HUMANAVILLE
8:39 PM; SAME EVENING
HUMANA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL ER

Twenty minutes have been exhausted since the time my sisters left the apartment, arrival at the Humana Memorial Hospital ER. But then, more time was wasted as they checked in at the front desk, trying to get all the preliminaries out of the way, signing some stupid consent forms. It was to the point where Aria was ready to punch the administrative assistant, but Adagio and Sonata seized her from doing so.

When the hard part was finally done, the administrative assistant kindly gave them my room number. She verbally gave them directions upon taking an elevator to the second floor, and to take a couple of confusing turns.

As they got to the second floor, they followed the route which led them to a big hallway. Observing one room to the next, they finally reached the end, and my room is just on the right. The feeling of dread was felt in the pit of their stomach of what lies ahead when they see me in such critical state. Adagio took a deep breath, then motioned herself towards the entrance of my room, and so did Aria and Sonata.

They all had worried looks on their faces, seeing me lying on a hospital bed, with a vital monitor connected to my body.

"Adagio, will she be alright?" Sonata's mood was glum at this given time, and was hoping for a good answer.

Adagio sighed with a delayed response, "Sonata... I'd be lying if I say yes.. We'll just have to wait for the nurse to tell us..."

"... Adagio, stop acting like you know what you're saying." Aria gnarled.

Adagio scowled at Aria, and pursed her lips with irritation, "I'd watch my mouth if I were you."

"Come on Adagio, we were clueless awhile ago. What makes you think these stupid doctors or nurses know what's going on with Clair's gem, huh?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, okay?! I wasn't thinking straight, bringing Clair here was the next best thing we can do." Adagio's tone increased, justifying her cause, "What could you have done, Aria?... Let's hear it."

Aria, with no words of response, she rolled her eyes, then let out a disdainful expression, and looked away with arms crossed.

"Girls, this is not the time to argue." Sonata intervened with an attempt to break the argument, "Right now, Clair needs our help. We gotta think of something..."

Both Adagio and Aria gave each other the glare. Aria looked away, and sucked her teeth. Adagio raised both her eyebrows intently back at her.

*Sonata's cell phone rings*

"Hang on.." Sonata took her cell phone out, and answered, "Hello?"

A voice replied with a smothered shriek on the other side of Sonata's phone, "Sonata, it's me Moon Dancer. We're here, which room are you girls in?"

Sonata told her the room number, and warned her how puzzling it is to find their way here.

"Okay, thanks. Me and Cuddle Bug will be there shortly."

Aria and Adagio stared at Sonata fixedly as soon as she ended the phone call. "Who was that?" Adagio asked.

Sonata hid her phone back in her pocket, "That was Moon Dancer. She and Cuddle Bug are coming."

*Knock Knock Knock*

As we all turned our heads to the sounds of the knocks, a middle-aged nurse casually entered, "Evening ladies, did I come in a bad time?"

"Nope"
"Nope!"
"Yes..."

Adagio, with a scowling look, she pinched Aria's arm because of her affirmative answer, "Ow! What the hell was that for?" Aria rubbed her aching skin from the hard pinch.

Adagio stifled a retort, in a low voice, "Listen, you piece of crap, there's no room for negativity here and you're really pushing it, you know that? Why don't you act like a human for once, dammit."

Aria rolled her eyes, "Ugh!..."

Adagio and Sonata let out an awkward grin towards the nurse, Adagio chortled, "I'm sorry miss, my sister here had her period today, so pay her no mind."

The nurse smiled back nervously at them, "Oh... Of course, mood swings can flare up unexpectedly during menstrual cycle, so no offense taken here." She drew closer near the vital monitor to examine my current vital stats. She nodded, "Hmm... We're glad to know that her blood pressure and her heart rate is back to normal."

"Was that the reason why she suddenly passed out?" Adagio questioned worryingly.

"We don't know why she passed out. But her blood pressure and her heart rate were very low. Depending on what may have caused her illness, can be a multitude of things. The doctor wants her to undergo a couple of testings to find out what really happened."

