Author's Notes:

For those curious, we decided to put Rainbow Rocks after the season 5 opener, due to Twilight being more comfortable in her castle in that than she was in Castle Sweet Castle.

“Why is it every time I come here, it involves heavy lifting?” Alex questioned, carrying a box of books into whatever room he was heading to. He didn't even think Twilight had names for these rooms. If they did, no one had bothered to inform him. “I'm pretty sure this breaks a few child labor laws.”

“Quit yer jawin’ an’ it’ll go faster. Bloom never really complains ‘bout helpin’ out on the farm, an’ yer twice her size.” Applejack pushed a crate easily five times the size of the box Alex was carrying.

“Yeah, and she's a magic pony with God gifted super strength,” Alex retorted, dropping the box on a table. “Me? I probably weigh like a hundred pounds soaking wet.”

“Fair enough. I ferget how scrawny y’all are under that black coat. Come on, back to the throne room fer the next load of books an’ fixins fer this here library.”

Alex groaned, but followed Applejack back and kept pace with the strong mare. “You’re assuming there’s going to be more?”

Upon getting back to the throne room, Applejack pointed to a crate that was a decent bit bigger than the last one that she’d pushed through the halls herself. “That there’s the last one fer now. Too big fer me t’ move by mahself.”

Alex took one look at the box, then at Applejack before shaking his head and walking away. “Nope. I’m not even going to be able to help you budge that thing. No magic, remember?”

“I’ll help you with it, Applejack. Alex deserves a chance to rest for a bit anyways after ten trips with a bunch of books.” Fluttershy spoke up as she slowly flew closer to the crate. “I’ve finished cleaning the highest part of the windows already anyways.”

“Thanks.” Alex gave Fluttershy's ear a quick scratch before quickly making his getaway. “I'm starting to dislike this castle. On top of being ugly, it's like a work magnet. Come for a visit and Twilight’s got you doing manual labor.”

“It’s fine, Alex. The castle’s a huge place, and Twilight just hasn’t had the time to get staff hired to help out with getting everything done that needs to get done with it. Granted that is partially due to her spending most of the last week trying to avoid the place before we helped her with adding some personal touches here and there. Oh, and thank you again for stopping us from acting like foals by focusing only on things we like when trying to make this place feel more like a home for Twilight.”

Alex sighed, grumbling at being roped into staying. “You guys are fine, you just got carried away. Especially you, Tree Kicker. Hay inside the castle? You don’t even have the excuse of this place having a stable.”

“Sometimes bad ideas lead to good ones, like th’ personal touches Ah put inta that one kitchen that Twilight really liked. Can’t make applesauce without learnin’ that smashed apples still taste good.”

“You just make those up on the spot or are those actual sayings?” Alex questioned, leaning on the doorframe. “I hate to say it but you sound like what people do to make fun of people with that accent.”

Applejack was spared having to answer immediately by the arrival of yet another delivery pony with a cart full of loose books, one of which had a slightly reddish aura around it. “Excuse me, princess, where do you want all these books from Princess Celestia?”

“The library, of course. Third door on the left down that hallway.” Twilight responded without even looking up from the pile of books she was still sorting through and reading. She did at least point to the proper doorway.

“Even this one that’s glowing and vibrating?” The glowing book shifted as the glow intensified for a moment, then began to tumble down the side of the pile before being wrapped up in a brighter red glow as it floated over to Twilight. The cover was decorated with a stylized sun with a red corona on the left and a yellow one on the right, with the circle in the middle almost forming a yin-yang symbol without the extra dot of the opposite color in the larger areas of red and yellow.

“Fancy-schmancy unicorn magic.” Applejack muttered as she leaned into the side of the crate again to at least nudge it out of the main path of travel. “Ah don’t make up all of my ‘countryisms’ on the spot. That one is a favorite of Granny Smith’s, and she knows a bit about learnin’ from her own mistakes.”

“Right. So, Purple Smart, what’s up with the book? You experimenting with marital aids or what?” Alex asked, snickering despite Fluttershy’s unamused look. “What, it was funny!”

“It looks like it’s a message from Sunset Shimmer to Princess Celestia about something strange going on at Canterlot High, the world on the other side of the mirror, that is, not the actual school here in our Canterlot. Singing, glowing gems, fights breaking out suddenly. This sounds a lot like an old legend, and they need my help.”

Fluttershy’s nose wrinkled for a moment, but she didn’t say anything in response to Alex’s statement. She almost looked disappointed about something.

The look made Alex frown, his adopted mother’s disappointment turning out to be worse than any scolding she could have given. “Right, what’s she got over there? A musical version of Infinity War? Do I get to break out the Spider-Man meme?”

“I have no idea what that is.” Twilight responded to Alex while slowly standing up from where she’d been laying down, lifting the entire pile of books she’d been looking at and bringing them with her. “I need to check something out in the library. I want to cross-reference what Sunset was describing against a certain book of folklore that hasn’t steered me wrong yet when it comes to old things resurfacing after thousands of years.”

“Does it involve keys?” Alex questioned, taking it upon himself to follow after her. “Cause I know all about mine and the stuff that goes with it.”

“I don’t think there’s anything about keys in the legend of the sirens, but if this book being active means what I think it mean, I could have a way to force that portal open early so we can see about getting you some extra clothes that aren’t covered with gems.”

