The first two days at the cabin were bliss; the days saw endless adventure from hiking, biking, playing more paintball and occasionally disappearing for random more erotic adventures. The nights had been partying madness, building to that third night where all the ladies had decided to really let it all go. Booze flowed, stories were swapped, and 14 pizzas were consumed. If a passerby had seen the garbage bags left out, their contents somewhat haphazardly spilling from the top of the bags, would have been forgiven for assuming an entire Fraternity had rented the cabin.

Had the passersby also been keen upon listening into the house in the late morning hour of 1 P.M. they’d have certainly heard the horrible sound of a nine-person hangover. The low awful moan, and quiet promises for anything in return for relief uttered to the gods. Inside only one woman stood, or slumped. Sonata, hair matted on one side and poofed out on the other stood before the stove.

“Must, cook, grease…” She moaned, reaching over to a large cardboard box that had Fluttershy’s face on the front and the words “Omega Level Hangover”. Sonata began to unpack the contents, taking care to not break the two dozen eggs, and found the treasure. Inside, near the bottom, was a four gallon package of StallionBlitz sports drink, six gallons of cold brew coffee ready to dilute, heat, and serve in moments, and enough 2,500 mg headache relief pills to kill a family… of whales. Sonata uncorked the sports drink, and the headache relief, chasing one with the other.

Her mouth tasting less of brewery-vomit Sonata felt able to set to making the ladies breakfast. In a matter of thirty minutes Sonata had prepared all the eggs in several glorious pounds of bacon, the fatty meat neatly cooking the eggs, and locking in the lipids that would soon coat the poisoned stomachs of her friends and lovers. By the time breakfast was nearing completion a sound erupted from behind Sonata.

Normally such a thing would have been very much a jump-scare, but in the state Sonata was, she knew death from some early morning (1:30 PM) monstrosity would be preferable to the hangover. This was to her benefit today, as no monster erupted from behind the television room couch, rather Sunset shot past Sonata, flying to the nearest bathroom. “Ooooh, not good Sunny,” Sonata said, readying a mug of coffee, a glass of sports drink, and several pills.

The retching sound ceased after several minutes, and Sunset emerged from the bathroom. She seemed more disheveled than Sonata, but that could have just been because she was crawling. As she made her way to the kitchen counter, the smell of her dark elixir guiding her low functioning brain, she simply grunted at Sonata. After draining both provided liquids, and tossing back the contents of a bottle of water Sunset began to feel somewhat more alive. “Never challenge country folk to a shot for shot drinking contest,” she whispered weakly, now seated at the kitchen’s bar, head in arms.

“Well duh Sunny, she has to compete with Big Mac for drinking bragging rights, and he doesn’t strike me as a light-weight,” Sonata postulated, setting two large, greasy, slightly burnt egg sandwiches before Sunset.

“You’re the worst for stating the obvious, but you’re the queen of the gods for making the breakfast happen,” Sunset groaned, slowly eating Fluttershy’s patented hangover cure.

“No I’m the worst because I made a taco flavored shot,” Sonata said off-handedly causing Sunset to turn a few shades greener than was the norm for Treehugger. “Oops,” she whispered with a giggle, finishing the final preparations for breakfast, and gathering everything on a large platter.

“Sonata I love you, but Guac is never to mix with tequila again,” Sunset said, voice slightly less pathetic now that in the moments prior. She felt her stomach settling, her headache ebbing slowly away, and it only felt like she’d sparred Luna for two rounds now, vast improvement.

“Damn, I may be an evil genius but Fluttershy has done somethin’ that the greatest minds in history thought impossible,” Sonata whispered, taking a few bites of burnt greasy and slightly ketchupy egg sandwich. Her stomach stopped pitching and yawing like a boat at stormy sea, and though her mouth still tasted slightly of stale booze, it was improvement.

“She had to, Rainbow’s tolerance isn’t bad, but she was bad with booze back in high-school,” Sunset explained, grabbing a second cup of coffee. “I dunno where the idea for instant cold brew coffee came from, but I’d be willing to kiss the inventor,” Sunset mused, sipping the rich dark brew.

