It was a few days later. The team managed to return home safe and sound, but their near encounter with death managed to linger with them all. Despite his injured nose, Detective Fetch opted to proceed with his work, while allowing Sunset Shimmer and Barbed Wire some time away, to let themselves rest and recuperate.

This day, they were spending the morning in the house. Barb began her morning like usual. However, Sunset just sat at the kitchen table, staring out the window while paying no mind to the drink in front of her.

Barb took notice and sat on the chair opposite to her. It didn't break Sunset's attention. From this angle, Barb could see that her friend's eyes had a bit more of a shine to them, like she was tearing up. Barb wondered if her friend was looking at anything at all. "Hey, Sunset," Barbed Wire said.

Sunset blinked and quickly turned to see her friend. "Oh, Barb. Good morning," she greeted, casting a smile that looked a bit forced.

"You okay, Sunny? You look a bit lost in thought. Is it about Lucy?" Barb asked.

Sunset shook her head, finally picking up her mug and taking a sip of her coffee. "For once, no. It's just..." She found it difficult to come up with words at the moment. The more her thoughts rose to the surface, the closer she felt on the verge of crying. She resorted to wiping her face on her sleeve and keep smiling. "It's nothing, really. Don't worry about it."

However, Barb wasn't so pleased with that response. "You know you can talk to me. Did you lose something? Is it a particular day perhaps?"

"Well... I suppose it is my birthday today," Sunset answered casually. She wasn't expecting such a loud gasp to come from Barb following her.

Barbed Wire turned over to a nearby calendar hung on the wall. 'June 16th,' it read. Her head then snapped back to the apparent birthday girl. "I can't believe you didn't tell me before! Happy birthday, Sunset!" Her arms stretched across the table and wrapped around Sunset, bringing her into a celebratory hug.

"Heh. Thanks." Sunset returned the gesture and they soon let go of each other. "I didn't wanna make a big deal out of it, y'know? What with the investigation and all."

"Nonsense. You're allowed to enjoy your birthday, and we've got the day off anyway, so why not make the most of it?"

Sunset waved a raised hand. "You're too kind, Barb, but I'm really not up for much today, if that's okay?" She then stood up and made a retreat towards the spare bedroom the two shared. Barb was sure she saw the smile Sunset had disappear the moment she turned away.

Barb hated to see her friend so sad, but to not tell her about it too? That felt off, especially for Sunset. She didn't want to just leave her hanging on her birthday of all days. Whatever it was that was bringing her down, it wouldn't be enough for the plan Barbed Wire was currently hatching! She was filled with a newfound determination to make this birthday a good one!

A few minutes later, she was in the midst of a phone call with Fetch, who was at work.

"Barb, I said to call only for emergencies," Fetch said over the phone, holding his head in his hand in annoyance.

"This is an emergency, Fetch! It's Sunset's birthday and I haven't a clue on what to do! She doesn't seem to be feeling too good either. You know the city, is there anywhere we can go to that might cheer her up?" Barb asked.

Fetch sighed. He booted up the browser on his phone and searched for events near his home. A few results came up. "There's a concert showing in the park. Some band called 'Sound the Sirens' are set to be playing for a few days."

Barb's eyes lit up. "That's perfect! Sunset loves music. That ought to bring a smile on her face, for sure! Thanks, Fetch!"

"Yeah, no problem. Just make sure you only call for real emergencies next time, okay? Barb?" The detective lowered his phone from his ear to see that Barb had already hung up. He was certain she didn't stick around long enough for that last part.

Fetch decided to just move from it, as he had a job to do. He looked over his desk, filled with new cases about demons recently found dead, more than he had ever gotten before. "Deathwish, what are you up to?" he asked himself.

Meanwhile, Sunset just laid on her bed, staring up at the ceiling and thinking. Her mind was filled with familiar images, ones that would last her a lifetime. Or did, for that matter. She hadn't thought much until now how she would handle this, but now that it's here, it laid a heavy weight on her chest that she couldn't shake off right now.

For now, she would just have to bear with it.

But for now, Sunset could hear movement coming from the door. She looked over and saw Barbed Wire, whose expression was soft. She stepped inside and sat at the edge of Sunset's bed.

"I'm not gonna make you tell me what's on your mind, if that's what you were thinking," Barb started. "But I hate to see you down on your birthday, so I've set up something for us to do. If you're up for it, that is."

Sunset now felt obligated to sit up alongside Barb. "You really don't have to do this, Barb," she tried to say calmly.

"I want to. Just the matter if you want to."

The birthday girl sat on the question for a moment. It wasn't the kind of day where she wanted to be bothered much, but she knew she would feel bad for turning down a kind gesture such as this, even if it was an attempt to lift her spirits. It was an argument with herself she wouldn't win, so she turned back to Barbed Wire.

"Alright, I'm in. What are we doing today?" she asked.

Sunset and Barb travelled through the Big Forbidden Apple, finding themselves wading through crowds of demons collected at the national park. Barb didn't tell Sunset a lot of what they were doing, wanting it to be a surprise. Judging by the population in this park alone, she gathered that it could be some form of event, and by looking over the heads of everyone, she could see a stage built near the centre, so it must be some kind of show.

The two collected their tickets and took their place amongst the standing crowd waiting by the stage. Sunset looked at the details of her ticket. They arrived just in time before the show began, but her eyes were drawn to the name of the band that were playing.

"'Sound the Sirens,' huh? I knew some sirens in my day," she told. "Weren't the nicest bunch, I'll say the least."

"Well, I'm sure these ones will be better," Barb added.

"No doubt about that. Though, I'll give them this, catchy tunes."