“Tsk, I do not cover everything I make in gems...just most things. Some fashions simply are not so easily enhanced, darling.”

“Sirens? You guys have sirens here?” Alex asked, putting his hands in his pockets. “I feel like we might be talking about two very different things though. Should I go first on the exposition spotlight?”

“Feel free, I need to find the book I’m looking for first anyways.” The cloud of books around Twilight was swiftly deposited on a free table, with the new acquisition laying open on top of the pile while she began her search.

“Okay so, sirens are horrific fish-women from Greek myth who used their song to bewitch sailors. Said sailors would be lured towards their rocky perches and shipwreck themselves. The sirens would then feast on the remains.”

“Oh my, that’s so brutal. Then again, nature is rarely as kind as I’d like it to be, and there is a certain majesty about some of the truly odd species out there.” Fluttershy lowered her gaze to the floor for a few seconds as she thought.

“That’s a bit different from our Sirens, Alex. If I remember correctly they’re emotivores, like changelings, but I want to...AHA!” She held up a thick tome and began to flip through it quickly. “Sirens, sirens, sirens...yes! Okay...”

Pinkie seemed to almost bounce in place as Twilight went quiet. “Come on, some of us have no idea what these Meanie McMeanpants sirens are!”

“The sirens were three beautiful but dangerous magical creatures who had the power to charm ponies with their music…”

Alex peered at the mirror, staring at his reflection. “And this thing is a portal? See, I was expecting something like a Stargate, not something from a Barbie dream house.”

“I still think I should be able to go, Twilight. I’d feel bad if something happened and I wasn’t there for him.”

“Fluttershy, it’s going to be hard enough for me just saying he’s my little brother. The you over there just isn’t old enough to have adopted a child, and it would cause more problems and confusion in the long run.” Twilight argued logically about the situation. “And he needs to come with me so we can make sure the clothes fit. He already has the right kind of body, and if anything gets altered by the passage it’ll be easier for Rarity to resize something that isn’t twice as big as it needs to be.”

“Oh, plus I did show you how to do it as well, so that’s a bit off the top of the workload if it comes down to that.” Rarity was examining some of the fantastic illustrations in the book of old legends, and she gasped as she turned a page. “Oh, this book has Mistmane in it? That brings back some memories. Would you mind if I read through this, dear? I promise to be careful.”

“It’s a library, Rarity. Read all you like.”

“We ready to go or what?” Alex asked, looking over his shoulder. “I’ve sufficiently prepared myself for the uncanny valley and I’d like to get this show on the road.” Adding a smile, he regarded Fluttershy. “I’ll be fine. I got a weapon, remember?”

Fluttershy sighed as Alex reminded her about his ability to defend himself. “Alright, fine, but you listen to Twilight okay? I don’t want you risking yourself if there’s another, safer way.”

“Twilight! I found your bag of bits!” Spike came running back into the library with a decently-sized satchel in his claws, one which was held out to Twilight quickly as he caught his breath. “I still get to go with you, right? I know a couple of your friends would miss me if I wasn’t there.”

“Yes, Spike, you can still come. Now, experiment number one is in place, seeing if this will come with me or end up vanishing in the crossing, since we still don’t know everything about this portal.”

“Right.” Alex smiled at Fluttershy. “It's just high school. I've done it before, but, if it worries you that much, I'll stay close to our resident Pegacorn.” With that, he stepped through the portal without another word.

He has assumed that it would be something similar to his experience with the chest. He was wrong. There was no terror or panic, just a feeling of something passing over him before being booted out the other side like a train had hit him.

“Ow...” Alex vocalized his pain, having landed face first on concrete. “Thing’s a safety hazard...”

“You aren’t Twilight...are you a spy?” The voice was obviously that of Rainbow Dash, but before Alex could respond there was an unidentifiable sound followed by something connecting with his foot.

“Woah, woah, get him away from the portal, quick, Twilight’s coming through!” Spike’s voice was clear in Alex’s ears, but he could swear he felt four paws brush against him as Spike jumped over.

“I'm a Jesuit priest come to spread the word of Christ. Repent now, for War will follow in my wake,” Alex replied, pushing himself to his knees. To his dismay, he had a nose bleed. “Anyone got a tissue?”

A stark white hand with perfectly manicured nails painted pink was quickly held out. “Best get you away from the portal first, dear, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen any kind of priest so young, or wearing such a nice dress.”

“What dress?” Alex questioned, holding his nose with one hand and taking the extended hand with his other. “I don't wear dresses.”

Rarity pulled him easily to his feet, and her other hand held out a few tissues while her face held a look of confusion for a moment. “Oh, right, you’re from the pony side so you probably don’t even know what you look like here yet.”

“I know exactly what I look like; a character from a video game I had the misfortune to become.” Alex blinked at Rarity, quickly putting the tissues to his nose. “Wow, okay. You are by far the whitest person I've ever met. You’re like a living version of White Face Man.”

“I honestly don’t know how to take that.”

Another flash from the mirror preceded the arrival of Twilight, who must have run at the mirror at a full gallop after Alex and Spike, because she flew a good ten feet away from the base of the statue and landed on the grass of the school lawn instead. Everyone but Alex shouted out her name in unison and, with the exception of Rarity, ran over to help her up and give her a hug.

