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Mistress: Adagio's Big Comeback (Bullet Point Edition)

By SizeOfMT
Created: 2022-12-24 04:21:52
Updated: 2023-10-20 03:15:02
Expiry: Never
sunset shimmeradagio dazzledazzlingsmane sixoriginal character

  1. If this piques your interest or you simply want a more traditionally written (if second person perspective) version, please read the full story here - https://www.fimfiction.net/story/510550/mistress-adagios-big-comeback
  2. References to B-Side refer to this extra story, which covers a mix of revisits of scenes from another perspective and new content - https://www.fimfiction.net/story/527121/mistress-b-side-the-sunset-side-of-the-story
  3.  
  4. (1)
  5. >the story begins several years or so after the events of EqG, with the OC, Radian Wave, psyching himself to enter a seedy bar in a crime-ridden neighbourhood
  6. >he recently found out this was a place owned by Adagio Dazzle, and he needs her help
  7. >Radian's was an antisocial cowardly nerd, but he's penniless besides the clothes on his back, a developing backbone/chad mode due to his desperate circumstances and determination in achieving a dream of his, and one thing that's going to be his trump card, so he finally enters
  8. >true enough, Adagio's there, albeit drunk and sitting alone in a bar filled with assholes
  9. >he buys her a drink, and approaches to try his elevator pitch
  10. >naturally, Adagio takes the gifted drink but immediately tells him to piss off, using the bar's bouncer to threaten him, alongside a taser
  11. >Radian, panicked but still determined to not ruin this chance, mentions that he's found a way to manipulate Equestrian magic
  12. >the very mention of the one thing Adagio thinks she can never have again (and in disbelief), this infuriates her, so she gets her bouncer to throw him out of the bar
  13. >before he can be pulled away, Radian quickly activates said trump-card
  14. >a jury-rigged phone can can scan, draw in and broadcast ambient magic in a more refined, tangible form
  15. >Adagio feels the concentrated power, and calls for a stay of execution on the geek
  16. >especially after he introduces himself, and says he thinks he can give her back her powers
  17.  
  18. (2)
  19. >the scene picks back up after he's explained his process
  20. >he was already a bit of a tech whizz as a kid, and he even detected magic back when it first became a thing after Sunset's theft of Twilight's crown (roughly finding the same data Sci-Twi, but he wasn't in a prestigious school, from a wealthy family and only had crude, home-made devices, so his progress was slower)
  21. >he also kept his ear to the ground while other magical events happened, including Sci-Twi's device (the one that corrupted her) but she stopped due to being scared away from continuing studying it the same way
  22. >Radian, however, became obsessed with his findings, even after graduating and earning a place in a tech firm
  23. >he had already figured out some of the quirks of magic as a teen, and his early adult years spent as an electrical engineer slowly working out how to harness magic more efficiently and safely
  24. >this even earned him a PhD (without divulging the magic aspect, but the energy conversion side), but the tech firm was going to just keep him under their thumb
  25. >at this point he decided to strike it alone, and took his research with him, leading him to this bar
  26. >he needs Adagio's help, since she has experience and sensitivity with magic, and he was worried the human seven wouldn't like his tampering with magic, since they seemed to be involved with a lot of magical events and generally put a stop to them, as well as a particular individual in their group
  27. >his plan now is to create two devices; one handheld device that can scan, draw in and broadcast specifically tuned forms of magic, like his phone but purpose built (and less likely to explode)
  28. >and one that can convert that magic into electricity, to sell and make a fortune as a green power alternative
  29. >Adagio's curious (it's either money or power, or both, so of course she is), but then the big sell happens
  30. >Radian's flat broke and now homeless having spent all his money trying to make a device that can manipulate magic (without exploding) just to prove he could do it, and he needs money to buy the parts for these purpose built machines
  31. >unfortunately, Adagio's broke too, as all of her money is tied into the seedy bar
  32. >and she's barely keeping afloat
  33. >she also finds any thoughts about her former glory as a siren too painful to even contemplate; real life screwed her over and all that is just nonsense to her now
  34. >her admittance to having basically given up on anything besides 'living life' leads to Radian to snap and grab Adagio
  35. >he pleads to her that she's better than that
  36. >he thought she was a siren, someone with power and pride
  37. >someone who once had dreams of ruling the school and beyond
  38. >not some average girl with nothing on the horizon but 'breaking even' in a failing business
  39. >Adagio's shocked into silence at this, all the while Radian (now defeated, thinking his words have fallen of deaf ears) is being led away by the bouncer and jeered at by the other bar patrons
  40. >after some introspection, Radian's words awaken the dormant pride within Adagio
  41. >so she snaps back and tells everyone to get the fuck out, except Radian and her staff, just so they can do the leg work, take their severance and leave
  42. >Adagio sells the bar, liquidises all the assets, her staff take their severance pay from the assets and go their separate ways
  43. >she's giving Radian his shot, but threatens him that if he screws up or double crosses her, she's going to take him down with her (and tase his nuts for his trouble)
  44. >Adagio takes him back to her apartment, which is in the same shitty neighbourhood, and the apartment's pretty sparse
  45. >he uses her funds to order all the parts he needs, and so ends the first day
  46.  
  47. (3)
  48. >Radian dreams of how he became interested in the Dazzlings as soon as he recognised the animosity between them and Sunset, spying on the same moment we see them in Rainbow Rocks and recognising the sirens as being... less than genuine with their nice facade
  49. >and at the time, he wanted nothing more than to help them in an 'enemy of an enemy is a friend' style way, since he hated Sunset, who bullied him a lot pre-redemption and refused to even talk with her after she had a change of heart, avoiding her completely
  50. >in a weird way, he feels ingratiated to the Dazzlings as, when he was under their spell, he didn't care about his crummy life, and became a big fan of their music besides
  51. >on waking, Radian sets up his plans for the device and tries to get into Adagio's good books by making her breakfast and being generally helpful
  52. >Adagio's wary though, keeping an eye on him and making it clear this is now an iron-clad arrangement
  53. >he's using her, and she's using him to both get what the other wants, and they'll both lose everything if this doesn't work
  54. >that said, Radian starts asking what happened to the other Dazzlings
  55. >Adagio refuses to discuss the matter, although doesn't mind socialising with him otherise, since she's been deprived of any sort of real contact beyond her employees and scumbag bar patrons for some years
  56. >certainly at least as someone aware of magic, and sympathetic to who and what she was
  57. >some of the parts arrive for Radian's device and, with nothing better to do, she watches him work
  58. >it becomes obvious Adagio's pretty smart; while she doesn't know exactly what he's doing, she keeps checking up on what he says he's doing through her cellphone to make sure he's keeping to his promise
  59. >with a rudimentary but incomplete device ready, he tries it out
  60. >with Adagio's help and sensitivity to magic, they begin tweaking the output signal into a stronger, narrow band
  61. >one signal makes her flustered, though Radian's too much of a geek to catch onto it, so they move on
  62. >they finally narrow down a signal that reacts strongly to Adagio's siren powers
  63. >she even undertakes some of the changes she did when her powers were restored; fin-wings, her ears turning horse-like, her hair extending into the tail-like form
  64. >but, all of a sudden, they cut out and she reverts
  65. >without the device being completed, it's too weak and unfocused to restore her powers
  66. >however, Adagio's adequately impressed that there's something to all this
  67. >she eases off on some of her more hostile, untrusting nature enough to leave him to continue working while she gets some groceries
  68.  
  69. (4)
  70. >when Adagio returns, having bought some supplies with their dwindling funds while Radian tidies up, he once again tries to make himself useful
  71. >Adagio finds his attempts a bit creepy, but they eventually just sit and talk for a while
  72. >he explains about why he became a fan of the Dazzlings, expressing his gratitude about alleviating his crappy life through falling under their spell
  73. >they also bond a little in their dislike of Sunset Shimmer
  74. >though Adagio still finds him enjoying the sirens sowing of negative emotions to feed pretty weird
  75. >as more parts arrive, though this time for his main device, she settles in to watch him work again
  76. >once more it becomes clear she's learning as he works, and is catching on to the science behind it
  77. >but as he works, he suddenly asks about Aria and Sonata again
  78. >frustrated, but relenting, she explains that they struggled to get any major fame
  79. >to start with, they had to learn how to sing the old fashioned way; hard work and practice
  80. >she doesn't admit it, (and it's covered in B-side) but their attitudes were something of a known issue, so while they did get some gigs, they were never seen as a good band to work with
  81. >but Adagio confesses she pushed her sisters pretty hard as well
  82. >and, worse still, a talent scout offered Sonata a job with his agency
  83. >still loathing humans, Adagio refused to even consider it and angrily demanded Sonata forget about it
  84. >but as gigs became fewer and fewer, and Adagio more and more determined to make the band somehow work, suddenly finding other avenues became more and more attractive
  85. >especially when said humans seemed nicer
  86. >that the Dazzlings were, fundamentally, human too
  87. >lastly, since they weren't in a great place financially
  88. >Sonata took the offer
  89. >(B-side covers Sonata's take; she wanted to earn money to give to Adagio, to try and help out, but when Adagio noticed she had gone in the early hours of the morning, she called Sonata. Adagio didn't give Sonata a chance to fully explain why she left for the job offer, and already stressed with their situation, snapped at Sonata in a big way and told her never to come back, expecting her to do so after being taken advantage of by the talent firm. The job offer was legit, and being eager to earn her way and to put in the work to impress, Sonata settled in to her new job, glad to be doing something where she was treated better)
  90. >with Sonata gone, Aria didn't want to hang around to deal with the fallout, and she left behind Adagio's back too not long after
  91. >still in possession of what money the Dazzlings had earned through their gigs, Adagio spent it on trying to make a bar for pretentious snobs to fleece them for cash, but fell short on refitting the place and soon found herself in the downward spiral in which Radian discovered her
  92. >more parts arrive for the handheld device
  93. >not enough for the finished machine, but enough to make it almost as powerful as it can be, and they give restoring Adagio's powers another shot
  94. >being dosed with a massive amount of magic, it seems to progress to the point of her full siren powers, only for it to fail again and she reverts
  95. >this time, however, as Adagio recovers from the attempt, something else occurs
  96. >she becomes taller and stronger
  97. >confused and in a panic, she picks Radian up by the collar and demands to know what the hell he just did to her
  98. >but before he can even think of an explanation, she gets distracted by another overwhelming sensation, storms off into her room with a severe case of arousal, and 'takes care of her personal business' in her bedroom
  99. >leaving a deeply confused Radian to try and think of what the hell just happened
  100.  
  101. (5)
  102. >naturally confused, Radian's a little afraid when Adagio re-emerges from her room, still tall and visibly stronger
  103. >far from still being angry, she actually quite likes being taller than Radian (and most people), who still has no answers as to what happened
  104. >she says it reminds her of her old days as a huge siren, towering over the ponies of Equestria
  105. >but then offhandedly remarks that her stature and strength reminds her of the earth ponies of her old home
  106. >Radian, being very much an outsider of Equestria's way of life besides the magic leaking between worlds and the apparent fact there's two versions of everyone (humans and ponies in the other world), doesn't understand what she means
  107. >so Adagio decides to bring him up to speed about the ponies of Equestria
  108. >mostly about the unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies, as well as the alicorns
  109. >this gives Radian an epiphany; he always assumed everything would respond the same way to Equestrian magic
  110. >but Adagio might also be right about being an earth pony, and everyone might respond to magic differently, or react to different bandwidths of magic, but he needs to do some field testing
  111. >while it can broadcast magic just perfectly, the scanning function isn't quite complete, so he has to put that idea on hold for now
  112. >for the moment, as more parts arrive, he continues building his main device
  113. >Adagio also starts addressing Radian as Ray, which he finds touching, much to her annoyance
  114. >they spend the rest of the night just chatting as he builds
  115. >the next day, the final parts for Ray's device for taking readings of magic arrives
  116. >he also realises it's been a while since he had a shower, and he only had the clothes on his back
  117. >so Adagio helpfully gives him access to her shower, but that he'll have to wash his clothes down at the laundromat nearby
  118. >and Adagio, being a massive troll, offers him a nice, pink, fluffy bathrobe to wear in public while he gets his clothes cleaned
  119. >begrudgingly, he does so, and once clean and dressed once more, he begins taking scans of people to build a body of knowledge about human-pony energy types at a cafe that's near the laundromat
  120. >after a while, he bumps into Sunset Shimmer
  121.  
  122. (6)
  123. >Sunset recognises Ray, but not entirely, so she starts talking to him
  124. >Radian starts off meekly trying to evade notice and , like he used to in school
  125. >as she starts remembering she was pretty awful to him, Ray also feels his newfound confidence and backbone kick in when he realises this is his chance to vent against her
  126. >he calls her out for being a complete bitch to him
  127. >Sunset tries to apologise, but he storms off after having given her a piece of his mind
  128. >back home, he realises Sunset likely knows more about magic and maybe the portal in which Equestria's Twilight entered their world
  129. >he immediately begins considering taking hostile actions against Sunset to get this information
  130. >Adagio, however, shouts him down to not be a complete moron
  131. >she tells him that Sunset's got ties to some very powerful individuals on the other side, as well as her own circle of friends with their powers, so attacking them would just out themselves to the good guys and ruin everything
  132. >(B-side addresses that Sunset's destruction of the Time Twirler at the Starswirled music festival caused magically sensitive individuals to remember events that happened to them during the loops, so Adagio remembers meeting Sunset, her grabbing her wrist and 'figuring out' Adagio wasn't involved with the loops, the presence of magic, etc. It also addresses that Adagio did listen out for other magic happenings, generally noticing the Rainbooms were often involved in strange events across the country, when reported in crappy magazines and news articles)
  133. >Adagio shares some sage advice that she learned from being defeated by the Rainbooms, to take the loss as a learning experience rather than something as stupid as fuel for revenge, as well as alludes to how sirens have an urge to emulate and supersede those that outshine them, as it satisfies the sirens urge to be adored; after all, people love a champion
  134. >she also says that sure, she hates Sunset too, but she at least respects her; again, the siren inside respects strength, and that's a better way to consider others than raw hatred
  135. >Radian takes her words to heart, leading to another bonding moment between them, but can't just drop his grudge
  136. >now calmer, Radian begins looking into his newfound research into the human-pony energy connection
  137. >Ray still isn't sure, but suspects that either Adagio was made larger because, as a siren, she was a bigger entity, and that tapping into that power granted some of that size to her
  138. >or, as she assumed without her siren stone, she is in fact considered an earth pony over there, and some shift in the magic she was bombarded with the fact many earth ponies are tougher and stronger on average and exaggerated this trait
  139. >either way, Adagio's body is able to receive siren wavelength energy, but it converts it into earth pony magic
  140. >in his research into trying to use this new data in restoring Adagio's powers, he stumbles across an energy type that causes weakness instead of a boost, and it can be tuned to the individual pony types, sirens, anything
  141. >also at this point, Adagio's spent enough time checking in with his work that she's legitimately beginning to understand his technojargon, and becoming pretty clued in on the tech
  142. >after more experimentation, he tries a new method of imbuing her with power, involving a lot of siren energy, and a strong burst of a negative version of the earth pony energy, which should (at least) prevent her from growing bigger again if it doesn't succeed in empowering Adagio, if not force the energy within her to remain
  143. >and as the chapter ends, he makes the attempt
  144.  
  145. (7)
  146. >the experiment doesn't work as intended
  147. >it does, indeed, stop any further enlargement
  148. >but it also shrinks her back down to her original size
  149. >a little annoyed at the one good magical thing that had happened to her since her powers being stripped away, there's more bad news
  150. >she keeps getting sudden waves of the same 'horny energy' she felt when first being made bigger and stronger, and each time some of her lost stature is restored
  151. >it's similar to glass being vibrated from certain frequencies; the energy that surrounds a person is agitated, but it's felt in a positive way since it's signs of that power returning to the recipient
  152. >as she questions how long it's going to take to wear off (which will be hours), Ray starts calling Adagio 'Addy', completing the pet name back-and-forth
  153. >the prospect of being hit with repeated arousal makes Adagio offer to share her bed with Radian
  154. >it takes some less than subtle hinting, but she eventually pulls him in for a night of fun
  155. >Radian's more than happy to serve, and confesses she's his first
  156. >she orders and guides him in pleasing her
  157. >he does as directed, and for his services, grants him his final request
  158. >he just wants to cuddle
  159. >and then they fall asleep together
  160.  
  161. (8)
  162. >(B-side establishes Adagio's thoughts on sleeping with Ray. The strategic need to ensure his loyalty, the simple fact that it was more fun to deal with the horny energy with another than alone, even some of her thoughts about her life as growing up as a teenager in the human world, but it becomes clear she's beginning to like him more than she'd like to admit)
  163. >Ray wakes up with Adagio looking at something in her bedside drawer
  164. >she hides whatever it is, and as they discuss the night before, Ray offers his heartfelt thanks
  165. >it becomes clear that, as flippant as she's trying to be, she appreciates his gratitude
  166. >Adagio also starts discussing the restoration of her powers as, once more, an impossible task
  167. >Ray's unsure of why, until Adagio shows him what she was hiding
  168. >her broken siren necklace
  169. >she also seems pretty dismissive of the idea of doing anything but helping Ray build his machines, they sell it together, and either part ways amicably or maybe continue their partnership in some other way
  170. >she goes into some detail about her memories as a siren in Equestria, then as a child when the Dazzlings were first banished
  171. >about how they went through several orphanages and foster homes, unsure what or who they really were
  172. >as little fights and arguments started around them (and she's unsure if they were the cause, if accidentally), their necklaces fed
  173. >the more they fed, the more powers they had returned
  174. >the more powers that returned, the more memories were restored
  175. >yet, Adagio knows where this path led
  176. >as the sirens, at the height of their power, they were banished
  177. >as humans, when their powers were restored, they were still bested
  178. >and that maybe this was how it was meant to be; every time they reached a place to become a threat, they would be defeated
  179. >and that even then, there is no way to be restored, and that Adagio should just accept her lot in life
  180. >yet Radian once more goes into an impassioned speech, like he had at the bar, about what Adagio is, and should be
  181. >he swears he'll do everything in his power to restore her
  182. >even in spite of what she was, and what it might mean to give her powers back, because he wants to do it, and insists he doesn't do shit in half-measures
  183. >Adagio's impressed by his resolve, and finally admits that sure, if he believes he can do it, she'll believe in him to get the job done in return
  184. >so they renew their partnership, now as friends, and tackle a new day together
  185.  
  186. (9)
  187. >they spend some time just bonding
  188. >namely, for payment in a night spent together, Adagio puts Ray through the rigours of helping Adagio's famous poofage look its best (taking hours)
  189. >she trusts Ray enough to let him examine and study her siren stone
  190. >she then also asks to be shrank back down again, and whether it can be maintained
  191. >Ray theorises certain signals can maintain the anti-magic field to sustain her old stature, even sound files
  192. >Adagio just so happens to have an ongoing licence for audio editing software
  193. >they also discover the laptop they're using to control the large device has a quirk with crashing at weird times, but they persevere
  194. >Ray also notices the software has a lot of Adagio's songs, demos, alternative versions, including a song he's never seen before
  195. >but Adagio forces him to remain on task, and they make the sound file that can sustain Adagio's classic size so she can remain incognito
  196. >Ray recognises that Adagio's clearly planning something, and asks what
  197. >she asks him plainly; does he trust her?
