A Grand Performance

The student body of Canterlot High School had not been very welcoming to the Dazzlings when they decided to return to the school after the Battle of the Bands. Which was to say that no student was happy about their return, many thought that they were planning some elaborate revenge, and a few had taken it upon themselves to discourage the Dazzlings from staying.

To Adagio it seemed quite unfair that the Dazzlings were suspected of scheming, what would be the point? They lost their magic, and they were never getting it back. Even if she had wanted some sort of retribution, she had no leverage to get it with. The students of Canterlot High had ripped the magic out of the Dazzlings’ chests, and for her that was the end of it.

In the entire school, the only person that had reached out to the Dazzlings in their first weeks back, in a positive manner anyway, was Sunset Shimmer. The conductor of their defeat and humiliation. Sonata and Aria seemed to understand that she was not someone that Adagio was eager to befriend.

The real reason for the Dazzlings return was not revenge. In fact it was quite simple: Adagio was bored. The only thing that she had cared about after Starswirl banished them was making a comfortable place for herself and her sisters in a world they did not belong to, which had meant using their magic to bend people to their will for sustenance and wealth. Without magic they were left with riches beyond what most would dare dream of, but lacked anything to do with it.

Sure, Sonata wanted to buy a food truck and Aria wanted to invest in an art studio, but they had been talking about those ideas for a long time without ever bothering to follow through. In the end, beyond making the transition from magical siren to mortal human a little easier, the money just did not mean much to the Dazzlings. It was their magic that had kept them from boredom.

It was with that in mind that Sonata had suggested they return to Canterlot High, they had fabricated identities and legally enrolled after all. And it would help keep them from being too bored.

Required classes tended to be boring in their own way, but they did help to fill Adagio in on the parts of the world she had never needed to bother with before. Maths and Economics mostly. The Dazzlings had always kept a close eye on politics for use in sowing discord, and had lived through a large amount of what a history class might cover. With most of history and social studies effectively covered, the Dazzlings focused mostly on classes they found interesting.

For Aria the most interesting classes were unsurprisingly Physical Education, which mostly amounted to playing a variety of sports, and Art, more specifically painting.

Neither Adagio nor Aria had expected Sonata to enjoy working with numbers, but her favourite classes were Calculus and Advanced Economics. Apparently she had been handling all of the Dazzlings’ financial matters for some time, and those classes were a serious influence on her suggesting they return.

As for Adagio, her favourite class was Home Economics. The class was a bit old fashioned, and the teacher more so, but it was very useful in teaching Adagio the minutiae of living day to day as a human. Beyond that Adagio found herself enjoying the simple household tasks that the Dazzlings had never paid any attention to before.

The Dazzlings did not do many extracurricular activities, most of the school hated them and they could not be bothered to prove that they were no longer a threat to anyone. However, they each had something they wanted to do regardless. Sonata thought it would be fun to volunteer at the cafeteria, but Granny Smith refused her offer the one time she tried. Aria was trying to get into the wrestling club, but they would not have her.

When they were sirens, music was the Dazzlings’ entire life. And it was not something that Adagio could let go of. She was no longer able to sing, but that did not mean she had to lose music altogether. Unfortunately, Vice-Principal Luna told the Dazzlings that they could return to Canterlot High under the condition that she never sees any of them in a music class or extracurricular. Still, Adagio wished that she could take part in a performance again.

It was that desire that found Adagio Dazzle taking the long way out of Canterlot High after classes ended so that she could pass by the music room. As she got close, she heard something playing through the door. Once she was beside the door she recognised that the song was electronic, lacking any of the character or soul of true music. Even the girls who stole the Dazzlings’ magic had put in the time and effort to learn instruments, and they had played with passion. Adagio also realised that the sound she was hearing was recorded, not live.

Adagio was not certain why she felt so personally slighted when she realised that the song was not being performed, but she knew that there was someone she could release her frustrations onto just on the other side of the door. Adagio swung the door open with enough force for it to strike the wall with a loud bang.

At the sound of the door, a girl with electric blue hair and strange purple-tinted glasses jumped and turned towards Adagio. She looked familiar to Adagio, but she could not quite place her. Adagio wanted the first word so that she could control the situation, and thus spoke before the girl had a chance.

“Hello,” Adagio said sweetly, as though she had not just barged in. “I wonder if you could help me with something.” Adagio knew that she could not be openly aggressive or she would be in trouble with Vice-Principal Luna, so she opted for a more deliberate approach.

“I hate to bother you, but I was wondering who wrote this delightful music?” Adagio tried to make her question sound as genuine as she could, knowing full well the girl would be suspicious of her.

Rather than respond, the girl turned the music off by flicking a switch on the speakers and then made a series of odd motions with her hands. Seeming to realise that Adagio had no idea what she was trying to do, the girl reached into her pocket and pulled out a small card that she held towards Adagio.

Adagio felt the situation slipping away from her, but there wasn't much she could do if the girl refused to engage in conversation. Adagio took the card and read the printed text.