“You’re welcome” Sonata said, passing Sunset with the full platter of egg sandwiches and headache pills.

Sunset nearly choked on the coffee, but after a moment managed a giggle. Sunset then hefted the sports drinks, following Sonata about the house. It amazed her the relative states of undress and locations of the ladies. Rarity and AJ hadn’t made it upstairs, but they had made it to the front porch, but judging by the lack of pants they likely mistook one for the other.

Rainbow and Fluttershy were in an equally strange state having only made it to the upstairs hallway, lucky for them they remained inside as they hadn’t retained any modesty at all. Rainbow’s head was lodged firmly betwixt the creamy slender legs of Fluttershy, a look of pleasure plastered on her face. The fact remained that both couples were resting peacefully, somehow still unconscious, and thus shielded from the blinding pain of the hangover that was their due, but not for long.

Sunset watched, curious as Sonata placed beside each woman, a sandwich, a sports drink, and a few of the pills. “They’re gonna wake up soon, I figure this is as good as breakfast in bed,” Sonata explained, now fetching a blanket for both sets of lovers, and covering them. Sunset had to smile, Sonata’s age shined when she was working, a certain motherly quality, more often reserved for Adagio, but ever present in Sonata all the same.

“Come on, let’s go see how Dagi is doing, she usually doesn’t party that hard,” Sonata whispered, motioning her head to the door of their master bedroom. Sunset sighed and nodded, remembering just how deeply her eldest lover had gone into the bottle the night before. Sonata cursed noting the closed door, but somehow managed to rotate the knob with a hip, and with as much quiet as was possible they entered.

The sight that greeted them seemed… Impossible. In the tremendous bed sat Adagio, straight up, awake, and reading. At her sides lay two very unconscious women, Aria and Pinkie, both actually dressed in silk night-gowns. Soft music seemed to echo from Adagio, her humming coming in a soft slow tone. Now this would seem a norm for Adagio, any other morning she delighted in reading, and just a bit of humming or singing, especially in the tone after which she was named, but the night prior she had began with three bottles of wine, and ended with a few very tall neat glasses of whisky.

“Good morning my loves, hopefully you’re not overly sick from last night?” Adagio whispered, silently closing her novel. She gave a small smile seeing the shocked expressions on her lovers faces, “What, did you expect me to be badly off this morning? Oh dear no, I had to stop these two from moaning horribly though, hence the little lullaby,” she whispered sweetly.

Sunset had to smile, Adagio’s voice betrayed her completely, she was obviously in a great deal of pain. Yet in enduring the torture of a hangover she had helped Pinkie and Aria return to the sweet relief of sleep. This fact was confirmed for Sunset when Aria and Pinkie stirred, each rolling away.

“Ah good, I needed to use the restroom, I’ll be out for breakfast in a moment,” with that Adagio moved briskly to the attached bathroom, wordlessly shutting the door behind her. If one strained their ears they’d have heard Adagio, muffling the sounds of retching best she could.

“She’s gotta be the toughest woman I’ve ever met,” Sunset mused aloud, placing two sports drinks on the bedside table.

“It’s been thousands of years, and Dagi still manages to shock us like that. When we were in need she always provided, and when we got into trouble she always stepped up and got us out,” Sonata whispered, her eyes far off in memories of times long since past. With a shake of her head she dismissed the fog of the past, and focused her attention on waking Aria and Pinkie, gently as possible.

Sunset had expected Sonata to shake the duo, or perhaps whisper in their ears. This was not the case at all, as Sonata began instead to sing. Her voice was completely different than Adagio’s, where Adagio could deliver powerful low notes, and earth shattering vibrato, Sonata was much lighter. Her voice was sweet, light and airy, but not overly high, and the lyrics of her song spoke of awakening to greet the air, of the seasons and the majesty of them. Sunset was amazed that Sonata, of all the Dazzlings, could put to memory such lovely tune.

