> Dazzled
>  by Pennington Inkwell
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Under Our Spell
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"This is all YOUR fault!" Aria shouted, jabbing her finger into Adagio's chest angrily.

"MY fault?" Adagio knocked away her fellow siren's hand, refusing to be intimidated by her anger. "And how, exactly, have you come to that conclusion?"

"If it weren't for your stupid plan, we'd still have our powers!" Aria folded her arms over her chest, glaring at Adagio with the fury of a thousand storms. "Instead, now we have nothing. No powers, no dignity, and no popularity. We don't even have our immortality, any more! And it's all because you just had to try to take over that dumb school!"

"Wait..." Sonata looked down and scratched her head as the gears in her brain began to turn.

Obviously, they'll need time to dust out the cobwebs... Adagio thought to herself, rolling her eyes.

"If we're not immortal any more... Does that mean..."

"It means that we're going to grow old and DIE, Sonata!" Aria growled, never taking her accusatory eyes off of Adagio. "Our powers are gone. Now, we're only human."

"But- B-But I don't wanna die!" Sonata blubbered, tears flooding and overflowing from her eyes as her now-useless voice began to strain and crack with despair.

"Well, you'd better get used to it, Sonata. We've all only got a few decades left..." Aria turned her back, walking away from the group for presumably the last time. "And it's all Adagio's fault."

"I- I don't wanna die! I DON'T WANNA DIE!" Sonata screamed at the sky, falling to her knees as rivers of tears began to stream down her face. It was truly pitiful, but Adagio had to admit to herself that the full weight of their defeat was beginning to settle on her shoulders, weighing down her heart with a lead anchor. But she couldn't let herself cry. She wouldn't cry. Not in front of anyone, and especially not Sonata. Turning towards Aria's dwindling silhouette, she raised a vindictive fist to the air.

"You think you have nothing? You ARE NOTHING! Both of you are NOTHING without ME! The two of you would still be napping on lakebeds if I hadn't come and picked you up out of the trenches! You hear me, Aria? YOU'RE NOTHING WITHOUT ME!"

Leaving Sonata, who had lost all of her senses to her panic, Adagio stormed into the nearest building: a small coffee shop. She ignored the glares from the patrons inside and practically threw herself into the nearest empty chair, causing it to rock backwards before finally settling again. Raising her hand, she aggressively snapped her fingers, trying to draw the barista's attention.

"HEY! Caramel mochaccino with two shots of espresso! And a croissant sandwich, pronto!"

The barista gave her the same kind of furious look that she'd been receiving all night, inadvertently crushing the empty cup in his hand. He was a massive hulk of a man with pale skin and blonde hair, and the type of muscle mass that implied about twelve different kinds of steroids.

"Right away, ma'am..." he muttered, picking up a new cup and setting himself to work.

While she waited, Adagio leaned forward, resting her forehead on her forearms, burying her face  and leaving her mere inches from the surface of the table. Taking a deep breath, her head began to spin with realizations of her current position.

Aria hated her, Sonata had probably either run off to find a better place to cry than the middle of the sidewalk or become catatonic with fear for the future, and at most, she was only going to live the better portion of another hundred years, growing old as a human would, rather than retaining her eternal youth. She had no job, no friends, no way of supporting herself and no way to enchant her way through the world the way that she had until this point.

Aria was right about one thing... We really do have nothing. The black void behind her eyelids beginning to close in on her mind and crush her spirit. The weight of her complete and total failure weighed down her soul and placed a vice on her heart. If she were back in Equestria, she would simply retreat back to her oceans and try to recover. But even her oldest home was beyond her reach: a world away and uninhabitable for her pathetically weak human body.

I'm going to die... I'm going to die hated and alone. Without my magic... there's nothing left. Nothing I can do. Someday, my body will be left, lifeless and cold, in a hole in the ground somewhere. I, an immortal and powerful siren... Am going to DIE. SOON! What's a few decades to me, a being who's lived thousands of years? It's NOTHING! I have no time left! I- I... I'm finished. There's nothing. I'm nothing...

Just as she felt as if her emotions were about to overtake her, Adagio was shaken out of her reprieve by an unnecessarily rough tap on her shoulder. Jolting upwards, she found herself face-to-face with the barista, holding her coffee and sandwich. He placed the coffee on the table, then moved to hand her the sandwich. As she reached out for it, however, his hand tilted to the side, causing the meal to slip off of the plate and fall to the floor, where it fell apart and dispersed its contents over the tiles. 

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Adagio rose out of her seat, her almost-nonexistent fuse already burning up. "That was my-"

"That will be seven dollars and eighty-five cents..." The barista growled, staring down at her with contempt.

Adagio's rant was quickly cut off as she felt the color drain from her face. Quickly, her hands rushed to her pockets, searching for something, anything to pay with.

Our spells, they're all broken! We don't have any magic! And no magic means no enchanting our way into free meals! Oh, please, please, PLEASE let me have SOMETHING to pay with!

Unfortunately, even turning her pockets inside out yielded no result.

"Oh no..." she whispered, her prayers remaining unanswered. Suddenly feeling much less confident, her eyes slowly moved up to meet the ones staring down at her.

"No money?" The barista reached down, picking up her precious caffeine again.

There was a pause for a moment as another person stepped onto the scene, grabbing the coffee-laden hand by the wrist.

"Hey, Incredible Bulk! Relax! She's on my tab!" The stranger shot the barista a confident grin. "Go ahead and grab a new sandwich for the lady. You don't expect her to eat off of the floor, do you?"

The barista looked first at Adagio, then at the newcomer. Spotting his hesitation, Adagio's savior's eyes narrowed. "You know, Bulk Biceps, I heard the most interesting little tidbit from Cloud Chaser a few days ago... Something about an incident in the locker room?"

Immediately, the barista's face changed, first to shock, then forcing a grin as he set the coffee back down and took a step back and away, quickly retreating back behind the counter.

"Of course! Right away! Another sandwich..."

Smiling at a job well-done, the stranger turned to Adagio, motioning to the second seat at the table. "May I?"

Adagio nodded, regaining her composure as she slid back down into her seat. Now that she had calmed down she was able to get a better look at the stranger. He was about her height, with a dark-gray mop of hair, sky-blue eyes that seemed to glow from within with some kind of excitement, and a large black duster jacket over a midnight-blue t-shirt. The look was completed by a pair of jeans with holes torn over the knees and a pair of black sneakers. Looking over him, Adagio sighed and turned to stare out the window.

"You didn't have to do that. I had it under control."

He chuckled, leaning one elbow on the table and resting his cheek against his fist, giving her a smug look. "Oh really? Please, tell me how you were going to get out of that, then..."

"Well, certainly not by begging for handouts," Adagio reciprocated the grin as she folded her arms and leaned back in her chair, "but if you feel like paying for me, who am I to argue? After all I'm the lady..."

The two stared one another down for a moment before he finally seemed to cave, laughing and scratching awkwardly at the back of his head. "Yeah, I suppose you could say it's a bit of an antiquated way of doing things! But hey, it's the least I can do for Adagio Dazzle!" He gestured at her excitedly, as if he were pointing out some kind of spectacular sight.

Adagio was genuinely surprised at what seemed to be praise being directed towards her. The pleasure, however, was quickly taken away by all of the death glares she could see being sent her way out of the corners of her eyes. She slowly sunk in her chair, her grin fading.

"Unfortunately, that's not a very popular name right now... If you wouldn't mind keeping your voice down a little?" she muttered, sinking in her chair. She had reached the absolute pinnacle of love and adoration only the day before, and now, less than 24 hours later, she had fallen to being one of the single most loathed beings on the planet. The blow had made it difficult to keep any kind of ego to fight back with against the tide of hatred.

"Yeah, I think I see what you mean... He muttered, stroking his chin. "What happened, anyway?"

"You mean, you don't know?" Adagio regained her posture, feeling a glimmer of hope as she leaned forward. Confirming her hopes, the stranger shook his head. "But... if you weren't here, how do you know who I am?"

"Oh, I'm a huge fan!" he leaned forward, grinning excitedly. "I saw the videos that you and the Dazzlings put up on Youvid! In fact, when I did, I couldn't stop listening to your music! When I heard that you were all performing here at Canterlot High, I came over from Cloudsdale Academy as soon as I could! But I was too late for the concert..." As he leaned back in his seat, Adagio caught something that no one else seemed to notice: a flash of green light across his eyes. She blinked trying to understand what she had seen.

Was that... magic?

"Well... I have to say, I'm flattered that you came all of this way to see us, but I'm also so sorry to have to break the news to you..." It took all of Adagio's willpower to hold herself back from tackling him to the ground to demand his magic then and there.