"Would we be able to find out today?"

"No, right now what she needs is a good rest."

Adagio and Sonata nodded, willing to agree to anything if it meant saving my life. Aria has finally made peace within her as her attitude changed from grumpy to an expression of uneasiness.

The nurse let out a warm smile, and signaled an invitation to sit down with reassuring words, "Why don't you girls sit down, I'll get more comfy chairs here in a bit. Clair here will be fine, so don't worry. She's in good hands."

The comforting words gave Adagio a relinquished smile, "Thank you so much."

"Always a pleasure." The nurse pushed a couple of buttons on the vital monitor to reset my stats on the screen, "I'll be right back with more comfy chairs. If you girls ever need me, just let me know."

Adagio nodded, "Will do, Thanks again."

As the nurse excused herself out of the room. My three siren sisters looked at each other and didn't speak for a short period of time. Sonata initialized, "So Adagio... What now?.."

Adagio sat herself down on the edge of her seat, and hung her head low, "Sonata... Please stop asking me that.."

Aria, feeling sympathetic for Adagio, she began apologizing about earlier. "Adagio... I'm sorry I acted like a bitch. I know you're trying your best here, but I don't want you to feel pressured that you're the only with all the answers here." Aria sat on a chair next to her, crossed her arms, not sure if she should pat her on the shoulder, or just give her space, but she felt like she needed to give Adagio the comfort just as the way she did for all of us when we needed her.

Adagio looked up at Aria with a faint grin, "... Thanks Aria..."

"Yeah whatever.."

Sonata seeing this, it filled her heart with joy. "Awwww!"

Sudden sounds of flip flops rapidly tapping were heard just outside the hospital room, Moon Dancer and Cuddle Bug rushly entered, "Is she alright?!" Moon Dancer still trying to catch her breath, she examined the room and gasped as she sees me resting on the bed, "Oh my gosh..." Both my best friends drew in closer near my head side of the bed, and gazed at me fixedly. Moon Dancer faintly shook her head, "... Did it happen again?"

Adagio sighed lightly, "Unfortunately, Yes..."

Cuddle Bug turned her head to face my three sisters, "This has got to stop... If this keeps on, we don't know what will happen to Clair next. For all we know, she might end up dead."

Sonata gasped and covered her mouth with both of her palms, "Oh no.. I don't want that.."

In this given moment, Adagio, feeling overwhelmed with the urge to confess about this whole gem situation in front of everybody in the room. She struggled to narrow her focus to determine the best approach to the impending humiliation, but there was no other way. Nevertheless, she went along with telling them the honest truth, "I... I had a meeting with Sunset earlier..."

Aria stared down at her, obviously shocked and disappointed by what Adagio had just said, with the mention of Sunset's name. "You what?!"

"Aria, calm down. Give me a chance to explain."

"No!" Aria halted, "You've explained enough. Out of everyone, why her?"

"Because she is the only one who can help?..." Adagio replied, "You even said it yourself... I'm not the only one with all the answers here..."

"When I said we, I meant US sisters only." Aria exclaimed.

"Well... Do you?" Adagio raised an eyebrow, "I can speak for Sonata because sure as hell I know she wouldn't have the slightest idea... But do you?"

Everyone in the room eyeballed at Aria, long enough the air almost started to pulse with tension. As Aria's breath was fueled by anger, she couldn't bottle it up anymore. She rises up from her chair instantly and knocked it over, barely hitting Cuddle Bug's leg in the process. She stormed out of the room with rage.

"Ummm, is she going to be okay?" Moon Dancer said, still frightened and confused by what just happened.

"Just leave her, she just needs some space." Adagio rubbed her aching head, "Give her about an hour or so, she'll be good as new..."

Sonata sat near Adagio, and comforted her with an arm rub, "Ummm... Dagi... If Sunset and her friends are all we got, then I'm in for it." Sonata is not the brightest, but definitely not the dumbest. Even for her, she knows that it's the only choice they have of saving me. It's all or nothing.