After the first verse both Pinkie and Aria were awake, by verse three Sunset found herself enraptured in the song much the same as as her two lovers. By the song’s end Adagio had emerged from the bathroom, and was listening just as intently.

Then, as quickly as it began, the song ended. Sonata stood smiling brightly, and for a few moments the pain of hangovers was forgotten. Sunset could have sworn she saw just a twinkle of magic in Sonata’s eyes, but more to that knew that every other eye in the room had the delicate twinkle of tears her own included. “That was lovely Sona dear,” Adagio whispered, moving to her side and embracing Sonata.

“Thanks Dagi, glad I still have it in me,” Sonata whispered breathlessly. Sunset didn’t try to understand it, she didn’t question it, but she did work, in those lingering moments, to capture the melody, and store it forever in the back of her mind. When she’d finally grasped at those last etheric melodies and pooled them in her mind she put them right beside Adagio’s song.

After a few silent moments everyone shifted, Aria and Pinkie moving to get a drink, and Adagio grabbing a sandwich on which to nibble. Sunset made her way to Sonata’s side, taking the near empty tray of sandwiches, and setting it on a nearby table. There was a calmness to the whole situation, all four women moving shifting to enjoy breakfast in the comfort of their bed.

After the sandwiches were gone the decision was made to shower, and prepare for a day of relaxation. After a shower that put the cabin’s sizeable hot water heater to the test all four women were dressed and ready to do as little as possible. Sunset was aware that her lingering hangover was down to a dull pain, and that she was still rather hungry despite the three sandwiches she’d had.

“Anybody wanna run into the little village we passed on the way here? I’m still kinda hungry and I’d like to walk this hangover off,” Sunset said, descending the stair to find that the other ladies had already taken to lounging about the living room in relative states of dishevelment.

“Not for me, I gotta work on this weird new coil for my vaporizer, see if I can get to making bigger clouds than Mac, plus I’m gonna need like six fucking cups of joe before I’m worth shit,” Aria said, her voice plainly grumpy with the lack of caffeine in her system.

“Sonata and I are planning something special so we’re gonna go do… things,” Pinkie whispered, checking left and right before speaking the final word. Sonata said nothing, rather she gave an Adagio level grin, and taking Pinkie’s hand fled to the backyard of the cabin. If one were to watch closely they’d see the mass gesticulation of the party planners, and perhaps catch just a few notes of maniacal laughter.

“What fresh Eldritch horror have we unleashed upon this planet?” Adagio questioned, as Aria blew a tremendous cloud from her vaporizer.

“I dunno, but we’re all fucked so I’m just gonna try and enjoy it,” Aria said, handing off the device to each woman, both accepting the nerve calming nicotine.

“Regardless, I’d love to go with you Sunny, but I’m driving,” Adagio said, cutting of Sunset’s bright grin.

“Awww damn” Sunset said, earning a chuckle from Aria. “Anybody else wanna come?” she shouted, earning four separate groans.

“Pussies,” Aria scoffed, in her typical crass deadpan, moving to the bar to begin constructing various different types of coils.

****************************

The village wasn’t far at all, and in ten minutes Adagio and Sunset found themselves ordering lunch in a quaint little cafe, both sipping water and coffee. “So Dagi, what did you see here that caught your eye?” Sunset asked, putting her hand in Adagio’s and smiling.

“Dear Sunny a bookshop of course, it looked rather small when we passed it, but such archaic things are right up my alley,” Adagio’s wine colored eyes seemed to twinkle as she thought about the musty smell of resting pages and dust.

“That actually sounds really fun, I’ve been meaning to pick up a few new pieces on managing money, and there’s this really cool new book about haunted locations around here,” Sunset spoke excitedly, giving a tiny cough and calming herself at the little smirk Adagio was giving her.