“Oh, we're so glad you're here!” Fluttershy spoke, holding Spike close to her chest. “We were worried you wouldn't be able to get back.”

“Ah, even if Book Horse couldn't open it, I got a key that unlocks anything,” Alex cut in, his voice a little nasally. “Then again, she'd probably yell at me for summoning a weapon.” He found no end to the amusement he could gather from their confused looks.

“Okay, Twilight, is there some reason your little sister, or whatever she is, isn’t making any sense whatsoever?” Rainbow Dash spoke up again, her gaze shifting from Twilight to Alex every few seconds. “And why is she dressed like a goth?”

“Oh, this is Alex. He’s not my sist...oh dear.” Twilight’s gaze finally seemed to register Alex and she couldn’t help but cringe a little. “Okay, it looks like some we have some explaining to do in both directions here...and some emergency clothes shopping to keep him sane while we’re both here in addition to the planned shopping later to give him some extra clothes to bring back with us.”

“What's wrong with my...” Alex's voice caught in his throat at the sight of his clothes. The mirror had fused his coat with the rest of his clothes; turning them into a gothic style dress that would have fit in well in an anime. All of the zippers and other metal pieces had even been turned into silvery lace embellishments that either served to accentuate his young figure in a tasteful way, or were in the shape of his standard keyblade. Even his protective gloves had been turned into long, opera-style gloves that went above the elbow, which helped since the sleeves of his jacket had turned into transparent veils. Wordlessly, he summoned up his Keyblade and hurled it at the horse statue above the portal. It cut clean through the stone neck before returning to his hand.

“Woah woah! What are you doing? You could have just damaged the portal!” A girl with pale yellow skin, wildly striped red and yellow hair, and wearing a black leather jacket over a fuscia shirt walked over to and stared down at him. The difference in height was maybe a foot or so.

“Sue me,” was Alex's response as he pushed past her. Dispelling his keyblade, Alex took in his surroundings. Everything just seemed so much more vibrant here. Colors popped, sound was crisp and clear. And yet some part of his mind nagged at him. Like this world was mocking him; presenting a warped version of the one he left.

“Sue you?” The mystery girl grabbed his shoulder, squeezing hard at first before her fingers quickly relaxed. “You..you could have just damaged your only way home for all we know. My only way home if I ever decided to go back. Twilight and Spike’s only way home! Was it really worth it to risk all that because you got a little angry over how you’re dressed on this side?” Her voice had started out quite angry, but became sad quickly, and she was clearly almost crying as she stopped talking.

Alex glared at her, keeping his voice level. “Lady, I've been turned into a fictional character, lost a decade of my life, and joined the fairer sex. Don't talk to me about 'a little angry.’” Pulling away from her, he put as much distance between himself and the group.

“Sunset, let him be for a while. Alex has some issues with his body and being stuck in a dress clearly isn’t helping.” Twilight spoke up while walking over to the base of the statue and carefully resting her hand against the surface. A loud sigh of relief accompanied a soft glow from the art piece as her hand slipped through easily. “We’re okay, though. It looks like minor damage to the upper part isn’t interfering with the connection between our worlds...yet.”

“In other words, get it repaired just in case, but there’s no immediate danger of not being able to go back. Got it.” Sunset let out her own sigh of relief at this good news. “Okay, why don’t we all go somewhere we can have a drink and relax a bit while we go over why I asked for your help?”

“Only if the drinks we can get are portable.” Twilight fumbled for a minute with her clothes before she managed to find the small purse that her satchel of bits had become. “Alex is going to need replacement clothes, and part of the reason he came here was for more clothes anyways. Male clothes, Rarity, or the closest we can get to them that will fit him.”

“Hmmm? Oh, yes, of course. I wasn’t plotting out a new fashion line of dresses for him to try or anything. I actually know someplace we could go that specializes in clothes like that, but it will require a bus ride to the center of the city.”

“Ah think’ that girl needs an attitude adjustment,” Applejack said, keeping an eye on Alex. “No problem gives ya the excuse to just up and break school property. Ya should send her to the farm for a month, we'll set her straight.”

“Applejack, he used to be a grown male, and something turned him into a teenage girl. He’s still coming to terms with what all of that means and he doesn’t really like anything feminine. I think you’d feel a little angry and uncomfortable yourself if someone suddenly put you in Big Mac’s body.”

“Oh, so he’s a bit like Rarity’s cousin, then?” Fluttershy spoke up at last, but shrank back behind her hair at a glare from Rarity.

“Growing up in the wrong body versus being suddenly thrust into one is a bit different, Fluttershy, but I can see how the nuance is lost on those who didn’t have someone in their own family go through such a thing.”

“We do anything or what?” Alex called back, throwing his hands up. “I'm standing here like a jackass while you and the power rangers have a powwow. Not a fun time!”

“Why don’t we just get to the bus stop so we can get where we need to go before little miss P.M.S. throws another fit and cuts someone’s car in half or something?”

“Rainbow Dash! There’s simply no need to be so utterly uncouth! Honestly, have you no sense of decorum?”

“Girls!” Twilight raised her voice, frowning deeply. “I realize Alex didn't make the best first impression but can we please not antagonize him? There's no reason to refer to him in a disparaging way.”

