how long that is in pony years?!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Well, you probably do, but I sure don’t! What if it was, like, a really long time, and then you thought we didn’t really care about you because you’d been gone for so long and we didn’t even welcome you back?”

“It was only a few weeks for me too,” Twilight assured her. “Time moves at the same speed in our two worlds, and as far as I know, ponies age at about the same rate that humans do.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I suppose we're accepted as fully adult a bit sooner than humans, but that might be more of a societal thing than a biological one.”

“Anyway,” Rainbow Dash cut in, “I don’t know how much Sunset told you, but we’ve got a bit of a situation here.” She gestured to the three sirens, who had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout all of this, including Pinkie Pie's blatantly impossible stunt.

The warmth and cheer that had followed Twilight’s entrance stopped dead. In the sudden silence, Twilight slowly approached the three, who were sitting in a rough semicircle. She pulled a chair across from them and sat in it. Her friends moved in behind her, offering silent support and the promise of their strength should it be needed.

“So,” Twilight said grimly, “tell me everything.”

A Short Visit

As expected, Adagio took the lead in telling the story of what happened following the Battle of the Bands. They’d discovered right there on the stage that they couldn’t sing anymore, and been driven off in disgrace, but the true horror of their situation didn’t hit them until later. Even when the sirens weren’t manipulating events, Adagio explained, there was always some level of negativity floating about anyplace people gathered. It was only natural, since not everybody was perfectly happy and harmonious at all times.

Aria had been the first to notice that she couldn’t detect that haze of negative energy anymore. At first they’d thought that it was simply because they were still at Canterlot High, where an immense amount of harmonic magic had just brought everyone together, but they soon came to realize that it was the same everywhere. No matter where they went, no matter how miserable or angry the people around them were, they couldn’t find anything to feed on.

At first they’d tried to find a way to repair their pendants safely, without squandering their own precious energy. After a few fruitless days of that, however, Adagio had decided that they would need to fix their hearts immediately. If they wasted too much time, she'd informed the others, they might soon become too weak to do so. Sonata had been the first to attempt it, painstakingly reassembling her shattered jewel and using a gluestick to try to keep it together. When the pieces refused to bond, she had added magic to the process, feeding the heart from her own dwindling supply of power.

“Wait a minute,” Applejack interrupted, “ah thought you said you couldn’t use your magic at all anymore.”

“We can’t, not really,” Aria said. “All we had left was raw energy. We can’t shape it without our songs.”

“So you thought that putting pure magic into the heart would get it to activate?” Twilight asked.

“Well, I hoped so, anyway,” Sonata muttered. “It didn’t work.”

Over the next couple of weeks they had tried various ideas to repair the shattered jewels, but with no success. Adagio had quickly stopped using her own magic in the attempts, once she realized how quickly it was draining her. Aria, however, who had been too stubborn and angry to admit that she didn’t know what to do, had finally tried using all the magic she had left to force her heart to bend to her will. A couple of the tiniest pieces had gone back together, but it didn’t help in any significant way. She hadn’t stopped until she’d become too weak to stop Sonata from physically ripping it away from her. After that, she'd been so drained that she sometimes found it hard to even stand.

“And that’s about it,” Adagio concluded. “Obviously, nothing worked. When we finally accepted that we really were going to die, we came here. The Rainbooms were our last resort.”

“I see,” Twilight said thoughtfully. “So magic can repair them to some extent, if Aria’s example proves anything, but the problem was that it took way more magic than you three had available.”

“But Twilight,” Sunset cut in, “we tried using our magic on Sonata’s heart before you got here, and it didn’t do a thing.”

“Hmm. Maybe because they’re different kinds of magic?” Twilight mused. “The sirens are obviously creatures of dark magic, so maybe our magic of friendship is interfering with them.”

The blood drained from Sunset’s face. She glanced uneasily at Sonata, who was similarly pale. “Do you mean to say that we might have made things worse?”

“They’re in pieces,” Adagio mimicked Sonata’s voice, looking sideways at the other siren. “How much worse can they get?”

Sonata grimaced and hid her face in her hands.

“That’s totally uncalled for!” Fluttershy scolded Adagio, setting a comforting hand on Sonata’s shoulder. “She was the only one of you who was brave enough to give it a try.”

“Or stupid enough,” Aria muttered. Sonata whimpered softly.

“So let’s say you’re right about that,” Sunset continued, pointedly ignoring the argument, “what can we do? I don’t know about you, but I never learned any dark magic from Princess Celestia.”

Twilight remembered the only two times she had used dark magic: once to undo King Sombra’s fear spell, and once to activate Zecora’s potion so that she could see into the past. Both times, her horn had felt unclean for weeks afterward. “I actually can use dark magic a little,” she admitted, “but I’m not very good with it, and I really prefer not to. If these three couldn’t fix their hearts that way, I doubt that I’d do any better.” She groaned in frustration. “I just don’t have enough information! If I knew more about these artifacts, I might have a better idea of how to fix them.”

“Well gee,” Aria droned, “if only you were in a room with three people who’ve been using them for millennia.”

“Oh.” Twilight blushed. “Good point. So, what do you know about your hearts?”

“They used to be a part of us,” Sonata said, laying a hand over her chest where the pendant had sat. “I don’t know why, but for some reason coming to this world turned them into those necklaces.”

“Part of you?” Twilight recalled the pictures she’d seen of the sirens in their real forms. “So they’re not actually artifacts at all?”

“Part of you?!” Pinkie shrieked, and began frantically brushing off her tongue. “Eww, I licked it!”

“We’ve had them for as long as we can remember,” Adagio said. “As far as we know, they were created when we were.”

“Hold on, ‘created?’” Rainbow cut in. “Don’t you mean ‘born?’”

Adagio shrugged. “How likely does it seem that three creatures like us would just be born?” she mused. “Plus, we’re the only three we know of. No one’s ever heard of any other sirens, so it’s not like we’re a species like ponies. Our best guess is that someone made us intentionally.”

“And that doesn’t bother you at all?” Fluttershy asked softly, shocked at how easily Adagio was talking about this.

“Should it?” Adagio asked carelessly. “Born, made, what difference does it make? This isn’t helping fix our hearts.”

"Wait, this could be really important,” Twilight leaned forward. “If you really were created... er, artificially, then who was your creator? What kind of magic did they use? Why did they need to give you the hearts as a separate power source?”

“We don’t know,” Aria cut her off. “How much do you remember about being born? We have no idea where we came from, and we stopped caring centuries ago.”

Sensing that this line of questioning wouldn’t get her any farther, Twilight mentally filed away the ‘artificial siren’ theory for later review. “Alright. So,” she tried to get them back on track, “all you know for sure is that the hearts used to be a part of your bodies, and when you came to this world they separated and became those pendants?”

“Right,” Aria said.

“So maybe it’s not a matter of repairing them so much as healing them,” Twilight said. “If those are anything like a unicorn’s horn, no amount of glue or raw magic is going to get them to fix themselves. What do you know about how they work?” Setting aside the issue of exactly who she was talking to, this was quickly becoming a fascinating study.

“We focus our magic through them,” Adagio replied. “We don’t write our songs beforehand, we just put magic into our hearts and keep in mind what we want people to do. The songs just happen, and anyone who hears them obeys us. Almost anyone,” she corrected herself, with a sour look at the Rainbooms.

“So it is a bit like how unicorns use magic,” Twilight said. In the simplest possible terms, all spells were just magic guided by willpower. Apparently it was the same for the sirens, and their hearts were at least roughly analogous to a unicorn’s horn.

“That’s it!” Twilight shouted, flush with success. “All we have to do is heal the hearts, just like we’d do for a unicorn’s horn, and… oh…” she bit her lip uncertainly.

“What?” Adagio demanded.

“Well, it’s just… fixing a broken horn takes medical training, magic, and time,” Twilight said uncomfortably. “You can’t just stick the pieces back together. It takes weeks of healing and therapy at least before the pony is ready to cast a spell again.”

“We don’t have weeks!” Aria snapped.

“I know, I know!” Twilight fretted. “Alright, let me think. I need a way to rapidly heal broken bone—”

“Stone,” Sunset cut in.

“Stone, right. I need a way to rapidly fix broken… living stone, I guess, while maintaining its other properties, most specifically its ability to channel magic. With you girls here I’ve got all the magic I could ever need—”

“If your magic actually works on our hearts,” Aria interrupted her, “and doesn’t just make things even worse.”

“That too,” Twilight grimaced. She went silent for a long minute, lost in thought. “There’s no way I’ll be able to figure out all of this here,” she finally concluded. “I need to go back to Equestria.”

“But ya only just got here!” Applejack protested.

“It won’t be for long,” Twilight reassured her, “a day at the most. I just need to look through my library, and maybe ask Princess Celestia if she has any ideas.”

“Princess Celestia?” Rarity questioned.

Twilight nodded. “In Equestria, Celestia and Luna are both princesses like me. Well, quite a bit more impressive than me, actually. It’s a long story. The point is, Equestria might have the answers I need."

Twilight had turned to talk to her friends, or she might have seen the almost shameless looks of longing the sirens cast at each other at the mention of Equestria.

“Don’t you think you should take us with you?” Adagio asked, seizing the opportunity. “We know a lot more about the hearts than you do.”

“Take you sirens back to Equestria?” Spike said in disbelief. “Not a chance!”

“Actually,” Twilight cut in uncertainly, “maybe we should.”

“What?!” Spike and the Dazzlings shouted in chorus.

“Adagio has a point,” Twilight said. She was becoming more certain the more she thought about it. “We need information, and they have some. Equestria’s got the type of magic we need, and," she directed the final statement pointedly at the sirens, "it’s also much better equipped to defend itself against magical threats.”

“Hold on,” Sunset Shimmer stared her down. “Do you remember how powerful these three became just off of what they could absorb from CHS? What they got from us was a tiny amount of magic compared to what they could take from Equestria.”

“What if you just took one of us?” Sonata said. “We’re a lot weaker when we’re apart.”

“Oh, just one?” Aria sneered. “Who did you have in mind, Sonata?”

“You, of course,” Sonata answered, either not noticing or ignoring Aria’s suspicion.

Aria rocked back. For maybe the first time ever, she didn’t have a snappy retort for Sonata. “M… me?”

Sonata nodded. "Sure. We need to get you better before we do anything else.”

Twilight thought it over. “Actually, that's a very good idea,” she said.

“Really?” Sonata gasped. “I don’t think anyone’s ever said that to me before!”

“If we just take one siren we’ll have someone who’s familiar with the hearts, but who won’t be able to cause too much trouble even if she wants to. Not Aria, though.” Twilight looked them over. “Sonata, would you want to come with me?”

“What?” Adagio snapped. “You want her?!”

Aria's eyes burned with hatred. “You planned this, didn’t you?!” she shouted at Sonata. Sonata squeaked and shrank back into her chair. “Well, congratulations. Looks like you get to go to Equestria while Adagio and I sit here and starve!”

“I…" Sonata whimpered, tears welling up in her eyes, "I didn’t plan anything. You’re the one who should go, Aria. You guys heard me, right?” She appealed to the Rainbooms. “I said that Princess Twilight should take Aria.”

“You might be the only one I can trust not to turn on me,” Twilight said to Sonata. If I can even trust you. “Weak or not, I don’t want to risk bringing Aria or Adagio to Equestria with me if I can avoid it.”

“Damn you, Sonata!” Aria raged. She rose to her feet, apparently planning to attack Sonata physically, but she never made it. No sooner had she stood up than her legs wobbled and gave out under her, and she fell hard to the floor. Sonata squeaked and darted to her side, only to be driven back by a furious shout. “Get away from me!”

Frightened and confused, Sonata slowly backed off, doing what she could to hold back the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. She babbled incoherent pleas for the Rainbooms to help her friend.

“Hey, Sonie.” A welcome diversion appeared in front of her in the form of Pinkie Pie. “I think Twilight’s right. If you want to help, go with her.”

“But… but Aria…” Sonata’s mouth trembled.

“Oh, don't mind her, she’s just being a grouchy-pants,” Pinkie said dismissively. “I get the same way when I’m hungry.”

In spite of herself, Sonata cracked a small smile.

“Go on,” Pinkie gave her a gentle push in Twilight’s direction. “You can come back with your shiny necklace all fixed up and show it off to everyone!”

“What do you say?” Twilight asked as kindly as she could, ignoring the positively acidic looks that the other two sirens were giving her and Sonata. “You want to come help out?”

Sonata stood still for a moment, caught in the grip of her own indecision. Finally, she gave a shaky nod. “Yeah,” she said. She turned to the other two. “I know you two don’t believe me, but I’m going to make all of this okay. You’ll see.”

Adagio snorted angrily. “Sure you are, Sonata.”

“Who knows, maybe you’ll actually try to,” Aria said. She looked at Adagio. “I'm not sure which would be worse.”

Twilight held back a wince at how badly they treated her. Rather than engaging the other two, she simply held out her hand for Sonata. “Come on.”

Slowly, hesitantly, Sonata stretched out a hand. She hovered over Twilight’s palm for a long moment, as if waiting for it all to be revealed as some kind of prank. Finally, she took the offered hand and stepped over to Twilight’s side.

“Great!” Twilight gave her a smile. “Just one thing before we go: Sunset Shimmer, could I talk to you for a minute? Privately?”

“Me?” Sunset asked in surprise.

“Mhm. I’ve got something I need to ask you.” Twilight smiled at the look on her face. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad.”

“Um. Alright, sure.” Sunset allowed Twilight to lead her away from the others and into the storage room where the school’s musical equipment was kept. It was pretty cramped among all the music stands and instruments, but at least it was private. She switched on the light and shut the door behind them. “What’s up?”

Twilight faced her and asked, in all seriousness, “would you like to come back to Equestria with me?”

The world seemed to stop. An odd rushing filled Sunset's ears. Her heart skipped a beat, then started hammering twice as fast as if to make up for it. “What did you say?” she asked, though she’d heard perfectly well. Equestria. It was all she’d thought about for years, though granted her feelings towards it hadn’t been kindly ones until quite recently.

“I asked if you wanted to come back to Equestria with me," Twilight responded. "You’re the only one who won’t have a clone of yourself in Ponyville to make things weird, and you trained with Princess Celestia too, so you’ve got some background in magical studies. I could really use your help.”

Sunset shook her head, trying to knock her jangling thoughts into some semblance of order. “Twilight, I’m a criminal in Equestria.”

“And I’m a princess,” Twilight answered gently. “You’ve reformed yourself, and you helped to save me, my friends, and your entire world from the sirens. You’ve more than earned a royal pardon.”

Sunset bit her lip and folded her arms. “I don’t know, Twilight. Equestria and I have a bit of a history, and I’m not sure a piece of paper would make it all go away.”

“Of course I won’t force you,” Twilight said, “but I think it might be good for you. You’ve really turned yourself around. The Sunset Shimmer who has that history with Equestria isn’t the same person you are now. Plus,” she brushed a hand through her hair uncomfortably, “I stopped myself from asking for your help once before, when I was working on the counterspell, and it could have cost us everything. There’s no way I’ll let myself make that mistake again.”

Sunset unconsciously hugged her arms a little tighter to herself. Just a short visit couldn’t hurt, surely? When she’d gone through the portal before, she’d been in the returned Crystal Empire way to the north of Canterlot, so there was no chance she’d run into… she shook the image from her head. “Are you sure about this?”

“Yes,” Twilight answered, “but it doesn’t sound like you are.”

“I’m not,” Sunset admitted. “Not at all.” She cast her eyes to the side and, since the topic had been broached already, she dredged up something that she’d been wondering about. “Could I ask… why didn’t you ask for my help with the spell? Were you afraid that I’d mess it up, or try to sabotage you or something?”

“No, of course not!” Twilight exclaimed, shaking her head emphatically. “You’ve got it totally backwards. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust you. It was that, well, I’m a princess. I thought that I was always supposed to know what to do, and I was afraid to admit that I didn’t. I thought I’d be letting everyone down. I see now that I only caused more problems by not asking for help when I needed it. I’m sorry if it came off as me not believing in you, because I absolutely do.”

So, no hard feelings with Twilight, apparently, Sunset mused. No problem there, and… she flinched away from even thinking the name of her former mentor. Well, anyway, I guess there’s really no reason not to. Sunset swallowed hard. “Sure," she said at last. "I mean, yes. I’ll go with you.”

Twilight sighed with relief and smiled. “Thank you,” she said. “I’ll be glad to have you along. I can see that this is hard for you, but I promise it’ll be okay.”

“Twilight,” Sunset said quickly, “there’s one thing.” Logic said it would be alright, but she simply couldn’t risk it. She had to make sure.

“What is it?” Twilight asked, concerned. “What’s wrong?”

“Could you…” The words stuck in her throat, and she had to change her approach. “Princess Celestia won’t be there, will she?”

Twilight didn't answer the question immediately. Instead, she looked up and waited for Sunset to meet her eyes. She had to choose her next words very carefully. “Celestia misses you, you know,” she said gently, encouragingly. "I can hear it when she talks about you."

And I miss her. So, so much. Sunset’s stomach twisted and she shook her head. “I’m sorry," she said. "Maybe someday, but I’m just not ready for that yet.”

Twilight held in a sad sigh. “I understand,” she said after a long moment. “I won’t tell her that you’re with me.”

“Thank you,” Sunset replied. “In that case, I’d be happy to come and help you with your research.”

“Great!” Twilight tried to smile, but there was something less enthusiastic about it this time. She had really hoped that Sunset and Princess Celestia could make amends. “Well, we don’t have any time to lose. Let’s get going.”

Sunset opened the door again, and it nearly swung shut again as it bounced off of something just outside. A soft thud and a squeak of surprise gave her a pretty good idea of what it was. Sunset stepped out and saw Sonata sitting awkwardly on the floor, rubbing her head.

“Were you eavesdropping on us?” Sunset demanded.

“Huh?” Sonata looked around herself. “No, I don’t think I dropped any eaves.” She hopped up to her feet. “Is it true, Sunny? You’re coming with us?”

Sunny? Sunset tried to glare, both because of the nickname and the spying, but it quickly dissolved into amused giggling. There was simply no staying mad at her, and it was good to see that she had apparently bounced back from the mistreatment that Adagio and Aria had been dishing out. Her quick recovery might have had something to do with the Rainbooms forming what amounted to a human wall between her and the other sirens.

“Yes, it’s true.”

“Awesome!” Sonata reached out and caught both Twilight and Sunset in a not-quite-consensual group hug. “Slumber party at Twilight’s!”

“Haha, yeah. Slumber party,” Twilight mumbled. “What fun.” She managed to disentangle herself from the suddenly affectionate siren and turned her attention to the others. “Can you girls keep these two out of trouble while we’re gone?” she asked, indicating Aria and Adagio. “It might be until tomorrow.”

“Can do, Princess Twilight,” Applejack assured her.

“You can count on us!” Rainbow added.

The two sirens in question were notably silent, apparently preoccupied with silently seething at Sonata. Sunset wondered if Sonata had suddenly become so chummy with her and Twilight as a defense mechanism against them.

“We won’t be gone long,” Twilight assured the others. “I’ll see you all again soon, okay?”

“I certainly hope so,” Rarity said. “You simply must stay for a proper visit one of these days, without any…” she cleared her throat delicately, “distractions.”

“Later, Twilight! Later, Sunset!” Rainbow called, waving goodbye.

“See ya soon, girls,” Applejack said with a quick hug for each of them.

“Um. I’m sure everything will work out just fine,” Fluttershy said in an awkward attempt at encouragement. “You’ll be back in no time.”

“You promise that it’s only a day in pony years?” Pinkie asked, her eyes impossibly large and watery.

Twilight made a strange noise somewhere between a sigh and a chuckle. It was sometimes the only possible noise that one could make when dealing with Pinkie Pie. “I promise, Pinkie. I’ll see you tomorrow at the latest, okay?”

Spike and Sunset said their goodbyes as well. The former happily ran around to receive quick scratches behind the ears from each of the girls. Sunset tried to keep a calm and confident expression while fighting against an ever-growing cloud of butterflies in her stomach.

With the basic logistics arranged and plans beginning to form, Twilight led the way out of the practice room with Sunset and Sonata in tow. They were going back to the Wondercolt statue and the mirror portal.

Back to Equestria.

Making Connections

Uncomfortable silence reigned yet again in the practice room at Canterlot High School. Rainbow Dash sat with her arms folded and her leg bouncing, while Rarity maintained proper decorum in the face of an awkward situation. Fluttershy seemed to be trying to disappear behind her hair, while Applejack kept a steady eye on the two sirens. Pinkie Pie was cleaning up the remnants of her aborted surprise party. Adagio and Aria sat in chairs near the middle of the room, Aria still fuming that Sonata was chosen to go to Equestria, and Adagio looking bored as could be.

“So, are you just going to stare at us until school lets out?” Adagio finally asked.

“Not sure what else to do with ya,” Applejack answered.

“Just let us go home,” Adagio suggested. “We’ll come back when Twilight and the others get here. We’ll pretty much have to.”

“No way,” Rainbow retorted, uncrossing her arms and leaning forward intently. “We promised Princess Twilight we’d keep an eye on you, and that’s what we’re gonna do.”

“Oh, please.” Adagio rolled her eyes. “What exactly do you think we’re going to do when we have no magic?”

“I think you’ve proven quite troublesome enough without it,” Rarity replied, gazing down her nose at Adagio.

Aria snorted. “Fine, you want to come with us then?” she asked sarcastically. “I’m pretty sure we all have better things to do than sit here waiting for Miss Pretty Purple Pony Princess.”

“Like what?” Rainbow demanded.

“Well, for starters, you all have classes to go to,” Adagio answered her.

“Please,” Rainbow laughed. “We saved the entire school. Twice! I think we’ve earned a day of playing hooky.”

Adagio shrugged. “If that’s what you want. I’m sure the school’s called your parents by now, so maybe it’s too late anyway.”

“Pretty sure that ain’t gonna be a problem for me,” Applejack answered sharply. The other Rainbooms winced, but if Adagio noticed the tone in her voice, she ignored it. “Anythin’ else to say?”

Adagio sighed and visibly lowered her guard again. “I’m worried about Aria,” she said more quietly. The named siren looked up in surprise. “I just think she’d be more comfortable at home. I know I would.”

“Um, I actually think that’s a good idea,” Fluttershy unexpectedly spoke up. “I could go with them and make sure they don’t get up to anything, if that would be alright with you.” She turned to the sirens. “I promise I won’t get in the way, and it would just be until Twilight and Sunset get back.”

“Uh, Fluttershy?” Rainbow questioned. “You sure you want to do that?”

“Just look at them,” Fluttershy answered sympathetically. “They’re obviously not feeling well. Don’t you prefer to stay home and rest when you’re sick? And if we need someone to look after them anyway, it might as well be me.”

“Okay,” Rainbow answered her slowly, “you know that we’re not talking about sick animals here, don’t you?”

“Of course,” Fluttershy said, “but they’re right, you know. There’s no reason to force them to stay here anymore. What do you say?”

Adagio nodded. “Sure, that’s fine.” She was fairly surprised that that had actually worked.

Aria shrugged her shoulders. “Whatever. Suits me.”

“Well, it doesn’t suit me!” Rainbow snapped. “If Fluttershy’s going, then I’m going.”

“Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy questioned quietly.

“Look, if you’re going into enemy territory, you’re going to need someone to watch your back,” Rainbow argued.

“The sirens need us,” Fluttershy replied. “They need all of us, so they wouldn't do anything to hurt me. Will you?” She asked them pointedly.

Aria simply snorted. She could barely stand up; she was hardly a threat. Adagio sighed and answered for them both. “No, we won’t try anything else. Our house is your house. Apparently,” she muttered through gritted teeth.

“Well, that settles it then,” Fluttershy said with finality.

“That doesn’t settle anything!” Applejack protested. “Why’re you so keen to go with them all of a sudden, anyway?”

Rainbow snorted. “If I know Flutters, she’s probably planning to try and take care of them. Sometimes that girl can be a little too kind."

“And why not?” Fluttershy argued, fighting down a rising blush in her cheeks. “We’ve already agreed to work together and do all we can, so why shouldn’t we give them the benefit of the doubt?”

“I can think of several reasons,” Rarity said darkly, clutching the handbag that still held Adagio’s knife.

“I want you two to Pinkie Promise me that you’re not going to do anything to hurt my friend Fluttershy,” Pinkie demanded. With confetti sticking out of her hair and her shoulders covered in discarded streamers she looked more ridiculous than usual, but her expression was absolutely serious. She pointed a finger at the two sirens dramatically. “Pinkie Promise!”

Adagio groaned. Whatever, if it’ll get you all to leave me alone. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” she rattled off in a monotone. “Happy now?”

“And you?” Pinkie turned to Aria, who huffed and looked away. “Come ooon,” Pinkie encouraged in a sing-song voice.

“Just do it,” Adagio grumbled.

Aria sneered and pulled out the pouch that held her shattered pendant. “Cross my heart,” she very pointedly traced an X in front of the bag, “hope to fly, stick…” she mumbled something under her breath that might possibly have been about cupcakes.

“Great!” Pinkie exclaimed. She leaned down and continued in a sinister whisper, “Don’t even think about breaking that promise, or I’ll know.”

Aria glared at Pinkie in annoyance. “I guess I owe Sonata an apology for all those times I said she was the worst. That was before I met you.”

“I can’t say I approve of this idea,” Rarity argued. “Especially not Fluttershy going by herself.”

“It’s better that way,” Fluttershy answered. “It won’t be so intrusive if it’s just one of us.”

“Well, excuse me if the Dazzlings’ comfort ain’t exactly the first thing on my mind,” Applejack retorted.

“Everyone, just listen to me,” Fluttershy said in what approached an ordinary speaking voice, which for her was the equivalent of shouting. Everyone stopped arguing to hear what she had to say.

“We have another problem besides just fixing their hearts,” Fluttershy said once she had everyone’s attention. “No one’s talked about it, but I know everyone’s thinking about it. What do we do once we’re finished helping them? What if they just go right back to hurting people?” She turned to the sirens. “It won’t be enough to just give you your hearts back,” she said, “we need to make sure that you’re going to use your power the right way from now on. I think the best way to start doing that is to show you the same kind of friendship and respect that we show each other.” She looked back at the Rainbooms. “That’s why I think it should be me, and just me, who goes.”

A long silence greeted her speech. The sirens and the Rainbooms seemed equally shocked by her idea and the certainty with which she presented it. Fluttershy quickly withered under what she interpreted as their disapproval and squeaked incoherently in an effort to take back what she had said.

“Alright girls, huddle,” Applejack finally called out. The Rainbooms gathered in a circle and muttered amongst themselves while the sirens feigned disinterest in their conversation. This went on for several long minutes, accompanied by gestures and the occasional gasp.

“As long as you’re sure you’ll be safe,” Rarity’s voice finally rose above the others.

Fluttershy nodded, though she felt anything but sure. “I promise.”

Rainbow Dash broke away from the circle and demanded that the sirens share their address. Once she had it noted in her phone, she put an arm around Fluttershy and drew her in close.

“If they try anything, anything at all, you call me, alright?” Rainbow said to her friend, making sure to speak loudly enough that Aria and Adagio could hear. “If you feel the least bit uncomfortable, even just for a second, we’ll be there before the sirens know what hit ‘em.”

“I appreciate it, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy murmured back, “but I’m sure I’ll be fine.” With matters more-or-less settled, Fluttershy went over by Aria and Adagio to accompany them home. Rainbow stepped back to rejoin the others. Fluttershy, Aria, and Adagio began to gather their things.

Rarity came up next to Rainbow Dash. “We’re not actually letting Fluttershy go alone, are we?” she said softly into her friend’s ear.

“Not in a million years,” Rainbow whispered back.

Twilight Sparkle stood in the middle of a whirlwind of books. She’d planned on immediately seeking out Princess Celestia and asking for her help, but she’d arrived at the castle during the middle of the day court. Celestia wouldn’t have a chance to talk until dinnertime, which left Twilight with hours to do her own research.

She’d started with history, trying to find anything about the time when the sirens were terrorizing Equestria and looking for some insight on how their powers actually worked. Adding to her problems was the fact that the sirens had apparently arisen during the Age of Discord, when recordkeeping was all but a lost art. After all, what good was it to record current events when a crazed god could change all of reality with a snap of his talons? As far as Twilight could tell, nobody knew much about the sirens beyond what she’d already learned for herself: they used their enchanting voices to cause disharmony, and they had been all but unstoppable until Starswirl banished them.

Twilight was still convinced that bringing the Dazzlings back to Equestria was the best option. Although the thought of how much power they could get from the nation's ponies was terrifying, she was still certain that she and her friends could defeat them. After all, they’d easily beaten Tirek, and he’d been empowered by nearly all of the magic in Equestria.

Still, all of that would be a moot point if she couldn’t find a way to heal the Dazzlings. Twilight grimaced in frustration as she quickly skimmed through another useless book. History obviously wasn’t going to be the answer, so it was time to turn to magic.

Remembering Adagio’s theory that they might have been artificially created, Twilight pulled down several books each on the subjects of golems and equinculi. Golems were traditionally made of stone, though in theory any solid material could be used, and had little to no mental capacity. Perhaps the hearts were made with similar magic, but obviously the sirens themselves did not fit that description. Equinculi were made with the intention of creating true artificial life, crafted from organic materials and possessing both intelligence and feelings. The problem with equinculi was that they were purely theoretical. Nopony had ever successfully made one, which somewhat ruled out that theory.

Leaving aside the studies on equinculi, Twilight turned her attention to learning all she could about golems and the magics that animated them. She became lost in her studies for several hours, eventually emerging with several useful ideas, but nothing concrete.

Heh, concrete, Twilight thought to herself, then groaned at her own pun. She needed a break. Giving her aching eyes a rest from the cramped texts she’d surrounded herself with, she opened her saddlebag and pulled out Sunset Shimmer’s book.

Find anything? Twilight wrote, grateful for an excuse to take it easy for a few minutes while Sunset replied. When the book began glowing and buzzing, Twilight looked over Sunset’s ideas and nodded in appreciation. Whatever her history, whatever the reason she’d left Equestria, Sunset was a fine scholar and a very smart pony. Twilight began scrawling a reply, so caught up in the ideas that Sunset’s words had sparked that she failed to hear hoofsteps approaching her from behind.

Twilight finished her response and picked up the book in a telekinetic field. She was sliding it back into her bag when a shocked gasp broke her concentration. She scrambled to catch the book before it struck the floor of the library, then her ears immediately flattened and her pupils contracted in surprise as she gazed up at Princess Celestia.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said softly, her eyes wide, “is that book what I think it is?”

“Um,” Twilight stammered, realizing that she had no way out of this one. “Yes,” she admitted guiltily, “it’s the notebook you used to use to write to Sunset Shimmer. It was mixed in with the shipment of books you sent for my new castle. Sorry, sorry, sorry, I meant to tell you about it! It was just that I only found it a few weeks ago and I've been so busy, and—”

“That’s quite alright, Twilight,” Celestia interrupted, not quite able to mask the tension in her voice. “Of course I would not have sent it to you if I did not want you to have it.” She abruptly turned away and gazed out the window, apparently appreciating the view of Canterlot that it provided.

“Celestia?” Twilight asked hesitantly. She took a cautious step toward her teacher. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Twilight,” Celestia said, her voice returning to its normal tone. “It was just a bit surprising, is all. I never thought I would see that book again, let alone see it being used. I’m glad that you have a way to stay in touch with your friends in the other world.”

Twilight knew that every word Celestia had said was true, and yet it was not the whole truth. She stepped up next to Celestia and, hoping that it wasn’t too presumptuous, stretched out a wing to wrap it around the taller alicorn’s shoulders.

“Sunset’s made amazing progress lately,” Twilight said softly. “She’s just not sure that she’s ready to face you again, but hopefully someday soon she will be. I know that she misses you, too.” It tore at Twilight’s heart to hide the fact that Sunset Shimmer was only a teleport away, but she’d made a promise.

Celestia inclined her head slightly. A tear shimmered briefly in the corner of her eye before soaking into the fur of her muzzle. “Thank you,” she whispered. She allowed herself a moment of comfort in Twilight’s warm presence, then stood up straight again. “But this is not why I came here,” she said. “I’d heard that a certain Princess Twilight had suddenly arrived here in the castle and gone straight to the library without so much as saying hello to me.” She had a mock-stern tone of voice, a parody of how she used to sometimes speak to Twilight as a filly, which made the other alicorn giggle.

“Sorry about that,” she said. “I assumed you’d be busy with the day court, and I needed to get to work. I was going to have dinner with you, honest!”

“Well, I suppose I can overlook it just this once,” Celestia answered her. She dropped the overbearing teacher act in favor of genuine interest. “What is it that's so urgent?”

Okay, this is it. Twilight took a deep breath. “I was wondering if you know anything about the sirens.”

“The sirens?” Celestia repeated in confusion. “I thought you and your friends had defeated them already. What did you want to know?”

“Specifically about their hearts, and how they feed,” Twilight answered. She briefly recounted what she knew of the day’s events, specifically of the sirens’ broken hearts and her friends’ efforts to fix them. “I was wondering if you knew anything specific about how the hearts work, or how we might be able to fix them.”

Celestia’s eyebrows rose as Twilight spoke. “That is quite a story,” she said. “I’m proud of you for looking past what the sirens have done before, but are you sure that helping them is wise?”

“No,” Twilight admitted, her ears drooping again, “but I can’t just let them suffer, either.” Her expression firmed and she looked up to meet Celestia’s eyes. “I’m sure there’s a way to solve this that will work for everyone. I just need to find it.”

Her words brought a smile to Celestia’s face. Twilight’s unbridled optimism never failed to warm her heart. “Well,” Celestia said, bringing a hoof to her chin as she thought, “I was alive when the sirens attacked this world, but I never confronted them personally. Equestria as a nation didn’t yet exist, and Luna and I hadn’t found the Tree of Harmony either. We judged Discord to be the greater threat by far, and our efforts were focused on him.”

“So you don’t know anything?” Twilight tried to hide her disappointment. “That’s alright, I’m sure the answer is somewhere in these books.”

“I don’t know as much as you hoped, I’m sure,” Celestia replied, “but Starswirl did tell me a bit about the sirens. They’re powered by negative energy, the opposite of the magic of harmony that you and your friends use. Their bodies are like batteries that store the negative energy, and what you’re calling their hearts are essentially converters that turn that energy into useable spells, much like a unicorn and her horn.”

Twilight nodded. She’d theorized all of this already, but it was good to hear it confirmed. “So how can we fix the hearts, then? I don’t think traditional medicine is going to work, and certainly not in time to save them.”

“Putting the broken pieces back together and lining up the leylines properly would be key,” Celestia mused. “It would take an incredible amount of power to fuse the stone back together, though, and your harmonic magic wouldn’t work on it.”

The book in Twilight’s bag buzzed. Twilight looked over uncertainly, not sure that it was wise to take it out in front of Celestia again so soon. Celestia, of course, did not miss the noise nor Twilight’s hesitation.

“You should see what your friend has to say,” she prompted gently.

“Er. Right.” Twilight used her magic to pull the book out and open it. She quickly glanced over Sunset’s latest message, something about Starswirl the Bearded and various types of magic. Geomorphic, biomorphic, metamagic…

Metamagic! Twilight gasped. “Oh, you're a genius!" She clopped her forehooves together excitedly. "That's it!"

“What's what, Twilight?” Celestia asked with barely concealed amusement.

“My friends and I can use our Rainbow Power on the hearts.” Twilight pulled a blank book over to herself and began frantically calculating numbers, angles, and patterns. “We’ll just need to set up a metamagic array to convert it to a type of energy that the sirens can use. I should have thought of this before!”

Celestia’s eyes widened. “Converting harmonic magic to dark magic? Twilight Sparkle, be very careful. It’s admirable that you want to help the sirens, but you must make sure that you will be safe as well.”

It was true, Twilight thought nervously. Even in theory, inverting the magic of friendship to create dark magic could easily end in disaster, especially considering the sheer quantity that her friends unleashed with their Rainbow Power. If anything went wrong, the best result she could hope for would be the positive and negative energies coming into conflict and negating each other. At worst, it could create a devastating explosion, or even rebound on the casters and… Twilight shuddered to think about it. Still, with the proper research and precautions, it should be possible.

Celestia smiled wryly and shook her head. “I know that look, my former student,” she said lovingly. “You’ll have to forgive me. I sometimes forget that your skill with magic exceeds even my own.”

Twilight blushed at the compliment. She knew that she was exceptionally talented at magic, but to hear from Celestia’s own mouth that she had surpassed her teacher at anything was much more than she thought she deserved. Celestia seemed to realize that she may have overdone it a bit, for she continued in more sober tones. “I know that if anypony can make this work, it is you. Just please, for your sake and mine, be careful.”

Twilight nodded. “I will. Thank you.”