"What? What is it?" He leaned forward, and Adagio saw it again: the glimmer of magical light. The smallest inkling of magic. Paying close attention and staring straight into his eyes, Adagio continued.

"Well, I'm afraid that a fight broke out onstage. Tempers broke, words and blows were exchanged... and the Dazzlings are no more. I'm afraid that I'm the only one left!" She wiped a false tear from her eye, sniffling audibly.

Her new best friend gasped, clapping his hand over his mouth.

"No!"

"Yes!" Adagio leaned forward, catching the lightest wisps of a spell. Most humans wouldn't recognize it at first, but she did: it was magic. And not just any magic: an adoration spell. Exactly the kind of magic a siren would cast over one of her victims.

We couldn't feed from a distance, that's why we gave up on the internet... And we always thought that our magic didn't work unless it was face-to-face... Adagio pondered internally. Could it be possible that we were wrong? Could he be the one exception? And that, through some twist of fate, he just HAPPENED to find me here? She shook her head leaning back in her seat again.

"Yes, would you believe that Aria was secretly trying to start her own band behind my back? She said to my face onstage that she thought I was a pretentious, worthless figurehead!"

His jaw dropped in shock. "WHAT? But you're the heart and soul of the Dazzlings! She did that onstage?"

Adagio nodded, her bottom lip quivering as she summoned another tear. "And then she just walked away, and took Sonata with her! I tried to go after them, but the mooks from the other band arrived and... well..." She placed a hand on her stomach, faking a cringe of pain. "I suppose I was lucky to walk away in one piece."

I may not have my magic, but that doesn't mean I can't bewitch him... And maybe, just maybe if I can carry the spell on him to its conclusion, I could use that energy to rekindle my power!

"That's TERRIBLE! Are you alright?" He started to rise out of his chair, but Adagio motioned for him to stay seated as she forced a reassuring smile.

"It's nothing but a few bumps and bruises... Nothing my hoodie can't hide." Looking up at his face, Adagio was happy to see genuine concern. Even without her magic, she was still an expert in manipulating people, and she'd seen his type a thousand times: the easiest to influence in whatever direction she wanted, believing themselves to have some kind of honor and nobility because they treated the opposite gender with special care. She looked down into her lap again, hiding a momentary snicker as a false sob.

"Are you sure? If you're still hurting, we could go someplace to get you checked out. In fact, I think I might have some bandages and stuff in my car!"

Looking back up at him, Adagio felt something deep in her chest. A twinge. The elation of things going her way was somehow tainted by a new feeling that she didn't recognize.

"That's alright, I think I'll be fine!" Adagio gave him another smile, trying to ignore the unfamiliar sensation. "The most painful part was having to cancel the show. I mean, there were so many people there who were excited to hear us sing! Instead, we left them all disappointed. And now, well..." she gestured to the other patrons in the cafe, who seemed to have all gone back to enjoying their meals. "Everyone blamed me because I was the only one left onstage."

"But that's not fair! It wasn't your fault! How could they think that-" The strange boy was cut off as the barista arrived at their table, holding Adagio's new sandwich, along with a large plate holding an oversized waffle drizzled with what seemed to be honey, judging by the smell. 

Adagio's favorite.

She resisted the urge to drool as both of their plates were set down and the barista begrudgingly took a payment for the food from her friend. Staring at her own sandwich and coffee, Adagio realized exactly how much trouble she would have been in if he hadn't intervened. She would have been forced to leave without a shred of dignity or food, going back out to face the hysterical Sonata again, at which point she would probably have caved to her overwhelming emotions and sat and cried right with her. And then, after that, she knew that Sonata would want nothing to do with her. And then she'd be completely alone.

If he hadn't stepped in when he had...

"So... How did you do that earlier?"

"Hmm?" He paused, looking up from the piece of his waffle that he had been happily cutting away, "Do what?"

"That thing with the baristo! You made him back down like you knew some kind of secret about him, or something!"

"Oh, that..." He grinned nervously, scratching the back of his head with one hand. "It was nothing, really. I'm a bit of a matchmaker back at C.A. I keep an eye on most of the couples, and he recently broke up with a girl from there. And when a girl has her heart broken around here, she goes to her friends and talks about everything she hated about her boyfriend! I just happen to have good hearing."

Adagio grinned, taking a sip of her drink. "An eavesdropper, eh? I have to admit, you don't seem the sneaky type. You wouldn't happen to have some kind of ulterior motive behind all of this, would you?"

"What? No! No, no, no, no, no!" He raised his hands defensively, shaking his head vigorously in denial. "Never, Adagio! Really, I'm just happy to meet you!"

Adagio didn't resist the giggle this time. His response was adorably innocent, and it was one of the first things to make her so much as smile since what had happened at the concert.

"I'm just messing with you! Of course, a gentleman like you has to be doing this simply out of the goodness of your heart for a poor, helpless maiden!" She clasped her hands in front of her chest and blinked several times in succession, feigning over-the-top innocence.

He raised one critical eyebrow and pointed towards her with his fork, which still had an uneaten piece of waffle speared on the end.

"I think I'm detecting a hint of sarcasm, there..."

"What? MOI? Never!" Adagio laughed outright, feeling the weight in her chest beginning to lift away with each passing moment. She knew that she was endearing herself to him for the sole purpose of regaining her powers, but she couldn't ignore the feelings that were beginning to bubble up in her chest and warm her heart.

Well, he isn't bad looking... Wait! STOP THAT! Adagio, get a hold of yourself! He is the key to your power, your immortality, your ENTIRE LIFE! Don't mess this up because of some stupid HUMAN emotions!

"So, I don't suppose that you've got any plans for tonight? I'm sure you must be pretty busy..." He finally placed the bite in his mouth, chewing nonchalantly as he tried to look aloof on the topic.

Adagio stopped, thinking honestly about the question. She and the other sirens had all been travelling together until now, sharing a large van that they had managed to enchant a dealership into giving to them for a... heavy discount. Sonata, of course, had never stopped joking about how they had "gotten it for a song." But knowing Aria, she had probably already staked her own claim there, making it her territory. Adagio knew that she would never get it back from her if she had.

"Actually... I don't. Don't even have a place to stay, really..." She stroked her chin in thought.

"Well, I could certainly help put a roof over your head for the night!" he cheerfully replied, beginning to slowly cut a second bite of his waffle. "A few buddies and I have a place out in Cloudsdale! We're pretty tightly knit, but I'm sure that they wouldn't mind! They're all pretty big fans, too!"

He fed me... and now he's giving me a place to stay for the night? Adagio once again felt those human emotions rising up again. I mean, he certainly seems nice... And he's funny! And kinda sweet... She seemed to lose her train of thought as the lines between cohesive plans and fuzzy emotions began to blur. And if his friends have the same glimmer of magic that he does, maybe I can use that for myself? Either way, it does seem to make sense for me to go. It's that, or sleep on a park bench. And maybe if taking the magic doesn't make him stop liking me, the two of us could spend more time together like this?

There it was again. The glimmer of magical green in his eyes.

"Well, I don't suppose it could hurt, could it? I mean, it'll certainly be better for my back than newspapers and a park bench!" She grinned as she finished off her croissant sandwich.

"Oh, you say that as if I'd ever let that happen!" He laughed, picking up his drink. "Well, I'm ready to go whenever you are!"

Adagio's brow furrowed in confusion as she stared down at the plate, where his waffle lay completely untouched.

"Aren't you going to finish that?"

"Believe it or not, I'm stuffed!" he chuckled. "If you want, I can get it 'to go' and you can have it..."

Adagio nodded, and he walked to the counter, where he retrieved a box from the barista to put the leftovers in. As he finally turned his back to her for the first time, Adagio noticed something about him that she hadn't noticed before. His jacket, while appearing well-kept from the front, had several holes in the back, patched from behind with more black fabric, but still obvious, along with several open ones near the bottom, varying from pinholes to being several inches in diameter.

It suits him... Tasteful, not ragged. She nodded quietly to herself as he returned, placing the rest of his meal in the box and offering her an open hand. After a moment of thought, she took it, taking some small comfort from the gentle, reassuring pressure.

"By the way, you know who I am, but I never caught your name..." She chuckled as she walked out the door.

"Who, me?" He chuckled. "My friend call me Mend!"

"Mend, huh? You certainly don't seem to do a very good job of mending your clothes!" she chuckled, giving the bottom of his jacket a gentle kick.