But then, the lights at the stage went out, and smoke machines began blowing out yellow, blue and purple smoke across different thirds of the stage. The crowd began to go crazy with excitement! An explosion of cheering and crying came from all sides! Sunset was confident she was in for quite the performance.

And then the music finally began. A bass could be heard, playing a riff that sounded strangely familiar. It was then that a trio of silhouettes walked towards the edge of the stage. They vocalised in perfect harmony, all while the centres of their chests glowed brightly red.

Sunset squinted her eyes, trying to get a better look. It couldn't be...

As the smoke cleared, spotlights above the band lit up and revealed the singers to the crowd. Sunset gasped. It was! Before her were the Dazzlings, now with skin like fish scales and large fish-like tails protruding from under their skirts. It was as though their human and siren forms had combined. And now, they stood here, singing the very song they tried to use to enslave her entire high school! But what were they doing in Hell?!

Barbed Wire seemed to be enjoying the song, but she turned to see a horrified look on her friend's face. She shook her shoulder as she tried to shout above the crowd, "Sunset, what's wrong?"

"It's them... Those are the sirens!" Sunset said.

Through her exasperation, Sunset's attention were turned to the audience who, as they cheered, emitted a glittery green mist that blew towards the red glow on the singers' chests.

Sunset covered her ears and ran off, with Barb following close behind. Her calls for Sunset to stop fell on deaf ears as the runner tried to escape the sound of the music. She ran for a while, finally stopping at a tree a ways away from people and, especially, the music. Barb found her sitting on the side of the tree, holding her head as she breathed heavily.

"What's going on?" Barb asked.

"Those girls are bad news. I don't know how, but somehow they've managed to get their magic back, and they're using it to hypnotise everyone in the audience," Sunset explained. "Oh, why today of all days?!"

Barb looked back towards the concert, now noticing the strange smog that seemed to be gathering at the stage. However, the audience didn't appear to be acting different as opposed to before the show started. "Everyone just looks to be having a good time. Are you sure?"

Suddenly, Sunset jumped up and gripped on each of Barbed Wire's shoulders. "Don't let them deceive you! It may not look like it, but everyone there is now under their spell. They can turn basic observers into an army like that," she said as she snapped her fingers.

"So, what do we do?" Barb asked.

"We stop this shindig before anything happens."

The concert continued on, with the audience cheering the names of their queens or singing along with them. The siren standing in front gave it her all to flaunt anything and all she could for her adoring fans; she whipped her marvelous, yellow fishtail around, allowing its scales to sparkle under the spotlights. It made the energy she stole from them all the sweeter. However, despite the performance she gave, she couldn't wait for it to be over already. She felt lucky that they had an interval just coming up.

But suddenly, the sound of the sirens' voices were reduced to just echoes, and the lights above them all shut off. The siren leader looked around to find what could have happened. The sister to her right, with purple pigtails and turquoise highlights, gave her a shrug. While the sister on her left, with a large blue ponytail and a pointed cut around her bangs, tapped her microphone in an attempt to get it working. The head Dazzling saw one of her technicians rushing towards her, telling her there was an issue with the breaker, meaning that the interval came a little early.

With the announcement of technical difficulties to the audience, Sound the Sirens were away, with some of the audience daring enough to climb up on stage and run towards their favourite siren, only to be tackled to the floor by security.

They all gave their fans a half-hearted smile before finally leaving towards their changing rooms.

"Adagio, what happened out there?" the blue sister asked.

"They said something happened with the breaker. Looks like someone may have tampered with it," Adagio, the leader, explained.

"Well, I for one say thank God. Dunno how much more of this I can take," the purple siren added.

They reached their room where they would be able to fix themselves. On the door were three golden stars with each of the sirens' names engraved onto them: Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk. They all began to get ready for their next session, with Adagio fixing some of her makeup from sweating, Aria stretching her joints, and Sonata guzzling down a bottle of water.

While they were at work, the door behind them slammed shut, revealing a pair hiding behind it.

"Adagio Dazzle," the intruder said with an interrogative tone.

Adagio turned around, jumping in her seat when she realised who would be so rude to enter uninvited. "Sunset Shimmer?! What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you three the same thing. Back with the 'putting innocent people under your control act', huh? Are you planning to take over Hell like you tried at Canterlot High?" Sunset asked, walking closer to the seated siren.

Adagio's confused face turned devious as she had the situation assessed. She stepped up from her chair and faced Sunset head on. "Oh, isn't that the dream? There's nothing I'd love more than to seize control of this red hellhole and, while we're at it, find away to exact revenge on your world, as well as Equestria for banishing us!" she spat.

"Trouble is, our magic can basically get us diddly-squat now," Aria Blaze, the purple middle sibling added. Her comment was met with an annoyed grunt from her older sister.

"Aria! She doesn't need to know that!"

"Meh. Why pretend what you can't show?"

While two of the band mates bickered, Sunset's eyes were drawn to the red jewel on Adagio's chest. It was identical to the one they had when they were alive, yet it glowed brilliantly, as though they were gifted new ones upon entering Hell.

But as her attention was set on that, Sunset failed to realise the third siren rising up behind and analysing her. Sunset felt a finger rub along one of her pointy ears, causing her to whip around to see Sonata Dusk, the youngest of the trio, standing just inches from her.

"Wow, it really is you, Sunset! Gah, how long has it been? Hell really treated you well; you got these ears and that cool arrow tail. Meanwhile, we have these really big ones. See?" Sonata spun around and shook her own tail. It was large and scaly, with tailfins at the end of it. She suddenly stopped when a thought came to mind. "Wait. If you're here, then that means... Oh my God! Did you die?!"