Twilight’s mind and books were already filling with elaborate charts and equations. She was getting that distant look that Celestia knew and loved so well, a look that said she was completely absorbed by the problem in front of her and would not be distracted by anything short of a national crisis. Celestia hugged her, perhaps lingering just a moment longer than was strictly necessary, and left her to her research.

Uninvited Guests

They're following us, Adagio thought to herself as she led the way down the sidewalk. She wasn't surprised, and she couldn't work up the energy to care, either. No doubt Rainbow Dash thought she was being stealthy, but Adagio had caught sight of her multicolored hair just a few minutes after leaving the school. The prissy one who'd taken her knife and the farmgirl were somewhere behind her too.

Fluttershy, who was preoccupied with making sure Aria didn't collapse again, hadn't noticed, and neither had the other siren. Fluttershy darted forward when Aria stumbled on a stone, only to retreat with a squeaky apology as Aria angrily waved her away. This went on for about half an hour, until Adagio finally gestured to one of the buildings. "Here we are."

Fluttershy looked up, and up, and up. The house Adagio had indicated was absolutely massive, and was right in the middle of one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city. Fluttershy, with her plain clothes and old backpack, looked and felt distinctly out of place here. "Wow," she whispered.

"Home sweet home," Adagio said dryly. She reached the front door and keyed a combination into a keypad. The latch unlocked with an audible click. "The realtor was very generous," she said smugly as she let the others in. "Why, he practically gave us this place for a song!" This got a chuckle from Aria, perhaps the first happy sound that Fluttershy had ever heard that girl make.

"I see," Fluttershy said quietly. "That was nice of him." She carefully hid her feelings about the sirens stealing a house for their own use.

The interior of the house was as impressive as the outside. It was decorated quite tastefully, with paintings and tapestries adorning the walls and what she suspected might be an actual Ming vase on display. Rarity would know for sure. The floor here in the entrance was polished hardwood, and she could see plush carpeting in most of the other rooms. A massive television set was visible through one door, with a collection of video games and systems that would make Rainbow Dash's jaw drop. No doubt they'd gotten all of it for "a song," as Adagio put it.

It doesn't matter, Fluttershy reminded herself firmly. What the sirens had done in the past wasn't the issue. She just needed to make sure they would do the right thing in the future.

"I'm going to bed," Aria grumbled as she made her way across the foyer to a large wooden staircase leading up. "Wake me if something interesting happens."

"Can I get you anything?" Fluttershy called after her.

"Yeah, a new heart and a whole lot of negative energy," Aria snapped back. Fluttershy whimpered.

Adagio spread her hands out in an oh, well sort of gesture. "Make yourself at home, I guess," she said. "Don't break anything and don't talk to me, and we'll be fine."

"I... I see," Fluttershy whispered.

Adagio walked into the next room and flipped on the television to a local news channel, leaving Fluttershy standing uncertainly in the foyer. After a long, awkward moment, she followed Adagio into the other room and sat in a chair in the corner, as far from the siren as she could get. She sat there silently, unsure what to do and trying simply not to annoy the other girl.

Several minutes passed and Fluttershy's phone vibrated. She hastily switched it to silent and looked at the text she'd received:

From: Rainbow Dash. Everything cool?

Everything's fine, Fluttershy texted back. Aria went to lie down, Adagio's watching television. I told you they wouldn't try anything. She left out anything about their general unpleasantness. Adagio's warning not to talk to her would make it difficult to forge any real connection, but earning the sirens' trust began with respecting their wishes.

Alright, came the reply, just let me know if it starts looking dicey in there.

I will, Fluttershy promised. She put her phone away again and settled in for what promised to be a long, uncomfortable day.

Sunset's book buzzed again, and she picked it up to read Twilight's latest message.

You're definitely on the right track, the page said. I'm designing a metamagic array to convert our magic into dark magic for the sirens to feed on. Keep working on ways to actually put the hearts back together, and I'll take care of the rest.

Sunset gulped. Converting magic from one type to another could be incredibly risky, but she'd just have to trust her friend's judgment. Since they couldn't use their own magic, this might be the only option, and it was good to feel like they were finally getting somewhere.

"What is it?" Sonata asked, trotting over to take a look at the page.

"Twilight's working on a way to make it so you three can use our magic of friendship," Sunset explained. "That should take care of recharging your hearts, now we just need to figure out how to physically repair them."

"Well, it certainly took you long enough," a masculine voice echoed through the library, causing Sunset and Sonata to gasp and look around themselves. With a flash of light and a sound like keys jangling, a patchwork being of many different animal parts appeared in front of them. "Honestly, what did you think I meant by somewhere else to be?" the newcomer demanded.

Sonata screamed, and Sunset's ears flattened against her head. She recognized this creature from the Canterlot gardens, where he was supposedly imprisoned in stone for eternity. The Discord of the human world was an eccentric science teacher; the Discord of Equestria was a monster.

"It's Discord!" Sonata shrieked. She tried to run away, only to find herself somehow turned around and running back toward Sunset. She tried again with the same result.

"How did you get free?" Sunset demanded, powering up her horn. There was no way she stood a chance against the god of chaos, but she was determined to go down fighting.

"How did I get free?" Discord repeated. "Where in Equestria have you been?" He chuckled to himself. "Oh, right. My dear, I've been free for a long time. Don't worry, I'm quite reformed now. Why, I haven't turned the sun into cake or anything!"

Sunset hesitantly let the charge leak out of her horn. It was true that he hadn't done anything harmful yet, and if he decided to turn on them it wasn't like she would be able to stop him anyway. If he really had been free for a long time, and Equestria was still in one piece, then he must be telling the truth. With her mind clearing of its fight-or-flight response, something he'd said before suddenly registered.

"Wait," Sunset said, "you never told us we had somewhere else to be. I've never even met you before!"

"Well, sure, obviously I didn't tell you that." Discord replied.

"You're not making any sense," Sonata protested.

"I am making perfect sense, you're just not keeping up. Now then, I understand you're having an issue with some manner of dark artifact?" He steepled his fingers—talons and a paw, Sunset mentally corrected herself—together and gazed down at them.

"My heart. Can... can you fix it?" Sonata asked hesitantly. She seemed to be terrified of Discord, yet desperation drove her to ask.

"Well, you must be the source that fascinating magic I sensed." Discord said. "Unfortunately, no. That thing is absolutely overflowing with Harmony right now. My magic can't touch it."

Sonata's ears drooped.

"Then why are you here?" Sunset asked.

"Just because I can't directly fix it doesn't mean I can't help," Discord retorted. "And I'll admit that I was looking forward to chatting with a fellow creature of chaos. One does long for the company of one's own sort after a few eons. Of course, if you don't want the assistance of a nearly-omnipotent immortal..."

Sunset looked over to Sonata. The poor siren was practically shaking, staring up at Discord with wide eyes and shrunken pupils. Why was she so afraid?

Discord apparently noticed as well. "Oh, yes, now I remember you! You're not still worked up about that little incident, are you?" he asked dryly.

"Incident?" Sunset questioned.

Discord gestured to the frightened siren. "This one and her sisters once tried to put me under their spell," he explained. "Something about controlling and absorbing my magic to make themselves all-powerful. I don't know, I didn't really pay attention to the details."

Sonata squeaked something that was likely intended to be an apology.

"What did you do to them?" Sunset asked, feeling a bit queasy.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," Discord huffed. "All I did was make it so they'd be affected by their own magic for a little while."

"A little while?" Sonata exclaimed. "It took weeks to wear off!"

"Well, yes, but the days were only a few minutes each," Discord replied. "You should have seen them! Hypnotizing themselves as soon as they started singing, falling in love with each other, arguing over every little thing..." The draconequus doubled over with hysterical laughter, and it took him a moment to realize that he was the only one laughing. "Oh well, maybe you had to be there," he said as he wiped a tear of mirth from his eye. "Now then."

Discord snapped the fingers of his lion's paw and vanished, only to spring out of Sonata's saddlebag with her book in his talons. He sat there impossibly, far more of him still out of sight than could ever have fit in the pack, as he flipped through the pages.

"Hey!" Sunset protested.

"Ah, so you've already realized that this all goes back to dear old Starswirl," Discord said, ignoring her. "Good. Now, where is our local princess?" He started looking around, then somehow managed to lift Sunset Shimmer while still inside her saddlebag, as if expecting to find Twilight crouched beneath her.

"Put me down!" Sunset demanded. When Discord was too slow in complying, she teleported out of his claws and reappeared a few feet away. "Twilight's in Canterlot doing research."

"Ugh, of course she is," Discord facepalmed. "Something goes wrong and she just goes running straight to Princess Sun Flank."

"Don't you ever talk about Princess Celestia like that!" Sunset snapped. She was surprised to realize that she had stomped a hoof in challenge and lowered her head as if to charge. At Discord. What was wrong with her?

"Please don't make him angry," Sonata whimpered.

"I've known Celestia much longer than you have, and I will give her endearing pet names if I like," Discord retorted. "Anyway, Twilight Sparkle should be back soon, and then we can get to work."

"Twilight won't be back until this evening," Sunset said, confused.

"Oh, I expect she'll show up soon. I took the liberty of sending her a message of my own." Discord's body stretched and warped impossibly as he reached over to place the book back into Sonata's saddlebag.

When did he do that? Sunset wondered. She was starting to think that, much like when dealing with Pinkie Pie, it was best not to ask.

A few seconds passed, then a chill ran visibly up Discord's body. "And here she comes now!"

Indeed, Twilight suddenly appeared back in the middle of the room. She didn't appear in a blinding flash of purple magic, as before, but blinked into existence in a similar manner to how Discord had arrived. She was reading whatever he'd written for her, and it took her a moment to even notice that she'd teleported.

"What the hay?" Twilight shouted when she realized where she was. "Oh, no, nonononono, my notes! Discord, all my notes are still back in Canterlot!"

"Oh, how careless of me." Discord's eagle-clawed arm stretched out of sight, only to snap back a moment later with a dark blue notebook in it. "Is this them?"

"Um. Yes." Twilight answered sheepishly. "Thanks, I think."

"Twilight, is he telling the truth?" Sunset asked. "Is Discord really reformed?"

Twilight sighed. "Yes, it's true. He can be a bit annoying at times," she grated out, "but overall he's mostly good."

Discord tapped his chin. "Well, I think there was a compliment in there somewhere, so thank you."

"Not that I don't enjoy our talks," Twilight said sarcastically, "but why did you bring me here, anyway? I was doing very important research." She was very much not looking forward to teleporting to Canterlot again.

"Well, I know that you're looking into Starswirl the Bearded's magic, and I thought it might help you to hear from someone who was alive when he was. You could get it straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak."

"Celestia and Luna were both alive then, too," Twilight answered flatly. "I could just ask them." Indeed, she'd discussed her idol with them more than once.

"Well, perhaps, but Starswirl always did keep some secrets from them," Discord replied. "I guess he feared they wouldn't approve of what he was doing."

"Why woudn't they approve of his work?" Twilight asked. "He was one of the most important unicorns of all time!"

"Oh, sure, now you're interested," Discord said slyly. Sunset and Sonata found themselves listening intently as well. "Well, just because somepony is important doesn't mean that he never makes mistakes. Starswirl created a lot of different spells, and not all of them turned out entirely, shall we say, wholesome."

"What does this have to do with fixing our hearts?" Sonata asked quietly.

Discord shrugged. "Very little, really. I was just making a point, and the point is that I know more about Starswirl's magic than anypony alive. You're on the right track with his shaping spells, and I'm here to make sure you have what you need."

"Why?" Twilight asked. "Why do you even care?"

"Yeesh, the suspicion!" Discord threw his arms up dramatically. "Is it so hard to believe that I don't have an ulterior motive here?" The stares he received answered his question plainly enough. "Well, if you must know, I'd rather not see other creatures of chaos suffer and die. That's all." Twilight, Sunset, and Sonata shared uncertain looks.

"I think he's telling the truth," Sonata whispered.

"I do that quite a lot, and yet you ponies are always shocked by it," Discord replied, folding his arms.

"It's true that we need all the help we can get," Twilight finally said to him. "I'm sorry for being so suspicious of you. I'd really appreciate you working with us on this."

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Discord exclaimed. He gestured to Sonata's saddlebag, and the shattered artifact he could sense inside it. "So, let's have a look-see, shall we?"

At an encouraging nod from Twilight, Sonata opened the bag with her teeth and removed the small black pouch from it. She spread the shattered pieces of the jewel on the ground for Discord to examine.

"My, you girls certainly did a number on this, didn't you?" Discord picked up one of the shards and brought it to his eye. A monocle appeared on his face and he adjusted it, looking at the piece of stone as if through a magnifying glass. With another snap of his talons, he conjured a wooden pipe that produced bubbles when he blew thoughtfully into it. "Well, let's get started."

The buzz of a doorbell rang through the sirens' house. Fluttershy, who had been nearly dozing off in her chair, looked up to see what was happening. Adagio hadn't moved from her spot on the couch, and just as Fluttershy was wondering whether she ought to go answer the door herself, a well-dressed middle-aged man passed by in the hallway.

A butler, Fluttershy thought to herself. Of course they have a butler to handle this sort of thing. No doubt some mistreated, unpaid man whom they'd enchanted to serve them.The good news, she supposed, was that if they had a human servant then they must also have human food and drinks in the house. She was getting rather hungry.

"Excuse me, Miss Adagio," the man said after a minute's muffled conversation with whomever was at the door, "it seems some girls were found loitering outside. Are they friends of yours?" He sounded rather skeptical about that.

"No," Adagio replied without looking. She did give Fluttershy a rather pointed stare, however.

They wouldn't! Fluttershy thought to herself. Her friends had followed them, even after she'd explained why it was so important that she do this alone? "Um," she spoke up for the first time in over an hour, "I'm sorry, I think I might know who they are. May I speak to them?"

"If you wish. With Miss Adagio's permission, of course?"

Adagio waved a hand carelessly. "Be my guest."

Feeling something very much like anger starting to burn in her stomach, Fluttershy approached the door. Indeed, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity all stood on the porch looking incredibly uncomfortable, along with a man who looked to be in his thirties and who was wearing a Neighborhood Watch cap.

"It seems that they're friends of this young lady," the butler explained to the man outside. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention."

The man outside tipped his cap and departed, and the butler politely excused himself as well, leaving the three girls to Fluttershy's care.

"Uh. Hey, Flutters," Rainbow said awkwardly, catching on that Fluttershy was not at all pleased to see them.

"What were you girls thinking?" Fluttershy demanded.

"Look, we ain't the bad guys here," Applejack protested. "We needed to make sure ya were safe."

"Well, I am safe, which is more than I can say for my chances of actually befriending the sirens!" Fluttershy spat back. "How can I earn their trust or their respect when you three are sneaking around behind our backs? And where's Pinkie Pie, is she with you too?"

"No, Pinkie stayed behind to cover for us at school," Rarity answered. "Fluttershy, I know you're upset, but you have to understand that we were worried about you."

"And you have to understand that I know what I'm doing!" Fluttershy retorted.

Though the girls outside were unaware of it, Adagio had muted the television to listen in on their argument. She was practically salivating at the thought of the negative energy the girls must be putting out—which she felt was a disgusting and pointless reaction, considering that she didn't eat with her mouth—and the knowledge that she was so close to a potential source of food only served to sharpen her ever-present hunger pains. Still, after long centuries of habit, she took a certain pleasure in listening to friends falling apart.

"Listen," Fluttershy said more quietly, her anger apparently spent, "I know that the Dazzlings are dangerous, and I really do appreciate you girls looking out for me, but I'm alright. It's more important right now that we show them genuine friendship, or this could all just lead to more problems."

There was a long moment of silence, accompanied by a great deal of foot-shuffling and uncomfortable looks at each other.

"Sorry, Flutters." To everyone's surprise, Rainbow Dash was the first to apologize. "I guess we goofed, huh?"

Fluttershy sighed. "That's alright, Rainbow Dash. Hopefully I can still make this work."

"Sorry, Fluttershy," Applejack added, adjusting her hat nervously. "And, uh, I guess tell Aria and Adagio we said sorry, too."

"I'm sure they'll appreciate that," Fluttershy replied.

"Come on girls, I think we've done quite enough damage here," Rarity prompted the others. With another round of apologies, and a final promise from Fluttershy to call if she needed anything, the three of them departed.

"Oh dear," Fluttershy whispered to herself as she went back inside.

"Well well well," Adagio purred from the other room. To Fluttershy's amazement, she actually sounded pleased. "Who knew you had it in you?"

"I'm really sorry about them," Fluttershy said. "They were honestly just trying to help."

"You're actually serious about this, aren't you?" Adagio replied. "You really do want to be our friend."

"Um, yes, please," Fluttershy stammered awkwardly. "I mean, if you'd like."

"Hmm." Adagio tapped her chin. "Silver Breeze," she called.

"Yes, Miss Adagio?" the butler answered from the doorway. Fluttershy supposed that she knew his name now.

"Bring our guest a glass of water and a snack. You must be hungry," she said to Fluttershy.

"Oh, um, a bit, thank you very much." Fluttershy was blown away at the unexpected act of kindness, however small.

"Very good, Miss Adagio." Silver Breeze inclined his head. "Will there be anything else?"

"No."

With that simple word, Silver Breeze apparently considered himself dismissed. He left to fulfill Adagio's order.

"So." Adagio languidly stretched herself out on the couch and looked up at Fluttershy. "Let's chat."

Nothing Left

Sunset Shimmer's horn glowed brightly as she applied another basic geomancy spell to the slowly-forming crystal in front of her. Two pieces of the stone, carefully matched up to one another, flowed like water and formed a single piece. Twilight added her own magic, and the leylines within the heart fused and bent to accommodate the new structure of it. Sonata and Spike hovered beside them nervously in case the ponies should need anything.

"Yes, good," Discord said as he peered at it through his magnifying monocle. "That piece next, I think," he pointed to one of the largest remaining shards. Discord's oddly in-depth knowledge of Starswirl's magic and his natural affinity for dark and chaotic magics had proven invaluable in reconstructing Sonata's shattered heart.

Sunset wiped a thin sheen of sweat off her forehead and levitated the piece he'd indicated. It wasn't that the magic was difficult, just that it was a nerve-wrackingly delicate process with someone's life on the line. She imagined this was how the surgeons on TV felt.

With a little trial and error, Sunset determined how the current piece matched up with what they'd already finished and applied the spell to fuse them.

"Sunset, how did you do that?" Twilight asked.

"What?" Sunset asked, the surprise nearly breaking her concentration. "What did I do?"

"You reformed the leylines at the same time as you put the pieces back together," Twilight explained. "I didn't even need to do anything."

"Really?" Sunset examined what she'd done and found that Twilight was right. "Weird. It just seemed so natural that I didn't even realize what I was doing. It was like one spell just flowed into the other."

"Well, this is good." Twilight said. "The spells must be closely related enough that you can do both at once. Keep going."

Sunset nodded and waited for Discord to select the next piece of their puzzle.

"Wait," Twilight interrupted. "Let me try this one. I need to see what you meant about those spells."

"Alright," Sunset agreed, letting the charge go from her horn. She simply maintained her telekinesis to hold the jewel in place as Twilight went to work.

"Oh, you're right!" Twilight gasped as she melded the pieces together. "It's like two parts of the same spell. Once I put the jewel pieces back together, the leylines practically create themselves. Good, so it looks like each of us can take one of the other sirens' hearts. It's not so hard once you get the hang of it."

Sunset agreed, and they got back to work. Sonata's heart was nearly complete now, and the siren herself was so happy that she was on the verge of tears. She was almost physically restraining herself from tackling Twilight and Sunset with hugs, perhaps understanding that they needed to focus to complete the process. Discord selected the next shard, and the repairs continued.

"That's it," Sunset said at last. She sank down to her haunches and rubbed her aching head. "It's done. Oof!" Sunset yelped in surprise as Sonata flung her forelegs around the unicorn.

"Thank you!" Sonata squealed. "It's perfect, thank you thank you thank you!"

"Ack," Sunset gasped. "Air, Sonata. I need air." The siren finally let go in order to give Twilight the same treatment.

"Ahem. You're welcome," Discord said pointedly. Sonata gazed up at him uncertainly, then her boundless joy overcame her again and she tackled the draconequus as well. Sunset and Twilight were surprised to hear him chuckling as he returned her hug—not a dark laugh or a mad cackle, but an honestly happy sound. "Of course, we're not finished yet," he added as he put Sonata back down.

"Discord's right," Twilight said. "It's back in one piece physically, but we still need powerful dark magic to activate it."

"But you've got that all figured out too, right?" Sonata asked.

"Sort of," Twilight admitted. "I'd like to double-check the calculations, but I think I've designed a metamagic array that should do the trick. Now that we know what we're doing, I guess we need to bring the other two sirens here and fix their hearts. Then go back to the human world so we can create the array, tap into our magic, and recharge the artifacts." Twilight groaned and massaged her temples. "Right, that's all."

Sonata put a leg gently around Twilight. "I am gonna get you guys the biggest pizza you've ever seen once this is all over," she promised. "And you can come play video games at my place whenever you want."

Twilight gave a weak laugh. She had to admit that it was great seeing one of the sirens trying to be friendly. "Alright then. Discord, do you mind waiting around for a bit while we find the other sirens? We shouldn't be long."

"Oh, not at all, don't mind me," Discord said, waving his talon in an overdone show of apathy. "I'll be right here. Alone. Bored." He conjured a hammock that floated in midair and a glass of fruit juice with a bendy straw and an umbrella—a full-sized umbrella—in it. He took an obnoxiously noisy sip of the drink.

"Aw, don't worry, Dissy!" Sonata chirped. "We'll be right back with even more new friends for you."

Her attitude toward him certainly turned right around, Sunset thought, covering a smile.

"Well, yes, I suppose you will," Discord admitted. "Alright, I'll be here."

"Great," Twilight said. "Now, back to the human world. Again."

"Dissy?" Discord called after them as they stepped back through the mirror.

As soon as Sunset had her human body and, more immediately relevant, her human possessions back, she sent out a group text to the rest of the Rainbooms asking where they were. It took less than a minute for her to get a reply.

"Well?" Twilight asked.

"It looks like most of them went home," Sunset said, scrolling quickly through the replies. "Fluttershy is..." Sunset's eyebrows rose high onto her forehead. "At the sirens' house."

"Really?" Twilight leaned over to read the message. "I guess that's a good sign?" She didn't sound at all sure of that.

"I'll tell the others to meet us back at the practice room," Sunset said as she sent out another message.

"I'll let Aria and Adagio know," Sonata said pulling out her phone. She hit one of the speed-dial options and put the phone up to her ear.

"Dazzle residence," a refined masculine voice said from the other side. Twilight and Sunset shared confused glances.

Sonata giggled. "Breezie, it's me."

What's with this girl in nicknames? Sunset privately wondered.

"Ah, Miss Sonata. What can I do for you?"

"Are my sisters there?" Sonata asked.

"Yes," "Breezie" replied, "Miss Adagio and Miss Aria are both here. Shall I give them a message?"

"Just tell them to meet me back at the school," Sonata instructed. "By that horse statue out front. Tell them that we did it."

"You did it," the male voice replied. "Shall I use those exact words, Miss?"

"Sure, whatever," Sonata replied carelessly, too lost in her own happiness to really pay attention to what was happening. "Tell them I'll see them soon!"

Silver Breeze hung up the phone and re-entered the room where Adagio and Fluttershy were talking. Their conversation over the past couple of hours had ranged from stories from their own lives, to amusing tales they'd heard from other people or ponies, and was now branching out into differences between Equestria and the human world. Fluttershy was often uncomfortable with the stories Adagio chose to tell, as they mainly involved her abusing her powers and dominating others to get her way, but nonetheless she knew that it was an important step. Their talk stopped, however, as Silver Breeze gave a polite cough.

"Beg your pardon, Miss Adagio," he said, "but I have a message from Miss Sonata. She says to meet her back at the school, by the horse statue, and that they 'did it.' She didn't care to elaborate on that, but did express her wishes to see you and Miss Aria soon."

"Sonata did something right?" Adagio asked, pulling herself up to sit upright. "Isn't today just full of surprises?"

Fluttershy winced. She really wished that Adagio and Aria would stop picking on their sister, but she also knew that it wasn't her place to say anything. Certainly not yet.

"Go wake up Aria and tell her we're going," Adagio instructed her butler. "Fluttershy, get your things."

"O, okay," Fluttershy stammered. She often had trouble keeping up with Adagio's abrupt shifts in attitude, which was no doubt an intentional way to unbalance people. Still, she was very pleased with the progress they'd made today. It was with a growing sense of hope that Fluttershy picked up her backpack and slid into her boots.

Any good feelings she had were abruptly shattered by an alarmed cry from upstairs.

"Miss Adagio!" Silver Breeze called out, his smooth voice taut with panic, "Miss Aria won't wake up!"

Fluttershy barely had time to turn around before Adagio had rushed past her in a blur of movement. The normally cold and distant girl took the stairs three at a time as she rushed to her sister's side. Fluttershy followed behind more cautiously, unsure if she'd be welcome at the bedside of a dying siren.

Fluttershy slowly approached the room where Adagio was standing, and had to hold in a gasp at the sight before her. Aria had most definitely taken a turn for the worse. Her face had gone nearly colorless, and her breathing was labored. She feebly clutched at herself, caught in the throes of whatever uneasy dreams she was suffering.

"Move!" Adagio roughly shoved Silver Breeze out of the way and knelt down at Aria's bedside. "Aria," she said softly, coaxingly. "Aria, can you hear me?" A note of anger crept into her voice as Aria failed to respond. "Don't you dare give up on me. Wake up, dammit!"

"Um," Fluttershy spoke up, and immediately took a step backwards at the angry glares she received. Still, she persisted. "A drink of water mixed with sugar should give her some energy," Fluttershy suggested, drawing on her knowledge of simple home remedies. "Not... not enough to live on, but maybe enough to get her up." She would normally suggest some type of medicine at this point, but the siren was so weakened that Fluttershy wasn't sure her body could handle any.

"Shall I?" Silver Breeze asked. Adagio gave a curt nod, and the butler departed to fetch the drink.

"I need you to leave right now," Adagio said to Fluttershy. "Go wait outside."

"Okay," Fluttershy whispered, stepping back uncertainly. "If... if there's anything I can—"

"Get out!"

Fluttershy squeaked and ran from the room. Adagio slammed the door shut behind her.

Fluttershy sat in the foyer, trembling and wondering how everything could have gone so wrong. She sent a panicked text to her friends, begging one of them to come with a car to drive the sirens back to the school. She got a reply from Rarity almost immediately saying that she was on the way.

At some point Silver Breeze returned, but he spared her no more than a glance on his way back to Aria's room.

After several more minutes of deep breathing and trying to stave off a full-blown panic attack, Fluttershy's head snapped up as the door to Aria's room opened. She went weak with relief at seeing Aria looking far from well, but at least up and sipping carefully at the glass of sugar water. Adagio, on the other hand, was noticeably paler than before she'd gone in. Fluttershy was tempted to put it down to simple worry for her sister, but she wondered if Adagio hadn't given up some of the tiny amount of magic she had left.

"We need to go. Now," Adagio commanded. Even her voice was weaker than usual.

"Rarity's coming with her car," Fluttershy said, her voice still shaking. "It'll be much faster than walking."

"Good. Where is she?"

Fluttershy checked her phone. "She says less than a minute." Indeed, even as Fluttershy put her phone away again, a familiar car drove up alongside the house. "That's her."

"Would you like me to come with you?" Silver Breeze asked, aware that there was much more going on than he was being told.

"No," Adagio snapped at him. "Just help me get Aria to the car."

"Yes, Miss Adagio." With Aria supported between them, Adagio and Silver Breeze carefully descended the stairs, both sirens looking ready to collapse at any second.

Fluttershy couldn't take it anymore. The emotional roller coaster she'd been through today, from the initial discovery of the Dazzlings' plight, to Adagio and her awful knife, to the stress of trying to befriend the aloof siren, and now this finally proved to be too much. She fled the house and ran sobbing to Rarity's car and the comfort of her friend's presence.

"Fluttershy," Rarity gasped, "dear, are you alright? What in the world happened?"

Between heaving gasps, Fluttershy choked out the story of how they'd found Aria apparently on the brink of death. She explained that the sirens were on their way out now, maybe with mere hours left to live. Rarity listened and tried to soothe her fears, but Fluttershy was inconsolable.

"Okay Fluttershy, I need you to calm down," Rarity said sternly, finally breaking through the other girl's panic. Rarity reached out and squeezed her hand. "I'm sure they're even more frightened than you are right now, and that's why they need you to be calm and in control," Rarity instructed. "You're the one who was able to get close to the sirens. Now they need you to be their friend."

"...Right. You're right." Fluttershy forced herself to breathe more normally. "I don't know what came over me. I take care of sick animals all the time, I should know better than this."

"Well, it's more than a little bit different from what you usually have to deal with," Rarity said sympathetically. "Still, I suggest you try to keep your cool." She pointed back toward the house. "Here they come."

Fluttershy turned around to see Aria leaning heavily on Adagio, who was none too steady herself. Together they stumbled to Rarity's car and slid heavily into the back. Fluttershy was almost impressed at their politeness at leaving her the front seat, before realizing that they were just used to sitting in the back because they normally had chauffeurs to drive them.

What am I even thinking about? Fluttershy wondered as she got into the front seat. Her mind seemed to be wandering everywhere except for the problem at hand. It was a good thing that Rarity was the one driving.

Rarity glanced quickly around to make sure that her passengers were strapped in, then put the car into gear and took off for the school.

Sunset read the latest message on her phone with a growing sense of dread. "Something's wrong," she warned the others.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"Look." Sunset turned her phone around so that Twilight and Sonata could read Fluttershy's plea for help. "It sounds like Aria's not doing well."

Sonata gasped, her infectious joy collapsing the instant she saw the foreboding words. "No..." she whispered. Even as she read the message, Sunset's phone buzzed again.

"Rarity's on her way now," Twilight read off of the screen, which was still turned toward her. "She's going to drive them back here."

Twilight thought quickly. If things had gotten so desperate, then they would need to complete their remaining tasks in the fastest and most efficient way possible. "Sunset Shimmer, do you think you can handle repairing the hearts by yourself? I need to make sure the metamagic array is in place and correct."

Sunset nodded. "No problem. I'll wait here for Rarity, you do what you need to do."

"Thank you." With that done, Twilight put a hand on Sonata's shaking shoulder. "Panicking would be the worst thing we could do right now," she told the siren softly. "Aria and Adagio are going to need your help to get through this."

Sonata nodded and, with a great effort of will, fought back the tears that were trying to fall from her eyes. She wiped her face off on a sleeve and took a shuddering breath. "Okay. I'm ready." She placed a hand over Twilight's, holding on for what little strength she could get.

After a moment, Twilight carefully removed her hand from Sonata's. She took Spike and went inside to start preparing the array, leaving Sunset Shimmer alone with Sonata. Sunset tried her best to comfort the siren and keep her from falling apart completely. She got the sense that she wasn't doing much good—though Sonata did her best to humor her efforts—and it was with great relief that she saw Rarity's car speeding up the road.

The car pulled up beside Sunset. Rarity and Fluttershy immediately got out and opened the back doors, helping two terrifyingly weakened sirens get out. Each was being half-carried by the girl helping her.

Sonata screamed upon seeing her sisters and ran forward to help. Adagio and Aria tried to shoo her away, but Sonata would not be dissuaded. She caught each of their forearms in one of her hands, and began glowing with a dark green energy.

"What are you—?" Sunset started to ask, but it was clear what Sonata was doing. She was sharing her own scant magic to buy her sisters a little more time. Sunset's heart knotted in her chest at the beautifully selfless act. Sunset had to turn away or else she'd be the next one crying.

"There ya go," Sonata said woozily, giving a shaky smile and a thumbs-up to the other sirens. "All better..." She swooned and fell heavily into the side of Rarity's car, which only added to the panic and confusion of the group as a whole.

"Okay everyone, stop!" Sunset's voice cut through the babble as she took command. Adopting a strong and confident demeanor, Sunset stepped into the middle of the scared and fragmenting group. "Aria, Adagio, I need your hearts," she instructed. "I can take them to Equestria right now and fix them. Rarity, Fluttershy, get the sirens to the practice room and keep them out of sight. Princess Twilight's setting up in there now." Sunset might not be a princess herself, but in that moment it was clear that she'd trained under one.

"How long will this take?" Adagio queried. To Sunset's surprise, that was the only question she asked as she handed over the pouch containing her shattered heart.

"It took about an hour for us to fix Sonata's, but now that I've got the hang of it, maybe half that?" Sunset estimated. "An hour total for the both of them, give or take. Hopefully Twilight will have her array set up by then, and we can recharge them right away."

Aria nodded and gave Sunset her own heart. It was a testament to how weak and wretched the siren felt that she didn't argue or put up any sort of fight. With a great deal of help from Rarity and Fluttershy, the sirens made their way back inside, leaving Sunset holding the two bags.

Sunset took a deep breath to calm and center herself. This was not the time for panic or for doubting herself. It was time to act. Holding carefully to the sirens' hearts, she ran to the statue and hurled herself back into Equestria.

All We Want and More

"Here." Discord handed Sunset yet another piece of Adagio's heart.

Sunset grimaced and forced another spell out of her horn. She'd retained most of her skill, but after years of not using her magic, her stamina was shockingly low. Repeatedly casting geomancy and metamagic spells was beginning to take its toll, and she wasn't even finished with the first heart yet. Through sheer willpower, she brought the spell to completion and another piece merged with the gem in front of her.

"Good, you're doing well," Discord encouraged her. He snapped his talons and a glass of cold water appeared in front of Sunset. Without taking time to ask questions—or to worry about where it had come from—she gratefully gulped down the offered drink. Somewhat refreshed, she turned her attention to the next piece and fit it into place.

"Last one," Discord said as he handed her a smallish fragment, no bigger than a human fingernail.

Last one, Sunset thought to herself. She could do one more piece, no problem. Momentarily pushing from her mind that this was only the halfway point, she summoned up the energy for the spell and merged the final shard with the remainder of the jewel. Discord picked it up carefully in his lion paw and examined her work.

"Yes, that should work perfectly," he said, turning it this way and that. "Now let's see the other one."

Not wanting to use any more magic than absolutely necessary, Sunset opened Aria's pouch with her teeth and spread out the fragments. She moaned softly as she saw how many pieces it was in. Discord realized her plight.

"Hmm, I wonder..." he said quietly, stroking his goatee. Sunset tried very hard to ignore the fact that it quacked like a duck with each pass of his fingers. "Do you think you could put a bunch of pieces together with the same spell? It would take more skill, of course, but less power than doing them all separately."

"Uh, maybe?" Sunset tried to think past the building ache behind her eyes. It was true that the spell wasn't especially difficult, perhaps because the stones had already been magically shaped once before. They practically seemed to fit themselves together, given the proper stimulus, as if they wanted to return to their proper form. "Yes," Sunset corrected herself with certainty. "Good idea, Discord."

"I've had one or two over the millennia," Discord replied. He reached over and tweaked Sunset's horn with the fingers of his lion paw. "Now why don't you rest that poor little horn of yours while I get these pieces together."

Sunset was grateful enough for the reprieve that she didn't even protest at the touch. She laid down on the cool crystal floor of Twilight's castle and started running through old meditation techniques, trying to relax and encourage her natural stores of magic to recharge more quickly. After a minute or so, she opened her eyes to see what Discord was doing.

The draconequus sat a few feet away looking over the pieces of Aria's heart. His magnifying monocle was gone in favor of a truly absurd-looking set of glasses with many different lenses and attachments that he could swing in front of his eyes. With a level of care and patience that Sunset would never have believed possible from the capricious god of chaos, he fit one piece to another and released them to float in front of him. The pieces stayed in place even once he turned his attention away.

"I thought you said the hearts had too much leftover Harmony for you to affect them," Sunset said.

"So I did," Discord said, eyeing the largest remaining piece. "What I've actually done here is frozen time around them. Since they're not being reached by gravity or any air currents, there's nothing to knock them out of place."

Sunset blanched. "I... I see." Such casual use of such impossible magic scared her on a visceral level, and she was immensely glad that Discord was on their side. Rather than continuing to look at the now-disturbing scene, Sunset closed her eyes and returned to her meditation.

Twilight, a marker stuck uncomfortably in her mouth, carefully drew another line on the tile floor of the practice room. It was her latest addition to an array that resembled a many-pointed star, but the lines curved so as to make a large empty circle in the center. That was where she and the Rainbooms would stand while they played. The magic they produced would be captured and channeled by the array, redirected through dozens of minor channels that would each change the nature of the magic ever-so-slightly. The end result of it all would be that, once the harmonic magic completed a full circuit of the array, it would be released as its opposite.

Twilight took a breath and removed the marker from her mouth, rubbing her aching jaw and wishing desperately that had her horn, or even her pony mouth. Human teeth and mandibles were just so weak.

"How's it coming, Twilight?" Spike asked. Maybe he assumed she was already finished. If only that were true.

