“Uuuuuugh…”

Sat by Adagio Dazzle’s bedside in a side room of Canterville General Hospital, Fluttershy looked up from her daily newspaper when she heard the low groan come from the unconscious woman. She had sat there ever since she had accompanied the ambulance hours before and she had stayed at the hospital once she had learned that Adagio was in stable condition.

“Uuuuuuuugh…” Adagio moaned again, her closed eyes fluttering, it was obvious she was starting to at last wake up. Fluttershy closed her newspaper and looked at the stirring ex-siren. She had not, at that time, called either Aria or Sonata regarding what had happened, since Adagio was, for the moment, safe. Even though Adagio was on suicide watch, there were no restraints holding her to the bed, but she was being monitored, and with Fluttershy there, there was no nurse outside the room.

Quietly, Fluttershy rolled up her newspaper and waited, like the spider stalking its prey in the web. A few moments later, and Adagio’s eyes flickered all the way open. Rather unexpectedly, she found herself staring up at a pure white ceiling. That wasn’t her ceiling. Then, she felt the bed under her. That wasn’t her bed, either. And since when did she own a gown that opened in the back? And why was she wearing said gown? “Uuugh…Wh-Where am I...Hnnnng...”

Seeing that Adagio was properly awake, Fluttershy took the newspaper in hand and swung for the fences, whapping her girlfriend squarely in the forehead. “In trouble, pet.”

“Ow...” Adagio moaned, a surge of pain now added to her confusion. ‘What the fuck?’ she wondered, trying to force her brain to work through its fugue. She lifted a hand up to her head, where it now hurt, and she saw the bandages wrapped around her wrist. Then it all came flooding back like a nasty, horrid dream. “Oh...” Unbeknownst to her, a watching nurse saw the newspaper strike on the monitor, but she waited to see what happened next. “Hospital,” Adagio stated and, after trying to sit up, she gave it up and laid back down.

She was still alive.

Great.

By the side of the bed, Fluttershy’s eyes narrowed dangerously and she readied the newspaper for a second strike. “Oh, is that all you have to say for yourself?”

“I don't deserve to be here,” Adagio said dully as she stared up at the ceiling. She might be alive, but she felt dead inside, hollow, like she had drunk a gallon of castor oil and it had cleaned out all her insides leaving the shell behind. Rainbow Dash’s harsh words came back to her and she knew why. “I shouldn't even exist...”

Without warning, Fluttershy whapped Adagio in the head again with the newspaper and she was quite prepared to beat out a tattoo on her clearly depressed girlfriend should it be necessary. “Talk to me, and talk now.” It wasn’t a request. She just couldn’t understand why she had slid back so catastrophically. She thought she had been making good progress.

“I was on my way to work when I met the blue one...I mean...Rainbow, um, what’s her name, aaah, Crash?” Adagio spoke, and her voice sounded as dead and emotionless as she felt inside. “I met her on the street. I was minding my own business, I swear, all I was doing was singing, that was all.”

“Dash,” Fluttershy corrected her, “Rainbow Dash. That doesn't tell me why you're here now.”

“S-Sh-She tore m-me a new a-asshole!” Adagio exclaimed as she started to cry, her tears falling hot, fresh and fast from her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. “She called me pond scum!” when she blinked, she could see Rainbow’s angry face tearing into her. “She told me to go and jump off a pier and swim out to sea till I can't swim anymore!”

Now it all made sense. Though she still had the newspaper ready in her hand, this time she only very lightly bopped her girlfriend’s forehead with her chosen weapon. “I will deal with Dashie,” she said softly but firmly. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d had to discipline Rainbow Dash, whether she was her best friend or not. “But what should you have done?”

“S-She said I w-was a waste o-of oxygen...that I wasn’t worth anyone’s time…” Adagio cried and sniveled in the hospital bed, feeling more wretched and low than she had felt in a long time, certainly since she had been with Fluttershy, at any rate. “I-I know I should have just called you.”