  198. >and he answers that, after the last night, he does
  199. >so she tells him to not ask about what she's doing, and just follow her lead and do as she says
  200. >she then, after spending the last few days dressing plainly, she heads out in full classic Adagio fashion; full spiky outfit, full makeup and more
  201. >and leaves Ray to continue working on studying the stone
  202. >he finds that it resonates with a very similar, but subtly distinct, energy than Adagio does as a siren
  203. >then, when Adagio returns, she's not alone
  204. >because Sunset Shimmer's with her, and Adagio's grinning
  205.  
  206. (10)
  207. >awkward silences and Adagio putting on a friendly front ensue
  208. >(B-side has more of what happened between the two before returning to Adagio's apartment; we see Sunset arriving at the cafe she met Ray at in a long-shot attempt to patch things up again, and Adagio being there instead. They go over some of what they've been up to, all the while Sunset's expecting an ambush or some plot, all while Adagio's just being a bit down on herself, but peaceful)
  209. >it's clear Adagio's sucking up to Sunset
  210. >it's a careful balance of genuinely now accepting a human (with Adagio using 'boyfriend' when referring to Ray) and it being clear Adagio's trying to eke out something from Sunset
  211. >but the animosity between Radian and Sunset is clearer than ever; Sunset still wants to apologise for what happened, but Ray's not budging
  212. >naturally there's a nod about Adagio stumbling on the same name as Sunset called her pet gecko (B-side even reinforces this)
  213. >Adagio continues the actual truths about her situation; the lack of money for rent, the ongoing dislike, about how Radian's been helping her and she's given him a home, and how they've hit it off together
  214. >she also mentions Radian's attempts at harnessing Equestrian magic into power, much to his annoyance, but recognises it as a way to earn Sunset's trust
  215. >and as Sunset seems convinced of Adagio's reform
  216. >then Adagio probes with a simple question
  217. >would she and Radian be allowed to visit Equestria?
  218. >so she can at least see her home again, and it would help Radian's devices as he could study magic to some extent
  219. >obviously Sunset says that's a big ask; she can't risk a siren going back to Equestria
  220. >but Adagio uses the knowledge of her apparently being an earth pony over there as leverage; she wouldn't be a threat alone against the likes of Twilight, and Radian wouldn't know magic going in as a unicorn with no actual experience casting magic
  221. >she also offers Radian's understanding of controlling Equestrian magic and that he will drop his grudge as extra incentive
  222. >the only problem is that Radian's still stubbornly against Sunset, and makes it clear he won't drop the grudge
  223. >even to help Adagio, much to her surprise and worry
  224. >Sunset then asks if she can scan their minds with her empathy magic to confirm everything Adagio just said
  225. >having reached a pivotal moment, Adagio asks for a pause so she can convince Ray to change his mind, and because obviously Twilight will need to be informed of this too
  226. >Sunset also lets slip that the portal will currently exit out into the Crystal Empire
  227. >to Adagio, the fall of the empire was a recent event (what with almost everything taking place a thousand years ago)
  228. >they then part ways, leaving Ray and Adagio alone, but Sunset will return the next day
  229. >Ray asks why he wasn't told she was going to bring Sunset back, so he could at least prepare himself
  230. >she once again tells him to mind his own business and trust her, but then tells him that this seems like fate
  231. >he assumes she means something about the Crystal Empire, but she's being careful about mentioning anything else
  232. >she then probes Ray about his problem with Sunset, and why he won't place nice with her
  233. >Ray, after being very helpful and complaint throughout their time together, says he'll write the notes about his magic conversion, but still refuses to budge on Sunset
  234. >when she asks why, he turns the table on her; just as she won't tell him her plans, he won't tell her about his issues with Sunset
  235. >this honestly shocks Adagio, again, because he's been eager to please otherwise
  236. >after letting him cool off by working on his devices for a while, and in an astonishing moment of humanity, she arrives bearing the gift of booze and more earnestly and empathetically asks about his problems with Sunset
  237. >she notes that, like he kept bugging her about her sisters, she's now pulling that move on him
  238. >Ray finds that pretty funny, downs the drink, asks for another, and relents
  239.  
  240. (11)
  241. >he explains his history; his asshole dad and sickly mother fighting over Radian's unhappiness in school
  242. >his dad wanted to move elsewhere, for a better paid job
  243. >she wanted to stay due to the fact her family still lived there, and her condition made travel somewhat risky
  244. >Ray also details incidents like a time Sunset ruined everyone's science fair project, including his (at that point) greatest achievement of building a digital calculator from scratch, compared to the usual potato batteries, soda and vinegar volcanoes and such
  245. >he wanted to start knuckling down to help prove his mom right that he was doing okay at school
  246. >the problem was Radian's mom gave him money meant for bills to buy the parts for the calculator, and with nothing to show for it, Ray's dad was furious at the squandering of cash, and led to one of their worst fights
  247. >Ray's dad left, and forced Ray to grow up quicker to try and look after his mom as she got worse
  248. >all while he still tried to find time studying magic and academically to be a success, as his mom always believed in him (even in the magic aspect, although how much she was humouring him, he isn't sure)
  249. >unfortunately amateur magical science doesn't pay the bills, so while he managed to get a college degree and a career that earned him his electrical engineering PhD, he was forced to neglect his mom as a result
  250. >she passed away, and he's always placed that blame on Sunset for being a face he can put on the root of his problems, and he even knows it's not completely logical; it's the one emotional problem he can't overcome
  251. >it's just too deep a wound for him
  252. >back in the present, Ray's fairly drunk but stops drinking, meanwhile Adagio's had many more, yet still seems pretty lucid (but she's difficult to get drunk, as a lingering quirk of being a siren or earth pony, she's not sure)
  253. >Adagio at first seems ambivalent to his story, but then admits she's never been good at comforting people, let alone acting like a human
  254. >nonetheless, she offers her genuine condolences
  255. >the topic briefly remains on family, like Aria and Sonata
  256. >Adagio, rather than her annoyance before, just seems sad
  257. >they bond some more about their shared experiences
  258. >she admits he's good company
  259. >he jokes maybe she's falling for him
  260. >she jabs back he's passable at best, but when he seems to take that literally, she confesses she's messing with him
  261. >it's clear they're getting close
  262. >but the conversation steers back to Sunset
  263. >Adagio asks if the anti-signal he'd used before can be made more subtle, and asks if she can be taught how to do control his devices
  264. >he gives her an overview, and writes her some instructions on using both devices
  265. >and she makes it clear that when Sunset arrives, they'll use an anti-unicorn signal to disrupt her ability to read minds, at least partially; too weak to stop her, but enough to hopefully obscure too many details
  266. >Adagio then once more asks him to forgive Sunset, even as a lie
  267. >he's still pretty stubborn, relishing in Sunset's obvious discomfort at his refusal to forgive her, but offers a compromise
  268. >he's been living with a singer for a few days, and she's not sung once
  269. >he also remembers that unreleased song, and wants to hear it
  270. >Adagio's annoyed, but says fine
  271. >she'll sing him that song, and he'll play nice (but he even says it won't be genuine)
  272. >she proceeds to sing a song she had made when she had plans to audition for a stage play, to use that as a way back into show business and have a go at a solo career
  273. >it's clearly a very personal song, practically autobiographical of her memories as a siren, her dreams as a human, then her actual situation, and wishing she could just live in her dreams instead of the human world
  274. >Ray's impressed; despite everything, she's still a hell of a singer
  275. >he asks what happened to the audition, because there's no way she would have been turned down with a performance like that
  276. >Adagio's suddenly very quiet and solemn, just saying 'something came up'
  277. >as she becomes contemplative, she suddenly pulls out her phone and makes a call
  278. >it goes to the mystery recipients answerphone, and Adagio just says she wants to see them, and gives the address of her apartment
  279. >afterwards, she pulls out more booze and insists they drink to a new tomorrow
  280. >and Ray's happy to oblige
  281.  
  282. (12)
  283. >Ray wakes up in the early hours of the morning, in bed with Adagio, severely hung over and needing the bathroom
  284. >she's hogging most of the bed and deep under the covers
  285. >he doesn't remember much after agreeing to drink more and, after answering nature's call, seeks out his phone
  286. >he finds it on the floor in the main room of the apartment, surrounded by empty cheap booze bottles, but under a torn piece of Adagio's clothing
  287. >and the phone shows it detected a few spikes of magic, so he's naturally curious, and finds a few video recordings
  288. >the first being a drunken Ray asking what Adagio sees in him, knowing he's punching way out of his league with a girl like her
  289. >she says she's always seen humans in vague terms, not really caring what they look like beyond identifying marks
  290. >the drunken Ray said about how he knows he's no looker, and how geeks like him never get the girl
  291. >but Adagio first says that he shouldn't belittle himself (joking that's her job)
  292. >she then adds more details to her past as a siren, about being worshipped, about learning to use her human form to seduce others and use sexuality as a tool, but she still didn't care about appearances beyond that
  293. >but her story culminates about how the most significant thing she's learned is that so long as others worshipped her, that's what mattered
  294. >and that being worshipped by someone willingly, for the first time and not forced through magic or fear, feels nice, alluding to Ray
  295. >the next video shows a much drunker Adagio beckoning Ray to use his device on her
  296. >and an obviously very drunk Ray trying to comply, but being too wasted to manipulate the controls using his handheld device
  297. >as he goes to use the bigger device, there's angry knocking on the door
  298. >as Adagio opens the door, an irate neighbour enters, one Crafty Crate (the human version of the pegasus who tried to scam Fluttershy over the price of a cherry in FiM)
  299. >he yells at them for making too much noise, Adagio and Ray mock him back, and he threatens Ray physically
  300. >Adagio shows her concern for Ray by trying to ward Crafty off, but she's still at her 'classic' size
  301. >she orders him to restore her new earth-boosted size
  302. >which he does
  303. >unfortunately, like when they tried to make that sound file, the laptop crashes and locks the siren signal at full strength and it'll take too long to reset
  304. >this induces another growth spurt in Adagio
  305. >it sends her to full amazonian size, seven foot or so and more muscular, explaining the torn clothing Ray found as she almost bares all
  306. >the growth alone freaks Crafty out, let alone the fact that she's now bigger and stronger than him
  307. >she forces Crafty into silence with threats, choke-lifting the large man with one arm to emphasise her point
  308. >he readily agrees to stay quiet and is thrown out of the apartment
  309. >an annoyed Adagio calls an end to the night, and the video stops
  310. >hesitantly returning to bed now he knows why Adagio seemed to be taking so much of it, a bleary and still tired and VERY big Adagio pulls Ray back under the covers, and he has no choice but to get more sleep
  311. >the next morning, still hung over, there's another knock at the door
  312. >Adagio panics as she realises she's huge, and struggles to find anything to fit
  313. >so Ray agrees to answer the door, while Adagio uses Ray's device to shrink herself in the meantime, thanks to the notes he gave her the night before
  314. >he answers the door, only to find a familiar face
  315. >Sonata Dusk
  316. (plenty of Sonata weirdness happens through the rest of this chapter and the next one, but it's not relevant to the plot, sadly)
  317. >turns out that phonecall Adagio made the night before was to her
  318. >Ray lets her inside, and Adagio emerges from her room
  319. >there's a tense moment where it looks like this whole thing was to pick up their animosity from when Sonata left, with Adagio looking firm faced and steely gazed
  320. >only for Adagio's stern facade to break as she pulls Sonata into a hug, and she tearfully and sincerely apologises for what she did and said to her those years ago
  321. >and the moment is underpinned slightly when Radian evacuates his stomach in the kitchen sink
  322.  
  323. (13)
  324. >the reconciliation resumes, with Adagio and Sonata simply glad to see one another
  325. >Adagio promises to be a better sister, rather than one who shouts down any insubordination, or alternative ideas
  326. >Ray's obviously touched by the pair settling their grievances and apologising, and is thrilled at the prospects of the Dazzlings getting back together
  327. >Sonata then spends some time going over her job
  328. >it turns out she was using an alias, after her agent found out Sonata was worried about people knowing who she was because of the Dazzlings' less than ideal history
  329. >which was why Radian, nor Adagio, have been able to find her whenever checking online at press events and the like
  330. >she's a voice actress for a cartoon, The Guardians of Gale Glade
  331. >Ray digs a little deeper and discovers that she's playing a prideful, well spoken and uppity rabbit who starts as a villain and turns into one of the heroes by the end of the first season
  332. >Sonata mentions she didn't know how to play uppity, devious and prideful, so her agent simply told her to channel someone she knew who did
  333. >noticing some similarities, Ray correctly guesses that Sonata channelled her best Adagio impression for the part, and succeeded
  334. >Adagio, while initially being insulted and even a little hurt, takes the dig at being caricatured as a bunny with an ego in stride
  335. >Sonata then covers the plot; Gale Glade is a big, pure, untouched wilderness, the Guardian animal characters from different animal clans that are chiefly 'champions' chosen by an elder spirit to gain powers to help protect it from outside threats
  336. >a strong part of the plot involves these varied, very different individuals teaming together in order to overcome bigger foes
  337. >y'know, friendship is powerful stuff and all
  338. >Adagio focuses hard on listening to this, but doesn't divulge anything beyond just being happy to see Sonata's doing very well for herself, as well as finding a creative outlet, since she doesn't just voice one character, but provides the singing voice for several others
  339. >apparently Sonata's quite the vocal mimic
  340. >the show itself is popular, and there's implication Sonata's dedication is a big part of that
  341. >with that settled, Adagio begins to bring Sonata in on her ongoing plan
  342. >but stops short when Sonata removes her outdoor hoodie, exposing her still-broken siren stone
  343. >Adagio muses about she's still wearing it (since Adagio hadn't, she keeps it at home)
  344. >Sonata remarks she always wears it, since it makes her feel a little happier
  345. >Adagio suddenly stops and glances between Sonata, Ray, his devices, and the siren stone
  346. >and, after a clear moment of inner plotting, Adagio grins her signature evil grin
  347. >Adagio asks for Sonata's stone
  348. >you know, just to 'look at it'
  349. >after some hesitation, Sonata hands it over
  350. >Adagio takes it into her bedroom, only to re-emerge with Ray's handheld energy emitter
  351. >she then places it so it'll hit Sonata with the anti-signal, prompting Sonata to feel deeply unwell (but ignorant of what's actually happening)
  352. >Ray's pissed at this; all that good will and reconciliation, just to hurt her sister?
  353. >undeterred, Adagio 'panics' about this sudden turn, oh-so-worried about Sonata's sudden ailment!
  354. >she then turns off the device, then retrieves Sonata's stone, giving it back to her just as she starts feeling better, as if taking it to start with caused the problem
  355. >Adagio begins spinning the lie that, even broken, without their stones the sirens will die
  356. >Sonata believes Adagio, as she doesn't know better
  357. >Ray drags Adagio into her bedroom and angrily confronts her about what the hell she's doing
  358. >but Adagio, once more, demands he obey her commands and trust her
  359. >she even says that she'll beg for forgiveness once this is all through, but she's doing this for a very good reason, and for all their benefit
  360. >as much as he hates this, he relents and begrudgingly follows along
  361. >with that settled, Adagio goes and gets some breakfast, leaving Ray to explain his device
  362. >he naturally learns how to communicate with Sonata (because, as we know, she's... different), and they begin building a rapport
  363. >Sonata notices the whole money situation, and flat out sends Adagio a few thousand dollars out of the kindness of her own heart
  364. >this sorts out any money woes, and just makes Ray all the more appreciative of the ditzier sister even more
  365. >even if Sonata kind of just sees Ray as Adagio's pet (which he kind of is), but she's learned to appreciate that humans can be pretty cool too
  366. >Ray therefore returns the favour by promising Sonata a full cut of whatever his energy machine ends up making, and they wait for Adagio's return
  367.  
  368. (14)
  369. >returning with breakfast burritos (which Sonata's more than happy to devour, despite claiming she's 'matured' and prefers pasta over Mexican food), Adagio expresses her gratitude at the sent money
  370. >Sonata's living in a lavish apartment in an upper class area, and doing very well for herself, so she doesn't mind at all
  371. >but as the good vibes continue, Adagio's quick to mention that the meeting with Sunset draws near
  372. >Ray activates a weak anti-unicorn signal with the main device since it can spread it through the apartment, so the unwell feeling doesn't seem so out of place when Sunset arrives
  373. >this affects Ray too, making him feel off, but he endures
  374. >and Sunset arrives
  375. >she says that Princess Twilight has agreed to let Adagio and Ray visit Equestria, so long as they can prove what the discussed last time
  376. >so Sunset is given Radian's research notes
  377. >she's impressed; Sunset tried to pin down how Equestrian magic worked before, and couldn't do it
  378. >and Radian swears he'll put the bullying incident behind him
  379. >but then comes the time for her to read Radian's mind, which he begrudgingly does
  380. >(B-side covers this; Sunset witnesses his genuine efforts to master magic through science, as well as watching a scene where his parents get into a fight directly because of Sunset's bullying and Ray's mom's refusal to move city due to her family living locally and her health, amplifying Sunset's guilt)
  381. >she's convinced so far; even if she struggled to get all she wanted from reading his mind, there's enough evidence to support his and Adagio's claims
  382. >Adagio then activates her most recent plan; she mentions about the dire 'news' that the sirens might die without their stones
  383. >she offers Sonata's memories as proof
  384. >Ray disables the anti-unicorn field so Sunset can get a full read on Sonata's memories
  385. >and, since Sonata honestly believed this bad news, Sunset's shaken by the revelation
  386. >(B-side covers that, while Sunset still had suspicions, this was enough of a push for her to accept a lot of the upcoming demands)
  387. >Adagio then makes an even bigger ask than before; she wants Sunset's help in repairing just one of their siren stones
  388. >she claims that with one stone, and with Ray's knowledge of energy, they would be able to feed on an artificially made type of negative emotion thanks to his devices by sharing said stone
  389. >a victimless way for the sirens to sustain themselves
  390. >Sunset mentions that it's possible; the Crystal Empire houses a facility that repairs many of the artefacts that Sunset tasks herself with recovering from the human world and sending back to Equestria
  391. >though naturally Sunset's still unsure with all this; what she's seen is at odds with her gut instinct
  392. >Adagio pleads to Sunset's better nature; she can't just let them die!
