I sighed as I began walking up to the building. I had hoped to never come here again, having found decent housing years ago. I hadn't enjoyed my time here at all and I felt the eyes in the back of my head start to open again as I crossed the threshold of the entrance. Young women here were an oddity and could be targeted by some of the more aggressive residents.
I climbed the stairs, noting that the carpeting - where it was still present - had progressed from the dirt brown it had been during my time here to more of a moss green from some sort of plant growth. I made sure not to step on it as I ascended.
The third floor was the one I remembered having the best and most secure doors of the complex. Considering that rent wasn't really collected here, maintenance was a low priority as well. Not a pretty place, but for those down on their luck, I figured it was better than nothing.
Which was more than I had when I came here, other than that abandoned house, I thought to myself as I came to the best looking door. I smirked as I noted the number, recognizing the place I had staked a claim to in the early days.
The things I do for my friends, I thought as I rapped loudly on the door. A few moments later, it scraped open to the chain length, a pale and haggard face staring out.
"Oh," she said bitterly. "It's you. Come to gloat?"
"Open the door, Adagio," I said. "I'd rather not speak to you through the door."
"I'd rather not speak to you at all," she spat, but opened the door anyway. "But I also don't want you making a scene. We're ignored mostly, and I intend to keep it that way."
I entered, noting the cracked fixtures and peeling paint that I remembered. "Looks like it used to when I stayed here," I said.
Adagio had a confused look on her face.
"What?" I said. "You thought I magicked up an apartment when I came here?" I gave her a look over. Pale skin, dead eyes and lank hair, she had the look of someone that had been bed-ridden for months or detoxing from some drug cold turkey.
"Wow," I said, surprised. "You look like hell."
"Wow," she grated back. "You're a bitch."
I let the comment slide. "So, is this where you're staying for the foreseeable future?" I shook my head. "It's not the best of places. Surely there was somewhere else."
"Not really," she said, crossing her arms. "Our sweet housing deal evaporated when you destroyed our Song and everyone slipped from our spell. We even had to pay back rent! Our savings barely exist now, so we have to be careful."
"Surely you can find ways to make a little money," I said. "You can't survive like this forever. I sure couldn't."
"Well, we don't have the options you do!" the Siren exploded. "We survived here for decades because of our Song! We didn't have to learn any skills or worry about documents!"
She stalked up to me, eyes burning with anger. "You and your friends have managed to single-handedly destroy us, Sunset Shimmer," she growled. "And as far as we know, we were the last Sirens in Equestria. Congratulations, you've managed to commit genocide."
I slapped her, but not as hard as I could have.
"Get over yourself," I snarled. "We did what we had to to protect our friends from you. Maybe if you had just come to us and explained things, maybe we could have found a way for you to feed without having to subject the student body to mind control. Maybe instead of taunting me and playing off my insecurities after the first round of the Battle, we could have done something then. But you considered your way the only way, and because of a mistake on my part, you were hurt. If I had never brought Equestrian magic here then neither of us would have been hurt like we were. If anyone here is being a bitch, it's you, blaming anyone else for your mistakes."
I turned and strode out the door, turning to offer a parting shot.
"Perhaps you should stop feeling sorry for yourself and look after your sisters," I said, images of Dew and Glory flashing to mind. "You're the eldest. It's your responsibility to look after them now."
And I slammed the door, storming out to my car, body language mimicking the bully I had been, and the transients that were in my path stepped aside to escape the aura of anger I projected.
I climbed back into my car and rested my head against the steering wheel for a moment.
"Were they there?" a quiet voice asked.
"Yeah, they were there," I said. "There are better half-way homes to stay in, like the one I had. They're in a bad way, 'Shy."
She glanced up at the building, a look of worry in her eyes. "Will they be ok?"
I sat up, glad that my tiny fib had gone unnoticed. I didn't need them to know how low I had been once upon a time. It was an era I had closed in my life and wanted to never look back on those days. "For the time being, yeah."
I started the car and drove us out of the area. Night was falling and I didn't want to be in the area after dark. As we passed the majority of Canterlot City, I frowned and shook my head.
"Why did we go looking for them again?" I asked.
Fluttershy toyed with one of her tresses, her nerves still getting the better of her. "I was just a little worried. I had hoped they'd be ok," she ducked her head slightly. "I mean, what they did was horrible, but I didn't want them hurt. Keeping an eye on them won't hurt anything, and it really should be done in case they ever need help."
I glanced her as we idled at a stoplight. "You really think they'd accept our help?" I asked. "It's been almost a year since the Battle."
The meek girl shrugged.
"I'll never know unless I try," she whispered.