Fluttershy delivered another light bap with her newspaper to Adagio’s head. She was prepared to keep doing it until she got through the ex-siren’s thick stubborn skull. “But you were selfish, weren’t you?” she asked rhetorically as she placed her free hand on the bandages that were wrapped tightly around Adagio’s wrists. “Wanting all the attention for yourself,” she then leant over the side of the bed and kissed Adagio’s lips, “You did call me though – you’re still a very naughty pet – but, you did do that.”

“I'm sorry!” Adagio cried forlornly, pouring out all her deep heartfelt despair and anguish, “I just wanted to do the world a favour and not be in it anymore!” Rainbow Dash had been right. Nobody wanted her, and she had been an idiot to even think otherwise. The sooner she was gone, the better.

“Wrong,” Fluttershy asserted with another kiss to her pet’s lips, “That is selfish.” She could only imagine the deep pit of depression that Adagio was wallowing in, a place she struggled to understand. “You wouldn't be doing me any favors. The world has mean people in it, but then there is me. You called me, yes, but now you will stay here. I will pick you up Saturday morning. I've talked to the police, and the stay is covered. I haven't talked to Aria or Sonata yet. Should I?”

Miserably, Adagio shook her head and resigned herself to the hospital stay. At least the costs had been covered, that was something. “No, you don't need to talk to them.”

“Yet,” Fluttershy said after kissing Adagio again, “But I will. I have things to take care of. Be a good girl and I'll pick you up on Saturday, but I'll stop in before work tomorrow with the trail mix I made for Jubilee in the morning.” With that, and a last kiss, she left the hospital room. She had things to do. Things that involved a crop and Rainbow Dash’s ass.

~ ~ ~

Friday night came way too fast for Fluttershy’s liking. She had been sat in her pink beetle outside Twilight’s mansion for the past twenty minutes gathering her thoughts together and now she was ten minutes late. She was never late, ever. Still, she had to marshal and prepare herself for what she knew she had to do.

The evening would not be pleasant, but she was committed to her course of action, and she had to see it through.

Making her mind up, she at last stepped out of her car and pulled her pack on her shoulder. She stepped up to the front door and, in knocking, she passed the point of no return. Inside, in the large living room, she saw the three submissives; Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Sunset Shimmer, naked and ready to go, although Sunset was only sort of naked, she was wearing her equine apparel and Applejack was playing with her tail.

Rainbow Dash was curled up at Twilight's bare feet and she was muttering about having to wait so long while Rarity was lounging with Pinkie on one of the three sofas. As Fluttershy surveyed the room and her eyes narrowed dangerously on Rainbow like the Terminator settling on its target, Pinkie whispered in Rarity's ear, “Someone is hiding an outfit under her clothes.”

“Did something happen, Sugarcube?” asked Applejack, still toying gently with Shimmer’s red and yellow tail, “You’re usually early to these events.” In fact it was normally her and Sunset who were the last to arrive.

“Yes,” Fluttershy answered, though she didn’t look at the farmer. She kept her voice low, even and deadly, her eyes zoned in on Rainbow Dash warming Twilight’s feet, waving away the offer of a glass of water from Pinkie Pie. “Something did happen.”

“What was it, darling?” asked Rarity, unused to seeing the look of pure thunder on Fluttershy’s face.

“Yeah, what gives, Fluttershy?” Rainbow exclaimed from her position on the floor beside Twilight’s perfect purple feet, “We've been waiting ages!” what she meant was, ‘she’ had been waiting ages, for the fun to start.

Completely ignoring Rainbow Dash like she had not spoken at all, Fluttershy opened her bag and she pulled out a pair of black leather opera gloves and, as soon as she had them on, she removed her loose baggy sweater and skirt to reveal the black leather panties and over-bust corset she wore underneath. “Lovely,” Rarity said, speaking for the watching group, more than one of whom had their mouth hanging open, “But a bit of a surprise.”

Pinkie Pie, who had vanished to the kitchen and came bouncing back in carrying a tray full of food, exclaimed, “Wowsers! This party is getting even better!”

