Rarity and Fluttershy sat atop of the back of the couch in the cramped storage locker with Rarity painting Fluttershy’s nails to pass the time. Applejack and Rainbow had opted to play cards with Pinkie Pie who seemed to be completely decimating the two at the game with almost impossible luck. Her ability to win at games always amazed the group and they often blamed it on her being some kind of idiot savant with unnatural powers.

Sunset stared at her computer screen going over her notes as she frustratingly continued to send periodic text messages to Twilight to try and find her whereabouts. She began to fear the worst but tried to keep a level head despite all of that. She knew that Twilight was resourceful enough to get out of most situations, but Ghost clearly had demonstrated that she was ruthless enough to take it far enough to kill Twilight if necessary. Sunset wanted to avoid that situation, but she knew that if Ghost harmed Twilight she would not be able to control what she’d do to Ghost the next time she saw her.

She had gone over her notes on Ghost multiple times hoping for some kind of hint as to what happened to Twilight.

“I’m sure Twilight is fine, darling…” Rarity spoke from the couch. “She’s probably on her way here right now…” Rarity suggested.

Sunset shook her head. “No, I can feel it… Something is wrong, she’d have called or something by now…”

“Maybe she is on the road so she can’t answer, you know Twilight, she doesn’t text and drive,” Fluttershy reminded. It was true, Twilight was always one for following all the rules and laws to a T.

Preparing to reply, Sunset opened her mouth until she heard a tone from her phone that signified she had just received a text message. Blinking she looked down at the device and scooped it up in her hand to read it.

Looking down at the number, Sunset could see it wasn’t Twilight’s number. A cold sweat ran down her neck as she considered who it might actually be.

“Who is it?” Applejack asked.

“I think… It’s Ghost…” Sunset replied.

The entire group fell silent and all eyes moved over to Sunset. Rainbow was the one who broke the silence, “what’s it say?”

“She wants me to meet her…” Sunset said.

“Is she stupid? Why would she think you’d walk into such an obvious trap?” Pinkie asked with her head tilted.

Sunset sighed and closed her eyes as she felt her phone vibrate. She didn’t want to open them, she didn’t want to see the message and she didn’t want to know who was calling, but she knew that trying to avoid it wouldn’t change it. Opening her eyes, she quickly saw the answer to Pinkie’s question.

“FUCK! SHE HAS TWILIGHT!” Sunset growled as she snatched her car keys from the table and raced to the door only to be stopped by Applejack and Rainbow combined.

“Whoa there, partner. Y’all are not goin’ out there alone, we are goin’ with ya’,” Applejack asserted as she crossed her arms defensively.

“Applejack, I don’t have time to argue this, more of us going makes it easier to take us out, I can slip in and get Twilight out much easier by myself than with a group,” Sunset explained.

“Don’t think so…” Applejack shook her head.

“Applejack just fucking listen to me! I trained for this! I pushed myself to my limits to be able to do this, and I am not going to let Twilight or anyone else die because of me, now get the fuck out of my way!” Sunset growled as she shoved Applejack and Rainbow aside, making her way outside and into the storage locker that housed her car. After opening it and hopping into the car she sped off faster than Applejack could assemble the others to get to her truck, only realizing seconds after the entire group was outside that Sunset never gave them the keypad combination.

“Shit!” Rainbow cursed as she kicked the door to the steel wall that prevented them from getting to Applejack’s truck.

“Applejack could break the door down?” Pinkie suggested.

Rarity shook her head. “Pointless at this point, Sunset didn’t tell us where she is going and she has already sped off, the chances of finding her are low now…”

“Damn that girl…” Applejack sighed.

Stretching, Moondancer adjusted her jacket and zipped it up. The temperature outside had reached a low of 18 degrees Fahrenheit, and given how easily Moondancer became ill, she wasn’t taking any chances. Reaching down to her feet, she adjusted the leg warmers she had put on and then peered at herself in the mirror.

It was odd to see such a determined woman looking back at her. For a brief moment she could have sworn she saw Shimmer’s bodily form behind him, placing a hand on her shoulder, or perhaps that was only what she wanted to see.

Stuffing a laptop into a bag she zipped it up and slumped it over her shoulder. She knew it was time, she had to act soon, and it would take some time to set her plan into motion. She knew that time was of the essence, if she didn’t move now she’d miss her opportunity. Everything was lining up, Sunset was getting on Ghost’s trail and that meant that her role would come into play very soon, she needed to give Sunset every advantage she could.

Moondancer sighed as she remembered that unlike Sunset and her friends, she couldn’t do magic which meant she would be useless in a magical confrontation, but she could at least even the odds for Shimmer’s friends.