"The basic array is down," Twilight explained, "but to get it to do what I want I'm going to need to add a lot of modifiers to it. All it would do like this is send the magic around in a circle." With a resigned sigh, she replaced the marker and bent forward to add another line. It was tiny, no more than a few centimeters, but it would ensure that magic traveling down the larger lines it connected followed the correct path.

Twilight and Spike both looked up as the door to the practice room opened. Twilight experienced a moment of panic as she wondered how to explain the situation to whomever was walking in on her, then exhaled in relief as Rarity entered. Her relief quickly returned to fear, however, as Fluttershy and the sirens entered and she saw the state that they were all in.

With Rarity and Fluttershy's help, the sirens lowered themselves to the floor and leaned up heavily against the wall of the practice room. With the Dazzlings safe, at least for the moment, Fluttershy found a chair in the corner and sat with her head in her hands, fighting back sobs. Rarity took in the scene in the center of the room: Twilight on her hands and knees, attempting to draw with her mouth since there was no way she could trust her hands for such delicate work. It looked terribly uncomfortable, and undignified besides.

"Darling, why don't you let me handle that?" Rarity said, approaching and holding out her hand for the marker. Twilight laughed nervously, removed the marker and wiped it off on her shirt, then gave it to Rarity.

"Hey, is Fluttershy okay?" Spike asked quietly. He knew from experience that there was nothing quite so heartbreaking as seeing Fluttershy cry, and he longed to comfort her.

"She's had a very rough time of it," Rarity answered, "but I'm sure she'll be alright. Fluttershy's stronger than any of us give her credit for."

Spike trotted over to Fluttershy and put his front paws up on her lap. When Fluttershy lowered her hands from her eyes to look, she saw him gazing up at her with concern in his eyes.

"Oh, Spike," she murmured. She scooped him up and placed him on her lap, hugging him close. "I'm sorry, I've just had the most awful day." She buried her face into his fur, taking comfort from his warm presence.

"No worries, Fluttershy, we've all been there," Spike answered, nestling up to her. He still much preferred his dragon body, but he had to admit that being a dog had a couple of advantages. Dragons, while awesome, weren't especially good at cuddling.

The door to the practice room opened, and everyone inside looked up to see who the latest arrival was. Pinkie Pie slowly walked in, her face downcast and her normally happy personality subdued.

"Pinkie! I'm glad you're here," Twilight called out, taking a momentary break from instructing Rarity in how to draw the array. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Pinkie replied quietly. "I just got an itchy nose a few minutes ago, which usually means that someone close to me is hurting. I was worried."

"There's certainly more than enough stress to go around, but I believe we're all okay," Rarity reassured her.

Pinkie shook her head "No," she murmured. She turned to look at the sirens, who seemed to be just barely clinging to life. "I think it's about them."

The others knew better than to ask how Pinkie knew that someone was hurting, how she knew that it was about the sirens, or why the sirens would count as being close to her. It was best to simply let it go. Twilight and Rarity turned their attention back to drawing the array, while Fluttershy continued hugging Spike. Pinkie sat down next to the sirens and started speaking quietly with Sonata.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash arrived over the next ten minutes or so while Twilight and Rarity kept working on the array. The others watched them curiously, but did not try to interrupt. Another fifteen minutes passed as they worked in near-silence, the only sounds being Twilight's instructions to Rarity and Pinkie's conversation with Sonata. Rainbow Dash and Applejack quietly debated which song they should use for the spell. Applejack immediately overrode Rainbow's first suggestion of Awesome as I Wanna Be, and they eventually settled on Better Than Ever.

At last Twilight took one last walk around the array, double and triple-checked it against her notes, and nodded to herself. "It's done. Now we just need to wait for Sunset and the Dazzlings' hearts."

Twilight looked sideways at the three dying sirens. She felt faintly ill seeing them in such a wretched state. Please hurry.

Sunset Shimmer realized that she must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew, Discord was nudging her.

Sunset mumbled incoherently and opened her eyes. She immediately shot up to her hooves as she realized that Discord was holding a comically large air horn next to her ear. "I'm up, I'm up!"

"Oh, you ponies never let me have any fun," Discord complained. He tossed the horn up into the air, where it turned back into his goat horn and reattached itself to his head. "My lady, your jewel awaits you." He bowed and gestured toward where Aria's fully assembled heart floated.

"Ugh. Alright, here goes," Sunset mumbled. The pain behind her eyes had eased off a little bit thanks to the rest she'd gotten, but she was sure it would be back with a vengeance by the time she was done here.

Alright, Sunset, three people's lives are on the line. You are not going to wuss out over a headache. Sunset breathed deeply, and as she exhaled she called forth the power inside her. Her horn shone with a teal light, which flowed into the cracked jewel. The sheer number of breaks she was trying to repair was daunting, but she forced herself to face the task head-on. She called on every bit of confidence—and yes, arrogance—that she possessed, and bent her will toward this one thing. No piece of rock was going to best the great Sunset Shimmer.

One piece at a time, Sunset encouraged herself. Her temples throbbed the moment she began channeling her magic into a geomancy spell, but she ignored the pain. It was little worse than a bumped elbow, not even worth bothering herself with. As long as her magic didn't give out completely, she could handle a bit of discomfort.

Three small pieces of Aria's heart forged themselves together, the leylines branching out almost of their own accord to connect with one another and seek the next piece of stone. Sunset's headache spiked, but she grit her teeth and worked through it, joining what she'd already connected to the next largest piece.

"Halfway there," Discord murmured beside her. Sunset looked up at Aria's heart and saw that he was correct. More than half of the pendant was already reassembled. Unfortunately, what remained were all smaller pieces, and there were still quite a few of them. She decided to take them in waves, connecting a bunch of small shards to one another, then taking the bigger pieces she'd created and joining them to the whole.

Tears of pain were gathering in the corners of her eyes by the time she realized that she only had three large pieces remaining. Breathing deeply and focusing her will, she cast her spell and joined two of them together. The stone flowed into itself and created a seamless bond, the leylines within seeking each other out and creating a network of channels for magic to travel through. Sunset was alarmed to realize that she was sweating and breathing quite heavily. If her magical fatigue was beginning to take a physical toll, then she was approaching true exhaustion.

"Don't give up now," Discord encouraged her. He snapped his fingers and vanished, reappearing a few feet away in an outfit that could have come straight from Canterlot High's cheerleading supplies; a long-sleeved shirt and miniskirt, and pom-poms on his hands—or claws, as the case might be.

"Sunset Shimmer, she's our girl!" Discord chanted, waving the pom-poms in an uncannily good impression of an actual cheerleading routine. "Gonna be the hero of two worlds!"

Sunset wasn't sure whether she was amused or deeply, deeply disturbed. Still, it certainly did encourage her to finish her project, if only to prevent Discord from doing that again. Summoning up the very dregs of her magic, she forced one last geomancy spell out of her horn. The two halves of Aria's heart, connected along one last, jagged break, melted and flowed together, creating a single, complete artifact.

Sunset groaned and pushed out just a little more power. Come on, the leylines practically make themselves, Sunset chided herself. You can do this. To her immense relief, the magical channels sought out and joined with one another at last. It was done.

Sunset collapsed to the floor, greedily sucking in air. She felt like she'd just run two Mare-a-thons back to back, and the worst part was that she wasn't even finished yet. She still had to return to the human world and summon a completely different type of magic to recharge the jewels that she'd just worked so hard to repair.

"It's a wonderful thing you're doing, Sunset Shimmer," Discord said quietly. Sunset was relieved to see that he had discarded his cheerleader uniform. "There are very few ponies who would lift a hoof to help creatures of chaos."

Sunset forced a shaky smile onto her muzzle. "Hey," she said, "if I could turn myself around, anyone can do it. You really care about these sirens, don't you?"

"I... I do." Discord himself sounded surprised about that. "At first I just thought it would be fun to spend some time with other beings like myself, but it's more than that. I think I might actually be very sad if they don't make it."

"That's friendship for you," Sunset mumbled. "At least, I think so. I'm pretty new to it myself." She shook her head and forced herself to stand. "Anyway, everyone's waiting for me. I need to get back right now, or this could all still be for nothing."

Discord snapped his fingers, producing a glass of water and two pills. Sunset looked at them suspiciously, then realized that they were nothing more or less than Aspirin from the human world. Equestria had no such thing. "How did you—?" Sunset started to ask, then thought better of it. She was coming to realize that asking Discord how or why would give her a worse headache than her magical exhaustion. She simply took the pills, swallowed them with a mouthful of water, and then finished off the glass. "Thank you. Now, I really do need to go." She hauled herself up, put the two pouches into her saddlebags, and made for the mirror.

"Good luck," Discord called after her without a hint of sarcasm.

Sunset stepped out into the human world and winced. The sunlight wasn't doing her headache any favors. Shading her eyes with a hand, she ran as quickly as she could up to the school and barged in. School had long since let out, so there was little chance of her running into anyone at this point, and they would hopefully not be interrupted during their attempt to reactivate the hearts. If anyone walked in on them, they'd have some explaining to do. She hurried around a corner and nearly bumped straight into Twilight.

"Sunset!" Twilight exclaimed. "Perfect, we finished the array just a few minutes ago. I was just on my way to see if you needed help."

Sunset shook her head, then immediately regretted it. "They're ready."

The two of them re-entered the practice room. Sunset reached into her backpack and withdrew the two pouches from separate pockets, giving one each to Aria and Adagio. The two of them shakily opened the bags and their eyes went wide at the sight of their reconstructed hearts. They clutched the artifacts to themselves as if already drawing energy through them.

Sonata reached into the pocket of her hoodie. She'd been keeping her own heart out of sight to spare the others' feelings, but she took it out now and held it ready.

"Careful now," Twilight warned the other Rainbooms. "We need to play in the center of the circle, but don't touch any part of it as you go in. If any of those lines get rubbed out, the entire array could collapse."

Heeding her warning, the Rainbooms picked up their instruments and carefully stepped over the lines into the center of the array. An exhausted Sunset Shimmer was the last to join them.

"Ready, girls?" Rainbow Dash called to the rest of the band. They all nodded back to her. "Pinkie?"

Pinkie raised her drumsticks. "You three are gonna be just fine," she promised the sirens with a grin. "Here we go! One! Two! Three! Four!" She knocked the drumsticks together to set the tempo, and the Rainbooms launched into their song. As expected, the magic of their friendship rose up around them in a swirl of rainbow energy.

Twilight watched nervously as the outer edge of their Rainbow Power came into contact with her array. If anything at all seemed to be off, she would stop their performance immediately. The magic flowed into the circle and the lines began to shine with a multicolored glow. As she watched, the power raced around the circle, following the various twists and turns, loop-arounds and reversals, slowly but surely being manipulated into something that it wasn't. The light emanating from the array slowly shifted from rainbow to a dark, sickly green. Although it was exactly what was supposed to happen, it was still more than a little unsettling to see.

The first of their Rainbow Power completed its circuit and flowed out into the practice room in a thick stream of dark magic. The sirens gasped in unison as they felt power flowing into their hearts. One by one, the hearts started to shine with a bright red glow. It was working.

The sirens began to sing, not to try to enchant the Rainbooms or to battle against their magic, but to support it. The song was weak at first, little more than a whisper, but it quickly gained volume as the sirens greedily fed upon the negative energy. They felt strength returning to their wasted bodies as they desperately took in the nourishment they'd needed.

Adagio was the first of the three to rise to her feet. She spread her arms out and sang at her full power, exulting in her recovery and the mere fact that she was alive. Sonata joined her a moment later, a rapturous smile plastered across her face. Aria was the last to stand, but stand she did, continuing to sing as she drew in more and more power. She wore a relieved smile, which quickly morphed into a smirk.

Before anyone could stop her, before the Rainbooms could react, Aria leaped across the practice room and dragged a foot across the array, scuffing out several of the lines.

"Stop playing, now!" Twilight cried out, but it was already too late. Her array had been breached, and there was still an immense amount of magic in the room. Harmonic and dark magics flowed into the gap, mingling and contending with one another in a deadly whirlwind of power. "Run!"

The Rainbooms dropped their instruments and dove for the edge of the array, trying to escape before their magic rebounded on them. They were knocked flat as the opposing energies emitted a concussive blast of pressure. The sirens fled the room as the seven girls were engulfed in a tornado of negative energy.

Worse Than Ever

In the ruined remains of the practice room at Canterlot High, seven bruised and battered girls slowly picked themselves up from the broken pieces of chairs and instruments that had been torn apart in the whirlwind of dark magic.

“Oh, wow, the Dazzlings betrayed us.” Rainbow Dash was the first to recover her voice, and it held the most sarcastic tone any of them had ever heard from her. “Show of hands, who’s surprised?”

Fluttershy, still facedown on the floor, lifted one shaking hand into the air.

“Yeah Flutters, tell me, how’d that whole making friends thing go?” Rainbow snarked.

Fluttershy curled up on herself and whimpered something inaudible.

“Leave Fluttershy alone!” Pinkie screamed at her. Perhaps as a strange side effect of the dark magic, her hair was lying perfectly flat and straight. She had a manic glint in her eye. “You were sure happy enough to have her around after you saw that knife. I mean, come on, you puked!”

“Would you all shut up?!” Sunset shouted. If she’d thought she had a headache before, now she was nursing a positively skull-splitting migraine.

“No, ah won’t!” Applejack replied, though she hadn’t been speaking before. “If y’all hadn’t been so keen to reform yourself and every other bad seed in the world, we wouldn’t be in this mess!”

Without quite knowing how, Sunset found herself on her feet with her hands clenched into fists. “Oh,” she yelled, “I’m so sorry for trying to do a good deed. If that’s how we’re doing this, you might as well blame Twilight for taking me down in the first place!”

“Don’t you dare bring me into this!” Twilight snapped back at her.

“Well, if that isn’t the most ungrateful thing I ever heard!” Rarity said to Sunset. “You apologize to Twilight this instant.”

“Make me!” Sunset shoved the obnoxious drama queen away, then staggered and fell to the ground as something connected with her head. She looked up to see Applejack standing over her, rubbing her knuckles.

“Hey, not cool!” Rainbow Dash tackled Applejack to the ground and tried to pin her down, but the farmgirl was stronger than expected. The two ended up rolling around the floor of the practice room trading ineffective punches.

“Everyone stop!” Twilight shouted, but her voice was lost in the ruckus. “Stop!” Still, no one listened. She stomped a foot angrily. “I am a princess, and you will all listen to me right now!” No one paid her the slightest heed. She shrieked in frustration and threw one of the few unbroken chairs across the room, then caught a faint wisp of green out of the corner of her eye.

The sirens! Twilight whipped around looking for them. Forget magic, forget friendship, she was going to rip them apart with her bare hands! There was no one there. The same bit of greenish vapor still hovered in the corner of her vision, seeming to move with her as she looked around.

Rarity screamed as the chair that Twilight had thrown narrowly missed her. “Oh, that is it!” She plunged a hand into her purse and came out holding Adagio’s knife. She’d meant to dispose of it somewhere, but now she was glad that she’d never had the chance. She advanced on Twilight with murder in her eyes.

Murder, and something else. As Twilight prepared to make this prissy diva sorry she’d ever messed with the Princess of Friendship, she noticed thin trails of green smoke leaking from the corners of Rarity’s eyes. Everything clicked into place.

Oh, no. Twilight felt a rush of nausea as she realized what was happening. She tried desperately to assert her reason, the logical thought processes that she prided herself on. Everyone’s confusion, Fluttershy’s sudden depression, the murderous rage that Twilight was feeling toward Rarity, and Sunset, and the world as a whole; all of it was their psyches trying to compensate for the fact that they’d just been exposed to an enormous amount of dark magic. It was amplifying their aggression and their fears, bringing out the worst in all of them.

Twilight tried to explain this to Rarity, who was nearly within striking distance, but all that came from her throat was an animalistic growl. The rational part of Twilight’s mind was a tiny thing shrieking in the vast maelstrom of her wrath. Nothing would satisfy her now except Rarity’s blood on the floor of Canterlot High.

With a scream of mingled fear and anger, Twilight fled the room. She needed to get back to Equestria. She needed her horn and her magic. She needed to purge herself of this negative energy before she did something truly horrible.

“That’s right, you had better run!” Rarity called after her. It was almost enough to get Twilight to turn around and make her eat those words, and Adagio’s knife with them, but she managed to stop herself. Now that she knew the source of this rage, it was at least somewhat easier for her to control.

If she’d been thinking more clearly, she might have realized that abandoning her friends when they were all in the same state as she was was a dire mistake.

“Twilight?” Spike watched her leave in confusion. As the only one who hadn’t been in the broken array, he was the only one currently in his right mind. He’d been battered by the force of the magics, but it took a lot of abuse to keep a dragon down, even if that dragon were in the body of a dog. “Wait up!” He ran after her.

Sunset, whose own anger was somewhat dampened by her now-crippling headache, half-opened her eyes and saw Twilight and Spike leaving. The wisps of green trailing from Twilight’s eyes were enough to clue Sunset in to what was happening, and she came to the same conclusion—she needed to get to Equestria immediately. Everyone was too involved in their own fighting to notice or care about the girl staggering dizzily toward the door, clutching her head and fighting back tears of pain.

Twilight heard the door to the practice room open again and looked behind her, in case it was Rarity or one of the others coming to finish their fight with her. Instead, she saw Sunset leaning heavily on the wall as she held her head in both hands. Sunset pushed herself toward the exit one painful step at a time.

Seeing the girl looking so vulnerable brought the memories of Twilight’s first time in the human world flooding back. She remembered the awkwardness, the humiliation, and the fact that Sunset had literally tried to kill her. She could take revenge for all of it, right now. With Sunset as weak as she was, it would be so easy.

Twilight mentally slapped herself. She’s your friend, Twilight reminded herself. She’s your friend, and you’re the Princess of Friendship. Don’t let the dark magic win. Right now, her friend clearly needed her help.

Sunset stiffened as something touched her. She lashed out with a fist, but she was blinded by pain and her wild punch missed. After blinking enough to clear her vision a little, she saw that Twilight had put an arm around her waist and was helping her to walk.

Sunset tried to swallow the anger and resentment that rose up at the sight of the perfect little princess, beating it back down into a corner of her heart and locking it away. It was only the dark magic making her feel that way, she told herself. Once they got to Equestria, everything would be fine.

With both girls fighting to resist what amounted to a seething hatred of the other, they made it outside. Sunset finally pulled away to stand on her own feet. Though she could barely see where she was going, she ran behind Twilight as they both sprinted for the statue. Twilight dove through the portal, with Sunset Shimmer only a step behind.

Discord was still in the library, and a massive shudder ran up and down his body as Twilight and Sunset flew from the portal and fell to the ground. There was something extraordinarily wrong about their magic. “What in Equestria—?”

“Move!” Twilight shouted. A massive wave of black energy was bubbling up her horn, and her eyes glowed a sickly shade of green as she forced the dark magic inside her to surface. With a yell of agony, she forced the magic from her horn in a flood of power. Discord yelped and dove for cover as the negative energy blasted outward and washed up against the wall. The crystal it struck bubbled and melted from the incredible power, leaving a large scar on the room. Mostly purged, though with some off-colored sparks still sputtering from her horn, Twilight stood trembling from the strain.

Sunset was having less success. She couldn’t seem to get the focus or the strength she needed to expel the magic corrupting her. She whimpered and ground her hooves into her throbbing head, pleading for someone, anyone, to help her.

“Sunset, shh,” Twilight murmured, kneeling beside her. “I’m here. You can do this. Just let go,” she encouraged the suffering unicorn. “Let it all go.”

“I can’t,” Sunset sobbed. “It hurts so much, Twilight. Please make it stop,” she begged.

“Alright, I’m going to help you.” Twilight carefully lowered her horn to touch Sunset’s. “This will be painful, but it’s going to make you better, okay?”

Sunset whimpered and nodded. Twilight gave her a sympathetic nuzzle, then sent a pulse from her horn into Sunset Shimmer’s, stirring up the magic inside the unicorn and drawing it out. She then hastily joined Discord against the far wall and put up a protective bubble around them.

Sunset writhed and screamed in agony. The dark magic seemed to be trying to tear her apart from within. She felt it boiling up from her core, searing her insides as it raced for her horn. It seemed to rend her leylines apart as it passed through them, driving jagged knives through every inch of her horn. With a final wail, Sunset at last unleashed the harmful energy.

She did not have even the semblance of control that Twilight had used in purging herself. She was magically weaker than the alicorn princess, and had been tired before she’d even begun the purge. The magic erupted from her horn, her eyes, and even her mouth, seeking and taking any egress it could. It washed over and around Twilight’s shield, which began to tremble under the strain. Rather than the directed burst that Twilight had released, this was an unfocused maelstrom of power.

“It’s too much!” Twilight cried out. “I’m too tired, I can’t hold it!”

“Then allow me,” Discord said. He snapped his fingers and teleported straight through Twilight’s field, emerging in the midst of the whirlwind of dark magic. He put his hands together and what seemed to be an ordinary bucket appeared in them.

Discord dipped the bucket down as if he were scooping water, and a portion of the dark energy flooded into it. He repeated this until there was nothing left but a few wisps of green in the air, which quickly dissipated. Discord heaved an audible sigh of relief and snapped his fingers again, dismissing the bucket and its dangerous contents.

Sunset fell to the floor, utterly spent and completely overwhelmed. Mingled pain and relief, combined with the stress of the day and something else that she didn’t have the wherewithal to identify just then, overcame her. She began to sob helplessly. She buried her still-pounding head into her forelegs and soaked them with her tears.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Twilight cooed gently. She approached the distressed unicorn and laid down beside her, wrapping a wing protectively around Sunset’s body. “You did it. It’s alright.”

Sunset was surprised by the touch, but welcomed the soft warmth of Twilight’s feathers. It was comforting, and oddly nostalgic. It reminded her of being with Celestia. “Thank you,” she whispered. She nestled her face into Twilight’s side, crying like a foal. “Thank you so much.”

Heedless of the tears dripping onto her, Twilight tightened her hold and stroked Sunset’s mane, trying to soothe away her friend’s pain and fear. “Shh. You’re okay now, Sunset. Everything’s okay.”

Twilight reached out with her magic and pulled Sunset’s book down from the portal. Luckily, Sunset did not have her saddlebags on her, which Twilight took to mean that she had left her backpack in the other world. After a bit of searching, Twilight found a quill and hastily penned a message.

Everyone, she wrote, you’re under the effects of dark magic. It’s making you quite literally insane. You need to come to Equestria immediately so that I can purge the negative energy for you. Come through the portal.

Twilight

Twilight returned the book to its place, re-opening the portal. Though she longed to stay and comfort Sunset Shimmer, and Celestia knew she needed some rest herself, Twilight kept an eye on both the book and the mirror. If she didn’t get a reply within a minute, she promised herself, she’d go back for them personally.

“Sunset, it’s over,” Twilight murmured. It had certainly been a frightening experience, but she didn’t understand what had set Sunset off like this. It wrenched her heart to see her dear friend so upset. “You’re okay now.”

Sunset shook her head, but a fresh wave of crying drowned out whatever she’d meant to say. She wrapped her forelegs around Twilight and held on tightly, waiting for the storm to pass.

The book buzzed, and Twilight took it down again. She read the reply, and her eyebrows furrowed. The others said that they were alright, which was an enormous relief, but the rest of it didn’t seem to make much sense.

Twilight was preparing to write back and ask them to clarify their message when Discord, who had been staying out of the way of all of this, quite literally snapped his head around. That was to say, his neck made a disconcerting sound like a breaking twig and his face turned to point directly behind him.

“I think you girls may want to hide,” he warned them. He snapped his fingers and an illusion shimmered to life in front of them, concealing them behind the appearance of an empty floor.

The tinkling sound of two sets of metal-shod hooves on crystal galloped down the hallway toward the room holding the mirror, and an all-too-familiar voice cried out, “Twilight Sparkle! Twilight, are you here?”

Sunset, who’d been at the end of her rope already, wished that she could simply die on the spot. Not like this, she thought desperately. Not right after her failure, not with a debilitating migraine, tears running down her face, and traces of dark magic still clinging to her. She wasn’t ready to see Celestia at all, but please, whatever higher powers were listening, please not like this!

“I’m afraid Twilight Sparkle isn’t home,” Discord lied smoothly.

“Discord!” Sunset recognized this voice from her time in the other world. It belonged to Princess Luna. “What in Equestria is going on here?”

“Well, I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” Discord replied.

“My sister and I detected two enormous surges of dark magic centered on this castle,” Celestia explained. “You must have sensed it?”

“Of course I sensed it, why do you think I’m here?” Discord was lying to the princesses through his teeth, and Sunset could have kissed him for it. “I would guess something to do with this fascinating portal,” he continued, “but whatever happened here was over by the time I arrived.”

Sunset stuck a hoof in her mouth to muffle her hysterical cries. She wasn’t sure whether Discord’s illusion would block sound as well, and if the princesses noticed her, she was certain that her life would be over.

Twilight continued stroking Sunset’s mane “Calm down, Sunset Shimmer,” she admonished, her voice no more than a breath on Sunset’s cheek. “You’re with ponies who love you. No one here is going to hurt you.”

Sunset sniffled and looked up with red, puffy eyes. “But what if I hurt them?” she asked.

Suddenly, a great number of things started falling into place for Twilight. Sunset Shimmer was having trouble moving on, but not because she was ashamed of what she had done, or even because she was afraid that others wouldn’t forgive her. Her reasons weren’t that selfish.

“I think I get it now,” Twilight said. Sunset made a questioning noise at the apparent non-sequitur. “I think you’re afraid that, somewhere deep down, you’re still the same Sunset Shimmer who stole my crown and attacked me. Am I right?”

Sunset grit her teeth and let her mane fall forward, hiding her face. It was all the confirmation Twilight needed.

“You’re not that pony anymore,” Twilight said softly, “and I’m going to prove it.”

“What do you mean?” Sunset asked.

“Trust me,” Twilight said with a smile. She carefully disengaged herself from Sunset and stood up. “I promise you, it’s going to be okay.”

Twilight teleported out from behind the illusion, appearing in the hallway behind the others. With no way to trace the origin of the teleport, she could have come from anywhere. She galloped in and skidded to a stop.

“Celestia, Luna!” she gasped, feigning surprise. “And Discord? What are you all doing here?”

Celestia relaxed somewhat as she saw that her former student was safe. “Twilight, did you feel that magic as well?” she asked. “Do you know what happened here?”

“I think I do,” Twilight replied, “and I’m glad you’re all here.” She ran a hoof nervously through her mane. “I think I need someone to talk to.” She was doing this mostly for Sunset’s benefit, but there was more than a grain of truth to those words.

Celestia walked toward the smaller alicorn, her eyes betraying her concern. “Of course you can talk to us. What is it?”

Twilight took a breath, preparing to share what had just happened with the sirens. “Well…”

Chaos reigned in the practice room at Canterlot High School. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were still fighting, both now sporting bruises and split lips. Fluttershy huddled miserably in the corner, rocking back and forth and whimpering to herself about what a failure she was. Pinkie Pie had goaded Rarity into attacking, then deftly taken the knife from her. She now stood in the middle of the room with a crazed grin, taunting the others and brandishing the blade at anyone who came too close. One of her eyelids twitched sporadically. Rarity, furious though she was, didn’t dare approach her. Very soon there would be some real bloodshed, and everyone but Fluttershy was looking forward to it.

One by one, the girls became aware of a beautiful melody floating through the air. Someone was singing, and it somehow seemed to wash away their rage and fear. Each stopped what she was doing and tried to seek out the source of the irresistible music.

“Sonata?” Rarity murmured, catching sight of a blue-skinned, blue-haired figure standing near the door. One of the sirens had come back. In spite of their recent betrayal, Rarity felt no desire to harm her.

Sonata stood alone, her heart glowing brightly and her arms opened as if to embrace the entire room at once. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but did not interfere with the magic. There were no magically-produced instrumentals, no supporting vocals, not even any words to her song. It was just a single angelic voice bringing peace to the madness.

“What’re we doin’?” Applejack asked, aghast, as the green trails faded from her eyes. The negative energy that had polluted her body and soul was being drawn into Sonata’s heart.

Rainbow Dash released her grip on Applejack’s shirt, where she’d been preparing to pull the girl in for another punch. She wordlessly shook her head and stepped away.

Pinkie Pie’s hair regained a little of its puffiness as Sonata’s song leached the dark magic out of her. She looked at the knife in her hand as if seeing it for the first time, shrieked in horror, and dropped it to the floor.

Rarity’s hands flew to her mouth as she realized that she had threatened one of her friends with a knife, and actually attacked another. If Pinkie Pie hadn’t been so dexterous, she could very well have been dead. Rarity swooned and sat heavily on the floor, feeling as though she might be ill.

Fluttershy uncurled from her fetal position and looked around uncertainly. She wasn’t certain what had brought on such an intense bout of depression and self-loathing. Thinking back, it seemed like an enormous overreaction to what had occurred. After all, it wasn’t her fault that Aria had betrayed them. “What happened?” Fluttershy asked.

Sonata finished singing, her heavenly voice echoing once more through the room before fading to nothing. Tears still fell unchecked from her eyes.

“Sonie?” Pinkie asked, taking a hesitant step toward the siren. “What’s going on?”

Sonata shook her head and brought her arms in to hug herself. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Before anyone could stop her she opened the door and ran. Pinkie moved so quickly that she left a pink blur in her wake, yet by the time she got into the hall the siren was already gone.

“Oh mah stars,” Applejack gasped as she took in the injuries on Rainbow Dash’s face, “did I do that? I… I cain’t tell you how sorry I am.”

“Hey, I started it,” Rainbow answered with a sickly attempt at a grin. She sat down and wrapped her arms around her knees, huddling into herself. “I’m sorry too.”

“Pinkie Pie,” Rarity called out shakily. Pinkie looked over from her position by the door. “It’s more than I even deserve to ask, but… can you ever forgive me?”

“Okie-dokie-lokie,” Pinkie replied with a pale ghost of her usual enthusiasm. “It wasn’t your fault, anyway. I think we all went a bit cuckoo.” She returned to looking out into the hallway, though she knew there was no chance of Sonata returning again.

“Where are Twilight and Sunset Shimmer?” Fluttershy asked. As if to answer her question, a faint buzzing noise filled the room. The girls all instinctively reached for their phones before Rarity pointed to Sunset’s abandoned backpack.

“It’s coming from Sunset’s bag,” she said. She felt a bit guilty about going through her friend’s things, but if her suspicion was correct, this was very important. She carefully sifted through the contents of the backpack and found Sunset’s book, which was glowing and vibrating. She uncertainly opened the book to a blank page.

“Everyone,” Rarity read aloud as a message appeared, “you’re under the effects of dark magic. It’s making you quite literally insane.” Her eyes widened as she read that sentence. “You need to come to Equestria immediately so that I can purge the negative energy for you. Come through the portal. Signed, Twilight.”

“Well, ah suppose that explains a thing or two,” Applejack said. She didn’t look much relieved by it, though.

“So Twilight is clearly in Equestria right now,” Rarity reasoned, “and I’d expect Sunset is as well. I actually do seem to remember seeing her leave this room.”

“What about Sonie?” Pinkie asked forlornly, still gazing into the hall.

“First things first,” Rainbow said. “We gotta write Twilight back and let her know we’re okay. Then we need to figure out how we’re going to beat the Dazzlings. Again.”

Rarity already had a pen out and was crafting a reply in her immaculate handwriting. “I’m letting her know that we’re alright,” she explained, which was half-true. They weren’t in any immediate danger, at least. “I’m also telling her that Sonata was the one who saved us.” She still felt sick to her stomach thinking that, had Sonata not come along, they might very well have ended up killing each other.

“Thanks for that,” Pinkie said softly.

“What do we do now?” Fluttershy asked.

“If I may,” a familiar male voice joined their conversation. The girls all whipped around in surprise to see Mr. Discord standing by the doorway of the practice room. “I’d suggest you all get out of here now, before someone wants to know what happened and how you were involved.”

“Mr. Discord, sir,” Fluttershy replied uncertainly, “what about you?”

“Me?” The eccentric teacher feigned surprise. “I’m sure I don’t know anything about it. The place was empty when I got here.”

“Why… I don’t know what to say except thank you,” Rarity said. Why was he helping them when they were clearly the ones responsible for trashing the room? That wasn’t even taking into account the knife on the floor and the injuries on Applejack and Rainbow Dash. If this were traced back to them, they’d be lucky to get away with mere expulsion.

“Then I suppose just ‘thank you’ will do for now,” Mr. Discord answered her. “Now move along. I’m sure you all have somewhere else to be.”

Reaching Out

While Twilight told the story of the sirens’ healing and subsequent betrayal, Sunset clamped her front hooves over her mouth and focused on slowing her breathing. She needed to get herself back under control. Thinking on it, she wasn’t quite sure why she had freaked out so badly in the first place. Was it the pain? There was certainly plenty of that. The fear? She doubted it. She’d been through worse. Just a reaction to the negative energy? Maybe, but her heart told her that there was something beneath all of that. The one thing she knew for sure was that being in the same room as Princess Celestia wasn’t helping her to rein in her emotions.

“That is terrible news indeed,” Celestia said once Twilight had finished speaking.

“You cannot blame yourself for creatures of chaos acting according to their nature, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna advised her.

“I was just so sure that we could reach an understanding,” Twilight groaned, “but the second they were strong enough to do it, they turned on us.”

“Do you think this is related to the dark magic we sensed?” Celestia asked.

“That was me expelling the negative energy they’d infected us with,” Twilight explained.

“All of that energy came from you?” Celestia questioned, betraying her surprise. “Twilight Sparkle, I know you are strong, but that was an incredible amount of magic.”

Sunset cringed into the floor. Did she suspect that there was another unicorn here?

“The first blast was me,” Twilight clarified. “The second… I think that was from the other world.”

Sunset breathed a silent sigh of relief.

“The other world?” Discord raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. One of my friends from the human world wrote me to say that they were alright because Sonata had come back to help them. I think that must have been the second surge of dark magic you all felt. She must have drawn the negative energy out of the others.”

“Sonata is one of the sirens, correct?” Luna asked. Twilight nodded. “Then it would seem that things are not as dire as you believed. From what you are telling me, only one of the sirens betrayed your trust.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Twilight said, taking heart from her words. “I guess I just hoped that the magic of friendship would reach all of them, get them all to change like Sunset Shimmer did.”

Sunset’s ears shot bolt upright at the sound of her name. Celestia inclined her head slightly, looking down and away from Twilight.

Twilight clapped a hoof over her mouth. “I’m sorry, Princess Celestia, I didn’t mean to—“

“It is alright,” Celestia reassured her. “I know that Sunset Shimmer is doing her best. I just can’t help wishing that she would talk to me about what happened. Surely she doesn’t think she’s the only pony who ever made a mistake.”

Sunset muffled a gasp behind a hoof. Her throat constricted painfully. So much for controlling myself, she thought as her eyes burned with fresh tears.

“It’s not that,” Twilight answered. She wasn’t sure how much to reveal, especially knowing that Sunset could hear her, but this needed to be said. “I don’t know, I could be wrong, but I think she’s afraid of relapsing. I think she’s scared of getting close to people because she’s worried that she might hurt them again.”

Sunset curled up miserably. Twilight had cut straight to the heart of her insecurities, and it couldn’t have hurt more if she’d used an actual blade. Still, there was something encouraging about hearing that, too. Twilight had identified a problem, and as they said, the first step was to admit that one had a problem.

Sunset now knew exactly why being flooded with dark magic had made her break down the way it had. It was because it had felt exactly like when she wore Twilight’s crown. It was because part of her had wanted that power, and had wanted to use it.

“Sunset Shimmer,” Discord’s voice sounded next to her ear. She looked over in surprise to see a miniscule version of the draconequus, no more than a couple of inches tall, speaking to her even as his full-sized self conversed with the princesses.

Sunset made a questioning sound.

“I’ve extended the illusion all the way to the mirror,” Discord said quietly. “If you want to leave, no one will notice.”

Sunset came within a hair’s breadth of immediately taking his offer. She wanted nothing more than to gallop back to the safety and comfort of the world she now called home, sirens or no sirens. She wanted to be far from Celestia’s too-knowing, too-understanding eyes.

Instead, she dragged a foreleg across her own eyes, dashing away the tears that remained. “No,” she whispered back. “I’ve been hiding from Princess Celestia—and from myself—for long enough.”

Sunset stood up. She nearly collapsed as her headache renewed its vice grip on her skull, but she forced herself to keep going. Whatever happened next, she would face it on her own four hooves. She made a hopeless effort to tame her tangled mane, then gave up, angry at herself for indulging in what she knew was a pointless distraction.

The talk at the table had gone back to the sirens and what should be done about them. The alicorns were so involved in their talk that none of them noticed Sunset apparently emerging from empty air.

Sunset felt horribly exposed. No one had seen her yet. She could still dive back behind the illusion, retreat to the other world, come back when she was feeling more up to facing her former teacher.

