"What in the world...?"

Twilight had suspected that something was wrong as she got closer to where the energy spike had originated. The streets had been closed off, forcing her to park almost a mile away and go in on foot. There were no other people around, which had made her wonder whether there was some sort of hazard she didn't know about. The readings she'd picked up hadn't matched nuclear energy, but it still could have been giving off radiation of some kind.

Now, however, she'd come within view of Canterlot High School, and was wondering just what she'd walked into. The police had set up barricades quite a ways back, but if she squinted she could just make out lines of people surrounding the building. Between the police and the ranks of people around the school was about a half mile of no-man's land, an empty stretch that would not allow anyone to approach or leave the school unseen. Twilight cautiously walked toward the barricade, with Spike padding along at her side.

"Sorry, Miss," a uniformed man said as she approached, "this area is off-limits. It's very dangerous here."

"I'm Twilight Sparkle from Crystal Prep High," she replied, trying her best to sound cool and confident. "I'm working with the Municipal Power Agency, R&D department, on an independent study. I picked up an energy surge coming from this area, and I need to investigate it." She dug into her bag for her ID and showed it.

"I don't know anything about that," the officer answered, "but I do know that we've got a very delicate situation, and we're not about to let civilians go poking around."

"Is there a some kind of hazard here?" Twilight questioned. She tried to look past the man to what was behind him, but saw nothing except police cars and uniformed officers. "What's all this about?"

"That's none of your business, and I can't let you in," the man insisted. "You'd be putting yourself and the students in danger."

"The students?" Twilight asked. "What exactly is going on?"

"Don't you watch the news?" the policeman asked exasperatedly.

"Um. No?" Twilight replied. She didn't even own a television, preferring to read in what little spare time she had.

"Well, I suggest you look it up online if you're curious. Now, I must insist that you leave."

Twilight folded her arms and looked at the cop coldly. On the one hand, he was just doing his job. On the other, he was most certainly in her way, and she didn't care for it.

"Is your captain here?" she asked.

"Shining Armor?" The policeman matched her stare, unimpressed. "He's at the station, and he's much too busy to deal with every person who thinks they've got a personal interest in this. Do you have any idea how many parents have demanded to see him since this started?"

"Oh, I think he'll make time for me," Twilight said with certainty.

"Suit yourself." The officer shrugged. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

"Thank you for the help, Officer." The slight emphasis on the word "help" made her actual thoughts clear. "Spike, heel."

Spike, who had been sniffing around curiously, trotted back over to Twilight's side. Together, the two of them walked away.

Sunset Shimmer floated in midair, arms tightly folded, brooding on her predicament. With the police surrounding the school her options had become severely limited. She was effectively blockaded from the rest of the world, and the food situation at Canterlot High would soon become dire. Even with her troops only eating the bare minimum needed to survive, the supplies were running low. Controlling minds would do her no good when their bodies gave out from malnutrition.

She could teleport herself out easily enough, but what then? Nobody would sell food to her like this, and certainly not in the quantities she needed. If she took off the crown and returned to her human form, she'd lose her magic and thus her control over the students. She could try controlling more people and forcing them to give her what she needed, but she was feeling spread thin as it was. Her utter lack of success at manipulating the police forces had made her wary of trying again, particularly in such a crucial moment as this.

What she really needed, Sunset had concluded several days ago, were allies. Not mind-controlled servants, but people on the outside who were willing to help her. The trouble with that, once again, was the police. They weren't letting anyone near the school, and all they wanted was for her to release the children. She could give up a few of them, but that was a dangerous slope. If she started trading hostages for food, pretty soon she wouldn't have any left.

No, she needed to play this situation the same way she'd worked her way up to becoming the queen bee of Canterlot High. It all started with one person. She just needed one person in the right position to help her. At CHS it had been Flash Sentry—dating one of the most popular boys at school had made her popular by association, strong enough to form her own clique. This would be no different.

A smile spread across her face and she gently touched down onto the floor. She had a plan. It would require some finely tuned magic and a bit of finesse, but that wouldn't be a problem. She just needed the right pawn, and she knew exactly who to use.

"Damn," Aria muttered, peeking around the corner. "There's cops everywhere."

"Of course there are," Adagio murmured. "Whoever's behind this isn't exactly being subtle." The three sirens had taken shelter in an alley near the police barricades. They hadn't been spotted yet, but they wouldn't be able to get any closer without being seen.

"So how do we get in?" Sonata asked. Aria shot her an annoyed glare.

"How do you think?" The purple-haired siren flicked her pendant with a finger.

"We've got enough power stored up to get past the police," Adagio agreed. "Then we just set the kids against each other and watch the show." She looked at the sirens on either side of her, then motioned them forward.