Opening her bedroom door she walked quietly down the hall only for her mother to call out her name.

“Going somewhere, sweetie?” The soothing voice of her mother echoed in Moondancer's ears.

Moondancer paused and took a breath as she turned to her mother with a false smile. “Oh, I’m just going out for a bit, have some stuff to take care of…”

Her mother nodded and placed the book she was reading down, her middle-aged face filled with genuine happiness as she spoke. Since they moved there, Moondancer could have sworn her mother looked just a little bit younger, like years had been lifted off of her face.

“Will you be home tonight?” She asked.

Moondancer shook her head. “I’m going to spend some time with my old friends… I figured… It was time to start going out again and seeing people ever since…” She paused and looked down, not wanting to say it out loud.

Her mother’s smile didn’t seem to fade as she came to a stand and walked casually over to the girl. She placed a finger under Moondancer’s chin and made her look up to see her. Her mother’s face was filled with warmth, the kind of warmth that made a girl feel soothed and able to move forward another day.

“I know it’s been hard on you… I could tell you loved her…” Moondancer’s mother said.

Moondancer nodded in agreement. “S-she… said we would have gotten married…”

Her mother nodded back and giggled. “You’d have made a great wife to her, I know that.”

“Thanks, mom…” Moondancer finally allowed a smile break through her demeanor.

"I think you're very brave to have the strength to move foward..." Her mother complimented.

Moondancer blushed and looked away awkwardly.

“Go have fun with your friends, call me when you’re coming home though, alright?” Her mother winked.

“Sure thing, mom.” Moondancer chuckled as her mother turned to leave the room. Moondancer watched slowly as her mother left before deciding it was time to leave herself, she had a bus to catch and much to do.

Opening the door to her apartment and stepping out into the world, she knew that now was the moment of truth for her. By the end of this day, she knew that either Sunset or Ghost would be the victor, and Moondancer hoped to influence which one that was.

Twilight stood before the hooded figure that referred to themselves as Ghost with her arms at her sides, stiff as could be. She didn’t dare move unless told to. Behind her, one of Ghost’s henchmen continued to hold his gun to her back and four other large men stared her down as Ghost stood with her arms crossed.

The tension in the room was overwhelming at Twilight felt the sweat run down her neck. She didn’t know what to expect, or what Ghost was capable of, but the masked woman’s next move surprised her.

“Leave us,” Ghost instructed with the wave of her hand.

All of the men obliged and nodded, even the one behind Twilight who lowered his gun and left with the others, shutting and locking the door behind them.

Once all of them were gone, Ghost and Twilight stood alone in silence.

Ghost tilted her head and decided to be the one to break the silence. “So… You must be Sunset’s squeeze. You’ll make a fine hostage for sure…”

“You’re going to kill me though, aren’t you?” Twilight asked, trying to keep calm.

Ghost nodded. “Yes, once I lure Sunset here, I have no reason to keep you alive. Don’t worry though, I don’t intend on killing you before her, so you at least have until Sunset is dead to make your peace with the world…”

“How generous of you…” Twilight replied snarkily.

Ghost turned and stretched, seeming quite bored of the situation. “Truthfully… You’re not the Twilight I would rather see dead, but you’ll have to do for now… Until I can get back to Equestria and find the Princess…”

Those words caused a spark in Twilight’s brain. “So… You’re Equestrian then?”

“Perceptive. Yes, I am,” Ghost answered plainly.

Twilight was starting to piece it all together, but she wasn’t quite there yet. It was beginning to make some sense, but she needed more information. She kept still and continued her questioning while Ghost felt generous enough to give answers.

“So why are you doing all of this?” Twilight asked.

Ghost let out a chuckle and began pacing the room, looking at the floor as she did, clearly confident that Twilight wasn’t going to try and make an escape on her watch. “I don’t expect a mortal to comprehend my motives… I have been alive for millennia, experienced much, and seen incredible things in my time. I was alive when Celestia took the throne in Equestria, and I was alive when the three tribes unified…”

There was a short pause before Ghost continued. “Mortals… Mortals like yourself are… Deplorable creatures…”

“What’s your point? You haven’t answered my question; or are you just doing this because you just hate mortals?” Twilight’s expression grew more serious.

The girl laughed and shook her head. “No… I just… I wanted something back… That’s all… My plan was so simple… So easy… Unfortunately, there has been a change of plans and now I am going to plan B…”

“What’s plan B?” Twilight raised a brow.