Rainbow Dash had to agree. “Now, that was worth waiting for!”

Watching, and not to be left out, Sunset snorted through the bit in her mouth and, when Applejack had loosened the bridle and removed the bit, the Equestrian openly gaped at Fluttershy and what she was now wearing. “Whoa...” she breathed, “And it's not even Halloween!”

Still not saying a word, even though all eyes were now upon her, Fluttershy slipped off her shoes and she pulled out a pair of thigh high black leather boots with deadly looking stiletto heels. She put on the boots and immediately gained inches of height, which made her look twice as imposing and intimidating. “Shimmer,” Applejack started, “Ah don't think this is a Halloween get up.”

Twilight had to agree with the farmer. “What’s wrong Fluttershy, this isn't...well, you.”

Even the oblivious Rainbow Dash noted her Mistress’s concern, and that in turn made her worry just a little bit. “Yeah, Flutters, Twi's right, what gives with the Rarity costume?” the athlete asked, unable to remember the last time her best friend had acted and dressed so…like that.

“Really darling,” Rarity sniffed in Rainbow’s direction, “This is all hers, mine is pink.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie agreed, “And she is reeeeeally hot in it, not that you're not hot, Shyshy, but well, Rarity is Rarity!”

Quietly, not saying a word, Fluttershy held up her right hand and the conversation stopped immediately, the group silenced as effectively as if someone had gagged them all. When she had quiet, Fluttershy pulled out a black riding crop, larger than the usual crop, from her shoulder bag and leveled a glare at Rainbow Dash. “Twilight, I wish to beat your pet severely.”

“Wh-What?” Whatever Rainbow had been expecting her best friend to say when she did finally speak, that was not it. “M-Me?”

“Fluttershy,” Twilight said as she placed her hand protectively on her girlfriend’s shoulders, “While I don't mind sharing my pet with you, I would need to know why you'd make such a request.” She was ready to stop the crop with her telekinesis, should that become necessary, though she hoped it didn’t.

“Ah think Shimmer is more one to like the crop than Dashie,” Applejack commented, getting a nod of agreement from her submissive pony girl.

Grinning impossibly wide, Pinkie Pie bounced on the balls of her feet with a raised hand thrust high in the air, “Yes,” Rarity nodded, “Pinks would rather have that than let Dashie have it.”

Fluttershy’s deadly harsh glare found its way up to Twilight, making the purple nerd flinch in her chair it was that severe. The fact she was fingering the end of the large crop only added to the frankly scary image. “Your pet, Twilight, has earned my wrath.”

“Huh?” Rainbow Dash spluttered, for that was news to her, “What did I even do?”

“Ah don't think Ah ever heard you use that word, Shy.”

“I have to agree, darling, Twilight's pet may be brash, but to earn that word?”

Leveling an even stare back at Fluttershy, Twilight placed a bare foot on Rainbow’s head and pushed her pet headfirst into her hard wood floor. “Explanation?”

“H-He-Hey...” usually, Rainbow would not have minded being pinned to the floor under her Mistress’s foot, but given the way everyone, especially Fluttershy, was looking at her, she wanted to be a million miles away right then. “I haven't done anything, I swear!” at least, she was sure she hadn’t done anything since the last time.

Taking a step closer to Twilight, Fluttershy bore down on Rainbow Dash. She held the handle of the crop in her left hand and the business end resting in her right. Though she stared at them, she addressed the puzzled fashionista. “Rarity, did you mean what you said at our last meeting?”

Caught unprepared for the question, Rarity paused to remember and to think what Fluttershy meant. “Yes,” she answered when it came to her in a flash of inspiration, “I'll accept anyone you chose to be your partner.”

“Are you really sure?”

Rarity smiled sweetly, while Rainbow was trying to cast her mind about for anything she might have said or done to upset her best friend this much, and she came up blank. “Yes,” Rarity still smiled, “Even if it was Sweetie Belle.”

“What if it was Adagio?” Fluttershy asked suddenly, and the effect of her bomb was immediate. Gasps around the living room sounded like the air had been unexpectedly evacuated from it.