“Mmm I do so love when your inner bibliophile comes out Sunny, we really must get you a schoolgirl costume when we return home,” Adagio’s voice was a husky growl, her wine colored eyes now shining with that old predatory fire. It made Sunset seem small, cornered, much like she was again caught in Adagio’s web, struggling but unable to tear her eyes away from the hungry, rapacious gaze of her lover. It was… Exhilarating.

“W-well I’d need someone to be the teacher Dagi,” Sunset whispered, sharpening her gaze, and steeling her resolve in the clutches of her predatory lover. “Course my last teacher couldn’t really handle me, I’ve begun to wonder if any exist that can,” she paused and dug her nails just enough into Adagio’s hand, “Tame me,” Sunset’s tone had shifted from flippant to maniacal in less than a second, her eyes not dissimilar from Adagio’s. Were a magically aware being present they’d have been assaulted by sexual energy at the levels of coitus itself going on right there.

“Well dear Sunset Shimmer, if it is instruction you require,” Adagio turned her hand and began stroking Sunset’s palm gently with her nails, sending delightful static from Sunset’s arm to the building heat between her knees, “then I would be more than happy to provide.” Adagio’s voice was smooth, it was as though Sunset were wrapped in her words, honest to god she could feel the pristine silkiness of Adagio’s voice.

“Well, much as I love being taught, it’s important to remember the story of teacher and student,” Sunset whispered taking a sip of coffee to calm her quaking core.

“Oh?” Adagio asked, restraining her pent desire to jump Sunset right in the restaurant, sating her desire only with the promises of what would come shortly.

“So often the teacher finds that she learns as much from the student’s hand as the student from hers, and all too often does the teacher end up the student. For it is the delight of the teacher to learn from her vocation, and the pleasure of the student to instruct,” Sunset recited her voice as low and dark as Adagio had ever heard. It was frightening and lovely the way Sunset could threaten and recite in the same breath.

“I suppose we’ll have to see, once the lesson proper begins,” Adagio whispered, her voice as icy and dangerous as in her days of evil, and Sunset would have sworn that, while the tone brought heat to her loins, it brought frost to the glasses of water surrounding them.

“Order up! One 12 ounce rare sirloin for you, and the shrimp linguini for you ma’am, if I can get you ladies anything else let me know!” the bubbly busty blonde waitress chirped, setting their food before them. Sunset and Adagio stifled twin groans, opting to smile and nod nervously to the woman. As the waitress skipped off, a vacant expression played across her slightly wall-eyes, Sunset could only wonder if perhaps they’d known her.

***********************************

It took another hour to finish lunch, grab up some delicious looking pastries for the ladies at the cabin and pay. From there Sunset and Adagio set out, arm in arm to explore the town. It was a quaint little place, home to a smaller artsy school, lots of cool old shops, and no limit of hippies.

“The seventies never did leave this place, Sonata was so very right,” Adagio remarked, looking into a shop that sold vegan food and various multi-colored glass pipes advertised “for tobacco only”. As she perused, an old looking golden retriever walked to her side, and laid a paw on her. “Oh goodness me is that my little Rockso?” Adagio cooed at the animal, now panting at her side.

The animal looked ancient, but it greeted Adagio like an old friend. With a bark the animal accepted Adagio’s affections with happy wags of his tail. Sunset smiled, despite the various faces of Adagio she'd come to love the affectionate side was a clear favorite for her.

“Alright Rockso let’s go home, come now,” Adagio urged, the dog now leading the pair down the street, tail happily wagging all the way.

“Old friend of yours?” Sunset asked, taking Adagio’s hand and giving a bright smile. The smile faltered slightly as she took note of the sadness now present in Adagio’s eyes. “Babe, you ok?” Sunset asked gently, keeping stride with the slow dog as they leisurely made their way up town.

“He was just a puppy when I last saw him, I daresay that was twelve years ago…” Adagio said, her voice somewhat hollow. “Now he’s nearing his time, I can see that I may never meet him again, and no matter how many times it happens, it… hurts.” Adagio’s voice was soft, slightly mournful, but more than that her voice was detached.