Six hours earlier...

Barely after lunch, customers swarmed in as soon as they heard about Tall Tale Fabric Warehouse offering free swatches of any choice of fabric. Adagio was nearly holding the fort along with her three assistant managers, and fourteen employees trying to satisfy every customer. But of course, there were some unsatisfied ones, leaving a bad review. "I can't make everyone happy.." Adagio thought, "If I only knew it was going to be this bad, I wouldn't have held this event from the start.." Adagio literally runs the company. She handles the day-to-day management employing about hundreds of workers who provide, not just retail, but food services that are tied with the company at about almost all of East coast branches. Her Resumé is set.

A few hours later, the craziness had slow down for a bit, but they made tons of sales. After making a couple of rounds on every aisle of the store, she called out a couple of her employees to help restock some of the fabrics that have been sold out. Adagio thought this would be an opportune time taking another break, which is exactly what she did, besides, she needed to re-order some supplies and maintain the company's inventory for the week, and all this must be done through her own office computer.

In the middle of processing orders in her own office computer, she paused momentarily in a state of deep thought about that day when she showed up in front of Sugarcube Corner with Sunset and me. "What if Sunset was right all along?" She contemplated. Adagio spent all her time trying to find a way back home to Equestria, but all she's ever done was move further away from the goal. She kept Aria and Sonata reassured that she has a plan, and that she will get their gems back, but in reality, she doesn't have a plan. Telling them the truth hurts, but giving them false hope hurts more. It's a problem for another day for Adagio, but right now, she wants to leave work early and head off to Sugarcube Corner, hoping Sunset would be there to discuss about my flaring curse.

Few hours later, Adagio decided to take a cab instead of a transportation bus to keep her identity hidden from the people she knew. She wore a gray hoodie and sweatpants. She had her hood over her head, and a pair of large sunglasses on her face. As the cab finally arrived at the destination in front of Sugarcube corner, she was getting some stare from her surrounding strangers. Needless to say, that didn't bother her, so she entered the bakery like so, and peered around. She made sure of herself that no one in the bakery she knew hung out there so she can finally take her hood and sunglasses off. The bakery was pretty quaint, and there were only four customers. They were minding their own business, not caring about the girl with a bushy hair making her entrance. But the lady behind the desk did, she let out a welcoming smile with a friendly greet, "Hello there, Sweetie, Welcome to Sugarcube Corner where all our tasty sweets are made fresh!" It was a moment which made it difficult for Adagio to believe I actually lived the kind of life. She's still trying to understand why I chose to take the good side, rather to hypnotize the town to do my bidding is beyond her knowledge. After all, we are sirens, and we're born to do such things.

"..Hi.." Adagio said in a low voice. Adagio has never been inside this bakery before, but speaking from her retail point of view, it's not that bad of a service.

"Is this your first time here?" The lady behind the desk asked.

"Yes..." Adagio nodded.

"Well, you can either order something to take out, or sit anywhere you like if you decide to dine in here."

Adagio discreetly rolled her eyes at the lady's statement, but accepted her kindness of gratitude. "Thanks, I think I'll sit over there.." Adagio pointed to a booth near a window. She looked at the lady once again, "Ummm, would you happen to know a girl that goes by the name Sunset Shimmer?"

The lady's eyes widened, and let out an eccentric smile, "Why yes! As a matter of fact, she'll be here shortly. She always stops by to pick up a fresh loaf of bread."

Adagio nodded with a faint smile, "Thanks... I'll wait for her by the booth."

"Okay, Let me know if you need anything, but I will let her know as soon as she comes in."

She sat by the booth near the window, crossed her legs, twiddling her fingers as she waited patiently. She fancied the vicinity of the bakery and figured why I like this place so much. Not only is it a friendly atmosphere, the place presented perfectly for people who needed to blow off steam and enjoy a cup of vanilla shake or a slice of strawberry shortcake. This made Adagio crave for power again. This brought her moment that if she still had her gem, she'd be mind controlling the people in this bakery by now. She chortled to herself thinking about such things. The things she, Aria, and Sonata would do: Hopping from one restaurant to another just to stir up trouble. It was Adagio's master plan. But now, they're nothing more than self-serving, lying manipulator, and insecure-powerless beings: Humans.