“What!?” exclaimed Sunset, unable to keep from vocalising her disbelief.

“Whoa!” Applejack and Pinkie Pie breathed together.

“My,” Rarity flashed Fluttershy her best impressed eyebrows, for she had most definitely not been expecting that. She had been quite sure that Fluttershy’s reveal would have been Flash or Sweetie. “I must say, you are a wild one darling, and by anyone, I assure you, I do mean anyone.”

While Rarity said all that, Fluttershy remained zoned in on Rainbow Dash. “Adagio?” the athlete asked incredulously, not able to believe what her ears had heard. “As in, Adagio Dazzle? Adagio?” as she spoke, her voice grew in volume and her temper rose along with it. “What do you want her for? She's nothing but pond sc…”

The death glare from Fluttershy meant that Rainbow Dash did not finish her sentence.

The only member of the group that did not offer a comment on Adagio Dazzle’s suitability as a partner was Twilight, and that was because she didn’t know her. She had no idea who or what she was, not really. She’d heard the stories, of course, but she paid little heed to those, without first-hand experience.

“Because of your pet, Twilight, she tried to commit suicide.” When Fluttershy spoke those last two words, the room went so quiet it was unnatural, eerie. The only sound for what felt like eternity was the ticking of the grandfather clock. “After the fact she called me,” Fluttershy continued when she was satisfied she had made the desired impact. “I got her medical attention just in time. She’s in Canterville General right now. Funny thing is, Twilight, she likes feet too, and I was admiring your pet two weeks ago because of that. I promise that I won't kill her.”

Rarity shook her head while Sunset and Applejack stood open mouthed at what they had heard. “Brash and dim, Dash.”

On the floor, Rainbow Dash turned a horrible pale shade of green hitherto unknown to science, like she was seconds away from being violently sick at any moment. “She ah...she did wh-what?”

“Dash...” Sunset at last found her voice, “What did you do?”

“I caught her singing!” Rainbow defended herself as she sat up, throwing her hands up in the air, “I thought she was being all evil and stuff!”

“But you destroyed their stones,” Twilight said, pointing out what she had heard from all the stories doing the rounds at CHS since she had joined the school. “From what I understand, that act destroyed their evil magic, yes?”

“True,” Rarity agreed, “And remember, they couldn't sing a note afterwards. In fact, they were booed off the stage.”

“That was true,” Fluttershy nodded curtly to Rarity, “And the first part is still true, but we, or at least I, have magic that has helped her sing with no evil effects at all.”

Sunset knew instinctively of what the animal caretaker spoke. “It's your geode, right, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy nodded in Sunset’s direction, though she remained looking at Rainbow. “She wears it when we spend time together.”

“Is that why you wanted a copy?” asked Twilight, putting two and two together in her head. Now, the reason for Fluttershy asking about the nature of the geodes made a great deal of sense.

Again, Fluttershy nodded. “In addition to the other reasons I mentioned, yes, Twilight. If you had told me you could copy it, I would have told you this reason too.”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Shy, come on!” she yelled, “Wake up, she's manipulating you!”

“Dash,” Sunset shared a meaningful look with Applejack and they both shook their heads, “I'd really thing about shutting up right now.”

Without another word, Twilight pulled out her phone and she had the hospital on speed dial, right next to her mother, Shining Armour and Cadance in her contacts list. “Hello,” she spoke to the receptionist, “Is Adagio Dazzle in room...”

“Three one two,” Fluttershy provided her with the room her girlfriend was staying in.

“Room three one two, is she still there? This is Twilight Sparkle. Yes, so nice of you to remember. I'm calling for Fluttershy, she is very concerned for her friend. Yes, but most of the day has passed since she visited this morning. Thank you, I will reassure her.” After she had hung up, Twilight levitated her phone away back into her bag. While she had been reluctant with her magic at first, now she liked to practice as much as she could. “Well that all checks out.”

“How long, darling?”

