Crimson Energy

Chapters

Reconciliation
Waiting
Retribution
Vengeance
Beginnings
Plans

Reconciliation

Aria woke up the next morning because of Sonata's loud snoring, like usual. Her ass was still sore and it immediately reminded her of the terrible event last evening.

She rubbed her butt cheeks and swore vengeance upon her sadistic elder sister. Not that she would ever do such a thing.

She also smelled cigarette smoke and that made her want to smoke as well.

With an annoyed groan she finally got up and looked at her ass in a mirror. It wasn't exactly a pretty sight. Strokes over strokes went all over her ass and it certainly looked like Adagio has put real effort into her punishment. After all, she still kinda felt it.

“Celestia dammit, Adagio! How am I supposed to get laid the next few days!? Everyone will think that I'm into erotic spanking, which I'm NOT! Not as the receiver anyway...”

Aria dressed into comfortable everyday clothing and unlocked the door. She really didn't want to face Adagio, but she couldn't lock herself away for all eternity.

Aria Blaze peeked around the corner into the kitchen. Adagio was sitting at the kitchen table, wearing her headphones and reading glasses while she scribbled something on a notepad. Aria hesitated; she was considering just going back into her room. After last night's punishment, she wasn't ready to face her sister just yet.

Aria was jolted from her thoughts, however, when her sister addressed her.

“Good morning. Sleep well?” Adagio asked.

Aria stepped out into the doorway a little bit, but didn't meet her sister's gaze. She looked down at the floor, nervously shuffling from one foot to the other. What did her sister have in store for her this morning?

Adagio put on a gentle smile and pointed to the chair opposite to her.

“Sit down please. I won't bite you” she assured her purple younger sister.

Aria reluctantly did as she was told. She still felt ashamed after the previous evening. Most of all, though, she dreaded having to face Sonata after all the terrible things she had said to her.

“Want some coffee?” Adagio asked her, still gently smiling.

Aria nodded and Adagio poured her a mug. She wondered where her sister was going with this.

“Smoke?” Adagio offered.

Aria took the proffered cigarette, and Adagio lit it for her. She was puzzled by how nice her sister was being to her. It was as if the night before had never happened.

“Thanks, I guess...” Aria mumbled.

“You're welcome. Anyway, I still need to set some things straight with you. First of all, you will apologize to Sonata as soon as she gets up. And it had better be sincere, too. Understood?”

Aria didn't like it, but what was she supposed to do against it? It was practically an order coming from Adagio and after last night, she didn't feel like she was in any position to refuse. She sighed and hung her head.

“Yes, ma'am” she said, put down her coffee and took another drag on her cigarette.

“Don't call me that, it makes me feel old. I may be by far older than any of these silly humans, but so are the two of you. Anyway, that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. I want you to start acting your age and stop picking on Sonata. A bit of friendly teasing every now and then is fine, but lately you've been downright cruel to her. That's going to stop from now on or you will face the belt again, I can promise you that much. The choice is yours and yours alone.”

Aria said nothing in reply, and Adagio continued her lecture.

“How would you feel if someone treated you the way you've been treating Sonata? You wouldn't like that much, now would you?”

Aria put out her cigarette and stared down at the table.

“Look at me when I'm talking to you. Sonata is the most fragile of the three of us, so you need to be more mindful of her feelings. I know it's in our nature to spread discord, but we need to maintain a bit of harmony within our own little family. We won't achieve much if we're always at each others throats over trivial things like fruit punch or tacos, especially not after what happened last night.”

Aria thought about what Adagio was telling her. She had to admit that her sister was right.

A house divided against itself cannot stand. She wanted their pendants, their power back just as much as Adagio did, and she wasn't just going to roll over and die.

The Rainbooms had taken away what she loved most, what all of the Dazzlings loved most - singing. Back in Equestria it was their special talent, even before they discovered the ancient tome with the instructions on how to create and use the crimson pendants. The more she thought about it, the more it made her blood boil.

The snoring coming out of Sonata's room, which both of them had long ago learned to tune out, suddenly stopped. A couple seconds later, they heard a loud crashing noise.

“What in Tartarus was that?” Aria asked.

“Go check on her, and then bring her here. I need to explain to you two my plan to restore our amulets…” Adagio ordered, “… or rather, to create new ones.” she added thoughtfully.

Not really wanting to face Sonata yet, but unwilling to contradict Adagio, Aria sighed and reluctantly went to her younger sister’s room and knocked at the door.

“I'm okay! It's open!” Sonata answered.

“Sonata, it's me. May I come in?”

The silence that followed felt like an eternity to Aria, who was already on edge. Finally, Sonata opened the door. She stared at Aria blankly for a moment, but then her face brightened right up.

“Sure, come on in!” she said cheerfully.

Aria would never be able to fully understand what in the name of Celestia was going on in her younger sister’s head. She cautiously took a few steps into Sonata's room, which looked like it had been ravaged by a tornado, careful not to tread on any of the junk strewn about – especially not on any of Sonata's used sex toys. Aria had no idea how her sister could be so completely and utterly shameless.

Sonata plopped back down on her bed and sighed.

“Just five more minutes until I have enough energy, then I'll come to get breakfast, alrighty?”

Aria sat down on Sonata's bed. She was unsure what to say first. She didn't really want to apologize to Sonata, but she was too afraid NOT to do as Adagio had told her. She didn't want to have another run-in with one of her big sister’s belts ever again.

“Listen, Sonata... I... uh, wanted to apologize to you for my behavior yesterday. I was really angry after what happened at the Battle of the Bands, but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I don't really know what to say... I’m sorry. Please forgive me?”

Sonata didn't say anything at first, but all of a sudden she leapt to her feet and embraced Aria in a genuine sisterly hug.

“Okey dokey! Apology accepted!” she said cheerfully. This was one of Sonata's greatest strengths. She just couldn't stay mad for more than a few hours most of the time, or a couple of days at the absolute most. Aria breathed a sigh of relief and hugged her back.

“I know I haven’t been very nice to you lately, but I want you to know that I love you just as much as Adagio does” Aria added.

“Oh I know that, silly! That was just Aria being Aria! I love you too! Now let’s eat!” Sonata answered her.

She finally released Aria from the hug and turned toward the exit. As Sonata carelessly headed for the door, she slipped on one of her dildos and came crashing to the floor.

“OW! I'm okay!”

That would explain the noise we heard coming out of her room earlier, Aria thought to herself. She helped her sister to her feet, and they carefully left Sonata's room together. Once in the kitchen, Sonata got herself a heaping bowl of fruit loops, poured in some milk, and sat down to eat.

“Did Aria apologize to you?” Adagio asked her. Sonata looked up, still chewing a big mouthful of cereal, and quickly nodded before swallowing and continuing to devour her breakfast. Aria lit up another cigarette, sat down, and leaned back in her chair. She felt much better now. Maybe she had deserved that punishment…

Adagio put down her pen and spoke up.

“I'm glad you two made up. We need to be able to rely on each other, for better or worse. Anyway, I wanted to explain my plan for getting our amulets – and thus, our power – back.”

She readjusted her reading glasses and held up her notepad.

“We need to give this Sunset Shimmer a closer look – or rather, an investigation. From all we heard about her, she's a former Equestrian just like us. I don't know how she got here in the first place, but we're going to find out. For right now, she's our primary target. We need as much information about her as possible. My guess is that there must be a portal to Equestria somewhere in this town. After all, that purple bitch has been to Earth twice and I highly doubt that she was banished here.”

“Hey! I'm purple too!” Aria complained.

Adagio just rolled her eyes.

“You know who I mean. Anyway, that's all you need to know for the moment. Aria, I know of a very good private investigator whose office is nearby. I want you to go and hire him to spy on Sunset Shimmer for us.”

Adagio reached behind her, opened a drawer, and pulled out a wad of cash. She handed it to Aria, who took a long drag from her cigarette as she looked at the stack incredulously.

“That's $5000. Hire Blood Hound. He's the best private sniffer I know. He's expensive, but he’s worth every penny. Tell him that Adagio Dazzle sent you and that he should report directly to me.”

Adagio tore a piece of paper off her pad, wrote down Blood Hound’s address on it, and gave it to her sister. Aria just looked at the money and the paper in bewilderment.

“Like, right now?”, she asked.

Adagio smacked her forehead and gave Aria an annoyed look.

“No, next years Christmas! Of course right now! The sooner we hire him, the sooner we get the intel we need to deal with that bacon-headed cunt!”

Sonata, who had just finished her fruit loops, piped up.

“What about me? Do I get to go with Aria? Follow Sunset Shimmer around and take pictures of her? Go on a mission to capture her so we can interrogate her in our secret lair?”

Sonata struck a pose like a secret agent from a TV show and pointed her finger at her sisters like a gun, making little “pew, pew, pew” sounds and pretending to fire it.

Adagio just stared at Sonata until she stopped. She pointed dismissively toward Sonata’s room.

“No. You'll stay here and clean up that disaster. I'm sick of it” Adagio replied.

“But that's so boooooring!” Sonata whined.

“No ‘buts’! Move your little ass and clean it, and for the love of Celestia, put your sex toys away when you’re not using them! If you don’t clean your room, I will, and if I have to do it then all of the junk lying on the floor is going straight into the garbage!”

Aria couldn't help but giggle at Sonata's expense.

“She's right, Sonata. Your room is the worst.”

“Oh, yeah? Well, I'm surprised you can sit down at all today!” Sonata shot back.

