The others watched as Sunset and Celestia walked off. Sparkle then turned around to Shimmer. She had a big smile on her face. It felt surprisingly good to see another human (even one in pony form). It felt even better that the other was a Sunset Shimmer.

"It's really nice to meet you," she said with honest good cheer.

"Oh, thanks," Shimmer was confused. She knew nothing about this other person or why she was here in this world. "So, uh, so why are you here?"

Sparkle's smile grew even bigger. "This world's Twilight is back in our's trying to stop a monster. I'm here to avoid any confusion two of me might cause."

"Oh," Shimmer was taken aback by the idea that a human could just be brought to another dimension and replaced. It seemed too sci-fi and freightening to be real.

"It's weird meeting yourself, isn't it?" Sparkle asked playfully.

"A bit," Shimmer laughed. "Although I saw her picture first. I'm from Crystal Prep and . . ."

Before she could finish, Sparkle jumped in with excitement in her voice. "Crytstal Prep! I used to go there. Dean Cadence is my sister in law. Oh wow! Small world."

"Small multiverse apparently," Shimmer joked sarcastically.

"Yeah, really," Sparkle joked back.

Adagio groaned and turned away. The conversation was making her brain hurt. At her age, teenage bantor was like nails on a chaulk board. It was so vapid and dumb. As she turned she saw a light lavendar unicorn with hair the color of Aria's (Actually, about the same fur color as Aria too) walking up to them. Immediately something didn't seem right about her.

"Oh, hey," the unicorn said in a voice that was too friendly by half. "I've never seen you before."

"First time here," Adagio replied flatly with a touch of agression. "I've been away for a while."

"Oh; well I'm Starlight Glimmer. Nice to meet you."

"Adagio Dazzle." Adagio's voice remained flat and unimpressed.

Starlight looked Adagio up and down. There was something about her that was off. Pretty to an almost fault, young looking, yet having an almost impossible age about her; there was a danger there that Starlight couldn't put her hoof on.

She smiled sweetly and in the most pleasant voice she was capable of and said, "Well it's very nice to meet you."

Adagio blinked and just said, "Yeah."

Starlight, Starlight, the voice she had come to know well whispered in her head. This one, she is a danger, a threat. You must corrupt Twilight now or kill this one soon. She can not interfere.

Starlight was perplexed but knew not to question the voice. The voice was power, the voice told her things, showed her things that were unimaginable. The voice was her master and she would obey.

"Sparkle, darling, how are you?" Starlight cooed in her overly friendly voice.

"Oh, hey Starlight," Sparkle responded. Her voice was friendly enough yet there was a subtle unease beneath it that Adagio was quick to notice.

"And hello to you again Sunset."

"Uh, me? Oh no. I mean yes; but, I'm, I'm not from here. Like from here from here," Shimmer stammered; not sure what to say.

"Oh, you must be from Sparkle's universe then."

Shimmer breathed a sigh of relief. This pony knew about the different worlds so there was no need to explain. "Glad you understand," she replied with a smile and sigh of relief.

"I've never been," Starlight said as she walked up to Shimmer, "but I've spent many a long hour talking to Sparkle about it. It sounds amazing."

Shimmer shrugged. "I guess. I don't know. I mean, this place is amazing but I guess if you're used to it."

Starlight could tell that while Shimmer possessed all the inner strength of her counterpart; she lacked something that kept it from coming through. This was one had a self doubt that the other did not. Sparkle as well; but not to the degree Shimmer did. Maybe it was because the girls were still so young compared to their Equestrain selves. Whatever the reason, this was a weakness Starlight could exploit later.

"As someone who has lived in both," Adagio butted in. She could tell Starlight was up to something. The over the top friendliness; a smile that was too big, a voice that was too soft; it was something she had used many times to manipulate those around her and she knew that's what Starlight was doing. "I can tell you Earth is amazing. The dominant species there, humans, they're unlike anything we have here. At points savage and brutal; yet caring comforting the next."

Starlight looked Adagio over again. She had purposely butted in to her conversation with Shimmer; but why? She thought back to what the voice had told her. This one was definitely a threat. She was smart and tactical; just their brief interaction proved as much.

Ok, Starlight thought to herself, if you want to play this game; let's. I'll see how good you really are. "Oh? You've lived in their realm?"

"Yes." Adagio knew Starlight was trying to size her up. Should she be coy and keep her cards close or reveal her hand and hope that would be enough to scare her off? Something told her that Starlight didn't scare easy. Also the way she carried herself, it was clear she was a pony of some power. She decided just to let her answer stand and see where Starlight would go with it.

"Well how did you end up there? I'm sure it's a fascinating story. I mean," Starlight laughed a bit, "it's not everypony who goes off to live in other dimensions."

Adagio smiled. She knew Starlight was trying to get under her skin. Well played , she thought. "Well," Adagio cooed nonchalantly as though she was about to reveal the world's most boring secret, "I was actually banished there. I had gotten into a little mischief here so I was sent away."

Starlight squinted a bit. You're trying to annoy me, aren't you? It's not going to work. "Must have been more than some 'mischief' to get banished to another dimension. I mean, Celestia didn't even do that to Luna when she became Nightmare Moon."