It was then that the most innocent of the three took notice that Sunset hadn't come alone. "Ooh, and who is this? I'm Sonata Dusk!" she cheerfully greeted, holding out an open hand.

Barbed Wire looked between the hand and Sunset, who looked puzzled on if she should even take it. She turned her eyes back to the singer and forced as polite a smile as she could muster as she shook the hand. "Uh... Barbed Wire. It's a pleasure."

"Wow, that's a cool name! So, what did you think of the concert so far? Pretty awesome, am I right? Hey Sunset, did some of those songs sound familiar?" Sonata questioned rapidly.

However, this was about as much as Sunset was willing to take. "Okay, enough! What are you three planning?" Sunset asked.

Adagio groaned, falling back into her chair. "It's always thinking we're up to no good with you. Is it so hard to think we're simply just performing? I'd figured after spending so long with those colourful bimbos, you'd be a little more considerate. But you're somehow more of a mess when you can't hide behind them anymore. Must have been real heartbreaking when you arrived here without them," she sarcastically teased.

The room was silent. The siren had struck something within Sunset. She began to walk up to the seated one, her form changing as she did. The trio of singers watched in confusion followed by fear as horns shot out of Sunset's head and her eyes turned black. Adagio was suddenly feeling scared. Sunset placed her hands on either side of Adagio's chair, preventing her escape. She faced her enemy with a growl.

"You have no idea how capable I am now!"

"Sunset..." she heard Barb say behind her. The devil turned back and saw her friend with a sad look, slowly shaking her head. Realising just how far she had gone, she stepped back from Adagio, to which her sisters immediately ran to her aid.

When all seemed fine, Aria turned up with a scowl. "You two should leave before we call security."

Sunset was tempted to speak against the singers, but she knew now anything she'd say would make it all worse. So, she reverted back to her demon form and walked out with Barb, leaving the band shocked with what they just saw.

The team walked away from the stage, with the Devilitis demon holding her head in shame. She was met with concerned glances from the friend to her side.

"This is all my fault. I should never have brought you here. Are you okay?" Barbed Wire asked.

Sunset lifted her head back up with a drawn out inward breath. "I'll be fine. I just lost my temper is all, but they are definitely up to something. I just... don't know what." She looked back to the stage where the show resumed.

The same green mist rose from the demons in the audience and collected into the sirens' gems. Yet, none of them appeared much different. Instead of bowing to their command, or starting a fight, everyone cheered on like any concert. She wondered what their goal could be, if there even was one now.

Later, Sound the Sirens wrapped up their show for the day and returned to their changing room. How exhausted they each felt. They fell into their respective chairs and took a moment to catch their breaths.

Sonata leaned over her own desk and chugged down another bottle of water. With as much passion as she gives her performances, she always ensures she's well hydrated! During the latter half of the show, Sonata noted that she didn't see Sunset Shimmer or that pal of hers in the audience, so she felt safe in assuming they left. Still, the encounter left her feeling uneasy, watching that beastly side of her former enemy go toe-to-toe with her big sister. Not the reunion she was expecting, but then again she didn't expect one in the first place.

Still though, she was glad her sisters were safe.

"So, what do you guys wanna do now?" Sonata asked.

The other two just turned their heads in her direction, both giving a questioning, "Hmm?"

Sonata stood up. "We don't have another show until tomorrow, so we have the night to ourselves! I saw a nifty looking shawarma place a few blocks away. How 'bout we give it a try?"

Adagio and Aria didn't look too enthused by the youngest's idea. "Ehh, I don't know. I'm too tired to go anywhere at the moment," Aria said.

"C'mon! When was the last time we got to just hang out somewhere?"

"Fuck that. When's the last time we had a day off? Adagio, you said you'd talk to him about this."

"I did, but I don't know what you were expecting. He barely let's us look at natural light unless we're on stage. Believe me, I'd leave as quickly as you if we had anywhere to go, but we if lose this, then we lose everything," Adagio explained for what felt like the hundredth time.

They were suddenly interrupted as the door to their room flew open, and in came a smartly dressed demon resembling a fly with red eyes and a green exoskeleton. He arrived with two guards by his sides. "Terrible show, girls! Absolutely terrible show!" he yelled.

"Oh, Mister Dible! We were wondering when you'd come by!" Sonata tried talking up to him.

Dible, the band's manager, held up a hand covered in tenant hairs towards the blue siren. "Spare me your bull, Dusk. What kind of show were you three putting on tonight? We were barely able to sell out!"

Adagio just looked at the horrible demon with a nonchalant stare. "Hmm, we were able to sell out... and that's bad how?"

"You know how this works, Adagio. You use your magic to get these bozos to buy more tickets. We sell every ticket within a few hours of announcing, yet today it took until right before the show even started to get rid of them all!" Dible pointed a claw towards the leader. "I'm barely hearing much passion in your voice anymore. I need you to project! Aria, you call those harmonies? You were sounding dissonant out there!"

"Dissonant?!" Aria said in disgust.

"And Sonata, I've never seen less eyes on you! Give them a show, for fuck's sake! You're becoming somehow more useless with every concert lately!"

"Hey!" Adagio shouted. She marched towards her manager and poked in right in his chest. "You can criticise me all you want, but don't you dare talk to my sisters that way! We gave you what you want, so why don't you back off?"

Dible didn't appear phased by Adagio's threat. He smirked at her. "I'd watch your mouth if I were you. Only one other demon has ever spoken to me that way, and let's say it didn't end too well for her." The insect demon turned around and took his leave, his security following behind. "I expect a much better performance tomorrow. Don't disappoint me again."