Adagio groaned and smacked her forehead and glared at the two of them. Aria flinched, took the money, and went to her room to dress up and do her hair. The last thing she wanted was to provoke her older sister again.

~~~~~

Aria took the city bus. Thankfully, no one recognized her – it was a weekday, so everyone who had been at the Battle of the Bands was at school right now. She idly watched the Canterlot cityscape pass by, and after half an hour she finally reached her stop. It was at the edge of the city, practically in the suburbs. She pulled out her phone and checked the GPS. Blood Hound’s office was only a couple blocks away, but she decided to smoke a cigarette anyway. Just as she was coming up on her destination, an old man addressed her.

“That's very bad for you, miss! My son died of lung cancer, you know...”

Aria cut him off very rudely.

“Mind your own business, you old coot, I don't give a fuck. Now get lost!”

The old man was too stunned to say anything at first, staring at her with his mouth agape. After getting over her shocking rudeness, he turned away and walked off in a huff, muttering something about “kids these days.” Aria finished her cigarette, then dropped it on the sidewalk and stomped it out. After checking her GPS one last time to make sure this was the right place, she walked up to the building and pressed the buzzer.

“Yes? How may I help you?” a woman’s voice came out of a speaker.

“Is this the office of Blood Hound? I want to hire him.”

“Just a moment please”, the woman said.

A loud click indicated that the door had been unlocked, and Aria pushed it open and went in. Following the signs up a flight of stairs, she found herself standing in front of a door with a plaque that read 'Blood Hound,' and underneath his name was inscribed 'Private Investigator since 1984'.

She tried the handle, but this door was locked as well.

“Seriously? What is this, a fucking bank vault!?” Aria asked nobody in particular.

She knocked loudly on the door, and a woman’s voice responded.

“Coming!”

The door opened, and a friendly-looking old lady stood before Aria.

'About fuckin' time', Aria thought.

“Do come in. My husband is a bit busy at the moment, but I’m sure he’ll be able get to you within the next hour or so. Please, have a seat,” the old woman said, indicating a row of chairs lined up along the wall.

“AN HOUR OR SO!? Are you kidding me? Look, I ain't got time and I definitely ain't got the nerve to sit around here waiting for your boss, or husband, or whatever!” Aria yelled.

The old lady furrowed her eyebrows and replied in a more serious, less friendly tone.

“I’m sure your time is valuable to you, but he’s making some time-sensitive calls for one of his cases right now, and I can't rush him – not for you or anyone else.”

Aria rolled her eyes and pulled out the money Adagio had given her to hire Blood Hound.

“Look, I've got here $5000 in cash, and there’s a lot more where that comes from! I’m sure whatever the hell he’s doing right now, he can spare 10 minutes to talk to me. Right. Fucking. NOW!”

The old lady reached out for the money in Aria’s hand.

“Ah ah ah! No touching until I see Blood Hound!” Aria said, putting the money back into her handbag.

The old woman gave her a sour look, then went to her desk and whispered something into an old intercom system. Aria strained to hear the conversation, but couldn’t make anything out until the woman finally stopped whispering.

“All right dear, I’ll send her right in,” she said.

“Blood Hound will see you now, Miss...?”

“None of your business”, Aria replied coldly.

The woman shook her head and muttered something incomprehensible. Aria ignored her. Not even bothering to knock, she opened the door and barged right in. She recoiled in shock from what she saw next.

“Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me!” Aria yelled.

Blood Hound was sitting at his desk glaring at her. He was the old man she had met on the street!

“If you weren’t paying in cash, I'd throw you back out onto the street. My fee is $2500 a week. Take it or leave it.”

Aria rolled her eyes, pulled out the wad of cash, and threw it onto Blood Hound's desk.

“Here. $5000. Adagio Dazzle sent me. You report...”

Blood Hound cut her off.

“I know. Status reports every day, plus immediate reports of anything unusual.”

Aria nodded.

“Good. What do you want me to do?” Blood Hound asked and pulled out a notebook from his drawer.

“I need you to spy on a teenage girl by the name of Sunset Shimmer. I don't have a picture of her, but I can describe her to you. Her hair is red with a yellow streak, like fatty bacon, and she has tan skin and green eyes. She usually wears a leather jacket and an orange skirt. Oh, and she attends to Canterlot High. I think that should be enough, and I don't really know anything else about her, anyway…”

'Or at least, nothing that you would believe anyway, even if I told you' she thought to herself.

“We want you to keep watch over her and gather every single bit of information you can.”

“I know my job!” he snapped. “Now if you’d be so kind, get out of my office and never show your face here again!”

Aria shrugged and left without another word. She just wanted to go home and take a nice hot bath. She hated dealing with these stupid, inferior humans. All most of them cared about was money. They’d do almost anything for enough of it. It was a convenient way to get what she wanted, but it just felt so dirty. She would much rather control them with magic. Hopefully Adagio’s plan would take care of that soon enough…

Aria didn’t know how her sister planned to fix their amulets, or why it mattered how Sunset Shimmer had come to this world. She did know that Adagio was the most cunning member of her family, and she trusted her to get their magic back. Aria was looking forward to crushing those detestable Rainbooms beneath her heel like the insects they are.

Waiting

As Aria departed for Blood Hound’s office, Adagio reiterated her order to her other sister – clean up her room or else. Sonata groaned and rolled her eyes, but she didn’t put up much of a fight.

That was too easy, Adagio thought to herself as she watched Sonata disappear into her room. No doubt, Sonata would try to find some kind of loophole to circumvent Adagio's order. Adagio turned on the TV to kill time until she had to go inspect Sonata’s room. It would almost be easier to just clean it for her, but it was the principle of the thing – Sonata should clean up her own damn mess!

After about five minutes, Sonata came out of her room and announced she was done.

Too easy and too fast, thought Adagio. It barely took her a minute to figure out her sister’s game. Instead of cleaning up properly, Sonata had just stuffed everything she could into her wardrobe, and hidden what was left underneath her bed. Adagio wasn't amused. She spun around and slapped Sonata, knocking her flat on her ass.

Sonata looked up at Adagio from the floor with a shocked look on her face, dumbfounded that her sister had discovered her deception so quickly. She rubbed her cheek as Adagio spoke.

“This is your first and only warning. The next time you try any funny business like that, I will personally take care of your mess, and I promise you that everything except your clothes will go straight to the dumpster!”

She slammed Sonata's door shut behind her and went back to the living room.

“I swear to Celestia, one of these days...!” she said to herself through clenched teeth.

She sat down at the dinner table and opened her laptop to surf the internet and see if there were any reports about last night’s events. She found a few, but fortunately there were no videos. She sighed in relief and read further. According to one of the witnesses, all of the students’ cell phones were broken, as if an electromagnetic pulse has fried all of their devices. Adagio thought about that for a moment.

Hm… since the rest of the city was unaffected, I can rule out the possibility of a high-atmosphere nuclear explosion. If there had been lightning or a non-nuclear device, I would have noticed it. I guess that means it must've been the magical sound waves we were generating. I didn't realize it’d do that to electronics. Good to know, Adagio thought to herself.

Relieved that she didn’t have to worry about any uncomfortable evidence, Adagio leaned back in her chair and absent-mindedly surfed the web for a while. As much as she despised humans, she had to admit, they weren’t entirely worthless. She highly doubted that Equestria had technology like the internet or computers – even considering all the centuries she had been in exile. As she browsed, a video caught her eye. It was from the last time that bitch Twilight Sparkle had come to Earth. Adagio lit another cigarette, took a slow drag, and blew out the smoke.

“She really didn't have a single clue about anything in this world. I guess I was right about the state of technology in Equestria. At least it's kinda funny” Adagio mused out loud. She finished watching the video, laughing out loud at Twilight's comment that maybe this place did have magic after all.

“I guess modern technology would look like magic to someone from Equestria. It doesn't matter, anyway,” Adagio said and turned off the laptop. Sunset Shimmer was the person who was really on her mind – the old Sunset Shimmer.

If only she and her sisters had discovered the secret of Canterlot High School year or so earlier… she was certain that Sunset could've been a valuable ally. Maybe they could've even made her the fourth Dazzling. After all, she clearly knew how to travel between Equestria and Earth. They would have had to make a crimson pendant for Sunset, of course, but with a way to get back to Equestria that wouldn't have been a problem.

Looking back, Sunset Shimmer had been just as ambitious and power-hungry as the Dazzlings. The one thing Adagio couldn’t understand was why on Earth she had chosen those two morons, Snips and Snails, as her minions. Not only were they completely tone-deaf – without a doubt, the worst rappers she had ever heard – but they made Sonata look like a genius.

Well, what’s done is done, she thought to herself. What a pity.

Adagio’s thoughts were interrupted by loud rap music. It was coming out of Sonata's room. Not that Adagio was surprised - gangsta rap was Sonata’s favorite kind of music. Adagio groaned in annoyance and got up. Throwing open the door to her sister’s room, she walked over and yanked out the stereo’s power cord. She then strode up to Sonata, glaring daggers at her.

“Sonata Dusk! What did I tell you about playing your music too loud? I don't give a damn what you listen to, but I don't want to deal with complaints from the neighbors again!”

Sonata flinched and nodded.

“Good. Now get back to work. I want this room to be spotless by six tonight!”

Sonata nodded again. She was clearly terrified of her oldest sister. Adagio suspected she was afraid of having a run-in with one of her older sister’s belts like Aria had the night before.

Adagio walked back out of her sister’s room, but she didn't slam the door this time. Just as she was settling back down on the couch, the phone rang. Annoyed, she groaned and got back up to answer it.

“Yes?” Adagio said. She never said her name on the phone when someone called her.

“Hello, could I please speak to Miss Adagio Dazzle?” the woman on the other end asked.

“This is she,” Adagio answered.

“Oh, good. This is the office of Blood Hound Private Investigations. I’m just following up with you about the Sunset Shimmer case you hired him for. Blood Hound has started work on the case, and he’ll report to you every day as requested.”

“Good. Thanks for letting me know.”

“You're welcome. Is there anything else we can do for you, Miss Dazzle?”

“No, thank you. I'll let you know if there are new developments. Good day.”

Adagio hung up the phone without waiting for an answer. She didn’t like talking on the phone.

Sonata had started listening to her stupid gangsta rap again, but thankfully at a more reasonable volume this time. Adagio sighed and turned the TV back on. It wasn't like she had anything better to do at the moment, anyway.

About half an hour later Aria came back home.

“I'm home!” she announced, kicking off her boots and sitting down beside Adagio.

“I swear to Celestia and her sun, I hate dealing with these stupid humans. Why do I always have to do these chores, anyway? I'm sick of their false politeness and all that shit… especially if you’ve got money. Then they just shamelessly kiss your ass.”

Adagio rolled her eyes and opened a bag of potato chips.

“I sent you because Sonata would just spend all the money on tacos or something, and then I would strangle her,” she answered flatly.

Aria grunted in annoyance, got back up, and went to her room. A few minutes later, she came back holding a clean set of towels.

“I'm taking a bath now.”

“Uh-huh. You do that...” Adagio said absentmindedly.

Just as Adagio focused her attention back toward the TV, a commercial break started.

“Oh come on! Not this again! Fucking commercials!” she yelled, grabbing the remote.

“There are more commercials than actual shows!”

Adagio groaned loudly, turned the TV off, and got up. She didn't want to waste her time on any stupid commercials. Sometimes wondered why she even bothered turning on the TV. It was just about time for lunch, anyway. She wasn’t in the mood to stand around cooking for hours… she’d make something quick and easy.

Hmmm… I guess I can make us some spaghetti, that’s easy enough, Adagio thought to herself. And those two better not even think about complaining!

Just as their meal was getting close to ready, Adagio heard the bathroom door open. She turned and saw Aria come out, still with wet hair and wrapped in a towel.

“Tell Sonata lunch is ready,” Adagio ordered.

Aria nodded and knocked on Sonata's door a little harder than usual – half because she was still frustrated from dealing with those humans, and half to make sure than Sonata actually heard her over the rap music that was still playing in her room. Sonata opened the door and gave Aria a blank look.

“Yo gangsta, lunch is ready,” Aria told her flatly, then left for her room to get dressed.

Adagio set the table and sat down. After a couple minutes, both her sisters made their way to the table as well. There were thankfully no complaints as the three of them began to eat.