I am mute.

I can hear and know sign language, but cannot verbally speak to you.

Kindly return this card.

When Adagio looked up from the card, the girl was holding up a scrap of paper that she had written on. ‘The song is by a friend of mine. But I know you do not really care, do you?’

“Why wouldn't I care? Music is everything to me.” Adagio knew that it was foolish to keep pushing someone who so clearly was not biting, but she felt a strange compulsion to see the conversation through.

The girl wrote on the paper with impressive speed and turned it back towards Adagio. ‘I am sure it is, you are a siren after all. I do not think you care because the song, and all his other work, was created under a stage name.’

Not many people in the school knew that the Dazzlings were sirens, which meant that the Rainbooms must have told her. Which in turn meant that if Adagio did anything to her, she would end up staring down the Equestrian princess again.

Adagio laughed. “How would that make any diff-”

Right then Adagio realised who the girl was, why she was familiar. She didn't know her name and they had never directly interacted, but this girl was the one who gave the Rainbooms the tools to be heard over the Dazzlings’ performance. She was the only person in the entire school that did not fall under their spell. Even the Rainbooms, with Equestrian magic and a princess on their side, could not resist for long. But somehow this girl did.

Suppressing her reaction to her realisation by clearing her throat, Adagio continued. “Difference? Music does not care who wrote it, only that it is heard.”

‘I agree, but do you? Every song you sang was for the sake of getting power or fame. Do you actually care about music, or just what it can do for you?’

“How dare you?” Adagio hissed, her composure breaking. “You accuse me when you play artless sound that can barely be called music written with no purpose other than making money?”

Rather than immediately give Adagio her written response, the girl folded it and collected her things into her backpack before starting towards the door. As she passed Adagio, she handed the paper she had been writing on to her. However, even as she left, she did not seem altogether that upset by Adagio’s words.

“Do not walk away from me!” Adagio called, but the girl simply put on her earbuds and kept walking.

Still seething, but aware of how little power she held, Adagio had no choice but to let the girl leave. She looked down at the paper and saw that it was a flyer for a sweets shop called Sugarcube Corner that the girl had been writing on the back of. Adagio flipped it open and read the last line.

‘I would make more money with a conventional job.’

“So I have to stay after school for Miss Cheerilee’s Tolerance in Language class,” Aria Blaze concluded with a scoff. “How was I even supposed to know that queer doesn't mean queer anymore?”

“That's how language works, it evolves,” Adagio said with a laughing smile.

“Maybe the class will help you evolve too!” Sonata Dusk said cheerfully through her food. She was eating some sort of wrap, and while Adagio could not say what kind, she was confident that it was vegetarian simply because Sonata didn't like how the school prepared meat.

Aria grumbled and took another bite of her cheeseburger.

It was lunch hour and the Dazzlings were sitting where they always did, being social pariahs did have the advantage of them always having the same table and rarely being interrupted during their meal. Although there was some backlash at the beginning of their return, Vice-Principal Luna dealt with it quickly and no one had tried anything serious since.

The one good thing about losing their magic, not that Adagio would ever admit it, was that the Dazzlings got along much better than they had since their exile. Perhaps it was the shared loss of their very being or just that they had spent so much time together, but their fights and insults had mostly become good-natured jokes rather than genuine conflict. It made Adagio wonder what their lives would have been like if they hadn't stopped being sisters in all but blood after the destruction of Coltlantis.

While Aria and Sonata argued what it meant to be evolved, Sonata having made sure the subject caught on, Adagio's attention was caught by a commotion behind her. She looked behind her to see the mute girl helping pick up an electric guitar for Flash Sentry, the front man for Flash Drive. A middling alternative rock band, but still among the best talents in the school.

It had been a few days since Adagio met the girl, and she had been trying to decide how she wanted to deal with her. However, with no magic or violent approach available, she was forced to concede that she was idealess.

“What's up, Adagio?” Aria asked, noticing her distraction.

Adagio took a moment before turning back around, both to see where the girl sat down and to decide if she wanted to tell the others. “Do you know who that blue-haired girl is?”

Leaning over, Aria tried to look around Adagio. Sonata simply took another bite of her wrap before answering.

“You mean Vinyl? I share Computer Class with her.”

“If you're talking about Vinyl Scratch, she's in my Gym class. She's not very good at dodgeball,” Aria said with a shake of her head before eating a couple fries.

“What is she like?” Adagio asked.

“Bad at dodgeball, mediocre at most sports,” Aria was a bit annoyed just remembering when they were paired together in the tennis segment of Gym. “But she isn't one of the bad ones, and knows when to keep her mouth shut.”

“You know she's mute, right?” Sonata said between the final bites of her wrap.

Aria ate a few fries rather than respond, clearly embarrassed to have not realised that.

“So what do you think of her?” Adagio asked Sonata.