"Hey! You're gonna tear more holes in it!" He whined as they arrived at a small green car. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a set of keys, inserting one into the lock as Adagio walked around to the other side, feeling an inexplicable excitement as she heard the doors both unlock together. As she slipped into the passenger seat, she could hear soft music playing. Mend froze, then shook his head with a smile.

"That's just my phone. Hold on a sec, I told my buddies specifically NOT to call me tonight..."

As his hand dove into his pocket, Adagio sat back in the seat and smiled, enjoying the plush seats. She had felt it when they had held each others' hands on the way to the car: the magic was stronger than ever. Her tactics were working.

Finally, everything is going exactly according to plan! I should have gotten rid of those two imbeciles ages ago! Without them to slow me down, I'll have my powers back and this world conquered in no time! And after that... well...

She took a long moment to stare at her new friend, reveling in the new emotions and affections boiling in her chest.

Who knows? Maybe something more?





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Mendax had to resist the urge to chuckle to himself with satisfaction as he felt his hunger sated and his power swell.

If all humans are this easy to fool, the hive should have no trouble invading this world...
> Didn't Know That You Fell...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Adagio let out a long sigh as she let her head lean against the passenger seat's window, her hair cushioning her skin against the cold glass. Mend had mentioned living near Cloudsdale Academy, but she hadn't counted on it taking so long to drive back with him. But she'd held her tongue about complaining for the sake of being polite.

If the incident at the cafe taught me anything, it's that I'm going to have to mind my manners a bit more closely now that I don't have my magic.

Her sigh, however, didn't go unnoticed.

"Heh, sorry for taking so long, Adagio..." Mend chuckled, tapping out a beat on the steering wheel with his fingers. "I should have warned you it was a long drive. Would you like me to put on some music?"

"No, I think I've had enough of that to last me a while..." she mumbled, sitting back in the seat and folding her arms over her chest.  A stray strand of her curly hair fell over her face, tickling her skin and brushing at her nose.

"Oh, right, the concert... I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories."

You have no idea... Adagio cringed as her mind flashed back to that night. The memory was still fresh, but the pain of it felt as if she'd been carrying it for years. She'd had it: all she wanted and more. The Rainbooms had been vanquished, their simpleton's spell being no match for her own voice, trained and honed to perfection through the centuries.

And then that blasted whelp had picked up the microphone. Sunset Shimmer. Together, she had given the fools just enough of an edge to turn the tides, even if it was for a brief moment. When the first wave of their magic had washed over them, Adagio had felt every single individual under their spell break free. Every connection draining them of their energy severed felt like a vein of lifeblood being ripped out from her chest. But how was she to know that Sunset could ever be forgiven- no, not only that- ACCEPTED AND CELEBRATED by the very ones that she had hurt so badly? Certainly, it was possible. The Rainbooms were idealistic fools who would probably forgive the foulest creatures in Tartarus if only to prove that "friendship is magic."

She scoffed quietly under her breath at the thought.

I underestimated Sunset Shimmer. She helped them to open a momentary hole in our defenses. Another few notes and we could have regained control, I know it! If only-

"Hey, are you okay?" 

Mend's voice jolted her from her reverie, and Adagio noticed that her hands had clenched into tight fists and her teeth were grinding with the force of her anger and frustration.  Quickly releasing her grip and cringing at the temporary pain in her jaw, she nodded.

"Yeah. You were right about the 'bad memories' thing." She brushed the strand of hair out of her face, reaching down for the lever to adjust the seat so she sat further upright, less able to retreat back and down into herself. Half of a performance was body language, after all, and she was going to have to put on the show of her life to incubate and harvest the spell hanging over him to restore her powers, if it was even possible to do so. If not, well, she could definitely think of worse ways to waste her remaining time.

"So... How about a change of subject?" She leaned over and to the side, resting her head on his shoulder. Establishing physical contact was a great way of creating intimacy and nourishing his affections for her. Admittedly, though, it was partially to sate her own heated desires. He had discarded his jacket to the backseat when he had stepped into the car, but his shoulder radiated warmth. The kind of warmth that went unnoticed to the rest of the world, only available to himself... and any who came close enough to steal away a little for themselves and lock it away inside to treasure. "Could you maybe tell me a little more about yourself? Like why you would come swooping in to save a girl at the last moment like that?"

To her smug amusement, Mend didn't shy away from the contact. In fact, he welcomed it, even adjusting his shoulder to let her head nestle in the curve of his shoulder joining his neck.

"Well, for one thing, I knew who you are, and like I said, I'm a big admirer of your singing! I probably would have offered to pay for you, either way. Just as a token of that respect."

"Mm-hmm..." Adagio hummed quietly, closing her eyes. It was only now that the exhaustion of the past two days were beginning to hit her, and it didn't help that she was beginning to crash from the caffeine wearing off. Of course, that had never been a problem before. She was sustained by her magic, before, the coffee had just been a habit for refreshment and a way of sating the hunger left by the minuscule energy humans could yield. The hum of his voice resonating through his chest sent vibrations through his body, as well, assuaging her stress.

Not very melodic, but a fine, pure tone. Definitely a healthy voice... One I could certainly get used to hearing.

"And, well... I may have had an ulterior motive..." He chuckled lightly to himself, sending another series of vibrations through his body. This time, however, Adagio noticed something off in the sound. It was some kind of harmonic undertone. It was faint, almost imperceptible, but Adagio had heard it. And if there was one thing that she would never doubt, it was her own ears. Curious, she turned her gaze upwards, staring at his face as they continued the conversation.

"Oh, you? Being sneaky? Now you have to tell me!"

"Well... I may have some feelings for you beyond simple admiration..." His body grew warmer as his face flushed red, and Adagio felt flattered and bemused by how ashamed humans could be about their own feelings. A thrill ran through her chest, however, at the implications he was making. It was like she was torn in two, her mind dedicated to the task at hand and her heart begging and pleading for the affection that no horde of screaming fans could match.

Stop that... Right now, he's prey. Magic now. Stupid human hormones later...

"And.. what would those be?" She lifted her head away from his shoulder, gently placing her finger under his chin to turn his head towards her. Her eyelids slid down to a seductive half-open position as she let one corner of her mouth gently tug upwards to the familiar position of her show-stopper smile. "What kind of 'feelings' would you say you have for me?"

Please... please say it! PLEASE SAY IT! I want this! I NEED this!

"Well, Adagio... I think... I think that I may..."

She was interrupted. Again. Just a moment. Just a moment for some outside force to turn the tides when she was on the verge of success. His eyes darted to the side, and his entire body moved with it as something caught him by surprise. Adagio was thrown violently into him as the car swung to the side, and she caught a glimpse of a blue, human-sized blur outside speed past the window. Mend quickly pushed her off of his body and back safely into her seat before leaning out the window and craning his neck as far back as humanly possible.

"STAY OUTTA THE ROAD, YOU MORON!" He screamed, uncharacteristically angry for a moment before retreating back into his seat, shaking his head and grimacing as he hissed through his teeth. To Adagio's shock, there was a large scratch across his chest, one of her spike-studded bracelets having raked across him in the sudden turmoil of dodging the pedestrian.

No no no no NO NO NO NO NO! Not again! I'm not going to be stopped on the threshold of victory again!

"Oh, Mend! I'm sorry! I knew I should have gotten rid of these stupid bracelets after the concert! It's just that they matched my other clothes, and I was in a hurry to get out of the-" her stuttered apology was cut off as she continued to stare at his injury. Slowly leaking from the wound was not crimson blood, but a sticky, florescent-green liquid.

Mend looked at her quizzically when she stopped, then looked down at his chest. Upon seeing the situation, he let out an audible groan of annoyance, slamming the palm of his free hand against his forehead. Meanwhile, for Adagio, the pieces were quickly falling into place.

But, if he's not human, does that mean that he's not from this world? Is he from Equestria? But that would mean that that magic wasn't MINE, it was HIS! And this whole time, I've been falling deeper and deeper under HIS spell, not the other way around! Her breath began coming in quicker and shorter bursts as her hand reached to the door handle, gripping it tightly and ready to open it to escape at a moment's notice... If they weren't cruising at almost 40 miles per hour. She had no idea if her now-ordinary human body could even survive such an impact.

I have to get out of here! I HAVE TO GET OUT OF-

Mend turned on her in an instant with a feral snarl, a pair of large fangs glinting in the moonlight as his hand wrapped around the back of her head and flung her forward and into the dashboard, causing Adagio's head to explode with pain and her vision to cloud with a red haze that slowly faded to darkness.

I have to get out of here.. I have... to get.. out...