“Hey Adagio,” Aria spoke up, “Good thing you thought about getting us so much cash when we still had our powers. We’re really gonna be depending on it now. And I certainly don't wanna get a job. Working is the worst!”

“Yeah, and you’d get yourself fired before lunch break on your first day, anyway,” Adagio said.

Their conversation was interrupted by Sonata noisily slurping up her spaghetti. Adagio turned and smacked her sister on the forehead.

“Sonata, manners! How old are you, six?” she asked.

Sonata slurped up one last noodle and smiled apologetically.

“Oopsie! Sorry…” she said.

Adagio groaned and smacked her forehead in frustration… it was becoming a habit of hers lately. She turned back to Aria to continue their conversation.

“Anyway… did you really expect me not to plan ahead in case we ever lost our magic?” she said, spinning another bite of spaghetti around her fork.

“Well, I've never thought about it,” Sonata chimed in.

“Yeah, we know that,” Adagio and Aria said unison.

As they continued their meal, Adagio thought back to their glory days of robbing armored cars. It was all so elegant – no guns, no explosives, nothing crude like that. They just used their beautiful voices. The guards never knew what hit them. The three of them would always read about it in the next day’s news and laugh their asses off. With no material evidence and all the witnesses under their spell, the Dazzlings would never even be suspected of their crimes, let alone brought to justice.

Who are those humans to say what we can and can’t do, anyway? Adagio thought to herself. Besides, it’s not like anyone ever got hurt.

After their first successful heist, they were already millionaires, but they didn’t stop there. You could never have enough cash at your disposal, after all.

Adagio giggled when she thought back to those capers. It was too easy, like taking candy from a baby.

Adagio held onto that money tightly, too. Not that she was cheap – she always gave her sisters plenty of spending money (which Sonata mostly spent on tacos) – she just didn’t waste it on a bunch of flashy and unnecessary things. Now all the stolen money she had squirrelled away was coming in handy. She really hoped that private eye would find some useful information soon…

Sonata finished up her meal first and sprung up from her chair.

“Time for some video games!” she announced, throwing her arms into the air with excitement.

“Have you finished cleaning your room?” Adagio asked pointedly.

Sonata’s smile faded away.

“But Dagi, that's taking forever! Can’t I take a break? I don't get why you're so picky, anyway! It's not like anyone is forcing you to go in there and look at the mess!” she complained.

“I've already told you – I hate clutter and I won’t have it in my house! Or did you forget who pays the bills around here? Aria learned how to keep her room tidy, and it’s high time you did too. I WILL make sure of that, even if it's the last damn thing I do!” Adagio shot back.

“But...” Sonata began.

“No buts! CLEAN. YOUR. ROOM.”

Pouting, Sonata stormed into her room and slammed the door.

“And stop slamming your fucking door all the time! Next time you do that I’ll bend you over my knee!” Adagio yelled.

Aria flinched, remembering her own punishment. Adagio decided to change the subject.

“Anyway, we need to figure out how we're going to get the information we need from Sunset Shimmer once we have enough intel on her. We can't exactly kidnap her and hold her hostage in the basement – we’d be the number one suspects. We need to deal with her somehow, though… and we need to make sure that she tells the truth. Any ideas how to pull that off?”

Aria idly twirled a few noodles on her fork and sighed.

“Not really... not besides threatening her friends, at least.”

“We wouldn’t do anything too serious, though. We may be bad girls, but we're not murderers,” Adagio said.

“Still, Sunset Shimmer doesn't know that. For all she knows, we could be planning a school shooting at CHS to take our revenge,” she joked darkly.

“Well, maybe we don't need to deal with her at all,” Aria thought aloud. “I mean, that Sparkle bitch had to come through some kind of portal from Equestria, and I bet she’ll want to visit her human friends every now and then.”

“True, but we don't know when her next visit will be or where she’ll emerge. I'm not gonna wait months and months for that sorry excuse for a princess to visit Earth again,” Adagio countered.

Aria frowned and crossed her arms.

“I wish we've never been banished to this awful place!”

Adagio had a flash of annoyance. Over the years, she had taken quite a liking to Earth – or at least, to all the technology and conveniences that the humans had developed. Aria, on the other hand, adamantly refused to enjoy many of the niceties of Earth, and continued to complain about it even after all this time.

“Oh, stop whining. We could've been banished to a much worse place. Besides, it's not like humans are that bad. They managed to prosper without magic, after all. I doubt that Equestria has anything as useful as the internet. Even if somepony invented it, I highly doubt that Celestia would allow the spread of advanced technology in Equestria,” Adagio explained.

“Technology could be a big advantage for us when we figure out how to get back to Equestria. Guns, for example – not even the Royal Guard could defend themselves against bullets.”

“Yeah, you're right… I do really like guns,” Aria answered.

"And we’d have the element of surprise. Nopony would even know what they're dealing with. They brought Equestrian magic to Earth. It's about time we brought technology from Earth to Equestria. We’d be the only ones who knew how to operate and maintain them, too,” Adagio added thoughtfully.

“I doubt we’d even need to use them once everypony saw what we were capable of. Honestly, I'd rather not open fire on ponies if I don’t have to, but I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger if anypony stands in our way,” said Aria.

“Same here... unfortunately we don't know where exactly the portal would spit us out. Probably somewhere in Canterlot… I’d imagine Celestia would want to keep an eye on a portal that leads to a whole fucking parallel universe that she knows next to nothing about!” Adagio finished.

“Yeah that's great and all, but we still don’t even know where this portal is, so I’m gonna take a nap. I’m still exhausted from last night,” Aria said, standing up and loading her dirty dishes into the dishwasher.

“Yeah, I don't think we'll have enough usable information to make a move for at least a couple days,” Adagio said.

Maybe Aria has the right idea… I’m pretty tired myself, she thought as she finished cleaning up the kitchen. Adagio curled up on the couch and drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~

Adagio was dreaming… dreaming of the glorious day when she and her sisters would finally regain their powers. They’d get back at the Rainbooms, throw them into the dungeons, show them what it’s like to be powerless! She dreamed of ruling not one, but two worlds as their supreme, immortal Empress.

She would be adored by all; everyone and everypony would kneel before her and bow to her will. She’d force Celestia to transform the three of them into alicorns, and then they’d be completely unstoppable!

Unfortunately for her, her pleasant dreams were abruptly cut short.

“I'm your God Empress now, pathetic mortals...” she said still half-asleep.

“Dagi! Wake up! My room is clean!” Sonata told her excitedly.

“Uh-huh... the servants do a good job, don't they...?” Adagio muttered.

Sonata wasn't having it. Adagio was going to come and see her neat and tidy room right fucking now! She grabbed her big sister by the shoulders and shook her until she came to her senses. Adagio finally opened her eyes and grunted in annoyance.

“What the hell is it, Sonata? I was having a good dream and you ruined it!” she snarled.

“Sorry, but I finished cleaning up my room and you've gotta check it out!” she announced.

Adagio looked at the time. 5 PM.

“Ah, shit, I overslept again!” she groaned and got up. Sonata took her by the hand and practically dragged her into her room.

“It took forever, but now it's super-duper clean!” Sonata beamed.

“Alright, let's see…” Adagio said sceptically. She checked all Sonata’s usual hiding places to see if there were any dirty clothes or other junk that she hadn’t properly put away. The wardrobe was first, and it checked out.

So far, so good, thought Adagio.

Next she checked under Sonata’s bed. There was no mess under there, either. Looks like getting on her case about this really worked.

“Very good. Was that so hard, Sonata? I don't ask much of you, I just don’t want your room to look like a pigsty,” she said.

Sonata blushed and shuffled from one foot to the other.

“Yeah, but it still took me forever. It's like some pointless chore,” she said.

“It's not pointless! Anyway, since you did as I told you, you can do whatever you want for the rest of the night. Just don't wake up Aria,” Adagio told her, yawning.

“YAY!”

Before Adagio could say another word, Sonata was scampering off to the living room to play the latest online shooter. Adagio shook her head.

Silly girl, she thought. Well, I suppose I could join her for a little while… after all, it is fun to own some noobs every now and then.

Retribution

Adagio was up bright and early the next day. She had made sure to set an alarm; she and her sisters had neglected a number of chores over the past several days because they were focused on the Battle of the Bands. Groceries were at the top of the list – practically all they had left was butter and cereal! It was Sonata's turn to go to the store. Unlike cleaning her room, Sonata actually liked grocery shopping.

“Sonata!” Adagio called. “It’s your - “

As if on cue, Sonata showed up in the kitchen. She clutched her bright pink shopping bags in one hand and held out her other hand expectantly.

“Yep! I just need the grocery list and money and I’m ready to go!”

Adagio handed her the list and two crisp new fifties.

“And remember, stick to the list! You can get one taco kit and that’s it,” Adagio admonished.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, I know! Just what’s the list,” Sonata replied matter-of-factly.

As Sonata left, Adagio lit up a cigarette. Aria finally came out of her room and joined her sister smoking. Out of the three of them, Sonata was the only one who didn’t smoke. She frequently complained about the smell, but she had never been able to make a strong case against it – since they used to be immortal, none of the health effects had been of any concern.

Hopefully it won't cross her mind to bug us about that shit now that we’re mortal, Adagio thought. It’s not like I plan to stay mortal for very long, anyway.

“So what's up for today?” Aria asked, taking a long drag on her cigarette.

Adagio sighed and took a sip of her coffee.

“Probably nothing. As good as he is, I highly doubt that even Blood Hound can dig up any useful info so soon. This isn’t the first time I’ve hired him, but I can tell you that he takes his time to be thorough and maximize his chances of success. At the end of the day, though, you can never really predict when something will turn up – or if it will turn up at all,” Adagio explained.

“Just be patient. We WILL create new pendants and we WILL win the next time we tangle with those Rainbitches. I’m not just gonna sit around with my thumb up my ass until I die of old age!”

“Well, duh! I’m not interested in turning into some wrinkled old bag!” Aria answered.

Adagio shivered involuntarily at the mere thought of dying of old age.

“Never!” she stood up and exclaimed, “We’ll restore our power and immortality or die trying!”

Aria sat there in silence. Her eyes darted nervously toward the door to her bedroom.

I guess she’s still a bit jumpy after the other night, Adagio thought to herself.

“Anyway, it's your turn to cook today,” said Adagio, regaining her composure and sitting back down. “What do you have in mind?”

“Umm…. uhhhh…” stammered Aria.

Adagio sighed and covered her face with her palm.

“You knew it was your turn today! Your turn is always the day after mine! I know you don’t like cooking, and we’ve had a rough week, so I’ll tell you what – if you can come up with a meal, I’ll help you prepare it.”

“Ugh, can’t I just order us a pizza or something?” Aria asked.

Adagio just scowled at her.

“Okay, fine! How about spaghetti, then?”

“We just had that,” Adagio reminded her.

Aria stared up at the ceiling and groaned loudly.

“Come on! You know how much I hate to cook! I don’t even like thinking about what to cook!” she complained.

Adagio stood up and pointed towards the kitchen.

“Get your ass in there! I'm tired of having this argument with you every fucking time it’s your turn to cook! You don’t think there are days when I’d rather not cook? I just suck it up, do it anyway, and don’t complain about it! There are three of us living here, so we split the chores and errands three ways! You weren’t interested in helping me decide how to divvy them up back when we first moved here, so don’t complain to me about the division of labor now! I’m not asking for a six-course meal, and I even said I’d help you out! Now move it!” she ordered.

Aria rolled her eyes, groaned once more, and stomped toward the kitchen.

“Jawohl, mein Fuhrer!” she muttered, under her breath but still loud enough for Adagio to hear.

Adagio rolled her eyes and followed Aria the kitchen. She gets nervous if I make any sudden moves, but otherwise back to her usual sassy, back-talking self, Adagio thought.

Before they even had a chance to start, Sonata returned. Adagio saw out of the corner of her eye that Sonata was empty-handed, but what she saw when she turned around to scold her sister shocked her. Sonata had a black eye, and bruises on her face and arms. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

Adagio gasped and made a beeline for her sister.

“Sonata! What the hell happened!?” Adagio asked her, her voice wavering with shock.

Sonata began to sob.

“I... I...” was all she stammered out before collapsing onto the floor, bawling her eyes out and covering her face with her hands.

Aria was dumbstruck, mouth agape in disbelief at her sister’s condition. Adagio snapped her fingers to get Aria’s attention.

“Help me get her into the living room.”