“She’s been my pet for just over three weeks.” Fluttershy omitted for the moment that they were distinctly more than just Dominant and Submissive. That revelation could wait, for now.

“Y’all did seem a bit more into participation at our last meeting, Shy.” Applejack noted and, at the same time, Rainbow opened her mouth and started to say something but at everyone else's glare, she wisely chose to shut up.

“At least everyone knows!” Pinkie Pie bounced happily around the living room. They didn’t know everything, but she’d just have to keep the rest of it in her hair for the moment. “Knowing what I knew was very hard because nobody else knew what I knew but now you all know!”

“You do so well at keeping secrets, my love,” Rarity caught her pet as she bounced past and pulled her into her lap.

“Do her sisters know?” Sunset asked curiously.

“That we are together, yes.” Fluttershy replied, choosing her words carefully, “That she is in the hospital, no. Not yet.” She then twirled the oversized crop in her hands, picturing where on her best friend she was going to strike her. “I don't like to share.”

Applejack smirked, “That is more Rarity's department, but Shy, Ah gotta question your kindness.”

Fluttershy arched an eyebrow at Applejack, “I promised I wouldn't kill her.”

“I was only warning her off!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed in desperation, “What's she doing round here anyway?”

“Ooooooh...Dashie...” Sunset rubbed her forehead with one of her hoof covered hands, finding it hard to get her head around what her friend had done. “Come on, warning her is one thing. I really thought you'd have learnt the power of words after the Anon-A-Miss incident.” Sunset had only just managed to get over what had happened at Christmas. She never ever wanted to endure something like that again. “It seems I was wrong. I say teach her, Shy.”

“She did nearly die, pet.” Twilight turned her gaze down at her girlfriend. While she loved Rainbow with all her heart, she had to admit she had crossed the line this time. “Nurse Redheart said that Fluttershy's timely intervention was all that saved her.”

“I um...” Rainbow suddenly had tears in her eyes, the enormity of what she had – almost – done catching up with her at last, “I didn't really mean what I said...I just wanted to warn her off, that's all!”

Twilight leveled an even look at the caretaker. “Shy?”

“Um, maybe I should have said beat her soundly instead of beat her severely.”

“No crippling injuries, and I know that you know what those are. Also, I don't want anyone to think I beat her when she’s dressed.” That was all Fluttershy needed to hear. She swung the crop with deadly accuracy, and it landed with great force over one of Rainbow’s kidneys, earning her a scream of agonized pain. If Twilight’s foot had not been holding Rainbow’s head to the floor, she would have writhed over the floor.

Fluttershy proceeded to demonstrate just how strong she was as she rained blow after blow down on Rainbow Dash’s prone body. The end of the crop kissed the athlete’s back, her ass, and her upper legs, but no strike hit a weak spot like the kidney again. The others, all sat watching the show, winced as they heard the crop whistle through the air and then be accompanied by a loud scream of pain.

“That's...impressive,” Sunset watched in awe as, after twenty full strength hits that left angry red welts over most of her friend’s twitching body, Fluttershy switched to lesser strength hits, “I didn't know Dashie could dance like that!”

Although Fluttershy’s strikes weren’t as strong as the first twenty, the second lot of twenty still hurt, mostly because she was hitting spots that had previously been lit up by her crop. When Rainbow Dash’s squirming presented her defenseless asshole to her friend, the crop landed squarely on her anus with a sickening thwap! That did it. “LAAAAAAAAME!” she hollered out her safe word, unable to take any more punishment.

As Rainbow was reduced to a crying blubbering mess, Fluttershy cooled down by whapping the crop against her leather boots, not really doing any damage to herself, and making Rarity whistle appreciatively, “She is really in the zone!”

“Remind me to not piss Shy off,” Applejack snickered, though she had to admit it was cute when Twilight got down on the floor and cradled the howling Rainbow in her arms.

“I dunno about anyone else,” Sunset looked round the room, “But I'm really horny now.”