The woman stopped her pacing and faced Twilight. She reached her hands up and gripped the mask upon her face. Slowly, she lifted it and pulled it off entirely, tossing it to the side.

Underneath was the face of a young woman, looking no older than Twilight herself. Gentle soft looking skin, flawless and immaculate, a sharp nose and piercing raspberry eyes stared Twilight down. The young woman had perhaps the most deadly gaze Twilight had ever witnessed. They had an unnatural allure to them, a feeling of being unable to look away. Decorated so perfectly with mascara, her eyes were almost as flawless as her face.

Combined with the attractive curves of her body, it was safe to say she was a seductive creature that could make even the toughest of men bend over backward for her.

Her neck sported a choker with a shining red gem upon it, glowing ever so slightly in the poor light of the room.

Atop of her head was a mess of vivid orange hair, cut at neck length, but wild and full. She had it tied back, but it looked like keeping such wild hair under control was far from easy.

The woman flicked her head and her gorgeous hair flowed with the movement of her head attractively as she stuffed her hands in her pockets.

“W-who are you…?” Twilight asked.

“It was the other Twilight that defeated me almost two years ago now with Sunset's help. So much has changed between now and then, but I don’t exactly have a lot of time to explain right now, I am expecting your friend Sunset very soon…” She said as she gripped Twilight’s face in her powerful hand. She held the girl’s cheeks tightly and spoke again. “My name is Adagio, Adagio Dazzle… As for what I am… I am a siren…”

Sitting on the bus, Moondancer stared at a photo on her phone. She had gotten a new phone since her time with Shimmer, but she had transferred all the photographs from it to her new phone. One photo in particular still caught her eye, and that was the photo that Shimmer had insisted on being taken to use as her contact photo on Moondancer’s phone.

It was hard to believe that it was months ago that Shimmer had been murdered and that that photograph was the last one taken of the girl by Moondancer, possibly ever. It pained Moondancer to know that they didn’t take any photos together, then again she didn’t know their time together would be so short.

The girl in the photo had a happy smile, a person that seemed to radiate joy, though anyone who knew her knew that wasn’t always the case. Shimmer had only become a happy person relatively recently, but that happiness was cut short.

She had such a photogenic face, very adorable and soft features, a proper feminine girl with a strong presence. She was the type of girl who turned heads anywhere she went, and she knew it. In Moondancer’s eyes she was almost like a forbidden fruit, a girl way too pretty to be talking to such a plain thing like her, a girl she had no business being with let alone intimate with. Still, she treasured those few memories she had.

Shimmer’s outfit that she wore the day they exchanged numbers after the run in at the bookstore could only be described as perfect for her. Her fashion sense was always so spot on.

Moondancer recalled when she attended the reading of Shimmer’s will where the girl had said she intended to marry her, it made her close her eyes and allow silent tears to stream down her face as she gripped the bag on her lap tighter with her other hand.

A man looked over her shoulder and smiled at the photo. “She’s pretty,” he commented.

Moondancer nodded as she locked her phone and stuffed it into her pocket. “She was…” She replied.

The remainder of the ride was silent, and Moondancer looked up when her stop came. She hopped off the bus and looked toward an abandoned steel factory on Angel Street. She checked her watch and noted the time was 5:08 PM. She took notice of a Mercedes pulling up to the building with a smirk on her face. “Guess the show is about to start, Adagio.”

Moondancer had stolen a page from Sunset’s book quite literally. The magic item was used to communicate between the world of Equestria and their world and Moondancer knew if she wanted answers she was going to have to talk to the one they referred to as “Princess Twilight.”

She had little understanding of magic or how it worked, but she knew that the book was the link between the worlds. She had guessed that a single page would still work even removed from the book and guessed correctly. To her good fortune, the pages seemed to operate even separated from the book, this must have meant that the entire item was enchanted and not just the binding. Had she not been focused on her current work she would have found it fascinating.

It had been months since Shimmer had died, and Moondancer was investigating virtually anything and everything connected to both Shimmer and Sunset to try and find the answer to who killed her and why. She had however hit a few snags when it came to some of the events that happened at Canterlot High since Sunset’s arrival. Most of the students she talked to remained fairly tight-lipped, and Moondancer didn’t want to have to endure the awkwardness of asking Sunset directly about most of it.

She swiped the page when Sunset was at school after she foolishly left her car unlocked, a mistake that Moondancer almost felt like scolding her for when there was a murderer on the loose, but decided to leave it alone.

Moondancer had used the page to contact the Princess and after receiving correspondence the two agreed to meet directly in front of the portal that sat in front of Canterlot High at 8:00 PM. By meeting after hours they ensured that no one would bother them.