And then, one of the guards slammed the door behind them, leaving the trio with the repercussions of their manager's outburst. Aria felt ready to scream, but she held her breath and just resorted to kicking her chair over with a loud grunt. She breathed heavily, and turned to Adagio once she had calmed down a bit. "I can't take much more of this, Adagio! We need out of this!"

"If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them!" Adagio suddenly barked back. "We signed the contract. He practically owns us. If he finds that we step out of line, we'll be gone like we never even existed!"

Aria crossed her arms. "I don't see how we can't just hypnotise that bastard to set us free."

"Believe me, I've tried, but Dible doesn't even have regular ears. He listens with those stupid antennae on his head. Our spells can't get through to him."

"So that's it then? We're just gonna be stuck like this forever?"

"Is what he said true?" Sonata abruptly asked. Adagio and Aria put their anger on hold as they listened to their younger sibling. "I was sure I was giving it my all, but I guess it wasn't enough for him. Am I really that useless? Do you think he'll get rid of me?!" she said with tears welling up in her eyes.

Adagio turned worried and went to comfort Sonata, bringing her sister's head close to hers. "Sonata, you're not useless! Dible doesn't know what he's talking about. We need you as much as you need us," Adagio said, holding Sonata closely. She then turned her gaze towards Aria, and held a hand out for her to take. "You too, you big grump."

Aria forcefully scowled, but she couldn't hide the blush on her cheeks. She slowly came closer and joined the other two, much to the eldest's delight.

"I don't have all the answers, but whatever we face, we do it together. No matter what," Adagio comforted.

The members of Sound the Sirens stayed in each others' embrace, forgetting the sorrow and anger they were feeling. They now wanted to keep this moment lasting for as long as they could. For as much as the world seems to punish them, Sonata could smile at the thought that she still had her family.

That night, Sunset sat alone in Fetch's living room. She was stuck in her own thoughts after the encounter with the Dazzlings. Just what were they up to? She asked herself ad nauseum. The thought of them being here alone tore her up inside, and she didn't know why. It filled her with... she couldn't even tell what. Rage? Sadness? A sick kind of joy?

It toyed with her feelings from earlier in the day. That Adagio...! Who did she think she was?

As well as Sunset tried to push the image of them away, she had the relentless urge to go back, and it nagged on her ever since they left.

It was currently late. Barbed Wire was asleep and Fetch was still at work. Sunset knew that the sirens would still be in the city by tomorrow. She could easily go right now and find some answers. So, that's what she decided to do. She knew she wouldn't find sleep with the weight on her mind. With this, she commenced Operation Sneaky-Sneak Part 3: the Sneak-pire Sneaks Back, which was as simple as walking out the door.

There wasn't much of an idea if she happened to find the sirens, or where they even were, but the best starting place was definitely the park where they performed. So, Sunset headed in that direction. She kept her head straight the entire journey, no passing demons swaying her away from her set sights. The park was a fair distance away from Fetch's home, but Sunset arrived in what seemed to be the blink of an eye.

She rounded a street corner and there it was, with lights shut off and the gates closed, but by the lights from buildings across the other side, Sunset could make out the shape of the stage. She neared the road that separated her and her destination, until a hooded demon standing by a building noticed her.

"Sunset?" they asked.

Sunset Shimmer stopped in place as she immediately recognised the voice. She tried to look within the hood, for the demon to let it down to reveal themself as Sonata Dusk, holding a takeout bag in one hand and tapping away at her phone in the other.

"Crazy to find you again already!" Sonata greeted.

Guess this wasn't going to be as difficult as Sunset thought. "What are you doing out here? Are your sisters with you?" she started off.

"Nah, they're back at our hotel. I was just picking up some dinner. Wanna try a bit? It's shawarma." Sonata lightly shook the bag in front of Sunset, offering a bite.

"What? I-" Sunset grumbled to herself, not wanting to be taken off track. "Nevermind that. What are you three actually doing here?"

Sonata managed to take out her own food and took a bite. "Do you mean how we died? It's kinda funny actually," Sonata said with a full mouth. "It was a few years ago. We needed gas for our van and Dagi and Aria were too tired to drive, so I tried to do it myself, even though I hadn't gotten my license yet. I maaay have accidentally drove us into a lake. Took 'em forever to finally stop being mad at me about that."

Sunset pinched the bridge of her nose. "No, I'm talking about these!" She pointed to the red glowing spot that shined slightly through the siren's hoodie. "I don't just see you three using your magic again and assume you're not up to something."

"Oh," Sonata said, looking down to her gemstone. "Well, guess it'd be impossible to keep it from you. We do use our magic, but it's really just to get people to like us and keep buying tickets. It's not nearly as effective as when we were alive, so we can't feed off much anymore. Sucks more given how our gems are now part of our bodies again, so it's just a big tease. See?" The singer pulled down the hem of her hoodie and showed Sunset her gem. She could see how her scales wrapped around it, holding it in place.

Sunset almost wanted to try pull at it to see if it was really true. How radiant the gem was, even this late at night. "So... you're not trying to take over the world again?" she sheepishly asked.

Sonata snickered at the question. "Well, my sisters absolutely would if they had the chance, but me? I'm just happy that I still have them both. We may not have a lot anymore, but just the fact that I still have my family after everything, I couldn't be more thankful, y'know?"

The former villain's words touched Sunset. They were gentle, honest, and free. Somehow, it put Sunset more at ease. However, it also reminded her of what she lost; the reason why she was so mad in the first place.

Sonata's smile fell as she saw Sunset grow upset. "What's wrong, Sunset?" she asked.

The Devilitis demon wiped her eyes as she tried to put a smile back on. "It's nothing. I'm... happy for you. I'm really sorry for how I acted earlier."