  393. >in a dramatic show of forced desperation, Adagio even offers her own stone as collateral
  394. >Sunset considers this, but ultimately doesn't take the stone
  395. >but she does grab Adagio's arm, and sneaks a look into her memories
  396. >Ray panics and reactivates the anti-unicorn signal, but not before it's clear Sunset managed to get a good look into Adagio's head
  397. >but oddly, Sunset's first concern is some sort of incident that happened to Adagio
  398. >she begs Adagio why she didn't ask for help, or call the police
  399. >Adagio's silent for a moment as she tries to control herself, but then flies into a rage
  400. >she slaps Sunset so hard it knocks her into the wall, and Adagio screams at her for invading her mind, but it's clear she's just as angry about being pitied, and storms off into her room
  401. >despite the obvious frustration Sunset's feeling, she ultimately concedes; she will ask Twilight to help repair one of their siren stones, and that they'll leave for the Crystal Empire in a few days time, when the mirror is open by its natural empowerment of the moon
  402. >Ray and Sonata ask what she saw, but Sunset refuses to expose what she witnessed, and leaves after saying that she believes Adagio wants to be a better person, owing to her more positive relationship with Sonata and Ray
  403. >alone once more, they then go and check on Adagio, who's obviously rattled, upset and emotionally fragile at whatever Sunset just brought back up
  404. >and she just pulls Ray and Sonata into a hug, clearly needing support, but Ray's left wondering what happened to Adagio before they met
  405.  
  406. (15)
  407. >after recovering, Adagio's back in business mode about the scenario
  408. >with the plan a success, and with Equestria on the agenda, Adagio now wants to find Aria
  409. >she asks if Sonata's seen Aria, only for the naïve sister to do a poor job at hiding that she knows
  410. >the charade lasts all of three seconds
  411. >with some light prodding, Sonata lets slip that Aria actually returned to Sonata a while ago, and works on Sonata's cartoon as well as a side-character, singing and music
  412. >when Aria left, she was the only one to stay purely in music
  413. >she joined a few bands before settling on a metal band called Salt-Lix
  414. >they took her in as a backup singer, but she soon gravitated to learning the electric guitar
  415. >and she took to it damn well, becoming a virtuoso player in a year of dedicated practice
  416. >she became so good that she became the reason fans would even attend Salt-Lix's performances; the rest of them were average at best
  417. >the band became so jealous of Aria's talent, they kicked her out without paying her
  418. >in desperation for short-term cash, and having been in at least some contact since the group split, Aria went to Sonata for a job, which she gladly offered (having earned a place of trust and prominence in the show)
  419. >Adagio's pride once more takes a hit
  420. >that Sonata and Aria got on better without Adagio leading just makes her more depressed, admitting the breakup was all her fault
  421. >Ray can't help but combine this show of sorrow, the event Sunset saw and previous downer attitudes in Adagio's mood as signs that she's got some lingering, buried issues, but can't connect the dots right now
  422. >while searching online for Salt-Lix's performances, they watch a video of Aria performing
  423. >and she's amazing; it's clear that her time spent pursuing music, rather than Sonata's split attention on acting, and Adagio's slump, Aria's the only one of the three who's really turned her affinity to music into something stronger
  424. >Adagio makes Sonata call Aria so they can get the band back together
  425. >Aria takes Sonata's return to Adagio's side about as well as Adagio took Sonata's initial leaving
  426. >as in, she's furious, and refuses to let Sonata talk
  427. >so Adagio takes the phone and tries to reason to Aria just to visit so she can explain about getting their powers back, but Aria doesn't believe her
  428. >so Ray steps up to the plate, and engages his chad-mode
  429. >he plainly says he's the one that's instigated the restoration of the powers plan, and that it's fully on the way to succeeding and lays out his credentials
  430. >also that he's railing Aria's sister
  431. >if nothing else, the morbid curiosity of what kind of human Adagio's 'desperate' enough to let fuck her convinces her to visit Adagio's apartment
  432. >Sonata insists Aria's cooled off from her earlier days, but ultimately, Adagio wants to make sure that Ray carries his own weight; Aria's clearly the most alike to their old, siren ways, so she'll use Radian's humanity as a point of weakness
  433. >soon after, Aria arrives
  434. >she's changed too; Aria's actually buff, still beautiful, and with her guitar slung over her shoulder like a battle-axe
  435. >Aria immediately begins to talk down to Adagio
  436. >while Adagio tries to be diplomatic, complimenting Aria while also recognising a few details about Aria; the fitness is one thing, but the instrument is the same model as Rainbow Dash's own guitar
  437. >as the bickering escalates, but before the sister-on-sister clash can get worse, Sonata steps between them
  438. >and she furiously screams down Adagio and Aria, refusing to let them split up again and ordering them to act like 'good sisters'
  439. >she openly threatens them both; that she'll get Aria fired, and tell on Adagio to Sunset that she's being sneaky
  440. >clearly, just as hard-core focused Aria's been on learning the guitar, Sonata's been learning lessons on friendship from her show and taking it just as seriously
  441. >the pair are so shocked at how forceful the once happy-go-lucky Sonata has become, they agree to calm down and start over rather than incur her wrath
  442. >Sonata pulls a mood 180, cheering and celebrating that the Dazzlings are once again together
  443.  
  444. (16)
  445. >while Sonata's intense, and persuasive, demand for cohesion calmed the situation, it's clear Aria still doesn't think the plan holds merit
  446. >for one thing she's not exactly thrilled to be working with a human, and that Adagio's former leadership lost them their powers and split the group
  447. >Adagio naturally assures her that Radian's trustworthy and instrumental to the plan
  448. >functionally, he's now a member of the Dazzlings, and that's her final word on the matter
  449. >as well as promising that she'll treat Aria and Sonata as equals; everyone gets a say in every plan, and they'll vote on any major actions
  450. >in fact, she's so confident that, if all else fails, and to keep Sonata happy by keeping the band together, she will gladly make Aria the leader of the Dazzlings and follow her direction
  451. >turning her attention back to Aria, Adagio compliments her skills, still noting that the guitar has become a real focus for Aria, and made her stronger inside as much as her fitness has strengthened her outside
  452. >Aria's even named it, because of how important it is to her; Metal-Mane
  453. >while it's obvious Aria's found an emotional outlet, and she's even seemingly grateful to Salt-Lix for teaching her the basics (the rest she worked out herself), Sonata bluntly brings Aria back to earth about the fact they dumped her ass when they grew jealous
  454. >it becomes clear that Aria hit a pretty heavy low herself as a result, being betrayed at the peak of her freedom, so she's not that much better than Adagio, compared to Sonata, who's living proof that the right attitude can get even a siren far in human life
  455. >turning their attention back to the human in the room, Aria insists on seeing why the hell they're keeping Radian in on this situation
  456. >she's also quick to add that, if Adagio's learned how to use the devices he's made, and already has been given pass to visit Equestria, they *really* don't need him
  457. >Radian remembers the positive way Adagio responded to being boosted by magic; the combined sense of empowerment and mild nostalgia
  458. >he also firmly believes in giving the sisters a balanced sense of power; Adagio likes her unnatural strength, so why not share the love and cheer the grump up at the same time?
  459. >so he fires up his larger machine and doses Sonata and Aria with siren magic
  460. >naturally the siren changes begin, but don't remain
  461. >and as they recover from the energy flood, they both enlarge and grow stronger (similar to Adagio's first dose; tall, but not abnormally so, while amplifying Aria's strength, but also Sonata's curves)
  462. >now, true, both sisters relish in the extra power
  463. >but Adagio's quick to point out that Ray's fucked up; he hasn't thought this through and been methodical
  464. >Radian forgot the whole arousal aspect
  465. >even worse, for the third time, the system crashes before he can rectify the situation
  466. >then, falling back on old habits as a user of people, Adagio decides to leave Ray to his fate so he learns his lesson
  467. >she walks out to let them have their fun as the two eye Radian as a toy
  468. >as he's manhandled into the bedroom, Ray can't help but remember Adagio saying about how the sirens are, fundamentally, beasts, no matter how smart, and in that primal moment, it's obvious he's going to have some bones broken
  469. >he can even see the handheld device is still in the room, but he has no way of reaching it with Aria and Sonata beginning to have their fun with him, tearing off his clothes
  470. >bone-crushing snuggles from Sonata aren't quite so bad
  471. >but Aria's sentiments to his humanity means she's going to break him for making her feel like this
  472. >as he resigns himself to his fate of being snu-snu'd, Adagio suddenly returns and uses the handheld device to quell the pair and shrink them back down
  473. >she orders Sonata and Aria into the front room
  474. >and she seems pissed, and orders Ray to go clean himself up
  475. >Ray does so, and prepares to apologise for screwing up
  476. >to his surprise, when he begins to try and patch the situation up with Adagio, she interrupts him
  477. >and, even more of a surprise, she apologises instead
  478. >they're meant to be in this together, and throwing him to the (superhumanly strong siren-turned-human) wolves wasn't the right thing to do
  479. >yeah, he screwed up, but they're meant to cover each other's flaws, not penalise each other whenever something goes wrong
  480. >it becomes pretty clear she cares for him a great deal, even if she won't say the words
  481. >though she makes a case that her attempts in 'being a better person' is far more difficult than most make it seem, since it's still against her nature
  482. >but she does insist that Ray apologise to Aria and Sonata for using the siren signal on them without their consent, just as she wants to make sure they apologise for using him as their chew toy
  483. >they're a team now, so it's time they acted like it
  484.  
  485. (17)
  486. >Ray apologises for breaching science ethics by using the two sisters as guinea pigs
  487. >Sonata's more than happy to apologise for almost pelvis-pounding Ray, drawing from her friendship focused show as inspiration
  488. >Aria... also apologises, after some brow-beating from Sonata and Adagio
  489. >the Dazzlings relax; they order some clothes for their new, enhanced forms, get some take-out, and generally just spend some time as a team
  490. >then comes time for Adagio to lay out the plan, since they've got a couple of days before heading through the portal
  491. >they're going to try and repair all the siren stones while in Equestria
  492. >Ray'll smuggle them inside the protective casing of the handheld device, since it blocks electromagnetic interference, so the damaged stones should be shielded from any magical scanning too, with luck
  493. >Ray should be instrumental in helping the repair efforts on Sonata's stone since he knows about magic, and has scanned Adagio's stone, so he knows more about them than anyone would in Equestria
  494. >at which point, he'll learn how to repair them, be it in Equestria or back home if they're being actively observed
  495. >Adagio assumes she'll be under closest watch, so she intends to play nice, remain shrunk using his device to ensure she's even less of a perceived threat
  496. >if things go wrong, they can revert her size to full earth-pony power, and she'll use her newfound, radically enhanced strength to fight the way back to the portal, and hopefully quickly enough before any alicorn interference can stop them
  497. >Sonata and Aria will remain near the portal, both in case of an emergency exit, but also to perform any pickups if Ray can fix a stone and send it back through the portal
  498. >to that end, Sonata heads off to get the old tour bus/van into working order, as they're going to put Ray's larger device in the van
  499. >Aria will be trained on how to use it, in case they need to disable anyone with an anti-signal, but also so she can use the sensors on it to scan for anything happening through the portal and/or detect when Ray performs a dropoff
  500. >not to mention being able to scan the portal itself might yield some ability to create their own portal into Equestria if things do turn sour, and Aria will have the three days the portal is normally open to get this done while Ray and Adagio are dealing with business in Equestria
  501. >with the plan laid out, Adagio offers her thanks to Sonata and Aria for trusting her again
  502. >Sonata and Aria then head home for the time being
  503. >once alone, Adagio and Ray spend some time just taking in that this is actually happening
  504. >they're going to Equestria and, hopefully, finally getting their stones repaired
  505. >and how far the pair have come together, since that first day of mistrust and threats
  506. >he also helped inspire her to swallow her pride and patch things up with her sisters
  507. >they then spend a tender night in each others company, and fully consummate their newfound relationship as a couple
  508.  
  509. (18)
  510. >with preparation in full swing, and all the sisters in their classic sizes for convenience, we join Ray teaching Aria how to use the larger machine (which he's finally fixed from its crashing issue, having troubled him three times throughout the story)
  511. >she's not as bright as Adagio, but certainly smart enough to learn how to use it
  512. >she's just stubbornly apathetic about working with a human and refusing to follow his lead
  513. >Adagio activates mom mode, and chastises Aria for not being a team player
  514. >Aria insists that once they get their powers back, Adagio will drop Radian like a bad habit
  515. >he's just a human, after all
  516. >losing her temper and pulling rank, Adagio reverts herself and Aria to their now natural larger sizes
  517. >which, having had two doses, Adagio's the bigger girl now, despite Aria's natural strength
  518. >she then snatches up Aria's guitar and prepares to break it in two
  519. >Adagio mocks Aria for her understandable panic and fear of Metal-Mane coming to harm
  520. >it's just a guitar, after all
  521. >but being Aria's prized possession, and a symbol of her personal growth, she submits
  522. >satisfied, Adagio returns the guitar without a fuss and unharmed, but says they need to be better as a team
  523. >they just can't keep doing this; bickering, the little infighting, the lack of cohesion has cost them so much already
  524. >Adagio then says about something she's noticed with her siblings; that, yes, they're driven to defeat those that have bested them before, and have incorporated these individuals and ideals into themselves, like a revelation of how to grow more powerful
  525. >and sure, the Rainbooms are largely core of that
  526. >Aria, as Adagio had noted before, seems to be emulating Rainbow Dash
  527. >the fitness, the guitar choice and more robust ego are close to Dash's own persona
  528. >it's a fair choice; Rainbow Dash is the most consistent front-woman of the Rainbooms, so it makes sense Aria would want to emulate those traits, then seek to and supersede her
  529. >take out the band leader, defeat the band; classic strategy
  530. >Sonata, in another show of unusual wisdom, looked to her cartoon for inspiration
  531. >the differing creatures and clans, bonding together to become stronger than the sum of their parts?
  532. >Sonata believes that friendship itself defeated the Dazzlings
  533. >again, she's not wrong; the human seven's bonds were greater than any single power in the band, since the sirens were truly stronger overall
  534. >Ray asks what Adagio came to focus on
  535. >probably Sunset or Twilight, right?
  536. >both of them stood in to help support the Rainbooms and seemed to give them the extra edge in order to best the Dazzlings
  537. >Adagio says that's close to the mark, and was even true at one point
  538. >but something else now weighs heavily on her, and represents her new goal
  539. >Ray asks what happened to Adagio to make her like this
  540. >despite all her improvements and confidence, this one thing remains his biggest worry
  541. >but, once more, Adagio refuses to talk about it
  542. >though she does at least swear she'll talk about it some day
  543. >turning her attention back to Aria, and continues on her lecture on how everything the sirens have focused on is part of a whole that, if they can conquer it together, they'll be stronger than they've ever been before
  544. >empowered with the siren might, but also understanding of that crucial element that led the Rainbooms to defeat them
  545. >and Adagio asks Aria if she'll stick with her and trust her
  546. >Aria relents, and agrees; she'll tow the line, and stick with the group
  547. >finally, after another day of preparation, the Dazzlings leave the apartment to go meet Sunset when she messages them to meet at Canterlot High School
  548. >not before Crafty Crate pokes his nose in again, assuming the whole giant Adagio issue was a drug induced hallucination and threatens cop intervention
  549. >the Dazzlings all do a little team-takedown on the guy, just to cement their status as a team once more, and Adagio tells Crate that if anything's touched in her apartment when she comes back, he's dead meat
  550. >Sonata drives, being a known quantity, but Aria hides with the machine as they drop of Adagio and Ray
  551. >Sunset apologises for sneaking that glance into Adagio's memories
  552. >playing nice, Adagio returns the gesture for slapping Sunset
  553. >and, again, there's that lurking animosity between Ray and Sunset, but he hands over Sonata's stone, both as collateral and since that's the whole reason they're going there
  554. >without further ado, Adagio and Ray step through into Equestria
  555. >Ray appears first, crash-landing in Equestria, and despite knowing this would happen, still understandably freaks out at being a pony
  556. >and meets face to face with one Princess Twilight Sparkle
  557.  
  558. (19)
  559. >Twilight welcomes Radian to Equestria, and the Crystal Empire, and levitates him onto his feet
  560. >or hooves
  561. >first she explains that the mirror currently suffers from a time delay between travellers, which is part of the reason why it's going to be repaired, so they have a little time before Adagio and Sunset arrive
  562. >Twilight has gathered a team to help repair Sonata's stone, that he'll be joining them the next day
  563. >also Ray starts getting used to both feeling deeply uncomfortable about swearing, and the local parlance just injecting itself into his vocabulary, like 'somepony'
  564. >Twilight then settles into teaching him how to walk so he can get used to his new pony body
  565. >he immediately appreciates Twilight's methodical, scientific way of explaining things
  566. >then Adagio arrives
  567. >with a ground-shuddering thud
  568. >because despite the attempt to keep her shrunken, she arrives at full size in her pony body
  569. >meaning she's a *big* goddamn earth pony (almost as tall as Princess Celestia, but broader and beefy)
  570. >even worse, she seems confused and dazed
  571. >Sunset then arrives, and far more gracefully
  572. >she and Twilight greet each other, and then address Adagio's bigness
  573. >expecting Adagio to swiftly and smoothly talk her way out the issue, she's still blankly staring off into nothingness
  574. >so Ray intervenes, using his old explanation at it being a quirk of Adagio's old siren days, and how big she was then carrying over
  575. >he uses scientific terms that mass, like energy, is a constant
  576. >Twilight, still being a nerd, immediately catches on and seems convinced
  577. >a snide comment from Sunset about being as big as her ego snaps Adagio out of her blankness, but she doesn't retort
  578. >instead she explains she's fine, just a little disorientated
  579. >Twilight then sends Ray ahead to the guest room while she helps Adagio also acclimatise to her new form
  580. >she also says she's left Ray a book on how to get started with his magic
  581. >on the way to the room, Sunset lets Ray know that she's aware that he's up to something
  582. >but mostly, she's still worried about giving Adagio back her powers
  583. >less for the obvious reason than what she witnessed when she looked into Adagio's memories
  584. >her empathy magic has developed to the point she can show others what she's seen (she can even read surface level thoughts, which B-side demonstrates she can even use in fights to literally see what people are going to do a split second before they do them)
  585. >Ray's reluctant to look, but he's just too worried about what happened to Adagio and wants to help her through it
  586. >he hooks his foreleg around Sunset's own, and she activates her powers
  587.  
  588. (20)
  589. >we begin in Adagio's perspective as she closes the bar one night
  590. >she's pretty down in the dumps, mostly just getting on with life, however miserable
  591. >Adagio's even a little optimistic; she's got that stage show audition coming up in a couple of days
  592. >she walks home, only to receive a text from Pinkie Pie, inviting her to a get together
  593. >and not for the first time either
  594. >(it's established here and in B-side that Pinkie's never given up hope that Adagio would at least make contact with her. She's even aware that Adagio's in a pretty miserable state, and that just by opening up, Adagio might find herself enjoying life rather than just living it)
  595. >Adagio checks the message, half-heartedly admitting that maybe it might not be so awful to go to one since, as we know from her first interactions with Ray at her apartment, she's had no real social interaction besides her employees and the bar patrons
  596. >and something deep inside Adagio's heart prevented her ever blocking Pinkie's number, but she could never figure out why
  597. >only Adagio's suddenly blind-sided, punched and assaulted by a mugger
  598. >he's after her phone, which falls from her hand and clatters under a nearby dumpster
  599. >he desperately searches for it, kicks Adagio in the ribs for her trouble, only for a nearby police siren to spook him away
  600. >she's never felt more human than that moment
  601. >just a human, as easily crushed by a human
  602. >Adagio has now officially hit rock-bottom
  603. >she's got a black eye, her ribs hurt, and she's numb to her own emotions for a moment and simply in a daze
  604. >she retrieves her phone and continues walking home
  605. >Adagio reaches a bridge over an road, with a hole in the fence, through which she watches the traffic drive beneath her
  606. >for a split second, she considers what would happen if she stepped off
  607. >would anyone care?