Coming to her senses, Aria quickly complied. She wrapped one of Sonata's arms around her neck; Adagio did the same. The two of them then walked their sister into the living room and laid her down on the couch.

Sonata cried and cried for several more minutes. Her sisters waited patiently for her to calm down enough to tell them what happened, rubbing her back and looking at each other in bewilderment.

Sonata finally got her sobbing under control and wiped the tears from her eyes. Hands still shaking, she wordlessly grabbed Adagio's pack of cigarettes and lighter. She lit one up and took a puff, not even coughing. After several more drags she had calmed down enough to speak.

“Huh. This... it really helps calm you down. I guess I see why you two like it so much,” she said.

Aria gently placed her hands on Sonata's cheeks and turned her sister’s head to face her.

“Sonata, please tell me, what in the name of Celestia happened to you!” she worriedly asked.

“Well, I... I was on my way to the store, and I ran into two guys from CHS. First they just tried to hit on me. I told them to get lost, and they got really aggressive... I... I... I got scared, and I started to run…”

Adagio’s and Aria’s expressions darkened as it dawned on them what Sonata was telling them.

“… but they were faster than me…” Sonata continued.

Adagio felt the rage welling up in her chest and struggled hard not to explode like a hydrogen bomb in front of Sonata. She didn't want to upset her even more with such an outburst.

Sonata took a final drag from her cigarette and put it out.

“They caught me, and they hit me… I tried really hard to defend myself, but without my magic I didn't stand a chance. Then they threw me on the ground and they tried to... they tried to...”

Sonata couldn’t finish, instead starting to cry again.

“They were touching me everywhere, and they pulled down my underwear, and… and…” she said between sobs. “Is that… is that enough? I can’t do this anymore!”

She wrenched away from her sisters, ran to her room, and violently slammed the door shut. Her sisters got up and followed her. She had locked the door behind her, so Adagio knocked.

“Sonata, please open up! We need to know exactly what happened!” Aria said.

“No! Go away! I just wanna be alone!” Sonata yelled.

Adagio knocked on the door again. She could hear Sonata still sobbing on the other side.

“If you don't open the door, I’m gonna call 911! Depending what happened, we might need to take you to the hospital, and I also can’t tell if you’re planning to hurt yourself while you’re locked away in there! Either way, it’s for your own good, but I’d much rather we take care of this as a family than have a bunch of strangers take you away!” Adagio said.

“Fine...” Sonata said, stifling her sobs for a moment, and opened her door.

Adagio and Aria hugged her tightly right then and there, and for a couple of minutes no one said anything. Aria finally let go and broke the silence.

“Look, we know that this must be really difficult for you, but we really do need to know exactly what happened so we can deal with it properly,” she said gently.

Adagio nodded in agreement. Sonata let the two of them into her room, and they all sat down on her bed together. Adagio and Aria starting giving Sonata another back rub to calm her.

“They didn't manage to… to… to do what they had in mind. I kept struggling and I managed to kick one of them in the face, and I managed to get close to the main road and they stopped following me…”

Adagio and Aria both breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Sonata again.

“You're safe with us now. They can’t get you here… but who were they? Who did this to you?” Adagio asked.

“I... I don't know their names, but I remember them from the Battle of the Bands back at CHS… those two rappers. I thought… I thought they were alright back then…” Sonata said.

Adagio narrowed her eyes as she came to the realization.

“Snips and Snails! Sunset Shimmer’s old lackeys!”

Adagio was furious, and she didn't even try to hide her rage anymore. She jolted up from the bed and began to pace back and forth like a hungry tiger locked up in a cage.

“I’ll kill them! I’ll fucking KILL THEM!” she screamed.

She clenched her fists, just barely controlling herself enough not to smash anything.

“How DARE they! I’ll fucking torture them to death!” she roared.

Aria was still holding Sonata tightly and rubbing her back.

“Sonata, where was this? I’m going to deal with them personally! I‘ll teach those fucking bastards a lesson they won’t forget for the rest of their miserable lives!”

Sonata thought about it for a moment.

“It… it wasn’t far from here. It was right around that playground that’s on the way to the grocery store. I guess they chose it because it's always deserted at this time,” Sonata replied. “They had bottles of… vodka, I think. I bet they're skipping school.”

That was all Adagio needed to know. She stormed out and went into her own room. She changed into a pair of jeans and put on her hoodie. Then she unlocked a drawer that she hadn’t opened in a long time. She hadn’t had a good reason to use what was inside. Not until now, that is.

She withdrew a pistol from the drawer, checked the safety, and ejected the magazine. She looked back down into the drawer. She had several boxes of bullets inside; half of the boxes were red, and the other half were blue. She considered her options briefly. She decided on the blue box.

Adagio filled the magazine and loaded it into the gun. She checked the safety one last time, then put it into the front pocket of her hoodie. She stormed out of her room and went back to Sonata's.

“Aria, you stay here and make sure Sonata is going to be alright. Do your best to distract her and get some tacos delivered. I’ll leave money on the kitchen counter. I'll be back soon,” she said.

Adagio left without waiting for a response. She put on her steel-toed boots and walked outside, slamming the apartment door behind her.

One of the neighbors was out on the corridor.

“Miss Dazzle! For the hundredth time, would you please stop slamming the doors all the time?

“Shut the fuck up!” she shot back.

Not in the mood to deal with the neighbor’s shit, Adagio marched out of the apartment complex and out to the street. Blood boiling, she ran to the playground Sonata had mentioned. She had passed by a hundred times before without a second thought; this time, though, it was the only place on her mind. She hoped, even prayed that those two bastards would still be there!

She finally arrived at her destination. The cloud that had fallen over the day had a silver lining – they were still there! The two of them seemed to be having a great time, drinking and smoking and laughing it up.

Petty thieves, too, Adagio thought. Even if a store was lax about carding its customers, no clerk with half a brain could possibly mistake those underage imbeciles for adults, so their booze and cigarettes were almost certainly stolen.

The chubby one was the first to notice Adagio approaching.

“Yo Snails! Look what we got here! Another one of them mermaid-cunts!”

“Oh, we're gonna have a lot of fun with you! You’ll be ‘adored’ all right! That’s what you said in the song, isn’t it?” Snails chortled.

“Yeah, and you’re gonna give us all your money for breaking our phones, too!” Snips added.

All through their verbal assault, Adagio had been implacably approaching them. She had decided that she’d save the gun as her ace in the hole. Finally getting within arm’s reach, she began to pummel Snails. She landed a heavy blow on his face, and he stumbled back. She then turned her attention to his cohort.

“How DARE you dipshits to do this to my sister!” punching Snips first in the stomach and then in the face. He staggered backward, and Adagio followed up with a jab into his fat neck before throwing him to the ground, straddling his torso, and mauling him like a furious mother tiger.

Adagio couldn't think straight anymore. She just struck blow after blow to his fat face, putting all the force she could manage into every one of her punches. She had cut her knuckles knocking out some of his teeth; her hands and his face were covered in a mixture of both of their blood, but she didn’t care.

In her single-minded focus on Snips, she didn’t notice Snails recovering from her initial assault. As she continued to beat Snips, Snails came up behind her and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her off of his friend.

“Get off him, you crazy bitch!” he yelled.

Adagio cried out in pain.

I guess it’s time, she thought.

Adagio pulled out her gun and pistol-whipped Snails right in the mouth. She could feel several teeth dislodging from the force of the blow. He screamed and fell to his knees, hands over his mouth and blood dripping down his chin. Adagio followed up with a swift kick in the balls, and he doubled over in pain.

“What, did you two think that you stood a chance against me! I’ll teach you to fuck with me and my sisters, you worthless wannabe thugs!”

Not letting up, she brought down the butt of her gun on the back of his head as hard as she could.

“What is it? No more fight left in you? How does it feel to get your asses in a two-on-one?” Adagio demanded.

She kicked Snails in the ribs repeatedly as he knelt there and whimpered. She finally stopped long enough to release her gun’s safety and chamber a round. She then walked around Snails so that both of them were in front of her, in her line of fire.

“Both of you get on your knees NOW!” she ordered.

They struggled to comply as quickly as they could manage in their condition.

“Now give me one reason, one fucking reason why I shouldn't kill you motherfuckers right here on the spot!” she yelled.

Their expressions were a mixture of pain and terror.

“Please don't kill us! We're sorry! We’ll never do it again!” Snips begged.

Adagio was both amused and disgusted when she saw they were literally pissing themselves. Grinning menacingly, she stepped closer to Snips and put the barrel of her gun right up against his forehead.

“No! Please! Don't kill me! It was all his idea!” Snips cried.

“What! Why, you dirty little...” Snails began, but Adagio silenced him with a pimp slap.

“Shut the fuck up!” she ordered, grabbing his collar and jerking him to his feet.

“If Sunset Shimmer had any sense, she would have killed you two back when she had the chance. I know I would have fried a couple of miserable failures like you without a second thought!” Adagio raged.

Adagio dropped him and took a step back.

“Since I’m a generous person, I’ll give you a sporting chance. You have until the count of five, then I start shooting. How does that sound?” she said, smiling evilly. “One...”

“Oh shit, she's serious! RUN!” Snips shouted, scrambling to his feet.

“Two...”

Snails joined him in his flight, but barely got a few yards before he tripped and fell on his face. Snips was about to help him get back on his feet, but was interrupted by gunfire.

“Five! I never said it would take five seconds for me to count to five!” Adagio said gleefully.

The two lowlifes screamed and dove for cover, covering their heads instinctively. Adagio lowered her gun and took a step closer.

“I’m only going to warn you once. I don't want to see your ugly faces around here ever again, understood? Next time I won’t be firing blanks!”

Snips and Snails gave her a look of pure terror, then made a mad dash away from her.

“She's insane, she's a complete psycho! Even when she turned into that devil thing, Sunset wasn’t this crazy!”

That was the last Adagio heard of them as they rounded the corner. She sighed and pulled out a cigarette. She doubted she’d see them ever again. Rather, when they did, it would be on her terms – after all, they still had to settle the score with Canterlot High.

As she smoked, her cell phone rang. Adagio heart sank. Had something happened at home? Her worries proved unfounded, though; she looked at her caller ID, and it was actually Blood Hound who was calling.

“Yes?” she answered.

“Hello, this is Blood Hound. It’s nice to speak with you again.”

“Cut to the chase, Blood. I've had a shitty day, so unless you’ve got something big…”

“Well, actually... I’ve been watching Sunset Shimmer, and I know it seems too soon, but I think you should know immediately since this is highly unusual. It seems like this girl has some kind of heavily customized tablet computer. It looks like a book with a sun on its cover, but it vibrates and gives off a purple glow every now and then. Then she picks it up and does something with a pen or stylus. It looks like she’s writing in it rather than typing. I have to keep my distance while she’s on school grounds, so I can’t give you any more details right now, but I just thought you ought to know,” he explained.

Adagio was silent for a moment while she thought about what Blood Hound was telling her.

“Thanks for the information. Just do your job and try not to think too hard about it, alright?” Adagio said.

“I will. That's what you pay me for. Oh, by the way, that the girl you sent to my office is the most impertinent little...”

“Don't care. I don't have the time or energy to worry about Aria's antics right now. Good day.”

Adagio rolled her eyes and groaned as she hung up. She took one last pull from her cigarette, then dropped it on the ground and stomped it out. She half expected a SWAT team to rush in as she left the playground, but nothing happened.

There are some advantages to living in this part of town, she thought. I guess the neighbors are used to this kind of shit.

She let out a sigh of relief and headed home, thinking about that strange book – or whatever the hell it was – that Blood Hound had told her about.

Finally arriving home, she came in to find Aria cleaning up after dinner. Aria looked at her worriedly.

“PLEASE tell me you didn’t kill those idiots…”

“They’ll live. I beat the shit out of them, but I only loaded blanks. I doubt they'll bother Sonata ever again, though,” Adagio said indifferently.

“Good. Sonata really packed in the tacos, but there are still a couple left if you're hungry.”

Adagio nodded and put her gun down on the counter.

“She's sleeping now. I gave her a few shots of whiskey,” Aria continued.

“Okay,” replied Adagio. “In the meantime, we need to discuss Sunset Shimmer. I think she's in possession of some kind of artifact from Equestria.”

Vengeance