"Pshh, don't worry about it at all. Say, why don't you and your friend come to our show again tomorrow? I'll tell Adagio and Aria. We can go backstage and hang out a while before we have to leave. It'd be nice to become friends after everything. What do you say?" Sonata offered.

Sunset was taken aback by how forward Sonata Dusk seemed to be now. No longer did she look like the clutzy underling of the evil Dazzlings, but instead, more independent and sure. Even as former enemies, she didn't so much mind the thought of being something else as she faced someone she only recognised now. "I'd like that," Sunset said.

"Cool beans! Anyway, I oughtta bring this food back before they start wondering where I am." Sonata then began to walk down another street, waving at Sunset. "Catch you around, Sunset!"

"Yeah, see you," Sunset waved back. Now, she wasn't sure of what to do. She came out seeking answers and, while not the ones she was expecting, she was glad to have found them. Sunset Shimmer had a lot to think about now.

Meanwhile, Sonata made her way back to her sisters, meals in tow. What a peculiar day, she thought. But she was glad to leave with the potential of new friends. The innocent band mate wasn't sure how Adagio and Aria were going to feel once she told them about this, but she knew they would come around to it. They always did. Eventually.

She hummed to herself on her trek, until she was suddenly halted by a black limousine stopping directly on the road in front of her. The back door opened and a suited guard stepped out, gesturing for her to enter. Sonata complied and stepped inside, sitting herself beside another guard, with the first sitting at her other side. In the seats in front of her was her manager, Dible.

"You're out late, Sonata," the bug demon said.

"Sorry, I know. I was picking up some grub for me and the girls. I was going back to the hotel now," Sonata explained.

"Don't worry about that. I'm glad to have found you alone. There's... something I wanted to talk to you about." Dible's voice was low. It made Sonata uneasy.

"Yes, sir?"

"You see, we've built quite an empire, and it is all thanks to you and your sisters' magic. And because of that, our fame hinges on your magic. If one of you is out of line, we will easily lose everything we have, and we don't want that, do we?"

"No, sir."

"Which brings me to the sad news. Adagio and Aria still maintain such a strong hold on these demons," Dible explained as he looked out the window, watching the other residents going past. "You, however, do not. Even looking at the response to today's performance: everyone is talking about them, and no one is talking about you. I'm afraid your magic is having no effect anymore."

The siren's heart sank as she realised where this was going. "W-Wait! I can be better. I was just getting too comfortable is all. I promise, I'm still valuable to this band!"

"I really want to believe that to be true, but the crowd doesn't lie. You'll only hold Adagio and Aria back if we allow you to proceed. Even they know that."

"But Adagio, she said they need me! They would never abandon me."

"Oh, you poor thing. They just wanted to protect you from the truth, but I'm afraid this is business." The car came to a stop.

Nothing made sense. They were meant to always stand with eachother. They wouldn't do such a thing, would they? "What's going to happen to me?" Sonata asked.

The car door opened and Dible stepped out. With a sigh, he left Sonata with one more thing, "I'm truly sorry, Sonata, but... I'm going to have to let you go."

Sonata's eyes widened in fear as her former manager shut the door on her. She leaped out of her seat, only to be apprehended by the guards.

"Wait, you can't do this! Adagio! Aria! Help m-!" She was silenced by a guard wrapping a bind around her mouth. With that, the car took off towards who knew where.

The guards still held onto Sonata, trying to bind her arms behind her back while she constantly thrashed around. While she put up a fight, the guards would not find her attempts much of a challenge. They sat the girl in between them as the driver kept moving forward.

Sonata felt useless in her state, giving her time to process what was happening now. The worst came to be after all. And for the first time, her sisters weren't here to help out. By the time they realised something bad was happening, would it be too late?

She looked up to one of the guards with a sad look in her eyes. She tried to speak through the bind around her mouth. Fortunately, the muffled question was simple enough for them to understand.

"We're just makin' a quick stop near the edge of the city. Don't cha worry ya little head," he said.

"Yeah, you could get ya self into an accident worrying like that," the other guard added.

The two guys laughed at the witty response.

"Heheh! 'Accident!' Tha's a good one."

The siren shrunk in her seat as her captors laughed at her torment. There was no doubt that no one was coming to help her, but was there anything she could do at all?

Arms were tied, so throwing hands was off the table. Legs were free, but one quick sweep would have her down for the count. But what about her magical voice? Using her lips to try move the rope around her mouth, she found that it was a bit loose. While the guards laughed themselves silly, Sonata was able to free her mouth by moving the bind down to her chin.

The Dazzling's thoughts were plagued by the horrible things Dible has done. Not just now, as she was sure he wouldn't stop at just her. Her sisters were as vulnerable to this danger as she was now. Everything they had worked for at this point, it could be thrown to the waste at the snap of their boss' fingers should he deem them useless.

Sonata was scared. She was sad, and she was angry. Incredibly so. And she would not just let him get away with this! The guards were interrupted when a blinding red glow appeared inbetween them.

Sonata opened her mouth and began to sing.

The next day, a new crowd gathered at the park for the last concert in the BFA, and among that crowd was Sunset Shimmer and Barbed Wire, with the former being in slightly better spirits than yesterday. The audience around them was buzzing, and the two couldn't help but join along with the excitement.

Barb was surprised by her friend's change in display. She nudged Sunset in the arm. "Thought you were against sirens using magic," she playfully said.

Sunset returned with a shrug. "Sometimes sirens can sing a different tune."

Whatever that meant, Barb was glad that Sunset was at least smiling again. They returned to cheering with the audience. It was nearly time for the show to begin.

