Cheers of anticipation roll across a darkened stadium like ocean waves on the shore of a wind-swept beach.

Sunset Shimmer, guitar in hand, shares a look with her five band-mates waiting in the shadows on-stage. The air hums with their names being chanted in chorus throughout the crowd.

“Dash! Dash! Dash! Dash!”

“We love you Rarity!”

But one name rings in Sunset’s ears above the others, surpassing even Rainbow’s in recent months.

“Go SUNNNAAAAYYYYY!”

“ShimMER! ShimMER! ShimMER!”

A single note from Applejack’s bass reverberates through the darkness, and the wave of cheering crests before falling to a baited hush.

Sunset takes a deep breath. The calm before the storm...

And then the sound of Pinkie’s drumsticks clapping in time—

1…

2…

3…

4!

The stadium lights burst to life with the crash of drums and a pounding bass, and a thunderstorm breaks out over the sea of cheering fans. Chords from dueling guitars weave into the mix, and the waters begin to churn. Beat after beat, measure after measure, the Rainbooms build their sound into another rolling wave of anticipation.

Now... to give them what they've all been waiting for.

When the instrumental rush nears its peak, Sunset steps forward, closes her eyes and…

Go.

Her rich, dark voice layers into the microphone. The stadium erupts as the wave crashes against the shore. Bracing herself, she shudders as the crowd’s excitement washes over her.

Looks like we might even upstage the band we’re opening for.

Not missing a single beat, she glances around at the others and then forward again with a smug, satisfied grin.

We’re just that good.

One verse, then a chorus, and then each again in turn. Intensity and passion rise like the tide.

Sunset leans back from the microphone and shreds into her strings as the song reaches its instrumental bridge. She looks out across the stadium—across the ocean of adrenaline and palpable adoration.

A sea of faces. A throng of zealous fans. An army.

“Yes, an army…” The warm whisper of Adagio’s voice caresses Sunset’s right ear, sending a spark of ecstasy down through her toes. A soft moan escapes her lips as firm, delicate hands stroke her shoulders from behind. Turning toward the sadistic chuckle which follows, she's met by a pair of glowing, captivating red eyes.

Those alluring, ancient, powerful eyes.

Sunset’s own eyes narrow, and a grin to accompany Adagio’s laugh slowly spreads across her face. “Shall we?”

Adagio traces a finger along Sunset’s chin.

“Hmmmm. Let's.”

Sunset’s fervor intensifies. She looks down to see her red, clawed hand now striking the strings.

Her grin broadens further.

The song’s melody and tempo change. Its notes become more jagged, more forceful. One by one, the others lower their instruments and stare in disbelief as the hellish tune rages on without them. Adagio releases Sunset’s shoulders and strides up beside her, her sleek black dress whipping in the wind. She spreads her arms, and her wings unfurl in a flash of light.

And as Sunset’s intensity crests toward its climax, Adagio’s eyes flare, and she inhales deeply. For a brief moment, time seems to slow around them, all motion freezing in silence—

And then with a pounding crash, the shockwave of Adagio’s voice ripples through the stadium, blowing the Rainbooms and their equipment to the back of the stage as Sunset’s guitar grinds on.

The crowd’s passion and excitement turn quickly to panic and fear. The clamor descends into screaming, and Adagio laughs maniacally.

“Their minds will be ours.”

Their screams fall under a black-green wave, and a demonic cackle replies, “Ours to command.”

And then a single voice—Sunset’s own human voice—cries out in horror inside her head as the two dark entities whisper, together as one…

“You’re mine.”

Sunset woke with a start and nearly rolled off the couch as both legs caught up in her blanket.

“What was… Owwww.” Wincing in pain, she brought a hand to her temple.

Ohh, this headache… Where am I?

Her damp shirt was half-twisted and clung uncomfortably to her chest. With some effort she freed herself from the tangled blanket and swung her legs off the couch. Still holding her throbbing head, she looked around to get her bearings.

Off to her right, Aria was passed out in a recliner, illuminated by the television screen with a game still looping on its ‘Continue?’ option. Turning toward the hallway, she found a very flattering framed picture of Adagio on one of the walls.

Right. Up late drinking and talking with those three… and then a 2 A.M. crash on the couch here.

Sunset stood and staggered down the hallway to the bathroom. Along the way, she noticed Adagio’s door slightly ajar and—after a moment of consideration—peeked in to find her sleeping peacefully. She sighed in relief and placed a hand to her chest.

Well of course she is. That was all just in my stupid head, right? Listening further, she chuckled softly. She’s quite the heavy breather when she sleeps.

Moving on, Sunset flipped on the bathroom light and leaned her hands on either side of the sink. The mirror revealed a tangled mess of hair with one large clump matted up in the back. She looked down at the clock on the counter. It read 5:22 A.M.

“Figures.” She looked again at the mirror. “What in Tartarus was that?”

She exhaled while leaning forward, but in doing so, her left hand slipped, and her forehead smacked against the mirror with an “Ooof.”

Ugh... Well that was stupid.