Checking her watch for perhaps the eighth time, Moondancer was growing impatient as the approached when the two were supposed to meet. She had been standing there for a good twenty minutes as the clock hit 7:58 PM.

No sooner than when the minute slot on her watch switched from fifty-seven to fifty-eight did the portal begin to show ripples and only a few seconds later a girl resembling Sunset’s friend Twilight stepped out. It was uncanny how similar the two looked, but this one appeared to sport a slightly different hairstyle that was more well kept and lacked the glasses of her human counterpart. She had a more prim and proper feeling to her.

More noticeably than that, this Twilight seemed to emit more presence than the human one. She stood with conviction, determination, and composure. The aura of a woman full of wisdom radiated from the girl, and Moondancer surmised that it fit her, given how much more worldly experience she held over the other Twilight.

With some grace, she ran a hand through her long silky hair and flicked it aside as she adjusted herself and offered her hand.

“Moondancer, I presume?” She asked.

Moondancer nodded and reached down to take the girl’s hand. She noted how stern her grip was, how confidence seemed to ooze from her.

“Correct…” Moondancer stated as she let go of the handshake and adjusted her glasses.

“You look similar to the Moondancer from my world, but with a better fashion sense…” She smirked, clearly trying to make a joke, though Moondancer couldn’t tell if it was intended as an ironic one or not.

“What’s the Moondancer of your world like?” She asked.

Twilight shrugged. “Eh, a bookworm like me, but to a greater extreme… She forgets to eat a lot, and if you want to hang out with her you basically have to do all the world setting it up… But she’s quirky.”

Moondancer nodded in response. “Sounds a lot like me, or at least how I was before Shimmer showed up…”

“Well it’s good you were inspired to take better care of yourself regardless of the reason.” Twilight grinned.

Shrugging, Moondancer quickly changed the subject, “so, I called you here because I had some questions…”

The Princess blinked and kept her carefree demeanor as she responded. “What kind of questions?”

“I’ve been investigating Shimmer’s murder and I’ve hit a roadblock, I was hoping you could tell me about the Battle of the Bands back at Canterlot High…” Moondancer crossed her arms.

Twilight raised a hand to her lip in shock. “Do you believe the two events are related?”

“Maybe, maybe not. I haven’t figured it out yet, I’m just gathering information, hoping to find some kind of connection. Whatever is going on clearly has a possible link to Sunset Shimmer, so I want to gather as much information about her as I can…” Moondancer stated.

Princess Twilight nodded and stepped forward. She came to a step in front of the school and sat down as she prepared for a long story. “The school was being controlled by a group of sirens…” Twilight began.

“Sirens? What’s a siren?” Moondancer tilted her head.

Twilight smiled and patted the spot next to her, inviting Moondancer to take a seat. Obliging, Moondancer rested next to Twilight and kept her eyes locked on the girl as she told her tale.

“A magical beast from Equestria… In your world, they took the shape of three human teenagers… They are capable of very powerful magic and controlling others with their voice… Legends say when a siren is strong enough they don’t even need to sing to control a person… However, no one has seen a siren that strong for thousands of years…” Twilight explained.

Moondancer was intrigued. “And three of them made it to this world? How is that?”

“Starswirl the Bearded, a gifted mage sent them here in the past… His magic was new and experimental, so they ended up being sent to your world thousands of years in the future, arriving sometime shortly after Sunset arrived. They lived in secret until about two years ago when they made their plight to try and steal the magic from Sunset and her friends…” Twilight continued.

Moondancer leaned down and rested her hands on her knees as she stared at the ground, trying to take all of this in. “So, how did you defeat them?”

“We destroyed their amulets… The source of their power. Sirens have to channel their magic through an amulet that they are given sometime after they are born… I’m not exactly sure about the specifics as their culture is very old and mysterious… In ancient times they were more abundant but now they are exceptionally rare… The only sirens left are old ones, very old. They can live virtually forever so long as they have a power source,” Twilight spoke as if she were reading some kind of bedtime story, a twinkle in her eyes as she recalled the pages of books she had read on the subject many moons ago.

“What were their names?” Moondancer asked.

“Adagio Dazzle, Sonata Dusk and Aria Blaze…” Twilight answered.

Moondancer nodded and came to a stand. “Is there any way I can contact you again if I need to?”

The Princess smirked and came to a stand as well, reaching into the bag she had with her. “I thought you’d ask that, so I came prepared…”

“Your reputation precedes you.” Moondancer giggled.

“Naturally,” Twilight replied before offering a book to Moondancer.