No. If I do that, I’ll never come back. It’s now or never, and I can’t allow it to be never.

Sunset cleared her throat. “Your Majesties?” she called out weakly. It was no more than the squeaking of a mouse, and yet it was enough to stop the conversation in its tracks.

Twilight’s mouth fell open. She’d known that Sunset was there, of course, but she’d never expected her to reveal herself.

Luna cocked her head slightly. Perhaps she had divined who the unicorn before her was based on what little she’d heard of Sunset Shimmer. Whether she fully understood the situation or not, Luna wisely chose to remain quiet.

Celestia appeared to be in shock. Neither of her former students could ever remember seeing the princess of the sun at a loss for words, yet she stared at Sunset with wide eyes, unable to find something meaningful enough to say. Finally, without speaking a word, she stood and approached the unicorn.

Sunset wanted to meet Celestia’s eyes, she truly did. She couldn’t. As the princess approached her, it was all Sunset Shimmer could do to hold her ground. She trembled where she stood, her gaze directed down at the floor so that all she could see were Celestia’s golden shoes getting closer, and closer, and closer…

“Sunset Shimmer.” That was all that needed to be said. Celestia had acknowledged her.

“Princess Celestia. I’m sorry,” Sunset said wretchedly. “I’m so sorry for what I did. I’m sorry for what I said, for how I treated you—”

“Sunset—“

“No, please,” Sunset interrupted, hardly believing her own nerve in talking over her old teacher. “If… if I don’t say this now, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to.”

Celestia nodded and fell silent. Whether she felt that she needed to receive an apology or not, Sunset Shimmer clearly needed to give one for her own sake.

Sunset swallowed and continued. “You were everything to me. You were like my teacher, my mother, and my best friend all in one, and… and I threw all of that away.” Her eyes were stinging again. “I gave it all up because I wanted power. But power doesn’t matter! I can see that so clearly now. I could have all the power in two worlds, and it wouldn’t mean a thing, because I’d still be alone.” She gazed upward, finally meeting Celestia’s eyes with her own glassy, bloodshot ones. “I finally get it, but now it's way too late.”

That was it. There was nothing more for her to say except, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” She stood there, speaking her apology over and over, knowing that she could repeat it for a lifetime and it would never be enough. She only stopped when she felt the gentle touch of Celestia’s hoof on her shoulder.

“That is a very important lesson, Sunset Shimmer,” Celestia said warmly, proudly. “One that many ponies never learn at all. It is something that I was not able to teach you, but nonetheless you discovered it for yourself.” She smiled down at Sunset, and the unicorn’s shaking stopped as though a chill had been banished by the sun’s warmth. “Very well done, my beloved student.”

The crumbling dam against Sunset’s emotions finally gave way. With an anguished cry, she threw herself into Celestia’s waiting embrace.

Twilight watched the tearful reunion between Sunset Shimmer and Princess Celestia, hiding a watery smile behind her hooves.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Luna leaned over to whisper, “I believe they might appreciate some time to themselves.”

Twilight nodded. “Of course,” she said softly. “I think I’m needed back in the human world anyway.” She gave a small sniffle and dabbed at her eyes. She was just so happy for them.

“Oh, please, not you too,” Discord groaned. A garish yellow raincoat appeared on his body.

“I will take my leave,” Luna said to the others. “Discord, I suggest you do the same.”

“Gladly,” Discord grumbled. “Oh, but Twilight, do give me a call when the others get here.” He snapped his fingers and vanished.

“When the others get here?” Twilight asked the empty air. They were already cured, so why would they come here now? She looked sideways at Luna, who simply shrugged.

“Farewell, Twilight Sparkle,” the princess of the night said with a smile. “For what it’s worth, I’ve not seen my sister so happy since the day you purged me of the Nightmare. Thank you.” Luna inclined her head to the other alicorn, then her horn glowed blue and she, too, disappeared.

To avoid awkwardly walking past Sunset and Celestia, Twilight teleported herself over to the mirror as unobtrusively as possible. The purple flash caught Sunset’s attention anyway.

“Twi—nngh.” Sunset took a step toward her, then stumbled and pressed a hoof to her head.

Twilight shook her head. “I’m just going to see our friends. You stay here with Celestia and get some rest. I promise I won’t try to face the sirens without you.”

As much as Sunset wanted to protest, everyone could see how utterly worn out she was. Besides, she really did want to spend time with Celestia, and she just might have a bit more crying to do.

“You’re suffering from magical exhaustion, aren’t you?” Celestia asked Sunset.

Sunset chuckled weakly. “Yeah,” she admitted. “Worst headache of my life.”

Celestia smiled. “Why didn’t you just say so?” Her horn glowed golden and she gently lowered it to meet Sunset’s. Sunset gasped as the princess’s warm magic flowed into her, easing the unbearable pressure in her head and restoring a bit of her strength.

“I used to have to do this for you quite often,” Celestia chided her gently. “You always did push yourself too hard.” She nuzzled the unicorn affectionately. “I suppose it’s good to see that some things never change.”

Sunset gave a sheepish laugh, which quickly turned into a choked sob. Being here in Equestria, having Celestia talk to her and care for her as though nothing had ever come between them, was everything that Sunset had never admitted to herself that she wanted. Yes, Sunset thought as she pressed herself against her former teacher again, she most definitely had some more crying to do.

Twilight quickly looked away. It was partly out of respect for their privacy, and partly because she’d end up in tears herself if she didn’t.

It’s great that they’ve made up, Twilight thought to herself, but that was the least of our problems. I need to meet back up with the others to figure out where we stand with the sirens, and what we can do about it. She took a moment to center herself on that goal, then stepped through the mirror yet again.

She was beginning to think that if she never felt that weird warping and twisting sensation again, it would still be much too soon.

“Why are we just sitting here?” Aria demanded of her sisters.

After Aria sabotaged the array, she and Adagio had fled the school and returned here to plan their next move. Sonata had joined them a minute or two later. She hadn’t said what held her up, and the others didn’t bother to ask her. Now Aria was pacing around the foyer, Adagio lay listlessly on the couch staring at the ceiling, and Sonata sat in the corner doing something with her phone.

“We have our powers back!” Aria pressed them. “The Rainbooms were stupid enough to not only heal us, but fill us up with Equestrian magic. Why are we wasting our time here?”

“We’re still far from our full strength,” Adagio answered her. “Someone ruined the Rainbooms’ spell.”

“Big deal,” Aria scoffed. “I made sure that they’ll never get in our way again. Now there’s nothing to stop us from taking over this entire sad little world.”

“And then what?” Sonata asked from the corner.

“And then Equestria, obviously,” Aria replied.

“That isn’t what I meant,” Sonata said softly.

“Huh?”

“I mean, what’s the point of it all?” Sonata asked. “So we conquer this world, then that world, and then what? Why even bother?”

“I didn’t think it was possible, but you might be even stupider than I thought, Sonata,” Aria snapped at her. “This is what we’ve been wanting our entire lives, remember?”

“That doesn’t mean it’s right,” Sonata argued. “Do you think ruling this world is going to make us happy? What about Equestria? So what if we’re adored by everyone in both worlds, will it really mean anything?”

“What are you even talking about?” Aria demanded. “Ugh, Adagio, you talk to her.”

Adagio chewed on a thumbnail, thinking.

“Don’t tell me you’re actually listening to this garbage!” Aria shouted at her.

“No, definitely not,” Adagio answered. Sonata was talking nonsense, as usual, and yet there was something eating at Adagio. It had taken her a while to identify the unfamiliar emotion, but she thought she had it now: gratitude.

“Don’t you think it’s strange that the Rainbooms were so eager to help us?” Adagio asked. “Why would they?”

“Because they’re idiots!” Aria yelled. “We were counting on it!”

“They did save us,” Adagio reminded her.

“Yeah, after almost killing us in the first place!” Aria retorted. “Besides, what does any of that have to do with anything?”

What did it have to do with anything? Adagio was well-used to having people give her everything she wanted. It was much more unusual, and infuriating, for her not to get her way. Granted, it was usually because the people serving her were enchanted, but that didn’t explain why this time felt so different.

It didn’t matter. It wasn’t different. “Nothing,” she answered Aria, “never mind. What are you doing over there, Sonata?”

“Um, nothing!” Sonata squeaked. “Playing Candy Smash.”

“I don’t even want to know,” Adagio drawled. She swung her legs down to the ground and stood up. “If we’re going to have a shot at Equestria, we need a lot of power and we need it now. The school was too small. We need something to whip this whole pathetic city into a frenzy.”

“Like what?” Aria asked.

“Hmm. I think I just might have an idea,” Adagio gave a low chuckle.

I don’t know what to do anymore, Sonata typed into her phone, hiding the screen from the others as they discussed Adagio’s latest scheme. Please help me.

“Who are you texting so much, Pinkie?” Rainbow Dash asked. After fleeing the school and the incriminating practice room, they had all retreated to Pinkie’s house for an impromptu sleepover. They all felt the need for company, and all had agreed that it would be the best way to show that there were no hard feelings.

“Oh!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Uh, no one! Maud was just asking me to make sure we order something for Boulder. He loves hot and sour soup. I think it’s gross, but hey, I’m not a rock!” She gave a far-too-wide smile and a forced laugh. “Here, you girls figure out what you want.” She slid her computer over to the others, which had the menu to a take-out restaurant on the screen.

You should come over, Pinkie texted back once the others were distracted. I’m sure the girls would let you hang out. We’re getting Chinese food!

The other girl didn’t reply for so long that Pinkie started to worry she’d scared her away. Finally, her phone buzzed again.

I can’t.

Pinkie blew a piece of hair out of her face and tried to think of something encouraging to say. Don’t be scared. Sunset was scared for a while too, but everything worked out great. We’re real pros at this friendship thing! <3

Pinkie’s phone buzzed again almost immediately. I have to go.

Pinkie had to tuck a lock of hair behind an ear so she could see the screen. Okie-dokie-lokie! Give me a buzz if you need anything. She sent the message and stared at her phone, waiting for a reply that never came.

“Hello-o, Rainbow Dash to Pinkie Pie. Come in, Pinkie Pie.”

“Huh?” Pinkie started and looked up to see Rainbow Dash standing over her, with the others looking on in concern. “Oh! Did you figure out what you’re ordering?”

“Come now, there’s obviously something bothering you.” Rarity sat down next to her and reached out uncertainly. “Is it… what happened in the practice room? I understand if you’re not entirely comfortable around me right now.”

Pinkie shook her head. “No. Well, yeah. Well, sort of.”

“C’mon, you know you can tell us anything,” Applejack said to her. “What’s eatin’ ya?”

“It happened in the practice room, but it’s not you guys,” Pinkie sort-of explained. There as a long moment of confused silence.

“You mean the sirens, don’t you?” Rarity divined. She gasped. “Of course, you and Sonata exchanged phone numbers this morning! Is that who you’ve been talking to all this time?” Pinkie Pie had been texting practically non-stop since they’d left the school.

“Mhm.” Pinkie wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her forehead on her knees. “I think she’s scared. She doesn’t know what to do, so she asked me, but I don’t know what to do either. I tried to get her to come over here, but she wouldn’t. Then she just stopped answering.”

“What’s she have to be scared of?” Applejack asked. “She got her heart back. Things should be goin' pretty good for her.”

“How do you think the other sirens would react if they knew she’d helped us?” Rarity pointed out.

Applejack mulled that one over. “Prob’ly just a little better than if they knew she was still talkin’ with Pinkie,” she admitted.

“Whoa whoa whoa,” Rainbow held up her hands, “are we going to completely skip over the fact that Pinkie Pie’s apparently pen pals with a siren now?”

“Why shouldn’t she be?” Fluttershy asked. “Sonata was the one who saved us, remember? I think it's great that they're reaching out to each other.”

While the others debated the pros and cons of her new friend, Pinkie ignored them to stare morosely at her phone. She only snapped out of her reverie when the doorbell rang.

"Yes!" Rainbow said excitedly. "Food's here!"

"It can't be. We haven't even placed the order yet," Rarity reminded her.

"Oh, right," Rainbow said sheepishly. Her stomach growled and she flushed slightly.

Someone else, probably Maud, got the front door. The girls couldn't hear what was going on, but they all looked up at the sound of footsteps hurrying up the stairs to Pinkie's room. The steps stopped out in the hallway, shuffling as if not quite certain where to go. After a moment, someone knocked on Pinkie's door.

"Twi? Sunset? That you?" Applejack called out. She couldn't imagine who else it could be.

"Just Twilight," a familiar voice called back. Rainbow Dash jumped up to get the door.

"Hi girls," Twilight said to them, "sorry for running off like that. Thank goodness you're all okay." She'd actually just come here expecting to find Pinkie Pie, since this was the only one of her friends' houses she'd been to, but she'd learned from Maud that the others were all here as well.

"Same to you," Rainbow replied. "Where's Sunset?"

"We both went back to Equestria to purge the negative energy in us," Twilight explained. "Sunset stayed behind to rest. She's fine, just exhausted."

"After all that poor girl's been through today, who wouldn't be?" Rarity replied. "Just as long as she's alright."

"She is," Twilight reassured her. "Actually, I think she's better than alright."

"Oh? I sense some juicy gossip!" Rarity sang out.

Twilight smiled, glad to be able to bring at least a bit of happy news to this dark day. Once she had everyone's attention, she told them all about Sunset's reunion with Celestia, and how they'd made peace with each other.

"She called Sunset her 'beloved student.'" Twilight wiped her eyes and smiled,

"Why, that's beautiful," Rarity sniffled, tearing up herself. "I'm so happy for them."

The other girls joined in expressing their joy. All but Pinkie Pie, who stared at her phone, aimlessly scuffing the floor with a foot.

"Pinkie?" Twilight finally caught on to the girl's very unusual mood. "Is something the matter?"

Pinkie thought about trying to cover for herself, but decided not to bother. The others would just tell Twilight anyway. "Mhm."

Twilight broke away from the others and sat down beside her. The Princess of Friendship's work wasn't finished. "We're all here for you, Pinkie. Tell me about it."

Intermezzo: Slumber Party

Pinkie rested her head against Applejack’s shoulder as she told her story. After Sonata had fled the school, Pinkie had tried calling her. She hadn’t answered, but a few minutes later Sonata had texted back saying that she was sorry, and that she didn’t feel right about what her sisters were doing anymore.

“What, so she was fine with it before?” Applejack interrupted. Pinkie didn’t have an answer for that.

“It’s probably the only way of living she ever knew,” Twilight reasoned. “She spent her whole life using her magic to get what she wanted. It might never even have occurred to the sirens that it was wrong, especially when they were all reinforcing each other every step of the way.”

“That makes sense,” Fluttershy agreed. “They never tried living any other way until they didn’t have a choice.”

“Sorry, Pinkie, what were ya sayin’?” Applejack gave her cousin a nudge.

“She just doesn’t know what to do,” Pinkie repeated what she’d said earlier. “She doesn’t want to hurt people anymore, but they still need to eat. Aria and Adagio will never change either.”

“Never say never,” Twilight advised her. “Actually, Sonata might be the one person who can get them to change, if she really stands up to them.”

“Yeah, right,” Rainbow scoffed. “That girl’s a doormat.”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity snapped. “Is a bit of sympathy once in a while really too much to ask from you?”

Realizing that the others, including Pinkie, were all glaring angrily at her, Rainbow backed down and mumbled something that might have been an apology.

“I want to help, but I don’t know how,” Pinkie said to the others. She’d already done everything she could think of. How could she cheer someone up when that person wouldn’t come to her parties?

“Don’t reckon there’s much we can do, aside from what you’re already doing,” Applejack said.

“Applejack’s right,” Twilight joined in. “We can’t force Sonata to stand up to her sisters, and we can’t make her be happy about the situation. All we can do is offer our friendship and support.”

“That’s not good enough!” Pinkie cried.

“I know it isn’t,” Twilight said sadly, “but until Sonata’s ready to make a change for herself, it’s all we have.”

Pinkie couldn’t accept that. She gritted her teeth and turned her attention back to her phone. Sonata would eventually text her back, and when she did, Pinkie was going to make everything alright. Somehow.

“Pinkie Pie?” Applejack tightened her hold around the girl’s shoulders. “It’ll be alright. Things’re already a whole lot better than the first time the sirens showed up.”

“You’re wrong,” Pinkie whispered. “It was so much easier when we just had to beat them. Now I have to save her.”

“Pinkie Pie,” Rarity said to her, “I know you mean well, but you can’t save someone from herself.”

“I am going to save her,” Pinkie repeated firmly. Her eyes burned with a ferocity that none of the others had ever imagined from her. Oddly enough, Pinkie’s cheeks were growing warm as well.

Ah, so that’s it. Rarity carefully hid a knowing smile. The silly girl was absolutely smitten. Unfortunately, as much as Rarity wanted to be happy for her friend, this was likely going to complicate an already difficult situation. She kept her thoughts to herself and simply put a supportive hand on Pinkie’s shoulder.

It soon became clear that there was nothing more to be done that evening. Twilight found herself wondering what Discord had wanted. He’d seemed pretty certain that they would all wind up back in Equestria, and he’d asked her to “give him a call” once that happened. Besides that, if a crystal castle in a magical kingdom couldn’t distract the girls from their troubles, then absolutely nothing would. They could all use a vacation, even if only for a night.

“What’cha smilin’ about over there, Twilight?” Applejack asked her.

“I was just thinking,” Twilight replied. “Do you girls want to come sleep over at my place instead?”

It took a moment for the full impact of what she’d just said to hit the others.

“Your place?” Rainbow Dash finally replied. “You mean in Equestria?”

“Yup. You’ve all been so generous to me, I was thinking it’s time I returned the favor. Sunset Shimmer’s there now, and how many people can say that they’ve gone to a slumber party in a castle? There’s more than enough room for everyone.” She realized that she was rambling and stopped herself.

“Are you sure it’s okay?” Fluttershy asked. “I mean, didn’t you say that there were already versions of us in that world?”

“Funny thing about magical worlds, it’s a lot easier to explain that kind of thing,” Twilight laughed. “Besides, as long as we stay inside the castle, no one should see you anyway.”

“Would we turn into ponies, then?” Rarity questioned. She seemed caught between interest and trepidation at the idea. “I mean, we all change when we play music, but we’d turn completely into ponies?”

“I think so,” Twilight said, though she realized she couldn’t actually know for sure. “I mean, the portal turns Equestrian natives into humans, I assume it works the other way too. You’d change back as soon as you went back to this world,” she reassured them.

“Whattaya say, Pinkie?” Applejack asked. “Feel like bein’ a pretty pink pony princess for a day?”

“That does sound like fun,” Pinkie admitted with the first hint of a smile she’d given in hours.

“What about the food?” Rainbow asked, looking mournfully at the still-open menu on Pinkie’s computer.

“Oh, I’m sure I can scrounge up something,” Twilight giggled.

“Well, sounds like a plan to me,” Applejack said. The others agreed, and with a quick round of explanations to their parents—explanations which very pointedly left out the part about travelling to another world—they left Pinkie’s house to make for the portal.

“So, what do we do?” Rarity asked nervously as they all stared at the side of the Wondercolt statue.

“Just step through it,” Twilight said. “It feels pretty weird, but it doesn’t hurt. Next thing you know, you’re in another world.”

“Another world…” Fluttershy’s voice shook nervously, and everyone could see that she was having serious second thoughts.

“It’ll be fine,” Twilight promised them. “Besides, if you do decide that you don’t like it there, your own world is just a step away.”

Applejack licked her lips nervously. “Ah dunno about this. What if—”

Whatever doubt she’d been about to voice was interrupted by Pinkie Pie, who threw herself through the portal with a cry of “Me first! Whee!”

Applejack chuckled. “Well, ah guess she’s feelin’ better.”

“I’d better go make sure she’s okay,” Twilight said. “You girls will be right behind me, right?” The others promised to follow immediately, and Twilight jumped through to check on Pinkie Pie.

She found her friend adapting surprisingly well to her new pony form. Pinkie was already standing comfortably on four hooves, and was prancing around in a circle trying to see her new body from every angle. She became momentarily fascinated by her puffy tail and chased it like a dog. It was good to see her looking happy again.

Stumbling hoofsteps warned Twilight that someone else had come through the portal. She looked behind her and reached out with her magic just in time to prevent Rarity from faceplanting into the crystal floor.

“Oh!” Rarity gasped at the unfamiliar touch of telekinesis. “Why, thank you. I assume that’s you, Twili…huh…buh…” Rarity trailed off as she took in her surroundings. She sat down heavily on her haunches as she tried, and failed, to process the sheer grandeur of the crystal castle she found herself in.

“Whoa, nelly!” Applejack’s distinctive twang rang out as she stepped through, stumbling but managing not to fall in her unfamiliar new body. She glanced sideways at Rarity with a chuckle. “Um, Twilight, ah think ya broke her.”

Applejack very, very carefully picked her way across the room, getting accustomed to walking on four legs.

“Whoa—ow!” Rainbow Dash was next. As Twilight should have expected, she hadn’t taken the transition with any degree of caution or care. She had raced through the portal and immediately tripped over her new legs.

Rainbow Dash picked herself up, whatever embarrassment she might have felt fading instantly as she took in her new body, particularly her powerful wings. “Aw, yeah!” She stretched out the wings and took an easy lap around the room, the little experience she had with flying in her human form translating easily to her equine one.

Fluttershy was the last one through, and she looked like she wanted nothing more than to dart back to the human world immediately. She stood trembling just in front of the mirror until Rainbow Dash landed beside her and awkwardly tried to throw a hoof around her shoulders. This ended with both of them falling to the ground, laughing at themselves and each other.

“Twilight, you’re back!” Spike, probably alerted by all the commotion, came into the room to greet her. “And you brought the others?”

“I figured we could all use a little break,” Twilight said, “so I suggested they come and see Equestria. As long as we stick to the castle, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“So this is the real you, huh Twilight?” Applejack said, slowly pacing over. She was getting more stable, but still seemed uncertain on her hooves.

“I am still me in the human world, you know,” Twilight answered, gently chiding Applejack, “but this is my natural form, yes.”

“Why, Twilight, you’re adorable!” Rarity had apparently recovered from her fabulosity overload. “And is that really Spike? I don’t know whether he’s cuter as a puppy or like this!”

Twilight and Spike both blushed. Twilight wasn’t sure how she felt about being called “adorable,” but Spike couldn’t have looked more pleased.

“Hey,” Rainbow called out, “how come Twilight gets to have wings and a horn?”

“Because she’s a princess,” Spike answered.

“Wait, what does your rank have to do with it?” Rarity questioned.

“I wasn’t always a princess,” Twilight answered her, “and I wasn’t always an alicorn either. A winged unicorn,” she explained when she saw the blank looks on the others’ faces. “I actually used to be a regular unicorn like you, Rarity. When I completed Star Swirl’s spell, it somehow turned me into this. That was the sign that I was ready to be a princess. Or something. I’m actually a little unclear on the details myself,” she admitted.

One part of Twilight’s story clearly stood out for Rarity. “I’m a unicorn?” she exclaimed excitedly, trying to cross her eyes in such a way that she could see her own horn.

Twilight laughed, glad to see everyone looking so happy. “Yes, you’re a unicorn. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are pegasi, though you probably realized that already, and Applejack and Pinkie Pie are what are called earth ponies.”

“Earth ponies, huh?” Applejack sounded rather glum about that.

“Is something the matter?” Twilight asked.

“Just feels, ah dunno, not very special, I suppose,” Applejack replied. “Shoot, I must sound all kinds of ungrateful after all you’re doing. Sorry, didn’t mean to make it sound like I’m not thrilled to be here and all.”

“It’s alright,” Twilight answered. She knew more than she cared to about prejudice against earth ponies. “It’s true that you can’t fly like pegasi, or use magic like Rarity and I can, but earth ponies are the strongest and sturdiest ponies of all. They might not be flashy, but they’re solid and dependable. I think it suits you,” she finished with a smile.

“Well, when ya put it like that, ah guess it doesn’t sound so bad,” Applejack answered, sounding mollified.

“Where’s Sunset Shimmer?” Twilight finally thought to ask.

“Taking a nap,” Spike answered her. “Princess Celestia left a while ago. I was supposed to wake Sunset up for dinner, but…” he looked around at how many ponies he suddenly needed to cook for.

“Don’t worry about it,” Twilight said. “Does Taco Bell still deliver?”

“Yeah. Should I get one of her dozen-taco bags? Will that be enough for everypony?”

“Better make it two bags,” Twilight replied, levitating over a small pile of bits. Spike took the money and left to place the order.

“Was that gold?” Rarity exclaimed once the dragon was out of the room.

“Um. Yes?” Twilight answered, confused by her reaction. “They’re called bits.”

“Oh my. I suppose being a princess truly does have its perks,” Rarity said, faintly breathless.

“What do you mean?” Twilight replied. “That’s just what we use for currency. Everypony has them.”

“Wha… everyone… gold?” Rarity looked like she might fall over again.

“In our world, gold is very valuable and hard to find,” Fluttershy explained to Twilight. “I think it must be more common here.”

“That explains why you use paper as money, I guess,” Twilight mused. “Anyway, what do you girls say to the grand tour?”

The others, excited to see the rest of the castle, quickly agreed.

“Twilight?” a familiar voice called out from the doorway. Sunset Shimmer came into the room, looking around at Twilight and the others.

“Oh! I’m sorry, did we wake you up?” Twilight asked.

Sunset shook her head. “I was just resting, couldn’t sleep. I’m feeling a lot better though." She paused for a moment, thinking over exactly what she needed to say. "Thank you, Twilight. For everything.”

Twilight smiled, a now-familiar warmth building in her chest as she thought about Sunset’s reunion with her old teacher. “You’re welcome. I’m glad things are going better for you.”

Sunset nodded, smiling herself. After a moment, she remembered why she’d come to this room in the first place. “Did I hear something about tacos? I’m starving.”

“Spike just went to place the order,” Twilight answered. “In the meantime, I was just about to show the others around. Care to join?”

Over the next hour, Twilight showed the others around the castle. Spike came back after a little while and joined the tour, adding his own commentary here and there. By the time Taco Bell arrived with their dinners, they had just barely finished the library and ground floor.

“This place is simply enormous,” Rarity exclaimed as they sat down to eat. “How many more stories are there?”

“Ten,” Twilight groaned. “Don’t remind me. This floor alone is more than any pony needs. What in the wide, wide world of Equestria am I supposed to do with ten more like it?”

“Castles were supposed to be someplace safe for people to go when they were under attack,” Rainbow Dash said around a mouthful of taco. “It’s easier to defend a castle than a whole city.” She noticed everyone staring at her. “What? Medieval times were awesome!”

“She’s actually right,” Sunset Shimmer added. “Maybe the castle is so big because it needs to have room for everypony in case something happens to Ponyville.” Sunset’s mind drifted back to what she herself could do with a building like this, prompting her to hide her thoughts behind an abnormally large bite of food.

“Could be,” Twilight agreed. It was a nice idea, though she didn’t like to think about a situation where her castle would be needed for that role.

“Aw, come on, no meat?” Rainbow complained as she looked inside the taco she’d just bitten into. Twilight nearly choked on her own bite of food, and looked rather green at the thought of there being meat in it.

“Ponies are obligate herbivores,” Fluttershy replied. She received a blank look from Rainbow Dash in reply. “Eating meat makes them sick,” she explained.

“Oh.” Rainbow’s ears drooped, but she quickly recovered her enthusiasm and wolfed down several more tacos anyway.

Once everyone was full and the remnants of the meal had been cleared away, they started settling in for the night. There were more than enough rooms and plenty of furniture for everyone to have her own space, but they decided it would be more fun to camp out in the large central throne room.

Twilight had already explained about cutie marks, and it didn’t take long for the girls to notice that the thrones’ markings matched theirs exactly. This prompted Twilight to tell the story of how she’d gotten the castle in the first place, how she and her friends had worked together to defeat Tirek and how Twilight had finally chosen her role as Princess of Friendship.

“You’re kiddin’ me,” Applejack looked positively flabbergasted. “Ya mean it actually is called Rainbow Power?”

“Yes!” Rainbow flew into the air and pumped a hoof. “Totally called it!”

“You realize we’ll never hear the end of this,” Sunset said dryly.

Twilight laughed. “Sorry, girls.”

“So, this Tree of… Harmony, was it?” Rarity asked. “You said you’d gotten something from it before?”

“Not me personally, but my friends and I did use the Elements of Harmony for a while,” Twilight answered. This led to more questions, which led to more stories. After a while, Sunset added some of her own tales from her time in Equestria, particularly her time as Princess Celestia’s student. Time passed, and eventually they realized that it had gotten quite late and they were all yawning. By a group decision, they all went to fetch pillows and blankets—there were enough for a small army, supporting Rainbow’s idea that the castle was meant to house the townsponies in a crisis—and settled in for the night.

Sometime in the middle of the night, Rarity’s ear twitched at the sound of a quiet gasp. She was having a great deal of trouble sleeping, due both to her unfamiliar new body and the fact that she was not at all used to sleeping on the floor, no matter how many pillows were available. She had nearly written the sound off as her imagination, or one of her friends making a sound in her sleep, when she heard it again.

Rarity carefully picked her head up and looked around. It didn’t take long for her to spot the source of the noise, lit as it was by the glow of a cell phone.

Pinkie Pie sat awake, somewhat apart from the others, morosely poking at her phone with a hoof. It was a testament to how lost in thought the pink pony was that she didn’t hear Rarity coming up behind her.

“I don’t think our phones get any signal in Equestria, darling,” she whispered to her melancholy friend.

Pinkie giggled. It sounded horribly forced. “Nope, nothing. And just think of the roaming charges!” The fur beneath her eyes was wet and crusted.

Rarity stood a moment, unsure of what to say. Finally, she stretched her neck forward and pressed herself against Pinkie Pie, like she’d seen Twilight and Sunset do before. It was nearly as good as a hug. “You don’t have to pretend to be happy, you know. It's okay to feel sad when you need to,” she murmured. “I know you’re thinking about Sonata.”

Pinkie tensed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Rarity chuckled. “Please. If you were glowing any brighter we wouldn’t need the moon.” Pinkie remained frozen and silent. “Come now, I think it’s wonderful that you’ve found someone,” Rarity encouraged her, but the other girl didn’t say a word. Rarity exhaled gently. “I won’t tell the others if you don’t want me to.”

That was quite a promise considering Rarity’s love of gossip, but it was a promise that she would keep to her dying breath.

“Thanks,” Pinkie whispered. She buried her face into Rarity’s shoulder, and the unicorn felt the telltale warmth of tears. “I didn’t think it would hurt so much.”

Rarity laid a gentle, friendly kiss on top of Pinkie’s head. “Everything will be alright, you’ll see,” she said. “We’ve already brought Sonata around. If she helps us win her sisters over, we can all be friends. Maybe then you can have yourself some quality time with a siren.” Rarity privately thought that that was about as far-fetched as… well, come to think of it, as any of the things that had happened since Twilight first came to Canterlot High. It was certainly no more impossible than the adventures they’d already had.

“We really should get some sleep,” Rarity said after a short while. Pinkie nodded agreement, and together the two of them piled up blanket and pillows into an almost-comfortable bed. By unspoken agreement, Rarity laid down next to her friend to provide warmth and comfort. Pinkie snuggled into her side and was soon snoring quietly. Rarity laid her own head down and did her best to follow suit.

Sins of the Past

Not long after Celestia raised the sun, Twilight and the others were jolted awake by an obnoxiously happy, upbeat song filling the air. They all blinked and looked at one another in sleepy confusion except for Pinkie Pie, who practically dove into her bag and emerged with a phone in her mouth. The phone was indeed the source of the noise, which Twilight’s sleep-addled brain wasn’t quite ready to process. How could a human cell phone possibly be working here in Equestria?

Pinkie set the phone down and squinted in confusion at the screen. Whoever she was expecting to call her, it obviously wasn’t that person. She reached out and poked the “accept” button with a hoof.

“Hello?” Pinkie said. She promptly screamed and fell over backwards as a large, patchwork creature erupted out of the earpiece of the phone.

“Good morning, my little ponies!” Discord cried, floating in midair with a phone of his own in his claw. Since he had already come to the castle physically, the purpose of the phone remained a mystery. “I got nervous when you didn’t call. I was so hoping to catch you before you all left.”

“What do you want, Discord?” Twilight grumbled, making a mental note to look into ways to stop him from entering the castle anytime he pleased. It would do her sanity and her sleep schedule a great deal of good to know that the draconequus had to use the door like everypony else.

“What is that hideous thing?!” Rarity cried.

Discord glowered. “Hideous? You’re one to talk.” He snapped his fingers. Rarity’s mane and tail, already disheveled from sleep, turned into veritable pincushions as each individual strand of hair sprang out perfectly straight.

Rarity caught a glimpse of her distorted reflection in the crystal floor, screamed in horror, and fainted.

“Discord,” Twilight said warningly.

“She started it!” Discord protested.

“Fix her mane. Now,” Twilight ordered. Discord sighed and snapped his fingers again, and Rarity’s hair returned to its natural state. “Thank you. Now, why are you here? Do you have any idea what time it is?”

“Hmmm.” A full-sized grandfather clock appeared on Discord’s wrist, and he brought it up to his face. As he examined it, the clock began tolling the hour obnoxiously loudly. Rarity gasped in surprise at the sound and roused from her fainting spell.

“Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked nervously. “Who… and what… is that?”

Twilight took a deep, calming breath. It may have helped slightly. “Girls, I’d like you to meet Discord. He’s a powerful and ancient creature called a draconequus, the only one of his kind as far as I know. He’s also... my friend.” She swallowed the odd taste that saying those words left in her mouth. “He helped with the sirens’ hearts. Discord, these are my friends from the human world, and you’ve already met Sunset Shimmer.” Sunset had told her about fixing the sirens’ hearts, and how Discord had appeared to help.

Twilight’s friends gave a chorus of uncertain, halfhearted greetings. Fluttershy merely squeaked and hid behind Rainbow Dash, trembling with terror.

“The pleasure is all mine.” Discord bowed, a cape appearing from nowhere for him to flourish dramatically as he did so. He removed the cape from his shoulders and gave it a shake, and it froze impossibly in place to create a platform for him to sit on.

“Discord?” Applejack asked. “As in, Mister Discord?”

“Mister Discord?” The draconequus sounded amused by the notion. “Well, I don’t think anypony’s ever called me that. Usually it’s just ‘Discord,’ or else ‘oh no, it’s Discord! Run!’ At any rate, before you all go gallivanting off to your own world, there’s some important business we need to attend to.”

“What is it?” Twilight asked, eager to get to the heart of the matter so that he would go away. He’d been more helpful and friendly since the Tirek incident, but it was far too early in the morning for his shenanigans.

Discord steepled his fingers and adopted an unusually serious expression. “You already know, or at least you and Sunset Shimmer do, that the sirens are connected to Star Swirl the Bearded.”

“We know that a lot of his magic seems to be tied to them, yes,” Sunset said uncertainly. “So?”

“So, if you’re looking for a permanent solution to your siren problem, you’re going to need his help.”

“Well, that’s great,” Twilight said sarcastically, “considering that he died centuries ago.”

“Oh, tut tut.” Discord waved his paw. “Would I let a little thing like that stop me from giving my friends the help they need?”

“Who are they talking about?” Rainbow Dash whispered to Sunset Shimmer.

“He was a unicorn from long ago, before Equestria was even founded,” Sunset answered out of the corner of her mouth. “One of the most powerful and influential magicians ever. He’s sort of like this world's Merlin.”

“Awesome!” Rainbow squeaked.

“How is Star Swirl going to help us?” Twilight knew she’d regret asking, but she had to. “Not even you can bring ponies back from the dead. It’s impossible for us to ask him for anything.”

“Come now, my dear,” Discord drawled, “impossible is what I do. Would you like to meet him or not? I know how you idolize him.”

Twilight suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, found herself in the Star Swirl costume she’d worn to the convention a while ago. Blushing furiously, she teleported herself out of the clothes and quickly banished them back to her closet with a burst of magic. “Alright,” she said, trying to keep a cool head, “how exactly are you going to do that?”

“You wouldn’t understand if I told you,” Discord said, “and if you did, your brain would melt and leak out your ears. Believe me, ever since the sirens came back, everything's been leading up to this. It will end back where it began, as these things always do. I’m simply asking, do you trust me?”

The answer to that was a resounding “no,” but Twilight couldn’t say that out loud. He did seem to be on his best behavior, and he had been unusually helpful and focused while helping with the sirens’ hearts, at least according to Sunset.

“Um. Yes?” Twilight wondered what havoc she’d just unleashed.

“Splendid!” Discord flew up out of his seat. “I’ll be back in no time at all.” He snapped his fingers and vanished, reappearing after a fraction of a second with an ancient, bearded unicorn in tow.

Twilight’s jaw hit the floor, with Sunset’s only a moment behind. “How… how…?” she squeaked, both from the absolute impossibility of it and from suddenly being in the presence of the great Star Swirl the Bearded.