The three stepped out onto the road and walked side-by-side, stepping in sync, hips swaying as magical music filled the air. It had been centuries since they'd gone all-out like this. Even with their powers weakened to a fraction of what they should be, the feeling of magic filling them and flowing out into the world was incredible. The people ahead were putty in their hands.

"Hey, you three!" An officer stepped up to the barricade. "You can't—"

His eyes glazed over and his face went slack as the sirens' magic took hold of his heart. The effect rippled outward through the uniformed men and women as each came to see what was going on and got exposed to the spell. Within minutes, the three sirens were walking through a clear passage as the cops stepped aside to make room for them. When the spell faded the officers would not remember exactly why they had allowed the three girls in, only that it had absolutely seemed like the right thing to do. That feeling wouldn't hold up to any sort of careful scrutiny, but it would buy the sirens the time they needed.

They were through. They'd gotten past the police and to the empty span of grass and concrete that led up to the school. In front of them the students stood guard in perfect lines, three ranks deep. The sirens let their spell die out as they walked, conserving what little magic they had. It was risky, but if things went as planned, they would soon have all the magic they could want. They approached the rows of brainwashed children.

"Wow. Creepy," Sonata said, waving a hand in front of one of the students' unblinking eyes. "Hellooo? Anyone in there?"

"It's mind control alright," Adagio said to the others. She put a hand to a boy's chin and leaned in, examining him more closely. "Powerful but clumsy. They should have driven us off already, but these kids won't so much as breathe unless the one who cast it allows them to. They're probably just supposed to stop anyone from getting in."

"So what do we do?" Sonata asked.

"Find someone who's already fighting it," Adagio instructed. "We'll break them free, and pretty soon they'll be eating out of our hands. Spread out."

"What are we looking for?" Aria asked.

"Anyone who's acting like a person, not a mindless drone," Adagio explained. "Anyone showing emotion. Are you sirens or not? You should know how to find and exploit feelings. And be quick about it, sooner or later the police will start wondering why they let us in here."

"Alright already," Aria grumped. Stuffing her hands in her pockets, she stalked away to do Adagio's bidding.

The sirens walked past countless blank, staring faces, taking a moment to look at each in hopes of seeing something: a tightened jaw, a heavy breath. Any flicker of emotion could mean that the person was vulnerable.

"Ooh! 'Dagi, over here!" Sonata called from around the side of the building. She waited impatiently for Adagio to join her.

"Look!" Sonata pointed to three young girls standing next to each other, looking immensely proud of herself.

"Hmm." Adagio squatted down in front of the three and looked at them. Two of them—one with yellow skin and a large red bow in her hair, and the other a pale girl with colorful hair like cotton candy—had wetness glimmering in the corners of their eyes. The mind control was too strong to allow the tears to fall, but it couldn't completely restrain them either. The third, a tomboyish girl with a messy shock of purple hair, had her teeth clenched and one hand trembling at her side. It was subtle, but to Adagio's eye she was clearly ready to explode into violence. A slow smile spread across Adagio's face.

"Well, well," she said. "I think we have our starting point. Let's get to work."

Sunset Shimmer stood tall, gazing down imperiously at the one she had chosen to carry out this task. He was perfect for it—popular, charismatic, and just awkward enough to be endearing. The minor injuries to his face and the weight he'd lost only served to make him look more pitiable. Doing Sunset's bidding, he'd tug the heartstrings of the gullible humans of this city until they demanded that food be sent for their poor, suffering children.

Sunset slackened her control on the boy's mind. She did not release it all the way, just enough that he could think and speak for himself, but he would still be compelled to obey her.

"Flash Sentry," Sunset said, "I have a job for you."

The blue-haired boy gazed up at her. As he met her eyes, his own pupils suddenly snapped into focus. Flash's eyes narrowed and his teeth clenched, his body trembling with hatred as he fought to overthrow her control.

"Ah ah, none of that," Sunset waggled a finger and strengthened her magic slightly. When that did not have the desired effect, she did so again. Finally, Flash's face relaxed and his shaking stopped. Sunset could still feel his mind rioting against the magic, but he was under control. His eyes were slightly glazed from the spell, but hopefully the humans would put that down to shock. It would have to do.

"Now, Flash Sentry," she said, "are you listening?"

"Yes," Flash answered. His voice was almost normal, though a bit monotone. He sounded a little like that Pie girl, Maud. Again, it would have to do.

"Your job is to go out into the city and tell them all that their children are starving in here," Sunset explained. She'd had to return enough of his own self to him that she could no longer control him directly, mind-to-mind. "Get yourself noticed. Gain as much sympathy as possible. Do whatever it takes to get us food and supplies. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Flash repeated dully.

"Good."

With a snap of her fingers, she teleported the boy outside. A quick mental command ensured that the students outside would allow him to pass, and then all she had to do was wait. Soon enough everyone would be coming to her, begging for her to let them give her what she wanted.

As it should be.