“Let’s just go before someone else says something we’ll all regret…” Sunset led the way to the nearest bus stop, taking her time to apologise to Alex on the way there about grabbing him.

The bus ride had been awkward but the group managed to get through it. Sunset’s apology had cooled Alex's head and sparked his own apology about the statue. Sitting next to Twilight, he tapped away at his tablet, engrossed in a Final Fight emulator.

Rarity leaned in from the seat behind his as they began to approach their destination. “Alex, just so you know, there’s going to be a fair bit of measurement involved when we get there so that they can pick out a selection of things that will fit you while also making you more comfortable. Had you thought about if you wanted to have, erm, compression for control, or more traditional support despite the fact that most see that as more feminine regardless of needing it or not?”

Alex blinked, looking at Rarity like she had grown a second head. Hagger grunted, letting out a death cry as Alex game overed due to his inaction. “I have no idea what you just asked me.”

“For your breasts, dear. Did you think about a compression top to minimize them, or did you want to stick with a brassiere despite that being more traditionally feminine?” The look on her face is utterly serious, but has a genuine level of concern to it that had only been shown by Fluttershy back home before. “I mean, I assume you’re still growing and all, but it’s a valid question.”

“I... That's honestly not something I've thought of.” Alex glanced down, eyeing up his chest. ”Not like there's much there now is there?” Looking back up at Rarity, he found the situation too surreal to be embarrassed. “Uh... What would you recommend?”

“Sticking with a bra for now would be my suggestion. Rosew-Jasper and I grew up together and he complained about chest pain so much when wearing compression tops around your age. I assume you’re, what, thirteen-ish?”

“Fourteen,” Alex corrected, sliding the device back into his pocket. “Guess bras it is.” He mentally frowned, bothered by the fact that that didn't seem to bother him all that much.

“I’m sure there will be something nice and plain there for you. The selection at Our Little Secret has always been impressively broad.”

“Right, good good.” Sitting back, Alex gazed into his lap. “Sooo... Your cousin, huh?””

“What? Surely you didn’t think you were the only person to ever have a problem like this, did you? I mean, even if it’s almost unheard-of back home, well…”

“Hey, I was just curious. Of course I know people with dysphoria exist,” Alex said, looking at her again. “Nevermind, it's probably too personal.”

“Wait, were you trying to imply that it was really me?” Rarity giggled for a few seconds. “Honestly, it’s not a horribly flawed assumption, but you’d be wrong. I’m perfectly happy as the woman I was born to be, but Jasper...he had some severe issues early on. Poor boy almost killed himself after his first period.”

“I wasn't implying it was you, but nice show of narcissism.” With a smile, he gave her a thumbs up. “I meant your cousin probably doesn't want you blabbing something so personal to someone he doesn't know. Glad he got better though.” He didn't feel the need to comment further and dredge up old demons.

“He’d understand if it helped someone in a similar position.” Rarity stood up as the bus came to a stop this time, signaling to the others that they were near their destination. “Pinkie, would you mind picking up some drinks for us at the nearest cafe? You know what we all like except Alex.”

“I'd ask for some hard vodka but, minor and all.” Alex rose up, cracking his joints. “Just a root beer, thanks.” Stepping off the bus, he felt a little out of place in a world of pastel colored humans. “I feel, very, very overdressed.”

“We can get that fixed quickly Alex, just stay calm and everything will be fine.” Twilight tried to sound as reassuring as possible as the six of them followed Rarity to the store she knew while Pinkie skipped off in a different direction to fetch some refreshments for the group.

“Okay, look. I appreciate the concern but I'm not hysterical. Spending a few more minutes dressed like this isn't going to send me into a fit of murderous rage,” Alex protested, crossing his arms. “You don't have to treat me like glass.”

“Y’all threw a giant skeleton key and cut the head off a statue just because yer wearin’ a dress. That’s a shorter fuse than even Sunset ever showed...no offense.”

“Ugh, none taken.”

“Yes, I get it. Bad move. Can we drop it?” He questioned, pouting. “Let's just do what we came to do and move into your fishmen problem.”

Rarity rolled her eyes and pushed open the door the the store before waving for the others to head on inside. “Welcome to Our Little Secret, the store that caters to your personal clothing needs no matter what body type you want, or have.”

“Is that Rarity’s voice I hear? Are you bringing in a new customer or is that cousin of yours back in town?” A melodic voice came from somewhere near the back of the store, though it had a slightly rough edge to it. All kinds of styles were on display once the inside was visible, but the drawn curtains allowed for total privacy inside the store. “Show whoever it is around, dear and I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Do you think they have anything for someone who wants to be a tree?” Fluttershy asked. It took her a moment to realize she had spoken. “Oh my...” She hid behind her bangs, blushing furiously.

“There's a term for that, but I don't know it.” Alex shuddered, imaging just what his Fluttershy and Discord get up to in their room. “Yup, I'm asking for brain bleach when I got home. That thought disturbs me greatly. Rarity, please. Begin the fashion montage.”

Rarity blinked, but quickly smiled and began showing Alex around the store and at the various different fashions of clothing that were available. She was soon joined by another similarly white-skinned woman with a red and white striped mohawk and some intricate ‘tribal’ tattoos on every visible body part.

“Hello dear, my name’s Custom Fit. Let’s get you measured up so we know what sizes to pull for you, okay? Wouldn’t want to try squeezing you into a waist five inches too small by mistake.”