“What in the name of the sun and moon?!” the ancient unicorn exclaimed, looking around in confusion. He quickly spotted the draconequus floating next to him.

“Discord!” Star Swirl shouted. “So, this is your doing.” He lowered his head and his horn began to glow.

Twilight’s eyes nearly popped from their sockets. Whatever magic Star Swirl was preparing to use, it was warping the very air around him, seeming to pull all of existence into his horn to use as fuel for his magic. She’d never seen anything like it.

“Ah ah ah, none of that,” Discord waggled a talon and a metal ring appeared at the base of Star Swirl’s horn. The magic he was gathering flared wildly and vanished.

Star Swirl's eyes widened and he tried to cast another spell, but nothing happened. "What is this thing?" he demanded.

"It's called an inhibitor," Discord answered. "From your perspective, it won't be invented for a few more centuries, but I took the liberty of bringing one with me."

Star Swirl tried to paw the offending ring off of his horn, but it appeared to be locked in place. Finally, he settled down on his haunches, drew himself up with all of the considerable dignity he could muster, and looked Discord in the eye. "Then it would seem that you've beaten me, monster. Do your worst."

"Oh, no, you've got it all wrong," Discord protested. "You're not here for me, you're here for them." He gestured to the group of bug-eyed, slack-jawed ponies who were trying to process about a dozen impossibilities at once.

Star Swirl's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he looked them over, then widened in shock as they settled on Twilight. "What game are you playing, Discord? Surely you don't expect me to believe that there's a third alicorn?"

"Actually, she's the fourth," Discord answered. "The third should be emerging any day now. Well, any day from your time."

"I'm Twilight Sparkle," Twilight squeaked. She cleared her throat, centered her thoughts, and tried to speak again. To speak. To Star Swirl the Bearded. Her throat closed up uselessly and she simply nodded agreement with Discord's words.

Star Swirl returned to glaring at Discord. "My time? You've taken me out of my own time, then." He glanced around. "To the future, I assume, since I don't recognize much of this. That's what that hole in the air was. You created a bi-directional temporal bypass." He stroked his magnificent beard. "So you can't be the Discord from my time, as he would have to remain behind to maintain the passage. You are the Discord from this time, and you've collaborated with your past self to bring me here for... what reason, exactly?"

Discord lifted an eyebrow. "Impressive."

Star Swirl scoffed. "My dear monstrosity, I was the one who discovered chronomorphic magic. In the simplest terms, you traveled through the rift that your past self opened in order to tell your past self to open that rift. You collaborated with yourself to arrange a self-generating temporal event. Now, do you mean to tell me why I'm here, or is your plan simply to drive me mad with waiting?"

Sunset Shimmer was getting a headache reminiscent of her agonizing magical exhaustion from the day before. As for Twilight, she was beginning to think that Discord's jab about her brain melting might have been literal.

"The sirens!" Rainbow Dash called out. She'd had more than enough of their horn-waving contest. "He brought you here to help us deal with the sirens."

Star Swirl visibly stiffened. "The sirens?" he repeated, as if unsure that he'd heard correctly.

"That's right." Twilight had finally remembered how to speak. "Star Swirl, I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle. I'm a former student of Princess Celestia, and I'm known as the Princess of Friendship. The Discord of this time is very different from the one you know. He's reformed, and uses his magic to benefit Equestria. He brought you here because we think you might know something about the sirens, and how to stop them."

Star Swirl snorted. "Likely. Our greatest enemy turns over a new leaf, Celestia's fondest dreams are all realized, and I am brought to the future to correct my greatest mistake. Honestly, Discord, this reads like a story for foals. Surely you can do better?"

"Don't look at me," Discord said, holding up his hands in front of him. "Like I said, your business is with the princess and her friends over there."

"Star Swirl," Twilight said, "how can I prove to you that this isn't a trick?"

"Hmph." Star Swirl stroked his beard again, a gesture that Twilight was coming to realize meant that he was thinking hard about something. "You would have to tell me something that Discord would have no way of knowing, or do something that chaos magic could never accomplish. I find both scenarios unlikely."

Twilight thought furiously. What in the wide, wide world of Equestria could she do that Discord couldn't? His magic was almost limitless, except when it came to friendship. She could use harmonic magic that Discord couldn't so much as touch, but by its very nature, she couldn't harness it alone. Her friends' instruments were all in the other world, and they didn't seem able to control their own powers without them, so she had no way to bring out that magic. Maybe some information about the magic itself?

She had it. She just hoped the timing was correct. "The Tree of Harmony."

Star Swirl tilted his head suspiciously. "What did you just say?"

"Celestia and Luna discovered the Tree of Harmony," Twilight said, certain now that she was on the right track. "They took something from it—six somethings, actually. They will come to be called the Elements of Harmony. Six artifacts embodying the ideals of Generosity, Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, Kindness, and Magic. They're going to use them to defeat Discord in your time. Discord doesn't know about them yet, or he would never have allowed it to happen." Struck by another inspiration, Twilight turned sideways to give Star Swirl a clear view of her cutie mark, the same symbol that dominated the Tree of Harmony. "I know all about them, because my friends and I wielded them for a while ourselves."

Now it was Star Swirl's turn to be shocked. "That's... astounding." He cleared his throat. "Well, Miss, ah, Sparkle, was it?"

Twilight nodded, trying to hide the thrill that ran down her spine at hearing her idol speak her name.

"Well, Miss Sparkle, it seems you have me. You do indeed have information from my time, and even after my time, that Discord could not possibly have known."

"Wait," Twilight gasped. "Oh, no no no!" She pranced nervously in place. "I just told you things that you're not supposed to know yet! Did I just mess up the past?"

Star Swirl chuckled. "Not to worry, Miss Sparkle, the past cannot be changed so easily. I suspect that the very nature of this temporal event will prevent me from remembering it once I return to my own time. It won't have happened yet, you see."

Twilight didn't see at all. It had happened already, even from his perspective, or else he wouldn't be here telling her that it hadn't happened yet! She groaned and rubbed her head with a hoof. This was all reaffirming her previous discovery that time travel was simply more trouble than it was worth. It was probably better just to let it slide.

"Still," Star Swirl continued, "I don't know that I'm comfortable discussing these things in front of... him." He gestured with his head toward Discord.

Twilight exhaled softly. "Discord, I'm really sorry, would you mind?"

"Not at all," Discord replied. "I've got some business of my own to attend to. Give me a ring when Big and Beardy here is ready to go home!" Discord leaped off of thin air, put his hands over his head, and dove straight into and through the crystal floor of the palace. As far as anypony could tell, he was gone. The inhibitor vanished from Star Swirl's horn as well.

The moment he had his magic back, Star Swirl cast a spell. It was not the same type of reality-warping magic he had tried to use before, just a simple spell that spread out from his horn and quickly swept the castle. "He's gone," Star Swirl confirmed. "No traces of chaotic magic anywhere." The aged unicorn shook his head. "This is all quite frankly unbelievable. Just how far did Discord take me?"

"Over a thousand years," Sunset Shimmer answered him. "It would be tough to get any more specific than that, since records from the Age of Discord are pretty spotty."

Star Swirl turned his attention to the other unicorn. "When you say a thousand years," he asked, "do you mean that literally, or are you just using an idiom to mean 'a very long time?'"

"That is a figure of speech that we use pretty frequently," Sunset admitted, "but in this case it's literal. Discord brought you over a millennium into the future."

Star Swirl took a long moment to let that sink in. "Well," he finally said with a smile, "it seems that things are going quite well in a thousand years. That's good to know. It seems like all of our work was worthwhile after all." He turned instantly serious again. "Now then, you said something about the sirens?"

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash replied. She was apparently the only one bold enough to speak to this stranger from the past. "They're causing all kinds of trouble."

Star Swirl shook his head. "Not possible," he asserted. "I banished them to a world without magic. They're powerless."

"Weakened, yes," Sunset answered, "but hardly powerless. Their hearts survived the trip intact, and they still work."

"Which is a good thing," Fluttershy spoke up, shocking everyone. "They can't survive without them."

"What do you mean?" Star Swirl asked. "And how would you know?"

The others exchanged glances, but no one spoke for a while. Finally, Twilight, with input from Sunset Shimmer and the occasional outburst from Rainbow Dash, told the story of how the sirens had attacked Canterlot High. Star Swirl's eyes went wide when he learned that many of them were from the other world, but he did not interrupt. She told about how they had defeated the sirens by breaking their hearts with harmonic magic, and the events that had followed that.

"We managed to repair the hearts and save them," Twilight finished, "but now we're right back where we started. The sirens are on the attack again, and we're looking for a solution that doesn't force them to starve. Not even they deserve that."

"You repaired the hearts?" Star Swirl asked. "How?"

"Using your magic, actually," Sunset answered. "Geomorphic, biomorphic, and metamagic spells. That, and the fact that you knew enough about them to send them safely to another dimension, was how we realized that you must be connected to the sirens somehow. It was just too many coincidences to overlook."

Star Swirl sighed and lowered his head until his beard brushed the floor. "You could say that, yes."

"It's more than just that, though," Sunset pressed him. She was sure that she was right about this. "You created them, didn't you?"

There was a long, shocked silence. Star Swirl's head dipped even lower. At last, without any of his usual vibrance or confidence, he admitted it. "Yes. Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk. My wayward daughters."

"Why would you do something like that?" Rainbow shouted at him.

"Rainbow Dash, calm down," Fluttershy murmured. "I'm sure he has a good explanation."

"I do have an explanation," Star Swirl replied. "Whether it's a good one remains to be seen."

"We're listening," Sunset said. She tried to keep the resentment from her voice. She, of all ponies, knew what it was like to make a mistake.

"They were part of my research," Star Swirl said. "If I were able to create true equinculi, real artificial life, I would know that I was on the right track in my life's work. It... almost worked. I created three magical beings with minds and souls of their own, but their magic was incomplete and they couldn't sustain themselves. That's why I had to create the hearts for them, as foci for their power."

"Okay," Sunset said when he didn't continue, "but why make them feed on negative energy?"

"You must understand, this was back when I was just Star Swirl the Peach-Fuzzed," he said, prompting Twilight to stuff a hoof in her mouth to stifle a laugh. "I was young and foalish, and as they say, the chains of Tartarus are forged from good intentions. I designed the sirens intending them to feed on the latent negative energy in the world, draining it away and leaving everypony happier." He paused. "Obviously, that is not what happened. Aria decided that she wasn't content being what she termed a scavenger. She was the one who discovered that the same magic they used to drain negative feelings could also be used to strengthen them, providing more for them to feed on. Adagio took the lead and they quickly grew out of control, becoming stronger and stronger as they were able to make ponies produce more and more negative energy."

Star Swirl sighed heavily. "I wanted to make the world better, and instead I unleashed even more monsters upon it. I finally had to step in myself and banish them, but now you tell me that even that didn't work. I thought that, in a mundane world, they'd become mundane creatures themselves. I was certain that their hearts would become no more than jewelry, and their bodies would survive on ordinary food."

"Is it possible to use metamagic to change how they feed?" Twilight asked. "If they couldn't use negative energy anymore, they'd have no reason to keep doing this."

"Perhaps," Star Swirl said, "but I would have to alter their biology on a fundamental level. They wouldn't be themselves anymore. That is something that I will not do."

"So what can we do?" Rainbow asked.

Instead of answering, Star Swirl pawed at the ground. After a moment, he looked Twilight in the eye. "Where are the sirens now?"

"Still in the human world," Twilight answered. "They don't know where the portal is, or else they don't think they're strong enough to try taking over Equestria again."

"These fillies need a stern talking-to from their old stallion," Star Swirl declared. "Take me to them."

Once More Unto the Breach

The group stepped out of the portal and into complete bedlam.

The moment they re-entered the human world, the girls were deafened by angry shouting and overwhelmed by the sheer multitude of people around them. They seemed to have emerged in the middle of a protest that was coming dangerously close to a riot.

“What’s going on?” Twilight had to shout to be heard over the crowd.

“Ya gotta ask?” Applejack yelled back. Indeed, the telltale green fog of negative energy was thick in the air; the sirens were feeding, or at least preparing to feed, although the three creatures themselves were nowhere in sight.

Sunset forced herself to focus and examine the situation. There seemed to be two sides to this conflict: an enormous group of adults near her and her friends, and on the other side, what looked to be nearly the entire student body of CHS, as well as most of the teachers and administrators. The group nearer to Sunset, many of whom she recognized as the parents and family members of Canterlot High students, were in an absolute uproar. Many were brandishing signs demanding that Canterlot High be closed down, and all were shouting about the unsafe conditions of the school.

“Two monster attacks in less than a year, and now this!” a woman screamed.

“Our children could have been killed!” someone else roared. The people had signs with vitriolic messages ranging from Math, not Magic! to CHS: Careless High School. From the various messages, Sunset gathered that the triggering event was their own mishap in the practice room last evening.

On the other side, the students were standing shoulder-to-shoulder, forming a human wall against the onslaught, protecting the school and the people they loved. It might almost have been beautiful, had they not been furiously screaming back at their parents and friends. The entire situation seemed ready to boil over into violence at any moment.

Sunset uneasily crossed her arms, unable to help feeling that this was at least partially her fault. CHS had been an ordinary high school before she stole Twilight’s crown. She had started all of this. Even now, her past actions were still being used to hurt people.

“We need to find the sirens!” Pinkie screamed through the noise. She pulled out her phone to see if Sonata had tried reaching out again, but had no new calls or messages. She hastily began composing a text, hoping against hope that one of the Dazzlings was still on her side.

“You’ll need your instruments first!” Twilight shouted back. “It’ll be no good if we find the Dazzlings and can’t use our magic!”

“They’re all inside the school,” Rainbow Dash yelled from right next to Twilight’s ear. “How are we supposed to get there?” Indeed, what amounted to two opposing armies stood between them and the doors of Canterlot High.

Star Swirl shook his head sadly. “A thousand years, and they haven’t changed a bit.” Though his voice was quiet, it carried easily through the cacophony.

“Don’t say that,” Fluttershy replied. “I just know we’ve made progress with them, but it’s not easy to turn your whole life around. Especially after a thousand years of acting a certain way.”

Star Swirl exhaled heavily. “For everypony’s sake, I hope you’re right,” he answered.

“Hey girls, up here!” Pinkie called. The group looked up to see that she had climbed onto the plinth of the Wondercolt statue, above and at least slightly removed from the near-riot. Fluttershy and Twilight needed a bit of help from the others, but soon the entire group except Star Swirl had joined her. It was a bit precarious, but at least they had a little breathing room.

“We need a plan,” Twilight said.

“I have an idea,” Sunset said quietly, “I’ll distract the crowd. You girls get to the school.”

“Sunset Shimmer,” Twilight said nervously, “what are you doing?”

“Just trust me,” Sunset said. “Don’t worry, I’ll jump back to Equestria if things get dicey. Go!” Sunset hissed, shoving Twilight none-too-gently. Once the others were safely out of the way, Sunset called out to the crowd. “Hey, everyone! Up here!” She waved her arms and did all she could to attract attention.

She had to shout several more times before anyone noticed her, but eventually murmurs of “Sunset Shimmer” rippled outward through the crowd, and more and more angry faces turned toward her. She was, after all, one of the very “monsters” that the people were protesting against.

Sunset climbed up a bit higher on the statue, out of easy reach. She just needed to hold out until the others got their instruments and used their harmonic magic to break the sirens’ hold again. As dozens of furious people swarmed the base of the Wondercolt statue, she really hoped that it would be that simple.

“This is crazy,” Applejack shouted as they pushed through the mass of people who were too busy raging at Sunset Shimmer to pay them any mind. “The Dazzlings have got almost the whole city at each others’ throats! Just how powerful can those three get?” she asked Star Swirl.

Star Swirl shook his head. “The way they’re using their magic, it will keep feeding into itself. They grow more powerful as they cause more trouble, and cause more trouble as they grow more powerful. Theoretically, there’s no limit to how much energy they can gather.”

“Are you sure Sunset’s going to be okay?” Rainbow asked.

“No,” Twilight said uncomfortably, looking back at the enraged crowd, “but she’s giving us a chance. We need to break this spell. Star Swirl, how are you doing?”

“Just fine, Miss Sparkle,” Star Swirl assured her. His robes and belled hat had mostly survived the transition, though they had reshaped themselves to his human body. His face was deeply lined but strong, and his magnificent white beard spread down across his chest almost to his belly. The old unicorn had taken to his human form with an ease that spoke of past experience.

After a minute or so they broke through the first group of people and found themselves face-to-face with hundreds of Canterlot High students and staff. Luckily, as the sirens appeared to have arranged this to be two large opposing groups, rather than many bickering individuals, the students recognized them as being on their “side” and let them join the lines. From there, it was an easy enough matter to get through the remaining people and run for the doors. With great relief, they shut themselves inside, blocking out much of the noise.

“This is bad,” Rainbow Dash panted as they all caught their breath. “They’re really pulling out all the stops this time.”

“Come on, Sunset Shimmer’s counting on us,” Twilight prompted the others. They took off at a run for the practice room and their instruments, and to their surprise even the aged Star Swirl kept pace. Although it was the middle of the week, the school was totally empty. Anyone who would normally be here for classes was outside taking part in one side or the other of the protest.

“What are we going to do?” Fluttershy asked.

“First things first, we need to break the sirens’ hold on those people outside,” Twilight panted. She skidded to a stop at the door to the practice room. “Then we’ll have to find the Dazzlings and do something about them.”

“Leave that to me,” Star Swirl said grimly.

The door to the practice room was blocked off by yellow police tape, which Twilight hastily tore away. She pushed open the door and gasped.

The inside of the practice room was a complete wreck. There wasn’t a single piece of furniture unbroken, nor any flat surface that was not cracked and scorched. The eruption of dark magic had spared nothing.

Not even their instruments.

Twilight sank weakly to the ground. “No,” she croaked.

“Ah don’t believe it,” Applejack whispered. “How could we have forgotten that our instruments got wrecked in the blast?”

“The dark magic interfered with your thought processes,” Twilight said dully, her mouth running on autopilot. “It would be hard to remember any details from when it happened.”

“Now what do we do?” Fluttershy whimpered, thinking of Sunset Shimmer alone in the midst of the mob, risking her life in the belief that her friends would save her.

“Are there extras in the storage room?” Twilight asked. Even as she asked, she knew the answer was no. She and Sunset had been in there just yesterday, and there hadn’t been anything that could help them now.

Pinkie’s phone buzzed. Her heart leaped, then sank into her belly as she read the message from Sonata.

You shouldn’t have come here. Aria and Adagio think you’re all dead. You’re safe. Please don’t get in their way.

Pinkie’s fists clenched and her shoulders shook. She had no idea what she was feeling. It was some combination of sadness and burning anger that she was entirely unfamiliar with, and she had no idea what to do with it. All she knew was that they had to do something.

“Then we’ll just have to face the sirens without them,” Pinkie said. “Right now, the only way to save everyone is to beat the Dazzlings again.”

“You sounded like you had some sort of plan,” Rarity said to Star Swirl. “Care to fill us in?”

Star Swirl stroked his beard. “Not to sound arrogant, but I don’t think that you could help me. There’s Equestrian magic leaking into this world, presumably through the portal. I plan to tap into it and use it against Adagio, Aria, and Sonata.”

“You can do that?” Twilight asked, thunderstruck.

“Certainly. What do you think you’re all doing when you play your music? Ideally, I would like to subdue the three of them and bring them back to Equestria with me.”

“No, you can’t!” Pinkie cried.

Star Swirl was puzzled by her reaction. “They are my responsibility, and I will deal with them,” he said soothingly. “You girls have done very well, but this should never have fallen to you in the first place. I am sorry for that.”

“But… but…” Pinkie thought desperately, but she could muster no rational argument. Rarity laid a caring hand on her shoulder, but Pinkie shrugged it off. “Alright,” she said. “Then let’s go find them.”

If the others thought that Pinkie’s abrupt shift in attitude was strange, they didn’t comment on it. As for Pinkie, she didn’t care what that old goat of a unicorn said. There was no way she was giving up on Sonata and her sisters.

This was a really, really bad idea.

Sunset had been glad to see her friends and Star Swirl pass safely through the distracted crowd, but now she prayed that they would hurry. People were swarming the statue, and her way back to Equestria was blocked by the throng. No one had tried climbing the statue to physically attack her—yet—but the threats and insults being hurled her way hurt nearly as much.

She told herself over and over that they didn’t really mean what they were saying, that they were being controlled by dark magic, but it couldn’t stop her stomach from twisting or her eyes from burning. She couldn’t afford to surrender to the negative emotions, either, or she would add her own Equestrian power to the sirens’ food supply.

That’s right, Sunset thought, clinging to the statue for support, keep your eyes on me. Don’t pay attention to the others. Oh, if I get out of this alive, they all owe me so many slices of pizza!

Sunset screamed and pulled her legs up higher as someone reached for her. If I get out of this alive… For the first time it occurred to her that she might not, and she suddenly felt sick with terror. Her stomach was clenching, her teeth were chattering, and, incongruously, her ears were itching. Perhaps itching wasn’t even the proper word for it, there was just a mildly unpleasant sensation in her inner ears. Some small part of her wondered what could be causing it.

Through her slitted, tearing eyes, Sunset noticed that the incredible amount of negative energy around the mob was being pulled up into the air. She followed its path upward to three almost-human figures hovering far above, nearly out of sight. Their arms were spread and moving in sync, as the Dazzlings did while singing, but no audible sound was coming from them.

Sunset rubbed her ear and realized what was happening. The sirens were singing at a pitch that humans couldn’t hear, drawing in the energy without being spotted. Whatever the reason, they were being more cautious this time around.

Sunset whimpered and pulled herself up a few inches more, away from the mob’s reaching hands. It would take an acrobatic feat worthy of Pinkie Pie for her to climb any higher up the smooth statue. She held desperately to the Wondercolt’s leg and trembled. Where were the others? Please hurry.

“Look, Adagio.” Aria had realized that their angry mob had shifted its focus. Following their attention, she spotted a familiar red-and-gold mass of hair clinging to the horse statue in front of the school. “There,” she pointed.

“Well, would you look at that,” Adagio murmured, hovering next to Aria, her translucent wings moving slowly. “One of them got away. Figures it would be her.”

“So what?” Sonata did her best to match her sisters’ nonchalance. “One Rainboom is no threat. She doesn’t matter.”

“She won’t matter to anyone if this crowd gets their way,” Aria chuckled darkly. “What do you say, Adagio? Should we give them a ‘push?’”

Adagio opened her mouth with every intention of saying yes. Spurring the mob on to tear Sunset Shimmer limb from limb—maybe literally—was the logical choice. As she tried to give the order, though, she remembered how hard Sunset and the others had worked to save them, and how kind and understanding Fluttershy had been while speaking with her. Something in her chest twinged.

“No,” Adagio drawled. “Sonata’s right, there’s nothing that little girl can do on her own. Besides, she’s certainly helping these people put out negative energy, isn’t she?” That was logical too, wasn’t it? With all the bad feelings she sparked in those around her, it made more sense to leave Sunset Shimmer alive. That was it.

“Ugh, I guess so,” Aria sighed. “Still, don’t you want some payback for what she did to us?”

“We can’t afford to waste the magic on her,” Sonata argued. “We need everything we can get if we’re going for Equestria.”

Adagio and Aria shared a surprised glance. “When did you become smart, anyway?” Adagio asked.

Sonata folded her hands behind her back and smiled innocently. She felt like she had ice water flowing through her veins. If Sunset were still here, and calling attention to herself, that meant that the others had ignored her warning. They were still planning to try something. Unseen by her sisters, Sonata’s hands were clenched and shaking. “What’s the next move, Adagio?”

“Now we change our tune a bit,” Adagio smirked. “We need these people to find the portal for us.”

“Since someone didn’t think to look and see where she was getting dragged off to,” Aria jabbed at Sonata.

Sonata winced. She hadn’t been able to resist peeking, and she knew exactly where the portal was. The others couldn’t know that they were hovering almost directly above it.

“We’ll tell them that all of this trouble started with the portal,” Adagio instructed. “We convince them that they need to find it and seal it off so that no more ‘monsters’ come through.”

“Wait, seal it off?” Sonata asked, stalling for time.

“Gah, obviously we won’t actually let them seal it off,” Adagio snapped. “Now get to work!”

Twilight and the others re-emerged from the school, their minds racing as they tried to think of a way to combat the sirens’ magic without their music. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief as she spotted Sunset, who was no doubt terrified but still okay.

“Something’s happening,” Rarity observed. “They’re moving away from Sunset Shimmer.”

The faint sound of singing drifted down to them, causing the girls to gasp and look around. As always with the sirens’ magic, it seemed to come from everywhere at once, fully-composed and complete with instrumentals. There was no way of knowing where it was coming from, but the sirens were nearby.

“Now what?” Fluttershy whimpered.

“Check it out,” Rainbow said, “it’s like they’re looking for something.”

“Listen to what the sirens are saying,” Twilight said. The lyrics were too faint to hear them all, but the message was clear. The song was blaming Equestria for all of the school’s recent troubles.

“They want these people to find the portal for them,” Rarity realized.

“That won’t take long,” Twilight replied, “it’s not exactly well-hidden while it’s open. Let’s get Sunset Shimmer and come up with a plan, and maybe try to direct the people away from the statue while we’re at it.”

With the mob of people now driven toward a new goal, making their way back to the statue was easy. Sunset quickly spotted her friends and hopped down to the ground to join them.

“Sunset, are you okay?” Twilight asked, gripping Sunset’s wrist. The poor girl was shaking where she stood.

“F-fine,” Sunset answered, her voice trembling. She swallowed and took a deep breath. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure, dear?” Rarity asked concernedly. She certainly didn’t look fine.

“I can have a meltdown later,” Sunset said tersely, “right now we have bigger problems.” She pointed up into the sky, where she’d spotted the sirens earlier.

The girls followed her finger and their eyes widened. The Dazzlings were in their half-siren forms, proving that the power they’d absorbed from the Rainboom’s song had restored a good portion of their previous strength. The Rainbooms, meanwhile, were powerless. They were in a lot of trouble.

At almost the same time as Sunset Shimmer was pointing them out, the sirens noticed that something was amiss down on the ground.

“What’s with them?” Adagio pointed to a small group clustered near the base of the horse statue who didn’t seem to be searching for anything. One of them had Sunset Shimmer’s unmistakable red-and-gold hair, and another…

“No,” Aria growled. She squinted, and Rainbow Dash’s prismatic hair came into focus. “They should be dead!”

“Who’s the geezer?” Sonata asked. She hoped her face wasn’t turning visibly green.

Adagio gasped. “Even after a thousand years, I’d know that ridiculous hat anywhere,” she said through gritted teeth. “Star Swirl the Bearded. He should have died centuries ago.”

To the others’ shock, Aria started to laugh. “Star Swirl the Bearded?” she asked incredulously. “Even if it is him, what do they think he’s going to be able to do in this world?”

“We underestimated him once,” Adagio reminded her. “That’s how we wound up here in the first place.”

Aria’s laughter stopped and she glared down toward the ground. “No more mistakes, then,” she said coldly. “No more underestimating them, and no more assuming we’ve won. We hit them now, and we hit them hard, and we don’t stop until we know for sure that they’re all dead.”

“Dead?” Sonata squeaked.

“Dead,” Aria confirmed. “You with me, Adagio?”

Adagio grimaced and forced down the rising feeling of uncertainty in her stomach. “I’m with you.”

Aria and Adagio swooped toward the ground, leaving Sonata with no choice but to follow after them. Sonata’s throat constricted and her chest tightened as she raced to do battle with the people she loved.

Now It's Time to Finish You

"Here they come! Agh!" Sunset had no sooner called out than she was blasted by a powerful wave of sound. She fell and tumbled for several feet before stopping.

Aria swooped higher into the air and came back around, screaming another vicious spell. The pressure of the magic forced everyone but Star Swirl to their knees, and Adagio was a step behind to continue the assault.

Rainbow Dash growled and launched herself at Aria, lashing out with a fist. Star Swirl shouted a warning, but was too late to stop her. Rainbow Dash's eyes went wide as Aria effortlessly caught the attack with a single hand.

"You're kidding, right?" Aria snickered. She contemptuously pushed Rainbow Dash away, and the girl flew through the air to crash painfully into the stone side of the Wondercolt statue. Rainbow Dash collapsed to the ground.

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight shouted, only to clutch at her head and sink back to her knees as Aria and Adagio resumed their vocal assault. She felt as if she were being shaken apart by the noise. She felt something warm and wet on her face, and realized that her nose was bleeding.

A white field shimmered into existence between the Rainbooms and the sirens, and the harmful magic stopped. Now that she had a moment to get her bearings, Twilight looked around at her friends. Most of them seemed to be okay, and Sunset had already gotten back to her feet. Rainbow Dash, however, wasn't moving. Fluttershy was already at her side, doing what she could to tend to the girl's injuries. Star Swirl stood in front of them all, one hand raised and his fingers glowing like a unicorn's horn.

He's using his fingers as a focus, Twilight realized with amazement. That shouldn't even be possible—for starters, how had he created the leylines he'd need? That wasn't even getting into the fact that, as a pony, he should be so unfamiliar with hands that they'd be all but useless for him.

Aria and Adagio had stopped their attack when Star Swirl cast his spell and simply stared, shocked, at the impossible magic. Adagio was the first to come to her senses.

"Get him!" she ordered.

Adagio opened her mouth and screamed, attempting to batter down Star Swirl's barrier with her own magic. Aria opted for a more physical approach and flew to the side, trying to get around the shield to attack him. Applejack tried to place herself between Aria and Star Swirl, but was batted aside with the same ease as Rainbow Dash.

"Twilight," Sunset urgently shook the other girl's shoulders, "we have to sing!"

Twilight shook her head. "It's no good without the others," she moaned. "We lost this fight the minute we lost our instruments."

"We have to try!" Sunset insisted. She helped Twilight up, and the two of them raised their voices in song.

Star Swirl raised his other hand and fired a ray of white light at Aria. The siren gasped and threw up her arms reflexively, and the beam broke against her forearms. Slowly, almost disbelievingly, she lowered them again and looked at the inconsequential burn that Star Swirl's attack had left.

Aria erupted into laughter. "That's it?" she choked out between chuckles. "I don't know where you got that magic from, old man, but you sure don't have enough of it."

Star Swirl fired another ray at her, his face deeply creased with concentration and sweat beginning to form on his forehead. His barrier was wavering under Adagio's onslaught. The beam stalled Aria for a moment, but she soon dove for him again with renewed confidence.

"Run," Star Swirl said grimly to the others.

"But—" Applejack started to protest.

"They're stronger than I imagined, and in this world I'm too weak to stop them," Star Swirl shouted at her. "Run!"

He was interrupted by a gleam of light from behind him. Sunset Shimmer and Twilight had managed to tap into their magic by singing and had triggered their transformations. They now stood with pony ears and tails, a thin veil of magic glimmering around them.

"I don't think so!" Aria broke away from Star Swirl and tackled the two of them, taking one with each arm. With cries of pain, the two girls fell to the ground, their magic quickly fading as they returned to human form. Aria landed heavily on top of them. She rose to her knees and lifted a fist, preparing to batter them to death, but was stopped as a rope slipped around her neck. She gave a strangled gasp as Applejack pulled the lasso tight and planted her feet, pulling with all of her considerable strength. Rarity darted over and added her own effort, and between the two of them they managed to pull Aria off of their friends.

Star Swirl gave a grunt of effort and put up his other hand, channeling all of his focus into maintaining the magic protecting them from Adagio. When the siren finally had to stop to breathe, he thrust his hands forward. A pulse of energy erupted from the shield, washing over Adagio and knocking her back several feet. Adagio recovered from the tumble and shook her head to clear it. She appeared unharmed.

Sonata hovered a dozen feet behind her sisters. She hadn't joined the battle, but was watching it with wide, tearing eyes. Her hands were clutched to her chest as if to contain the painful writhing she felt within her. What was she supposed to do?

Only one other person seemed to have noticed that there were only two sirens on the attack. Pinkie Pie was staring at her, silently begging her to intervene, to save them. Sonata could only bite her lip and shake her head. Pinkie's eyes fell, and Sonata's spirit fell with them.

Aria, unable to free herself from the rope around her neck, instead launched herself at Applejack and Rarity. Realizing that they had no chance against her head-on, the two girls dove out of the way, granting Aria the time she needed to loosen the knot and pull off Applejack's lasso. Now that she was no longer being strangled, Aria opened her mouth and let out another wave of raw sound, blasting away several of the Rainbooms.

Star Swirl sank to one knee. His barrier spell was breaking under Adagio's persistent attacks, and he had little left to put into it. As always when it came to these girls, he'd been a fool. It had been unbelievably arrogant of him to think that the meager magic available to him in this world would be enough to stop the sirens. As Adagio paused to take another breath, he sighed and lowered his hands. The weak and failing shield winked out entirely, and he instantly felt an iron grip close over his withered throat.

"Star Swirl the Bearded," Adagio purred. "I never thought I'd see you again. It's funny, isn't it? By sending us to this world, you signed your own death warrant."

"Adagio," Star Swirl croaked. "I don't know where I failed, what went wrong, but I am so sorry that it's come to this."

Whether because he'd reached her or simply out of surprise, Adagio's hand relaxed slightly. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Don't you remember me?" Star Swirl asked.

"Of course I do," Adagio growled. "You're the one who banished us to this awful place over a thousand years ago."

Star Swirl shook his head. "Is that all I am to you?" he asked sadly. "You mean so much more to me." He bowed his head, ready to accept his fate.

"What are you waiting for, Adagio?" Aria demanded. "Do it."

"Hold on, this geezer's got me curious," Adagio answered. She crouched down to look Star Swirl in the eye. "Exactly what do we mean to you, old man?"

"No more mistakes, remember?" Aria shouted. "Kill him before something else goes wrong!"

"Star Swirl's the one who created you!" Twilight blurted out.

Everything seemed to stop. Adagio's grip on Star Swirl's throat loosened, then she let go entirely. She stood up and took a shaky step backward. This wretched old stallion was the one who'd given them life?

"Something like that," Aria said quietly. She looked to Adagio, who simply stared back at her. Both directed their gaze to the ancient man kneeling before them, the very picture of penitence.

"It's true," Star Swirl murmured. "Adagio Dazzle. Aria Blaze. Sonata Dusk. I may have created you with magic, but that doesn't make you any less my daughters. And I have been a poor father indeed." He looked up at them beseechingly. "Please, come back to Equestria with me. I should never have sent you away. Whatever went wrong between us, we can fix it. I beg you, let's start over."

Adagio and Aria stared at one another in silence, processing this new information. This last shock had proven too much for Sonata, who now knelt weeping with her hands over her face. The Rainbooms and Star Swirl waited with bated breath to hear the sirens' decision.

Star Swirl gasped as Aria's hand closed around his neck. She'd moved too quickly to follow, and now she hoisted Star Swirl off the ground with a single hand.

"Even if that is true," Aria said, "it doesn't change anything. Too little too late, 'Dad.'" She tossed him to the ground next to the others. Only Pinkie Pie remained on her feet, and she seemed to have lost the will to fight.

"Adagio?" Aria prompted her sister.

"Right." Adagio rose into the air with Aria beside her. "I think I'll call this one the Rainbow Requiem. Goodbye, Rainbooms." For some reason, the sweet words tasted like ashes in her mouth.

Adagio and Aria opened their mouths and began to sing. Their hearts glowed brightly, and magic gathered around them. It was a deadly spell, one that would strike to its victims' very cores, destroying them from the inside out. This was something they hadn't had to do in many centuries, but the power still came to them with ease. Their eyes shone red as the power peaked, and they unleashed it toward Star Swirl and the Rainbooms. It was over.

Their deafening magic met unexpected opposition.

"What?!" Aria shouted as the waves of energy tangled up with something else. Someone was standing in the way of their spell, countering it with magic of her own. With a final burst of discordant noise, the killing spell broke apart and dissipated, revealing the Rainbooms' savior.

"Sonata," Adagio growled.

"Don't do this," Sonata begged them. Tears streamed from her closed eyes, but she stood her ground. "Please don't hurt them anymore."

"What in Tartarus do you think you're doing?" Aria demanded furiously.

"I'm saving them," Sonata said softly. "They fought so hard to save me, to save us all. Now I'm going to save them."

"You can't." Adagio planted her hands on her hips. "You can' t beat us both."

Sonata shook her head. "You're wrong," she whispered. "Right now I have more energy than both of you put together. Please... please don't make me do this."

"Sonie," Pinkie Pie murmured, her own eyes beginning to tear up.

"How..." Aria gasped as she realized what must have happened. "The dark magic!" she exclaimed. "That's why these brats are still alive. You absorbed it all, didn't you?!"

Sonata simply nodded.

"You bitch!" Aria raged. She hurled herself forward and, before anyone could stop her, struck Sonata full across the face. The blow would have snapped a human's neck, but Sonata barely turned her head as it landed.