Elsewhere, Sound the Sirens (at least, two of them) remained in their dressing rooms, with Aria Blaze pacing back and forth in a panic and Adagio Dazzle scrambling through her phone.

"Do you have anything yet, Adagio?" Aria asked.

Adagio shook her head. "Still nothing. Sonata hasn't even looked at my texts since last night, and the police haven't come back with anything yet."

Aria loudly moaned. "Where is she? Where is she?!" Her voice grew more worried with every word.

Adagio was unsure of what to do now. She kept opening and closing Sonata's contact as if she would suddenly appear if she kept doing it. As for the police, she was forced to wait for an update. Last night, they had figured that their sister perhaps had her attention drawn to something she liked, but when the minutes turned into hours was then they realised that something must have happened. Neither of them got much sleep.

Suddenly, the remaining sirens were interrupted by the clicking of their dressing room door. Their hearts skipped a beat, praying that it was Sonata, but it was just Dible, who looked angry, as per usual.

"What do you girls think you are doing?! There are people out there waiting for a show. Get out there and give it to them already!" the Sound the Sirens manager shouted.

"Not without Sonata!" Aria unflinchingly retorted.

Dible appeared befuddled being stood against like that, but he kept his ground, as he knew he was always above them. "You think I pay you to laze around while your own fans are waiting for their queens? Wherever that brat is, I'm sure she'll show up, but right now, you two have a job to do."

Adagio looked up from her phone, growing frustrated by her boss' ignorance. "She's not just late, Dible. Sonata is missing! This is more important than a stupid concert." Her eyes turned to Aria. "We need to cancel the show and look for her ourselves."

The idea felt like a spear going through the bug man's chest. The horrifying thought of demons getting mad and demanding refunds! There was no other option in his eyes. "Look, wherever she is, I'm sure there is nothing to worry about. I think she would want you to keep the show going, yeah?" he lied through his mandibles. "So, how about we leave the emotions in here for now, and we can get back to them once the show is over?"

As much as the two wanted to squash Dible under their boots, they remained silent and walked past him, leaving for the stage.

The time was now. Smoke machines spewed their colourful contents across the stage, yellow, purple and blue. The sirens stood on one side while lights shined from behind them, revealling their silhouettes through the fog. Aria turned to her older sister with a worried expression, mentally asking her, 'What do we do?' Adagio returned with a reassuring smile, and yet, she wasn't so sure herself. They had never done this with one of them absent.

Regardless, they walked through the smoke as the music began playing. Emerging on the other side, they revealed themselves to the crowd, much to their excitement as an uproar was caused.

There were only two in the audience who weren't sharing in the eagerness anymore. Sunset and Barb looked in confusion, with Sunset feeling a wave of dread.

"Weren't there three of them before?" Barbed Wire asked.

"Something's not right," Sunset said. From there, she could see the concern on the sirens. "Come on. We have to go." The team then rushed out of the crowd, moving towards the back of the stage.

Meanwhile, a demon stood from a distance, watching as the show had already begun. Were they really doing this without the third?

Adagio looked across the audience. None of them seemed phased that only two of them came out; that no one stood at the third microphone to her right. It sickened her that they were being forced to go on.

Missing her cue with the song, she took the mic off the stand and turned to the backstage. "Turn the music off. We're not doing this without Sonata."

The backstage crew were puzzled by the sudden request, but they complied with the singer. The music was shut down, leaving a crowd in a sea of confused murmurs.

It wasn't long before Dible was on the stage, more furious than he had ever been. "What the hell do you think you are doing?! You cannot just shut the show down! I run this thing!"

"With all due respect, which is none..." Adagio began as she marched towards her manager. She stopped right in front of him and shoved the microphone into his chest. "I don't give a fuck. We are searching for Sonata, and that's final."

"You can kiss our asses, Dible!" Aria added, standing beside her sister.

Despite being stood against, Dible wasn't threatened, for he still had his fallback. "You forget your place again," he said for only his inferiors to hear. "My power far exceeds yours. I can make it seem as though you never even existed! It wouldn't be the first time, and it won't be the last!"

The Dazzlings' eyes widened as it was made more clear, followed up by their faces contorting into rage.

"What have you done with our sister?!" Adagio seethed. She marched forward, pushing Dible to the floor.

The insect quickly turned from confident to fearful as the sirens' gems shined brighter than ever before, causing for their eyes to glow bright red. He had never seen their powers like this before.

"Where is Sonata?!" Aria shouted.

Dible backed up as quickly as he could, making his way towards the backstage. However, he was stopped as Sunset Shimmer and Barbed Wire blocked the exit.

"Long time no see, Dible! Hope you weren't planning to make a run for it," Barb said to her former manager.

Dible looked up to the demonesses in a pleading manner. He pointed to Sunset. "Y-You! You were strong enough to defeat the Ogre! Please, help me from these beasts!"

Sunset almost felt like laughing at the pathetic attempt to protect himself. As capable as she was of clobbering the parasite, Sunset knew this wasn't her fight to have. "Nah, I think your business is with them now," she said as she looked at the Dazzlings getting closer.

Then, Adagio and Aria began to vocalise, with a rising and sinister harmony. They didn't have their microphones, and yet their voices echoed throughout the far reaches of the park! They had Dible shaking like a leaf beneath them. He looked above them both, watching as giant monstrous projections formed behind them. They resembled the Dazzlings, looking like their siren halves now fully realised into large sea dragon-like beasts!

These forms only made their voices more powerful, shaking the stage around them. Their anger and sadness only seemed to rise the more they sang, with tears quickly sizzling into vapour.

A rumbling began, causing for the audience to break out of their trance and realise what was happening. They saw as their idols had become monsters, and they all ran screaming in different directions. But with everything that was going on, the sirens did not falter, and if they kept at it, they may just level the entire park!