Taking a breath, Alex nodded. “Measure away.” It wasn't anything weird, he assured himself. Just a professional doing their job. ‘Don’t overreact to this. You've already screwed the pooch with the statue. You're an adult, act like it’.

Custom Fit and Rarity both took him into a rather spacious private booth for this, one obviously designed for at least one observer to head off any claims of impropriety. Rarity also helped him take off the dress for accuracy and quickly ran out to grab a few unisex shirts and pants that matched the measurements so gained, while Custom simply left him alone in there after getting those measurements, standing just outside the booth and waiting.

Things became a bit of a whirlwind as Rarity zipped from the booth with Alex back to various sections and used his reactions to what was brought back to determine what to bring back next time. “Are you absolutely sure you wouldn’t like some brighter colors? This shade of yellow would really help your eyes pop, and it is a masculine cut.”

Sighing, Alex shook his head. “At this point, I just don't care.” Eyes shifting conspiratorially, he motioned her closer. “Can I be a bit honest with you?”

Rarity leaned in and whispered back. “On matters like this, dear, my lips are sealed tighter than Vice Principal Luna’s office after hours.”

No words left Alex's throat for some time. He almost told her to forget it before he let out a derisive scoff. ‘Are you afraid of admitting it to her or yourself?’ Shaking his head, he leaned in closer. “I-I kind of like... The dress...”

“Well, I wasn’t about to throw it away on you, dear. I assume it looked like something else back home and is of some value to you, sentimentally at least if nothing else. Oh...unless you meant that...hmmm.” One finger was pressed to her lips for a moment before she zipped out of the room and came back a few seconds later with a handful of similarly elegant dresses and gowns in various colors.

“Holy crap, Rares! If I’d known you could run that fast I’d have asked you to sign up for the track team this year.” Dash whistled from outside the room before knocking. “Got a sec to talk, or is the little guy still busy deciding what he wants?”

“Poke your head in and it’ll be my boot you eat, not his key. Private room, Rainbow Dash.”

“Okay, okay, yeesh. Sorry.”

Taking one of the offered dresses into his hands, Alex turned it over. “Yellow huh?”

“You just pick out what you like, and I’ll cover anything that you don’t want Twilight to know about, okay? Now, let me see about the other essentials.” Rarity slipped back out of the room and left Alex alone with his thoughts and the various clothes he’d approved of so far.

In the end, Alex left the store with a bunch of clothing bags filled with various shirts, pants, underwear, and everything else except spare shoes. There were enough bags that everyone was carrying at least two, which helped disguise the fact that the two extra bags Rarity had were also for Alex as they would all end up mixed together at some point anyways. The bus ride back to Canterlot High gave them a chance to talk about the siren situation as well as enjoy the cocoas, coffees, or sodas that Pinkie had purchased for them.

The group finally hunkered down in the music room. A most fitting place to talk about stopping magical songstresses. Alex took a seat next to a cello, absentmindedly strumming the cords. Twilight's voice snapped him to attention, though he plucked one last string.

“Now that we're settled, we can get everyone caught up.” Twilight pulled over the chalkboard, grabbing a stick of chalk. “Who wants to start?”

“Three girls with spike fetishes randomly showed up at our school and started a fight in the cafeteria while singing about turning the band talent show into a battle of the bands. Then we went to principal Celestia and both she and vice-principal Luna acted strangely robotic after we asked them about the three new girls. Then I wrote in my old book to get Princess Celestia to contact you.” Sunset offered a succinct summary of everything so far on their end.

“Oooh! Don’t forget all the weird pony stuff that happens when we have band practice!” Pinkie offered, jumping up and down. “We get the ears and the hair extensions and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash get wings!!”

“Oh, right, I have a kick-ass video of mine from when I thrashed Trixie in a shred-off contest at a guitar shop. You gotta see this!” Rainbow Dash pulled her phone out and quickly found the recording to show to Twilight.

“Wait, you girls were able to draw on that power without me being here with the element of magic? This raises all kinds of questions.” Twilight thought for a few seconds. “Wait, does it only happen when you’re playing music? I mean, I can’t even go back home and grab the element anymore, so this is important.”

Sunset paled at this, staring at Twilight in shock. “You lost the elements?”

“No? I know exactly where they are, they’re just...kinda keeping the Tree of Harmony alive now.” Twilight tittered slightly, poking her pointer fingers together. “We shouldn’t need them. I have a few ideas on how to deal with the sirens.”

“Don’t be singing, don’t be singing, don’t be singing.” Alex muttered under his breath while holding his face in his hands. Memories of a horrible minigame swam to the surface of his thoughts.

“A musical counterspell!” Twilight declared, pointing to the board. “If harmonic magic is still inside each of you, we should be able to create a song infused with that magic. It’ll cancel out whatever magic the sirens are working.”

“Objection!” Alex stood up quickly, pointing at Twilight. “They already said that they transform when they play music, so we know they already have songs that can cause them to do this. Have you ever once written a song before, Twilight? It’s hard.” He spun in place and pointed at Pinkie. “Dangerous levels of Pink energy, when is the battle?”

“Everything except the finals is supposed to be tomorrow afternoon, and then the finals are the following evening in the town amphitheater.” Pinkie replied instantly, a wide smile on her face.