"Hey!" Pinkie leaped forward to help, but stopped as Sonata held up a hand.

"It's okay," Sonata said. She didn't acknowledge the swelling that was beginning to form on her cheek, or the stinging as her warm tears washed over it. Aria threw another punch, but Sonata caught it and held her sister by the wrist.

"Please," she said to Aria and Adagio, "just stop this. We don't need to live like this anymore."

"What else would we do?" Adagio demanded.

"I don't know," Sonata admitted, "but I do know that what we're doing now isn't going to make us happy. It's never made us happy."

"That again?" Aria scoffed.

"You know what made me happy?" Sonata continued as if Aria hadn't spoken. "Spending time with you two. Hanging out with these girls." She pointed behind her to the Rainbooms. "When they all worked so hard to help us for no reason other than because it was the right thing to do, that made me happy. When Pinkie gave me her phone number, and treated me like her friend, and hugged me, that all made me so happy. Yesterday meant more to me than the last thousand years put together. Please, I just know there's a better way."

"Touching," Adagio droned. Why were her eyes burning? "Are you finished?"

"Sonata's right," Sunset spoke up from where she lay. She pushed herself up to her elbows. "This was something I had to come to terms with after the Fall Formal. All that time I had thought I wanted power, but power's just a means to an end. It isn't and will never be an end in itself, and that's why you'll never be satisfied no matter how much you gather. In chasing something that didn't matter, I pushed away everyone and everything that did." She closed her eyes. "It took Twilight and her friends to show me that."

"I know you're not as cold as you pretend to be, Adagio," Sonata persisted. "Do you think I don't know that you were feeding Aria with your own magic for all that time after our hearts broke? Do you think I didn't hear you both crying at night? I know you were as sad and scared as I was. I know the two of you aren't heartless."

"We can use metamagic to find other ways for you to feed," Twilight suggested. "You don't need to keep hurting people. We might be able to alter your hearts, or even just give you arrays, so that you can eat regular magic or harmonic magic. You can spread friendship and happiness instead of jealousy and anger."

"Hmph," Aria grunted. "That's great and all, but—" she shoved Sonata away with all her strength and flew into the air—"we've known about metamagic for centuries. Did it ever occur to you that we do things this way just because we enjoy it?" She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to sing.

Sonata blurred forward and closed her hand around Aria's pendant. The first notes of Aria's song cut off with a gasp.

"What are you doing?" Aria asked. For the first time, she sounded truly afraid.

"I'm sorry, Aria," Sonata sobbed. "I love you."

Her hand glowed green, and she forcibly took the magic from Aria's heart into herself. Then, with a sharp jerk, she pulled the pendant away from her sister's neck.

Aria's wings and ears winked out of existence. Adagio shouted in alarm and flew forward, catching her as she fell. Cradling the fallen siren, Adagio glared up at Sonata with her teeth clenched and eyes watering.

"So this is it, then? Traitor."

"Please, this isn't what I wanted," Sonata wept.

"Then what did you want?" Adagio demanded.

"I just wanted everyone to be happy. I wanted us all to be friends. I'm sorry," Sonata repeated, clutching Aria's heart to herself.

"You will be." Adagio's eyes glowed red. She laid Aria gently on the ground and rocketed up toward her other sister, hands extended like claws.

Sonata batted aside the first of Adagio's attacks and slipped inside her guard. She lifted her own arms and caught the enraged siren in a loving embrace. Sonata began singing gently, for Adagio's ears only, a quiet lullaby of comfort and peace.

"Let me go!" Adagio demanded. Her voice croaked strangely as she felt her throat tightening. Despite her angry words, she only struggled for a moment. "Let me... go..."

"No," Sonata whispered over the fading echoes of her song. "It's over. You felt it too, didn't you? You know that what we're doing is wrong."

Almost of their own accord, Adagio's arms rose and wrapped around Sonata. The furious red light faded from her eyes, leaving them looking scared and lost.

As Adagio let go of her magic, the mob around them stopped what they were doing and looked around, confused, wondering why they'd felt so angry. There were many explanations and apologies between the people, and the crowd dispersed largely of its own accord. Teachers and administrators, also freed from the sirens' magic, worked quickly to get the students back inside and away from what could still be a dangerous situation.

"What will we do?" Adagio asked, resting her head against Sonata's shoulder.

"I don't know," Sonata murmured.

"What about Aria?" Adagio choked.

"She'll be weak for a while, but she'll be okay."

"That's not what I meant." Adagio shook her head. "She'll never accept living the way you want us to. I'm not even sure if I can." In spite of what she said, it didn't actually sound so bad. They had enough money to live well for decades to come, and having people actually like her, rather than be enchanted to adore her, sounded surprisingly nice.

"We'll figure it out," Sonata said. "You always come up with something." She gently tapped Adagio's nose with a finger. "You're the smart one, remember?"

Adagio gave a low chuckle. "I am, aren't I? Just this once, you might be right." Who could have imagined that Sonata would end up being the strongest and best of them?

The two sisters descended from the sky and landed next to Aria, who was now recovering from the shock of having her magic torn away again. Aria sat up and held a hand to her head. She looked around at the Rainbooms, who were climbing one by one to their feet, and the sirens who were doing nothing to stop them. She opened her mouth angrily, then closed it as she realized that she was beaten. Again.

"That's it, then?" Aria asked, looking at Sonata and Adagio. "This is how it ends for us?"

"No," Adagio replied. "I think this is how it begins. So, Rainbooms," she said to the others, regaining a hint of her usual swagger, "what now?"

Twilight looked around at her friends: Sunset Shimmer, who stood beside her with a determined set to her jaw. Fluttershy, who was helping a still-woozy Rainbow Dash to stand. Rarity and Applejack, who were looking on in concern. Pinkie Pie, who was staring at Sonata and smiling even as tears streamed down her cheeks. Star Swirl, who was beaming proudly at his daughters. For a miracle, everyone was alright.

"I'll need the three of you to come back to Equestria with me," Twilight said. "I'll take you to Canterlot and we'll talk this over with the other princesses. I'm sure we can reach an agreement that works for everypony."

The sirens looked at one another, and Twilight experienced a moment of panic as she thought they might refuse. To her relief, Adagio and Sonata finally nodded.

"Sonata?" Twilight said hesitantly. This was still a very delicate situation, and she realized only too well that she could still lose control of it.

"Hm?"

"I'm going to need to hold onto Aria's heart, just for now," Twilight said. "I can't take any chances. She'll get it back as soon as we talk with Celestia and Luna."

Aria looked like she was about to protest, but instead she just huffed and turned away. "Whatever."

Sonata hesitantly approached Twilight and held out Aria's pendant. Twilight carefully took it from her hand and put it into her backpack. "I won't let anything happen to this," she promised.

"Here," Sonata said, removing her own heart and holding it out for Twilight.

"Sonata, that's not—"

"I did all the same bad stuff that she did," Sonata said. "If you're taking her heart, you're taking mine too."

Twilight hesitated to voice her actual concern, which was that Adagio could still attack. Sonata wouldn't be able to stop her without her heart. Star Swirl, however, seemed to realize the issue. He slowly approached the other siren.

"Adagio," he said, gesturing to her pendant. "May I?"

"No," Adagio said curtly. "Don't think you can just waltz into our lives after a millennium and expect everything to be alright. She can hold it." Adagio nodded to Twilight.

"Of course," Star Swirl replied sadly. Adagio pushed past him and walked to Twilight to hand over her pendant.

Twilight breathed a silent sigh of relief as she took the third and last of the sirens' hearts. It was really over.

"You're going back to Equestria, then?" Rarity asked quietly. "Would you like us to go with you?"

Twilight really wanted to say yes. She wanted nothing more than to have her friends' support in this, but...

"Better not," she answered. "This is going to be complicated enough without having to explain about you girls."

"What about me?" Sunset stepped forward. "I could go with you."

Twilight thought it over and smiled. "I think that's a great idea," she said. "And Star Swirl will have to come too, of course."

"So be it, then," Rarity sighed. "You will come back and tell us how it all goes, won't you? We must have a proper visit sometime soon."

"Of course I will," Twilight answered. "I'll see you all soon, okay?" She gathered up Sunset, Star Swirl, and the sirens, before realizing that there was one last problem to deal with.

"Sonie?" Pinkie said, her voice trembling. "Are... are you coming back?"

"I don't know, Pinkie," Sonata answered sadly. "I hope so, but that's gonna be up to the princesses."

"But, but, but you're good now!" Pinkie cried desperately, clinging onto the siren. "They have to let you come back!"

"I think they'll be alright," Twilight reassured the others. "There's quite a lot of precedent for this kind of thing: Princess Luna, Discord, even Sunset Shimmer. I'd be really surprised if they aren't granted a pardon in exchange for agreeing to use their powers for good."

"You promise?" Pinkie asked. She still sounded terrified, and hadn't let go of Sonata.

"Pinkie promise," Twilight answered.

"C'mon, Sugarcube," Applejack said, gently prying her away from Sonata. "Twi's got princess stuff to do. The sooner she does it, the sooner we can all go back to bein' friends."

"Fluttershy," Adagio said unexpectedly.

"Hm? Uh, yes?" Fluttershy stammered.

"Thanks for hanging out with me yesterday. I... had fun."

Fluttershy nodded. "Anytime."

"Everyone ready?" Twilight asked. They all nodded. "Then let's go. Back to Equestria, one more time." She squeaked in surprise as she was caught in a huge group hug.

"See ya soon, Twi, Sunset," Applejack said.

"We'll be waiting," Rarity promised.

"Later, alligators!" Pinkie chirped, recovering much of her usual cheer.

"Have a nice tuna," Rainbow Dash slurred.

"Oh dear," Fluttershy murmured. She held up a finger and was relieved to see that Rainbow's eyes were able to follow it. "Don't worry, she's just a bit disoriented. She'll be just fine by the time you get back."

"Which will be soon," Twilight promised. "See you girls later."

With much waving and hugging, and a few tears, Twilight finally led the sirens back into Equestria.

A Second Chance

"Sonata Dusk?" A guard stallion entered the small room where Sonata was being held.

Upon returning to Equestria, Twilight had immediately used her cute little dragon to send a letter to Celestia explaining what was going on, and why she'd soon be arriving with Sunset Shimmer, somepony who had died centuries ago, and the three sirens. Then, with help from Sunset Shimmer and Star Swirl, they'd all teleported to Canterlot.

Almost immediately upon arriving, they'd been intercepted by a group of royal guards. With reassurances from Twilight and Sunset, the unresisting sirens had quickly been separated and led away to different rooms.

"Yeah?" Sonata asked the newcomer. She was a bit nervous to hear what was in store for her, but overall she felt rather good about the situation. She'd finally won over her sisters, and it looked like everyone was all set to be friends as soon as this official stuff was over. Twilight's certainty that they'd be pardoned as long as they promised to be good didn't hurt, either.

"I'm just here to tell you that you're free to go," the stallion said. "Your, ah, heart, will be returned to you as soon as you're outside."

"Wait, just like that?" Sonata asked. Reassurances or not, this was way too easy.

"Just like that," the guard confirmed with what was probably meant to be an encouraging smile. It looked more like a grimace. "Your sister Aria Blaze explained everything, and Adagio Dazzle confirmed it when we asked her."

"What do you mean?" Sonata leaned forward. This didn't sound right. She unconsciously tried to grip the table to steady herself, but of course her hooves couldn't do any such thing.

"Aria told us how she'd enchanted you and Adagio, and that the crimes you committed were done at her command," he explained.

"What? Sonata yelped.

The guard spoke right over her outburst. "Per Equestrian law, you can't be held responsible for what you do under magical compulsion. Therefore, there's no case against you or your sister, and you're both free to leave. Aria will face the princesses' judgment, but as long as you stay out of trouble, you should never hear from us again."

There were a dozen things that Sonata wanted, needed to tell this guard, so many things that her thoughts tangled and tripped up one another. Why was Aria doing this?

"It's not true!" Sonata shouted.

"I'm sorry?" The guard tilted his head.

"I was never under anyone's spell," Sonata protested. "You can't just punish Aria for what we all did!"

The guard reached into his barding and pulled out a sheet of paper, quickly skimming the contents. "Ah, here it is," he said. "According to Aria's statement, you fought particularly hard against the compulsion, so she had to use more powerful magic on you. She warned us that you might still feel a sense of loyalty to her for a while. That's why we confirmed with Adagio first." He tucked the paper back where he'd gotten it from.

Sonata's jaw flapped uselessly. Aria had trapped herself perfectly. Anything Sonata said would just be waved away as the aftereffects of the "spell." Why?

"Please come with me," the guard said, "I'll lead you out."

Feeling dazed and strangely numb, Sonata nodded and followed the armored stallion. She took no notice of the beautiful surroundings inside the royal palace in Canterlot, and paid no heed to the murmuring nobles or imposing royal guards. What was going on? Why was this happening? Nothing seemed to make sense anymore.

A surge of hope broke through the haze when she spotted another guard leading Adagio down the hall just ahead. Paying no attention to her own escort's cry for her to wait, she galloped up to meet them.

"Adagio!" she cried out as she ran. "Aria—"

"Not here," Adagio cut her off. "We'll talk outside, okay?" Her face was deadly serious. She already knew the situation.

"O-okay," Sonata stammered uncertainly, coming to a stop beside her sister.

The royal guard who had been leading Sonata quickened his pace to a trot to catch up. They weren't prisoners anymore, so there was no need to keep them on too short a leash, but he still had a job to do. Under the watchful eyes of the two guardsponies, Adagio and Sonata walked down the cavernous main hallway of the royal palace to the large doors at the front. Another unicorn in royal guard armor stood there with a small, gilded wooden box. He opened it as they approached.

"These are yours," the unicorn stated, holding Adagio and Sonata's hearts in a magical field, "and your bags are against the wall there. Everything that was in them was put back. You had no other possessions with you, correct?"

"That's right," Adagio said quietly.

"What about Aria?" Sonata asked.

"You are certainly welcome to take her bag as well," the unicorn answered, perhaps deliberately misunderstanding the question, "but I'm afraid that we will need to hold onto her amulet."

"That's not—!"

"Not now, Sonata," Adagio murmured.

The two sirens gathered their belongings, and Sonata took Aria's saddlebag as well. With the guards' permission, they stepped through the doors and into the open air of freedom. A freedom that Aria might never know again.

"This way," Adagio said, jerking her head for Sonata to follow. She led the other siren around the side of the palace toward the royal gardens. They found a relatively private place under a small stand of trees, and at last Adagio turned to face her sister.

"Aria's lying!" Sonata burst out as soon as Adagio looked at her. "We have to tell them. We have to—" she broke off as she noticed the tears, real tears, gathering in Adagio's eyes. She hadn't seen her sister cry in centuries.

"She's taking the fall for us," Adagio answered. "She's giving herself up so that we can have a second chance."

"But," Sonata sobbed, "but Princess Twilight said that everything would be okay!"

"If we agreed to live the way the ponies want us to," Adagio replied. "You're alright with that, and maybe I can learn to live with it, but can you really picture Aria devoting her life to friendship and harmony?" The scorn in Adagio's voice said quite clearly what she thought of that idea.

"But..." Sonata couldn't find anything else to say.

"Look," Adagio said, turning abruptly away, "they're going to let us see her once more before her trial. Why don't you just ask her?"

"Adagio," Sonata croaked. Her remaining sister was closing herself off again. She was going to lose both of them. "This can't happen. Please don't let this happen."

Adagio's head lowered. "Shut up, Sonata," she muttered through gritted teeth. "Just shut up." Sparkling tears fell from her cheeks, and her shoulders shook with repressed sobs. "You need to get away from me."

Sonata took a step backward. An emptiness was opening up inside her that was worse than anything she experienced while starving and unable to feed. Adagio blamed her for what was going to happen to Aria, and that hurt a thousand times more than Aria's fist had. No amount of magic could make Sonata strong enough to withstand those damning words.

Sonata whirled on the spot and galloped away, her own tears beginning to fall.

This isn't how it was supposed to be! Twilight paced around the main hall of the palace, her thoughts whirling. The sirens were supposed to apologize for what they had done, promise to use their magic for the good of all ponies, receive a pardon, and everyone would live happily ever after. That was what always happened!

"Twilight?" Sunset asked uncertainly.

Why had Aria done that? There was no need for her to take all of the blame. Under Equestrian law, a creature who mind-controlled someone else was held responsible for any crimes their thrall committed, as well as facing the penalty for using illegal magic. She'd be banished at the very least!

"Twilight," Sunset repeated.

Twilight's hooves were tied. As far as the official records were concerned, everything that Adagio and Sonata had done had been done under magical compulsion. They had no way of disproving it, especially after Adagio had corroborated the story. As the sirens' creator, Star Swirl might be able to convince them that it wasn't true, but he was being strangely silent about the whole affair. What was his game? Why was he letting this happen to one of his daughters?

"Twilight!" Sunset reached out and caught Twilight's chin, forcing the princess to look into her eyes.

Twilight blinked and brought herself back to the present. She shook her head to clear it, then pressed herself up against Sunset. She desperately needed some comfort. "I don't get it," she said.

"I'm not sure I do either," Sunset admitted, reaching up with a foreleg to hold Twilight closer. "Obviously Aria thinks that this is for the best. I mean, can we even be sure it's a lie?"

"You told me that Discord once made it so the sirens affected themselves with their own magic," Twilight answered dully. "That would imply that they normally don't."

"But it also means that there was a time when Aria actually could have enchanted the others," Sunset pointed out.

"Even if she did, that spell should have broken after the Battle of the Bands," Twilight answered. "I've got no evidence, though, and the only testimony we have all supports what Aria said." She sighed. "You're right, maybe she's telling the truth after all. I can't make a judgement based on what I want to be true."

Twilight and Sunset looked up at the distinctive sound of golden horseshoes clicking on the marble floor. Sunset dropped into a bow, but Twilight trotted straight over to the other princess.

"Princess Celestia," she said, her voice strained, "isn't there something we can do?"

"Something we can do?" Celestia asked in surprise. "Twilight, I thought you would be pleased. Your actions over the last two days have saved both the sirens and the human world."

"It wasn't supposed to be like this!" Twilight exclaimed. "I thought they'd be reformed, like Princess Luna and Discord. I thought we could pardon them."

Celestia exhaled softly. "I'm afraid it isn't that simple. Come, I was just about to meet with Luna to talk this over. Please join us. Sunset Shimmer, of course you are welcome too."

Twilight and Sunset looked uncertainly at one another, and followed the princess into a small, private room. Luna was already there, and to their surprise, so was Star Swirl. Tea had been set out for five. They took their places around the small wooden table and looked to Celestia for an explanation of why they were all there.

"Aria Blaze has confessed to everything," Celestia said. "By her own testimony, she is personally accountable for the crimes of all three sirens, as well as the use of illegal magic on her sisters. We are here to decide on a suitable punishment."

"We have to give her another chance," Twilight said urgently. "I mean, even Discord reformed himself once he learned the value of friendship. And, no offense to the ponies here, Princess Luna and Sunset Shimmer were both pardoned for their crimes."

"It is not the same, Twilight Sparkle," Luna answered evenly. "I myself was banished for a thousand years. Discord was imprisoned in stone for even longer than that, and Sunset Shimmer risked her life in your defense, saving an entire world in the process. One way or another, we all earned our forgiveness. The sirens have not."

Oh. Twilight hadn't thought about it like that. "So what do we do?" she asked miserably.

Celestia draped a wing gently over the smaller princess. "I can see that this is painful for you," she said gently, "but justice is not always easy. All we can do is make the best and fairest decisions that we can. You are the only one of us who had direct contact with the sirens, so what would you suggest? Sunset Shimmer, Star Swirl, your input would be appreciated as well."

"Star Swirl," Sunset chimed in, "is it even possible for the sirens to be affected by each others' magic like that? I mean, wouldn't they just keep enchanting each other every time they sing?"

"They should be resistant to their own powers, yes," Star Swirl answered, taking a small sip of tea, "but Aria found a way around that. Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing," Sunset sighed, her ears drooping. "Never mind."

"You're awfully calm about all of this," Twilight said to Star Swirl. "I thought you considered the sirens to be your daughters?"

"They are my daughters. There is no 'consider' about it," the old unicorn answered sternly. "And yes, of course it saddens me that one of my daughters must be punished like this. On the other hoof, I am very proud of her for owning up to what she has done and taking responsibility, and for giving her sisters the chance that they deserve."

Twilight was silent for a moment. She was starting to get it. Star Swirl had understood what she was only just coming to realize; one way or another, punishment would have to be meted out. By going with Aria's ploy, he was ensuring that at least two of his daughters got another chance. She sighed heavily.

"The sirens have spent the last thousand years living like royalty, at the expense of everyone around them," Twilight said. "At the very least, Aria would be guilty of grand larceny and the use of illegal magic. That's not even taking into account all the trouble they caused."

"She tried to kill us, Twilight," Sunset reminded her. "Multiple times."

"Yeah, I guess you should probably add 'attempted murder' and 'attempted regicide' to that list," Twilight admitted.

Celestia nodded. None of this was news to her. "And what would you deem a suitable punishment for those crimes?" she asked.

Twilight groaned. "Attempted regicide alone carries a penalty of either lifetime imprisonment or banishment from Equestria, left up to the princesses' best judgement," she said, reciting from her legal studies. "Although, given that Aria Blaze is effectively immortal, we could follow the precedent set by Nightmare Moon and sentence her to... a thousand years?" Twilight suggested. The very idea of confining a living creature for such an unthinkable length of time made her nauseous.

"An excellent ruling, Princess Twilight," Luna said encouragingly.

"A thousand years where?" Celestia prompted her.

"Banished from Equestria," Twilight answered quickly. She knew what Celestia was getting at, but no, that was just too horrible. "It doesn't matter where she goes, as long as she remains outside Equestria's borders until the sentence is up."

Celestia shook her head. "By that ruling, she could simply return to her home in the human world, with easy access to Equestria through the mirror portal. Even if she stayed in this world, we'd just be inflicting her upon another innocent kingdom. It wouldn't be viewed as any sort of punishment."

"I don't care how it's viewed!" Twilight burst out. "I know what you want me to say, but there's no way I can condemn her to a thousand years in... in..."

"Our ponies must know that we are protecting them, and appropriately disciplining those who try to do them harm," Celestia said. "You have a beautiful heart, Twilight Sparkle; one that yearns for everyone to be happy, even our enemies. Unfortunately, that is not always possible. First and foremost, we must ensure the security of our kingdom and the safety of its inhabitants. With that in mind, what sentence do you suggest for Aria Blaze?"

Twilight lowered her head, defeated. Even now, Celestia was teaching her, but she didn't care for the lesson at all. She closed her eyes, unable to even look at her loved ones as she said the fatal words. "A thousand years in Tartarus."

"Aria!" Sonata wailed, clutching at the bars that separated her from her sister. The iron felt so thin, so feeble, and she had so much power stored up. She could bend them with her bare hooves.

"Hey Sonata," Aria drawled from the far corner of the cell. "Good timing. They just said they're taking me to the princesses soon."

"It doesn't have to end like this," Sonata cried. "I can get you out!"

"Don't even think about it," Aria answered. "You do that, and they'll be sending us all to the moon, or whatever they do these days."

"But... but..." Sonata leaned her head against the bars. "Aria, why'd you do it?"

Aria exhaled heavily. "Look," she said, "all that stuff about happiness and friendship and whatever... maybe that worked for Sunset Shimmer, and maybe it'll work for you, but not me. I like being powerful. I like having people falling all over themselves to see who can adore me the most. I'll never be what these ponies want me to be, and I don't want to." She looked down and away from Sonata. "I had a good run, but one way or another, I'm going down right now. At least I won't be taking you and Adagio with me."

"Aria," Sonata sobbed, reaching through the bars, trying helplessly to connect with her sister. If she could just hold her once more, maybe somehow things would be alright. To her surprise, Aria stepped forward and nuzzled her hoof.

"You know something?" Aria asked.

"What?"

"Back then, when you said you loved me," Aria said almost wistfully, "I think that was the first time anyone ever told me that."

"What do you mean?” Sonata forced a giggle. “Lots of people have said that to you."

"Sure, because I made them. I think you're the first one who ever meant it."

Sonata bit her lower lip to stifle a fresh wave of crying. "Adagio loves you, I'm sure of it," she said past her tightening throat. "Star Swirl too. Maybe even the Rainbooms, now that it's all over."

Somepony cleared her throat behind Sonata. Sonata and Aria both looked to see a royal guard in full armor.

"Aria Blaze," the newcomer stated.

"That's me," Aria drawled.

"It's time."

"No!" Sonata wailed. "You can't take her yet! Please, just give us a little more time."

"Forget it, Sonata," Aria said. "Let's get this over with."

"Please stand back, Miss," the guard instructed Sonata, who obediently took a step backward. The guard unlocked and opened the cell door, and Aria stepped out.

"Aria," Sonata whispered, "I'm so sorry."

Aria snickered at some internal joke. Without warning, she reached over and flicked Sonata's mane with a hoof. "You're the worst, Sonata," she said. One corner of her mouth quirked upward.

The old, familiar insult brought an unwilling snort from Sonata. She mussed Aria's hair in return. "Nuh-uh. You are."

As the guard led Aria away, Sonata knew that those were the last words they would say to each other for a very, very long time.

Adagio and Sonata stood at the front of the small crowd that had gathered in the throne room to witness Aria's sentencing. Celestia had taken her usual place upon the throne, with Luna beside her. More unusual was the purple alicorn who sat on Celestia's other side; Twilight Sparkle tried to maintain a regal bearing, but her glazed eyes and sagging ears told anypony who cared to look that her heart was elsewhere.

"Aria Blaze," Celestia stated, "you are accused of crimes against both Equestria and the human world. These crimes were committed over a span of more than a thousand years, and include but are not limited to: use of illegal magic, use of magical compulsion, thievery, attempted murder, and attempted regicide."

The list of Aria's wrongdoings, particularly the mention of regicide, brought a wave of condemning murmurs from the crowd. Sonata tensed angrily.

“You have already confessed yourself guilty,” Celestia’s voice washed over the noise, instantly silencing it, “so I ask only this: do you have anything to say in your defense?”

A hush fell over the room. Aria easily met Celestia's eyes as she tossed out a single, carefree word.

“Nope.”

Celestia nodded and was silent for a time, allowing everypony to feel and appreciate the weight of the moment.

“Then, Aria Blaze, you are hereby sentenced to one thousand years of imprisonment in Tartarus.” Her horn began to glow. “You may make a final statement, if you wish.”

Aria tilted her head in thought. “I don’t think there’s anything to say,” she finally replied. “I just want my sisters to know that I don’t regret anything I’ve done.”

Celestia exhaled. “So be it. It is my honest hope that a thousand years in isolation may teach you the true value of love and friendship, and that you will return as a better pony. Farewell, Aria Blaze.” She lowered her horn.

Aria was covered in a golden glow. Chains appeared on her forehooves, trailing back before fading into nothingness. Her body became translucent, then transparent.

“Aria!” Sonata lunged forward, only to stop as Adagio placed a hoof warningly against her heart. She was prepared to rip the magic from Sonata’s heart if need be, as Sonata herself had done to stop Aria.

Aria turned to face her sisters. Her body was already mostly gone. She lifted a forehoof in farewell and flashed her trademark smirk.

“See ya later.”

She was gone.

Celestia allowed a moment of silence, then lifted her voice above the rising buzz of the crowd. “This session of the Day Court is dismissed.”

Adagio immediately stalked away, but Sonata held her ground as the crowd dispersed. A few others stayed behind as well. The princesses, of course, had to hold their positions until the room emptied. Sunset Shimmer was there as well. She half-expected to see Star Swirl, but he seemed to have followed Adagio from the room.

As the doors slammed shut behind the last of the ponies leaving, Twilight’s mask finally crumbled. She sank to the ground and buried her face under her forehooves, her heart breaking for the one she’d been forced to punish.

“Princess Twilight,” Celestia said softly, heedless of Sonata and Sunset slowly approaching the dais, “are you upset with me?”

She was. She was furious that Celestia had made her do something so horrible. But… no, Celestia had merely pointed out the flaw in what Twilight had wanted to do, a flaw that Twilight herself had recognized even before she proposed it. She could always have gone through with the sentence of banishment anyway, but she had come to the final decision on her own, based on the available evidence and her own knowledge of Equestrian law. This wasn't Celestia's doing.

“I guess not,” Twilight answered. “I feel like I should be. I want to be. But I’m not.”

“It was the correct ruling,” Luna said to her. “I would have come to a similar conclusion.”

“As would I,” Celestia added.

“Then why does it feel so wrong?” Twilight asked. “I—“ She looked up and gasped as she realized that Sonata was at the foot of the dais. Her wings flared in alarm, prompting the royal guards who were present to step in front of her protectively.

“No, I'm sorry, it’s okay,” Twilight said to the guards. They glanced around uncertainly, but stood down. Twilight wanted nothing more than to flee, to teleport out of that awful room and fly someplace far away, someplace where she’d never have to see Sonata’s sad, angry eyes again. Instead, she stepped forward.

“Sonata,” she said, “I’m so sorry that it had to come to this.”

“Why?” Sonata asked. “Why did it have to come to this?”

“Aria had to face justice for her crimes,” Twilight explained sadly, “and the ponies of Equestria needed to know that they would be safe from her.”

“You told me that everything would be okay!” Sonata cried. “You promised!”

Sonata’s sorrow cut Twilight like a razor. She opened her mouth to say something else, but there was simply nothing to say. Thankfully, Luna stepped forward to fill the space.

“Sonata Dusk,” she said, “Princess Twilight has had a very trying day, as have we all. You have my deepest condolences. If you would like to talk to somepony, I would be happy to send for some tea for us.”

Sonata gritted her teeth, tears running unchecked down her face. She considered the offer, then shook her head.

“Never mind,” Sonata said. “Sorry.” She wiped at her eyes, then turned her back on the princesses and left the room.

“I’ll take my leave as well,” Luna said once she was gone. “I should get at least some sleep before the Night Court. 'Tia, Twilight, Sunset, good afternoon.” Her horn glowed blue, and she vanished.

“Twilight,” Celestia said sadly. “I understand if you don’t wish to speak to me right now. I hope that, when you’re ready, you will write to me. In the meantime you should be with your friends. Farewell.” When Twilight didn’t respond, she, too, teleported away.

“Twilight?” Sunset hesitantly climbed the first step of the dais. “Are you okay?”

Twilight shook her head and turned away, hiding her tears from the unicorn.

“You did the right thing,” Sunset said, coming up beside her. “You did the best you could with what you had. That’s all that anypony can do.” Twilight didn’t answer, so Sunset gave her a gentle nuzzle. “Come on,” she said sadly, “our friends are waiting for us.”

Aftermath

"Hi Pinkie," Sunset Shimmer said quietly into her phone. Twilight had wandered a few steps away to sit down, and Spike was trying helplessly to comfort her. "Yeah, we're back. Listen, could you get the girls together? ...Not exactly, no." A heavy sigh. "Yeah, you could say that. Your house? Great, we'll be there soon. Thanks." She hung up. "Hey, Twilight?"

"Yeah?" Twilight answered distantly.

Sunset crouched and took hold of one of her hands. "Everyone's getting together at Pinkie Pie's house again," she said quietly.

"Okay," Twilight replied with the same lack of tone.

Sunset bit her lip, starting to get truly worried. She'd never seen Twilight like this before, and had no idea how to help her. She only hoped that the others could. "Come on," she said quietly, gently tugging on Twilight's hand. "We should go."

"Right. Sorry." Twilight accepted Sunset's help in standing, and together the two of them started the short walk to Pinkie Pie's.

“I told you to go away,” Adagio said coldly. She stood very near where Sonata had left her, in a stand of trees beside the Royal Gardens.

“I will, very soon,” Star Swirl answered. “Before I go, I just wanted you to know that I’m very proud of the ponies you have become. All three of you.”

Adagio grunted. “Why should I care what you think of me?”

“Maybe you shouldn’t,” Star Swirl admitted. “Maybe I needed to say it more than you needed to hear it. Then again, I suppose I won’t remember any of this anyway, once Discord sends me back." He shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps it doesn’t matter at all.”

“Probably not,” Adagio agreed. She paused, then decided to ask something that had been bothering her. “Why did you make us in the first place? Were we really just a science project for you?”

Star Swirl bowed his head. “At first, yes,” he said. “When I created you, the three of you were just one piece of a much larger puzzle. I guess that’s why I just left you once I was finished. That phase was a success, and it was time to move on. It wasn’t until I heard about the havoc you were wreaking on the world that I truly realized what I had done, and by then it was much too late. It’s the story of my life, really.” He looked back up at her. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

“It’s not worth much,” Adagio grumbled.

“I know.” There was a long moment of silence between them. "Are you angry with me?"

Adagio sighed. "No," she said truthfully. "Maybe I should be, but after a thousand years I really just don't care anymore. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even be here to ask about it. Maybe that counts for something."

It was as good of an answer as he was going to get, and a better one than he deserved. Star Swirl turned away from her. "Thank you, Adagio. I won’t trouble you any more.” He began to walk away.

“What puzzle?” Adagio called after him. “What puzzle were we a piece of?”

Star Swirl stopped. After a moment, he turned back to his daughter. “My life’s work,” he replied. “I’m credited with creating over two hundred spells, but the truth is that I only discovered one. I devoted my life to it. Do you know what I’m most famously known for?”

“The amniomorphic spell," Adagio answered immediately. "Everyone who’s ever studied magic knows that.”

“Indeed.” Star Swirl stroked his beard. “Yet nopony seems to know exactly what it is. The lamb-shaped spell, or the spell of lamb-shaping, depending upon your interpretation. It's meaningless either way. I’m responsible for that as well.”

“What are you talking about?” Adagio asked. “Get to the point.”

Star Swirl chuckled. “Ah, forgive an old stallion his rambling. As a pony enters his eleventh decade, he finds that he’d like at least someone to remember him as he was." The ancient unicorn cleared his throat and continued.

“As I said, I discovered and developed only a single spell: the omniomorphic spell—the spell of shaping all things. I believe that it was the very magic used to bring forth this world and its inhabitants. I dedicated my life to learning the very magic of creation, and I succeeded.”

Adagio cocked her head. “Uh-huh,” she said dryly, unimpressed. “So, what happened?”

“I only used the spell twice,” Star Swirl answered. “The first time, I created a world all my own. A whole new dimension, complete with its own physics and laws of nature, its own inhabitants, everything. That was when I knew for sure that I had succeeded.”

Adagio had a strange feeling swelling in her chest. She thought it might be pride. “Right. And the second time?”

Star Swirl sighed. “When I realized the true scope and import of what I had done," he said, "I knew that this was magic that no pony should ever have, least of all myself. I could not even be trusted as a father. There was no way that I was ready to be a god. I considered unmaking the world I'd created, but it was far too late for that. I could not undo what I had done without committing utter genocide.

“Instead, I turned the spell of all things upon itself, fragmenting it into the various spells and schools of magic that I am credited for today. I even warped the knowledge of it, ensuring that it would be known forever as the amniomorphic spell, a fake type of magic with no purpose of its own.

"The pieces of the omniomorphic spell are still usable, but I've ensured that no pony will ever again wield its absolute power.” Star Swirl paused to consider his next words. “Over the course of my life, I’ve gone from being a starry-eyed young fool to a doddering old one. Still, if I’ve ever made a single good decision, that was it.”

"You spent your whole life chasing this one thing," Adagio said slowly, "and as soon as you finally had it, you gave it up. That was your one 'good decision?'"

"That's right," Star Swirl replied. "I don't regret trying, and the things that I learned have been put to excellent use by ponies who are wiser and worthier than I. Still, at the end of it all, I realized that what I had thought I wanted... wasn't really what I wanted at all."

Adagio swallowed against a sudden dryness in her throat. “And what about the world that you created?”

"Oh, it's still out there," Star Swirl said wistfully. "I do hope its people are doing well. I have reason to believe that they are; I like to pop in from time to time, just to check on things." He shook his head. "I am sorry. This conversation wasn't supposed to be about me."

A minute passed as Adagio processed these new revelations, and the unfamiliar feelings they stirred within her: pride for another, respect for one who had accomplished amazing feats, and just a touch of longing for what might have been. Underneath it all was the certainty that Star Swirl hadn't told her his life's story, and his life's regrets, by accident. He wanted her to learn from his mistakes.

Finally, Adagio shook her head and snorted derisively. “You’re senile, old man.”

Star Swirl laughed softly. “Perhaps I am, at that." He turned away again. "Have a good life, Adagio. I know that you’ll do great things.”

With that, Star Swirl began walking away.

Adagio waved after him unconcernedly. "Alright. Bye."

Star Swirl’s horn shimmered with the warping, reality-bending magic of the spell of all things, and he faded.

“...Dad.”

Though the walk to Pinkie's was not a long one, Twilight and Sunset were the last to arrive. Partly that was because everyone else had driven there, and partly because Twilight was moving slowly and getting distracted easily. Sunset offered what support she could, but was relieved when they finally got there. Sunset rang the doorbell.