“Oh gods I’m sorry Adagio,” Sunset whispered, only now realizing just how poignant a reminder of the curse of immortality such a thing could be. In that moment Sunset realized she still had far too many questions regarding that part of them.

“It’s alright Sunset, this pup is really one of the few things in this town that hasn’t changed. That’s part of why I enjoy these places so much, everything changes quickly enough that we don’t have to get attached,” Adagio gave a small smile, and brought her lover into a strong one armed hug.

Sunset felt the questions welling inside of her, but was forced to swallow them as they arrived at a large old building. It looked plain enough on the outside, but through the windows Sunset could see shelves upon shelves of books, stacked to the brim some books happened to be stacked behind the counter, others in great piles on the floor. Despite herself Sunset gave a delighted squee at the sight, charging in.

Adagio stood outside for a moment, shocked by the sudden show of girlish glee, then she remembered just exactly why they were here. With a grin of her own Adagio strode in. She patted Rockso on the head, as he retreated to a large overstuffed pillow. A few people lingered in the shop, swapping stories or quietly reading. Adagio strode over to the counter, peering into the more rare collection of manuscripts that the little shop had managed to collect through the decades.

“Excuse me is there any credit under an account named Allegro?” Adagio asked, watching as Sunset zipped about the store’s many sections and looking intently for seconds at a given book before something else caught her eye. She chuckled at the antics of it all, reminded of her own first time in the shop.

“Lemme check here, hmm yep computer says it’s a pretty old account, but your mom or whoever put in about 50 bucks back in the ‘80s. Lucky you some places don’t keep those kinda accounts open,” Adagio resisted the urge to strangle the hipster, and smiled politely instead nodding.

“Very good, well my mother is a purveyor of rare books, and I happen to know that you occasionally get some more, unique, tomes. What do you have that I can’t find on a website?” Adagio leaned against the counter, taking in the stock. First editions of classic plays, Shakespeare from long extinct publishing companies, a book of letters from Mozart, and a few older tomes from the various monasteries around the world.

“Well we do have a few things that you might be interested in, if you’re a collector then check this out.” The spindly armed young man grabbed a particularly dusty and gigantic book. Opening it carefully Adagio saw immediately that it was handwritten, bound the same. Numerous stories pervaded the pages, not the least of which was an adapted version of Divina Comedia by Dante. Adapted to be a musical by some very bored monk in some long gone era.

“This is brilliant!” Adagio whispered looking at the dark haired man, noting a very slight twinkle in his dark eyes.

“The owner’s son travelled to Wallachia to find that, four exist, they were the life’s work of Mihnea Cel Rhau,” he recited the history in a bored tone, but Adagio sensed just a bit more from the man.

“Wallachia hmm? Interesting that this monk knew Italian,” Adagio ruminated, her tone obviously begging the question. That was when she noticed, for just a moment, in the flash of the man’s smile.

“Oh he was no monk, he was the son of a king of Wallachia, Vlad Tepes III. We young types call him Dracula, but as a history major he’s just Vlad to me,” the young man scratched behind his head and gave a soft chuckle.

“Well regardless, I’m sure I can’t afford this kind of tome with just fifty-” Adagio began before the man held up a hand.

“Nah I can see a collector from a mile away. Consider it a gift for such a long history of patronage.” The young man’s eyes flashed, ever so subtly, and Adagio blinked twice.

“I- well thank you very much Mister…?” Adagio questioned, earning a full grin from the man, that made her blood run ever so slightly cold.

“Alucard, or just Al if you prefer, my folks were totally history nerds too,” Al suddenly turned to the direction of the stock room, “Oh dear, excuse me we just received a shipment, if you need to check out anything else let the other clerks know,” and with that the young man tore off to the back of the store.

Sunset elbowed up beside Adagio, in her arms several more texts than she’d first indicated. “Huh for a dude he’s got style, I really dig that black turtleneck,” Sunset observed, as she put the books on the counter.