“Their old songs won’t do, Alex, this has to be something that draws the full force of their magic out,” Twilight explained, quickly drawing an eye-crossing diagram on the board. “It has to resonate with each of us for it to work.”

“So why not look through a book of their songs to see if you can find one that you like instead of trying to perfect a brand-new song in less than a day? I can guarantee that one of these things will go poorly while the other has a good chance of working.”

“I have a few songs we haven’t played before, so they’d be just as new to the others…” Fluttershy said quietly. “M-maybe we could use one of those?”

“There you go, a few songs already made and practically gift-wrapped for practicing for the competition.” Alex smiled and waved in Fluttershy’s direction.

“I dunno, the songs have to be awesome to really bring out the power, and Fluttershy’s songs are good and all, but I think we’d be better off with Twilight’s plan, squirt.”

“Kid, I’m older than you by a good ten years,” Alex deadpanned, leveling a flat stare at her.

“Okay, okay, both y’all simmer down. Whatever song we end up playin’ we can practice at mah family’s farm. That way the Dazzlings won’t know what hit ‘em.” Applejack looked over at Twilight, then leveled a glare towards Rarity. “That sound good, or a little too ‘rustic’ for one of us?”

“As long as my costumes aren’t too ‘fancy’, then I can bear with it,” Rarity replied, checking on her nails. “I insist on each of us looking our best if we’re going to be in front of so many people.”

“You know, I could just beat them up with my big key.” Alex resummoned his keyblade, holding it up. “Probably a lot easier than being a band. Just sayin’.”

“Let’s keep that as a backup plan in case everything else fails. I’d rather our first option not be ‘resort to violence because it’s easier than the alternative.’” Twilight motioned carefully with one hand. “That being said, if you could try to get some information from them without being found out, that might be good.”

“Uhhh, Twilight? We’re supposed to be taking care of him, not sending him alone into the arms of the enemy hoping he’ll come back unharmed. Did that fall through the portal rattle your head a little too much?” Spike scratched at an itch behind his ear as he brought up a glaring flaw in that plan.

“I’ll be fine,” Alex assured, resting his keyblade on his shoulder. “Look, I get it. I’ve got problems and I look like a kid. You don’t have to keep treating me like one outside of not breaking the law. Just tell me where the Hex Girls hang out and I’ll see about I can find out.”

“Okay, does anypony know where they hang out?”

“How would we know that? They’re almost as new to this school as Alex is.”

“I heard them say something about using room 34B for things, but that was before we waited to see if there was going to be a response to Sunset’s note, and all the clothes shopping...” Pinkie went from perky to monotone as she listed the various things that could mean this was no longer useful information. “Ohh, but if we hurry we can make it to the pre-contest gathering for one last chance to see if our other friends are back to normal!”

“Doubt it, the Dazzlings are probably going to show up and rile them up,” Alex got up, moving towards the door. “I’ll head to 34B and see what’s up. Just uh, tell me how to get there.”

“Take a right out of here, and it’ll be the seventh door on your left down the third corridor on your right.” Rainbow Dash recited from memory without even pausing to think. “What, why are you all staring at me? Room 34B used to be where all the team captains would work on new strategies before last year when we actually got a designated room for that. It’s the closest classroom to the gym.”

“I’ll uh... see you guys later.” Taking his leave, Alex moved down the halls of Canterlot High. “What the hell is wrong with me? So many things going on in my head. I’m lucky I’m not a sobbing wreck of a person.”

Taking a breath, he slowly let it out. “Just stay calm, okay? Even if you look like Xion, you’re still you, no matter what anyone thinks or says. You’re Alex Lionheart, no one else.” Alex repeated the mantra a few times more, doing his best to memorize it.

“Hi there, Alex Lionheart! Whatcha doin’?” A perky voice very much like Pinkie’s said from right behind him.

Alex jumped, having to fight the instinct to summon his weapon. “Jesus! Don’t sneak up on me!” He whirled around, chest heaving and wide eyed.

“Um, nope. I’m Sonata, not ‘Jesus.’” A tall girl with pale blue skin responded, smiling broadly and holding both a plastic cup and a jug of what looked like apple juice. “I also wasn’t sneaking; you were just so busy talking to yourself that you didn’t hear me.”

“Yeah, I know you’re not Jesus. You have too much chest fat for that. What’s up with the jug? You playing waitress?”

“Oh, this? I was heading back to the party to add some of this to balance out the grape juice I used in the punch earlier, but I kinda got lost.” She giggled while looking around. “You wouldn’t be able to point me to the auditorium, would you?”

“Uh, yeah, I got directions.” Alex nodded, starting to lead her. “Catering huh? Hows that working out for ya? School giving you extra credit or whatever that kinda thing is?”

“Oh, no, but I figured making some good punch could make up for the fact that my sisters and I convinced the students and principal here to make this a battle of the bands instead of just a showcase. I never really did like competition, but it does tend to get the best results.”

Alex’s mouth pushed into an ‘o’ shape. ‘Wow. Okay. I’m totally the bumble king. Walked right into the lion’s den with this one’. “Battle of the bands sounds fun. Nothing wrong with some competition.”

“Are you part of a band, or someone with no real talent who just wants to listen in?” She seemed oblivious to how utterly insulting that kind of statement was, as if music was the only talent worth having.