When Adagio woke up, she didn't immediately open her eyes. Her head was painfully pounding with each heartbeat, and the noise of her blood in her ears was almost deafening for several minutes. She moaned softly in pain while she slowly reached further and further back in her memory, trying to bring to mind the circumstance that had brought her to this point. At first, the only memories she could summon were memories of pain from the previous moments, compounding her headache. As time passed, though, her memories began to return.

Ugh... Aria and Sonata left... Then the cafe... Mend... MEND!

Adagio's eyes snapped open as the rest of the night's events returned to her mind.

Mend isn't human!

She blinked several times, taking in her new surroundings. She was in an empty room in what seemed to be a dilapidated building, judging by the poor state of repair. Wallpaper was peeling from the walls, and several portions of the ceiling had fallen away, leaving the quickly-rotting supporting beams exposed. There were even places in the floor where the floorboards were cracked or gone completely, exposing a concrete foundation. The only light in the room came from a barred window above her head, letting in slatted beams of moonlight. She tried to move, only to discover that she was completely immobilized. Looking up, she saw that her hands had been bound together by the wrists and glued to the wall above her head with some kind of translucent green substance that had crystallized into a rock-hard mass while she'd been unconscious. It was the same for her feet, bound at the ankles and stuck to the floor behind her, forcing her to remain on her knees.

She tried moving her hands again, this time with more force, but her restraints refused to budge. She extended her legs, thrusting her body forward to try and break herself away from the wall, but to no avail. She grunted quietly with the effort as she tried again, throwing herself forward with as much force as she dared without risking separating her arms from her shoulders. But there was no response. Not even so much as a groan or creak from the wall and floorboards.

"Did he HAVE to glue me onto the single sturdy piece of this entire room?" she sighed quietly under her breath.

To her surprise, the door to the room creaked open, and an unfamiliar face popped through. Though he didn't look like Mend, the stranger was wearing the same clothing, right down to the hole-filled jacket. As he locked eyes with her, Adagio froze. She was helpless. She had nothing on her side and everything against her. He could do just about anything that he wanted to her, and she wouldn't be able to stop him. She was terrified. It seemed to be becoming a popular trend.

The stranger blinked twice and tilted his head slightly, as if confused. Adagio didn't make any kind of effort to break the silence. After another few seconds, the door shut again, and she lost sight of him.

"Hey, boss! She's awake!" a voice, presumably her captor's, shouted.

Adagio knew that she had no choice. She was going to have to bide her time. She couldn't escape from her current position, so she would wait until an opportunity presented itself.

To her surprise, however, rather than an ominous figure coming through the door, a dark shadow cast itself over the room from the window. A familiar shadow. A shadow with a comically oversized ponytail.

"Good morning, Adagio!" Sonata's cheery voice echoed through the room. "Well, I guess it's not really morning, but-"

"Sonata?" Adagio's eyes widened as she pushed herself up and away from the wall, craning her head backwards too try to catch sight of her unexpected visitor. True to the voice she'd heard, there was Sonata's face standing just outside the bars on the window, grinning obliviously at her as she gave a tiny wave. "What are you doing here?"

"Well..." Sonata's eyes drifted to the side, as if answering the question required serious thought. "I'm talking to you!"

Adagio wished her hands were free, if only for a moment, so that she could respond to the spot on her forehead that was suddenly aching to be slapped.

"I mean, how did you find me? Why are you here?"

As Sonata paused again, Adagio thought that she had made a mistake in asking two questions at once. But after a moment, she noticed tears building up in Sonata's eyes.

"W-Well, after I stopped crying, I didn't know where else to go... I've never been on my own before. So I followed you when you got into that car!" She sniffled loudly as the first few tears began to overflow onto her cheeks.

It was Adagio's turn to pause and think. The fact that Sonata had followed her when she didn't know what else to do was both pitiable... and somewhat touching. And she was right, the three of them had never been split apart before this night, and she'd be lying if she claimed that she'd known what to do next, herself.

"Alright, that answers one question... But I was in a car! How did you keep up? We're miles away from home!"

"Well, duh!" Sonata quickly cheered back up into a smile. "You guys drove in circles for an hour! I just ran after you! And we're not that far! It's just a few blocks to the school from here!"

If she weren't hanging her head upside down to talk to Sonata, Adagio's jaw would have dropped. With that option not the immediate go-to, Adagio transitioned to her second default response: gritting her teeth in rage.

That jackal not only used his magic to disorient me, but he made me wait ALL THAT TIME to only go a FEW BLOCKS?

Before she could ask Sonata for help, she heard the sound of footsteps coming down a hallway outside her room. Immediately, her mind snapped into making certain she didn't lose any more resources to stupidity, whether it was her own or someone else's.

"Sonata! Get down on the ground and don't get up until I tell you!"

"Okie dokie!" Sonata grinned happily before dropping out of sight. Adagio quickly returned to her resting position against the wall, trying to look as if nothing had happened.

The door to her prison swung open, revealing Mend (in a new shirt) striding in, flanked by the minion who had announced her awakening. Giving her a twisted grin, he stepped forward, placing his finger at the base of her neck and gently tracing it up along her chin until she was staring straight into his eyes.

"I do apologize for my slight... overrreaction in the car, my dear Adagio. I'm afraid that I panicked and could think of nothing else!" His tone was low and sultry, as if even now he were trying to seduce her into loving him. "How is your pretty little head feeling?"

Adagio had two choices: she could play dumb and pretend that the concussion in the car had wiped clean her memory of what had happened, or cut straight to the point.

"M-Mend? What's going on? Why am I tied up like this? What happened in the car, I don't remember!" she gave her best impression of innocence, but judging by the fearsome scowl that his face morphed into, he wasn't having any of it.

"A genuinely good effort, but utterly fruitless," he growled. "You can't lie to me, Adagio. I can see it in your eyes..."

Well, so much for that plan... His magic must be able to read emotions, as well as manipulate them.

Adagio sighed, reclining as best she could in her position to adopt a more serious and deadpanned demeanor. She needed to know the extent of his abilities, and if she could keep him talking, she could derive more and more from his words.

"Eh, it was worth a shot. Anything to get me out of this situation would be, right?" She shrugged her shoulders. Let's see just how dumb I can play...

I just seriously thought those words. Ugh, Sonata must be rubbing off on me.

"So, what are you? The only thing I can think of that would bleed green would be some type of alien, or something."

The lackey grinned, then laughed, giving Mend a friendly punch on the arm.

"Hey, boss! She thinks you're from Mars, or somethin'! That's funny!"

"Yes. Hilarious." Mend rolled his eyes with exasperation before turning back to Adagio and restoring his smug smile. "But I'm afraid that you aren't nearly so lucky, Adagio. You see, I'm a being not only from beyond your world, but beyond your entire comprehensible universe!" His eyes glowed from within with magical energy, casting a momentary green light on her.

Adagio mimed horribly fake surprise, much to Mend's surprise. He was trying to intimidate her, and in doing so, letting information flood out of his mouth like a faucet.

"Oh, so big and scary!" she smiled, hoping to get more answers from her captor through sarcasm. "Let me guess, you come from a land of candy, rainbows, and unicorns? Where the sun is always shining and the air smells like daffodils?" 

"NO!" Mend stepped forward, shaking a vindictive finger at her. "I come from a place filled with the creatures of NIGHTMARES! Hydras! Dragons! Manticores! All of them, nothing compared to my race's terrible greatness! If you could see my true form, you would quiver in your overpriced boots!"

Definitely from Equestria.

"Hey, boss! Why don't you do that shape-shifting thingy with the green fire? That usually gives them a good scare!"

"As much as I'd like to put the fear of her maker into this little human, I'm tired from having to heal up that slash she made across my chest. I'd have all the energy I could want if it weren't for that blue-haired idiot in the street! My spell over her was almost complete!"

Adagio's eyes widened in surprise. Looking back, she had been acting totally unlike herself, feeling such strong emotions towards someone, especially someone she had assumed at the time was a simple human.

Note to self, thank Sonata for walking into the street later...

Addendum: Inform her that walking into the street is bad under most circumstances.

"Well, now that I've wised up to your little plan, what are you planning on doing with me?" She asked, grinning with pleasure as she recognized what the being before her was hiding: Mend was a changeling. A "distant cousin" of the sirens, they were too weak to enchant others into adoring them the way a siren could, so they had developed the ability to change their appearance in order to develop the initial bond needed to cast their spell. After so many years trapped in the human world, Adagio had almost forgotten that they even existed, let alone kept her guard up in case she met one.

But still, our magics are close enough that my first plan might work... A siren is stronger and more powerful at their weakest than any changeling short of royalty. He could still be my ticket to restoring my powers...