"Don't trouble yourself," Rarity's distinctive accent rang out from inside, "I'll get it." She opened the door to let them in.

"Hi, Rarity," Sunset said, giving her a hug that lasted perhaps a moment longer than it needed to. It was just long enough to let the always-perceptive girl know that something was off.

"Sunset, is everything okay?" Rarity whispered as they held each other.

"I'm alright," Sunset murmured back. I think. "Go see Twilight."

"Twilight, darling," Rarity said with a forced smile. Even from here, she could see that something was very amiss indeed. The inner light, the spark that usually animated her, was all but gone. "It's good to see you again." She stepped forward and embraced the other girl.

"You too," Twilight mumbled. Her arms folded weakly around Rarity, but her half-hearted hug soon turned into a desperate clutch. She buried her head in Rarity's shoulder and sobbed with sorrow and guilt.

"My goodness, what's wrong?" Rarity gently stroked Twilight's hair in an effort to calm her.

Twilight tried to answer, but all that came out was a gasp as she clung to her friend.

"Maybe we'd better take this inside," Sunset suggested. Rarity agreed, and between them they guided Twilight past the curious stares of Pinkie's family—plus Maud's blank one—and up the stairs. In short order, Twilight was sitting on the bed surrounded by her friends, warming her shaking hands on a cup of hot cocoa courtesy of Pinkie Pie.

"Come on, Twilight, tell us what's up," Rainbow Dash said.

Twilight shook her head slightly. "I don't think I'm ready to talk about it."

"That's alright," Fluttershy said with an understanding smile. "Take your time."

"Sunset Shimmer?" Rarity turned to her with a questioning look.

Sunset took a deep breath. "Twilight... had to make a very difficult decision, and things didn't work out the way we hoped. It's really not my place to say any more than that."

Twilight nodded to her. "Thank you," she mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Pinkie asked, her voice trembling. She had a white-knuckled grip on her own mug of cocoa. "What do you mean things didn't work out?"

Applejack held out a hand. "Pinkie—"

"Tell me!" Pinkie demanded. "What happened to the Dazzlings?"

"Pinkie Pie," Rarity said warningly, "I think she needs some space right now."

Pinkie sat back and held her tongue, but her gaze still burned with the same intensity. She wasn't about to let go of this.

"Aria's gone," Twilight finally murmured. A hush settled over the room.

"What do you mean, gone?" Rainbow asked.

"We... I... sentenced her to a thousand-year imprisonment."

"Twilight, it wasn't like that," Sunset said.

Twilight shook her head. "It was exactly like that. Celestia left it in my hooves, and that's what I decided."

"Maybe you should start from the beginning," Rarity suggested. She'd gotten a brush from somewhere and now set to work on Twilight's hair, gently smoothing it and teasing out the tangles. Twilight found it oddly soothing, rather like having her wings preened at the spa in Ponyville. After a few minutes, she calmed down enough to talk.

"Aria used a loophole in Equestrian law," Twilight explained. "She said that she had been controlling her sisters the entire time using her magic, which makes her responsible for the actions of all of them. Not much is known about the sirens' magic, but we do know that it influences people—and ponies—to do things they normally wouldn't, so it was plausible."

"Ya don't sound like ya believe it, though," Applejack noted.

"I don't," Twilight admitted, "but Adagio and Star Swirl both went along with her story, and they would know better than anypony. Sonata might have tried to fight it, but Aria implied that Sonata was still suffering from the aftereffects of mind control. She made sure that any testimony Sonata gave in her favor would be suspect at best. Add to that the fact that Aria's shown no remorse or desire to change her ways, and attacked us all as soon as she had the chance..." Twilight grimaced. "In short, we had a whole lot of circumstantial evidence laying the blame on Aria, and her own confession besides, and nothing but a gut feeling against it. Like I said to Sunset Shimmer, I couldn't make a decision based on what I wanted to be true. The final decision was that Adagio and Sonata are free as long as they don't cause any more trouble, but Aria's locked away for a really, really long time."

"Goodness," Rarity murmured. "Well, I can certainly see why that would be upsetting, but it sounds like you made the right choice. I shudder to think what she might have done next."

Twilight nodded and bit back a cry. It emerged as a whimper, prompting Fluttershy to take one of her hands. Pinkie was still staring, her piercing blue eyes wide and unblinking, so pained that Twilight couldn't bear to look.

"I wanted to give Aria another chance," Twilight finally forced herself to say. "I was just going to banish her from Equestria, let her stay here in the human world with her sisters and live her life. Celestia... didn't think that was the right choice. She and Luna agreed that Aria was too dangerous to risk it, since she could just go through the portal and be right back in Equestria. She and Luna talked me around to their side, and I finally settled on a thousand years in Tartarus. It's basically an entire dimension that's used as a prison," she explained.

"Look," Rainbow Dash said slowly, "the way I see it, we gave the sirens every chance we could. It's not your fault that Aria was... well, she was evil!"

"I guess what's really getting to me is the fact that I don't know for sure," Twilight admitted. "My gut tells me it's wrong, but Aria really could have been controlling them. Celestia and Luna obviously saw no reason to doubt her."

"Why would she lie about somethin' like that?" Applejack asked. "That'd just make things worse for her, right?"

"Yes, but it would save her sisters," Sunset said. "Really, the only thing that would have changed if she hadn't said anything is that all three of them would have been sentenced." She leaned back against the wall and chewed a thumbnail distractedly.

"What about you, Sunset?" Applejack turned her attention to the other girl. "How're you holdin' up?"

Sunset sighed. "I'm alright, I suppose."

"You 'suppose?'"

Sunset stopped biting her nails and hugged her legs close to herself. "I think I'm just having trouble reconciling how Princess Celestia was acting with the Princess Celestia I know. I mean, she was so happy to see me again, and I'd done terrible things too. There wasn't even any talk of punishment. She just accepted me back like nothing had ever happened. Now she and Luna turn around and do this?"

"Sunset, dear," Rarity said reasonably, "I hardly think that being a high school bully is on the same level as what the sirens did."

"I stole an artifact that Twilight needed to protect Equestria. I tried to kill you!" Sunset shouted back. Alright, she'd been lying. She was far from alright. "I tried to do exactly what Aria and her sisters did, and I got off totally clean!"

"You were wearing an unstable Element of Harmony," Twilight said distantly. "It went berserk. You weren't in control."

"How do you know?" Sunset demanded. "I was a horrible person back then. Would killing you really have been so far out of character for me?"

"Oh, please," Rainbow Dash butted in. "Stealing stuff and spreading rumors is one thing. Turning into a rampaging monster, wrecking the school, and trying to fry us with a fireball is on a whole other level. That wasn't you."

"Indeed, I think now we all understand what you went through," Rarity said quietly. "I'm just thankful that Aria breaking the array didn't give us the kind of power that you had back then."

"Oh, maybe you're right," Sunset said reluctantly. "I don't know. I'm going to need to have a long talk with Princess Celestia sometime."

"Me too," Twilight agreed.

A long silence fell over the girls. At some point, Twilight realized that her cocoa was cooling and took a sip, but she wasn't even able to enjoy the rich, chocolaty drink. She set the mug down on Pinkie's nightstand and hid her face in her hands instead.

Sunset took a breath and stood up. Whatever her own misgivings, Twilight was suffering much more than she was right now, and Sunset knew more than she wanted to about regretting past decisions. She placed a hand gently on Twilight's shoulder.

"Look," Sunset said firmly, "maybe you made the right call today, and maybe you didn't. If you didn't, then you'll just have to go back and fix it." She sat down beside Twilight and gently pulled the other girl's head against her chest.

"Twilight," Sunset continued, "if I've learned anything since you first came to this world, it's that it's never too late to try to make things right. We'll go back to Equestria tomorrow, talk this over with the princesses, and see what we come up with. Sound good?"

Twilight took a breath and relaxed slightly. She didn't speak for a while, simply enjoying the warmth of her friends' presence and the gentle rhythm of Sunset Shimmer's heartbeat. At last, she nodded.

"Yeah. Sounds good."

"Discord," Star Swirl said calmly, "thank you for coming."

"Well," the draconequus answered, his physical form nowhere to be seen and his voice coming seemingly from everywhere, "when you put out a call like that, how can I resist?"

Star Swirl chuckled and let the magic of the fragmented omniomorphic spell fade from his horn. "Thank you for not putting one of those suppressor rings on me this time."

"Ah, yes, that," Discord replied. "You'll have to forgive me. When I felt you channeling magic that shouldn't even exist, I may have gotten a teensy bit nervous."

There was a short silence between them.

"I take it you're ready to go back?" Discord said.

"May I ask you one favor, first?" Star Swirl asked.

Discord's smirk was almost audible. "You may ask me for anything," he replied. "I make no guarantees that I'll do it."

"Of course." Star Swirl paused. "Discord, would you... would you keep an eye on the sirens for me? I'm afraid that I haven't been much of a father to them. I know I won't remember this anyway, but it might ease my conscience a little if I can at least leave them with a friend."

A chuckle echoed all around him. "Is that all?" Discord asked. "Why, I was going to do that anyway. I'll make sure that they're alright; all three of them."

Star Swirl bowed his head. "Thank you. In that case, now I truly am ready."

The sound of snapping talons echoed throughout the royal gardens. A hole appeared in midair, like a window looking out onto nothingness. Star Swirl stepped into it and was gone.

Sonata, back in the human world, lay on her bed clutching a pillow to her chin and doing her best not to think about anything. The lights were off and the curtains were mostly closed, allowing only a sliver of of the late afternoon light into the room. The pillows were still damp with tears, but she'd long since cried herself out. Now she just felt empty. She supposed this was what humans and ponies referred to as heartbreak; as someone who'd had her heart literally broken, at the moment she was certain that this was worse.

Sonata raised her head slightly as someone knocked on her door. "Who's there?" she called out.

A moment passed in silence, long enough that Sonata started to wonder if she'd just been imagining it. Finally, the person on the other side responded.

"It's Adagio."

Sonata gasped and clutched the pillow harder against herself, realizing that there was still one emotion left inside of her: fear. What did Adagio want? Had she come to take revenge for Aria?

"I'm coming in," Adagio said.

The door swung open, spilling the light from the hallway into Sonata's room. Sonata scrambled to her feet and pressed herself against the far wall in a futile effort to escape Adagio's searching eyes. Although she was far more powerful than Adagio at the moment, Sonata's knees felt weak and her stomach was writhing. She didn't have the heart to fight back.

Adagio spotted her immediately and snorted. "Relax," she said, "I'm not here to hurt you." Adagio closed the door behind her and stepped farther into the dimly lit room. Sonata had to moisten her throat before she could speak.

"Adagio," Sonata whimpered. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." She held a shaking hand to her mouth, feeling as if she might be sick.

"Yeah, that's what I thought at first, too." Adagio stalked across the room toward her sister, who pressed herself harder into the wall. "If you hadn't interfered, the Rainbooms would be dead, and we'd rule this world." She stopped halfway to Sonata and stood there, hands on her hips, looking at her sister with a steady gaze.

Sonata trembled where she stood. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "I don't know what else to say. I'm sorry!"

"Well," Adagio continued over her, "I've been thinking about it, and I realized... that isn't what I want."

It took a moment for Sonata to realize what her sister had said. "It isn't?" she asked hesitantly.

"No." Though expressing new and strange ideas, Adagio spoke with the same confidence as ever. "Sunset Shimmer was right, and I guess you were, too. What we were doing was never going to make us happy. It would never have been enough."

Adagio's eyes flicked around aimlessly as she tried to put her thoughts into words. "Plus," she continued, "I think I really would have felt bad if we'd killed those girls. They might have been the first ones ever to do something for us because they wanted to, instead of us making them do it. We could have kept on going the way we were, but when you really think about it, what's the point of it all?"

"What are you saying?" Sonata asked, her voice shaking. "You mean... we're not going to try again?" She hardly dared to hope that Adagio had truly given up her old ways so soon. Then again, Sonata herself had come around as soon as the Rainbooms showed her their friendship. Why not Adagio, too?

Adagio sighed and sat heavily on the bed. "No, I don't want to try again," she murmured. "I'm done. Every time I try something big, we end up worse off than we were before. I got us banished to this awful place. I got our hearts broken. I got Aria..." she cut off with a gasp and buried her face in her hands.

"It's not too late," Sonata murmured softly. She yearned to comfort Adagio, but didn't dare get any closer. "We could go back and tell them the truth."

"No," Adagio answered. "That would just end with all three of us in Tartarus."

"At least we'd all be together," Sonata argued.

"Aria did what she did for a reason, just like you," Adagio replied with a bite in her voice. "The difference is that you were ready for us to change. She wasn't."

"She didn't want to," Sonata said, thinking back to her last conversation with Aria. "She thought the ponies were trying to turn her into something she's not."

"Maybe she was right," Adagio answered. "In any case, she did what she thought was best for all of us."

"Sonata hugged her arms to herself as she thought it over. "Was it?" she asked. "Was it best for all of us?"

"For you, yes," Adagio answered. "Maybe even for her."

"How do you figure?" Sonata demanded. "How could this be what's best for her?"

"In Tartarus, she won't be expected to be anyone except who she is," Adagio explained. "I'll bet there's plenty of negative energy and magic for her to feed on, too. With the kinds of monsters they've got locked up in Tartarus, she could become as powerful as she's ever dreamed." Adagio chuckled. "Who knows? She just might take over the whole dimension."

"Maybe," Sonata said doubtfully.

"Maybe," Adagio agreed, then sighed. "Or maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel better about it."

"No," Sonata said with sudden certainty, "I'm sure you're right. I'll bet, a thousand years from now, she'll come back and introduce herself as Queen Aria of Tartarus!" She threw a hand into the air dramatically.

A silent moment passed, and Sonata slowly returned to her previous subdued mood. What Adagio hadn't said hadn't escaped her.

"What about you, Adagio?" Sonata finally worked up the nerve to take a step closer to her disheartened sister. "Is this what's best for you?"

Adagio didn't speak for a few seconds that seemed to stretch on for eternity. When she finally did answer, it was in a dull monotone. "I have no idea," she admitted. "For the first time in a thousand years, I don't know what to do. I don't even know what I want." She scoffed at herself. "If I'm talking to you about it, I must really be desperate."

"Well..." Sonata said uncertainly, "if you're being really honest with yourself, what would make you happy? What do you want right now, this minute?" Sonata understood that, in her own way, Adagio was asking—no, begging—for help. Sonata was determined to give it.

"I just told you, I don't know!" Adagio snapped, sending Sonata back the step she'd managed to take.

Sonata tried a different tack. "Well, you know what I want?" she asked.

"What?" Adagio grumbled, not especially interested.

"I want someone to be here with me," Sonata whispered. "Someone who can hold me and tell me that everything will be okay. That's what I want right now. So, what do you want?"

"I want..." No sobs or cries escaped her, but a tear trickled silently down Adagio's cheek. "I want my sister back."

"Me too," Sonata murmured. Screwing up her courage, Sonata crossed the short distance to the bed and sat down beside Adagio. The other girl didn't protest. "What do we do now?" Sonata asked quietly. "What's the plan?"

No matter how low Adagio got, that question always snapped her out of it. Adagio was a planner and a strategist, and right now she needed something to focus on.

"Hmm. The plan?" Adagio reached out and yanked Sonata toward her. Sonata let out a short shriek of fright before realizing that she was being pulled into a hug. After Sonata's initial shock faded, she gladly returned it.

Adagio rested her chin on Sonata's shoulder and sighed heavily. She'd lost one sister already; she was only now coming to appreciate the other. "Alright," Adagio said, "here's the plan: you sit right there, and don't let go of me until we're both feeling better."

Sonata gave a small giggle. That was the kind of plan she could get behind. "And then what?"

"And then..." Adagio shook her head in disbelief at what she was about to say. "And then I guess we'll try things your way." She paused, thinking over the implications of what she was saying. "I don't know if I can ever forgive Twilight," she continued, "but the others... well, it wasn't their fault, and they did help us before. I'll give this friendship thing a shot." She tightened her embrace. "It'll be okay, Sonata."

Sonata exhaled in relief and leaned into the hug. Both sirens felt their shoulders dampening with tears, but neither mentioned it. The two sisters held each other in a silent promise of support and love.

Time passed, though neither girl could have said how much. At long last, they let go of each other when Sonata's phone vibrated on her nightstand.

Half-curious, half-scared, Sonata picked up the phone to see who it was. She was expecting it to be Pinkie Pie, and honestly had no idea how she would respond. Adagio said she wanted to try being friends, and Sonata would like nothing more, but she simply wasn't ready to face them yet.

Sonata's face scrunched in surprise at the text. It wasn't from Pinkie Pie. In fact, several things about the message were totally impossible—although, given the one who'd sent it, that didn't mean much.

"What does it say?" Adagio asked, curious about her reaction. Sonata turned the phone around so Adagio could see it.

There was no return phone number, only a smiley face and a line of scrambled code where the sender's information should have been. Underneath that was a short message, only a single sentence.

Go back through the portal at sundown, the text said simply, I have a surprise for you. It was signed, Dissy.

Casualties of Battle

The first thing Sunset Shimmer noticed as she walked up the path toward the school was a certain tension in the air. Students were whispering to each other, pointing, and either hurrying away from or toward whatever they were pointing at. The hushed whispers reminded her uncomfortably of those that were often about her, but today it seemed that she was not the target.

The second thing she noticed was someone standing under the Wondercolt statue in front of the school. The person was wearing a hoodie with the hood up, but her figure was definitely feminine. She had her hands in her pockets and was swiveling her head from side to side as if looking for something. As Sunset watched, the person was joined by two others who were similarly hooded. It was hard to tell from this distance, but they looked all too familiar.

Oh no.

Sunset dropped her bag and raced past a group of startled students. As she got closer, she knew that she was right. She skidded to a stop in front of the three girls and pointed a finger at them.

“What are you doing here, Dazzlings?”

One of the three lowered her hood, revealing an enormously puffy orange hairdo that was much too big to have been contained in there. “Sunset Shimmer,” Adagio Dazzle said smugly. “I was hoping we’d run into you.”

“You know we’re not actually called 'The Dazzlings,' right?” Aria added from under her hood. “That was just our band name.”

“I’m not afraid of you,” Sunset answered Adagio. “We beat you once already.”

“So you did,” Adagio replied with a smirk. “Of course, you had Twilight Sparkle with you then. Where is she, anyway?” The siren made a show of looking for her.

“Adagio, this isn’t why we’re here.” Sonata lowered her hood. The normally bubbly girl looked drawn and pale, and strangely scared. “Please, Miss Shimmer, we need your help!”

Aria sighed. “Here’s a sentence I never thought I’d say: Sonata’s right. We didn’t come here to pick a fight.”

“Um.” Sunset wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting them to say, but this sure as hay wasn’t it.

“Look,” Adagio spoke over them, “you broke our hearts, Sunset Shimmer.”

“I did what?” Sunset exclaimed.

“Ugh.” Adagio rolled her eyes. “Those red gems we all had!”

“Oh.”

“We haven’t eaten in weeks,” Sonata whined from behind her.

“Uh, well, I’m sure Ms. Smith in the cafeteria would give you something—”

“Are you trying to be dense?” Aria cut her off.

“Argh!” Sunset put her head in her hands and took a deep breath. “Alright, start from the beginning. Tell me why you’re here, what you need, and why I shouldn’t just kick you to the curb.”

Sonata stepped forward. “Those gems we all used to wear, our hearts? Those are the source of our magic, and they’re how we feed. We lasted this long because of how much negative energy we absorbed right before, but you guys broke them, and now we’re… we’re…” she sniffled and wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her hoodie.

“We’re starving,” Aria finished for her. “Literally.”

“Oh my gosh,” Sunset gasped, “I’m so, so sorry.” She shook her head. “Wait, why am I apologizing to you three? You attacked the school and turned everyone against each other. You’re monsters!”

“Yes, well, you would know about monsters, wouldn’t you?” Adagio purred.

Sunset looked away and gripped one of her elbows.

“You’re familiar with Equestria, right?” Adagio continued. “Let’s say you’ve got a terrible monster attacking Canterlot. You capture it and find out it’s a unicorn. As punishment for what it did, you cut off the unicorn’s horn and muzzle so it can’t ever use magic or eat food, and you leave it to die.”

Sunset, having once been a unicorn herself, grew pale as Adagio spoke. “We would never do that!”

“Of course you wouldn’t,” Adagio answered. “It’s beyond cruel. But that’s just what you Rainbooms did to us.”

“Alright, stop! Please stop. I get it.”

“That’s why we came back.” Sonata chimed in.

“So why come to me? Do you know of some way to fix them?” Fix them? What am I saying? I can’t unleash the sirens on the world again!

“No,” Aria answered flatly.

“What Aria meant to say,” Adagio said, “is that we don’t know how, but we think it can be done with magic. Equestrian magic.”

“Wow." Sunset massaged her temples. "Alright, hold on, this is just a lot to take in. So, you attacked the school and we beat you, but because of what we did, you’re…”

“Dying?” Adagio supplied helpfully.

Sunset winced. “Right. So you came back to the people you attacked to ask for their help?”

“That’s about it, yeah,” Aria said.

“And why would we even want to help you? Why should we?”

Adagio took a swaggering step forward. “Because,” she said, right in Sunset’s face, “you couldn’t live with yourself if you didn’t. You’re such good girls, you and the Rainbooms. You’d never turn your backs on someone in need, even a former enemy.”

“They wouldn’t,” Sunset answered flatly, “but don’t be too sure about me. You know what I’ve done in the past.”

“Yes, and how you’ve spent every waking moment since then trying to make up for it,” Adagio smirked. “Your tough-girl act doesn’t fool me, Sunset Shimmer.”

What does all this mean? What am I supposed to do?!

Aria, who had been strangely quiet throughout all of this, abruptly swayed where she was standing and leaned back heavily against the Wondercolt statue. For the first time since her arrival, Sunset took the time to really look at the three sirens. Sonata, as she’d noticed before, seemed pale, sad, and scared. Aria could barely stand on her own feet, and was now using the statue to hold herself up. Adagio was putting on a strong front, but her hands were shaking and she looked much too thin, as if she were sick. They were obviously in desperate need.

I’m actually thinking about this, Sunset realized with considerable surprise. I'm considering helping the sirens, giving them back their powers. I can’t just leave them like this, but…

“Please,” Sonata sobbed. “Miss Shimmer, please help us.”

Sunset took another deep breath and looked Adagio in the eye. “Let’s go find the others. If I so much as think that you’re up to something, you three are out on your flanks, got it?”

Great, Sunset thought as the other students in the hall stared at her and the Dazzlings, I can’t wait to see what kinds of rumors come out of this.

“We were all supposed to meet for band practice before school,” Sunset told the sirens as they walked, “I couldn’t make it because I was finishing a project, but the others are probably still in the practice room.”

The sirens didn’t respond. Sunset cleared her throat uncomfortably and led the rest of the way in silence. They arrived at their destination within a few minutes, and Sunset reached for the door.

“Let me talk to them first,” she advised. “It might be a bit of a shock if you three just walked in.”

They still didn’t talk to her, but at least Sonata nodded with a smile. That was something, Sunset supposed.

Sunset stepped into the practice room. “Hi everyone. Sorry I couldn’t make practice.”

“Hey Sunset. It’s cool,” Rainbow answered, “we'll just make you play 'Awesome as I Wanna Be' twice as much at the next one.”

“Haha, yeah. So, listen, I need to talk to all of you.”

“What’s the matter, Sunseaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Pinkie shrieked.

“The Dazzlings!” Rarity gasped. “And they’ve got Sunset Shimmer!” She picked up her keytar with a determined glare at whatever was behind Sunset. Sunset thought she had a pretty good idea of what—or rather, who—it was.

“Formation, girls!” Rainbow shouted. “We need Rainbow Power!” In a flurry of improbable acrobatics, Rainbow and Pinkie leapt across the room to their respective instruments.

“Ah told ya, we ain’t callin’ it ‘Rainbow Power,’ Rainbow Dash,” Applejack said as she slung her bass around herself.

“What else would we call it? It literally shoots rainbows!” Rainbow Dash argued.

“I think the issue of what we call it can wait until after we save our friend,” Rarity snapped.

The others nodded and set themselves to fight, instruments and magic at the ready. Finally prepared for battle, the Rainbooms stared down the Dazzlings. The Dazzlings gazed back with bemused expressions. Awkward silence filled the practice room. Adagio raised an eyebrow. Someone coughed. Sunset facepalmed.

“Look, they aren’t here to fight,” Sunset said to her friends. “And I told you three to wait in the hall!” she snapped at the sirens.

“And miss this?” Aria snickered. “Not a chance.”

“Hi, Pinkie!” Sonata called out, waving to the drummer.

“Hi, Sonata!” Pinkie happily waved back, then returned to glaring at all three of the Dazzlings.

“Um,” Fluttershy spoke up for the first time, “so, if they aren’t here to cause trouble, then why are they here?”

“They came to ask us for help,” Sunset answered her. “You remember those red jewels they had? The ones that we broke during the Battle? They need magic to fix them, and we’re the only ones who have it.”

“Oooookay,” Rainbow said slowly. “Hey, Sunset, are you feeling alright? You do know that these are The Dazzlings, right? The evil, magical monsters who turned the whole school against itself?”

“You know, there’s someone else in this room who fits that description,” Adagio said slyly.

“Oh. Uh, no offense, Sunset.”

“None taken,” Sunset grumbled around another facepalm. “She does have a point, though. If I could turn out to be one of the good guys, then why not these three? And they really are suffering without those jewels.” She decided to spare them the gruesome details, and hoped desperately that the sirens would as well.

“Uh. You sure about this?” Applejack asked.

“Honestly? No. But I do know that we hurt these girls a lot more than we meant to or needed to, and if we can somehow make things right then we should do it. Believe me, I know a lot about making amends.”

“Well,” Rarity said, “if Sunset Shimmer is willing to vouch for them, then that’s good enough for me. Everyone deserves a second chance, I say.”

"That's mighty generous of ya, Rarity, but how do we know that these three aren't gonna turn around and try their same old tricks again as soon as we fix the jewels? If we even can, that is."

"We don't," Sunset sighed. "All we can do is believe in them, the same way you all believed in me."

"Sunset?" Pinkie leaned forward over her drums. "Are you okay?"

The truth was, she wasn't. The Dazzlings and their situation was reminding her all too much of herself during the time following the Fall Formal, and thinking about that always got her emotional. She fought back her feelings and tried to present her case clinically.

"After what I did at the Fall Formal," she began, "everyone was more than ready to just leave me behind. I was evil, and that was that. Everyone thought it would be best to just turn away from me. The only exception was you girls. You and Princess Twilight believed in me. When I said I was sorry, you were the only ones who listened to me. When I tried to make things right, you were the only ones who thought my efforts were genuine.

"If it weren't for you girls, the others would have been totally right. I would have done whatever it took to get back into everyone's good graces, and I'd have gone right back to my old tricks. I'd have manipulated and hurt everyone, beaten everyone down until I was on top of the heap again, because I would have had nothing else to strive for. You changed all of that. Thanks to you, I learned what friendship really is. I learned what was really important. If we don't give that same chance to the sirens... well, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if we didn't."

"Hmph," Aria cut in with a sigh. "That's very touching and all, but we're not talking about friendship here. We're talking about food."

"Here's what it boils down to, Rainbooms," Adagio said. "I'll try to keep this simple for you. Either you help us and we have a chance, or you don't, and we slowly and painfully starve to death."

“I must say, you three certainly have a strange way of asking for help,” Rarity scolded. “Still, I stand by what I said before. If Sunset Shimmer is vouching for you, I shall do what I can.”

“I agree,” Fluttershy said. “They’ve done some awful things, but we can’t just leave them to suffer.”

Applejack leaned her bass against the wall. “Ah’m with ya, I suppose. Though heck if I know how to fix magical doodads like those things.”

“Gee,” Pinkie said thoughtfully, “I don’t know if my parents would let me invite magical monsters to a slumber party.”

“I say you’re all nuts!” Rainbow shouted. Everyone stopped and stared at her. “We don’t owe these three anything, and the world would be a better place without them.”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity gasped. “What a terrible thing to say!”

“Well, it’s true! No way am I helping the Dazzlings get their magic back.”

“Rainbow Dash, please,” Fluttershy begged. “They need us, and we already said we’d help.”

“Really? I sure don’t remember saying that.” Rainbow looked around, finally noticing that everyone else in the room was glaring at her. “Whatever. You guys do what you want, I’m out.” She set down her guitar and left the room, making sure to slam the door behind her.

“Oh dear.” Fluttershy whispered.

Back to Equestria

As Twilight and the others neared the front doors of the school, the princess turned to Sonata.

“I hate to do this,” Twilight said, “but I can’t risk Aria and Adagio learning where the portal is from you. Could you cover your eyes for a few minutes?”

Sonata nodded and grinned. “I love secrets!” She placed her hands over her eyes and promptly walked straight into the doorframe. “Ow!”

Sunset covered her mouth with one hand to muffle her laughter, and used the other to guide Sonata safely outside. She was glad of the distraction, because the butterflies in her stomach had grown into a full swarm. The three of them reached the Wondercolt statue without further incident.

Sunset stared at the blank stone panel as if she could already see through to Equestria, and wasn’t sure she liked what she was seeing. The place that had consumed her thoughts for so long was only a step away. This time she’d be there this time as a welcomed guest, rather than an intruder and a criminal. There was nothing to be afraid of. It was only a step away, and yet her legs seemed to have locked up.

“Why don’t you go through first,” Twilight suggested to her. “We’ll be right behind you.”

“I…” She just had to take a single step, and she couldn’t do it.

“Come on, Sunset!” Spike unexpectedly jumped up and grabbed hold of her hand. Despite his sharp teeth and evident enthusiasm, his grip was gentle. Sunset allowed him to pull her forward more out of surprise than anything.

One step was all it took. One step, and Sunset felt her body being warped and twisted by the portal’s magic. It didn’t hurt, exactly, but it was extraordinarily strange to feel her bones and muscles reshaping themselves to an equine form. She’d experienced it several times before, of course, but she didn’t think she would ever get used to the feeling.

As abruptly as it had started, it was over. Sunset teetered on her hind legs for a moment before catching her balance and falling forward to all fours. All fours. I have four legs again. She tapped against the crystal floor and listened excitedly to the sharp clicking noise it produced. Hooves! She looked herself over, admiring her orange coat and her red-and-gold mane and tail. She paused a moment as she caught sight of her cutie mark, the sun that looked so much like… like her teacher’s.

Hesitantly, as though unsure whether she should, Sunset reached up and felt for her horn. It was there, of course, the leylines all exactly as she remembered them, fairly begging for the chance to channel her magic again. Before she had the chance, however, the portal began rippling again. It quickly occurred to Sunset that she should probably get out of the way, and she skipped to the side just as two more equine forms fell through, landing in an undignified pile on the floor.

Twilight quickly extricated herself from Sonata, who had apparently clung on to her as they went through. Twilight shook her head and stretched out her wings, reveling as Sunset had in being back to her pony self.

“Sonata?” Twilight called out to the pony still on the floor. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Sonata replied, a bit muffled by the floor. “One sec.” She began to push herself up to her hooves, but she was clearly unfamiliar with her front legs and they gave out under her, causing her to bang her muzzle against the ground. “Ouch! Who’s the wise guy who made the floor out of crystal, anyway?” She continued muttering inaudibly as she got her hooves beneath her and stood up, with a few words like slippery and stupid leaking through.

Sunset and Twilight took little notice of her antics, being too preoccupied with seeing her equine self for the first time. They had both seen the pictures in Twilight’s books, and of course they’d seen the sirens’ odd merpony-like forms at the Battle, but this was different. She looked, for the most part, like an ordinary pony. Her coat was a dusky blue, and her mane and tail bore the same blue and purple streaks she’d had in the human world. She even had a cutie mark, a heart overlaid with a jagged musical note. On her sides, however, right where a pegasus’s wings would be, were two pale pink, fin-like appendages unlike anything on any normal pony. As she stood up she stretched the fins out, and Sunset and Twilight saw that they were nearly translucent, the veins within somewhat visible.

Sonata turned around, her habitual smile back in place. Sunset and Twilight both bit back screams of horror.

“What?” Sonata asked in her usual oblivious manner. “What is it?”

Unable to form the words, Twilight simply pointed. Right in the center of Sonata’s chest was a hole the exact size and shape of her pendant. Thankfully nothing was visible through the hole, it simply looked black inside, but nonetheless Sonata stood in front of them with what amounted to a gaping wound in her chest.

“Oh,” Sonata said, looking down at herself. “That’s where my heart should be.”

Sunset, one hoof clapped over her mouth, nodded shakily. After a moment, once she trusted herself to speak, she added, “I figured as much.”

Spike, back in his baby dragon form, came toddling around to stand next to Twilight. “What are you guys looking ahh!” he cried out in alarm, pointing to Sonata with a trembling claw. “W…w-w-what is that?!”

“It’s me, silly Spikey!” Sonata said blithely. “Don’t tell me you don’t recognize your favorite siren?”

“No, I know who you are, but—”

At a look from Twilight, he swallowed whatever he’d been about to say about the ugly hole in her chest and replaced it with, “Um, doesn’t that hurt?”

“Not really,” Sonata said, poking at it experimentally. “It doesn’t feel like anything. Makes sense, since it isn’t anything.” She became momentarily fascinated with the fact that she could fit almost an entire hoof inside the hollow. She only stopped because Twilight, looking distinctly green under her purple coat, caught hold of her foreleg and set it back down.

“Wait a minute,” Sunset said as she looked around. Granted, it was rather hard to tell one crystal palace from another, but she didn’t think that this was the same place. “Where are we?”

“This is my castle, on the outskirts of Ponyville.” Twilight said. The idea that she had her own castle was still a bit strange, but she was coming to terms with it. “I had the mirror moved here.”

Sunset looked around the vast, mostly empty room. Overall it had the look of someplace that the owner hadn’t quite settled into yet. The only thing of note in this room was the mirror itself, and the insane array of apparatus around it. Her eyes widened as she saw what sat at the top of it. “Is that…?”

“It’s your book," Twilight confirmed. "Well, Princess Celestia’s copy of it. The magic in those books is what lets me open the portal.”

If seeing her own cutie mark had been jarring, seeing Celestia’s emblazoned on the cover of that book was all but paralyzing. Sunset tore her eyes away. “So,” she said with a failed attempt at her normal tone, “what’s the plan?”

If Twilight noticed her reaction to the book, she didn’t mention it. Sunset was grateful for that. “Somepony should go to Canterlot and check the library there,” she said. “I’ve got a pretty good collection here, but it’s still nothing compared to what they have in the royal palace. For obvious reasons, I think I should be the one to go.”

Sunset nodded her agreement. Sonata had become distracted with poking at the portal.

“You and Sonata stay here and see what you can find. I’ll show you the library before I go. I’ll take the book with me so that we can keep in touch.” Suiting actions to words, she lifted the journal up in a magical field and tucked it safely in a saddlebag.

“Won’t that close the portal?” Sunset asked. Indeed, almost as soon as Twilight had taken the book, the magical energy in the archway had become unstable and dissipated.

Twilight nodded. “Yes, but as long as I have that book I can open it at any time.”

Sunset noticed a major flaw in Twilight’s system: if anything happened to the book while she was in the other world, the portal would close. She’d be trapped there until the next time it opened on its own. Sunset made a mental note to discuss it with Twilight once things weren’t so desperate.

“Hey,” Sonata said, suddenly quiet and unsure of herself. “Do you think maybe we could… get started?” She was trying to be respectful, but there was a note of desperation hidden beneath her words that the others couldn’t ignore.

“Of course,” Twilight said. “The sooner the better. Let me show you where the library is, and then I’ll teleport myself over to Canterlot.” She started trotting away, leaving Sonata and Sunset to follow.

Sunset hurried to catch up. “Did you just say that you would teleport yourself to Canterlot?”

“Yeah.” Twilight at least had the grace to look sheepish about it. “I’ve always had a lot of magical energy, and ever since I became an alicorn it’s just been increasing. Teleporting that far is tiring, but I can do it.”

Sunset’s jaw dropped. “That’s incredible. I can’t imagine how much power that must take.”

Actually, she could: a standard teleport moved the caster about ten feet. It took roughly double the magic to move a hundred feet as it did to move ten, with the magical strain increasing exponentially from there. So, given the distance from Ponyville to Canterlot, it would require… Sunset bounced a few numbers around in her head and concluded that it was way more magic than any unicorn had ever had. “Wow.”

Twilight laughed nervously. “Oh, that’s nothing. You should have seen me when the other princesses all gave me their magic, back when Tirek escaped from Tartarus and attacked us. I tried to teleport from one rock to another and wound up in Manehattan.” She blushed and rubbed the back of her head.

Sunset blinked, and her mouth worked silently for a second. She could practically hear her brain breaking and leaking out her ears. “I don’t even know which part of that is the most impossible,” she finally managed.