  608. >she finds it amusing that Pinkie probably would
  609. >so amusing that she starts laughing
  610. >and she's still laughing like a lunatic pretty much all the way home
  611. >but once she's in her apartment, the laughter transforms as she breaks down in tears instead
  612. >(B-side covers that she then spent at least a week refusing to leave her apartment, suffering panic attacks at even thinking of even opening the door. She burned through her dwindling funds having to pay her staff extra to stay on when she would usually take over and even buying that taser she had earlier, but just a day or two before Ray entered her bar, she forced herself to return to work after her barman threatened to quit. B-side also covers that there's a couple of times Adagio responded poorly to Ray reacting with anger, almost suffering panic attacks again, first in the bar and second after his first meeting with Sunset and his anger was briefly turned towards Adagio instead. It showed Adagio has the lurking fear of being attacked again, but that her time with Ray helped her overcome most of it, not to mention the empowerment of his device has boosted her confidence in a more artificial way, hence she didn't freak out at Crafty Crate's invasion of her home)
  613. >back to Ray and Sunset, she pleads with Radian that she's worried that giving Adagio back her powers, which fed on negative energy, might not be a good idea with a woman still suffering from a degree of trauma
  614. >Sunset and Twilight just want to help
  615. >Ray, stubborn as ever, refuses the help and enters the guest room
  616. >he's distracted by the lavish, Crystal Palace bedroom, the bizarre fact he's a pony, and even finds the book Twilight mentioned, and begins looking into how to use his unicorn magic
  617. >then Adagio turns up
  618. >they're both understandably excited to finally be in Equestria, pay each other compliments on their pony forms and such
  619. >but Adagio admits she's pretty tired
  620. >she explains her blankness earlier was a weird feeling she's felt ever since arriving in Equestria, somewhere between giddy and drunk, like there's a hiss in her head
  621. >Ray offers to scan her with his emitter, but after struggling with using the thing because of his hooves
  622. >she says its fine, and that she'll get some sleep
  623. >returning to the book, Radian begins to make some progress with learning magic
  624. >only for Adagio to ask if he'd come to bed
  625. >she wants some comfort, so he obliges and joins her to keep her company
  626. >Ray wakes up a few hours later, too excited and not really tired enough to sleep properly
  627. >it's still dark outside, but the lure of learning actual magic is too strong
  628. >he continues studying, and since he has an understanding of how magic reacts, he's able to quickly learn how to use unicorn telekinesis
  629. >he gets emotional at how it's been one of his bucket-list goals, and something he felt foolish talking to his mom about when he first discovered magic; to both go to the other world, and to actually use this power by himself
  630. >Ray then starts thinking of how he was able to make the positive and negative energy types with his emitter, and the science behind how it works
  631. >and quickly discovers he can replicate the same signals with his horn
  632. >so he begins by using a positive unicorn signal, amplifying his telekinesis so much he accidentally launches a book across the room
  633. >the impact makes it explode into paper scraps, accidentally spooking Adagio for a moment
  634. >once he assures her it was nothing, and she goes back to sleep, he makes the mistake of trying a negative unicorn signal
  635. >which knocks him out cold
  636.  
  637. (21)
  638. >Radian wakes up to an anti-unicorn signal hangover, thankfully cured by a boosting magic signal
  639. >he then gets used to pony toilets and bathroom facilities
  640. >Adagio wakes up, seeming better
  641. >if extremely upbeat
  642. >Ray's glad things can get back on track
  643. >then Adagio notices the sunlight beaming through a gap in the curtain, and gets distracted
  644. >she looks outside a the perfect blue skies, the Crystal Empire itself full of life, pegasi flying in formations overhead, earth ponies and unicorns trotting about their business below
  645. >and the world of Equestria beyond it, on a glorious horizon
  646. >Adagio begins weeping with joy at being home
  647. >while Ray recognises this is a big deal, her reaction's just not like Adagio
  648. >and that goes even harder when she snaps out of it and begins panicking; while they were her feelings, they were grossly exaggerated and she couldn't help herself, like she wasn't in control
  649. >using his newfound skill with telekinesis to finally get a scan on Adagio, showing she's practically all earth pony now, with minimal siren power left
  650. >and possessing more magic than he's seen yet, which makes sense, considering they're in Equestria, she still has that enormous capacity for magic as a siren
  651. >Adagio has a bath to centre herself while Radian tries to work out some details about what he can detect with magic in this new world
  652. >and when she emerges, still drenched, she doesn't know how earth ponies even function; she refuses to roll around on the floor like a dog to dry off, so she asks for Ray's help
  653. >and Radian learns that the tactile sensation of using telekinesis on objects is only made even more... interesting when he can feel Adagio's body with his mind
  654. (note; forgot to mention that, back when Ray helped tame Adagio's poofage back in segment 9, she started humming as the first sign of still having a musical side, as having her hair groomed was very therapeutic for her, reminding her of happier times with her sisters, where they would always style on each others hair as kids)
  655. >but as she enjoys the pampering, as she did back in the apartment, instead of humming, she suddenly bursts into a full song
  656. >it's an ultra-sappy, lovey-dovey declaration of her affection to Radian, complete with prancing around the room (as in the sort of thing you'd expect from FiM)
  657. >Radian's so captivated that he doesn't hear someone else appear in the room, only a brief gasp, but he's too taken with the performance to look away from Adagio
  658. >and as the song draws to a close, the door slams open
  659. >and Pinkie Pie ruins the moment
  660. >firstly by being Pinkie, but also by the offer of breakfast themed fudge
  661. >Rarity soon follows, trying to rein in her friend, only she senses Adagio's natural stage presence and notices her refined appearance (even despite the fact she's a big, powerful mare; it's still Adagio Dazzle, after all) and begins trying to get to know her
  662. >one could say she looked like the kind of pony everypony should know, if you catch my drift
  663. >only for Applejack to then show up, and even further try to rein in the situation, only for *her* to get caught up in some earth-pony solidarity while explaining and apologising for her intruding friends, then complimenting Adagio on her buffness
  664. >only for it to turn out that presence Radian felt before to be Twilight, flattened by the door Pinkie kicked open, as she staggers away from the Pinkie-induced slam
  665. >Twi explains to her friends that Adagio and Radian are the special guests she had mentioned before
  666. >naturally, realising they're addressing one of THE sirens, an infamous threat of Equestria's past, it makes the trio nervously back off and leave for now
  667. >with the situation under control, Twilight briefs Ray and Adagio
  668. >any fears of Adagio being evil are completely dismissed thanks to Adagio's song; Twilight could sense the good in her (or at least the full blown radiance of her magic as she briefly gave into her strange, overwhelming emotions)
  669. >as such, she's free to explore the Crystal Empire, albeit in the company of Twilight's friends
  670. >Adagio knows they're there to keep an eye on her, but she's happy to go along with it if it keeps Twilight compliant
  671. >meanwhile, Radian will follow Twilight to the same workshop that the damaged portal mirror will be repaired, and he'll be teaming up with Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst to repair Sonata's siren stone
  672. >as Twilight leaves the pair to prepare for their respective days in Equestria, Adagio turns serious
  673. >she recognises that she's compromised; her emotions keep taking over, and she can no longer be trusted
  674. >to that end, she rests the whole mission on Radian's shoulders, and makes him swear that, no matter what, he'll do what he feels is right for Adagio, Aria and Sonata, no matter the method or decisions
  675. >and after he swears he'll do whatever he can, they split up
  676.  
  677. (22)
  678. >Ray leaves the palace, and sees all the various species of Equestria are gathered for a political summit, with which Twilight will be busy with for most of the day once she's led him to the workshop
  679. >he passes by Adagio, now in the company of the other mane six, and seemingly giving in to her friendlier, more emotional side to help evade scrutiny
  680. >and he runs into Twilight outside, and they begin their journey to the workshop via the scenic route
  681. >after what Sunset said the previous night, about her knowing that Radian and Adagio were up to something, he's suspicious about this casual treatment, and comments he was expecting a full search and armed guard
  682. >Twilight bemusedly asks if that means he's up to no good, or carrying something he shouldn't
  683. >realising he's dealing with a princess, an alicorn and the Equestrian equivalent of someone who rivalled his own intellect back home, Radian tries to play it cool
  684. >Twilight, meanwhile, is also quick to assure him they're not prisoners; Sunset seemed convinced Adagio was changed (especially after that song she sung), and Radian seems a decent person
  685. >they begin discussing magic, and it quickly becomes apparent they're cut from similar cloth; magic is a fascination for both, as is science and the mingling between the two fields
  686. >they even have similar compulsions about lists, being orderly and methodical
  687. >Twilight tests his understanding and of the pony types and how magic affects them
  688. >he answers in a way that seems to satisfy her, and she even impresses Ray as she understands more about human science than he anticipated
  689. >Twilight nerds out, Ray nerds out
  690. >and Ray realises he's just befriended Twilight Sparkle, and he can't help but feel an attraction as well
  691. >not helped by the fact that, as an alicorn, she's also got some of that bigness that Adagio's been rocking for a while now, as well as a presence and power
  692. >Twilight then starts asking about Radian's troubled past, and apparent solitude before meeting Adagio
  693. >he doesn't deny it's not been easy, and is quick to point out that he had friends once, but Sunset's old bullying made gathering with the likes of Micro Chips and the other nerds back in Canterlot High School dangerous, as it made him easier for Sunset to find
  694. >and, naturally punching for Sunset's side, Twilight asks about Sunset's attempts to apologise
  695. >as before, Radian doesn't want to hear it, and explains that he blames her to this day for his mom's worsening condition, if not her passing, because of the pointed rift it drove between Radian's parents
  696. >curiously, Twilight doesn't rebuke or argue
  697. >instead, as one would expect for a wiser, older Princess of Friendship and future ruler of Equestria, she just listens, then explains she won't pretend to understand his grief, so it's not her place to judge, and certainly not her place to expect him to just forgive Sunset for the sake of forgiveness
  698. >but she does offer guidance in the form that this grudge will stop him growing as a person
  699. >it's not about forgiveness, as opposed to understanding that opportunities can be lost by focusing so hard on negative aspects of our lives and in others
  700. >the topic returns to magic in general
  701. >and she's quick to dunk on Radian in terms of the fact that, for all his knowledge, he knows very little about Equestrian magic as a whole, and to be mindful of that since he's going to be tampering with an artefact as powerful as a siren's stone in a place with which magic is everywhere, rather than some obscure secret
  702. >she also sneaks in a little story about Sunset almost sacrificing herself to save her friends from a certain memory stone wielding, anti-social girl named Wallflower Blush, as a way to obviously instil the nobility and goodness of Sunset
  703. >but it's subtle enough that Radian has no choice but to accept that Sunset's doing good by helping protect the world from the various magic anomalies and artefacts appearing in the human world
  704. >before assuring him that she sees a great deal of potential inside him, if he chooses to open his mind, just as he opened his heart to Adagio
  705. >Twilight's clearly using Radian's best weapon against him; irrefutable logic, and he can't help but realise he can't make any strong arguments back as they reach the workshop
  706.  
  707. (23)
  708. >at the Arcane Fabrication Workshop, Twilight introduces Radian to his teammates, then leaves for the political summit
  709. >Starlight Glimmer provides the raw magical spell power, and Sunburst the knowledge in order to repair the siren stone, as well as being a geologist, since they'll be dealing with gemstones
  710. >they're nothing but accommodating, and everyone's excited to be working on this for an assortment of reasons
  711. >Radian can't help but enjoy it as well; his old tech job started like this, with small teams of like-minded, talented individuals working to deal with an issue
  712. >there's a sense of camaraderie as the repair method is explained
  713. >the siren stones are to be repaired using gemstones with the nearest energy resonance, which means Radian's expertise is going to make this all possible, as he can fine-tune the exact energies needed
  714. >the closest gems are then cut into smaller pieces and fitted into the cracks of the siren stone, using a magically responsive epoxy that also has gemstone dust inside it
  715. >the siren stone then absorbs the new fragments as replacement material, then any excess is ground down into its original shape
  716. >while initial work is performed, Sunburst reads up on the sirens again, just to make sure there isn't something they could use to help in their history
  717. >Starlight asks how things are in the human world, since she's visited it before
  718. >but Ray's hardly been checking into current affairs, focusing on building his devices and getting along with the sirens
  719. >Sunburst then mentions about how the sirens are fascinating 'creatures'
  720. >Radian takes offence on behalf of his newly adopted family
  721. >he insists they're not 'creatures', and proceeds to sternly (and aggressively approach) while describing each of his new family and humanising them, while Sunburst is backed into a corner by the more forceful unicorn with the ever-strengthening confidence and boldness
  722. >Starlight interjects and cools things off between the two, and they apologise to one another
  723. >Radian realises he made similar, broad-strokes descriptions of the sirens before too, back when he was analysing Adagio's stone, and it's just the scientific process at play
  724. >Starlight addresses that emotions have strength in Equestria that doesn't show up in the human world
  725. >and, of course, that friendship is magic
  726. >this gives Radian an important piece of the puzzle about why Adagio's acting the way she is
  727. >she'd clearly been close to her sisters once, despite the bickering, to strained ties, to absolutely nothing
  728. >then, by allying with Radian, and them growing close, her swallowing her pride and reigniting not only her familial bonds with Aria and Sonata, but having that become much stronger too, but also reigniting her relationship with Aria and Sonata
  729. >she was awash with emotions and positivity
  730. >(B-side also addresses this; Twilight and Sunset liken Adagio's peculiar personality change in Equestria to a form of magic/friendship toxicity, like an overdose of something she wasn't used to, having been away from Equestria for so long, being a siren with a huge capacity for friendship magic and, naturally, never even having the trace amounts of it in everyday life as someone who loathed humanity)
  731. >returning to team bonding, they share their more unique talents and histories
  732. >while Sunburst doesn't really have a great deal of magical power, Star's quick to mention his encyclopedic knowledge of magic
  733. >Starlight then covers her villainous past, stripping ponies of their talents to form a perfect, balanced society, her attempts to get revenge on Twilight when Star was defeated, travelling through time, etc
  734. >Radian's kind of overwhelmed by just how casual Star makes this sound, with details like time-travel actually existing standing out as the holy grail of science that it is, which just makes him want to come back to Equestria even more
  735. >the trio eventually finish their work for the day, having repaired the stone, but it still needing time to cure and harden overnight
  736. >but not before Radian's been able to use his scanner to find gems amongst the other they tried that respond to Aria and Adagio's stones, and he steal away some materials to repair Aria's in his own time that night
  737. >he also realises that Starlight and Sunburst seem a bit too perfect as teammates
  738. >Starlight has the troubled past, with which Radian empathises
  739. >Sunburst is a geek with a passion for knowledge, like Radian too
  740. >and as he prepares to head out for the night, he has to remind himself no to get too close to these ponies; his family comes first
  741.  
  742. (24)
  743. >Twilight arrives, hoping to be able to help out with the job, only to be disappointed that Ray, Star and Sunburst worked well together to the point the job's done for the day
  744. >Star and Sunburst head off, leaving Ray and Twilight to travel together to find Adagio and the rest of Twilight's friends
  745. >more scientific discussion takes place, about magic, but also details like string theory and its application between the two worlds
  746. >basically that the fact there's a human and a pony version of each person, certain details (even place names, personal quirks and the like) are carried over, but lived experiences make each human and pony unique
  747. >Twilight mentions it's curious she's never heard of Equestria's Radian, if he's anything like our protagonist
  748. >but Ray's quick to point out that, like she said about lived experiences, Ray had pretty strong circumstances shape him
  749. >Twilight also points out that adversity has merit too; she was shaped into the pony she is now by being beaten down and struggle, just as Ray or Adagio have
  750. >Ray mentions that his most clear form of adversity in the past being Sunset, and Twilight comments on how she has no equivalent in Equestria, being the one displaced to the human world, so there's not really any way for the Equestrian Radian to have suffered any sort of similar events, even if they happened to be in the same place
  751. >obviously Ray wonders if this is a roundabout way of Twilight asking him to forgive Sunset again, but Twilight's crafty; he's the one who brought her up in this context, and since he did, she asks him if he'd like to discuss her as a result
  752. >once more, Ray's left frustrated at how smooth Twilight's being in her role as both a mentor and a guide, but declines the topic
  753. >instead, Twilight simply addresses that, as a scientist, he should appreciate that as you learn, and as time passes, past experiences often need re-addressing, old tests renewed with modern stimuli, including experiences, memories and people/ponies
  754. >Radian tries to fight back that he noticed Twilight's choice of teammates for Radian's stone repair task
  755. >Twilight pleads ignorance, and Ray points out the aforementioned similarities and empathic points that line up with similar aspects to Radian's life
  756. >yet, once more, Twilight sidesteps the issue with grace, logic and cunning; she had originally asked for Maud Pie as the lead mineralogist, but she was busy helping the dragons with a gem shortage, and Sunburst is an avid replacement
  757. >while he'll do whatever he can for his new family, even Radian can't deny that depriving a whole species of a foodstuff for his issue wouldn't sit well with him
  758. >and Starlight is one of the most powerful unicorns in the land, thus perfect for dealing with the spells involved in fixing something as strong as a siren stone
  759. >unable to find a chink in Twilight's armour, they move on and find Adagio, who's hanging out with Rarity and Applejack
  760. >it's clear they've got a good rapport, as Rarity insists on buying Adagio a stunning dress in her favourite purple shade, and has already bought her a gemstone barrette
  761. >meanwhile Applejack just engages with banter with the prissy fashionista, which amuses Adagio, and before long, the two powerfully built earth ponies have agreed to model for Rarity during her predicted surge in popularity for meaty mares
  762. >for Radian, doing right by Adagio instantly makes him like the pair too, so he and Twilight get involved in the chat
  763. >Rarity instantly takes a shine to both the (former corperate toadying) politeness, as well as the inner confidence Radian possesses, and she buys him a winter-wear saddle as a welcoming gift
  764. >having been missing clothes in Equestria, he's glad for it
  765. >though he wonders if there's meant to be a bit and bridle with the saddle, leading to a joke about Radian possibly being into BDSM, or being ridden
  766. >Adagio, naturally, is more than happy to discuss who's riding who later and everyone has a chuckle at Radian's expense
  767. >it's also covered that the other mane six ponies headed off to do their own thing because of how friendly and personable Adagio's been, so the need to watch her waned
  768. >she's been a perfect guest; still sassy, quick witted and happy to use her feminine wiles, which struck a chord with Rarity, and (newly) family forward orientation and serious side of Adagio, which Applejack gravitated towards
  769. >but, at last, Ray and Adagio are left alone as everyone wishes each other a good night
  770. >Adagio's still acting super chipper, singing the praises of all the fun stuff she's been up to!
  771. >and how nice everpony's been!