Regaining her balance and rubbing her forehead, Sunset grimaced at the face-grime smudge blotting her reflection. As she groggily reached for a tissue, her hand knocked over a half-dozen cans of hair product and other cosmetics. One rolled onto the floor with a silence-shattering clash.

She sighed heavily and closed her eyes.

Why me?

Placing both hands on the counter again, she willed her nerves to relax. Her thoughts drifted back to a memory of sitting unusually close and ‘comfortable’ with Adagio on the couch earlier, amid the haze of wine and conversation.

Could that be part of what caused that dream?

Sunset took another deep breath.

A pleasant humming melody entered the room behind her, and she felt two hands rest gently on her shoulders. A familiar voice laughed softly and whispered into her right ear, “Well you’re certainly up early.”

She opened her eyes to the reflection of Adagio smiling behind her in a sleek black dress.

“Dyah!”

Sunset leapt backwards from the counter and then spun around, knocking over more bottles and nearly bumping Adagio out the door. She brought both hands up to her heart as her breath came in short gasps.

But when her eyes refocused, she let out a long exhale and relaxed. Adagio’s hair was down and frumped from sleeping, and what Sunset mistook for a dress turned out to be a thigh-length black nightshirt.

Adagio lifted her hands and stepped cautiously toward Sunset with an expression of concern, but also a tinge of hurt. She surveyed the devastation on the countertop.

“Sunset, what… happened in here? Are you alright?”

Sunset turned back toward the mirror and slowly began standing up the items she’d knocked over. “Sorry. Guess I’m just a bit jumpy. I… had a bad dream.”

Adagio stepped up beside her and lent a hand with replacing the bottles. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Sunset held one of the bottles to her chest and sighed at the mirror. “No. Just some old troubles from Equestria. Not anything I wanna talk about right now.”

Wincing in pain, she lifted a hand to her forehead. “How can you drink so much wine and not have this ache in your head every morning?”

“Eh... Tolerance, I suppose.” Adagio shrugged. “Here.” She opened a drawer for some aspirin and handed it to Sunset after filling an empty glass with water. “This should help. You sure you’re going to be alright?”

Sunset nodded after downing the pills with a long drink. “Yeah. Thanks.”

Adagio rubbed a hand on Sunset's arm. “I’m going back to bed. I had to check what was going on in here when I heard the crash.” She added a gentle squeeze on Sunset's shoulders and a few circles of her thumbs. “Try to relax and get some sleep.”

Sunset nodded again and watched in the mirror as Adagio walked out the door. She closed her eyes and ran both hands through her hair, begging her mind to relax.

“Please let me sleep?”

She took another long breath, flicked off the light and made her way back to the couch.

The smell of brewed coffee brought Sunset back to awareness. Mmm. That sounds good after last night. But the happy thought turned sour when she opened her eyes.

Aria and Sonata were finishing their breakfast at the table, having already showered and dressed. Adagio was still in her nightshirt eating a piece of toast in the kitchen with her hair wrapped up in a towel. Noting the sun casting shortened shadows through the front window, Sunset sat up and wiped the drool from the side of her chin. Her face reddened under the trio of smiles.

“What time is it? Why didn’t you guys wake me up sooner?”

Adagio swallowed what she was chewing and lowered her eyes. “Sorry. Figured you needed sleep after last night.”

Aria spread a half-sided grin. “And you did look pretty cute snoring over there.”

Sonata covered her mouth with a giggle.

“Uff.” Sunset stood up and palmed her eyes. “That coffee smells good. But I need a shower.” Looking out the window again, she added, “There’s so much I wanted to get done today. I really wish you’d gotten me up sooner.”

Adagio took another sip of her coffee. “I know. But you did at least have fun last night?”

“Yeah. Though not sure I remember all of it, honestly... But I guess the extra sleep helped? My head doesn’t hurt as bad right now.”

Adagio leaned on the counter and smiled warmly. “Hmm, good then.”

“There’s still more eggs and toast if you want.” Sonata walked over and gave her a quick hug. “Sorry for laughing.”

“It’s alright, Sonata. I’ll feel better after a shower.”

As Sunset started toward the hallway, Adagio added, “And we’ll find you a change of clothes too, because—” she made a motion of sniffing her armpit.

Sunset looked down at the sweat stains on her t-shirt and slumped her shoulders with a sigh.

Adagio chuckled as she stepped past her down the hallway. “Don’t worry. Between a pair of my pants and one of Sonata’s shirts, we’ll having you lookin’ fine.” She winked before disappearing into her room.

When Sunset stepped out of the shower, she found the change of clothes waiting on the bathroom counter. After drying off, she slipped into a very form-fitting pair of black knit pants and a long, loose sweater that was a close match to her eye color. She laughed to herself while turning in the mirror. Typical Adagio. Not bad, though.

Sunset hung her towel, switched off the light and started down the hallway. She heard Adagio’s voice coming from her bedroom door, which was again slightly ajar. Curiosity overwhelmed modesty and she peeked in.