"What am I planning on doing with you?" He rolled his eyes bemusedly, shaking his head. "My dear Adagio, that is not the question! The question is what you plan on doing with yourself!" He stepped forward and turned, seating himself beside her. "You see, for every single person who loves me and adores me, I grow stronger. That's the case for every member of my species. With enough followers, nothing would be able to stop us! You are the key! Believe it or not, I wasn't lying about enjoying your music. You have the kind of voice that everyone, everywhere would adore if they could only get the chance to hear it! And all of that love, that delicious, DELICIOUS love, would translate directly into power. Your power." His arm snaked around her waist, pulling her closer so that he could whisper directly into her ear. "I can give you that opportunity. That endless power. Everything you ever wanted could sit in the palm of your hand."

Adagio choked down the urge to gag and sneer at what she now recognized was a mere insect before her being so forward with her body. She knew that this could be her only chance. Instead, she leaned into him as best she could with her hands and feet bound.

"And... may I ask what you want in return?"

He leaned closer, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "What else? The same thing you do. Unlimited power. To share in it with you as we pave the way to a future in which we can dominate... together."

There it was again, the tug of magic on her heartstrings, trying to persuade her out of rational thought. This time, however, she was ready for it, steeling herself and sending an icy chill over her emotions, killing the warmth of love that was being planted.

"Hmm... So, half of unlimited power, and all I have to do is sing for your cause?"

"You make it sound like sharing is a bad thing!" Mend feigned being hurt by her words. "After all, what's half of infinity?"

"Ummm..." His henchman hummed to himself as he seemed to be straining with thought, walking to a nearby wall after a few seconds to sketch numbers with his finger.

There was the urge to slap herself again, one that, though she wasn't able to fulfill, Mend executed with ease.

"Faust help me..." he whispered, shaking his head as he rose to his feet. "Anyway, I'll give you some time to think about it, Adagio. This is an opportunity you will only receive once."

Grabbing his henchman by the back of his collar, Mend left the room and dragged his underling with him. Outside, Adagio couldn't make out the words being exchanged, but Mend was giving his compatriot instructions in firm tones. After an affirmation from him, Mend's footsteps descended back down the hallway. After another few minutes of waiting patiently, Adagio stretched outwards and craned to see out the window again.

"Sonata? Did you hear all that?"

"Yep!"

Adagio waited for a moment, expecting more from her ally before realizing who she was talking to.

"Sonata, you can get off the ground, now."

Sonata quickly popped back into view, grinning happily.

Adagio stopped for a moment, trying to understand her change of mood from her earlier tears.

"What are you so happy about?"

"Because now I know what to do!"

If Adagio could in her position, she would have tilted her head in confusion. "And what are you going to do?"

Sonata shrugged. "I dunno! You're the one with the plans! I just missed having you there to do the knowing!"

Adagio blinked in surprise, finding her heart somewhat warmed by Sonata's mix of loyalty and stupidity.

"Well, you're right about one thing..." Adagio felt a grin spreading over her face as the excitement of her up-and-coming plan began to bubble up.

"I AM the one with the plans. And right now, I've got a real doozy."
> Why Don't We See Who Is Better?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Adagio rubbed anxiously at the hardened substance around her wrists, trying not to cringe. Thankfully, Sonata had brought along her own spike-studded bracelets, and the two of them had worked in hushed whispers to use one of them as a makeshift chisel. To their relief, the bonds had proven themselves brittle, and easily broken away from the wall and into two pieces to free her hands and legs.

"Okay, now what?" Sonata asked, looking anxiously around the room. She didn't seem to notice the danger of the situation until she had already climbed in through an open window in a neighboring room and joined Adagio through a hole in the wall, but was quickly growing anxious as the atmosphere began to sink in.

"Now... We get our magic back." Adagio grinned insidiously as she examined her surroundings. There had been a large hole in the wall for Sonata to come through in the room next door, and from the looks of things, every room that wasn't absolutely necessary for holding the house up had been ripped through by Mend and his minions. Getting around would be a piece of cake. Getting around undetected, however... was another matter, entirely.

"We DO?" Sonata grabbed Adagio by the shoulders, spinning her around to make eye contact. Her typical airheaded smile had escalated into a shimmering expression of elation, one that Adagio had seen only at a few elite Mexican restaurants that offered all-you-can-eat tacos.

"SHH!" Adagio quickly clapped her hand over Sonata's mouth, but the damage was already done. She could hear the sound of a key rattling in the door.

If we BOTH get captured here, we'll NEVER get out!

Taking advantage of their intimate position, Adagio looked Sonata in the eyes and braced herself to force out the most painful words of her life.

"Go get Aria. Tell her I'm getting back our magic, and that I... need her help."

Stepping back, she raced to the hole where Sonata had entered the room, ducking inside and out of sight. "And don't tell them where I am!" She hissed as the door swung open.

Sonata blinked in confusion at Adagio's actions, not seeming to understand why Adagio had hid. 

"Don't tell who-" She was cut off as she turned towards the door, only to nearly bump her nose into an exposed blade being held a few inches from her face by the guard that had entered the room.

"Who are you?" The brutish guard growled, his eyes darting around the room. "Where's the prisoner?"

Sonata opened her mouth to speak, then paused. Adagio prayed that she had oiled the metaphorical gears in her brain today.

"What prisoner?"

"The one the boss told me to guard!" He inched the knife closer to her face, and Adagio felt a flicker of concern for Sonata. She had come to save her...

Sonata paused again before her expression changed. Her eyes narrowed and the corners of her mouth turned upwards into a confident smile. Adagio could count on one hand the number of times that she had seen that expression. And it was always accompanied by catastrophic disaster.

Sonata had an idea.

"Oooh! That prisoner! Yeah, she died!"

Adagio had to resist the urge to storm out from her hiding place, grab Sonata by the shoulders, and scream at her the dozens of reasons why her lie was horrible.

The guard lowered his knife, his expression falling to a look of disappointment.

"What? How?"

Adagio's jaw dropped. Judging from earlier, she'd known that the guard was stupid. But could it actually be possible for him to be dumber than Sonata?

"The chicken pox!"

No. No, it isn't.

"The what?"

"The chicken pox!" Sonata cheerfully repeated.

The thug placed his hand on his chin, a quiet scratching noise filling the silence.

"But I just saw her an hour ago!"

"Well, duh! She had to leave for the funeral!"

"There's a funeral?"

"Yeah, come on! It'll be great! We've even got backgammon!" Motioning for him to follow, she walked to the door.

Adagio wasn't sure whether to cheer for Sonata or feel offended at the fact that her supposed funeral was going to be "great." As the guard turned to follow Sonata, however, she took her chance, sprinting forward and leaping onto him with all of the force she could muster, her heart pounding in her chest. Not giving him a chance to call for help, Adagio caught his neck in the crook of her elbow, using her free hand to tug on her wrist and wrench it shut around his neck. The guard staggered backwards, losing his balance as he choked and coughed weakly, the only sounds coming from his mouth being faint squeaks as he reached up and attempted to try her arm off of him to no avail. In a matter of seconds, his eyes had rolled back into his head and he collapsed to the ground, sending Adagio tumbling with him. She cringed as the two of them made contact with the ground, the blow graciously softened by the oaf beneath her, the only casualty of the confrontation being a sharp stinging in her elbow. After waiting a few seconds to be sure that he wasn't faking, she slowly unhooked her arm and sat up, taking a brief look at the offending pain in her elbow. Thankfully, the injury didn't look serious, just reddened as a couple of layers of skin had been scraped off, but it was a painful reminder of her current mortality.

Before she could take the time to ponder it too deeply, however, she was overtaken by a huge force slamming into her from the side. As she was knocked to the floor, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, pinning her own to her sides as she lost her balance and fell to the ground. For a moment, she tensed up, trying to escape, before realizing that her vision was being obscured by Sonata's two tones of blue hair.

"Adagio! You're alive!"

Adagio rolled her eyes, sliding one arm free and using it to prop herself up before prying Sonata off of her.

"Of course I am! YOU were the one who made that up!"

"Oh... Yeah. I forgot." Sonata chuckled awkwardly as she finally released her grip on her leader. As the two rose up onto their feet, Adagio felt her confidence rising. One guard was down, she was free to move around the house and find her captor, and she knew her enemy. It was time to finally put the plan into action.

"Now, Sonata... Do you remember what I told you to go and tell Aria?"

Sonata nodded eagerly. "Yup! That you need her help, and that you're going to get our magic back!"

Adagio cringed at Sonata's mirroring of her emphasis, then nodded. "Good. Now, go and get Aria and bring her back here!" She pointed to the hole in the wall leading to the room with the open window. Sonata nodded and started to leave, then stopped, turning back to Adagio.