Now Adagio simply shook her head, but she had to question quite a few things herself. “I swear he said Dad… Not Vlad.”

***************************

A few more hours, a bottle or two of good wine from a local wine shop, and some locally made pizzas, and Adagio and Sunny found themselves back at the cabin. They found it mostly empty, the ladies all out on the spacious deck. Rainbow and AJ drinking away the last of the hangover, Rarity speaking in hushed tones with Pinkie and Sonata, Fluttershy enjoying the hot tub reading a thick book on veterinary science.

Sunset kissed Adagio on the cheek and ran over to join the drinking contest between AJ and Rainbow, or at least spectate with a beer or two in hand. Adagio took the time presented to set the pizza out, and pour herself a glass of wine.

“Um Adagio, could I try some of that?” Fluttershy asked, somewhat timidly.

Adagio smiled and poured a second glass, “Of course dear, I didn’t know you enjoyed reds.” Adagio handed the drink to her pink haired friend.

“Oh yes, I actually have a cousin on my dad’s side that loves it,” Fluttershy explained, moving back to the warmth of the hot tub. The cold november air caused Fluttershy’s smooth skin to prickle up with goose-flesh, and Adagio had to admit Rainbow had fine taste in women. So with a shrug Adagio removed her own clothing and sank into the tub. The act caused Fluttershy to go just a little red, making Adagio smirk with some degree of evil.

“Oh? Do tell dear, is this cousin of yours some refined gentleman?” Adagio layered her voice with enough of that dangerous sexual energy to cause Fluttershy’s blush to deepen.

“Oh um, a little, Cousin Alucard’s kinda strange, he really likes books, and he travels a lot. I think you’d like him.” Fluttershy smiled brightly at Adagio, the blush slowly leaving her face. It was only after Adagio didn’t respond for a moment that Fluttershy became concerned, “Um, Adagio?”

Adagio’s jaw had gone slightly slack as she stared at the pink haired woman. “And… This cousin Alucard, he wouldn’t happen to occasionally live around here would he?” Adagio asked after a time.

“I actually dunno, he doesn’t usually talk much when he visits, just passes a bottle of red wine to the family, but I know he definitely has a few shops from his dad all over the world. Uncle Vince never really visits though, he’s super busy,” Fluttershy explained, sipping her glass of wine.

Adagio was about to continue her line of questioning when she suddenly found herself enshrouded in a dense fog. The eldest siren jumped, looking all around like a scared rabbit, grasping her neck for dear life.

“Fucks wrong with you Dagi?” Aria asked, stepping into the hot tub with her vaporizer. Taking another long drag from the thing she produced an annoyingly large cloud of vapor. From behind her Sunset, AJ, and Rainbow held up cards with the number “10” on them.

With a slightly embarrassed sigh Adagio shook her head. With a moment of contemplation she nodded, and pounced on Aria, attacking her lover with deep passionate kisses. “Oh my, what did I say?” Fluttershy asked .

“Hell I dunno, but I give this a twenty outta ten,” Sunset said, recording the ever intensifying makeout session with her phone, and munching on a piece of wheat crust pizza with anchovies and peppers. AJ and RD nodded in silent agreement, nibbling on their own pieces of, slightly more standard, pizza.

“ALRIGHT YOU SILLY BILLYS GET DRESSED AND GET READY FOR A SUPER DUPER AWESOME FUNTIME!” came the twin voices of Sonata and Pinkie Pie. All six women stopped what they were doing.

“Oh my…”

“Well, that’s different.”

“I’m gonna get put on video again aren't I?”

“Shucks…”

“Who in the world let them have the matches?!”

“Oh fuck me.” Each woman spoke in turn, looking at the roaring bonfire that had just recently been lit...

Author's Notes:

There it is folks! Another little bit of world building, and lots of nifty other stuff. Hopefully you all enjoyed, a Big thanks to Seventeen for prodigious editing. As a special message happy birthday to Lazyreader19! Alright I'm gonna go inject caffeine directly into my brain so I can think good. Love you all much!