Adagio was posing in front of the mirror with her hair still down. She was barefoot and wearing her old dress from the band finale half a year ago. Sunset’s smile fell, and she felt her heart take a few steps back.

She watched Adagio turn at various angles, inspecting her pose and the outfit with an occasional prideful grin. Though as she went to latch the belt around the dress, her waistline put up more than a little resistance. With a frustrated look and then a pout at her reflection, she took in a high-chested deep breath followed by a 'click'.

"Hmph." Adagio turned sideways with another proud grin. "Still got it,” she said, as she smacked the side of her ass.

On any other day, Sunset might have giggled a bit at this behavior, but the unsettling events of last night left a troubled feeling instead. Why is she wearing that dress again… and enjoying it so much?

Her heart sank further. With a frown, she tip-toed back from the door.

Things had been going so well lately. So why did everything about this morning suddenly feel so wrong?

She hurried into the main room. Looking around quickly, she grabbed her jacket and backpack from beside the couch. Sonata raised a hand and opened her mouth to say something, but Sunset cut her off.

“Sorry, I’ll bring the clothes back later. I just… I gotta go.”

She rushed out the door and sped off on her motorcycle.

Sunset rode through the foothills for nearly an hour trying to get her mind off last night’s events, but to little avail. She then made her way to the library, with the hope that focusing on her work might help.

But when those same events began to show up as random words in the code she was trying to write, she ended up with her face down on the table in surrender and her headache threatening to return.

There was a soft thud on the table next to her ear, followed by proof that even the clearing of one’s throat could be made to sound elegant and dignified.

Sunset sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Oh. Hey Rarity."

Rarity smiled as she sat down across from Sunset and placed her shopping bags on the table. Sunset picked up the coffee that had been placed next to her head. Following a long sip, she let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh goodness, thank you. I didn’t sleep well last night.” She managed a weak smile. “Which... I suppose was obvious.”

Rarity’s expression fell to a soft frown. "How have you been, dear? We’ve hardly seen you lately.” She unshouldered her purse and set it next to the bags. “And what happened last night?"

“Oh, I... spent the night at Adagio’s place.” As Rarity raised an eyebrow, Sunset quickly added, “But it wasn’t anything… The four of us were just up late talking. And then I had a rough night on their couch.”

“Ah.” Rarity looked down to the side for a moment before turning back to Sunset. “You have been spending a lot of time with them lately, haven’t you?”

Sunset ran a finger along the side of her cup. “I guess I have, yeah.” She gestured toward her laptop. “Though I’ve also been busy with this stuff.”

“We miss you, Sunset," Rarity said. "You’ve been a no-show for three of the four band practices this month. We've all been starting to worry. So when I saw you face-down on the desk here…”

“Yeah… Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind right now.” She looked up at Rarity. “Those three have come so far. And... I guess I feel sorta responsible to keep helping them along.”

“That is very noble of you.”

Sunset sighed. “Having been where they are, I feel like I ‘get’ them, you know? And I’ve really come to enjoy her—their—company.” Sunset took another long sip from her cup. Wow. Where did that come from?

“Hmm, yes. Whilst helping me at the boutique, Adagio has shared that she enjoys spending time with you as well.” Rarity looked at Sunset with a leading smile. “Always a bit of a grin on her face whenever the subject comes up.”

Sunset felt her cheeks grow warm—a gesture which didn’t go unnoticed, judging by Rarity’s smile edging toward a grin.

“Just take care to keep yourself grounded, dear. You can only give so much, without recharging, before you risk losing yourself in the process.” Rarity’s eyes fell to her cup, and she rubbed a thumb across its logo. “That is a lesson I have come to learn the hard way.”

The two sat in silence for a few moments. Sunset frowned and took another long sip. And then a slow breath.

“Rarity? Have you ever… worried about me slipping back to what I used to be? Or worse, becoming that horrible monster again?”

Rarity "hmm"ed. "Why would you ask? But no, I haven’t. Not since you’ve made such a genuine effort to turn yourself around. It had crossed all of our minds very early on, yes. But... that was a long time ago.”

She placed a hand over one of Sunset’s. “And don’t forget. You have us now, should you ever find yourself struggling with it.”

“Hmm. Thanks. And yeah, it’s nothing.” Sunset smiled at her. “I’m happy to hear you say that.”

Rarity nodded. “I should let you get back to your work. But do try to get some sleep.” She held up her phone between a thumb and finger. “And should you need anything else, you know where to reach me.”

“I will. Thanks again, Rarity.”

Rarity collected her bags from the table and gave a small wave. As she turned to leave, Sunset found herself giggling at the number of eyes which peeked over their books to follow her swaying stride out the door.

But she then looked back down at her coffee, and her smile faded to a frown.

She does have a point. I’ve been all but ignoring the five of them lately. Am I really digging myself into a hole here?

She thought back to Adagio in her dress at the bedroom mirror earlier.

Do I really understand her as well as I thought I did? And that was just a dream... Right?

Sunset crossed her arms on the table and put her head down again in exasperation.

Guuh.