"Adagio?"

She looked up to the sound, calling her name. There stood Sunset Shimmer right before her, with a satchel backpack. She sat across from her within the booth and asked worryingly, "Is everything alright?"

Adagio sighed deeply to indicate how profoundly she needed help. Sunset was the least person she would expect to call, but this has been a desperate time for her, me, and the rest of my sisters.

"...Yeah..." Adagio gave her a brooding look, "We really could use your knowledge on this subject. I don't think I have any other way..."

Sunset hearing this from Adagio, she looked at her with expression of sympathy. "I want you to know that you're not alone on this." She placed her satchel bag on her side of the booth, "But we certainly can't do this without you... So we have to work as a team."

Adagio gave a delay of response with her head thrown back, "... So what do you have in mind?"

Sunset explained as she was taking out that same rusty old book from Equestria she had shown me a couple of days ago, "I've done my fair share of research, trials and errors, comparing and analysis, it turns out the possible cure for this, is something called The Swan Song.." She dropped the rusty book on the table in front of them, and crossed her arms. "It explains it here." She opened to the penultimate chapter of the book, and began reading it to her.

"Lemme stop you there." Adagio cut Sunset off short from the opportunity of reading the possible answer to lift the curse which she was about to reveal, "Just stop..."

"Ummm, okay?" Sunset looking puzzled as to why she wanted her to suddenly stop reading.

Adagio leaned forward, and looked at her intently, "Is this a book about how to kill a siren for dummies?"

"Huh? Wha?... No!" Sunset replied without hesitation.

"You do realize that singing the swan song is the end of all siren kind..." Adagio attested, "Why can't you and your friends just use your so called friendship magic on Clair, and then we'll call it a day..."

"Would be nice if it was that easy, but our magic of friendship doesn't find Clair as a threat. So it's not going to work."

"Figures..." Adagio, losing hope, she put her head down on the table.

With short silence, Sunset thought of an idea, "... Although... There may be another way..." She held her own chin with her knuckles in deep thought, "Magic of Friendship can also save the weary."

Adagio, with her head still down, she squinted up at Sunset, "What are you talkin' about?.."

"I mean.. You said it, if the swan song is known to end all of siren kind, that's when we come in and use our Magic of Friendship to save the day, Hah!" She loudly tapped the table with both of her hands, and instantly rose up from her seat, "That's the plan!"

Adagio laughed in a breathy, gleeful way, "Don't make me laugh..."

Sunset squinted down at Adagio, "Funny... How you think this is a joke..."

"Because it is!" Adagio instantly stood up with a protest, "You think I'm going to risk our lives? And what if the friendship magic doesn't work? Then we're screwed!"

"Can you possibly stand seeing Clair like that?" Sunset questioned irritably, "Whenever her curse flares up, it's something that she can't control on her own, and it gets worse day by day."

"How would you know?"

"C'mon Adagio, No one is that stupid, we both know she's not doing too well, and it's just a matter of time that her gem will fully submerge her under her own dark magic. It's basic magic 101, Adagio..."

"I know, but I can't!..." Adagio realized that she needed to lower her volume. She reinitialized in a standardized tone, "I don't think I can do it... Okay?.." She then sat back down with downcast eyes.

As Sunset observed Adagio's emotion, she also sat down, and placed her comforting palm on hers, "Look... I know this is too much to take in. I know it is, without a question, a suicidal mission on your part, but this is our only chance of hope to save Clair." Adagio, with no words of response, she still preserved the same expression. Sunset continued, "All you have to do is sing your hearts out with Clair, and we'll handle the rest."

Adagio gained a little bit of hope, then gazed at Sunset, "I don't know... Least lemme just think about it... I need time."