"Wait.. You're not coming with me?"

Adagio sighed. Even after all of these years, Sonata was still such a child.

"No. I told you, I have to stay here and get our magic! Now go! And hurry!"

Sonata nodded,  running into the next room and vaulting out the window. It only took a matter of seconds for her running to evolve into an all-out sprint as she disappeared into the distance.

Following me while I was in that car and still having the energy to run like that? I swear, I am NEVER making fun of Sonata's morning jogs again... Shaking her head, Adagio set herself to her current task: finding Mend.

Now, if I were a changeling leader trying to establish a base of operations, where would I set up my quarters?

She reached back in her memory, trying to recall her days in Equestria. During their conquest of the country and its surrounding regions, the three of them had the opportunity to split a hive on a few occasions, sometimes literally. And there had always been one prevalent pattern:

The hives are built in concentric layers. And the leaders were always... In the center at the lowest level! Knowing her goal, her eyes snapped open, and she smiled confidently. Strolling silently to the door, she slowly poked her head outside, staring down the hallway. There weren't any other guards in either direction. Choosing to move to the right, she quickly strolled down the hall, trying to ignore the overwhelming urge to sprint to the next hiding place. 

Running makes noise... Slow and steady, Adagio. Slow and steady.








Adagio counted at least four other cronies as she made her way through the house, which was beginning to seem more like a mansion. She'd had multiple close calls where a guard had almost spotted her, but she had always ducked out of sight in time. It had been painstakingly slow process to make it to the heart of the building, which she had eventually recognized as the old schoolhouse that the city had condemned after merging all of the grades into one school.

Finally, though, she had made it. Two guards were standing outside of a large pair of metal double doors. Judging from the green glow and the sheer power that she could feel radiating from inside, this had to be where Mend had established the center of his little hive. All of the indignant rage that had been simmering inside her came to a boil as she realized how close she was to her condescending captor.

When I get my hands on that cretin, he's going to regret ever crossing my path! But I'm going to have to get past these guards, first...

Reaching down, she snatched a small rock from the ground, cradling it in her palm.

The big question is, "How stupid are these two?"

Turning to look at her surroundings, Adagio spotted the perfect target: one of the few remaining intact windows. It was further down the hallway, and to walk to it, the guards would have to turn their backs to her. Unfortunately, while they would be facing the other direction, they would both walk straight past her when they entered the perpendicular hallway.

But it's still my best shot. She cringed, inhaling through her clenched jaw. If I still had my powers, I'd just sing them into hating each other and sneak by in the ensuing chaos... After a few more seconds of thought, she nodded determinedly to herself, raising her throwing arm. I just hope luck is still on my si-

She froze as an electronic beeping pulsed through the silence.

One of the guards lifted his wrist, both of them craning to read his watch in the semi-darkness.

"Oh, hey! It's lunch time already!" the one with the watch grinned, cheerfully elbowing his comrade in the rib. "Come on! I hear that Captain Mendax ordered out tonight! We're getting Chinese food!"

"Ugh... I hate eggrolls!"

"But they're sooo good!"

Adagio pressed herself against the wall, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. The two walked past, and she whispered a quiet prayer that they wouldn't turn to their right. After what seemed like an eternity, they turned to their left and walked away, still discussing the pros and cons of eggrolls.

Adagio paused.

I guess I was right about luck being on my side...

Sneaking around the corner, Adagio tip-toed to the doors and gently gripped the handle, soundlessly cracking one of them open and slipping inside.






Inside the room was completely different from the rest of the building. In typical changeling territorial behavior, Mend (whom she now realized was actually called "Mendax") had taken the largest room that he could find for himself: the gymnasium. Much of the massive room was dark and smothered in shadows, but the center of the basketball court was lit by a magical green light emanating from Mend, who was resting on a large, well-padded chair.. He was reclined back, inhaling and exhaling slowly, seemingly drinking in the magical energy of the room. Staying in the shadows, Adagio skirted around the edges of the room, trying to examine what kind of magic he was using and where it was coming from. As much as she would have enjoyed walking up and bashing his smug, pretty face into the back of his skull, this was not the time to let her emotions get the better of her. To steal his magic, she was going to have to understand it.

Taking one last deep breath and releasing it in a massive sigh of contentment, Mendax rose from his chair, smiling as he strode across the room. Making his way to the far end of the gym, his luminescence revealed that a small portion of the back wall was covered by a red velvet curtain. Taking a grip on one end, he ripped it aside.

Where Adagio would have expected there to be some kind of scoreboard, there was instead a massive mirror, shimmering in the semi-darkness. Unsure of what was going on, she took a few tentative steps closer to improve her view.

Mend quietly dropped down onto one knee, prostrating himself before the mirror. After a moment, Adagio watched at the green light gathered around him, then floated away from his body, upwards, and into the mirror, where it passed into the surface with ease. There was a brief moment of silence and complete darkness. Then, the mirror began to emit its own light, flickering to life like a television screen.

A television screen displaying a very large and very angry-looking Changeling Queen.

"Mendax..." she hissed, glaring down at him, "give me your report."

"My queen... I believe that this world is ripe for the taking. They have no knowledge of magic, and even in my weakened state, I've been able to enchant dozens of their foolish females. And, if my recruits are any accurate representation, their males are even less intelligent. They'll be easy to deceive and even simpler to dominate."

Well, he's right about THAT... Wait, DOZENS? That DISGUSTING LITTLE-

"Perfect. Now that you've established a base of operations, we may begin our-"

"Ahem."

The queen paused, her already intimidating scowl deepening.

"Do you have an issue, Mendax?"

Mendax rose from the ground, rubbing his hands craftily as he shook his head.

"No, no, no, your highness! No issues. Simply... requests." Adagio caught an all-too-familiar glint of greed in his eyes. It was the same type of greed and lust for power she'd seen in Aria's eyes every time she'd managed to dig up some kind of dirt she could blackmail Adagio with.

"Mind your tone, Mendax. Your reckless ambition was what drove you to being banished from the hive, to begin with. You are still in my debt for allowing you to leave with your horn intact."

"Yes, yes, your highness! Of course, it was also my banishment that led to me finding this portal. And where did I turn first? Right back to you! I think that kind of loyalty should be rewarded!"

The queen didn't react, simply continuing the glare down at him.

"And the location of the portal is a bit of a... limited commodity, shall we say?"

A portal? To EQUESTRIA? Adagio was almost afraid that the pounding of her heart in her chest would be loud enough for Mend to hear, but she couldn't contain her excitement. If we could find it, we could finally get back and get our revenge on those WRETCHED ponies!

After several seconds of silence, she finally spoke again. "What is your price?"

Finally unclasping his hands, Mendax returned to his throne, which had slowly turned to face him on its own with only the softest hum of magical energy. Sitting down, her peaked his index fingers together, placing the fingertips on his lips.

"Send a battalion out into the Plains of Lore, I'll meet them there. They will be loyal to me and ONLY me." He leaned back in the chair, his hands parting to rest on either side's armrest. "These humans are stupid and easily manipulated, but they seem to grow even more simple under the influence of magic. They are servants hardly worth the time I spend giving them orders. Also, I want a promotion: high general in your cabinet."

"You seek to place yourself in a position to overthrow me?" the queen let out a throaty series of hurrs that Adagio could only assume was laughter. "You never did know when to give up, cur. I'll confer with my cabinet, and have an answer for you when next we speak." After a moment of silence, the screen faded away, returning to being a simple, albeit large, mirror. Letting out a massive sigh of relief, Mend leaned forward, gripping his head with both hands, groaning in pain.

"I swear, that gets harder to do every time..." he muttered, shaking his head softly. "Moving my chair to show off the power I don't have didn't help..." After almost a minute, Adagio knew she needed to move. Gingerly, she picked up her foot, testing the floor in front of her for squeaking floorboards. She felt a wave of relief as the floor revealed itself to be the best-kept part of the old building, not making a sound as her weight shifted.

So, I need some kind of plan. Obviously, he somehow kept his powers after he crossed through that portal. That means that he's not going to be easy to overwhelm, if it's possible to do so... Her brow furrowed as she imagined what she would do if she still had her powers. I'd walk up there without a fear and punch that sick worm in his smug face! I can't BELIEVE I fell for that stupid spell! I'm going to-

"If you wouldn't mind dialing down the hatred, that would be great, Adagio..." he moaned, dragging his hands down his face as his head turned to stare directly at her. "You're really just making my headache worse..."