Taking it in her hand, Moondancer looked down to the item. It radiated a powerful force, she could almost smell the magical aura it gave off.

“It’s just like Sunset’s, if you write in it I will get your message. We’ll stay in touch.” Twilight winked.

Tucking the book under her arm, Moondancer nodded. “I think this may become my favorite book very quickly.”

Moondancer made her way around the building, making sure not to be seen as she came around to an old security office. With her head down she peeked inside to see one guard standing watch. His expression was troubling, emotionless, tireless as if he was in some kind of trance. It all made sense though, Adagio could control people with her power, that was why all her subordinates were so obedient; they had no choice but to obey. Adagio could be confident that they would never betray her.

Taking a breath, Moondancer realized she would only have one chance and if she messed it up, he would definitely warn the others. With her exhale, she bolted into the room and took the guard by surprise, quickly retrieving a taser from her pocket and jabbing it into the man.

He convulsed in pain and fell over. Quickly, Moondancer removed her bag and pulled out some duct tape she had brought for the occasion. While he was stunned, she began to strap the tape around him generously until she was certain he couldn’t move. One final measure, she covered his mouth and sighed. “That was close…” She admitted aloud.

Looking at the security terminal, she picked her bag up and retrieved her laptop.

“I think I get it… Adagio… I would never have suspected her before because I didn’t see the connection, but now it makes sense… Her magic is the only thing that could have caused all of this…” Moondancer thought out loud.

She groaned as she closed her eyes. “But the part that I still don’t get… Why kill Shimmer? What did you hope to gain by doing that? What was your objective…?”

Moondancer shook her head as she refocused herself. “Well… I guess I’ll know soon enough… Time to get started…”

Sunset parked her car directly in front of the abandoned factory and hopped out of the car after pulling a spare gun she kept in the glove compartment out. Stuffing the weapon in her waistband she took a breath as she stared down the building. Somewhere inside of this old factory was Ghost, waiting for Sunset to show up so she could strike her down, and worse yet she had Twilight as her hostage. There was little doubt in Sunset’s mind that Ghost had no reason to keep Twilight alive for very long, only long enough to lure Sunset out. It pained her to know she was so predictable, but she couldn’t risk Twilight’s life even a second too long. The reality was that so long as Sunset had people that Ghost could harm, she was at her mercy.

She growled in anger as she heard a familiar voice echo in her mind.

Let’s kill her.

“Stay out of it…” She hissed at the voice.

Why are you carrying that gun if you have no intentions of killing her?

“In case things get out of hand… I want it as a last resort…” Sunset answered.

Admit it, you want to kill her. You’ve wanted it since she put those holes in Shimmer… Your only family in this world and Ghost murdered her… You can’t tell me you don’t want her dead after that.

Sunset balled her hands into fists as she felt herself shaking with anger. “I would like nothing more than to end her, but I’m not about to give into you to do that… I will do this my way… The right way…”

And what will you do? If she lives, it’s not as though you can just hand her over to the police.

“Shut up! That’s enough! I’m doing this my way and that’s that!” Sunset yelled before bolting toward the building at full speed.

She reached for the handle to enter to find it unlocked. Blinking she cautiously entered and looked around, noting that no one was there.

Taking notice of the security cameras positioned in the building, Sunset smirked as she snuck about, staying out of their line of sight.

On the dirty ground, she noted a set of footprints that looks similar to some shoes she knew Twilight owned followed by a much larger pair behind them. She surmised that they lead to wherever Twilight was taken and that the larger pair was the person who took her hostage.

Following the path, Sunset came to a door at the basement level and stood in front of it in thought. She knew the moment she opened the door she would be walking into a trap set by Ghost. However, she had little in the way of options. Thinking it over she stood silently before looking up as a large click was heard. All the lights in the building suddenly went out, casting darkness everywhere.

Sunset grinned. “Perfect.”

With that, she opened the door.

Twilight stood there with Adagio’s hand on her chin, not daring to move an inch in the event that the siren decided she didn’t approve of Twilight attempting to escape. Instead Twilight figured that keeping the woman talking was the better idea.

“Why are you doing this?” Twilight asked.

“It doesn’t concern you,” Adagio replied plainly as she reached into her coat to retrieve a switchblade knife. Wielding the weapon skillfully, Adagio brought it inches from Twilight’s face.

A bead of nervous sweat ran down Twilight’s neck as she gulped and stood perfectly still, her eyes locked on Adagio’s as she tried to look away from the knife. The siren held a very powerful and commanding stare.

“Is killing me necessary for your plan?” Twilight spoke, ignoring that Adagio didn’t bother to answer her first question.