  772. >so Radian hits her with a siren energy blast
  773. >it draws back out the normal side of her
  774. >and, frankly, she's being truthful when she says she really enjoyed her time with Rarity and Applejack; once again, this other side of Adagio is more a corruption of an existing personality, rather than a whole different Adagio
  775. >she also doesn't have that 'enemy' focus that Adagio feels she'd have with the human versions of Rarity and AJ, being part of the Rainbooms; the pony versions are separate entities to her, so she had no ill will towards them from the outset
  776. >they even discussed Adagio wanting to open a juice bar in Ponyville; something Adagio sees as something that 'defeated' her in the human world, and she wants to make this one a success, to prove to herself she can do it and to help her put roots in Equestria, since Ray obviously wants to come here too
  777. >AJ even bought her a book on running a successful business
  778. >as for Twilight's other friends, Adagio's more frank
  779. >Pinkie's... well, Pinkie; fine in small doses but she's not a fan
  780. >Fluttershy was quiet, probably scared of Adagio's aura/reputation and size so she could never get a read on her
  781. >and, while generally okay, Adagio almost calls Rainbow Dash a cunt
  782. >Adagio's shocked at herself for that, and just puts it down to her wanting to speak her mind now rather than her 'giggly bitch' mode
  783. >Sunset arrives, having spent her time bonding with her former mentor, Celestia, and after checking in with Adagio and Radian, and informing them that she'll be hanging out with Adagio tomorrow, she heads off again
  784. >Ray and Adagio have dinner, return to the guests room and he begins working on repairing Aria's stone
  785.  
  786. (25)
  787. >Radian's making slow progress with Aria's stone, working alone as he is with makeshift tools and clamps, while Adagio reads her business book
  788. >Adagio begins acting like her 'giggly bitch' mode again, only this time she's insisting Ray come to bed with her
  789. >while the prospect of exploring his girlfriend's pony body has its appeal, this work is far too important
  790. >so Adagio physically drags him to bed
  791. >it's becoming clear that it isn't just a more emotional side to Adagio
  792. >this other side is far more selfish, possessive and just after self gratification
  793. >Ray tries to logic his way out, to make Adagio remember the plan
  794. >Adagio instead wants to settle down, build her bar, have some foals
  795. >appealing as he finds these ideas, it's very unlike the Adagio Radian has come to know and love, who was determined to prove to Sonata and Aria she was worth following again
  796. >and he knows this is a bad situation when, as he mentions Aria and Sonata, Adagio suggests he use their stones to repair hers, and to forget about going back to the human world
  797. >Ray uses his magic to blast Adagio with a shot of siren magic, and that snaps her out of this nonsense
  798. >she's ashamed at succumbing to that side again
  799. >it was clearly a prudent move for her to leave Radian in charge of enacting the plan
  800. >he does ask if she wants him to fix Adagio's stone first, but being determined to do right by her sisters, she insists on continuing with Aria's
  801. >with that settled, Adagio tries to get some sleep
  802. >only for her to ask Ray if he wants to know what happened to her
  803. >the assault incident
  804. >Ray explains Sunset already told/showed him
  805. >she's mostly annoyed at Sunset than Radian
  806. >after all, Adagio has been hiding this, when it was clear Radian cared and wouldn't judge her for what happened
  807. >but she addresses that it really was her lowest moment; to have experienced the highs of being a siren in her prime, one of the most powerful beings in either dimension, all the way to being blind-sided by some douche human, and turned into a scared little girl
  808. >Ray supports her, but does ask about if Adagio really contemplated stepping off that bridge...
  809. >Adagio said she considered it for only a moment, but if nothing else
  810. >as buried as it was, her old siren pride stopped her being so rash
  811. >and, despite hiding for a while, she never quite lost all of her fire, but that moment will stick with her, probably forever
  812. >Ray reassures her she was brave, considering the circumstances
  813. >but that was what truly defeated Adagio; being human, suffering the weakness of being human, but then finding the strength from it, to keep on going despite that
  814. >and as Sonata is clearly inspired by her show, and Aria her guitar and music?
  815. >Radian is Adagio's inspiration, as much as she is his
  816. >and she insists the bubbly, lovey-dovey song earlier was still her deepest thoughts about him
  817. >of course that makes Radian feel all warm and fuzzy
  818. >and that the plan to have some kids, and Adagio running that juice bar where she can perform songs, while Radian works on tech for Equestria?
  819. >he likes that plan, it's something to work towards
  820. >Adagio then shatters the cosy mood by assuring him that, at some point, they're going to fuck like animals in these pony bodies
  821. >that's a guarantee
  822. >understandably flustered, Ray finally returns to work on the siren stone, and Adagio tries to fend off her other side and get some sleep
  823. >it takes hours, but Radian finishes repairing Aria's stone, so he leaves it to harden, and finally gets some sleep beside Adagio
  824. >he's still forced to wake up early in order to try and sneak the stone out
  825. >his work on Aria's stone looks good, and should be hard enough to survive the trip home if wrapped in some spare bedding from the room
  826. >it still needs grinding down, but that can be done back home
  827. >so he gets out of bed and finds his way back to the mirror portal
  828. >he technobabble's his way past a guard, assuring him that Twilight knows he's scanning the portal for research purposes, and gets inside the room
  829. >this is it, with a simple push of the stone through the portal, Aria will have her stone back, needing little more than grinding and polishing, which he can either do himself or just get a specialist to do
  830. >just... put the stone through the portal, right?
  831. >but there's a lot on his mind
  832. >the concerns that Adagio's mental state
  833. >the fact that he did consider what Sunset said about a negative emotionally charged stone's reintroduction to one of the sirens could be dangerous
  834. >he's also still a little worried that, if everything goes wrong, and Aria's the only one with a stone, she might not maintain the group dynamic, and take over by force
  835. >and he still doesn't know enough about magic as a whole in Equestria to make a judgement call at that point
  836. >so he doesn't go through with it, and will bide his time; better safe than sorry
  837. >he stows the stone back in his room, and gets a little more sleep
  838. >the next day, Ray and Adagio split up again
  839. >Twilight notices Radian's sleepy, tired appearance and immediately bonds with them sharing memories of sleepless nights preparing for tests, or getting too involved in interesting books and topics as teens and students
  840. >she even shares some of her worst moments, like that one time she maybe, sorta created a friendship problem with an enchanted doll because she thought she was going to be put back in magic kindergarten because she hadn't sent her weekly friendship report to Princess Celestia
  841. >the seemingly unflappable Twilight finally reveals some internal anxieties
  842. >not only does that make Ray like her more, as it grounds this powerful mare, but he also detects a dark side to Twilight, a side to her that will do wrong for a perceived right
  843. >he can't help but empathise, and his attraction grows stronger, and once more reminds him of Adagio to some extent
  844. >with this extra connection, and after talking about their bad habits as students, they both feel nostalgic
  845. >so they then decide to indulge in another student staple
  846. >junk food for breakfast
  847.  
  848. (26)
  849. >Twilight takes Radian to her favourite place; a hayburger joint
  850. >and orders from the day menu rather than the breakfast one, much to the employees chagrin
  851. >she even pulls rank, because damn it, why not flex her position as future ruler of Equestria for the sake of fast food?
  852. >Twilight orders a buck-ton of food
  853. >oh, and she orders one meal for Ray (though later gives him another burger from her stash)
  854. >because this is Twiggy Piggy we're talking about
  855. >they sit down and Ray can't help but find more similarities between Twilight and Adagio
  856. >Adagio drinks like a fish
  857. >Twilight eats like a horse
  858. >and Ray's pretty taken by the fast food too
  859. >the question on whether her appetite is tied to her power comes up
  860. >and it totally is, Twilight says
  861. >not super convincingly
  862. >although it does become obvious that using magic is like anything else; it takes effort, so stamina factors in, as does calorific intake
  863. >he uses this casual moment to ask Twilight if he can scan her
  864. >she happily agrees on the condition he teaches her about the device before he heads home
  865. >he agrees, then scans her
  866. >and she's even more powerful than Adagio, but with the alicorn bonus that her power is pretty much spread through all three pony types
  867. >which makes sense; they have flight, magic and, presumably, unnatural strength and toughness
  868. >disclosing that she's the most powerful thing he's scanned yet, Twilight seems pretty happy with the compliment
  869. >it becomes clear that Radian's attraction isn't one sided as she sends compliments back
  870. >Twilight seems to be flirting back, but she's not very good at it
  871. >she then politely asks if she can refer to Sunset in a tangentially related way, making it clear she's at least respecting Ray enough to consider his feelings
  872. >the discussion begins digging into fate, something in which even Adagio believed
  873. >Ray doesn't, which surprises him when Twilight says she believes in it too
  874. >they wax philosophical about how, suspecting or apparently knowing you're going to do something might make you paranoid about doing just that, causing an event to happen regardless
  875. >basically the whole format is that Sunset went to the human world because of what she saw in the mirror portal, as she saw herself as a princess
  876. >and how that chain of events has strung Radian into things, alongside bringing Adagio and the sirens back into Equestria
  877. >also that Sunset's destiny has caused the magic leak in the human world, and the events that led to her getting corrupted by Twilight's old crown, and that causal link might be why she saw herself as a princess, to inspire her to make that drastic move
  878. >and, naturally, Twilight's offer of friendship putting Sunset on the path she's on now, as well as deeply invested in recovering Equestrian artefacts and solving magical mishaps in the human world for Twilight
  879. >Radian admits he's extremely interested in that magic hunting aspect, and would be happy to help Twilight too; learning more about magic is one of his biggest joys
  880. >and that's when he realises that's what Twilight meant before, about holding a grudge would stop him from growing as a person and missing opportunities
  881. >Twilight then has to attend the summit's second day, leaving Radian to head to the workshop to continue working on Sonata's stone
  882. >it still needs grinding down, but they can test to see if it can hold a charge of negative emotionally charged magic
  883. >Starlight theorises that, as a similar form of energy, dark magic might be usable as a substitute for the negative emotions that siren stones feed upon
  884. >not to mention that Starlight's power comes from her tapping into her emotions, which is why bad guys are as powerful than the friendship powered good guys, and how she was able to duke it out with an actual alicorn
  885. >Star begins using dark magic on the stone, but nothing seems to happen, so she uses more and more
  886. >Radian scans this new form of magic, eager to catalogue and study it
  887. >Sunburst is worried, since dark magic can be corruptive if not handled right, but Star insists she'll be fine so long as she doesn't lose control of her emotions
  888. >Radian wonders whether actual conflict would be the important point, like how the Dazzlings used to turn people against each other and fed off the miasma it created
  889. >so Radian causes an incident
  890. >by suddenly kicking Sunburst in the leg as hard as he can
  891. >Sunburst is understandably pissed
  892. >it has the right effect; the wisp of negative emotional energy formed from their brief conflict merges with the cloud of dark magic, bursting into a fog of the same miasma the Dazzlings would devour
  893. >without a Dazzling using the stone, it only draws in a passive amount via exposure, but it's proof the stone is fixed
  894. >Radian celebrates his triumph
  895. >only for Starlight, understandably pissed at her childhood friend being kicked, to lose her temper, corrupting her with her own dark magic as she starts crushing Radian into the wall with her telekinesis
  896.  
  897. (27)
  898. >Sunburst intervenes, bringing Starlight back from the edge of crushing Radian like a grape and snapping her out of her corruption
  899. >and once the situation calms, Radian's deeply apologetic
  900. >he let the goal get in the way of his ethics; yes, they were successful, but he didn't quite take Starlight's lecture on how strong emotions could be made dangerous as that to heart
  901. >not to mention he still likes Starlight and Sunburst, and is both surprised and disappointed in himself
  902. >Starlight, having been given a light touch for abusing her powers and hurting others before, pays it forward and insists not to punish Radian, since he seems rightly abhorred by what he did
  903. >since her magic is stronger than most unicorns literally because of her bad-guy draw on her feelings, she's quick to point out that, in Equestria, where friendship is magic, conflict has also nearly brought about the end of society
  904. >while Starlight heads out to recover from her near corruption, Radian has a crisis of conscience
  905. >yes, his will to do whatever's necessary has earned him the love of his life, a family and even this opportunity to reach Equestria
  906. >but now he's dancing in very dangerous places, especially if emotions can truly damage people like that
  907. >he can't help but think of Sunset's warning once more, about Adagio receiving her siren stone, charged with negative energy, when her emotions are so volatile at the moment, and how much her past trauma might factor into it
  908. >Star and Sunburst return, and they resume work on grinding down the stone, while Radian struggles with more advanced forms of telekinesis
  909. >he can grab and use one thing just fine, but after watching experienced unicorns use multiple tools at once, he's understandably feeling a bit useless, so he instead sticks to what he knows
  910. >he uses the emitter to try and get more information out of Sonata's stone, and tries making an artificial negative emotion form of energy, so he can help feed his family without having to cause actual conflict
  911. >but he starts noticing it's receiving errors for some reason, but works past it
  912. >after more attempts, he realises he can't replicate the energy, and concedes defeat; he'll need to work on that another time as Sonata's stone is buffed down, polished and looking brand new
  913. >Radian muses that maybe he could tap into social media and message boards back home; there's enough vitriol online each day to feed the Dazzlings for years
  914. >as the final tasks are done, Ray realises he's going to miss this sort of working environment back home
  915. >Adagio's intelligence is on par with most of the smartest people Radian's met, but she isn't focused on science and magic like Ray, Twilight, Sunburst and Starlight do, so he's hoping they can still return to Equestria after all this subterfuge
  916. >and Sunset, annoyingly, if he can drop his grudge; again, those magic events and artefacts are a tantalising idea to pursue back home in the human world
  917. >Twilight arrives at the end of the day, free from the summit, as Radian, Sunburst and Starlight give each other a warm farewell, and apologies for the issues that arose
  918. >we also learn that Starlight and Sunburst still work at the former school of friendship, which has been repurposed into an actual school but with embassy leanings (you know, something less terrible as the show depicts)
  919. >as payment for the earlier incident, they insist that, when he returns to Equestria, he gives a lecture at the school on electronics, something that's still a fledgeling field in Equestria
  920. >and he'd be glad to
  921. >alone with Twilight again, things turn serious
  922. >Radian wants to discuss something with Twilight, and visa-versa
  923. >they teleport back to the palace for some privacy
  924. >Twi goes first in their discussion
  925. >she says that she's come to like Radian a great deal
  926. >more than she had anticipated
  927. >while she loves her friends for their many differences, she also feels Radian's a kindred spirit in a very deep way
  928. >the fact he's a little rough around the edges helps as well
  929. >and maybe she has a thing for humans, and she covers their obvious mutual attraction
  930. >but admits that she can't come between him and Adagio
  931. >they both agree to remain friends
  932. >which makes Radian's topic all the harder to talk about
  933. >he considers everything he's learned and seen while in Equestria
  934. >pairing warnings he's uncovered and heard with facts about events he's witnessed and been part of, and he has no choice
  935. >he's too afraid of what might happen to Adagio if they go through with the plan to give the sirens back their powers with her trauma
  936. >and with all the trust and care Twilight's shown him, to his wellbeing?
  937. >and he truly believes that Twilight wants the best for Adagio as well, despite their differences
  938. >Ray just can't betray Twilight
  939. >he retrieves Aria and Adagio's stones and gives them to her
  940. >and confesses everything
  941. >Twilight acts impartial, just asking him to explain himself calmly and rationally
  942. >which he does, about the aforementioned inner turmoil
  943. >her calm, unsurprised reaction speaks volumes; odds were that she's been aware of what he was doing this whole time, if not the exact minutiae
  944. >she then asks what he thinks she should do in this situation
  945. >Radian apologises for the attempted betrayal, and says he hopes she can at least go through with the original deal; give Sonata her stone back, and they part ways and work out a future where they can still return to Equestria
  946. >yet Twilight's calm facade breaks
  947. >she gives a reassuring smile
  948. >then says that what she's *actually* going to do is have Radian and herself repair Adagio's stone
  949. >and give it to her, right there, right now
  950. >Ray wasn't expecting that
  951. >and promptly loses his shit
  952.  
  953. (28)
  954. >we rejoin Ray still losing his shit
  955. >of all the responses he anticipated, Twilight literally giving Radian what he wants was the last on the list
  956. >he's too frazzled by the concept to even form coherent thoughts, pacing about and jabbering like an idiot
  957. >so after dousing Radian with a teleported in bucket of water to get his attention, Twilight suggests the calming work environment of the workshop, and beginning work on his girlfriends stone might help
  958. >of course he agrees
  959. >he does calm as they work
  960. >it's obvious the bond between them is more than skin deep as they work like they have been friends for years
  961. >and with the attraction in the open and placated by mutual friend-zoning, the partnership is smooth and balanced
  962. >but of course, Radian has questions
  963. >like why would she just give Adagio back her stone
  964. >part of her answer is a pragmatic one; it's clear that the sirens, now back together and with a new ally in Radian (who's capable of detecting and using magic), would soon become an issue if left unchecked
  965. >eventually Radian would find a wild portal, or an artefact, or something that would give the Dazzlings some sort of power thanks to his technical know-how and growing knowledge of magic, or he'd have figured out how to repair their stones
  966. >but the main aspect that changed things, and stopped this turning into a honey-pot trap, was Sunset's reports that Adagio had changed and that Radian was, for most part, good hearted, further proven by the genuine feelings Adagio and Ray had for each other
  967. >this whole situation is an olive-branch
  968. >Twilight is to take the throne, and she wants allies
  969. >strong allies, and ones that will act beyond the terms that Twilight would usually choose, challenge her opinions in ways that she fears her friends might not
  970. >after the mess with Lord Tirek, Cosy Glow and Queen Chrysalis, Twilight wants to further safeguard Equestria, backups and contingencies
  971. >Radian wants a life in Equestria, and Adagio wants to return home with her sisters
  972. >it only makes sense to build that bridge
  973. >as for actually giving the stone to her here and now?
  974. >like Sunset said, way back when they were just talking about this visit to Equestria, the summit hosts some of the most powerful beings in the known world
  975. >four alicorns, the Elements of Harmony, Starlight, who's one of the most powerful unicorns, Shining Armor and his shield abilities
  976. >not knowing how Adagio will respond to being given the stone, Twilight feels confident that, if she can't control the stone, all these ponies and allies will be able to subdue Adagio before she hurts anyone
  977. >or, if she tries to escape, banish her again
  978. >she assures him she's improved the spell since Starswirl used it; it won't send Adagio far into the future
  979. >there's some other details about the spell that Radian's too distracted to remember at that moment, but he's still understandably worried, if hopeful things will be okay
  980. >she promises him this is a last resort though; she wants Adagio to be in control as much as Radian does; a kinder heart in command of impressive siren powers
  981. >and better make the attempt now, when everyone's here, all gathered in one place, than some other time, in case the desire to sneak into Equestria grows too strong for, if not Adagio, then her sisters
  982. >or, again, a wild portal accident, like that time Sunset found one on that island inside quicksand
  983. >essentially, Twilight wants the sirens by her side, and she wants to be there for the sirens in turn
  984. >with respect owed both ways; Twilight refuses to be seen as weak or naïve
  985. >Twilight's dead fucking serious; she's not the silly little princess Radian briefly witnessed hammering her fists into the computer keyboards at Canterlot High School
  986. >she will fight for Equestria and fight dirty if it comes to it and it's clear that if Adagio and Radian want to do the same, Twilight will welcome them with all her heart
  987. >she's so firm in her tone and attitude that she accidentally shows off her true power, in the form of full alicorn flowing mane and tail, and a strong display of ambient magic
  988. >speaking of Radian's device, he notices more oddities about it, like after Starlight's brief corruption
  989. >but not enough for him to worry
  990. >with Twilight's point made, he's in agreement
  991. >he likes the idea; free access to Equestria for Radian and the sirens in exchange for protecting Equestria?