“Who wants to know?” Alex questioned, straightening his back. “Are you a corporate spy, Sonata?”

“Me? A spy?” She laughed outright, and actually leaned against a locker for a few seconds. “I was just wondering since you seem real calm and all. Everyone’s been kinda on-edge the last couple days it seems.”

“Of course I’m calm, I’m the uh... daughter of Black Bolt. If I were to show off my talents, the whole town would be leveled,” Alex spoke, trying to imitate what he could recall as ‘proper ladylike walking form’.

“Wow, I don’t think they’d let you bring your dad’s amps in, but that’s a pretty good point.” Sonata nodded sagely. “It’d be kinda unfair to blow the competition away just because they can’t afford the best equipment out there.”

Alex blinked, a dumbfounded look on his face. ‘That is not how I expected that to go but uh, it’s better than selling the idea of super people living on the moon’ “Well of course. I’m merely here to see if any of these plebs have real talent.”

Sonata blinked and turned to look back at Alex. “Wait...you’re scouting for talent? I thought you were a student here?” She squinted and seemed lost in thought before nodding once more. “I get it, daddy sent you here to see if there were any student bands that might be worth signing to a deal. Got any ideas on who might be in the lead, or is that something you think might be unfair to tell another competitor?”
“I don’t engage in leaking confidential material, Sonata,” Alex said firmly, turning his nose up at her. “I’m insulted that you assumed I would.”

“Eeep!” Sonata couldn’t help letting out a squeak of panic at that. “Please don’t let that weigh into your decision. My sisters and I are super talented, and we could really use the help of someone like you if we win. We could even get the whole world to listen to our songs!”

“Oh?” Alex inquired, eyeing Sonata with an appraising eye. “Please go on, I’d love to hear this.”

“Well, I just meant that if you could score us an album deal after we win it would mean that everyone in the world could hear our music, then we’d really be big.”

“I’ll have to see for myself,” Alex dismissed, a little disturbed by how easily this was coming to him. “You can introduce me to your sisters, first off.”

“Oh, that’ll be easy. I’m sure they’re still in the auditorium hanging out and enjoying a snack. You’re sure we’re going the right way, right? I must have really gotten lost.”

“Of course we are. Why, we’ve even reached our destination.” Spotting a pair of double doors labelled ‘gym’, Alex pushed his way in. Much like the rest of the world, it was crammed full of multicolored humans, all muttering amongst themselves.

Sonata looked around, then pointed over to one corner where a massive puff of orange and yellow hair could be seen. “That’s Adagio for sure, and Aria’s probably hidden by her hair from here. Let me go add this to the punch and then I’ll introduce you, ‘kay?” Sonata almost walked away without waiting for an answer, but quickly froze in place again as she remembered who she was with and how important this could be.

“Are you sure you want to let this wait?” Alex asked, making a show of taking his phone out. “There are so many other acts to observe and scout.”

“I-I, um, oh alright, I’ll worry about the punch later, come on.” She hastily made her way over to Adagio and Aria, clearing her throat as she closed in. “Hey girls, you’re never going to guess who I ran into in the halls.”

“Someone with a brain?” A gruff voice grunted. “Because that would actually make you useful for once.”

“Now now, Aria, maybe our dear sister actually stumbled across someone important without us telling her to for once.” A much smoother voice responded, one that sounded like there was no way the owner belonged in high school. That mass of hair shifted quickly, revealing the face of the person underneath it all to be just as yellow as her highlights. “So, how about you introduce us to your young friend?”

“Adagio, Aria, this is Alex Lionheart. She’s the daughter of Black Bolt, the guy who owns the company that makes the best speakers and amplifiers in the entire world, and that makes her mother the owner of Chrysalis Records. She’s here scouting talent and I thought that she could help us score a nice record deal if we win the contest!” Sonata stepped aside to show Alex off to her sisters, then swept her hands in the other direction. “Alex, these are my sisters Adagio Dazzle,” one hand indicated the yellow woman with the crazy hair, “and Aria Blaze,” her other hand moved to indicate the purple-skinned girl with striped pigtails. “The three of us are The Dazzlings!”

Alex frowned, eyeing them with feigned indifference. “Just this little meeting, I can see one of you never left the 80s and the other watched one too many grunge music videos.”

Adagio’s eye twitched at the comment, but Aria let out a short laugh with her harsh voice. “Nice, nice. I like your style, kid, cut right to the point.”

“Yes, well, comments about my hair aside you’ll find we’re one of the strongest groups in this school. We’ve been practicing our singing for years, and I swear some of these people only even formed a band the minute it became a competition.” Adagio smiled wide as she looked down at Alex. “I have been thinking about changing my style, but nobody seems willing to touch hair this magnificent.”

“I like a woman who has style, even if it went out with disco,” Alex shot back, smoothing out his dress. “If you’re so confident in your skills, then you won’t mind giving me a demonstration.” H

Adagio’s eyes gleamed evilly at the suggestion. “Oh absolutely, but let’s go somewhere else first, shall we? The acoustics in here would be just horrible with all these other, squabbling people.”

“Yeah, they’re arguing so much you’d think there was something wrong with the party.” Aria snickered at her own little joke.

“It’s the punch isn’t it? I knew there was too much grape juice!”