A smirk appeared on the girl’s face. “Not really, but it’ll piss Sunset off, so it’s a bonus for sure…”

“Was that why you killed Shimmer?” Twilight raised a brow.

Growling Adagio released Twilight’s jaw and used the newly freed hand to slap her across the face. A loud thwack rang in the room as Twilight kneeled down from the pain of the impact. Tears welled up in her eyes but she held them back, not wanting to show fear or pain to the siren. Coming back to a stand, she met Adagio’s gaze again.

Fire burned in Adagio’s eyes. “That’s none of your fucking business.”

“Forgive me, I don’t know much about sirens, so I’m trying to understand your motivation here…” Twilight stated as she adjusted her glasses that had almost flown off her face from the slap.

Adagio rolled her eyes and gripped Twilight’s face tightly again, slowly backing her up into a wall as she took the other hand with the blade and stuck it into Twilight’s mouth, touching the inside of her cheek with the steel edge. “We sirens can live a very long time… Forever if we have the proper sustenance, so I have been alive for a good few thousand years… Your friend Sunset however destroyed my amulet, thus leaving me for dead… Without my power, I will age and die just like you humans…” A smile came to Adagio’s face as she held the blade tighter to Twilight’s cheek, ready to slice her mouth open at any moment.

“So you became mortal without your amulet?” Twilight managed to get out despite the blade in her mouth.

“Correct, and if there’s one thing I hate… It’s mortals.” Adagio hissed.

“Why though?” Twilight asked.

Adagio shook her head. “It’s not something you’d understand unless you’ve been through what I have… You, mortals, make me sick, every single one of you. If I had my way I'd put every last one of you down...”

“Is there no way we can talk this out? You don’t have to kill more people…” Twilight attempted to negotiate, but Adagio growled and shut down any attempt at negotiations.

“I’ve answered enough questions, it’s not like the answers you received here will be helpful to you anyway, as you’re going to be dead in a few minutes…” Adagio pointed out.

Before Adagio could act, the lights suddenly went out turning the entire room black. She blinked and turned her head to see if someone had flicked the light switch behind her, but to no avail as it was simply too dark to even see one’s hand in front of their face.

Growling she stood perfectly still and listened. It was only a few seconds later that the lights would return. Adagio turned forward to where Twilight was only to see she was no longer there, but instead, Sunset stood in her place. Trying to take advantage of the element of surprise, Sunset took a swing at Adagio only for the siren to block it and deflect her attack and step backward. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Twilight had retreated to the corner of the room to give the two of them space.

“So… It’s you… Adagio… I have to say, I knew you were trash but I thought you at least were above murder…” Sunset spoke as she kept her fighting stance; her eyes locked on Adagio, matching her step for step as the two moved slowly, looking for an opening on each other.

“Don’t act like you know me, Sunset. More importantly, don’t act like you’re better than me, I bet there is some murderous intent in you too…” Adagio smirked before thrusting forward swinging her blade.

Sunset saw it coming just quick enough to get out of the way and caught her own fall with her hand before springing back up and swinging her leg in an upward half circle, trying to make a connection with Adagio’s face, only for the siren to grip her incoming foot and push. The shove caused Sunset to tumble, but quickly she brought herself upright again.

Adagio sighed and shook her head. “I swear you’re hopeless… You don’t stand a chance against me and yet you clearly want to try and fight anyway?”

“At least I am fighting for the right reasons…” Sunset argued.

Adagio let out a chuckle and pointed behind Sunset. “Unfortunately for you, those reasons are why you’re going to lose this fight and die.”

Sunset turned her head behind herself. Her eyes widened as she realized what Adagio was pointing out. She jerked her head back in Adagio’s direction after she had realized that Adagio had done a complete reversal and now Sunset was on the other side of the room, and Twilight was knelt in a corner behind Adagio now.

Laughing, Adagio approached Twilight and placed a hand atop of Twilight’s head, causing the girl to flinch.

“I’m the one you want! Leave her out of this!” Sunset hissed.

Adagio ran her hand down Twilight’s cheek and seductively ran two fingers down her neck and landed on her chin. “You should worry more about yourself…” With those words Adagio made Twilight look up to her. When the two met eyes, Twilight could see a gentle glow in Adagio’s eyes. “Twilight Sparkle… You are now my slave, do you understand?”

An uncontrollable urge to obey every order the siren gave overtook Twilight. A feeling of pure desire controlled her every move, she would do anything for Adagio, even lay down her life if necessary. Everything she knew suddenly became second priority, appeasing her new master took precedent.