~~~ One week later ~~~

Sonata was rudely awoken by Adagio raging about something or other, though she couldn't make out exactly what it was. She groaned, rolled over, and looked her room up and down. It was back in its natural state – that is to say, it looked like a war zone. The clock read 8:43.

I really should clean this mess up before Adagio gets in here and...

Before she could finish her thought, she was interrupted by a loud knock on her door. Sonata tried to answer, but all that came out was a sleepy groan. A moment later, Adagio burst in.

“Get up right fucking now, you lazy ass!” she demanded harshly, glaring in disapproval as she took in the new mess in Sonata's room.

Go fuck yourself, Sonata thought, rolling over to face away from her sister. She was feeling defiant today, but she was so tired and her bed was just so comfy...

The next thing Sonata knew, Adagio was ripping her blanket off and looming over her menacingly. The clock read 8:50 … she must’ve dozed off again.

“What the hell did I say? Get your ass outta bed and into the fucking kitchen already!”

Adagio had a pitcher in her hand. Sonata knew what that meant…

“Okay! I'm up, I’m up! Just don't use cold water on me again!”

Adagio's expression softened a little and she headed for the door, but she stopped on the threshold.

“Two minutes. One second later and I’ll drag your sorry ass into the shower and it will be FRIGID.”

God damn, what's with her today? I bet Aria fucked up again. I wonder if she got the belt...

Sonata grudgingly got out of bed, got dressed, and shuffled into the kitchen. Adagio and Aria were sitting at the dining table, smoking and drinking coffee. Sonata had a better understanding of their addiction after trying it in the aftermath of the incident with Snips and Snails, but she still hated the smell of it. She sighed and sat down in her spot.

“What is it today, Dagi? Usually you're not this upset so early in the morning...” Sonata asked.

Adagio handed her phone to Sonata. Sonata played the video that Adagio had on the screen. Aria hovered over her shoulder to see what all the fuss was about.

It had been recorded from pretty far away, but despite that the video was very detailed. It showed the Rainbooms – including Sunset Shimmer – standing around the statue in front of CHS. There was no audio, but the video was very interesting, to put it mildly.

Sunset Shimmer periodically wrote in a strange book. Each time, the book glowed purple and vibrated a short time later. To most people, this would seem strange, but Sonata knew exactly what the book really was. She finished watching the video and put down Adagio's smartphone.

“I don't get it. What's the big deal?” Sonata asked her sisters.

Adagio groaned and facepalmed, but Aria was the first to respond.

“You're the worst, Sonata. Sunset Shimmer and her book, of course! We can't figure out what the hell it is, but you bet your ass it’s important!”

Sonata scratched her head and answered.

“Really? You don’t know what it is?”

Adagio's and Aria's jaws dropped and they just stared at her.

“What! What could YOU possibly know about this?” Aria demanded.

Sonata remained silent until she finished pouring herself a mug of coffee, savoring the moment.

“Well, duh! Didn’t you ever read Star Swirl’s Encyclopedia of Magical Tools and Relics back when we were in the Crystal Empire? I used to read a little bit every night to help me fall asleep!”

“Spill the beans already!” Adagio said expectantly.

“Oh, alright! It’s kind of like a set of walkie-talkies, but text-only. If you have a matching pair of those books, you can send messages to each other from one end of Equestria to the other… though I didn’t realize it worked across different dimensions, too!” Sonata explained.

“Wait,” Adagio interrupted, “So this book is basically an instant messenger? How come Aria and I have never seen one before?”

“Ummm... I guess they’re supposed to be pretty hard to make, so not many unicorns know how to do it… only, like, diplomats and stuff get to have one normally.”

Adagio’s face brightened as she listened.

“Sonata, you're a genius!” she said, rising from her chair. “Aria, change of plans; I have something better in mind. Get the car keys, we need to buy some supplies.”

Aria nodded and got up to get the keys while Adagio chugged the rest of her coffee.

“Sonata, you stay home and clean your room. I expect it to be spotless by the time we’re back,” Adagio ordered.

Sonata wanted to protest, but held her tongue. She didn’t want to have an argument right now. Her sisters walked out the door. Sonata got up, went to the window, and watched them drive away. As they disappeared from view, her whole body shivered in anticipation.

“Finally home alone! I thought this day would never come!” Sonata said to herself.

She immediately headed straight for Adagio's room. Normally she wouldn't even consider entering… when Adagio realized she’d been snooping around, there’d be hell to pay. Today, though, that was a risk Sonata was willing to take.

As she explored her sister’s room, the first interesting things she stumbled upon were Adagio's lingerie and sex toys.

“Oooh! How juicy! Someone has expensive tastes!” she giggled.

The next thing she uncovered was less salacious but more useful.

“Aha! That's where you’ve been hiding it all! Don’t mind if I do... It was a team effort, after all!” Sonata exclaimed, grabbing fistfuls of Adagio’s stash of stolen money.

Finally, after ransacking her sister’s room for a good fifteen minutes, she found what she was really looking for – Adagio’s handgun! A holster, several magazines, and a few boxes of ammo were in the same drawer.

Sonata grabbed everything she needed and brought it to the kitchen table. She sat down and loaded a magazine with bullets, all the while singing a little rhyme to herself.

“One, two, Sonata's coming for you... three, four, lock your door... five, six, grab your crucifix... seven, eight, meet your fate... nine, ten, never hurt anyone again!”

She finished with the gun and then went to her room. She put on a black hoodie, sunglasses, and a snapback cap, then opened her wardrobe and pushed aside all the clothes hanging within. Behind them was a backpack, which she proceeded to open. Sonata sighed with relief that neither of her sisters had discovered it – everything was where it was supposed to be.

Back in the kitchen, she put on the holster and slid the gun into it.

“Locked and loaded, bitches!” she exclaimed, reaching for the key hooks. Their second car was a bit old, but it would serve. She didn't actually have a license, but she snuck in some practice every now and then. Besides, what was one more crime compared to what she was about to do?

She tossed her backpack onto the passenger seat, started the engine, and drove in a general southern direction, to leave Canterlot for its suburbs.

Sonata started the car, pulled out the cigarette lighter, plugged their GPS into its socket, and flicked it on. She typed in an address and it directed her toward the south end of Canterlot. On her way there she stopped at a convenience store and picked up a slurpee, a couple hot dogs, and a pile of taquitos… this could be a long stake-out.

As she drove, her thoughts drifted to the previous Friday night.

Poor Principal Celestia, she thought to herself, she really didn’t deserve that huge mess I made in her office looking through the student files… or those nasty pictures I drew of her and her sister. Ah well, it couldn’t be helped. I had to make it look like it was just an act of vandalism, after all.

Before she knew it, she had reached her destination. Parking by the side of the road, she surveyed her surroundings. Sonata was taken aback at the sheer squalor of it all. She and her sisters didn’t live in the best part of town, but compared to this ghetto it was paradise on earth. She felt thankful that she was armed.

~~~

Sonata slurped up the last of her slushy and looked at the time. It had been a few hours since she arrived, but still nothing. She was considering going to get a new drink when she was startled by her cell phone vibrating. It was Adagio. Sonata hesitated, but decided to pick up.

“Hi Dagi!” she greeted her sister cheerfully.

“I'm just calling to make sure you're not screwing around. You are cleaning your room, aren’t you?”

Sonata was relieved her sisters weren't back at home yet.

“Yeah, I’m almost done. All that’s left is sweeping the floor,” she lied. She knew Adagio was going to take it out on her hide later, but just this once it was worth it.

“Good. Don’t forget that it’s your turn to cook today, too. I'll call you when we’re on our way home so you know when to get started,” Adagio said.

“Okey-dokey! How about chop suey on rice?” Sonata asked.

“Fine by me. Anyway, gotta go now. See you later. Love ya!” Adagio said.

“Love you too!” Sonata replied, then hung up. She sighed loudly and dropped her phone into the cup-holder.

When she realizes what I’ve been up to she’s gonna be beyond pissed, Sonata thought, but I’ll gladly take any punishment she can dish out if it means I get my revenge…

~~~

A few hours later, Sonata was about ready to blow her own brains out from absolute boredom when she finally saw what she was waiting for. Walking around the corner, laughing and giving each other a high-five, were Snips and Snails. They still had some noticeable bruises and black eyes from their run-in with Adagio, and they were wearing grills.