Adagio froze again. It was impossible that he had spotted her in the darkness, she could hardly see her own hand in front of her face, but he'd sniffed out her anger. She raised her hand up, gently and silently knocking it against her forehead as her rage turned inwards.

Dagi, you IDIOT!

She didn't notice the pair of glowing, green eyes behind her until it was too late. From the darkness, a pair of hands violently seized her wrists, expertly twisting her arms behind her back.

"Gotcha! Oh, MEEEEND! Look what I got for you!" a female voice called out from behind her. Before she could begin to struggle, however, Adagio was knocked roughly to the floor as another body slammed into her, sliding them both across the once-polished floor of the gymnasium.

"Let her go, you little wench! I saw her first, I should be the one to give her to Mend!"

Adagio arched her back, trying to roll the two bodies off of her back to she could get to her feet and run, only for another to land on top of her, slamming her back against the floor and knocking the wind painfully out of her lungs.

"Lookit, Mendy! I'm holding her down for you so she doesn't escape!"

"Me, too!"

"So am I!"

"Look, Mend! Look!"

Voice after sniveling voice called out into the darkness as one girl after another threw themselves on top of the pile. Adagio felt firm hands grip her ankles and her wrists from somewhere in the group of bodies, locking her in place.

"Let me go! Let me GO, you brain-dead flunkies!" Adagio shouted, still trying to push back against the huge weight on top of her.

"Now, Adagio, be a little kinder! We're all one big, happy family here!" Mend chided her smugly as he rose from his throne. "Isn't that right, girls?"

"Yes, Mend!" the voices replied together in a discordant union that made Adagio want to grind her teeth.

"Now, girls, what do you say we let Miss Dazzle up onto her feet? Carrot Top, Jetstream, you just make certain she doesn't go anywhere!" Making an uplifting motion with his hand, Adagio felt the weight lift off of her in perfect sync with him. Her hands remained pinned behind her back while she rose back to her feet, giving her little chance of escaping. Mend leaned down, tutting quietly.

"Miss Dazzle, I understand your curiosity, it's only natural! But if you wanted to spy on me, perhaps you should have taken into account that I. HAVE. MAGIC."

Adagio's mind raced, trying to find the way out of this situation. There was always a way out, she just had to find it.

"So, you can read minds, too?" she asked, taking a glance over her shoulder at the girls holding her in place. One was the sporty type, probably a track and field runner, and the other fit most nerd stereotypes to the letter, glasses and all. Ordinarily, she wouldn't have given them much credit towards behind able to hold her back, but there were at least a dozen other glowing eyes behind them that brought that train of thought to a screeching halt. Whatever she was going to do, she was going to have to do it while restrained.

"Read? With ease. Control? Effortlessly." He waved his hand grandiosely, causing the green light from the center of the room to grow brighter. The gymnasium seats around them held, as he had said, dozens of girls, all blankly staring forward in a deep trance.

"This is the power I have over humanity. They are our cattle, fit for harvesting love from and doing our bidding." He turned back to her, his unbearable grin making Adagio want to grind her teeth. "I might call it luck that you arrived when you did, Adagio. This way, you see everything that my offer entails! All this power, total dominance over human kind, and the opportunity to charm every person on the planet with your song!" He stepped forward, running his finger under her chin teasingly. "What more could you ask for?"

Adagio needed more time to think. She glanced up, catching sight of the red curtain hiding the mirror from before.

"For someone with so much power, you certainly spend a lot of time on your knees..."

Mend rolled his eyes, sighing as he turned to look at the mirror again.

"Unfortunately, for all of my power, I still lack authority. My vision was greater than that of my leaders, and I was cast out for it! But, because of my banishment, I stumbled upon a way into this world, where I AM the ultimate authority!"

So, he's a traitorous leech on top of being the scum of the earth. Lovely. Adagio could hardly hold back her gag reflex at the thought that she had ever fallen under a charm spell from this guy. Still, she had to, at least until she could steal an opportunity to make his magic hers.

"And with your help, my dear, we could form an army to take my world by force!" His hand tightened to a fist as he spun around again, his tattered coat flaring out behind him like a cape. "With that, nothing could stop us!"

Adagio's eyes rolled up towards the ceiling in contemplation. She had a general idea of how she could steal his magic energy, but she was going to have to catch him off-guard. The best thing to do was to play along. She just had to try not to play TOO dumb, or he'd catch on to her.

"So, you're going to have me help you until you're strong enough to mind control me, too? I'm not stupid, Mend!"

Mendax chuckled, shaking his head dismissively.

"Adagio, my dearest, I would never! We'll be partners in this, after all! Without the full use of your mental faculties, I doubt even your beautiful voice could charm the masses! No... I'll make you like me, instead." His eyes narrowed. "The process won't be painless, but you'll emerge more beautiful and frighteningly powerful than you've ever been before!"

I doubt that...

"So, let me get this straight: you want to take me, make me one of your species, have me sing a spell over the entire world to make them love us, then use that power to take over your world?" Adagio asked, raising her eyebrows to feign incredulity.

"In a nutshell, yes." Mend smiled. "Certainly took your time figuring that one out, didn't you?"

"Just wanted to make sure I had it right." Adagio smiled. "That's a pretty big commitment you're asking for, Mend."

Mendax once again flashed her his smug grin, waving to the scattered girls sitting in the stadium seats.

"There's always the alternative: being just another mindless drone. I'm certain I could just as easily track down one of your band mates and convince them, instead!" He sighed, as though mourning some invisible loss. "Not that either of them quite stack up against your natural talent..."

Now that's the first correct thing he's said since I came in here. This does seem like the kind of deal Aria would jump at, but I'm not one for compromise.

Adagio sighed, glancing over her shoulder at the two girls holding her captive.

"You make a generous offer, Mend... Turning all of humanity into fools like these two?" She grinned, purposely trying to summon up what Aria and Sonata called her "slasher smile."

"How could I say no?"

He returned her smile, motioning for the girls behind her to let her go. With her hands free, Adagio rubbed at her wrists, praying that she wasn't getting herself in over her head. She was playing a dangerous game, and holding her cards closer to her chest than ever. Taking her hand, he led her across the room to his emerald throne. He motioned for her to sit, and she complied, smiling contentedly at the feeling of power that it gave her. Leaving her in his seat, Mend moved behind her with a few short steps.

"Now, while a full conversion isn't within my power, yet, I can certainly give you more than enough of my power for us to begin. From there, the stronger we become, the more like me you'll become." His hands grasped at her shoulders from behind, kneading her tired muscles in an attempt to relax her.  She could feel the magic energy radiating off of his skin like heat from a flame, and it took all of her self-control not to drink it in then and there. She had to wait until his guard was completely down.

"Now, my dear, please try to relax." His hands stopped for a moment, toying with a curl of her hair before moving upwards, resting on top of her head. "This will take some time..."

Adagio didn't risk speaking and betraying her excitement. She was on the cusp of victory, she could feel it.

Without a word, she began to feel magic begin to trickle down into her from his hands. It moved down though her brain, making her thoughts fuzzy and sending chills down her spine. The cool power dripped down behind her nose and through her throat, washing over her vocal cords and filling her with a surge of energy. Finally, it reached the point just below her neck where her gem had once sat, finally making contact with the core of her very being.

The reaction was immediate and explosive. What had been a tiny trickle suddenly opened into a torrential geyser, magic rushing into the enormous vacuum that had been left inside her, seeking to fill the void. She heard Mend cry out in pain, and she knew it was working. He had opened the passage of magic between the two of them, and now his power was rushing into her uncontrollably.

There was no way of filling an ocean with a drinking straw, after all.

"What- What are you DOING?" He cried, beginning to shake and tremble behind her.

Adagio chuckled, taking a moment to hum a quick scale happily to herself in reply.

Do Mi So DO So Mi Do

Her pitch was perfect.

"BOSS!"

All at once, Mend's hands were finally ripped away from her head, severing the connection. Adagio jumped to her feet, spinning around to see who had dared interrupt her. Mendax was laying on the ground, gasping for air with one of his flunkies having tackled him to the ground. Mend's skin had grown dark and hardened, more of an exoskeleton now, and his hair was wispy and a translucent blue. His pupils had turned green and taken over his entire eyes, but she still recognized the emotion behind them. It was the one emotion with which a changeling should ever gaze upon her, their superior:

Fear.

"You-you're not human!" he cried, pointing an accusatory finger at her. "You tricked me!"

Adagio chuckled, stepping down from the throne and advancing on him.

"Really? What tipped you off?"

Mend scurried out from under the oaf that had forced him away from her, moving back as quickly as he could. The doors to the gymnasium burst open, revealing more of his lumbering bodyguards. He pointed at her again, his expression contorting into a sneer of rage.