“Y-yes… Master…” Twilight spoke in a monotone voice.

“Don’t listen to her, Twilight!” Sunset shouted.

Sunset’s plea, however, fell on deaf ears.

“Now, do your master a favor…” Adagio’s hand tapped Twilight’s chin, making the girl stand up. “And kill Sunset Shimmer.”

Twilight nodded as Adagio placed the switchblade in Twilight’s hand. “Go get ‘em, tiger.”

Nodding again, Twilight took a fighting stance. “Yes, master…”

“Shit! That’s fighting dirty, Adagio! She had nothing to do with this!” Sunset protested, taking a step back.

“Life’s a bitch, isn’t it? Sometimes you have to play unfair if you want to get ahead, after all, the thing we call ‘life’ is rigged against us anyway…” Adagio shrugged before casually walking toward the exit. “I’ll leave you two to it.”

Sunset reached in Adagio’s direction but quickly retracted her hand as she caught sight of Twilight bolting in her direction, swinging her newly brandished blade furiously. Sunset had to focus her attention entirely on Twilight now, unable to do anything to stop Adagio’s escape. Twilight’s swings were mighty and unnatural, far more than what the girl was likely capable of on her own. It was clear that Adagio’s magic had grown strong enough to give her mind slaves a bit of a power boost.

Moving as quickly as she could and dodging swing after swing, Sunset had to think of some kind of plan to get herself out of this situation. Fighting back meant risking injury to Twilight, but not doing so meant she would eventually tire out and be taken down. As much as she hated Adagio at that moment, she couldn’t deny that she clearly knew how to work odds in her favor.

Twilight’s body moved with precision and skill that Sunset knew Twilight didn’t possess naturally. She had seen her friend in gym class and knew that Twilight was not much to behold when it came to athletics.

“Twilight, it’s me!” Sunset yelled as she moved out of the way of yet another swing.

Ignoring the statement, Twilight thrusted the knife forward and managed to jab Sunset in the thigh. “Fuck!” Sunset hissed in pain as she leaped back gripping the new wound. “Twilight, stop! I don’t want to hurt you…”

With a mighty growl, Twilight leaped forward and knocked Sunset down. Climbing on top of her she placed both hands on the blade and thrust down to Sunset’s neck only for Sunset to grip Twilight’s wrists and hold the knife back. Using all her strength to resist, Sunset attempted to get through to Twilight once more. “Twilight! You have to fight it! She’s controlling you!”

Sunset could feel her strength fading as the knife started to inch closer to her neck, she couldn’t hold it back forever.

“Alright, fine… You want to play rough…” Sunset replied with a strained voice.

Quickly kneeing upward, she punted Twilight in her lower region causing her to release the knife in her hand and grip herself as she tried to calm the pain. Shoving Twilight off of her, Sunset took note of the fact that Adagio’s slaves were still susceptible to pain. It bothered her however that she seemed able to control people now without singing.

Twilight recovered from the damage and scooped the knife back up and held it firmly before taking a fighting stance yet again. This time, however, Sunset took an offensive stance and focused herself. “Alright, let’s dance, Twilight…”

Coming forward with her arm, Twilight stabbed toward Sunset only for Sunset to avoid the blade and grip Twilight’s wrist. Pulling down on Twilight’s arm, Sunset made her lean forward and connected a fist into her gut, knocking the wind out of her.

Wheezing, Twilight fell to her knees and tried to catch her breath only for Sunset to swing her foot in a half circle and connect the side of it with Twilight’s cheek. Twilight grunted in agony before toppling over.

Not wasting the opportunity, Sunset climbed on top of Twilight and gripped her forehead in her hand. Sunset’s geode necklace glowed as she focused her power on Twilight, hoping to not only read her thoughts but perhaps influence them.

A pulling sensation overtook Sunset as she felt herself enter Twilight’s mind, a feeling that was still a bit overwhelming to her.

In the mind of her friend, she couldn’t see much, hazy fog everywhere and the whispers of Adagio commanding Twilight inside her own head. Sunset screamed as loud as she could to try and get Twilight’s attention. “Twilight!”

The same pulling sensation that she felt entering, she felt again as she was forced out of Twilight’s head. A shockwave threw Sunset off of Twilight as she landed on her back.

Twilight’s eyes opened as she looked around the room. Seeing Sunset on her back she pulled herself to a stand and rushed to her best friend’s side. “Sunset? Are you alright!? What happened?”

Groaning, Sunset sat up and looked at Twilight, the two friends met eyes and a smile came to Sunset’s face. “You’re back… I’m relieved…”

Twilight tilted her head in confusion. “Did I… Go somewhere?”