The only idea Sunset and Barb had was to hold on to something for dear life, trying to keep themselves balanced. Meanwhile, Dible took every breath from the Dazzlings head on, feeling as though his head may explode if it went on for much longer.

But then a set of footsteps raced onto the stage from the other side. Someone was crying out to the sirens, but they couldn't be heard. Adagio didn't stop her attack until a hand landed on her shoulder, forcing her to turn around.

Her eyes fell onto the intruder with a gasp escaping her mouth. "S-Sonata?" she asked.

And there she was. Sonata held her sister's face in her hands with a tearful smile, with a fedora-wearing arctic wolf demon standing alongside her. The little sister was so excited to see her family again that couldn't help but cry into her chest. Adagio would find herself so overwhelmed with emotions as well that she returned the sentiment, with Aria following closely behind. The Dazzlings all held each other closely in their safe embrace, keeping their focus solely on them as opposed to the world around them.

Meanwhile, Detective Fetch approached the cowering bug demon, frozen from fear, even with his soundful punishment having subsided. The wolf took out his badge and held it out for Dible to see. "Manifer Dible, you are under arrest for the suspected involvement in the kidnapping of Sonata Dusk. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law," he explained while other police demons came around and placed Dible's hands in cuffs.

The corrupt manager was swiftly taken away, leaving Fetch with everyone who remained on stage, two of which being his friends.

"Fetch!" Barb said excitedly. "What are you doing here?"

"It's all thanks to that blue gal over there," Fetch said, turning towards Sonata, who was held in the centre of the sirens' group hug. "She appeared at the station late last night quite shaken up, but she was able to let us in on what her manager was up to. We have more to look into, but if he's found guilty, he'll be taken away for a long time."

"What about the sirens?" Sunset asked.

Fetch sighed. "I'm not sure. We'll bring them in for interrogation. After that, it's up to them. They're not under his control anymore, so they're free to to whatever. But looking at 'em, I think what they need is time for each other. Now, I got things to check in on, so I'll bring the sirens round the station soon. In the mean time, I would go check on them." After that, the detective took his leave. It was only Sunset Shimmer, Barbed Wire and the Dazzlings left.

The duo approached the sisters, who now opened their eyes and saw them coming. They released themselves, but held hands with pleased expressions. The two teams stood before one another, wondering which of them should go first.

Sunset decided to break the ice, "Looks like the band's back together."

Adagio smirked. "More than you could think. We are the Dazzlings, now and forever. Should anyone threaten that... Well, we'll deal with them the way we know how."

"And how is that?" Barbed Wire dared to ask.

The band looked between each other before looking back at Sunset with confident stares. "Together," they said in unison.

"I hope that means you'll be staying out of trouble."

Adagio laughed at such a suggestion, catching even Sunset by surprise. "Don't think that we've changed as much as you were. The Dazzlings will always dominate!"

"She only means that to an extent," Sonata interrupted.

"She doesn't need to know that!" Adagio said back with an annoyed tone. The five all laughed together, ending with the siren leader looking at Sunset with the first genuinely nice expression she had ever seen. "I suppose we'd best be off. We'll be seeing you again, Sunset."

Sunset gave a pleased hum. "See you, Adagio, Aria... Oh, and Sonata?" The siren in question looked forward curiously, tilting her head to the side. "I'm really glad you're safe. You've got a good family."

Sonata's grin stretched far for the whole world to see. "I know. I like your new family too! A bit smaller than before, but I can tell you really care for each other!"

Sunset was surprised by her new friend's kind words, to then find Barbed Wire patting her on the shoulder, smiling at her with kindness. Sonata was definitely right. And with that, now the Dazzlings were away.

Before leaving, Sunset decided to spend a moment sitting on a hill, looking towards the now empty stage. It was quiet and peaceful, allowing the demoness to clear her mind. In the last couple of days, she now realises how clouded she had been, how intruding thoughts made her act in ways she found herself... ashamed of, to say the least.

Barbed Wire sat at her side, coming to notice Sunset staring off at seemingly nothing. "You okay, Sunny?" she asked.

"I was a real jerk yesterday," Sunset said, not taking her eyes off the stage. "I let myself be overtaken by my own sadness and I nearly took it out on Adagio. Had you not been there, I don't want to imagine what I might have done." She found herself beginning to well up again, but she chose to not fight it this time.

Barb leaned closer, placing her hand on Sunset's. "Hey, it's okay. I'll always be looking out for you, just like you always do for me. I'll never judge, but I'll never push either."

Regardless of her kindness, Sunset felt more ready to talk. "I've... been in Hell for a while now, and I'm not sure if I ever really showed it, but I've missed my old friends since the day I got here. I think yesterday, it finally settled in that..." Her tears nearly prevented her from finishing. "...I'm never going to see them again." She finally looked over to her friend, who appeared speechless.

"Oh, Sunset..." was all Barb could say.

"I took my life for granted, and I died, and I lost everyone I ever loved." Sunset became overwhelmed and quietly weeped into her crouched legs. Barbed Wire remained quiet. She wrapped her arms around her mourning friend and held her close. "I miss them so much..." Sunset breathlessly said.

Barbed Wire searched for anything to say, but she found herself with only a couple of words. She wasn't sure how much they would mean now, but she went for it anyway. "I'm here, Sunset," Barb whispered. "I'm here."

Later that night, the Dazzlings stepped out of the police station, having given all they had regarding Manifer Dible. Aria groaned as she stretched her arms above her head.

"Man, I thought we'd never get out of there. That took forever," she complained.

"So... what do we do now?" Sonata asked.