“Forget the punch, Sonata, we have a big opportunity here and we’re not going to waste it. Let’s go.”

“Agreed, my time is precious, girls, and I would hate to waste it.” Letting the threat hang, Alex made his way to the door. ‘Okay, it’s getting a little scary I’m so good at this. Why couldn’t I have been this good back in my actual high school days?’

Sonata sputtered for a moment, but held onto the bottle of apple juice as she and her sisters began following Alex out of the gym. “So, uh, what style is your mother looking for with the new band? I mean, we can changes clothes easily an-”

“Sonata, why don’t we wait until we’ve at least given our demonstration? You know we’re going to end up being a smash hit anyways.”

“That’s for my mother and I to decide,” Alex snapped, glaring over his shoulder. “Do keep that in mind, won’t you?”

“Oh of course. I apologise for being so presumptuous. Please, lead the way.” Adagio was still smiling as she walked behind Alex. Aria muttered something under her breath as they got close to the door, though.

“What was that?” Alex questioned, turning his glare to Aria. “Care to speak up?”

“Nothing, just still a little hungry is all. Didn’t get enough to eat in there, but I’m sure I’ll get another chance to eat in a bit.” There was a surliness to her voice that helped her sound completely serious.

“I do hope your hunger doesn’t affect your performance. I’d hate for you to let your one opportunity for greatness to slip aw-” Alex stumbled back, falling on his ass. Looking up, he was greeted by Sunset Shimmer and the rainbooms.

Adagio gasped and reached down to help Alex up. “Watch it, you oafs! This young lady is the heiress to two musical empires! Her dress is probably worth thousands of dollars and you’ve just made her get it dirty!”

“Uh... sorry?” Sunset offered, stepping back at Alex’s glare. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“That’s quite obvious. It leaves me to wonder what else escapes your pitiful attention span.” Brushing his dress off, Alex pushed past them. “Now if you excuse me, I have places to be. Come along, girls.”

Adagio took note of the faces of the girls they’d bumped into, sending each of them a pointed glare as she walked past the group. Sonata waved with a smile, and Aria just flipped them off with both hands held high. “Later, losers.”

After a few minutes of walking, Adagio suggested a smaller music classroom that they were passing would be perfect rather than heading to one of the larger practice rooms that were used for theater, art, or student bands after school. “It’s not like we need instruments to impress you with our singing.”

“If you insist,” Alex conceded, stepping into the room. Taking a moment to note the layout, he took a seat behind the teacher’s desk. It was then he realized he had gotten himself alone with three magical creature who were all bigger than him.

Aria flipped the lock on the door as she stepped in last, and her face was set in a frown as she crossed her arms over her stomach, standing right in front of the doorknob. “Alright pipsqueak, game over. You might have fooled Sonata easily enough, but not all of us have a pufferfish for a brain.”

“Hey!”

“Indeed, thank you for reading my mind, Aria.” Adagio’s voice still sounded smooth and controlled as she strutted over to the desk and placed a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “You see, the heir of those two media empires is in his twenties, not a little teenage girl just out of her first training bra. I will admit your dress is quite nice, but you’re going to start talking or we’re going to start breaking bones.”

“Oh yes, I’m totally afraid of a trio of high schoolers who don’t even know what decade they’re in. Do you spend a long time getting those looks, Dee Snider, or were you born in drag?”

“I guess we are going to have to do this the fun way after all, since you aren’t intimidated by threats of harm.” Adagio lifted her hand to the jeweled choker at her throat, which glimmered and began producing a low tone, followed by a simple drum beat. “Which will it be, dear? Spill the beans now, or as a puppet of ours in a few minutes?”

Aria brushed her gem as well, which began a series of bass notes. “Why not just scream loud enough to make her head pop? We haven’t done something that fun in centuries.”

“Wait, what? No, nonono, I like her!” Sonata whimpered as she looked between her sisters and then down at Alex. “Y-you lied to me? I thought I was actually getting along with someone for once…”

“Go back to sleep, Sonata.”

Alex frowned, looking between the gems. “I didn’t lie. My name is Alex Lionheart, as for my situation, well, my father isn’t all that proud of me. Let’s just say that it’s a body issue.”

“Very well, young lady.” Adagio stepped back and began singing. A pointed look was sent to Sonata to remind the youngest siren to join in. “First things first, I’mma say all the words inside my head.”

Aria joined in quickly, her voice melding with Adagio’s perfectly at the start of the next line. “I’m fired up and tired of the way that things have been.”

The two of them crooned together in a perfect dark harmony, and the rubies at their throats began to glow and emit a thoroughly evil light.. “Oh ooh, the way that things have been. Oh ooh.”

Sonata stroked her own and joined in with an angry bite to her otherwise sweet voice as her gem produced some subtle guitar notes. “Second thing second, don't you tell me what you think that I can be. I'm the one at the sail! I'm the master of my sea, oh ooh, the master of my sea! Oh ooh!”

Alex frowned, the words crawling into his ear like a worm. He opened his hand to summon Aubade, only to find that it slipped through his hand like so much sand. “G-get out...” he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut.

The three girls closed in as they continued singing, each one of them taking a moment to gently brush a hand against his shoulder, or through is hair to give just that extra contact for the magic to worm its way in more effectively. Soon all efforts to resist seemed like a waste of time, and he fell under their sway.