Pulled herself up, Sunset stood up and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter now, we have to get out of here… Stay close to me and follow my lead, okay?”

Nodding, Twilight had no reason to object. She came close to Sunset as the two made their way to the door. Opening it, Sunset pulled Twilight down so the two would keep low. As she suspected, Adagio wasn’t about to let the two of them leave so easily. Before they knew it the sounds of gunfire began to ring in the air as a group of Adagio’s minions began to open fire in their direction. Sunset focused her energy into her right hand and conjured a fireball.

Peaking up from the stairwell the two were standing on, Sunset hurled the fire over the top and ignited a wall of flame in front of their attackers. Once they were blocked by fire, Sunset pulled Twilight up the stairs with her and made a break for it. The two girls raced off and hid behind one of the many pieces of large machinery in the room. Sunset raised a finger to her lips and hushed Twilight as she peeked around the other side.

The fire had subsided and Adagio’s henchmen were already on the prowl looking for the two. Sunset signaled to Twilight to follow her, causing a nod from her friend. Keeping quiet, Sunset focused on listening for the sound of footsteps, trying to determine the location of the armed men.

Adagio’s voice rang through the air as she scolded her minions. “What do you mean you lost them!? One of them was under my control!”

The voice of a young sounding man answered her. “We’re sorry, master…”

“Don’t apologize! No more games, find them! Bring Sunset to me alive, kill the other one, I don’t care!” Adagio screamed.

Sunset took in a breath and calmed herself as she held onto Twilight’s hand. Taking a chance, Sunset hurled another fireball over the machine they hid behind and made a break for the door. Bullets began to fly in their direction through the newly created wall of fire, but Sunset made the two crouch while they headed back through the door where she entered through. Once outside she could see her car was still there.

“Come on!” Sunset yelled out as she raced to her vehicle with Twilight’s hand in her own, tugging the girl along with her. Opening the car door, she shoved Twilight inside and rolled over the hood of the car to swing into the driver’s side.

Sunset started the engine and pulled out as quickly as she could, looking over her shoulder behind her to check if they were being followed. She let out a sigh as she realized they were safe before looking over to Twilight. “Are you injured?”

Twilight shook her head and looked down to Sunset’s pants which had been stained with blood “What about you? You’re bleeding.”

“Yeah, that’s where you stabbed me, but I should be alright, I can patch that up when we get to the safe house…” Sunset shrugged.

With widened eyes, Twilight coughed. “S-stabbed? Oh crap! I’m sorry!”

“Don’t worry about it, you were under Adagio’s control, I’m not mad at you. Let’s just get back to the others, I’m sure they are worried sick about us, then we can call Shining and tell him what’s happening,” Sunset stated.

Twilight merely nodded in response before leaning back in her seat and relaxing, the worst was behind them… She hoped.

“I can’t believe you morons lost them… Two teenage girls managed to outwit all of you, and you call yourselves criminals?” Adagio scolding a small group of her men as they stood near the open street. Shaking her head, she cracked her knuckles and focused on the operation that two of her minions were performing, placing a sign in the middle of the road to block it.

“Sorry boss…” One of them frowned and looked down.

Lifting her mask back to her head, Adagio shook her head. “I’ll deal with your incompetence later, right now I have to pick up the pieces and fix the mess you all created.”

“Why exactly are we doing this, boss?” Another asked.

Adjusting her mask over her face, Adagio retrieved a gun from her coat as she saw an oncoming school bus halting to a stop when it saw the roadblock. Adagio turned to her men and barked her orders. “Stay here, and back me up when I come out… I don’t need you all fucking this up too…”

They nodded and stood at attention as Adagio stepped onto the school bus. She looked around to see a good dozen or so children staring at her with intrigue. Her odd costume and mask definitely made her a sight to behold. The bus driver raised a brow as Adagio stepped on, prepared to ask what the roadblock was for until his eyes caught a glimpse of the gun in her hand.

Pointing it directly at his head, Adagio spoke through her mask. “So… Who’s ready for a field trip?”

Yup!

You have no idea how long I have been waiting for this reveal! Adagio's appearance was basically being hinted at since Act II. For those who figured it out before this, congrats! For those who didn't... Surprise!

Oh man, when you find out more about her and what she's been up to since we saw her in Rainbow Rocks... I'm sure it'll be equally surprising.

Thanks to Applety for her work as usual, but also thanks to all the people who kept trying to guess who Ghost was! I had a bit of fun teasing you guys, but it was all harmless fun!