Sunset respected Adagio's decision. She knew that it wasn't an easy choice to make right away. She nodded, "Sure, of course." She took her phone out of her pocket, "Lets exchange phone numbers. So when anything weird happens, we got each other's contact information."

"Fine." As Adagio verbally gave Sunset her phone number, she sent Adagio a text message. So all she needs to do is save that phone number.

Adagio stood up from her side of the booth, and put on her pair of sunglasses. "I gotta go. But we'll keep in touch."

"Absolutely." Sunset's single eyebrow raised, her mind questioned why Adagio had to wear such an attire.

Adagio read her mind through her own facial expression, "I have my reasons, Sunset. Don't look at me like that."

Sunset made hand gestures "Oh, no no no, it wasn't like that. I totally understand... You don't want to be noticed."

"...Yeah..."

Sunset smiled, waved a goodbye, and watched her walk towards the exit.

After Adagio spent ten minutes walking to a nearby bus stop bench, her mind boggled about the whole situation with Clair, that she had almost forgotten what to get for dinner. Off the top of her head, taco doesn't sound so bad after all. She took her phone out to draft a text message to Aria, letting the girls know that she's going to be running home late and that she'll be bringing home some food from Taco Bell.

"Well, well... If it isn't Adagio, then hell hounds must've broke loose."

As Adagio quickly hid her phone away, she scowled at the familiar voice, "... Zephyr Breeze.."

Zephyr Breeze motioned himself closer, then sat beside her on the bench with a smirk, "What's up?" He notices Adagio shifting away, pressing as far as she could into the corner of the bench. "Oh, what... You're not going to talk to me?"

Adagio did not want anything to do with him anymore because he did her wrong in so many levels when they were together. Plus, their break up did not end on a good note. "... What the hell you want me to say?"

"Aw, c'mon, at least ask how my life has been, or you might wanna ask that it's been quite a long time and what have you been up to kind of thing, yeah?" Zephyr Breeze got the silent treatment, but still attempted to elaborate with her, "Lets put the past behind us, it was a long time ago."

"It's only been six months, Zephyr." Adagio snapped back with irritation, "What do you want from me?"

"I want a truce..." Zephyr Breeze looked at her intently, "Lets face it, Adagio. We had something special. What we had was amazing, and it's a shame that we had to part. But I couldn't let that go. So I thought maybe we can at least remain friends."

Adagio's old feelings for Zephyr came rushing back in. As if she was under Zephyr's love spell. She already learned from her mistakes going back to that hell hole, but somehow, hearing Zephyr's voice, puts her in a state of confusion. Her thoughts lingered, "I... I don't know Zephyr.. I don't think it's a good idea..."

"Please, Adagio.. I missed you so much.." He placed a comforting hand on her leg, "I never realized I had something sooooo good until I lost it." Zephyr gently held her chin, and turned her to face him, "Why don't you spend some time at my place. We don't have to do anything. We can just talk... Whaddaya say.."

Adagio couldn't resist to say no, so she went with the flow, "Umm... Okay.."

"Come with me.." Zephyr took her by her hand, then started walking together to his own place, which wasn't that far away.

Adagio wasn't thinking straight, but she loved Zephyr as much as he did, to say the least. Also, Zephyr was Adagio's first love, but they broke up. Little does Adagio know, that moving backwards like that can open up a can of worms, and she knew it. But she just didn't care.

As they both finally arrived at Zephyr's apartment, the place was a total mess. Left over pizza boxes on his counter-top that only Celestia knows how long that's been, clothes are in complete disarray all over his living room. Adagio now realizing this after being with him for so long, it's disgusting. "Hmm.. I guess when they say love is blind, is indeed true after all." She murmured to herself.

"I'm sorry?" Zephyr begged her to repeat that last line again.

Adagio shook her head with hand gestures, "Oh nothing, I was just saying, umm... This place brings back memories." She then let out an awkward smile.

Zephyr smirked, "You're so cute, Adagio." He took her hand once again, and he led them both towards his own bedroom, "Come..."