  992. >he'd be a fool not to
  993. >but obviously he'll need to talk to Adagio about this, but it seems like a damn good deal
  994. >though one last time, he wonders if Twilight might leverage this agreement with Radian forgiving Sunset
  995. >and, yet again, Twilight insists that's not the case; there's nothing worse than an insincere apology
  996. >even so, Radian admits that... fine, Twilight's trust and obvious care for him has inspired him to at least promise he'll bury the hatchet with his nemesis
  997. >or at least talk to her like a normal person, and get to know her
  998. >he wants in on that magic hunting aspect Sunset's been doing for years, after all
  999. >Twilight apologises for the sudden seriousness; she underpins the discussion by insisting she wants to earn Adagio's friendship like she's earned Radian's, but she knows Adagio respects strength, so she won't pull any punches
  1000. >for the time being, they return to work
  1001. >with both of them being honest, they begin to banter, and enjoy working together to restore Adagio as a team
  1002.  
  1003. (29)
  1004. >before long, they've repaired Adagio's siren stone!
  1005. >it still needs hardening, but Twilight once more proves her magical might by creating a tiny bubble of rapid time flow, so it should only take an hour when the previous stones took several
  1006. >Twilight will go and gather the princesses and her friends, and Radian should go find Adagio
  1007. >it's time for Adagio's restoration
  1008. >she will be a siren once more
  1009. >the stone suddenly pops free from the clamp
  1010. >in a panic, Twilight catches it with her magic, and is understandably confused if the clamp broke or something
  1011. >apparently not, so after replacing the stone in the clamp and engaging the time spell again, and with Twilight now going to fit more clamps to make sure nothing else happens before gathering her friends, they split up
  1012. >Radian's pretty tired by this point
  1013. >between the lack of sleep the previous two nights, and all the dramatics of doing three stone repairs in two days, he's nonetheless excited to tell Adagio the news
  1014. >he first stumbles on Rarity and Fluttershy at a spa, the last place Twilight had heard they were going
  1015. >they reveal that the day started fine, even with Sunset there
  1016. >but Adagio's been acting up over time
  1017. >there was enough animosity that Rainbow Dash and Applejack recommended they settle their beef on the jousting fields, which seemed to calm things down for a moment as the group split up
  1018. >being the most ladylike of the pair, Rarity and Shy continued with their beauty treatment instead
  1019. >so they point Radian towards the jousting grounds
  1020. >he runs over and finds Dash and AJ between bouts
  1021. >and they further detail what's been going on
  1022. >Adagio's been flat out hostile to Sunset at points, bullying her and constantly trying to provoke her
  1023. >it's becoming obvious her giggly bitch side, being ruled by her emotions, has been overridden by the lasting animosity
  1024. >the only problem was that Sunset relented and decided to engage, and she teleported them somewhere else to settle their dispute
  1025. >Dash volunteers to scout out where they went
  1026. >Radian's glad for the help (but cautions her not to get involved, even if they're fighting), and she takes flight
  1027. >it doesn't take long, what with Adagio being a big mare, and the magic blasts from Sunset showing up like a light-show
  1028. >they're literally having a duel on the outskirts of town
  1029. >Radian charges over, and curiously, his emitter beeps warnings, but he's too busy to check what's going on, assuming it's the fight he's approaching
  1030. >he arrives, and it becomes obvious by the bruises, the shortness of breath of both combatants and damaged environment that this fight has been going on for some time
  1031. >we even witness just how damn strong and tough Adagio is when she stomps the hardened crystalline road and shatters it like an eggshell underhoof, as well as withstanding a blast of magic from Sunset to the side with barely a scratch
  1032. >Radian calls for calm, distracting Sunset, but Adagio kicks a piece of broken wall at Sunset and knocks her down
  1033. >she moves to finish the job, but Radian steps in between them
  1034. >still not in control of her emotions, Adagio furiously demands he step aside
  1035. >she reminds Ray of what Sunset's done to him in the past
  1036. >but, as he agreed with Twilight, it's time to start changing things
  1037. >so he refuses, and resists her attempts to push past him
  1038. >she shoves him back, but at her size and strength, it's a full on hoof-punch in the stomach
  1039. >this finally snaps Adagio out of it; she's mortified that she's hurt Radian
  1040. >he'd be proud of Adagio for overcoming her magically rampant emotions by her own power, if he wasn't barely able to breathe
  1041. >with both girls calmed, it's obvious this conflict was long overdue, and maybe even a little cathartic
  1042. >Adagio still holds that she did hate Sunset, and this emotional side just let that all out in the open
  1043. >Sunset understands, and wonders if they would be better off going their separate ways when they go back home
  1044. >she also admits that her old smugness at the defeat of the sirens is a persistent feeling, but not a fair one any more
  1045. >yet with any sort of friendship seeming too far-fetched, it seems the only way
  1046. >Adagio then confesses that she respects Sunset
  1047. >that the Dazzlings threw down the challenge and tried to take over Canterlot High School, yet Sunset was instrumental in fighting back
  1048. >her rallying the Rainbooms and being a large part of why the Dazzlings lost
  1049. >that is indisputable
  1050. >Adagio can't say they'll be friends, it's too big a step right now
  1051. >but she doesn't want more enemies either
  1052. >she calls for a truce, as associates
  1053. >Sunset's more than happy for a genuine shot at peace and maybe future friendship, but for real this time, with no hidden agendas
  1054. >they apologise for the fight
  1055. >while Ray hopes this is all true, he pulls out his device to scan Adagio, just to make sure this was genuinely her and not giggly bitch Dagi being sneaky
  1056. >only for the machine to sputter and spark
  1057. >and releases a burst the same dark magic that Starlight used earlier
  1058. >it becomes apparent that, just as the device can draw in and store magic, it's draw in dark magic too
  1059. >and expelled it in an area where a large scale fight had just ensued
  1060. >he realises too late that there was a faint haze of green around the area from Sunset and Adagio's brawl,
  1061. >and as with the incident with Starlight and Sunburst, the dark magic flares up the area with a deep cloud of green, negative emotional energy
  1062. >the emitter detects something powerful on the approach
  1063. >a signal similar to Adagio's, but subtly distinct
  1064. >her stone
  1065. >it flies in like a comet, still unfinished and misshapen, knocks aside Sunset and strikes Adagio in the chest
  1066. >it launches her into an already damage building, collapsing it over her
  1067. >Twilight appears, confused that when she teleported back to the workshop, the stone was missing
  1068. >only for Adagio to float out of the wrecked building, the stone now firmly stuck in her chest
  1069. >far from fitting as it did as a siren, it's cut a deep wound on her chest, sparking and fizzling from its imperfections and unrefined shape
  1070. >Adagio screams out in pain as the stone absorbs the negative emotional energy
  1071. >her mane reforms into a large crest-like fin, her coat changing to scales and her hooves split and become cloven
  1072. >her eyes become slitted, her teeth sharpen
  1073. >Adagio pleads for Ray to help as she tries to scrape the stone out of her chest, but soon vanishes from view as a sphere of power surrounds her
  1074.  
  1075. (30)
  1076. >this is it
  1077. >as the energy fades, an ancient figure of Equestria's past is once more in its skies
  1078. >Adagio is a siren once more, angry, in pain, all but feral in her mannerisms
  1079. >before Adagio can do anything, there's a barrage of magic from the city
  1080. >Celestia, Luna and Cadance approach, trying to subdue Adagio and contain her in a barrier
  1081. >but even as vulnerable as Adagio is, no doubt malnourished of her energy as she's only just transformed, a single bellowing roar shatters their barrier
  1082. >confused and panicked from the agony of her malformed stone, Adagio flees
  1083. >Twilight apologises to Radian, but insists they have to banish her, just as Starswirl the Bearded did all those years ago
  1084. >then Radian remembers what Adagio told him, way back after their first night together
  1085. >banishment didn't just put them out of time
  1086. >it robbed her and her sisters of their memories
  1087. >the idea of Adagio being 'reset' like that terrifies him; would it even be the Adagio he loves?
  1088. >and not knowing how long it might take to find her is just as worrying, considering how much harm the stone is causing
  1089. >it's too much
  1090. >so he acts
  1091. >Ray remembers the scan he took of Twilight earlier, of the energy she possessed
  1092. >he empowers himself with his device, and blasts the area with an anti-alicorn signal from his own magic
  1093. >his device's empowerment stops him from being struck down by the anti-unicorn magic aspect in said alicorn subduing signal
  1094. >Ray then uses the same signal through his device and leaves it pointing at the disabled alicorns to keep them subdued as he chases after the fleeing Adagio
  1095. >he barely keeps up, as exhausted as he is
  1096. >but Adagio's still wounded and suffering from her stone too, and he watches her crash land in a forest out in the freezing lands beyond the Crystal Empire
  1097. >as Ray reaches the forest edge, and steels himself to try and find Adagio, Sunset teleports in front of him
  1098. >she asks him if he really understands what he's about to do
  1099. >and when he asks what she means, she firmly states that if he goes in there alone, he's never coming back
  1100. >to face a siren alone, you're a single scream away from death, or a lilting note away from being buried under her spell
  1101. >she insists that he needs her help
  1102. >his old stubbornness binds with his emotional state and the last, lingering vestiges of his grudge, and he rebukes her
  1103. >Sunset explodes at him, no longer willing to play nice or spare his feelings, calling him a moron and flat out stating it plain that she doesn't care what he thinks, she's doing this and helping him because it's right, and because Adagio herself is at risk
  1104. >Ray's in no place to argue, and he finally buries that final aspect stopping him ever considering Sunset as anything but the enemy, realising what it will cost him
  1105. >Radian finally begins just talking to her, as Twilight asked him to do
  1106. >he asks about joining in on her artefact hunts, and stopping magic flareups across the human world
  1107. >and he also offers her a job
  1108. >once he sells his magic-to-electricity generator, he's under no illusions that he's going to be absurdly wealthy, and what better way to enforce this new truce with his old nemesis than giving her the means to do her job better, with his resources and her knowledge in tandem
  1109. >he also makes it very clear that he still considers her past actions as a debt she can work off
  1110. >she's happy just for the opportunity to make things right, and accepts
  1111. >(B-side does cover that, while the other human seven have done well for themselves in a variety of fields, Sunset's self-imposed burden of stopping magic events means she's almost always strapped for cash, yet constantly travelling, and sometimes she tackles these things alone rather than trouble her friends. She's also evidently too proud to ask for money from her wealthier friends.)
  1112. >as they explore the forest for any sign of Adagio, the fact they're beyond the warmth afforded to the Crystal Empire by the Crystal Heart becomes clear
  1113. >it's freezing cold
  1114. >Radian's still wearing the winter-wear saddle Rarity gifted him, consisting of a blanket, pad and saddle
  1115. >but as Sunset begins to struggle against the chill, he shares the garment with her, giving her the pad and saddle, while he keeps the blanket
  1116. >he finally begins to appreciate Sunset as they just talk, and just as well; bickering now would be a weakness that Adagio could exploit
  1117. >but that will mean nothing if they can't find her
  1118. >and to that end, Sunset suddenly kicks him in the leg
  1119. >Radian's understandably pissed and calls her out on what the hell she's doing
  1120. >she's creating a brief bit of conflict to help locate Adagio
  1121. >Ray realises the funny side; she just pulled a Radian move, like back with Sunburst
  1122. >yet that brief moment of anger creates a small piece of negative energy, which floats through the trees, and they chase it down
  1123. >and there she is, Adagio Dazzle
  1124. >the first siren to be seen in Equestria in a thousand years
  1125. >she's still struggling with her stone as it crackles and sparks with power, in a lot of pain bit the wound is visibly healing around the stone
  1126. >they can't afford to wait; the longer they do, the harder it will be to help her
  1127. >with no real alternative, they approach
  1128. >less feral than after her initial change, the now golden eyed siren stares down the pair, and recognises them
  1129. >Adagio calls for Radian to come to her side, since he can still be of use
  1130. >that he should just bow to her and become her servant
  1131. >Radian shouts back that this isn't her
  1132. >the real Adagio taught him how to be more than his old self, she cared for him, and brought out the best in him
  1133. >just as he did to her
  1134. >bored of the grandstanding, Adagio simply begins to sing
  1135. >he immediately begins to succumb to her power
  1136. >but Sunset, who's using her empathy powers to create an internal memory loop to protect her, jabs Radian out of the still weakened siren's grasp
  1137. >he then puts up his guard, empowering himself with a unicorn signal since it clears his mind as a side-effect
  1138. >with both unicorns at the ready, Sunset asks what's the plan
  1139. >only for Radian to flatly say he doesn't have one; he's been flying by the seat of his pants since Twilight's attempt at banishment
  1140. >realising there's no winning here Sunset teleports them both as far as she can
  1141. >but she's both weakened from the earlier fight, and out of practice with most of her spells besides her empathy magic
  1142. >realising they have no other options, and that the longer they wait, the more likely Adagio is to escape, Radian tells Sunset to flee back to the Empire and ask for help, while he tries to keep Adagio occupied
  1143. >Sunset calls that a terrible idea, and argues
  1144. >which, of course, just draws Adagio's attention to them
  1145. >Adagio blasts them with a scream, and sends them scattered apart
  1146. >Radian calls out for Sunset to get back to Twilight again, then boosts his magic once more
  1147. >then blasts Adagio with an anti-siren signal with his magic
  1148. >it brings Adagio crashing down and blocks her powers, but he can't cast two things at once
  1149. >he has to boost his powers again, then unleash another negative siren signal
  1150. >but each time, Adagio's dragging herself nearer and nearer
  1151. >and Radian's spent; the lack of sleep, the hard, focused work in repairing the stones and the running around the Crystal Empire and to the forest take its toll
  1152. >he's on his last legs, and barely able to walk
  1153. >it's over
  1154. >but as Adagio takes a swipe at him with a flick of her fish-like tail, Sunset tackles Radian out of harms way
  1155. >she stands to help him up, so they can at least try to flee
  1156. >only for Adagio to hoof-punch Sunset across the forest and into a tree with a horrific thud
  1157. >*now* it's over, as Sunset slumps and grows still, and Adagio cackles at her triumph at finally getting revenge against Sunset
  1158.  
  1159. (31)
  1160. >Adagio celebrates her triumph as Radian stumbles over to Sunset
  1161. >she's alive, but coughing up blood
  1162. >it becomes clear by the broken saddle that his gesture of kindness probably saved Sunset's life as it cushioned the blow
  1163. >but it means nothing, they have nothing left
  1164. >Sunset's too badly wounded to do anything
  1165. >Radian's spent
  1166. >and Adagio's powers are recovering without the constant bombardment of Radian's anti-siren signal
  1167. >she chuckles at Radian if he has any final words before becoming her slave
  1168. >Radian's only solace is he thinks he's got it figured out
  1169. >this other side of Adagio was the siren all along
  1170. >the human side of Adagio, that was in command after she lost her memories when being banished, basically borrowed the siren's mind like a template
  1171. >and, as her powers had restored, that's why Adagio acted the way she did, her memories always tainted by the siren's more evil, selfish mindset
  1172. >but losing her powers again, and suffering for so long as a human, gave that humanity a chance to renew and flourish, even through the trauma, and even despite the fact it still used many of the sirens traits as its own
  1173. >(B-side also states that, as the siren stones clearly have an empathy themselves, that it's very likely that Adagio really is of two minds. There's a lot of shared traits, but the human side is capable of love, and the siren side is not. There's also the early signs that the earth pony Adagio is the true, original individual, but Twilight and Sunset don't have all the answers either. A tale for another time,)
  1174. >but now, it's all just the siren
  1175. >Radian has no way to draw out his lover, who simply sees Radian as a way to boost her own powers, and little else
  1176. >except Sunset musters all her strength to tell him something
  1177. >to remind Adagio that, beyond her heart of stone, she has a beating heart
  1178. >and she offers her hoof, and a memory
  1179. >Radian witnesses a scene in which, after the first morning in Equestria, not long after Adagio's loving song, Twilight used that knowledge to convince the other princesses that there was no threat, and that much of the security she had planned for Radian and Adagio's visit was to stand down
  1180. >Adagio had changed, and while still unsure of how to process her emotions, chastising her would only push her away
  1181. >Adagio needed to be shown more care and friendship, like she clearly had from Radian
  1182. >as the princess of love, Cadance especially accepted this
  1183. >and, investing more and more trust in her as her heir, Celestia also concurred, along with Luna
  1184. >the only one who didn't believe it was Sunset herself
  1185. >she asked if they could really be sure that this was a good idea, to just trust Adagio because of one song
  1186. >but that was just it
  1187. >Radian clearly had such a powerful, true relationship with Adagio, that trusting them to bring out the best in each other was only natural
  1188. >all because of that song...
  1189. >Radian comes out of the memory as Sunset falls unconscious
  1190. >and he now knows what he has to do
  1191. >it was time to bury his scientific mind, and let loose his heart
  1192. >emotions have power unlike anything else
  1193. >nothing as base as electronics or magic alone
  1194. >so he sings to Adagio
  1195. >the same song as Adagio sung to him, but with his own spin
  1196. >Adagio seems to get lost in a trance as he does his best to serenade the siren
  1197. >and then she joins in for the final verse
  1198. >and her eyes turn from gold to that dark pink he knows his Addy possesses
  1199. >just like that, Adagio is herself again
  1200. >she's in a panic though as she realises what she's done, about how much she's screwed up
  1201. >but Radian, as ever, supports and tries to calm his siren partner
  1202. >it isn't just what she's done
  1203. >her stone continues to spark and cause her a lot of pain
  1204. >so much that her eyes keep flashing gold, as the more feral inner siren tries to wrest back control
  1205. >not to mention they don't know how critical Sunset's condition is
  1206. >they need to get back to Twilight to work out what to do, and fast
  1207. >but Radian doesn't have any realistic way to carry Sunset on his back
  1208. >nor is his telekinesis skills up to the task of carrying her, even less so with his exhaustion
  1209. >and Adagio's a gigantic siren, with smooth, armoured scales, fins and nothing really useful for carrying anyone
  1210. >she frustratingly growls about she has all that power, yet all of it is concentrated in one part of her form
  1211. >and it dawns on her
  1212. >Adagio asks Ray to spoon with Sunset and hold on to her
  1213. >unsure what she's playing at, but without any other plans, Radian obeys
  1214. >only for them to both be licked up into Adagio's mouth; the softest, most dextrous part of a siren's body
  1215. >and understandably, once more, Radian freaks the fuck out as Adagio carries them both back to the Crystal Empire in her toothy jaws
  1216.  