Having finished, Fluttershy knelt down by her best friend and affectionately she wiped the tears from her face. “I forgive you, Dashie.” She then laid the crop next to her on the floor. “If I ever give you cause.” Then, Fluttershy stood up, leaving Twilight to comfort Rainbow as she did some stretches. “Have the last two weeks been good for the rest of you?”

“Marvelous, darling. I got a dress order from Whom for a rock musical!” Rarity said, smiling at Twilight as the nerd performed admirable aftercare on the sobbing athlete.

“More of the same for me,” Applejack put in, “Apples don't change.”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Sunset smiled as she sat on her Mistress’s lap, “We've been getting ready for the Camp Everfree charity event next week. And doing apples too.” Now that the intense correction of Rainbow Dash had concluded, the 'fun' had now well and truly resumed at the party.

~ ~ ~

At eight a.m. the next day, which just happened to be a Saturday, Fluttershy was at Canterville General hospital by the last stroke of the hour to collect her girlfriend. With all the multitudinous forms filled out, and the payment made, the teenager walked into the room looking like a ray of sunshine in a cream sundress and wide brimmed white hat. “I was told you were a good pet yesterday and last night. Are you ready to go home?”

“Yes Ma'am,” Adagio, who had been laid on the hospital bed on top of the bedsheets, looked down at her chest and the dark red dress that she wore, and all the way down to the open toed sandals on her feet. She had behaved, but she still felt rather wretched. “I'm ready, and I'm sorry, for being stupid and selfish.”

“When we don't think we do stupid things,” the radiance of Fluttershy’s outfit was outshone by the brilliance of her warm smile, “I can forgive that. I forgave,” she giggled, “The blue one last night after I let her know my displeasure. The selfish part will take a little more time to forgive.”

Adagio stared resolutely at her feet. “I deserve whatever you did to her.”

Tenderly, Fluttershy laid a hand on her girlfriend’s right wrist, barely applying pressure to the bandages. “I could do no worse than this. Come along, my pet, I'm taking you to my house for the night.”

Pure surprise and disbelief made Adagio look up from her feet to finally meet Fluttershy’s loving gaze, “You still want to be with me, after all this?”

“All of what?” Fluttershy asked warmly, her smile never faltering for a moment, “You are my pet, and my girlfriend. That hasn't changed.”

Sitting up, Adagio suddenly pulled Fluttershy in a hug that thrust her face into the teenager’s much larger bosom, and she cried, “I love you so damn much!”

“I'm still learning to love you,” Fluttershy said as she gently stroked Adagio’s short shoulder length orange hair, “But I'm not letting you go, for I care for you too much.” She then adjusted her stance just a little so she could add a kiss to the hug.

Lost in Fluttershy’s embrace, Adagio cried for a long time before she eventually pulled away and rubbed her eyes. “Right,” she gave a tremulous smile, “I'm ready to get out of here.” Seeing as she was already dressed and ready, all Adagio had to do was stop off at the nurse's desk for her to sign out. Fortunately she managed to escape without a wheelchair, and the pair quickly made their way to the nearest elevator.

An unexpected sight greeted the pair when they walked out of the elevator in the hospital’s ground floor lobby. None other than Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash were stood by a large fake potted plant next to a coffee table stacked with the months out of date magazines that all hospitals had. Twilight had on her dark purple skirt and light green striped tee shirt, while Rainbow sported her black jogging pants with the lightning bolts and white tee. The moment she saw them, Fluttershy tightened her hold on Adagio's hand. “Twilight, why are you here?”

Twilight adjusted her black rimmed glasses and nudged Rainbow forwards with a rough shove. “Correcting a wrong doesn't get easier over time.”

“Wha!” Adagio exclaimed, freezing up in Fluttershy's grip. When Rainbow was thrust towards her, the thought of fleeing back to the elevator did cross her mind, but her girlfriend's grip was too strong to break.

With a face full of shame, Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head and studied her new sneakers. “Yeah, I sort of…” she stopped when Twilight loudly and obviously cleared her throat, “Okay, I really screwed this up. Even if you weren't Shy's girlfriend, what I did to you was wrong.”