“Mmm…” Sonata stared at Adagio for a moment. “She’s smart, but not a genius. She's a senior. She loves music, and she’ll be performing under the stage name DJ Pon-3 tonight.”

“How do you know that?” Adagio asked, just barely beating Aria to the punch.

Sonata pulled a paper out of her pocket and set it on the table after unfolding it. It was an advertisement for a show in a nightclub, which Adagio thought was a type of place that didn't let teenagers in. The flyer had writing on the back, but it looked nonsensical at a glance. Probably some kind of code to keep the content secret, which Adagio could certainly solve given time, but didn't really think it was worth the effort.

“It fell out of her backpack this morning, I was going to give it back at the end of lunch.” Sonata said cheerfully. “But now I'm wondering why you want to learn about her. Could it be that you have a crush?” Sonata leaned over with a smile that most people would not have realised was her attempt at looking sly.

“Who do you think I am?” Adagio asked rhetorically, pushing Sonata back. “I want to learn about her because I want to know how she resisted our magic. Nothing else.”

Aria picked up the advertisement and studied it for a few seconds. “Maybe we should go to this show. Might give us some idea who she is outside of Canterlot High.”

“That's not a bad idea. Sonata?” Adagio turned to the girl in question who, having finished her wrap, was eating chocolate that Adagio would swear was not there before.

“Sounds good!” Sonata said between bites.

“We'll head to the club around seven, seven-thirty,” Adagio said, folding up the flyer and putting it into her pocket. “For now, let's just get to class.”

The Dazzlings were often among the first to leave the cafeteria, it gave them time to reach their lockers and prepare for class without being bothered. Strangely, Vice-Principal Luna had never called them out on it despite having caught them before.

Adagio's locker was near the library while Aria's and Sonata's were both near the chemistry rooms, so she split off from them with a quick wave. They didn't share anymore classes that day, so they likely wouldn't meet again until the end of the school day.

After school ended the Dazzlings went back to their house, a large building in Upper Canterlot. It was not a manor nor was it meant for nobility, but it was more than enough for three people. Also, they bought it when they were still sirens and they could no longer charm their way into a different free house. One of the main reasons they chose it was because it was within walking distance from the school.

The Dazzlings simply wasted time until they could leave for the girl's performance, although Adagio did make sure to look up the nightclub and time a route to it from their house. They left just after seven and were standing in a short line outside of Midnight Star, the nightclub, by about eight. Adagio really needed to learn to drive and buy a car.

The nightclub was not a massive building, but it appeared to have two stories and was decently sized. The building was painted deep blue, but wear and tear revealed small bits of white brick. Which actually made it look more like the night sky. The name on the front was done in blue neon with a white eight point star dividing the words.

It only occurred to Adagio that there had been a chance of them not being able to get tickets at the door when she bought them and the boy in the window remarked on them ‘cutting it close’. It was an unfortunate side effect of having been sirens that the Dazzlings had never needed to worry about how to get things done.

The inside of Midnight Star was about what Adagio would have expected of a nightclub, too bright, too loud, and much too crowded. There were tables and booths, but there was no clear place to get food or drinks. The majority of the building was taken up by a large dance floor in front of the raised stage.

Despite having gone to the nightclub to more or less spy on a classmate, they chose to wear their normal style of clothing. Of course, their somewhat distinctive attire was overshadowed by the incomprehensible neon and reflective patterns the other patrons were wearing.

They only had a few minutes before ‘DJ Pon-3’ was supposed to take the stage, so the Dazzlings sat down at a table near the dance floor that had a clear line to the stage. Mostly clear anyway, dancers would block their view for a second or two more frequently than Adagio would have liked.

After some time of listening to overly loud, screeching noises that could only be considered to be music to the tone deaf, an announcer on stage began preparing the crowd for the performer of the night. He said all the usual things, but Adagio really only cared about the conclusion.

“Welcome to the stage, DJ Pon-3!”

The announcer stepped off the side of the stage as the girl walked up to what Adagio believed were called turntables from behind.

The performance started slow, but steadily grew. Until it reached a peak and suddenly stopped for not even a second before coming back. It was louder, it was heavier, but mostly Adagio noticed that it was much more complicated. The crowd loved it, dancing and cheering.

The surprising part was that Adagio found herself enjoying it, not the way she loved listening to a beautiful opera, but it had a beat that she had to keep herself from tapping along to. Turning towards the stage, Adagio saw something that she could hardly believe.

Adagio stood up and walked closer to the stage until she was just inside the dance floor, and she watched the girl perform. Because she was performing. It was not a prerecorded song that she was making slight changes to and calling live music, it was a collection of basic sounds that she was actively working with to create her song. She was dancing to the beat while her hands were constantly moving across the turntable, she was sweating and clearly focused on her work, but she was also in her element. Adagio had no doubt that the girl was enjoying every second of her performance.

Seeing her playing her instrument, Adagio came to the conclusion that she had misjudged the girl. Vinyl Scratch was a real musician, and a skilled one at that.