Posers like them with grills? Fake gold, no doubt, she thought to herself.

They didn't pay any attention to her car as they walked past. Sonata waited until they were a short distance away, then grabbed her backpack and got out of the car.

“Yo bitches! Guess who?” she called out.

Snips and Snails turned around in surprise.

“Hey, it's that mermaid bitch! ‘Da fuck you doin’ in our hood?” Snails demanded.

“Who gives a shit, let’s get her!” Snips said, pulling out a knife.

Sonata drew her gun on them and flipped the safety.

“Bad idea. Take out all your weapons and put them on the ground!” she barked.

Snips laughed at her.

“Nice try, bitch! We know your sister loaded that with blanks!” he said as he took a step forward.

Sonata pointed her gun down and shot him in the kneecap. Snips dropped his knife and fell to the ground, holding his leg and writhing in pain.

“That feel like a blank to you? Weapons on the ground and slide them over here, NOW!”

Snails complied, but Snips was still crying and gibbering on the ground.

“You crazy bitch, you shot me! I can’t believe you really fucking shot me!”

Sonata looked down at him in annoyance.

“Stop crying already! Fuck!” Sonata shouted, then shifted her gaze to Snails. “Hey, shithead! If your fatass friend can’t do what I say, you do it for him! Take his weapons and slide them over to me. HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!”

Snails did as she said. All in all, the two of them had been packing two knives, a length of chain, a brick, and a handgun. She tossed the brick to the other side of the street and stowed the rest in her backpack.

“Alright, now we're going to the next playground. Drag him along,” she said, motioning toward Snips with her gun. Quite a bit of blood had pooled beneath him.

“A… a playground? W-why?” they stammered.

“No questions! Now move it, Comrade Makarov here isn’t known for his patience!” Sonata snapped.

She got back in the car and followed them slowly, ready to run them down if they tried anything. It only took a few minutes to reach their destination, and the fat one left a satisfying trail of blood as they went. Sonata rolled down her window.

“Over there, up against that wall. Prop him up, too,” Sonata ordered.

They reluctantly did as they were told. Snips was looking pale from all the blood he’d lost, but he managed to get up the strength to speak.

“What the hell do you want from us? Your sister already kicked our asses! We’re sorry already, alright?” he pleaded.

“Oh, you're sorry! Well that changes everything!” Sonata said mockingly.

Before she could continue, her phone vibrated. It was Adagio again. Sonata answered the call and was immediately greeted with her sister’s wrath.

“Sonata Dusk! What the fuck did you do to my room? And where the hell are you, anyway? Just wait until you get home, you’re gonna WISH you got off as light as Aria did last week!” Adagio hissed.

Sonata knew that tone. It was the one Adagio only used when she was so angry she was beyond the point of yelling. Sonata was past the point of no return in here plan, though. There would be no reasoning with Adagio at this point, anyhow.

“I’m busy. I’ll see you tonight,” she replied curtly.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed Snails trying to sneak away while she was distracted. He wasn’t getting off that easy, though.

“Sonata!”

That was the last thing she heard Adagio hiss at her as she dropped her phone to the ground. Snails noticed her bringing her gun to bear and started to run for cover. He never made it. Sonata dropped him with three quick shots in the back.

Meanwhile, Snips had fallen, unable to stand without Snails’ help because of his shattered knee, and was trying to crawl away. Sonata walked up behind him, grinning wickedly at his predicament.

“Well, it’s been fun, boys. See you in hell!”

He only managed to let out one final squeal of terror as she squeezed the trigger and put one into the back of his head. She calmly strode over to quivering heap that was Snails and did the same to him. She flipped the safety, put away the gun, and picked her phone up off the ground. It was undamaged; she had invested in a good case for it because she often dropped it by accident. Adagio had already hung up, so Sonata just shrugged and put it in her pocket.

She listened for a moment and didn’t hear any sirens. She guessed the cops wouldn’t arrive for a good long while. That was usually how it was in these bad neighborhoods.

Quickly getting to work setting the scene, Sonata opened her backpack and took out several baggies of meth and rolls of cash. Planting them on the bodies, she stood up to admire her handiwork one last time before leaving.

“Perfect!” she beamed.

She got into the car and fired up the engine, speeding away from the crime scene and reveling in the adrenaline rush. She’d have to go home and face Adagio eventually, but first she needed to dispose of the evidence.

Adagio’s has a pretty nice gun, she thought, shame she’ll never see it again.

Sonata didn’t get home until past midnight, but she saw a light in their apartment window. Adagio was waiting for her. She parked the car, braced herself for what she knew was to come, and began the trek up to their apartment.

Beginnings

Aria and Adagio left the apartment and headed for the car.

“I’ll drive,” said Adagio, “I don’t want to deal with your road rage today.”

Aria rolled her eyes.

“Whatever. You're the one with the license anyway,” Aria replied indifferently as she walked around to the passenger seat.

“Right, and since we can't mind control the cops anymore, I'm not taking any chances. We're keeping a low profile until we're back from Equestria with new pendants.”

Adagio fired up the engine and drove out to the street. They were headed to downtown Canterlot; that’s where Sunset Shimmer’s apartment, which Blood Hound had found for them, was located.

“Speaking of which, can we make the amulets a different color this time?” Aria asked. “I never really liked the red ones. I could really go for a green one this time around. A nice bright green would look really good with my wardrobe.”

Adagio considered Aria’s request as she drove. As she came to stop at a traffic light, she finally turned to her sister and responded.

“It’s been a long time since we made our pendants, and I don’t remember the specifics of the spell anymore… I’m not sure if it only works with rubies or if other types of gemstones would work just as well,” Adagio said thoughtfully. “I do remember that it took a lot of preparation, though, and even then it was no easy feat to cast it. We'll be sticking with rubies. They worked for us once before, and I don't want to risk having the spell fail and being forced to start over just because you wanted a different color pendant.”

Aria just folded her arms in front of her chest and let out a discontented grunt.

“Hey, it’s not like they’re pink or something. Red is powerful. It’s the color of blood… or fire. And you never want to turn your back on somepony whose magical aura is red,” Adagio said, a sudden grin on her face.

Back in Equestria, the Siren sisters had all had bright red auras.

“Sometimes, though, I also get sick of the color red…” Adagio continued after a few moments of silence, “… especially these FUCKING RED LIGHTS!”

Her mind wandered as she waited for the light to turn. Thinking about the color of their magic had brought back old memories… memories from ages long past, when the Sirens were still just fillies… happy times, back when life was simple…

~~~

They were on a school trip for a music competition. The three sisters were all psyched up – this was their first time ever visiting the Crystal Empire! This was back before King Sombra had subjugated it, so it was still a pleasant, beautiful, happy place.

As the Dazzlings stepped down from the stage to thunderous applause, Adagio felt a strange sensation on her flank. Before she could even process what was going on, she was bombarded by the excited shouts of her sisters.

“Look! Look! You just got your cutie mark, Adagio! Adagio!”

“ADAGIO!”

“Huh? What?” asked Adagio, broken from her reverie but still in a daze.

~~~

“Adagio, it’s green!” shouted Aria, waving a hand in front of her sister’s face.

“Shit!”

Their car lurched forward as she stepped heavily on the gas. One of the drivers behind them crossed into the other lane and sped past, giving them the finger as he overtook them.

“Yeah you too, buddy! Go fuck yourself!” Adagio yelled as she and Aria both flipped him off.

After giving Adagio a minute to collect herself, Aria spoke up again.

“Hey space cadet, don’t forget we need to stop at–”

“Yeah, I know. I’m not Sonata, you don’t have to keep reminding me,” Adagio said curtly.

“Don’t be so touchy, it’s only the second time I mentioned it! Anyway, your little daydream just now didn’t exactly fill me with confidence,” Aria snapped back.

Adagio didn’t feel like arguing the point, so she just let it go at that. A few minutes later, she spotted a hardware store and parked in front of it. Aria got out.

“I’ll just be a few minutes. All I need is a new tension wrench,” Aria explained.

Adagio just nodded slightly and grunted in response. Back in their days of running heists, Aria had been their designated burglar. Adagio didn’t really know anything about lockpicking, and she didn’t care to learn, either. She just trusted that her sister knew what she was doing. As she waited, her thoughts returned to the past…

~~~

Adagio grinned from ear to ear.

“Ohmigosh-ohmigosh-ohmigosh- ohmigosh! Wait a sec, though... I understand the clef, but what’s with the gem? What does a gem have to do with music?” Adagio wondered aloud.

“I dunno,” said Aria, “but it’s really cute! I wish I could get mine already…”

“Aria! Aria! You too!” Sonata shouted excitedly.

Aria looked at her flank in wonderment.

“My cutie mark! My cutie mark! Woohoo!” she cried, bouncing around in excitement.

Adagio took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and said a little prayer to Celestia before looking at Sonata’s flank. Would they be three for three? When she opened her eyes, she saw a jagged eighth note superimposed over a heart on her sister’s flank.

“Sonata, look! You got yours too!” she exclaimed.

The three ecstatic fillies, drunk with happiness, all came together for a group hug.

~~~

Aria opened the car door and sat down.

“All set. So are you positive that Blood Hound asshole gave us the right address?” she asked.

Adagio nodded.

“Maybe if you’d been a bit more polite, he wouldn’t have been a dick to you. Anyway, I’ve never know him to make a mistake about something like this,” said Adagio.

“He’d better not have,” replied Aria.

“By the way, I almost forgot… could you run over to the drugstore and get a box of latex gloves? I’m gonna call Sonata to remind her that it’s her turn to cook,” said Adagio.

Thank god she actually enjoys cooking, Adagio thought to herself. I'd have gone insane by now if I had to argue with both of them about that every week...

While she contemplated what she was going to say to Sonata, Adagio was vaguely aware of Aria giving her lip about having to go to the drugstore. Defiant as she was, Aria did as she was told, which was all Adagio cared about at the moment.

A few minutes and a surprisingly argument-free call to Sonata later, Adagio spotted Aria returning to the car with a box of gloves.

“That's all we should need. According to Blood Hound, Sunset always leaves in the late afternoon to hang out with her pathetic friends,” Adagio said, lighting up a cigarette.

“Hey, give me a light?” Aria requested. “And don’t even get me started on those stupid bitches. The pink one is even more annoying than Sonata, and has she ever heard of a fucking comb? Seriously, I’ve seen hobos with better-looking hair!”

“How about that stupid hick they hang out with?” added Adagio. “Her brother goes to CHS too. I’d bet anything those hillbillies are doing it with each other!”

“Eeyup!” Aria mockingly imitated.