“Did Twilight make you come here?” Fluttershy asked, her beady eye noting all the places she had struck with the crop the night before and where her best friend was standing awkwardly.

Rainbow nodded, but before Fluttershy could tell her to clear out, she quickly said, “But what I have to say is real.”

Purely for nerve, Fluttershy squeezed Adagio's hand and then she let it go. She was willing to give her friend a chance. “Twilight, I think you'll find that plant over there very interesting.” She then walked over to the fake plant leaving Adagio behind and, fortunately, Twilight quickly caught on and walked with Fluttershy.

Rainbow watched the two go, but she didn't move. For some reason, her feet wouldn’t obey her today. They had been problematic all morning. Adagio likewise kept her distance of a couple of feet from the athlete. “I'm sorry I called you Crash. Until the other day I called you the blue one. I'm not good with names and faces, Rainbow Dash.”

“It wasn't that, even if you aren't the group that uses that name. It is kind of an honor name with the Wondercolts. I...” Rainbow paused, damn she wasn’t good with all this mushy feely nonsense! “All I wanted to do is hate you, but we had already won. Shy reminded me of that last night.” With that, Rainbow turned away and pulled down her jogging pants past her ass. Rainbow’s toned tight derriere looked absolutely savaged, lined with several angry crop marks. Display over, she pulled them up and turned back around. “A little kindness goes a lot farther than any amount of hate. I did want to hurt you with my words, but…no, I didn't care what you did. Again, Shy reminded me to own my actions and so, I'm sorry. Sorry I almost caused you to die. No one deserves that.”

Adagio glanced over at Fluttershy and the other girl and she saw the two of them were obviously staring at them, completely ignoring the fake plant they were stood next to. Both of them were talking softly to each other. “Ms. Fluttershy did that?” Adagio asked, feeling a degree of sympathy for Rainbow. “Jeez...remind me not to piss her off.” She then held out her fist. “I'm cool with you if you're cool with me.” It wasn’t that Adagio particularly wanted to be friends with the girl, she just didn’t have the drive to dislike her. “You know, while we're being honest, I hated Sunset, not you.”

Immediately, Rainbow bumped Adagio’s offered fist. “Yeah, even Sunny said I crossed a line. Shy said she was cool with your sisters too. I may need some time for that, but I'm not going to jump down your throat again. So, I'm cool too, if you are.”

“And, while I'm still being honest, I thought that solo song you played at the Battle of the Bands was pretty decent.” Adagio wasn’t totally lying, but a little smoke up the chimney never hurt anyone.

Watching the pair like a hawk, Fluttershy and Twilight walked back over after they saw the fist bump. “Yeah,” Rainbow gushed, falling for the bait hook, line and sinker, “Everything I do is cool.”

“Almost everything,” Twilight corrected her pet.

“Dashie,” Fluttershy beamed, “Flashing your ass at my girlfriend is not going to lure her away from me.”

Blushing at being called out by her girlfriend, Rainbow again rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah, almost.”

“There’s one thing I need to know, though, Rainbow.” Adagio had been thinking about this question all the previous day, wondering if she’d ever get the chance to ask, “In that song you did, you mentioned a Sonic Boom. Can you really do one, or was that just boasting and hyperbole?”

“She can really do one!” Twilight gushed, squeezing Rainbow’s hand tightly, “I've witnessed it!”

Fluttershy’s nod convinced Adagio they weren’t leading her on. “Um...do you think you could you do one, please? When I was in Equestria, only one pegasus could do it, a mare named Firefly. It was a sight to behold!”

“Not in the hospital,” Twilight put in quickly. The last thing she wanted to do was cause property damage in what had become her second home.

“Hey, what about the hill we played from?” Rainbow offered, eager for the opportunity to show off.

“Tomorrow,” Fluttershy stated firmly.

“Tomorrow,” Twilight agreed.

Standing by Adagio’s side, Fluttershy again took hold of the ex-siren’s hand. “The others will be there if we do it, Dagi.”