"GET HER!"

The four in the doorway all took off running, sprinting towards her while the other girls rose up out of their seats, climbing down onto the gymnasium floor.

Adagio gently tapped her finger against her leg, setting a beat for herself.

"Woah-oh-oh, woah-oh-oh..."

Everyone stopped. Everyone. The guards came to a halt, the girls froze in whatever mid-climbing position they were in, and even Mendax's only movement was for his expression to shift from rage to abject horror.

"That's... that's impossible..." he whispered.

"Honey, if I had a nickel for every time I'd heard that, I could buy you the world." Adagio grinned. Hijacking his charm spell was a simple task, but not an easy one. She could feel the magic slipping away again. She stopped tapping out her beat, praying that she had managed to stop his followers.

The girls in the room all collapsed, Mend's power over them broken. Adagio guessed that they'd wake up with little idea of how they had gotten there, nor any memory of what had happened tonight, but their injuries would hardly consist of much more than a few bumps and bruises. It was her gift to them.

The guards all glanced at each other, somewhat confused by the turn of events, then turned back towards Mendax, looking for instructions. Their leader had finally overcome the shock of his revelation, staring at the idiots to affirm that they were, indeed, still looking to him for instruction.

"I said, 'GET HER!'" He shouted, pointing towards Adagio again.

Adagio took a step back, realizing that she still hadn't managed to break the brutes free of the changeling's control. She knew she couldn't fight them off, and if she tried to cast a spell again, there was no doubt that her new power would dry up completely, leaving her back where she started.

Her heart raced, and she realized that there was only one thing left to do: run.

She took off at a full sprint, spotting another door out of the gymnasium behind her. Raising her arms in front of her, she braced herself and crashed through them, not thinking about where she was going as she turned left and sprinted down the hall.

Adagio could hear footsteps behind her, just on her heels. They just made her run faster, turning corners as sharply and often as she could, trying to make her way back outside. If she could just make it back to the outside world, she could find help. It almost fell into a pattern: corner, straightaway, corner, straightaway. Turn, sprint, turn, sprint. It was simple, but it was keeping them off her tail. She was almost certain that she was gaining ground, but she couldn't stop and look to be certain. Her heart was pounding against her rib cage, her lungs were on fire, and her legs were quickly growing tired. She couldn't keep this up much longer.

Finally, she saw the front doors, just one last sprint away. The goal was within sight, but the footsteps of her pursuers weren't far behind. She raised her arms in front of her, preparing to crash through the final exit at full speed.

Her entire world came to a jarring halt as a hand grabbed her hood from behind, pulling her back and knocking her off of her feet. Adagio hit the ground hard and her body was racked with a series of uncontrollable coughing fits from the sudden yank on her neck. The four guards all gathered around her, surrounding her and ensuring that there was no escape. Adagio couldn't think through her efforts to bring her coughing under control, the sudden pull on her hood had nearly crushed her windpipe. She laid on the floor, slowly bringing the fit to a stop. When she looked up, Mend was standing over her, shaking his head.

"As I live and breathe, I would never have imagined a siren to turn up at my doorstep..." He grinned and pulled back his foot, planting his boot beneath her ribs. Pain raced through Adagio's body as she doubled over, curling into the fetal position on the tile floor. "Nor would I have thought she would be stupid enough to think that she could outfox me in my own HIVE!" He stepped up on top of her, pinning her to the floor with one foot.

"Now, ordinarily, I'd say that our little agreement could still work with a few... modifications, but then you just had to go and break all those girls free from my spell!" He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Do you have any idea how many months you just set me back?" He shook his head. "So, that leaves the question of what we're going to do with you!" He stepped off of her, beginning to pace around the front foyer. "You obviously can't be trusted. If anyone knows a traitor, it's me! But you're certainly a powerful asset... One I would be foolish to waste."

Adagio glared up at him, trying to force away the pounding pain in her stomach. She had no plan. No way out.

"You're obviously a skilled actress, if you managed to fool me... We'll have to be thorough when we wipe your mind from existence." He smiled, walking back to her and leaning down, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Oh, yes. A good brainwashing, and you could more than make up for the delays you've caused..."

Adagio was trying to summon up a plan, but she didn't have one. She knew she couldn't fake loyalty again, he'd be watching for her betrayal. The longer she waited, the more certain he would try to be that she'd never be able to escape again. A changeling dominating a siren had never been heard of, the idea was completely absurd, but this fool had obviously never been informed of the natural order of things.

Adagio had nothing. She was helpless. There was nothing that could help her, even with the sound of cars passing by on the street outside, help may as well have been miles away.

Coming to think of it, the cars outside were certainly more noticeable than they had been a moment ago. The sound of engines were growing louder and louder by the second.

"Umm... Boss?"

"Ugh, WHAT?" Mend looked up at his subordinate, who simply pointed towards the door.

"Van."

Adagio covered her head as the area they were standing in exploded with a deafening crash and a familiar music van came crashing through the room, turning and drifting across the slick floor, slamming into Mendax and throwing him against the far wall. The rest of his bodyguards all scattered in panic from the intruding vehicle as it finally came to a stop just in front of Adagio, the back doors flinging themselves open and revealing Sonata, who gave her a cheerful wave.

"I GOT ARIA!" She cheered, pointing towards the driver's seat, where a familiar pair of technicolor pigtails indicated Adagio's second-in-command piloting the insane maneuver.

Adagio struggled to her feet, smiling through the pain. They had come in late, as usual, but for once, she was just happy they were there.

"This had better not be some kinda cheap trick to bring me back, Dagi-" Aria turned around in her seat, stopping when she saw Adagio's battered state. Adagio looked back at Mend, who was laying against the wall where he had landed. She slowly made her way to the passenger-side door and climbed in, looking back at Aria and Sonata before nodding towards her previous captor.

"Get him."


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When Mendax woke up, he was in massive amounts of pain. He could feel that his exoskeleton was split in multiple places, and his head was pounding with what was most likely a concussion. He could already feel his broken ribs making it difficult to breathe, as well. The last thing that he remembered was having the siren defeated and at his feet. After that, there was just a blurry haze of pain.

Looking around, he saw three girls standing over him, including Adagio. He was in some kind of van, bound and gagged on the floor. Adagio was looking at him with smug satisfaction. After a few seconds, he recognized the second one as the blue-haired idiot who had run into the street earlier, but the third girl was a mystery to him, merely looking down at him with contempt.

"Are you sure that this is going to work, Adagio?" The third girl asked, obviously doubtful of her leader. "I mean, one changeling for all three of us?"

"Listen, even if he can only restore one of us to power, that one will be able to get her strength back and restore the other two in no time!" Adagio smiled, placing her boot on Mend's stomach. "We'll just need a little time, is all..."

"Okay, so who's going first?" the blue-haired one asked, leaning down to inspect Mend.

Adagio leaned down, pressing more weight onto Mend. She seemed to relish his muted groans of pain as his exoskeleton cracked even further.

"Well, I think maybe we should let him finish what he started. Nothing bothers us like an unfinished piece, right, girls?"

The other two looked at each other, then shrugged.

Adagio placed her hands on either side of Mend's head, and he could feel his power beginning to seep away and into her. The last conscious image he saw was Adagio's horrible, smug smile. The smile of someone who knew she wouldn't have to bother with mercy.


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The three sirens were on the road again, on their way out of Canterlot. They'd have to wait until no one there remembered their faces before they could go looking for Mend's portal, or those stupid Elements of Harmony would be on to their plan in a second. Adagio reached down and gently brushed her fingers against her newly-reformed gemstone. For the moment, it shone with neon-green light, but she knew it would eventually change to her typical blood-red. For now, however, it would be more than enough to keep her and her companions alive.

"I still think we should have done something better than dumping his body in a river..." Aria muttered, gripping at the wheel.

"He'll wash out to sea and never be our problem again." Adagio smiled. "We let the ocean take care of that problem for us, just as a good mother should."

Sonata nodded, leaning against the backs of their seats from the back as she bobbed her head to the radio's music.

"So, where are we headed now?"

Adagio thought for a moment. The night's adventures had left her with a new perspective, one that had oiled the gears in her mind to keep them working better than ever.

"Just pick a direction and drive, Aria."

Aria glanced over at her, somewhat disbelievingly, then grinned.

"Vegas it is, then. These van repairs aren't going to be cheap, you know!"

Adagio sighed. The last time they had gambled, they had nearly been caught cheating, and she'd forbidden them from ever going back. She had to admit, though...

She felt like celebrating.