“And I wouldn’t blame you if you completely forgot about the yellow one… how boring can you get? The dictionary entry for ‘wallflower’ should just be a picture of her!” Adagio sneered.

“That rainbow cunt is the worst of the bunch, though,” said Aria. “She has such an undeserved sense of accomplishment! She’s pretty good at soccer and a decent guitarist, and she thinks that makes her hot shit!”

Adagio just laughed as Aria continued her rant.

“And can you believe that song of hers? ‘Awesome As I Wanna Be,’ was it? Puh-lease!”

“Yeah, I agree. But be patient, we'll get back at them soon enough. When we’re done with them, they’re gonna wish they were never born!” Adagio replied.

She restarted the car and they continued on their way to Sunset Shimmer’s apartment. It was still early, so they’d have a while to stake out the place while they waited for her to leave.

“I called Sonata while you were at the drugstore,” Adagio said. “She said she’s gonna make chop suey and rice tonight. That cool with you?”

“Whatever… as long as it's not tacos again,” responded Aria.

They passed the rest of the trip in silence. Adagio parked where they had a clear view of the entrance to Sunset’s apartment complex, but not so close that they’d seem suspicious. As they hunkered down to watch and wait, Adagio began once more to reminisce – and for once, she was able to do so uninterrupted.

~~~

The three sisters had just finished singing an encore. They were all smiles in light of their recently-earned cutie marks, and they curtsied elegantly before the adoring crowd. As they stepped down from the stage, however, a group of young crystal ponies surrounded them.

“Would you look at that, the Equestrian hornfaces aren't blank flanks anymore!” one particularly muscle-bound colt chortled.

“Ugh. What in Tartarus do you want, plothole?” Adagio asked.

“Oh, nothing much, stupid ‘Questrie!” he said, pushing Sonata to the ground.

“Ow! Why are you so mean to us? We didn't do anything to you!” Sonata said, tears in her eyes.

“HEY! Leave her alone!” Aria cried, shoving the bully back.

“WHAT! Why, you little...”

Aria and the colt began to scuffle. Fed up with the melee, Adagio fired her horn instinctively… it was a simple levitation spell, but any earth pony – crystal or not – was defenseless against it. Surrounded by a red aura, the crystal colt floated into the air against his will.

“Now listen very carefully…” Adagio hissed, looking up at him, “… if you ever bother us again, I'm gonna lift you a thousand hoofs into the air and then...”

“She's evil! EVIL! GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!” he yelled in a panic.

There was no help for him, though – his cronies were already scattering as he spoke. Scared out of his wits and with no backup, he fled the scene as soon as Adagio dropped him – which she did as soon as she realized what she had done, her concentration broken by sheer amazement. She and the bullies weren’t the only ones who were surprised, though…

“A... A... Adagio...” Sonata stuttered, “Your eyes... why were they glowing?”

“Huh? Glowing? What do you mean?”

~~~

A few hours later, Aria and Adagio were still waiting for Sunset to leave her apartment. Adagio was idly fiddling with an unlit cigarette when Aria suddenly pushed her head down.

“Shit! Duck! She's leaving!”

The two of them stayed down for a couple minutes, then hesitantly raised their heads again. The two of them anxiously looked around for Sunset Shimmer, but she was nowhere to be found.

“Phew! Finally! It’s about goddamn time!” Adagio exclaimed.

“No shit, I thought that bitch was never gonna fuckin’ leave,” Aria agreed.

Adagio and Aria looked around. The street was deserted. Aria got out of the car and examined the front entrance to the complex for a few minutes, then came back.

“They’ve got a decent lock, but just wait a few minutes,” said Aria. “It’s still fairly early in the day, so someone else is sure to come out. Then I’ll just turn on the charm and pretend to be a forgetful resident who got locked out.”

Aria feigned distress and started pacing outside the door. Soon enough, a man walked out of the complex. Adagio watched her sister flirt with him, playing the part of a new resident who had forgotten her key. The stupid sap took the bait; hook, line, and sinker. Sure enough, he held the door for Aria, and she walked right into the apartment complex.

Adagio grinned and got out of the car. She sauntered up to the door, and Aria let her in.

“Nice job, sis. Now all we have to do is find her door...” Adagio said, trailing off as she read the apartment directory.

“Got it,” said Aria, “She’s on the third floor.”

The elevator was out of order, so the two of them took the stairs up. Five minutes later, they were standing in front of Sunset Shimmer’s door – room 324. Aria scrutinized the lock on the door, sizing up the challenge before her.

“Piece of cake. Same shit as the front door, but up here on the third floor I should have a decent mount of time to work on it without any interruptions,” Aria whispered and started picking.

Adagio was tense with anticipation. Five minutes passed as Aria worked diligently on the lock, and Adagio could barely contain herself.

“Hurry up already! I don't wanna get caught. That’d fuck up the whole plan!” she hissed.

“Shhhh! I fucking know! You can’t rush genius, now just give me a minute...”

A couple minutes later, Aria finally engaged the lock’s last tumbler and opened the door.

“Told ya it was no problem!” Aria exclaimed proudly.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t get cocky!” Adagio said.

Adagio shoved her sister into the room, then swiftly followed her inside. She gently closed the door behind them so as not to upset or alert the neighbors.

“So far, so good,” she said. “Now let’s find that book.”

They began to ransack Sunset's apartment. Aria was the first to find something of interest.

“How interesting! I'll be taking this!” said Aria, stuffing Sunset’s diary into her pack.

“Nice find!” said Adagio. “I bet there are some pretty juicy entries in there.”

“Yeah, this is gonna be a fun read,” Aria agreed.

The sisters shared a wicked grin, then returned to the task at hand. Between the two of them, they turned the apartment upside down. About a half hour later, Adagio finally found what she was looking for.

“Aha! Got it!” she exclaimed triumphantly, holding the thick leather-bound book over her head.

“Awesome! I was starting to think it wasn’t even here!” Aria replied.

“No shit, who’d have thought she’d shove something this important into some random drawer? This should be enlightening, at any rate,” Adagio said, stuffing the book into their backpack.

“I know, right? Anyway, let's get going. If she comes back, things could get ugly… I hear she's a black belt,” Aria said.

“Yeah, you’re right. From what I’ve heard, that's how she used to strong-arm everyone at CHS into doing what she wanted. Pity we didn't get to know her earlier...” Adagio trailed off.

