“Don't even think about eating our toast, Sunset Shimmer!” glared Adagio as she pulled open the door of the Dazzlings’ tour bus and saw their flame haired rival guiltily holding the toaster.
“I was wrong. This is the worst possible time for churros” bemoaned Sunset, looking past the band members to see Pinkie Pie at the churros stand.
“What are you doing on our bus?” demanded Adagio as her two fellow sirens smirked at Sunset’s obvious discomfort.
Before Sunset could invent an excuse that sounded in any way plausible, Adagio climbed into the bus and without taking her eyes off her prey snarled, “Leave this to me girls …”
Aria and Sonata looked at each other, their sibling animosity temporarily on hold as the door slid shut with such force that made the bus rock, locking the two girls in.
Adagio’s raised voice was unmistakably angry as she could be heard tearing Sunset off a strip with a series of vivid, if not entirely clinically accurate descriptions.
Sonata put her hand to her mouth and started giggling, quickly accompanied by Aria, before their attention turned to Pinkie who was just starting towards them in a loping run, carrying a plate with two churros on it.
“As if the day couldn’t get any weirder” snarked Aria, making Sonata giggle even louder.
Confident that Adagio had everything covered with Sunset Shimmer on the bus, the two sirens ambled forward menacingly, taking up positions to intercept her plate carrying friend.
“And what exactly do you want with our bus?” challenged Aria, “Come to butter the toast that your friend made for us, perhaps?”
Sonata laughed loudly and added, “Or maybe peanut butter? A PBJwich would go down really well about now.”
“Especially with a generous portion of humble Pie” added Aria with an unmistakeably sharp edge to her voice.
Pinkie paused, weighing up what she should do next, eyes flitting between the two sirens who were barring her way to the bus, not entirely sure what to do with the plate of churros she was holding in both hands.
“Oh, Pie” said Sonata breaking the brooding silence, the penny finally dropping, “Pinkie Pie’s in the wrong, so we make her eat humble pie – oh, I get it.”
Aria fought the urge to face palm and settled instead for shaking her head in quiet despair.
***
Adagio removed her finger that had been pressed softly on Sunset’s lips and took a seat.
“That should be enough for them to think we still hate each other, don’t you think?”
“It sounded pretty convincing” Sunset agreed, “But some of the details were a little … graphic.”
“I wanted to make it sound like I was so angry that those two idiots would keep their distance” purred Adagio unapologetically, crossing her legs and patting the seat next to her in an unspoken request, “Now what’s all this about, then? I take it you didn’t just happen to drop by for a snack?”
Sunset sat down next to her and gently stroked a loose strand of blonde hair away from the lead singer’s face.
“This is going to sound weird, but I’m living the same day over and over again, kinda like Groundhog Day …”
“So, have we played this scene before?” asked Adagio raising an eyebrow coquettishly.
“No; not this part. This bit’s new, but there’s definitely something strange going on here.”
“And you thought we may be in some way involved?” sighed Adagio, her mind clearly not entirely focused on what was being said, and instead reached out to wrap some of Sunset’s red hair lovingly around her finger.
“Well, it does involve Equestrian magic, so you can’t blame me for wanting to see you.”
“Equestrian magic, you say?” enquired Adagio, eyes snapping sharply into focus as she suddenly stopped toying with Sunset’s hair to pay closer attention.
“Yes, it’s an ancient artifact known as the Time Twirler and it rewinds time. Someone here has been using it to repeat day one of Starswirled over and over again” groaned Sunset.
“Well it’s not us” confirmed Adagio, leaning back and spreading her arms out across the back of the seat, “We made the mistake of using our powers to manipulate Canterlot High School, and we've paid the price for it with our magic. That price was too high, and it’s taken a lot for us to restart our lives. If I find it, you’ll be the first to know, but I wouldn’t trust the other two idiots if they got hold of it.”
“Thanks, I’m glad I can trust you” said Sunset with a smile, “I hope you don’t mind me asking?”
“Not at all. In your position I would have thought the same” replied Adagio, “Besides, I wouldn’t want to change anything that brought us together. Speaking of which, do you think you can still get away later?”
“Wouldn’t miss it” Sunset confirmed.
“Now, for sake of appearances it’s probably time I let you go” suggested Adagio, getting to her feet, "Ready for round two?"
“Not quite” said Sunset, rising and leaning in to give her former enemy a gentle kiss. Adagio responded immediately by wrapping her arms seductively around Sunset’s waist and drawing her close, feeling her melt in the intensity of her embrace.
The fact that they had chosen to keep their relationship secret from both sets of friends had taught them to make the most of even the briefest opportunities to be together, and neither was truly eager to break the moment.
Eventually, Sunset reached down and gently prised Adagio’s arms from around her, drawing away reluctantly from their kiss and staring longingly into her eyes, as if etching the image into her memory forever.
“Now I’m ready” she gasped breathlessly.
***
The door was flung open and Sunset stepped out, trading a tirade of colourful insults with Adagio who was hanging out of the bus, holding onto the doorframe with one hand.
Aria blanched and Sonata’s mouth fell open to hear the ferocity of the exchange.
Pinkie meanwhile felt a rising surge of anger that anyone should speak to her friend that way. Loyalty finally overcame hunger as she dropped the plate and launched herself bodily between the two sirens, knocking them over as she barrelled through to stand by her friend.
An angry looking Sunset shouted one final insult before turning to Pinkie.
”Come on Pinkie, we’re leaving …” she called, covering up an unpleasant sounding parting shot from Adagio in the bus. She took her friend by the arm and stomped away across the field as Aria and Sonata struggled to pick themselves up in their wake.
“I’m so sorry Sunset” Pinkie apologised, “I tried to resist, I really did, but churros got the better of me …”
“Don’t be. I was overdue giving Adagio a piece of my mind anyway” replied Sunset with a smile, adding, “It gave me a lot of pleasure.”
An involuntary shudder ran through Pinkie’s body, like her Pinkie Sense was trying to tell her something, but she put it down to the adrenaline of the confrontation wearing off.
“So, what about those churros then?” asked Sunset, changing the subject, “I’m buying.”
“Hey look” said Sonata happily surveying the upturned plate and its contents lying in the dirt, “She left her churros behind. Want one?”
“Gross!” Aria groaned in revulsion and turned back for the bus.
“Great; two for me then” chirped Sonata cheerfully.
“You disgust me” snipped Aria.
“Don’t care, ‘cos I’m the one with the free churros” retorted Sonata, “So that makes me the winner.”
“Does not!”
“Does too!”
Adagio watched her fellow sirens arguing as she continued leaning on the doorframe. She drummed her fingernails on it as she thought through what Sunset had told her, and a calculating smile began to spread across her face.
“More Equestrian magic, eh?”