Adagio's heart was beating fast. She knew where this was heading. Adagio hasn't had sex in so long, so this opportunity made it hard for her to resist. As she sat on the edge of Zephyr's bed softly, she looked up at him with a mixture of shyness and desperation.

Adagio gulped, "Zephyr... We're just going to talk, right?" She asked nervously.

Zephyr leaned down towards Adagio's ears and whispered seductively, "You can say that." Then gave her a sudden, long kiss on the lips. Gently at first but with a growing intensity. She reached one hand up around his back and the other in his hair, pulling him towards her. She could feel the fire starting to build inside her when he suddenly took a quick step back to gain a good leverage, and carried her to obtain a better position on the bed. He straddled himself on top of her to kiss her more passionately. Adagio decided that she wanted to be the dominant one, so she re-positioned herself to be on top of him, and continued to kiss him tenderly. As she fortuitously looked on the side of Zephyr's boxer drawer, there were four black fuzzy hand-cuffs. An idea flashed through her brain, relinquishing a smirk on her face. She pulled away from the kiss for a short period, and whispered in his ear seductively, "I love kinky stuff, remember that one night?"

With Zephyr's recollection to Adagio's question, he had let out a seductive smile, "Why yes, how could I forget?.."

Adagio giggled, "Why don't we lose these clothes of yours, and let's handcuff you to these bed posts just as how you did me."

"Seems fair to me." Zephyr Breeze carelessly took his clothes off, leaving just his boxers on, and tossed them on the ground. Zephyr Breeze reached both his wrists out to her, "What are we waiting for?"

"Look who's the impatient one here." Adagio chuckled. She reached in to the side of the bed and grabbed the handcuffs. Yawning, she glanced over at him. Judging by how he'd allowed her to shackle him to the bedpost with the fur-lined handcuffs, she narrowed her gaze at his body. She'd handcuffed only his right wrist, for comfort, and his arm angled up toward the bedpost.

"Oooh, Adagio, I forgot how rough you can get."

Adagio huffed out of laughter, "You've seen nothing yet." She took the rest of the remaining cuffs, then roughly cuffed his left wrist, and his two ankles. She walked towards the front of the bed, and stood there. "How does that feel?"

She shook her head at the radical change in Zephyr's behavior. This had made Zephyr feel strangely different. The road to a man's submission drove straight through his stomach. Zephyr jerked his cuffed wrist, "I, uh.. I feel... Really secured?" He jerked it once more, followed by a nervous laughter, "Is it really necessary to cuff me this tight, babydoll?"

"It's all a part of the play, baby." Adagio tilted her head with a scornful grin. She crossed her arms, "But the fun begins here."

Zephyr's eyes widened with fear as he attempts to break free from his secured position, "Damn you, Adagio. Let me go, you crazy bitch!"

"I love it when you talk dirty." Adagio instantly took her phone out, and snapped a bunch of photos of him, barely naked on the bed. "By the way, I'm not the bitch, karma is." She continuously snapped multiple photos.

"Is this all because of a stupid break up?"

Adagio stopped to glance at her own phone to see how many pictures she had taken, "Hmmm... I think twenty photos are enough to post up on facebook and all of the places in Humanaville, don't cha think?"

"I swear, if you do that, I'll make your life a living hell!"

Adagio raised an eyebrow, "Thanks to you, I'm half way there." She hid her phone back in her pocket, and waved an index finger wiggle goodbye to him, "Buh bye now." Adagio giggled whilst making her exit out of the bedroom.

"What the hell?... Come back here, Adagio! LET ME FREE!!!!!!!! I WON'T BE ABLE TO FAP TO DONKEY PORN IF I'M CUFFED LIKE THIS!" Those were Zephyr's final words in a loud voice. Adagio never knew that about Zephyr, which made her sick to her stomach. She hastily walked out, and finally made her exit out of the apartment door.

Author's Notes:

Hey ya'll.... Ummm, I got nothing to say here... Sorry to make you read this note. Bye now!

something random: SHARK SANDWICH FOR THE WIN!