“Obviously none of it, since it all happened,” Sonata giggled. “I mean, that was all true, right?”

“Yeah.” Twilight appeared to regret choosing that topic, for she quickly ended the conversation by pointing to a stairway leading down. “Anyway, the library is down there. It’s got everything we were able to recover from my treehouse, plus the contents of the library from the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. There must be something we can work with.” Twilight glanced out the window and noted that the sun near its peak. “I’ll be back by sundown,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll have figured something out by then.”

“Right.” Sunset reached out and gave Twilight a quick hug goodbye. “Good luck.”

“You too.”

“Me three!” Sonata joined their hug uninvited.

Twilight took a step back. “You might want to cover your eyes,” she warned them. Her horn began to glow purple. She strained visibly, and the magic acquired a white overglow. Finally, with sweat starting to bead on her forehead, she vanished in an impossibly bright flash. Sunset swore that she could briefly see the bones of the foreleg she’d thrown in front of her eyes.

“Wow.” Sonata’s jaw was practically on the floor.

“You said it.” Sunset stood blinking at where Twilight had been before finally coming back to herself. “Come on,” she said, “we’ve got a lot to do.”

Sunset and Sonata descended the stairs into a dimly lit room. Sunset caught herself looking for a light switch before remembering that she was back in Equestria, and her stomach did yet another backflip at the realization that she truly was back in Equestria. Twilight would never allow torches in a library, Sunset reasoned, so there would have to be… there!

Sunset reached out with her magic. As she’d discovered during her last time in Equestria, one never really forgot how to use magic any more than one forgot how to move a limb. Even so, it truly did feel like she’d regrown a long-lost appendage. She reveled in the gentle warmth of her magic flowing through the leylines of her horn and beyond, exerting her will on the world around her. It was only a simple glowball, but using her magic to light it filled her with a kind of glee that she hadn’t felt since she was a filly. The orb took and held a tiny amount of her magic, filling the room with a gentle white glow.

The two continued into the room, their hoofsteps echoing around the cavernous space. Sunset marveled again at how empty this magnificent building was. She idly wondered what she would do with a castle of her own, and her mind filled with enticing visions: rare artworks and treasures adorning every surface, scores of petitioners kissing her hooves and seeking her favor, a handsome stallion or three to liven up the space… Sunset felt an intense heat rising in her face and quickly banished the images. On second thought, maybe it’s better that I don’t have my own castle.

Sunset cleared her throat. “Well,” she said, just a little too brightly, “let’s get to work.”

The two went in among the bookshelves and began doing research in their own distinct ways. Sunset Shimmer already had a short but growing mental checklist of topics she wanted to look into. As was to be expected, Twilight had her library meticulously organized, and finding the books she sought was quite easy.

Sonata wandered around pulling down books seemingly at random. Without any magic to spare, she was reduced to climbing shelves physically and using her mouth to get the books. She often read no more than a few words before putting one book back and taking another, or abandoning a section of the library entirely. Spike tried to help out as he could, but the subject matter quickly went beyond his limited experience and attention span.

They’d been at it for a few hours when something in Sunset Shimmer’s backpack—saddlebag, she reminded herself—started buzzing like a cell phone. She used her magic to open the bag and pull out her book. Inside was a single line from Twilight:

Find anything?

Sunset instinctively reached for her pocket to get a pen before remembering that she was in Equestria. Her pockets, and indeed her pants, were a thing of the other world. She had to root around in her bags again to find a spare.

Sort of, Sunset answered. There’s some promising stuff in this book on geomancy, but it’s all pretty advanced. I’m also looking into changeling magic. If all else fails, I’m hoping we can find another way for the sirens to feed.

Good thinking, came the reply, I’m looking into golems and other types of animated stone. If this doesn’t get me anywhere, maybe I’ll look into centaurs. I might be able to find a way for them to physically eat magic like Tirek did.

Sunset nodded to herself and put the book away again. She would have to ask Twilight about this Tirek character when they weren’t in crisis mode anymore. She turned back to her book, but no sooner had she found her place again than her train of thought was interrupted by hoofsteps coming down the crystal staircase.

Sunset’s pupils shrank to pinpricks. Someone was coming! With Twilight miles away in Canterlot, explaining her own presence here would be awkward enough. How in the world would she explain Sonata? Her mind racing, Sunset galloped across the room to where Sonata was idly flicking through a book on Starswirl the Bearded. “Sonata,” she hissed, “you need to hide!”

“Twilight?” An unexpectedly familiar voice floated down the staircase, accompanied by a glow of light blue magic. “Twilight, darling, are you back already? I thought I saw the light from the portal again."

Sonata squeaked and scrambled for cover behind a bookcase, catching on that they would both have a lot of uncomfortable explanations to give if she were seen.

A white unicorn with a painstakingly coiffed mane and tail came into view. If her accent and hairstyle hadn’t been a dead giveaway, the three-diamond cutie mark certainly was. “Oh,” she said, catching sight of Sunset, “terribly sorry, I was looking for Princess Twilight. Might I ask what you’re doing here?” Her voice held a small thread of suspicion.

“Hi Rarity,” Sunset answered. “Twilight had to go to Canterlot for the day, but she said I could use the library to do some research.”

“Ah, I suppose that explains it then.” Rarity tilted her head slightly. “I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage. Do I know you?”

Oh, of course! It had taken Sunset a moment to adjust to the idea that this unicorn was obviously Equestria’s Rarity, and not her friend from the other world. “Well," she answered, "no, not really. I’m Sunset Shimmer.”

“Goodness!” Rarity exclaimed, “The Sunset Shimmer?”

“Oh.” Sunset averted her eyes uncomfortably and scuffed a hoof. “I guess you’ve heard of me, then?”

“I’ve heard, er, some things, yes,” Rarity answered delicately. She apparently realized that this was not the best thing to say, and quickly backpedaled. “Oh, not all bad things, to be sure. Why, the last time Twilight returned from that other world she had positively glowing things to say about you!”

And the time before that? Sunset grimaced. “Well," she returned to the original topic, "Princess Twilight said she’d be back by sundown, so I guess you could try back around then. Sorry about that.”

“Not at all, darling." Rarity was silent for a moment, then nodded to herself. "Well, once Twilight gets back, I insist that you both come by the Boutique for tea. I’d love to get to know the real Sunset Shimmer.”

Sunset rubbed her mane. “It’s really not a great time, but I’ll see what I can do. Thank you for the invitation.”

“But of course, it’s no trouble at all. Well, I’ll be off then. I hope to see you later, Miss Shimmer.”

“Please, just Sunset is fine,” she answered. “See you later, Rarity.”

As Rarity trotted back up the stairs, Sunset’s ear twitched. She’d heard a tiny gasp from behind her where Sonata was hiding. Rarity turned the corner and disappeared from view just as Sonata came out with one hoof pressed to her nose and her muzzle scrunched up in discomfort.

“It’s really d- ahh, dusty back… acheew!” Sonata sneezed, which sounded rather like a kitten being startled.

“Gesundheit,” Rarity called back behind her.

“Thank you!” Sunset answered hastily, shoving a hoof in Sonata’s mouth before the ditzy siren could give herself away. Once Sunset could no longer hear Rarity’s hoofsteps, she removed it.

Sonata immediately sneezed again and started rubbing her itchy muzzle with a hoof. “Hey Suddy,” she said, her voice comically nasal, “take a look at this.” She used her unoccupied foreleg to slide the book she’d been reading over to Sunset.

“What is it?” Sunset quickly glanced over the open pages, then did a double-take. She picked the book up in her magic and carefully reread the words. “Although Starswirl the Bearded is best known for inventing the amniomorphic spell,” Sunset read aloud, “he made groundbreaking discoveries in many varieties of shaping magics.” That statement was followed by a short list of examples, of which three immediately stuck out for Sunset.

“Geomorphic, the magic of shaping earth and stone,” she read, making sure that she was seeing it right. “Biomorphic, the magic of shaping living things. Metamagic, the magic of shaping leylines and magic itself. Sonata, this is incredible!” she exclaimed.

“Acheew!” Sonata agreed.

“Here.” Sunset pulled a handkerchief from her bag and gave it to Sonata, then took out the book that bore her cutie mark.

I think we’re on to something, she wrote hastily. Starswirl the Bearded worked on a lot of different kinds of magic, and I think some of them can help us here. We’re going to try looking for information on his geomorphic, biomorphic, and metamagic spells.

With her message sent, Sunset returned the book to its place in her saddlebag. “How did you find this?” she asked Sonata in amazement.

“Well,” Sonata explained, “since Starswirl the Bearded was the one who banished us, it made sense that he had to know a lot about us. You can’t just send things to other dimensions, you know? You need to know, like, what they’re made of and how they work, or else you can't do it right and they’ll disintegrate on the way over. Well, unless you’re using something with built-in safeguards like that mirror. Anyway, I found some old books about magical research from back in Starswirl’s time, and they eventually led me to that one!” She smiled proudly.

Sunset’s jaw was hanging again. “I… that’s…”

“Hehe.” Sonata reached over and physically closed Sunset’s mouth. “You’re gonna catch flies, Sunny.”

Sunset quickly reevaluated her opinion of this siren. Sonata was clearly a whole lot smarter than she let on, which meant that she could be much more dangerous than they’d given her credit for. “Anyway,” she said, “this is great stuff. Let’s keep going.”

“Mhm!” Sonata nodded, and the two of them dove back into the stacks.

Epilogue: Goodbye for Now

"Nice place," Aria drawled to herself, her hooves clicking against the ground as she paced around the small, secluded pillar of stone she'd been sent to. There were other such pillars within flying distance, but nothing to recommend any one of them over this one. Beyond that, all she could see was the eternally dark sky. There was no sign of any sort of ground below, nor any way out. Logically, she knew that Cerberus guarded the only exit, so theoretically she could find him and thus know how to escape, but she had little interest in that right now. Cerberus stood guard over the most cunning and dangerous beings in the world, and even if she could somehow overpower or trick him, getting back to Equestria would do her little good. At worst, it might lead to more trouble for her sisters, and this would all have been for nothing.

She'd assumed that there would be other prisoners here, people whom she could manipulate and bring under her control, but she couldn't see any from here. There was quite a bit of negative energy to feed on, meaning that there had to be others somewhere nearby. The energy was a bit different than what she was used to. The magic had a blackish tinge to it, and burned slightly as she took it in. It wasn't an unpleasant burn, exactly, but it was rather unexpected—the closest comparison she could think of was how her mouth had felt after Sonata had dared her to try drinking hot sauce. Aria's best guess was that the magic of Tartarus was somehow tainted, or at least slightly different from Equestria. Still, the negative energy fueled her and increased her strength like usual, and there was certainly plenty of it. Once she'd begun to feed, she'd snapped the chains that Celestia had bound her with like taffy. They had turned out to be completely mundane metal, apparently more for show than function. She would even be able to produce her true siren form without much trouble, though doing so now would be a waste of energy.

A flash of colorful magic in the corner of her eye caught her attention. One of the pillars close to her had somehow been changed. It no longer looked like stone, but was striped in red and white like a candy cane. As she watched, further embellishments appeared: a miniature sun with a silhouette of Celestia's head making a silly face in it, a geyser of what seemed to be soda, and an oddly flat replica of Canterlot. Soon, the strange creation was populated by shadows of ponies and other creatures. They seemed to have no substance, and would fall through the stone floor or fly off into nothingness if left unattended, but otherwise they trotted about their business like usual.

What in Tartarus is going on? Aria wondered. She shook her head at the unintentionally ironic choice of words. A pair of fin-like appendages snapped open from her sides, and she winged her way toward the strange spectacle. As she drew closer, she saw something that made her pupils shrink and her fins nearly lock up in mid-flight. An unmistakable black-and-red throne sat in the middle of that pillar, antlers branching from the top and rubies staring outward like menacing red eyes. Discord's throne.

Pleading to whatever deities might care that he hadn't noticed her, she immediately backpedaled and raced for what she'd come to think of as "her" pillar. She remembered all too well what had happened the last time they'd met Discord, and back then she'd had her sisters at her side. Aria wasn't afraid of much, but a mad draconequus who could literally turn her inside-out on a whim was up there.

"Ah, there you are!" a jocular voice cried out. With a flash of white light, Discord appeared directly in her flight path.

Aria flared her fins desperately to stop her momentum. Without taking time to think about what she was doing, she channeled energy from her heart into a massive blast of sound, which she screamed at Discord. The red waves of magic broke over him with no visible effect.

"Now that was rather rude, wasn't it?" Discord asked, sounding a bit miffed. He dug his talon claws deep into one ear and pulled out an earplug that was nearly the size of his entire head. "And after I went to all this trouble for you."

"Discord," Aria stated, trying her best to sound cool and collected. "So the ponies got you too?"

"Oh, no no no." Discord paused, then cocked his head. "Well, yes, actually. In a manner of speaking. Suffice it to say that I'm here of my own free will, and I can leave whenever I please."

His answer explained exactly nothing, but Aria didn't press the matter.

"So what do you want with me?" she asked instead. If Discord really could leave Tartarus whenever he wanted, then she would see to it that he finished his business here as soon as possible.

"Why, I'm here to throw you a housewarming party!" Discord exclaimed. He folded his arms and tapped his chin thoughtfully, producing a sound oddly like a dog yelping. "Pillarwarming party? Realmwarming party? Oh, you know what I mean."

"A party?" Aria repeated skeptically. She had some thoughts about what Discord's idea of a "party" could be, and none of them were pleasant.

"Indeed. You didn't think I'd set up all of those decorations just for fun, did you?" Discord questioned. "I mean, I did, but the idea was that you would come and have some fun too."

"Um..." Aria had no idea how to respond to this, and the fact that she was nearly trembling with fear wasn't helping her think.

"Close enough," Discord said. He reached toward her with his lion's paw. Aria cried out and tried to evade, but the limb stretched and twisted impossibly and he caught her with ease. With a flash of light, she found herself standing in the middle of the Canterlot replica—which, she now realized, was made of cardboard—next to Discord. The soda geyser was on his other side.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Aria demanded angrily, but the draconequus was already lost in thought.

"Hmm." Discord tapped his chin again, creating a disquieting assortment of noises. "Something's missing... ah!" He stretched out with his talons and took hold of a zipper in midair that certainly hadn't been there before. "After all, what's a party without guests?" He somehow unzipped the air, revealing a swirling portal of energy that looked extremely familiar. After all, Twilight had taken Aria and her sisters through an identical one just a few hours before.

Aria took a hesitant step forward, her fear and rage momentarily overwhelmed by fascination. "Is that what I think it is?" she asked.

"That would depend on what you think it is," Discord replied matter-of-factly.

"I think," Aria quipped back, "that you just opened a portal to Equestria in the middle of Tartarus. Are you setting me free?"

"Heavens, no," Discord answered. "Celestia would have my head. I can always grow a new one, but it's a rather unpleasant process."

"Enough beating around the bush, Discord," Aria snapped, her diffidence finally overcome by annoyance, "what are you up to?"

"I think you'll find out in about..." Discord checked his wrist, which suddenly had a golden watch on it, "...three seconds."

They lapsed into silence as the watch ticked out the promised time. Exactly on the third tick of the second hand, the portal shimmered and rippled as something, or someone, pushed through it.

"Huh? This isn't Twilight's castle," a familiar blue-coated pony cried out in confusion. She looked around and shuffled her hooves nervously. "Where are we, 'Dagi?"

A second pony emerged, striding much more confidently than the first, just in time to hear the question. She looked around carefully, taking note of the stone pillars, the darkened sky, and the crazed version of Canterlot she found herself in. She couldn't fail to notice Discord and Aria standing nearby.

"Hmm. If I had to guess," Adagio stated, "I would say we're in Tartarus." She nodded at the draconequus. "If I had to guess who's responsible, it was probably your pen pal."

"Aria!" Sonata squealed, finally spotting her sister. Without missing a beat, she hurled herself bodily into Aria, forcing the other siren to catch her in an awkward embrace or be knocked to the ground.

"Oh, now I get it," Aria groaned. She looked past her ecstatic sister to lock eyes with the spirit of chaos. "The ponies sent you here to torture me."

With a good cry and a night's sleep behind her, Twilight was feeling a lot calmer about her decision to banish Aria. She still wanted to talk it over with Celestia, and especially to find out exactly why the other princesses had pushed her toward that decision, but the more she thought about it, the more certain she was that she'd made the right call.

Twilight and Sunset had returned to Equestria the following morning. Twilight had sent a letter off to Celestia, and almost immediately gotten a reply inviting them both to take a walk through the gardens with the princess. Twilight could have teleported herself to Canterlot again, but bringing Sunset along for the trip would have been difficult even for her, so they had opted to take the train instead. The trip had passed in relative silence, as both ponies were lost in their respective thoughts, but it had been a companionable silence rather than an awkward one.

Now, the two of them walked beside Princess Celestia as they passed through the halls of the palace and out into the beautiful royal gardens. Trees and flowers of every type imaginable, many of which could not be found anywhere else in Equestria, stretched out before them. Locked gates and strategically placed guards guaranteed their privacy, and Celestia's notably absent regalia promised that this was meant to be a friendly conversation rather than an official one.

The three walked for a time in silence, as each waited for another to broach the uncomfortable topic. Sunset in particular found this to be a difficult task, not only because she had so recently made up with her former mentor, but because strolling through the gardens like this was bringing back many memories that, tainted as they were by Sunset's past actions, were not as sweet as they should have been. Without meaning to, she found herself trailing a couple of steps behind the others.

Twilight paused to smell a particularly bright red flower. It had a sweet, calming scent, with just a hint of spice beneath it. Twilight took a deep breath, losing herself in the aroma for a moment. At last, she felt ready to bring up the reason why they were there.

"Celestia?" Twilight gently broke the silence.

"Yes?" Celestia asked kindly, continuing to walk down the path.

"Did... did I do the right thing yesterday?"

Celestia lidded her eyes thoughtfully, as if pondering exactly how she wanted to answer that. "Do you believe that you did?" she asked.

Twilight exhaled softly. She'd been expecting something like that. "Based on all available evidence, I would have to say yes," she replied. "Aria Blaze was still a very real threat, and all that I really had telling me that she was lying about controlling her sisters was a gut reaction."

"Lying?" Celestia asked in genuine surprise. "Why would you think that she was lying?"

"Like I said, just a feeling," Twilight answered. "It doesn't seem right that the sirens would be able to affect one another like that. Still, Adagio supported the story, and even Star Swirl said that it was plausible." She shook her head. "That's not even the point. The point is that I don't know if I'm comfortable with condemning somepony like I did. Even somepony who, by all accounts, seemed to deserve it."

Celestia nodded. "I understand. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that being a princess is not always easy. Sometimes we must make difficult or painful decisions for the good of our ponies, or as the law demands. I know you have some small experience with that already."

"Well, there was the time I almost let Rainbow Dash trade Fluttershy away for a book," Twilight remembered sheepishly. Sunset's eyebrows twitched, and she made a mental note to ask about that one later.

"Which was the correct ruling," Celestia replied. "Since both parties had agreed to the trade, it was not your place to overturn it. Thankfully, that incident worked out for the best. I know that it's not quite the same, but in this case you made a similarly unpleasant—but ultimately correct—decision." She paused. "Still, it is one thing to think that you have done the right thing. I asked if you believe it."

"Hm?" Now that was something that Twilight had not been expecting. "I'm not sure I understand."

"Your mind is telling you that you came to the right conclusion," Celestia explained, "but I think your heart is telling you something else. That's why you're here, isn't it?"

"It's..." Twilight's ears twitched, then drooped slightly. "I guess I don't really know what my heart is telling me. That's the problem. I still think I did the right thing, but when I think about how badly I hurt Sonata and Adagio by doing it, I just don't know."

"So the issue is not really that you're questioning your decision, but that you feel guilty about causing others pain," Celestia observed.

"Yeah," Twilight answered. "It's not the first time I've had to do something like this," she continued, remembering how many of the other villains she'd faced had wound up imprisoned, blasted away, or in one case shattered to bits, "but it's the first time I've done it... I don't know... deliberately? And it's the first time that the one I banished had family to be hurt by it."

Celestia stopped and turned around. "Twilight," she said seriously, "all you did was your duty as a princess of Equestria. You must not blame yourself for what Aria's actions led her to. Ultimately, she was the one who caused Adagio and Sonata such pain, not you."

"You must have gone through this yourself, right?" Twilight asked. She was thinking specifically of when Celestia had been forced to banish Nightmare Moon, but felt that particular topic was likely off-limits. "I mean, when your decisions hurt other ponies, even if they were the right decisions?"

Celestia nodded. "More times than I care to remember," she replied. "I won't lie and say that it becomes easy, but you eventually learn to place the blame where it belongs."

They walked in silence for another few minutes.

"Sunset Shimmer," Princess Celestia said after a while, "you've been very quiet. What's troubling you?"

Sunset felt a thrill at hearing her mentor speak her name again, but it was muted beneath her confused thoughts about the pony before her. "It's..." She licked her lips nervously, a habit she'd picked up as a human. "I guess I've never really seen this side of you before," she finally said. "Even when I finally came back to Equestria, you were so understanding and forgiving. It was strange to see you pushing for banishment."

Celestia's ears drooped slightly. "You do know that I have had to sentence many beings to banishment, or worse, do you not?" she asked.

"Yes," Sunset said uncertainly, "of course."

"Punishing those who do wrong is an unfortunate part of ruling," Celestia continued. "I do not enjoy it by any means, but I do what I must."

"What about me, though?" Sunset persisted. "I could have endangered all of Equestria by taking the Element of Magic, and I tried to kill Twilight and her friends. Why did you forgive me so easily?"

Celestia did not respond for a long moment. "You think that I was playing favorites," she observed sadly.

Sunset winced. She'd hoped never to hear that tone from her former teacher again. It was too similar to how she'd sounded when Sunset had shouted at her before running away. Twilight also looked profoundly uncomfortable.

"Sunset Shimmer," Celestia said, "aside from the fact that Twilight told me of your heroic actions the first time the sirens appeared, and gave you a royal pardon for your past crimes, you apologized and asked forgiveness of your own accord. You said that you wanted another chance, a chance to be better, and your actions upheld your words. Had Aria made similar efforts, I would have happily agreed that she deserved the opportunity. Do you understand now?"

"Is it really that simple?" Sunset asked. "If Aria had said she was sorry, she wouldn't be in Tartarus right now?"

"She would have had to show it through more than her words, but essentially yes," Celestia answered. "If she had shown remorse, or a desire to learn the value of friendship instead of simply dominance, I would have pushed to give her that chance. Unfortunately, she showed no signs of changing her ways."

Sunset scuffed the ground uncertainly.

"Do you think that I'm a hypocrite?" Celestia asked quietly.

Sunset's ears shot upright and her eyes widened. "No, of course not!" she exclaimed. "I... I just wanted to understand. I never meant to make it sound like that. I'm sorry."

Celestia smiled sadly. "It is alright," she said. She paused. "You are grown mares now, both of you. You are seeing sides of Equestria, and of me, and of yourselves, that you have not seen before. I certainly understand that that can be uncomfortable."

Twilight and Sunset shared uncertain looks.

"However," Celestia continued, "I also know that you are both intelligent and strong, with good hearts and kind spirits. Listen to them, and to each other, and you can be sure that you will do the right thing, even if it doesn't always feel like it."

They were all silent for a long moment, as the two younger ponies considered Celestia's words.

"I am about to ask you a question," Celestia said. "I want to assure you that there is no right or wrong answer to this, and nothing you say will upset or disappoint me. I simply want you both to listen to your hearts and tell me what they say, whatever that may be. Now, I must ask both of you once more: do you believe that we made the right decision yesterday?"

Twilight and Sunset looked at each other uncomfortably, then looked away to listen to their own thoughts. Twilight closed her eyes as she thought it over. Ultimately, she had been the one who made the final decision. It had seemed right at the time, but was it really? Celestia had pushed her into it, sort of, but it also made perfect sense. Celestia had over a millennium of experience in ruling a nation, and had easily seen the flaws in Twilight's idealistic suggestion. Still, wasn't she the princess of friendship? Wasn't she supposed to help spread the magic of friendship across all of Equestria, to everypony who would accept it?

Who would accept it. That was the real problem, wasn't it? Aria wouldn't. Like Sombra or Tirek, she had been single-mindedly driven toward what she perceived as power. Adagio and Sonata seemed to be coming around, but all of Twilight's efforts had come to nothing with Aria. Why? Why were some people so set in their ways, so certain that nothing mattered except their own personal gains? Why did there seem to be some few beings that friendship simply didn't reach?

Perhaps, in another thousand years, she might have the answer to that. For now, however, though it hurt to admit even to herself, what her heart was telling her was clear. She opened her eyes and glanced to the side, once again meeting Sunset Shimmer's brilliant blue gaze. An unspoken question and answer passed between them.

Celestia had waited patiently as they looked within. Now that both had returned from their reveries and looked back up at her, she inclined her head slightly to show that she was listening. They had come to the same conclusion.

"Yes."

"Aria!" Sonata giggled, bumping unsteadily into her sister and shoving a cup toward her face. "Aria, you gotta try this stuff!" she mumbled around the cup in her teeth. She and Adagio had been here for a couple of hours now, enjoying their sister's company and the party that Discord had put together. She had only recently discovered that the soda geyser in the middle was really good. Like, really good.

With a look of distaste, Aria leaned over the cup and sniffed it. She wrinkled her nose at the sharp scent of the drink inside. "Sonata, alcohol doesn't work on us," she said.

"Well, not with that attitude!" Sonata slurred.

Aria looked suspiciously over at Discord, who shrugged and smiled too innocently. His folded hands and the angelic halo over his head didn't help matters.

"Give me that," Aria muttered, taking the cup from Sonata and throwing it aside.

"Hey!" Sonata protested. Far too late, she reached out to stop her sister from dropping the drink.

"Go have a taco or something," Aria suggested dismissively, shoving Sonata toward a table laden with food.

Sonata rolled her eyes. "You get excited about Taco Tuesday one time..." she muttered as she made her way over to the table. While food didn't benefit them in any way, she really did enjoy the taste of it. Discord slithered through the air to join her.

Adagio chuckled. "Lighten up, Aria."

Aria turned her attention to the only other one present who wasn't concerned with stuffing her muzzle. "This is Discord we're talking about," she muttered. "I don't trust him, and I especially don't trust him making stuff that can actually get us drunk."

"He's on our side," Adagio replied. "I think. And he's probably the only one who can go to Tartarus and back whenever he wants. He might be your only friend for a long time."

"My friend?" Aria scoffed. "Don't tell me you're buying into that stuff already."

Adagio shrugged. "It's worth a try. What I was doing before sure didn't get us anywhere." She looked around what would be her sister's home for the next thousand years. "At least, not anywhere we wanted to be," she added quietly.

"Adagio," Aria said sharply, "this wasn't your fault. This was my choice, and I'm not sorry I made it."

"It'll be a thousand years," Adagio murmured. The immensity of that time still didn't seem real to her. That was almost as long as they'd been alive. "How's Tartarus treating you so far?"

It was Aria's turn to shrug. "It's hard to say. I was only here for a few hours before Discord showed up, then you two came a couple minutes later. There's plenty of negative energy, though, which means there are bound to be some other people around that I can get under my spell."

"That's good," Adagio answered. She'd tried some of the energy herself, but found the strangely hot feel of it not to her liking. She was glad that Aria didn't seem to mind it.

The two sisters were quiet for a moment, then Adagio stepped forward and wrapped a foreleg around Aria's shoulders. "We're really gonna miss you," Adagio said.

"Ugh, don't be like that," Aria grumbled. "You're here now, aren't you? You can miss me when you're gone."

Aria extricated herself from Adagio's hug and went to join the others at the snack table. Adagio followed closely behind.

From there, the festivities began in earnest. Adagio partook of some of the spiked soda from the fountain—just enough to feel pleasantly warm, not nearly as much as Sonata had—and even Aria took a taste, though she didn't much like it. With Discord running the show, entertainments and games were as plentiful as they were odd, and even the normally uptight Aria couldn't stop a smile from spreading across her face as time went on.

With no sun or moon, and certainly no clocks, there was no way to tell time in Tartarus. One hour flowed seamlessly into the next, which Aria thought might be for the best, given how impossibly long she was going to be there. If the years passed in a timeless blur, so much the better. Eventually, however, the three sirens realized that they were becoming very sleepy. They could have burned magic to alleviate the need, but it seemed that things were winding down anyway. Indeed, around the same time, Discord snapped his talons and brought the festivities to a halt.

"Unfortunately," he said, "I'm afraid that if I overstay my welcome in Tartarus, Celestia may catch on to what I'm doing. I'm not exactly supposed to be here," he confided in a stage whisper.

All three sirens felt their hearts sinking as they realized that this was truly goodbye.

"We can come back though, right?" Sonata asked, her lower lip trembling.

"Eventually, yes," Discord said. "But again, if I do this too often, I'll have some 'splaining to do, and so will the two of you. You may have been pardoned, but I don't think I need to tell you that you're on thin ice right now. Speaking of, you might want to step to the side."

Sonata looked down and quickly moved off of the small patch of frozen soda she was standing on.

The three sisters formed a loose circle, gazing sadly at one another. Even Aria realized, somewhat to her surprise, that she was going to miss being with them. Goddesses help her, she was even going to miss Sonata's stupid face. "Well," Aria said, hiding her feelings behind a smooth face, "see you later, I guess."

"Yeah," Adagio replied, her voice similarly controlled. "See you."

Sonata showed no such restraint. With an anguished wail, she threw herself around Aria's shoulders and wept into her mane. "I love you, Aria," she repeated her words from the day before. The words she'd said right before ripping out Aria's magic, ending the fight with the Rainbooms and ultimately landing her sister here in this awful place. Guilt writhed in her like a serpent. "I'm-I'm so sorry!"

Well, maybe she wasn't going to miss Sonata's stupid face quite that much. "Alright, alright," she mumbled, trying to push the hysterical siren off of her. "I love you too. Sheesh."

Rather than moving to help, Adagio joined the hug, much to Aria's consternation. "I love you too, you know," Adagio said to her. "I never said it, but it's true."

"Yeah, I know," Aria said. "You too. Great, we all love each other, now will you get off of me?"

"Hehe. Sorry," Sonata said, a smile breaking through her crying. She stepped back to stand beside Discord, and Adagio joined her a second later.

"Well, this has been lovely," Discord said to Aria with a wink, "thank you for having us all over." He reached out, once again taking hold of a zipper in the air that certainly hadn't been there a moment ago. "We must do this again sometime." He opened the portal again.

Out of curiosity, Aria tried to take a step closer to the portal and found that she couldn't. It was keeping her back somehow, like one magnet repelling another. Apparently, supposed friends or not, there was a limit to what Discord was willing to risk. At least nobody commented on her inability to take even a single step closer to the other world.

"Goodbye, Aria," Adagio repeated.

"See you, Adagio," Aria answered.

"Bye," Sonata added, then shook her head. "No. Just, bye for now. We'll see you again, alright?"

"I can't wait," Aria replied dryly. Despite her always-sarcastic tone, she thought she just might mean it. "Goodbye for now."

Two days after Aria's sentencing, Pinkie sat alone in her room texting with Sonata. Twilight hadn't come back from Equestria, though she'd had Sunset Shimmer reassure them that she was only a message away whenever they needed her. The portal had closed behind Sunset, cutting off the worlds again.

Sunset Shimmer had been in a bit of a state herself. Apparently, after their reunion and reconciliation, Princess Celestia had asked if she wanted to return and resume her studies as the princess's personal student. It had been quite a while since Twilight finished her own studies and ascended, and it seemed that Celestia was ready for another. Sunset, however, was afraid that things could never be the same between them, and she was reluctant to leave the life she had in the human world. After talking it over with her friends, Sunset had decided to defer the decision for a while. Princess Celestia had assured her that there was no hurry, so it seemed that Sunset Shimmer would be staying, at least for now.

That's good, Sonata replied via text. It would feel weird if Sunset wasn't around.

Yeah, Pinkie agreed.

Her phone remained silent for nearly five minutes, during which time she cast about for another conversation topic. She had an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach, something warning her that Sonata was becoming distant. It was understandable, maybe, given what had just happened to her sister and Pinkie's indirect role in it, but she was desperate to stop them from drifting apart. Pinkie nearly dropped the phone when it finally buzzed again.

What about Twilight?

Pinkie swallowed nervously. So many things could go bad if she answered this in the wrong way.

She's alright, I think. She was upset about Aria, but I guess she and Sunny talked it over with their version of Celestia, and it seems like she's feeling better.

She stared at the words on her screen. Something was missing. There needed to be something personal in there, something to let Sonata know that she cared. Pinkie pressed enter a few times to make space between paragraphs, and added another line.

Are you alright? Are you mad at her?

The silence after she sent the message was even longer than last time. Pinkie's heart leaped when her phone vibrated.

I don't think so. Aria said that Twilight was just doing what was right for the ponies, and I guess I can't be mad about that. I'm more hurt than anything else.

Sonie, I really wish you'd come over and visit, Pinkie replied. You're my friend now. We're all your friends. We want to be there for you, and Adagio too.

This time, Sonata's reply was almost immediate. I don't think I'm ready for that yet. And please don't call me Sonie. I'm not ready for that either.

The words hit Pinkie like a shot to the stomach. She had to blink tears from her eyes before replying. I'm sorry.

It's okay, Sonata replied. I know how you feel about me, and it's okay.

Pinkie's stomach leaped into her throat, and blood rushed to her face until it perfectly matched her hair. Really?

Yeah. Pinkie could almost hear Sonata's giggle through the text. When you've been around for a thousand years or so, you start to learn the signs.

Pinkie's mind was so full of possible answers that she couldn't seem to get any of them out. Her fingers trembled over the buttons of her phone, but no possible response seemed adequate to convey just how strong her feelings were, how much she wanted to know what Sonata felt, and how much she wanted to assure the other girl that, no matter what, she wouldn't hold her final decision against her. Before she could find the right words, another message arrived.

I really don't know how I feel right now. I'm all confused. You were so wonderful when you were helping us, but I'm too upset about Aria to really think about it right now.

Pinkie stifled a cry. She imagined that she knew Sonata well enough to pick up on what she wasn't saying: some part of her blamed Pinkie and her friends for what had happened to Aria. She wasn't just upset, she was upset with them.

Maybe someday I'll be ready to think about it, the message went on, maybe even someday soon. But not right now. Until then, friends?

Pinkie's lips quivered with something that was half-smile, half-misery. Friends! I'll talk to you later, 'kay?

OK. Bye, Pinkie.

Bye.

Pinkie set the phone down on her nightstand with a trembling hand, threw herself down onto her pillows, and cried.

Sonata replaced the phone in her pocket and looked over to Adagio, who was next to her on the couch and had been advising her throughout the conversation. "How was that?" she asked sadly.

"Good," Adagio reassured her. "Perfect. Now she knows exactly how you feel."

"Even I don't know exactly how I feel," Sonata mumbled.

"Come here," Adagio said, reaching out to hug her sister. "You didn't say no, just 'not now.' At least they'll all know that we're willing to be their friends. That was what those ponies wanted, right?"

"Yeah," Sonata agreed quietly. They sat in silence for a while, simply taking comfort from each other's company.

"So," Adagio finally asked with a smirk, "what's the plan?"

"Huh?!" Sonata yelped.

"This friendship thing was your idea," Adagio chuckled. "How do we do it?"

"Uhhh," Sonata stammered, her mind racing as she tried to remember exactly what friends did. "I guess... we invite them over? Friends do that a lot, right?"

"Sounds about right," Adagio agreed, "and I guess we owe them one for saving our lives. We'll throw them a party."

"Awesome!" Sonata squealed. "Um. How do we do that?"

"Hm. Beats me," Adagio admitted. "I bet Silver Breeze would know. Should we plan for next weekend?"

"Yeah!" Sonata exclaimed, her previous gloom all but completely dispelled.

"Alright. You invite the girls, and I'll talk to Silver Breeze and work out the logistics," Adagio instructed. "We'll do it next Saturday, as long as that works for the Rainbooms. Got it?"

"Got it." Sonata snapped a clumsy salute. She leaped up from the couch to start her task, only to pause as she passed a framed picture of Aria sitting on the table. She slowly reached down and picked it up, unprepared for the surge of conflicting emotions that seeing her sister's face sparked within her.

As she pondered the picture, Adagio came up behind her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay," she said softly. "Aria's going to be fine, and someday we'll see her again."

"But I miss her so much already," Sonata whispered. She turned to face her sister. "At least we got to say goodbye, though."

"Yeah," Adagio murmured. They faced each other in silence for a moment, each lost in her own thoughts. Finally, Adagio shook her head to clear it. "Come on," she said, nudging Sonata toward the hall. "We've got a party to plan."

"Yeah," Sonata agreed, a bit of light coming back to her eyes. She set the picture down again. "Bye, Aria," she whispered.

And hello, friends.