Adagio and Aria left the apartment, got in their car, and drove home without saying a word, too intoxicated with their success to even lock the door on their way out.

~~~

“Sonata! We're home!” Adagio called out.

There was no answer… their apartment was deserted. Worried, Adagio rushed into the kitchen. No Sonata… no chop suey.

“What the hell…” Adagio wondered aloud.

She checked Sonata's room next. It still looked like a war zone.

“Oh, that lying little shit!” Adagio said to herself, grinding her teeth.

“Ummm... Adagio? You might wanna come here…” Aria said nervously.

Adagio went to find out what her sister was talking about. Her jaw dropped at what she saw.

“What the fuck! What the hell happened to my room?” she asked, dropping the car keys in shock.

Aria picked them up and hung them up on the key rack before continuing.

“Oh, and by the way… the keys to the other car are gone.”

“WHAT!” Adagio screamed.

She pulled out her phone and furiously punched in Sonata’s number. When she picked up, Adagio didn’t even wait for her to say anything.

“Sonata Dusk! What the fuck did you do to my room? And where the hell are you, anyway? Just wait until you get home, you’re gonna WISH you got off as light as Aria did last week!” she hissed.

Aria flinched at the mention of her punishment.

“Sonata!” Adagio hissed once more.

She heard a clatter, then what sounded like gunfire, then silence. Adagio waited a few more moments without receiving a response, then hung up. She stormed into her room to survey the mess.

“Oh, sweet Celestia, she didn’t...” she said, dropping to her knees and anxiously biting her nails.

“Something wrong?” asked Aria.

“My gun! My fucking gun is gone… and some of the JHP rounds, too!” she yelled.

“Bring me some trash bags! I dunno exactly what that sneaky little bitch’s punishment is gonna be, but I sure know where I’m gonna start!”

Aria quickly did as she was asked. Adagio ripped the box out of her hands, took out a bag, and started to toss most of Sonata’s belongings in – pretty much everything except for her clothes.

You lying, stealing little bitch! Just wait until I get my hands on you!

As she filled up each bag, she tossed it into the closet. She wasn't going to trash Sonata's stuff, but she was sure as hell going to make her believe that she had. She wasn’t gentle, either… if any of Sonata’s things broke, that’d be her own problem, not Adagio’s.

Finishing her rampage, Adagio went back upstairs and spotted Aria brewing coffee.

“Urgh. Good idea. I need a pick-me-up before I can deal with my room,” Adagio said.

She plopped down at the kitchen table, her thoughts still racing. A few minutes later, Aria joined her. She pulled out Sunset’s diary and magic book and slid them across the table toward Adagio.

Adagio slowly sipped her coffee and began to flip through the magic book. Taking her cue, Aria began to look through the diary. Aria was the first to speak up.

“Hey, listen to this. It's from May two years ago,” Aria said.

“Dear Diary. Today that asshole Flash Sentry broke up with me, and not five minutes later Snips was already trying to ask me out! Can you believe the nerve of that idiot? I made sure he'll never try that again… a kick in the balls and a few good slaps set him straight. As if I’d ever get with someone like him! Those two retards are my minions, nothing more! On the bright side, kicking his ass just felt SO good... maybe I should start beating them regularly. If only I could do the same to that jerk Flash…”

Adagio sighed.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – it's a real shame we didn't meet Sunset Shimmer a couple years earlier...”

“Maybe once we have our powers back, we can pull her away from those ‘friends’ of hers,” said Aria. “I bet she’s still got that ambition somewhere deep down… that kind of drive doesn't just vanish into thin air. We just need to reignite that spark somehow…” Aria speculated.

Adagio nodded, finished her coffee, and put out her cigarette.

“It’s worth a try, at least. I can’t believe she bought into that ‘magic of friendship’ nonsense… we're gonna show them the TRUE meaning of power!” Adagio said.

Adagio stood up, but instead of going back to her bedroom she flopped down on the couch.

“Y’know, I’m not gonna clean up my room… that’ll be Sonata’s job. One of her jobs, anyway...”

Plans

Adagio waited way past midnight for Sonata's return. She worried about what in the hell Sonata did with her gun. Aria, on the other hand, couldn't stop reading the journal and magic book they stole from Sunset Shimmer.

The later it became, the more worried Adagio became; to the point where she started to bite her fingernails. Adagio smoked one cigarette after another while absentmindedly changing channels on the TV.

It was around 3 A.M when the door opened and Sonata finally came home. Adagio sprung up from the couch as if she'd been bitten by a tarantula and ran to Sonata at near-lightspeed , then slapped her. Hard.

Sonata fell on her ass and rubbed her cheek, gazing at Adagio with a look on her face that she knew she deserved any punishment Adagio had in store for her.

“Where the fuck have you been?” she snarled. Sonata gave no answer, she just sat there and Adagio jerked her back up on her feet.

“Where is the Makarov, you miserable little thief!?” Adagio pressed on.

Sonata looked away from Adagio.

“I... I disposed of it...”

“WHAT! What the fuck did you do with it? I heard over the phone that you fired it. Why? You better tell me you didn't do anything stupid with it...!” Adagio yelled.

“I tossed it into Canterlot River,” Sonata said with a shaking voice.

Adagio pulled Sonata at her ponytail behind her into her room.

“I don't give a damn how tired you might be, but you're gonna clean up this mess right fucking now, and I also don't give a shit how long it will take you. And while you do that, you can anticipate your punishment. Trust me, the spanking I gave to Aria will be nothing compared to what you'll get!”

Sonata did as she was told without any complaints or back talk. It would be more or less suicide to refuse any of Adagio's orders when she was that pissed.

After an hour Sonata was still at work while Adagio sat on a chair to oversee her youngest sister while smoking and reading the diary of Sunset.

Wait a sec... The portal to Equestria is right in front of friggin' Canterlot High!? It's that silly statue of a horse!?

While she thought a bit about it, the apartment door got kicked down and a SWAT team rushed into the apartment of the siren sisters.

“POLICE! EVERYONE ON THE GROUND, HANDS ON THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD!”

Adagio yelped and couldn't believe what was happening. She jerked up from her chair and stared at the SWAT team.

One of them pointed an assault rifle at her head.

“ON THE GROUND! RIGHT NOW OR I'LL OPEN FIRE!

Adagio came back to her senses and did as she was told. She slowly laid down on her stomach and interlocked her fingers on the back of her head.

The one who ordered her to do so continued to point his rifle at Adagio while another pinned her down and handcuffed her.

“What the fuck is going on!? Why am I under arrest?” Adagio asked shocked.

He said nothing and a few seconds later two other policemen came back with a bewildered looking, and also handcuffed, Aria.

The SWAT team sat all of the three sisters down on the couch and one spoke into his radio.

“Chief? All's clear. Suspects are under arrest. Over.”

A few minutes later a cop with normal clothing came into their apartment, he had dark blue hair with a lighter shade of blue and pure white skin.

He exchanged looks with the SWAT guys and looked at his suspects.

“Officer Shining Armor. We have an arrest warrant for Sonata Dusk. Which of you three is her?

Adagio and Aria looked at Sonata, who was sitting between her sisters.

Sonata said nothing and looked at the ground.

One of the cops came back to his superior and handed him an ID.

“It's the blue-haired one, sir. We'll take her into custody.”

Shining Armor nodded and two of his officers jerked Sonata onto her feet.

“Sonata Dusk, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?”

“Yes,” Sonata looked at the ground, while tears streamed down her face.

She looked at her sisters who still sat on the couch with their jaws dropped.

“I'm so sorry... Please forgive me...”

Those were the last words they had heard from Sonata in quite some time.

Shining Armor rubbed his forehead.

“Release the other two, then we'll pack up” he ordered.

The SWAT team released Adagio and Aria and then left the apartment while Chief Shining Armor remained.

Adagio finally found her voice again.

“What the hell is going on? Why is our sister under arrest? What did she do?” she demanded.

“Ma'am, I'm sorry to inform you that your sister has been arrested because she's strongly suspected for first degree murder. In fact, she's the only suspect in this case.”

Adagio couldn't believe it.

“Murder...? But why and whom would Sonata...?”

Then it struck her like a lightning bolt and she gasped in shock.

“Oh my god...”

Aria still sat on the couch, face buried in her hands as she sobbed loudly.

While the state Canterlot was located in had abolished the death penalty, Sonata would still spend the rest of her life in prison without parole for first degree murder.

“I'm sorry,” Shining Armor said and left the two remaining Dazzlings alone.

Aria was now crying without restraint and Adagio hugged her sister while rubbing her back.

“Shhh... We'll find a way to sort this out. Whatever Sonata did, we won't let her rot in prison until she gets shanked or whatever might happen in such a hellhole.”

Adagio stood up to get a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. Before that she went to the apartment door and slammed it shut. But they needed to replace it as soon as possible.

A neighbor knocked at their door.

“Miss Dazzle! You and your stupid family are unbearable! I’m going to complain about you to the landlord and then you'll get kicked out! I'm...”

Adagio's eye twitched and she went back to the door. She jerked it open and her neighbor was standing there, giving her a disapproving look.

She punched him in the nose as hard as she could and he fell on his ass, holding his bleeding nose in his hand.

“What was THAT!?”

Adagio stood menacingly over him and stared at him as if she would be the next one to commit first degree murder.

“It's called a punch, asshole. And if you ever again dare to insult my family or me, I'll rip off your balls and make you eat them. Understood?”

He just stared at Adagio as if he were shell shocked and nodded.

“Good,” was all Adagio said and she went back into her apartment, slamming the door shut a second time.

Aria still sat on the couch. Though she stopped crying, she still sat on the couch and stared on the ground, seemingly trying to process what just happened.

Adagio sighed and went to the kitchen to get the whiskey and two glasses.

She sat down next to Aria and poured the whiskey. She gave one to Aria, whose hand was shaking rather violently.

“I... I can't believe this. Sonata isn't a... a... a murderer...” Aria began.

“I know. As I was saying, we'll sort this out. Even if that means we have to bust her out of prison. I don't know if they'll allow us to bail her out and even if they did, it would be at least several hundred thousand dollars. Sure, I'd pay that, but that would raise a ton of uncomfortable questions. That's the last thing we need...” she said and lit up a cigarette for her as well as one for Aria and handed it over.

“Thanks...”

Aria took a long drag and inhaled deeply. Then, a thought struck her.

“Wait a sec... What's the point of going to Equestria now without Sonata? Doesn't the spell to create new pendants require at least three casters?”

Adagio groaned.

“God fucking dammit, you're right!” she cried out loud.

She chugged down her whiskey and threw the glass at the wall, which made Aria flinch.

She stood up and started to pace back and forth like a predator locked up in a too small cage.

“We need a substitute for Sonata and then we'll come back and bust Sonata out of prison, even if that means we have to tear the whole damn place apart!”

“I'm with you, sis!” Aria said.

“And the only one who comes to mind is Sunset Shimmer. For better or worse, we need her to cast the damn spell!”

“And how are we supposed to make her help us? Threaten to kill her friends? I mean, fear isn't the best motivator, you know...” Aria pointed out.

“I know, I know! Just lemme think...!”

Adagio groaned and went to her room in order to get the magic book and diary of Sunset Shimmer.

She put the magic book on the table and started to read the diary. She flipped through pages to find the last entry.

“Hm... the last entry is right after the battle of the bands...”

Adagio began to read aloud.

“Dear Diary,

today we've finally defeated the Dazzlings. To be honest, I really pity them. They remind me so much of myself when I was still imprisoned in the deep darkness I brought upon myself. I'd love to help them find happiness and friendship. If I didn't want to give them a chance like the one which has been granted to me, I wouldn't have deserved one either.

But I don't think we'll see them anytime soon and I don't know where they live.

It's a real shame. I refuse to believe that they're evil beings. Everyone has a good side and I think the leader – Adagio? - went just a bit mad with power like I did...”

Adagio paused and she saw Aria making a gesture that the thoughts of Sunset Shimmer on themselves made her wanna puke.

“Me too, Aria. The more I think about it, the more I believe it will be very hard to drag her back to her old ways. But nonetheless I'm confident that we can manipulate her to come back to the 'dark side', as her friends would call it. Anyway...”

Adagio continued to read the entry.

“I think deep inside their hearts they're very likable girls. The one with the pigtails, I don't know her name, seems like she's covering up a ton of grief and sadness with a cynical attitude...”

Aria interrupted her sister.

“Who the hell does she think she is? A fucking psychologist!? She doesn't know shit about any of us and what we've been through! Her little pea-sized brain couldn't even comprehend that!”

“I know. Shut up and let me continue.”

Aria groaned and drank more whiskey.

“For the last one with the blue hair, I don't know her name, is the one I pity the most. She seems like her friends, sisters, or whatever are dragging her along and manipulate her into doing evil. To be honest, I don't think she's the brightest bulb of the lot.”

Adagio laughed out loud.

“Oh Sunset Shimmer, you really don't know what Sonata is capable of...!”

Aria grinned and lit up another cigarette and Adagio continued to read the entry.

“Anyway, since I can't talk about that even with my friends, I'll confess this to paper. I already knew for a long time that I'm homosexual and I only had that 'relationship' with Flash to become more popular. Eventually he dumped me because I refused to go to bed with him. He didn't say that, but it's so obvious. Guys are all sex-crazed morons. But enough of that. What I wanted to say is that I fell in love with Adagio. At least that's what I think her name is.”

As Aria heard that, she took a good slug of her whiskey and spat it out.

“WHAT!?”

Adagio silently read more and as she finished, she put the open diary on her lap and grinned wickedly.

“Oh, that's an extremely good opportunity. Don't you see? Love makes people blind and that will make it so much easier to make them do my bidding.”

She cleared her throat and continued to read aloud where she was interrupted.

“Even if she tried to conquer Earth to become a dictator or whatever, I still think she can be reformed and she deserves to be loved. And that's what I do, even if I probably never be able to tell her that. Her hips are amazing and the way she danced in the cafeteria was just sexy as fuck. I would kill for the opportunity to go to bed with her. I'd bury my face in her pussy and lick her so intensely that she'd get one amazing orgasm after another!”

Adagio laughed like she did after the 'Under Our Spell' song.

“Well, Sunset... I guess you're in luck then” Adagio chuckled.

“Seriously? You're really gonna make out with her?” Aria asked dumbfounded.

“Why not? It's not like she's ugly or anything and I don't give a damn if I'm gonna make out with a guy or gal. The baconhead will never forget what I'm gonna do to her and like I said, her love for me will make it very easy to manipulate her to do what I want and that means that she WILL help us create new pendants and bust Sonata out of prison. I'm confident that we'll get this whole mess with Sonata sorted out rather quickly and then we can continue with our plan to conquer Equestria and after that, Earth as well.” Adagio explained.

Aria thought for a moment about this new development.

“You're right. And like you said yesterday, a desire for power and domination doesn't just vanish into thin air. We'll bring that back and undo the brainwashing that those stupid elements of harmony did to her.”

“Of course I'm right. Also, she'll be a valuable ally once we got her real self back. Firstly, she's anything but stupid. She wasn't a personal student of Empress Celestia without reason. It's so hard nowadays to find good allies and Sunset is quite the rarity...”

Aria nodded and Adagio got up.

“I'm gonna go now to her place and while I’m at it, please call some carpenter to fix our door. After that, you can do whatever you want.

“Ok, Adagio” Aria said and stood up to get the house phone. Adagio went to the shower, dressed up, and left for Sunset's place.