“Yeah,” Twilight spoke up, “So you should bring your sisters out too! We can make a day of it!”

“That sounds like a plan,” Adagio smiled, and not just because Fluttershy had used her nickname for the first time ever, but then she looked at the purple girl and her glasses. She knew her name! What in the name of the oceans was it? Then, it came to her, slowly. “Um...T-w-I-light, right?”

With a questioning look on her face, Twilight asked, “Yes?”

Fortunately, Fluttershy was on hand to make the save, “I'm teaching my pet names, so she doesn't call everyone cattle.”

“Or the Purple One,” Adagio giggled, “What happened to you? You didn't wear glasses at the Battle of the Bands.”

Not for the first time, Fluttershy squeezes Adagio's hand, “I think that is a story for another day. Thank you Dashie, thank you, Twilight. If you’ll excuse us, I do need to get my pet home, though.”

“Yes,” Twilight smiled and nodded, “right, and I should do the same.”

“Ah, okay then,” Adagio actually went and hugged a rather stunned Rainbow Dash, who after a moment, hugged her back. “It was good clearing the air. Thank you.”

Before anyone could say or do anything else though, Fluttershy pulled Adagio along and, when they were outside, she steered her over to her pink beetle. She opened the passenger side door to let Adagio in and, once they were both seated, she said, “Not all is what it seems around here. There is a lot of Equestrian magic in the world now, as you noticed with my pendant. Speaking of which, I know how to get copies.”

“Shut the front door...no way, for real? Like, really for real?”

“Do I have reason to lie to you, pet?”

“No, of course you don't, I didn't mean to suggest you were, sorry.”

“The Twilight Sparkle you just saw wasn't the same Twilight Sparkle that you encountered at the Battle of the Bands,” Fluttershy explained as she put her little car in gear. “I’ve spoken to her about getting copies of the geodes and I hope to have them in two weeks for all of you.”

“Wasn't she?” Adagio was a little surprised, but not all that much. “I'm gonna go on a limb then and say Equestrian magic then. Seems to be the go to default around here.”

Fluttershy covered her mouth as she laughed brightly, “The Twilight Sparkle from the Battle of the Bands was an alicorn Princess from Equestria,” she said as she steered her way around some parked up cars, “Do you want to go to my house, or to yours?”

“Your place, please.” Adagio Dazzle sat back in the seat and shook her head as she digested what she had just been told. “We - I - totally messed up!” she threw up her hands in exasperation, “I assumed that Sunset Shimmer was the real and only threat, when it was this Twilight Sparkle all along. Alicorn.” She had only encountered two alicorns in Equestria before, now it seemed there were more. “No wonder we got our asses handed to us!”

Fluttershy nodded sympathetically, “It was Sunset that caused that Twilight to come to this world. She was a lot like you. Seeking power. She got rainboomed into the ground, too.”

“I know. I saw it happen. We were mooching in a low rent diner somewhere grabbing a fast snack off the locals when we saw the magic. I knew immediately what it was, what we could do with it.”

“You must not have seen everything that happened, then,” Fluttershy asserted, “If Sunset couldn't take us down, you should have known you couldn't either.”

“Oh please,” Adagio waved her hand airily, “We've caused enough upset and malcontent in Equestria. We turned the Princesses on Discord. We turned Celestia on her sister. It was only that crusty old idiot Starswirl the Bearded and his 'pillars' that banished us. We looked at you, saw six girls, and thought it would be easy.”

“Sunset says our Equestrian counterparts have the pillars’ power,” Fluttershy said after she considered that for a few moments, “And I guess that leaked into this world.”

“I guess it did, or is doing, or whatever,” Adagio smiled, “I'm glad we failed though. Now I have you, Fluttershy,” she sighed and looked out of the window at the passing scenery that whizzed past as they made their way on up to Lake Shore Drive.

“I'm very pleased with Jubilee too,” Fluttershy giggled as she placed her right hand on her girlfriend’s knee and squeezed it affectionately. “I'm rather fond of Adagio as well.”

Next Chapter: Everfree Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 3 Minutes