"Oh, it wasn't Princess Celestia," Adagio said even more casually.

"I doubt Twilight would do such a thing either." Starlight was getting annoyed. This mare was legitimately getting under her skin now. She was playing too coy now; dragging things out too much. Still, Starlight kept as much of her composure as possible.

"It wasn't Twilight either." Adagio could feel Starlight getting more and more upset. This mare was good. Adagio could tell she was in the presence of another master manipulator; but this one also had a short fuse. She lacked Adagio's patience. Get her angry, and she would break.

"Alright," Starlight said tersely. "Who else could it have been if not Celestia or Twilight? Is there another alicorn out there I don't know about?"

"It wasn't an alicorn. It was a very powerful unicorn." Adagio waited. She scanned every millimeter of Starlight's face. She was getting close to breaking. The fires of rage seethed beneath her face. It wouldn't be long now.

Starlight wanted to scream and throttle this unicorn but she knew she couldn't. She swallowed hard and quickly regained her composure. "Well, they must have been very powerful indeed to send you to another dimension. That's magic at it's highest level. I wouldn't want to cross paths with that one."

Adagio was taken aback. Instead of breaking she had gone back to her over sweetness mode. Her voice was light, upbeat, chipper. Adagio had underestimated this one. "He's dead, so not much chance of that." Adagio tried to sound as nonchalant as before but she was a little worried now.

Starlight cocked her head. She knew that Adagio had been surprised by how fast she had been able to regain herself and that she had just said that line as a means to get back underneath Starlight's skin; but still there was something in that sentence that made Starlight pause. There was something there, a story, that Starlight wanted to hear, needed to hear.

"Oh? And how do you know that?"

"Well, I guess I don't; not for sure at least. But it has been over a thousand years sooooo I guess it's a pretty safe assumption to make." Adagio flashed a wicked smile. Part of her regretted giving her age up that quickly. She wanted Starlight to remain in the dark as to who she really was but she was willing to wager that this information might make Starlight pause. Also, if had gotten a chance to be with Shimmer alone, she might have gotten Shimmer to reveal that information anyways.

Starlight gasped. "How, how, how is that possible? No one but the Princesses live that long!"

"I've lived longer than that. Much longer. I was banished before the fall of Luna. I was there to live under the reign of Discord, The Chaos Bringer." Adagio spoke as the being she once was. Her words were full of menace and power. Her horn even glowed red a little for emphasis (although Adagio didn't know it).

Starlight now knew the full extent of what the voice had told her when she said that Adagio was a threat. Then another realization hit her. "Star Swirl. Star Swirl the Bearded. That's who you mean! That's who banished you."

Ripples of hate ran throughout Adagio's body. Maybe she was reformed, maybe she wasn't. It didn't matter. The sound of that name, and knowing all she had gone through because of what he had done, filled her with unspeakable rage.

Now it was Adagio's turn to swallow her anger. "Yes. He was the one."

"But how? What are you?" Starlight was curious but also afraid. Twilight and sunset might have held back as not to hurt her in her battles with them. This one would not. This one would fight to kill.

"A Siren?" Shimmer spoke up. She was confused by what Adagio and Starlight were doing. They were obviously trying to somehow outwit, out smart, the other. She didn't know why, just that the two were feeling each other out as though they were about to go into battle. "Isn't that what you said? You were a Siren?"

Adagio looked at Shimmer in utter annoyance. She wished she hadn't said what she had been. She wanted to keep that a secret to make Starlight always wonder as to who she was. An unknown threat is always more fearful than a known one.

Starlight's mouth dropped opened. She had read about The Sirens and the destruction they caused. She looked again at Adagio and now she could see it. This was a foe like none other.

"A Siren? I can't believe, wait; weren't there three of you?" Starlight asked in awe, fear, and also trying to get a handle on the situation.

"They are still on Earth. I decided to come back by myself this time." Adagio tried to sound imposing and majestic hoping that her concern at being outed would not bleed through.

"I don't know what a Siren is, " Sparkle spoke up, "but it can't be worse than what Starlight did. She enslaved a whole town by stealing everyone's cutie marks. That's what they're called right; cutie marks? Twilight's friends told me that."

Now it was Adagio who was shock. How could anyone, ANYONE, steal one pony's cutie mark, let alone a whole village? She doubted Star Swirl, heck, the Princesses themselves, could do such a thing. This Starlight, a mere unicorn, had accomplished something that was almost god-like.

Alright now, Adagio thought, we both know who we're dealing with now. You're up to something, I know it, I feel it. You've already proved you're a wannabe tyrant and have the power to become one. Yes, you are highly dangerous. I shan't take you for granted. Not anymore. I took Star Swirl and Twilight granted. My ego lead me to underestimate them. I won't make that mistake with you. I will find out what you're up to and I will kill you. I also know you're going to be doing the same thing with me.

Shimmer and Sparkle looked at each other. Something was really wrong here. The way Starlight and Adagio looked at each other; it sent cold, icy waves of fear down their spines. Something was up, something big was going to happen. Both suddenly felt they were at ground zero for a nuclear bomb explosion.