Adagio took off in one direction with her sisters following closely behind. "We'll go back to the hotel while we think of a plan for a comeback. That show we put on today broke those knuckleheads out of our spell, so we have a bit of rebuilding to do," the leader explained.

"You sure we should keep up with this music business shit?" Aria asked. "It's given us nothing but trouble."

Adagio stopped where she stood as her sibling's words sunk in. Struggling to find a retort, she defeatedly sighed. "I know, but we've been blessed with regaining our magic, and it's now the only thing we still have." Adagio turned her eyes towards the ground and spoke more to herself, "What I'd give to be able to get back at that Starswirl for banishing us, and those who shamed and humiliated us when we lost our magic!"

"That can be arranged," a new voice suddenly said. The Dazzlings looked around for the source of this voice, seeing nothing but empty streets until a hooded figure in silver robes appeared in front of them from seemingly nowhere. "Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk."

"Who are you?" Adagio asked.

"A humble child to the divine Father. Tell me, you all come from troubled pasts, being shunned, punished and abandoned by those around you, correct?" the mysterious demon said.

"What do you know about us?" Aria questioned, crossing her arms and raising an interrogative brow.

The stranger merely chuckled. "More than you could fathom. What if I told you our father holds the key that will allow you to exact the vengeance you crave?"

"I'd say you've done nothing but waste my time," Adagio didn't hesitate to reply with. She stepped past the strange demon. The other girls followed suit. "If you'll excuse us, we should be going now."

"You won't even consider returning to Equestria?" the robed demon suddenly said, stopping the Dazzlings in their tracks.

They each turned around as if they were revealed to a horrible truth. This... thing faced away from them, but they could all tell of the grin they were currently wearing.

"H-How do you know about Equestria?" Sonata asked concerningly.

"More than you could fathom," the stranger repeated. They turned, and a hand appeared from the inside of their robe, offering it to Adagio. "Why don't we talk more someplace else? Father Betrayed anticipates your arrival."

Adagio turned to her sisters for advice, but they were as confused as she was. What was she to do? How did this demon know of their home across dimensions? And most importantly, what did they mean about returning? It seemed like it would be too good to be true, but the knowledge this stranger had was certainly not lacking. If answers were what the Dazzlings were looking for, then they were only left with one choice.

Adagio hesitantly held her hand over the stranger's...

But this would not be the end of this tale, for one demon was nearing the final act of hers.

Late at night in the Big Forbidden Apple's junkyard, a young demon was setting to end off his day by placing scented candles around the place and lighting them one by one. He placed the majority of them around a shed that sat in the centre of the city of trash and junk. Inside this shed sat an immobile, grotesque being. A demon with barely any memories of his former life after being struck with a terrible curse. He was the Blob, under the protecting eye of his one friend, the Runt.

Once the Runt was finished with his work, he met his friend inside his small home. "The defences are placed, the Blob. Your scent should be covered up," the Runt announced.

"I am glad to hear it. Now, let's rest. There are plenty of supplies that must be replenished in the morning," the Blob replied.

"Right." The Runt laid alongside his massive friend. He closed his eyes to be taken into sleep. But then, a rattling of metal was heard, interrupting the tiny demon. The Runt looked outward, surveying the land to see if anything was out there.

His eyes drifted from side to side, but all he could see were the small flames from the candles. Everything seemed to be in place, until one of the candles went out right in front of him. A gasp escaped the Runt and he ran outside. One by one, more candles were blown out, but he couldn't see what was causing it. All he could notice was a blow of air from someone's mouth appearing at different sides in an instant.

Once they were all out, now emitting small trails of smoke, the junkyard was dreadfully silent. The Runt twisted around, trying to find what could be causing this. He whipped around one hundred and eighty degrees and was met with a tall and dark creature standing mere inches from him. He looked up and was met with sinister green eyes and a devilish toothy grin. Every breath it took was a growl, and it smelled like iron.

The Runt was scared stiff, only to be pushed aside by the monster. It walked towards the shed with nothing left in its way. Staggered and perplexed, the Runt hastily picked himself up to the sound of painful cries, monstrous howls and tearing flesh! The child didn't know what to do. He didn't know what he could do. The horrible sounds only continued, getting worse by the second. Until suddenly, they stopped.

The Runt stepped closer, wondering if it was over. He pondered the thought that maybe the Blob was able to fend off this fiend. As quickly as the thought entered his head, the monster crashed through the ceiling and made its escape, causing for the shed to collapse and fall onto the now unrecognisable corpse of the Blob.

The Runt fell to his knees. He couldn't take his eyes off the aftermath of what happened here, even with his uncontrollable breath and flooding tears.

Meanwhile, the monster found herself only growing stronger. She felt the surge of new blood running through her veins. There was one thing left in her sights, and now she felt ready to face it again. Laughing as her strength increased, Lucy Deathwish looked to the sky and unleashed an inhuman roar!

Author's Note

Sounds like someone has a Deathwish...

Now for the actual note: You would not believe how long I've been waiting for this chapter specifically. I always planned on bringing in some of the original cast at some point, but I wanted it to feel right and not just be for fanservice. If I had to bring in any of the old characters, then I knew they needed to be part of the story, and I figured that the Dazzlings were the perfect candidates! Been a long time coming, but I'm so happy I can share it with you now!

This will be the last chapter of the year. While I didn't quite reach the goal of getting half way through this volume before 2025 (Got close though), I'm still very happy with how much I managed to finish regardless. It's been an exciting endeavour this year to finally show the things I've kept hush-hush for a number of years now, and yet it is still to get even more exciting as Volume II progresses!

The Hellish Adventure continues in 2025! Thank you, and goodnight!