  1217. (32)
  1218. >it's a short flight, but not exactly a comfortable one
  1219. >covered in siren spit, spooning with his nemesis-turned-associate and still dead tired, it's less than ideal
  1220. >yet things are looking up; with Adagio's mind restored, the worst is over...
  1221. >but now they have to face the music, and Twilight
  1222. >they return to the Crystal Empire to an armed welcome
  1223. >all the key players are there, complete with Shining Armor and Cadance's forces, shielded and ready for a battle
  1224. >the Elements of Harmony and princesses, ready to throw down
  1225. >but Adagio lands short, and gently spits out her precious cargo, and pleads for their help
  1226. >Twilight steps forward, and Radian begs for forgiveness
  1227. >ever the practical pony, Twilight tells him to forget it and focus on helping
  1228. >both Sunset with her grievous injuries
  1229. >and Adagio, as she continues to struggle with the stone, her eyes continuing to flash gold as the inner beast seeks to take over again
  1230. >the palace doctors begin helping Sunset as Twilight, Radian and the princesses consider what to do about Adagio
  1231. >the stone has to be extracted, and immediately
  1232. >it's increasingly unbearable, and the wound is seeping with blood, tinged with something dark; possibly tainted by the dark magic or negative energy the stone usually absorbs
  1233. >also because Adagio's simply too large to fit through the mirror portal to remove it by turning Adagio into a human
  1234. >the issue is that they need to separate the siren and stone and restore her earth-pony form somehow, something that is a very wide split of magical ability and energy types
  1235. >Twilight doesn't have any ideas, but she knows someone who just might
  1236. >Radian Wave, of course
  1237. >with all the pressure put on him, and the love of his life at stake, he digs deep
  1238. >after relenting to his emotions to restore Adagio's mind, now he has to go maximum scientist to restore her body
  1239. >he theorises he needs to split the siren from her stone, but they share very similar energy types, by forcing a rift between the two with a siren boost and anti-siren stone energy
  1240. >while creating a sympathetic earth energy for Adagio to latch onto, then absolutely slamming both siren wavelengths with an anti-magic blast so that the earth energy can force a transformation back into Adagio's pony form
  1241. >the last part needed is the stone extraction, which will be handled by Princess Celestia once they're about to deplete Adagio's siren power
  1242. >three energy types is the problem
  1243. >he can cast one, his device the other
  1244. >but the third source?
  1245. >he asks a stupid question; how quickly can Twilight learn a spell
  1246. >Rainbow Dash explain it with typical grace; she's a goddamn magical nerd, so no time at all
  1247. >Radian becomes the mentor to Twilight as he explains his method
  1248. >it's not easy; it's repeated pulses of very specifically timed pulses of magic
  1249. >fortunately, Twilight only needs to learn one energy type, and the one that needs just raw output; the earth pony signal
  1250. >she adjusts and slowly hones in on the signal
  1251. >first accidentally disabling all pegasi in the area, as well as weakening even the alicorn's ability to fly
  1252. >then she finds the 'horny energy' variant, going by Pinkie's sudden excitement, and Applejack suddenly loosing a loud moan (then poorly tries lie that it wasn't her)
  1253. >and there, Twilight has it, as suddenly Pinkie and Applejack feel super-powered
  1254. >with Twilight ready, they hear that Sunset's stable and about to be taken to the palace for surgery
  1255. >Radian has to have a word first
  1256. >he tells her that, yes, he will always associate Sunset with his mom's passing
  1257. >that will never likely change; that's been proven
  1258. >but the past is the past, and the present is so much more important
  1259. >Sunset just helped Radian bring his Adagio back to him, and saved his life besides
  1260. >so finally, after literally years, unconditionally and with all his heart, he forgives Sunset, and thanks her
  1261. >despite her own pain, Sunset's overjoyed, and was happy to help
  1262. >then Adagio says to her how much she regrets what happened
  1263. >yes, deep down she's hated Sunset and, yes, but she always respected her
  1264. >the things Adagio wanted to do Sunset are many; to best her, to taunt her, to humiliate her, to grind her face into the dirt and prove herself superior
  1265. >but to actually hurt Sunset?
  1266. >to try to kill her?
  1267. >no, never that far
  1268. >how Adagio almost did just that will haunt her, and she apologises, and hopes they can come to better terms than they already agreed to, because Sunset helped Radian too
  1269. >and that means the world to Adagio
  1270. >with that, Sunset's teleported away
  1271. >and a final word of encouragement from Adagio, that she *knows* Radian can do this, they begin the procedure to restore the siren to her pony form once more
  1272. >weakening the siren stone has the predictable effect; it hurts Adagio, and she has to dig deep
  1273. >it's offset by the siren boosting part, but like the executioners axe looming overhead, it's only a matter of time before that's pulled from her
  1274. >Adagio uses her pride as her anchor, refusing to be seen as weak in front of all these former foes, and she holds on
  1275. >once the stone's all but blanked out, Radian cranks the positive siren signal into an anti-signal
  1276. >and Celestia wrenches the siren stone from her chest
  1277. >Adagio collapses, and Twilight blasts her with the super-strong earth signal
  1278. >with a flash of magic, Adagio reverts into her large, earth pony form
  1279. >she floats down to the ground, quiet and still
  1280. >but she isn't breathing, and she has no pulse
  1281.  
  1282. (33)
  1283. >Radian loses all hope
  1284. >all this struggle, everything that happened, only to fail now?
  1285. >to lose the one girl who loved him and brought him so far?
  1286. >Twilight kicks Radian back into gear and demands he boost her alicorn powers with every scrap of power he can muster, both his device and his own magic
  1287. >he does all he can, and Twilight's alicorn powers flourish into probably as much strength as she's ever held
  1288. >and she uses it all to blast Adagio with so much earth power that it force-restarts Adagio's heart
  1289. >Adagio screams as she awakens and leaps to her hooves
  1290. >Twilight asks how she is, and Adagio admits it's somewhere between fifty cups of coffee and jamming a fork into a wall outlet
  1291. >but she's alive, and she's herself again
  1292. >she has slitted eyes, like her siren form, and she has some pointy teeth amongst her pony flats
  1293. >she also now has a scar in the shape of the malformed siren stone, with small scales around it but it's Adagio again
  1294. >as soon as Adagio and Radian's eyes meet, the predictable happens
  1295. >she pounces on and kisses him with relentless relief and thanks for saving her life
  1296. >then grinds against him with all her mighty weight
  1297. >it's a beautiful, beautiful pain
  1298. >it would go further, and Twilight would usually be glad to let them have their fun, but the portal closes soon, the other sirens are owed their repaired stones, and a few ponies want to say goodbye
  1299. >Adagio interjects that she owes Twilight for her part in saving Adagio's life, but Twilight politely refuses; debts and owed favours at this point would undermine what's been accomplished, so she leads the way back to the Crystal Empire, where everyone awaits
  1300. >Adagio's new friends, Rarity and Applejack, appear first
  1301. >Adagio apologises for that other side of her coming out and giving a false impression of the real her, and that she legitimately likes their odd pair
  1302. >Rarity and Applejack forgive her, of course, and ask how Adagio is, and how she feels
  1303. >because it's obvious the event has taken a lot out of the siren
  1304. >and that they've dealt with friends becoming monstrous before
  1305. >Spike becoming a giant dragon, fuelled by greed, and going on a rampage, for example
  1306. >that's beside the point anyway; they still seem to like her a great deal
  1307. >they'll be there for Adagio when she returns to Equestria
  1308. >as they encourage Adagio, it's obvious their words mean a great deal to her as she perks up
  1309. >and they heartily support Radian for being a standup boyfriend, willing to go to such extreme lengths for Adagio, and that he'll fit in just fine when he comes back too
  1310. >the rest of Twilight's friends all offer their support, and look forward to meeting again, all in their own ways (Dash wants to test Adagio's flying prowess as a siren, Pinkie has a party plan for whatever and however the pair return to Equestria to such a varied degree it puts Radian in awe, and Shy looks forward to actually spending time with both when the onus of whether Adagio is still an evil siren isn't looming over them)
  1311. >Celestia comes last, giving Radian Adagio's stone, now back to its smaller size
  1312. >but the siren stands before the current ruler of Equestria, and gives her a glare
  1313. >it was her mentor that banished the Dazzlings to the human world, instigating all this anger, frustration and trouble, and she won't forget that
  1314. >Celestia stands firm, and seems ambivalent, stating that if she feels so hard done by her, despite how much harm Adagio caused as a siren by attacking towns and feeding on their negative emotions, then Adagio can take her issues up with Starswirl the Bearded
  1315. >he is still alive, after all, to Adagio's surprise
  1316. >but then Celestia softens, and asks Adagio to consider that she has learned decency and kindness, and earned a place in Equestria, and to just let the past remain the past
  1317. >while Adagio at first refuses to back down, Radian notices her stone has begun reacting to the anger she has buried within, trying to attach itself to Adagio again, and pleads for her to drop it for now
  1318. >she does; not for Celestia's sake, but for Radian, and his future in Equestria
  1319. >Twilight then leads the way back to the portal room, and says her piece
  1320. >she's sad to see the pair go; until Sunset returns, (which will take months of recovery time) so they can communicate by her book, they'll probably be out of contact
  1321. >after all, now that Radian's devices are ready, and with the siren soon to all be restored, he'll have no trouble building his fortune, so he'll be busy setting everything up in the human world
  1322. >but, as per their agreement, Adagio and Radian are welcome back
  1323. >Aria and Sonata will have to be repatriated to Equestria at a later time, after what happened to Adagio, just to play it safe, but they're all hopeful
  1324. >Twilight begins to ask about her proposal to ally with the sirens, but has some worries after Adagio's disagreements with Celestia
  1325. >Adagio plays it casual; she just wanted to make sure everyone knew the sirens weren't going to become simpering, servile weaklings
  1326. >and apparently Twilight's aware of that, considering her refusal of Adagio's favour; they both want to earn their way through action and power, rather than debts
  1327. >Twilight instead moves forward with her plan; to protect Equestria, and assist Twilight's rule, for freedom to return to their home, to come and go between there and the human world as they please
  1328. >Adagio asks if they're just going to be attack dogs for Twilight, because she will not just bow down and obey on a whim
  1329. >ever logical, Twilight knows that Adagio cares for Radian's happiness, and that for him to be happy, and for Adagio's new friends to be happy, she had best take this offer seriously
  1330. >she knows chest-puffing bravado when she sees it, and Adagio's posturing does nothing but annoy Twilight
  1331. >Adagio's actually impressed by the no-nonsense approach, and the obvious commitment in her words
  1332. >this really isn't the prissy little princess she fought back in Canterlot High School, unable to make a song, or truly unite the Rainbooms until the last possible second
  1333. >this is a Princess Twilight Sparkle with some backbone and grit
  1334. >Adagio then tries the physical approach, looming over the smaller princess
  1335. >it's not that much of a difference; Twilight may be shorter, but she stands tall and proud, letting her alicorn radiance flow
  1336. >Twilight challenges back; would Adagio truly cast her friendships away? Discard Radian's happiness for the sake of her pride?
  1337. >Adagio finally relents on the point, and confesses; no, she supposes not
  1338. >but is Twilight being truthful?
  1339. >the sirens would be free to live their lives, and simply offer aid when needed?
  1340. >Twilight says more or less; she would be happy to ask their opinions on Twilight's ruling as well, as important citizens of Equestria, but also as those with a perspective on life Twilight simply doesn't have
  1341. >Adagio seems to be in agreement, but then insists that respect must be earned
  1342. >Twilight huffs and tells Adagio that whatever trial or challenge she has in mind, she'll win
  1343. >between Adagio's newfound restored power and Twilight's regal and steadfast demeanour, neither seems to be backing down
  1344. >and Adagio's becoming increasingly excited
  1345. >she respects strength, and Twilight's one of the ponies that originally defeated her
  1346. >and she says it's clear that Twilight's got Radian wrapped around her hoof too; again, Adagio respects the manipulation
  1347. >Twilight obviously takes offence to that; it was a genuine, heartfelt friendship they've built
  1348. >with that siren pride in full force, and her earlier admission that Adagio doesn't really care about appearances, it's not a huge surprise that Adagio finally acts on her excitement, as it turns into... something else
  1349. >she's turned on by Twilight's tremendous power
  1350. >as Adagio pounces on Twilight, and buries her with a huge, passionate kiss
  1351. >even Twilight's taken aback, unable to escape the pressure as Adagio just indulges
  1352. >and on breaking up, she brands Twilight as her true rival; her new goal and target to strive for greatness
  1353. >and Adagio will be Twilight's reason to keep growing stronger too!
  1354. >to that end, when they both feel ready, Adagio announces they will have another Battle of the Bands!
  1355. >Twilight, Sunset and the Rainbooms vs the restored Dazzlings!
  1356. >not for any goal, but for proof positive who's the stronger of the two!
  1357. >who wins or loses doesn't matter
  1358. >so long as Twilight swears she'll fight with every scrap of her power, and holds no punches, Adagio will be more than happy to call herself not only Twilight's ally but her heartfelt friend
  1359. >Twilight agrees, and the alliance, rivalry and personal friendship between the future ruler of Equestria and the Dazzlings is forged
  1360. >it's also worth noting that, despite the deeper friendship between Ray and Twilight, he makes it clear that, if push comes to shove, he will always side with the Dazzlings
  1361. >as a chime rings for the closure of the portal, everyone says their final goodbyes, and their thanks to one another for everything
  1362. >and, with all three stones in hoof, Adagio and Radian step back into the human world
  1363. (final note, I forgot to mention that Aria's stone was ground down and polished into readiness as Twilight and Radian were also fixing Adagio's stone, done during some of the more menial tasks)
  1364.  
  1365. (34)
  1366. >Radian exits back into the human world after Adagio, and it's obvious she arrived far sooner
  1367. >for one thing, it's daytime, when they left at night, thanks to the time dilation thing the mirror was suffering (same as when they arrived; it was day in the human world and night in Equestria)
  1368. >after all, she's currently arguing with Principal Celestia, who had previous banned the Dazzlings from school grounds for obvious reasons
  1369. >spotting Radian, and the obvious fact he's been in the other world, Celestia's surprised, and even asks how he is
  1370. >not to mention whether Twilight knows about this
  1371. >his assurance he's friends with Twilight besides, he'd still rather not cause a fuss with Adagio's presence at the school, and they leave without further argument
  1372. >once away from the eyes and ears of the school, and after a whole week of drama, there's one more surprise
  1373. >she squees like a teenager in a rare, unabashed display of joy and excitement
  1374. >they've succeeded!
  1375. >the Dazzlings will be sirens once more
  1376. >and Adagio's endlessly grateful to Radian for making it happen, as he swore he would
  1377. >between that, and the fact he actually serenaded Adagio back into her own mind, it's obvious Ray's in for a night of intense 'gratitude' as their relationship, already rock solid, can't be any firmer
  1378. >also Radian learns that, while he's not a great singer, she finds it the most touching thing ever, and she won't be held responsible for her actions if he sings to her again
  1379. >it's like a counter-siren power; instant intense passion from her, if he can muster the courage to sing again
  1380. >he's not the 'sing out of nowhere' type anyway, let alone outside of Equestria, but it's food for thought
  1381. >Adagio also makes it clear that, if Ray wants a threesome with Twilight, she's *so* willing to do it
  1382. >that lust for powerful individuals is pretty strong, it seems, and Twilight's pretty damn powerful
  1383. >also the lingering shrunken affect on Adagio's human form, somehow maintaining itself despite being away for several days, begins to revert, and she starts growing to her full 'earth' size
  1384. >but, quickly handing Adagio her stone, it's clear the siren connection is restored
  1385. >with the stone on her person, she *is* a siren, at her classic, regular size
  1386. >and with it taken away, she's an earth pony in human form, something they both know they can exploit; siren powers or extra size and strength on demand seems very practical
  1387. >lastly, but far more seriously, Ray admits that, with her powers basicallyt restored, he half expected her to abandon him, like Aria suggested
  1388. >Adagio's genuinely upset at the idea, but knows it's not without merit after losing control
  1389. >but she insists and swears that if she ever betrays Ray like that without due cause, he's got free pass to go to Twilight and side with her against Adagio
  1390. >in case there was any doubt; they're absolutely a couple, and that's the end of it, and it'll be a cold day in Tartarus for them to break that bond
  1391. >Sonata and Aria turn up in the tour-bus soon after
  1392. >the first sign of Adagio's misshapen stone leads Aria to fear the worst, and begin laying into Ray that he fucked up
  1393. >but Adagio then shows them the other two stones; perfectly formed
  1394. >she gives them back to her sisters, and they both reawaken to their siren natures, even if the stones hold little power right now
  1395. >Sonata's overjoyed, as expected
  1396. >Aria's... begrudgingly forced to eat her words and actually thank Radian for everything he's done
  1397. >then comes the big ask
  1398. >Adagio lays out Twilight's plan
  1399. >Aria makes the same initial conclusion as Adagio did; she's not thrilled at being an attack dog at Twilight's beck and call
  1400. >Adagio explains it's more nuanced than that, telling her everything about Twilight's desire to rule with the Dazzlings as protectors, sure, but also to challenge her leadership, to ensure she's the right mare for the job and considering all advice
  1401. >but the matter is quickly concluded; as agreed earlier, the Dazzlings vote
  1402. >Radian's a Dazzling too, but as the one who technically instigated the deal, he's exempt
  1403. >Adagio says yay
  1404. >Sonata, eager to please, return home and make new friends, also says yay
  1405. >Aria can't even bring herself to decline; she said she'd follow Adagio's lead if things went well, and they've clearly gone great if Twilight's willing to actually give the sirens back their powers
  1406. >besides, if Twilight isn't up to the task, they can always kick her out and take over
  1407. >Aria's being (probably) serious as she suggests this
  1408. >Adagio agrees (but gives Radian a knowing look; she knows this Twilight has the ability, and clearly hopes that's the case)
  1409. >still looking for a way to stick it to the resident human, Aria starts bugging him about whether he's going to have a problem with the sirens feeding
  1410. >but then she's shocked when she realises that if Sonata and Aria's stones were fixed first, and done properly, and Adagio's was left until last... he really does care about the sirens as a whole, rather than it just being a weird case of Radian just wanting to keep banging Adagio
  1411. >Adagio sneakily doesn't say she was the one who insisted this to be the case, to give Radian some extra leverage
  1412. >yep, Aria finally, fully relents
  1413. >it takes a lot of effort, and Radian's more than happy to poke fun at the increasingly flustered Aria, but then she has to accept him as one of them, once and for all
  1414. >they are The Dazzlings, a family, a band and now Equestria's protectors
  1415. >Radian still has to work out that non-conflictive way to keep the girls fed, but for now, they hop into the bus, and go to celebrate
  1416.  
  1417. (Completely forgot a vital part of the last segment; Radian gave Twilight his device as a parting gift. Both as a sign of their friendship, as a practical tool that she could no doubt use, but also it represented a symbol of Radian and Adagio's bond, as something that could only be made by them teaming up and, even in those first, conflictive days, there was some sort of trust)
  1418. (35)
  1419. >we rejoin Radian almost a year later
  1420. >he's running through the streets of Manehattan, having abandoned his limo and chauffeur because of an absolute gridlock in the city streets
  1421. >it's cold and he's running late as he heads towards a major concert
  1422. >the Dazzlings “Mistress” comeback tour, and it's their final show of this run, and he's promised he's gonna be there for the finale
  1423. >he heads down an alley, but is accosted by some thugs
  1424. >Radian tries to be diplomatic, but as soon as they recognise him from some magazines as a self-made millionaire yet get his name wrong)
  1425. >turns out trying to corner a seemingly perfect green energy generator wasn't possible without being struck down by a lot of red tape
  1426. >so Radian instead used his know-how to create phone chargers, based on his device's ability to turn ambient magic into power
  1427. >a plug-in charger that powered phones forever, without needing a wall-socket?
  1428. >they sold like hot-cakes, naturally
  1429. >now he's making his own phones with the same tech, and he's even learned how to piggy-back phone signals off of magic via their own signals, so they're not tied to normal towers
  1430. >and that's how he's sponsoring the Dazzlings and making more money than he can dream of
  1431. >of course, knowing this, the thugs demand cash at gunpoint
  1432. >so he gives them a taste of Emitt, his voice controlled, upgraded handheld device (since he frequently called it the emitter anyway)
  1433. >he disables all the thugs with a blast of anti-signals, demonstrating the device is far more refined and accurate, all while not harming himself, so we now know he can do multiple signal types at once
  1434. >after giving the leader a parting kick in the ribs, and heads on his way
  1435. >Radian reaches the venue and tries to enter the back door, only to realise he left his VIP pass in the limo, and the door guard thinks he's just a creepy fan
  1436. >he's saved from being stuck outside as Sunset, the Dazzlings manager, waves him in
  1437. >a brief and friendly greeting shows that the pair have become friends (even if Sunset's still his employee), and they head for the stage
  1438. >the Dazzlings are just finishing an updated version of “Find the Magic,” now “Found the Magic,” and they're ready for their big finale
  1439. >Mistress, both the name of the tour and their latest single, belts out
  1440. >it's a song with each of the sirens singing their own verse, but together on the chorus, bridge and climax
  1441. >it also demonstrates each Dazzlings' unique touch after their years apart; Adagio's classic, professional tone, Sonata's upbeat, energetic pop-starlet vibe and Aria's powerful, aggressive style, but they're still perfectly able to perfectly harmonise
  1442. >and as the song comes to a close, and the audience erupts in cheers, they thank their audience, but there's no agenda; they're legitimately grateful
  1443. >Adagio even says to her sisters as they head off stage that it's a great crowd tonight
  1444. >a mayoral candidate for Manehattan, one Ms. Harshwhinny, takes to the stage for a public address as the Dazzlings reach stageside
  1445. >Sonata cheerfully greets Ray with a high-five
  1446. >Aria casually fistbumps him
  1447. >and Adagio greets him with a loving embrace
  1448. >poking a little fun at Ray for almost missing the show, he tells them about the gridlock
  1449. >Sonata's aghast; she has a recording session for Guardians of Gale Glade in the morning
  1450. >Aria's not best pleased either; she's performing a charity gig
  1451. >not for the charity itself, of course, but because the Rainbooms will be there, and she wants to outperform them
  1452. >Adagio angrily snaps at Sunset to pull some strings and get her sisters out of Manehattan that night
  1453. >as Radian lets the Dazzlings head on towards the green room to relax, Sunset complains she's meant to be the manager, not their personal assistant and/or chew toy
  1454. >Ray knows all to well; the actual P.A left for that very reason, as the Dazzlings are... a little touchy about who they associate with, but he's compensating Sunset with a massive cash bonus on top of her already generous paycheck
  1455. >he then insists that Sunset take vacation, as she immediately started working for Radian after her recovery in Equestria, starting with his fledgeling phone business to now running the band
  1456. >Ray also let slip he's going to be going somewhere with Adagio as well, and Sunset makes it clear she knows he's been working on 'something special'
  1457. >Sunset collects herself from the shock of becoming an overnight millionaire herself, and agreeing she could use some down time before some other magic carnage occurs, she heads off to organise transport for Sonata and Aria
  1458. >Ray goes to catch up with his family, only to bump into a child who's sneaked backstage
  1459. >the sirens first worry about a threat, tuning up their siren powers, only they relax as they notice who it is
  1460. >the little girl's a massive Aria fangirl, based on her theme of merch and she even has her hair the same way (though loves the Dazzlings overall)
  1461. >and the Dazzlings show their ongoing attitude improvement; any fan of theirs is treated well
  1462. >this girl is no different, as Adagio activates her mom-mode and calmly greets and welcomes the young girl, asking a few innocent questions, like if she enjoyed the show, and if Aria's her favourite based on her outfit
  1463. >Aria, ever the grump, resists melting at the praise both Adagio and the girl heap on her, until the child lets slip that she's learning the guitar because of her idol
  1464. >that finally breaks Aria's increasingly forced indifference; she's flattered, and offers to let the girl try out Metal-Mane
  1465. >the kid's not bad, and Aria tells her to keep practising, because she wants to see that kid go far
  1466. >the child's mother, led by security, soon stumble on them and the mom apologises for the trouble
  1467. >Adagio's nothing but happy to have met such a passionate fan, and they send the girl away with a spare stage-jacket of Aria's ensemble, signed by the group
  1468. >as the Dazzlings head for the green room again, they find another intruder, as the door's been opened before them
  1469. >this time, after Radian uses his device to detect the extra person in hiding
  1470. >spooked, the guy goes to flee, but with a swift song putting both the intruder (and Radian) under their spell, he's no longer a threat
  1471. >after Adagio snaps Radian from her magic, he realises who they've caught
  1472. >a scumbag reporter, looking up the old rumours of the Dazzlings being horrible back-stage, and even to their fans, back from their days before the breakup
  1473. >the guy's been taking pics of them in several of their shows, even lured that child backstage to try and catch the Dazzlings red handed being horrible to her
  1474. >and failing that, he's managed to somehow get pictures of the Dazzlings changing in some other venue makeup rooms
  1475. >unimpressed, and after confiscating the camera, the Dazzlings have a huddle to decide the reporters fate
  1476. >Sonata makes him buy a ton of Guardians of Gale Glade and Dazzlings merch
  1477. >Aria finds that idea weak (as does Adagio, but she makes the reporter do it anyway for shits and giggles), and the grumpy siren says she wants him to walk out in moving traffic
  1478. >Radian finds that harsh, and points out he's not gonna get run over with the city in gridlock, so opts instead that ruining the guy's reputation would be a delicious irony for a clear blackmailer and douchebag journalist
  1479. >Adagio's all in on that idea
  1480. >the Dazzlings use their powers to make the reporter to strip down naked below the waist, and run out on stage to give Ms. Harshwhinny a nice, passionate kiss in front of a packed crowd and all the cameras
  1481. >having ruined the man's career forevermore as a sex-offender, it becomes clear how the sirens have changed
  1482. >they're far better, but not afraid to crush those who oppose them
  1483. >with a good night's work in place, they head to the green room
  1484.  
  1485. (36)
  1486. >celebrating a tour well done, the Dazzlings unwind, get changed, eat, drink and relax
  1487. >Aria, being Aria, is quick to point out that, for all his talk, Radian's yet to deliver on his promise to find a way to feed the sirens without them sowing discord and conflict
  1488. >largely they've been feeding on incidental fights, the occasional mosh pit when Aria shreds on her guitar, the occasional Guardians of Gale Glade fan dispute and the like
  1489. >Adagio's in agreement; he may be her loving boyfriend, and she would most likely kill someone if anyone harmed a hair on his head, but a member of the Dazzlings now
  1490. >that means he has to pull through when he promise the group something, the same as Adagio, Aria or Sonata
  1491. >Radian's also been hiding something from her, and she's becoming impatient with just what
  1492. >with the gauntlet thrown down, and with confidence, Radian puts on a music review video from online on the green room TV
  1493. >Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Melody host the show, and they're covering the Dazzlings comeback tour, and the Mistress song specifically
  1494. >they're both complimentary to the band and song alike
  1495. >and while Vinyl wordlessly confirms she's all for musical expression, Octavia takes issue with some of the lyrics of Mistress
  1496. >minly for the mild BDSM leanings and obvious allusion to dominant relationship partners
  1497. >Vinyl mutely disagrees, and as they begin the one-sided argument, Radian pauses the video
  1498. >after some guessing and uncertainty, he points them towards the fact that the pair both have Radian's new phones
  1499. >and there's a curious wisp of green flowing into one
  1500. >Adagio catches on, Aria and Sonata let Radian explain
  1501. >his phones, far from just borrowing magic to power themselves and send signals to each other, can also draw in and transfer negative emotional energy
  1502. >turns out that accidental dark magic absorption event inspired him to look into the matter
  1503. >yes, he can't create energy, but he can contain it and send it around through his growing network
  1504. >at his instruction, with their new prototype phones from his company, they unleash that power into themselves
  1505. >they're given a vast feast of negative emotional energy; every argument, every angry message sent and phonecall made near on on Radian's phones draws a tiny amount of negative emotional power, and it's all concentrated and emitted through the Dazzlings phones, on command
  1506. >an amount he theorises will only increase, yet it's already competing with the amount they got from their attempt to take over Canterlot High School
  1507. >for the second time, Aria's forced to eat her own words as Radian once more proves his place in the Dazzlings
  1508. >he may not be a good singer, but he's determined to make them the best sirens they can be
  1509. >it also turns out that Adagio and Sonata had made a wager with Aria; that if Radian came up trumps with the energy solution for them, she'd give him a kiss
  1510. >after some classic stumbling and denial, she saves face by holding a vote that they ALL reward Ray for his continued service to the Dazzlings
  1511. >Radian's a little taken aback that Adagio doesn't mind him being shared amongst the group, but she's quick to point out they're a unit, of one soul
  1512. >and, well, she still feels bad that she didn't let her sisters get a taste of the action back in the apartment
  1513. >Aria takes centre stage, with Sonata and Adagio act as backup partners as they use the green room bed
  1514. >still more than willing to push back, Radian manages to get the dominant position over Aria, and they begin having some fun
  1515. >Aria swears she's not into it, despite the fact she obviously is
  1516. >only, all of a sudden, Aria's getting stronger...
  1517. >betrayal from Adagio at last, as she's taken Aria's siren stone, giving her that big earth girl boost
  1518. >as in a larger, stronger Aria, who easily turns the tables on the puny human
  1519. >and *then* they have their fun
  1520. >some time later, their ongoing quartet session is interrupted when Sunset stumbles in, having successfully chartered a helicopter, only to walk in on the trio using a willing Radian as a sex toy, a little bit payback for that time they didn't get their fun back in the apartment
  1521. >Sunset covers her eyes and tells them that the chopper will be there in an hour, and leaves them to finish up
  1522.  
  1523. (37)
  1524. >we rejoin the Dazzlings outside, with Sunset, as it snows, late at night
  1525. >the chopper awaits to take them to a private jet back to Canterlot City
  1526. >tthere's ample room for both Radian and Adagio, but Radian refuses, leaving Adagio a little confused (though curious)
  1527. >it's pretty clear by this point that, as the old 'Find the Magic' song covered, at least Sonata and Aria have found their place in life, through voice acting and playing the guitar for the pair respectively
  1528. >and singing, of course, which both their time as the restored Dazzlings and their individual pursuits cover
  1529. >as such, the Dazzlings now have reason to stay in the human world
  1530. >even so, Aria and Sonata still have returning to Equestria on the agenda, but best to let Ray and Adagio settle in over there first, then as per the agreement, introduce the other two later, just in case things go wrong
  1531. >for now, they say goodbye
  1532. >the sisters part on the best terms; a closeness they've never held before, even if they're separating again, but with the promise they'll keep in contact regularly
  1533. >and Adagio cements that Sonata is the heart of their group; she'll keep them from slipping with her desire to make all of them better and closer
  1534. >also that Aria is truly the strongest of the three now, the protector
  1535. >Aria counters that Adagio's the brains behind their group, to make sure they don't make stupid decisions that'll hurt the Dazzlings, especially with Radian by her side
  1536. >speaking of which, Aria gives some parting words with Radian; he's given them everything they need to just live their lives *and* be sirens, and she sees him as a worthy addition to the Dazzlings
  1537. >plus, like with their fans, the Dazzlings know they can't rightly judge all humanity as being awful any more
  1538. >there could be any number of decent people out there, like Ray
  1539. >that's not to say humans aren't still 'mostly' crap
  1540. >but they'll do it case-by-case from now on
  1541. >judge humanity on their own merits; those that deserve it will get what's owed, and that goes both the good and the bad
  1542. >Sunset even alludes to this; Adagio has the capacity, and has even shown signs of, being outright heroic
  1543. >Adagio's happy to admit she doesn't mind inspiring others to be better, to strive harder for improvement, just as she has
  1544. >but Adagio also admits that a lot of that is to do with how she almost killed Sunset, and how losing herself to blind hatred, even forced as it was, is one of the worst moments she's endured
  1545. >even so, it's clear Adagio and Sunset are now friends (and rivals of sorts), a bit like Adagio and Twilight are
  1546. >Sunset also shows she's going to try and bond with Sonata and Aria on her own, since the pair don't really still see Sunset as positively as Adagio does
  1547. >with that, Adagio and Radian are left to take the limo through the grid-lock towards a hotel
  1548. >it quickly becomes clear that Adagio's not feeling her best
  1549. >she's quiet and solemn
  1550. >and when Radian first tries to ask what's wrong, she plays coy
  1551. >after all, they're due to return to Equestria the following week, and they've got a lot of work to do setting up their lives there after getting everything set in the human world and stable
  1552. >Adagio's looking forward to it, but it soon dawns on Radian what's wrong
  1553. >she's learned to crave a challenge
  1554. >while Radian giving everything to her on a silver plate has been great for setting the Dazzlings up for life in the human world, she needs something to fight against, to struggle through, in order to truly banish her old demons of failure in 'living life'
  1555. >and the sooner they can get to Equestria, and to the new frontier of their lives, the better
  1556. >all the same, Radian gives Adagio an early anniversary gift to lift her spirits
  1557. >he's developed an elegant looking necklace, designed to slot her siren stone into
  1558. >it would allow her to switch between her stronger earth girl and siren forms on command, as well as help protect the stone from outside forces
  1559. >Radian theorises he can make it so her pony form can use some siren powers without transforming too, but he's not going to be able to work on that until they actually reach Equestria, so he can experiment on it
  1560. >it looks pretty to boot; covered in engravings of ponies and sirens
  1561. >Adagio cracks wise that it's not his usual, simple, future-tech style, but it perks her a lot
  1562. >at the hotel, and after a simple snuggle under the covers to help Adagio get some sleep, Radian's now even more determined to complete his secret project so as to banish Adagio's lurking negative mood
  1563. >he gets up in the middle of the night, tinkering with Emitt, but growing frustrated
  1564. >Adagio stirs and asks him what's wrong
  1565. >it's his turn to play it cool
  1566. >but he forgets one important aspect
  1567. >Adagio spots and understands Radian's work on Emitt's display, and technobabbles him back; he's working on making a portal via heavy silica surfaces, like mirrors or dense sand
  1568. >he's apparently forgotten that she may be a singer, bordering on the power of a goddess, but she's still legitimately brilliant and still studies a little on Ray's preferred topics on the side after all his speeches about her brilliance, and relying on powers alone is a bad idea
  1569. >he confesses; he's found a way to put those portal scans to use that Aria made back when they visited Equestria the first time to use
  1570. >and he's able to create a portal to Equestria, but it breaks down within seconds
  1571. >as he discusses the method, Adagio continues demonstrating her smarts
  1572. >it's getting to the point that they're finishing each others sentences, as Adagio works out that he's using the old emitter's energy field as an anchor for the portals, then also realises that it's the magic pouring out of the portal that's disrupting the aperture
  1573. >after some quick calculations, and a manic scribbling session of notes, Radian suddenly tells Adagio to siren scream at the mirror
  1574. >not best pleased at the idea of destroying the wall, Adagio asks for clarity
  1575. >he's going to fire up another portal, and Adagio's going to use her siren-empowered voice to push back an equal amount of magic into the aperture
  1576. >the balanced forces should keep the portal stable
  1577. >true to form, he opens a portal, and Adagio sings a sustained note that keeps the portal open
  1578. >they stumble through, and are once more in Equestria
  1579. >Ponyville, specifically
  1580. >only it's as late there as it was in the human world, thanks to Radian's better portal mechanics
  1581. >they're obviously once more in their big earth mare and unicorn stallion forms
  1582. >while there, Radian mentions that Twilight was setting up their new home for their return later that week, and too excited to wait or inform Twilight of their presence, they seek it out
  1583. >they do a brief tour of Ponyville trying to find Rarity's place, which Adagio remembers resembling a carousel, and soon find it
  1584. >it's locked, of course
  1585. >at this point, Radian's about to throw in the towel; they really should tell Twilight they're there
  1586. >as he turns to head towards Twilight's palace, the door 'conveniently' opens
  1587. >as the door's 'conveniently' almost been kicked off its hinges
  1588. >complete with an equally 'convenient', Adagio sized rear hoofprint on the door
  1589. >and she's even pulling that classic pony scrunchy face as she insists it was just sticky
  1590. >heading inside and lighting a lantern, it's a beautiful, simple but perfectly humble place
  1591. >it's not fully decorated yet, but it's got a sizeable ground-floor for the bar, tables, and even a stage for Adagio to sing to the patrons
  1592. >upstairs is the living space
  1593. >Adagio loves it; it's a simple start for her business, so she can finally close that failed chapter of her life, and put the past well and truly behind her
  1594. >and she says she can't wait to break in the place
  1595. >to that end, they find the bedroom, with a nice, large bed for the couple
  1596. >and Adagio remembers the guarantee she made back the last time they were in Equestria
  1597. >it's time to fuck like ponies
  1598. >the logistics prove a problem; she's twice the size of him, and has to stand on the bed to reach her
  1599. >but they soon enjoy themselves to the fullest, relishing in how new and strange (but undeniably hot) it is
  1600. >too bad they don't get to enjoy the post-coital cuddling aspect as Twilight, Pinkie and Rarity bust in, thinking the place was being burgled
  1601. >it seems Rarity came to investigate the noise of the breaking door, then heard Adagio's muffled mention of 'breaking in', and sought out Twilight
  1602. >Twilight, thanks to Radian's old device, detected their portal into Equestria as a mysterious flash of magic, and found Rarity on the way
  1603. >and Pinkie saw the lantern's light and just wanted to welcome whoever it was and/or disrupt them with her Pinkie-isms
  1604. >she then welcomes the couple with a house-warming gift
  1605. >which turns out to be a box full of confetti
  1606. >confused when Radian points this out, as it was meant to be more of the breakfast fudge she'd created for the summit last year, she checks for what she put in a hidden welcoming party party cannon
  1607. >upon opening, the usually harmless party cannon accidentally fires a blast of fudge at Ray
  1608. >knocking him clean out the window
  1609. >and into unconsciousness

The Princess of Lust

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