Stories I Almost Wrote, #6

Here's one I've been building up over the course of the last year or two and only ever started on the prologue because the internet was out for a while. I have most of the skeleton written out and it doesn't seem like it'll actually take all that long (in terms of writing, anyway) to write out in full, but that's what I think about every single one of my stories, and as I've got way too many going even without the ones I come up with every month or so, I think it'd be wiser to just retire this one now rather than leave all those others neglected forever.

It's kind of a shame, because this was due to be silly, slice-of-life shenanigans featuring the sirens, shadowbolts, and whoever else fit, completely separate from the Rainbooms and magic for the most part and with some shipping thrown in, which is right up my alley in terms of writing material. However, I've already got a lot of that (bar maybe the parts where I have Shadowbolts instead of Rainbooms) in some other unfinished stories and don't really feel the need to make yet more. Off the top of my head, I'm not even sure what started this story, which might be one more reason to put it to bed.* I never properly named this thing, so let's just call it what I labeled the word file I've been keeping it in. Rest in peace, Sirens In The City.

*Found it! "What might happen if Aria took over?" + "What if they didn't stick around CHS to do one of the usual things (Magic of Friendship'd or a quest for vengeance that the reader knows right from the start won't really go anywhere), instead heading out to the city and staying there?" That is the premise.

The story is about the sirens some months after the BotB (because isn't it always? Not much of interest to write before then and some of us like to imagine them finding a happy ending after possibly losing everything that mattered to them), in which Aria takes charge with brute force now that they have no magic. Here's the prologue I started on.

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Hiding Places and You; Anywhere You Can Fit, by Withered Violets.

Added.

Perfect Party Planning, by Pleasant Surprise.

Added.

Shut Up, Calm Down, and Stop Catastrophizing, by Cool Head

Added.

Plot Progression, by Geddon Widdit

Added.

...Don't Fear The Peeper: A Guide To Safe Exhibitionism, by Bear Skin?!

Ugh... Well, someone clearly ordered it, so... added.

And she was told that updating the library database would be a dull job. It was certainly tedius, but dull was not the most fitting word that came to mind. Looking at the stack of books she still had to enter, Adagio Dazzle cast a cursory glance through the otherwise empty lobby, and sighed.

It was 'full' of tall, wooden bookshelves stacked end-to-end, certainly, along with the plush carpet and soft, comfortable chairs placed around well-polished tables, but with the complete absence of any other lifeform, the quiet hum of flourescant lights high above provided the only sound in the room.

She was alone. This meant that, until that changed, Adagio Dazzle had some time to sulk. She didn't have to worry about maintaining a professional, welcoming image as the librarian of Fresh Coat's House of Books, often called 'The Hob' for short. It had been named for the current owner's ancestor, a man who apparently went around fixing up old, run-down properties during a deep economic recession and making them useable again for huge profits, but that wasn't what had Adagio feeling down.

She'd have thought it strange, a few months ago, that it wasn't her dowdy clothes, either; a dark-blue blazer over a white blouse and long, plaid skirt of maroon overladen with thin, blue and yellow stripes matching the pattern of a nearby school uniform, going almost all the way down to her plain (if comfortable), black shoes. The outfit was complete with thin, black glasses that, if nothing else, helped her pull off the 'librarian' look now that her excess of puffy hair was tied back in a slightly tamer ponytail, cinched at the nape of her neck. Her fluffy bangs still hung like they always had, but it wasn't like this outfit was meant to be a disguise. Even so, it was much less showy than what she'd have worn some months ago, but that wasn't what bothered her either.

No, her dismay was owed exclusively to her lot in life following the Battle of the Bands...

(this is the separator thing I'd have used to break up scenes, because it felt Crystal-Prep-level fancy enough for this story.)

-♦-♦-♦-♦-♦-

And now here's notes.

To start, this would have been a rare case of them not caring in the slightest about losing their singing voices, which were only a means to an end to them anyway in this rendition. Just to skip over that slightly overused point of drama for once.

I'd have made liberal use of flashbacks to show important events without needing to follow the whole chain of events chronologically, skipping over things to get to the more fun parts. The first one was set right after BotB, sirens have no power, all scared and confused for a bit, most of all Dagi (who, we quickly learn, is having trouble seeing after having looked directly into the rainbow beam as it hit. The weakened vision only makes her more scared).

I wanted to show Dagi's thought processes just before she breaks down and Aria threatens her, how magic was their everything, their (most effective, as even what they got in the first diner scene would sustain them for days if they didn't use any more magic) means of feeding, their sword and shield, and, as they perpetually sought more power, practically their purpose in life. Now it's all lost to them, and they're back to what they were before the gems. She remembers what that was like, and the fear is plain on her face, which is what Aria uses to gain a foothold. She was high and mighty with magic, but without, she's lost and terrified of being vulnerable, probably staying that way for a few weeks, which Aria takes full advantage of right away.

Aria doesn't need to threaten Adagio for more than a minute before Dagi surrenders and pleads for mercy. Once she's leader, the power (or sense of it, anyway) goes to her head. Not to cartoonishly abusive degrees, just enough to make her a huge jerk most of the time.

She only occasionally goes too far in 'asserting dominance' (just riding a power trip, really) over the other two and has to do something to make up for it, which she remembers Adagio had to do once (after snapping at them from stress and sonic-screaming both into a wall. Aria had gotten a quiet little apology the night after they first sang in the cafeteria after having confronted Dagi in private about grabbing her to say "My. Lead.", as Adagio had never threatened them like that before. Dagi admitted that she was maybe a little too excited about the first chance they'd ever seen to get their power back, even if Aria doesn't blame her.) after they wound up in this world.

(Dagi thinks to herself that if she were to run and go it alone, she'd be vulnerable all by herself, whereas if she sticks to these two, she has at least two people to protect her as long as she does what she's told, right?)

Aria's first move may be to rename the group, but realizes halfway through the word that "Blazelings" is just ripping off Adagio, living in her shadow. Instead, she awkwardly pronounces it as "Blaze...es. The Blazes!"

(Nata headtilts, saying it sounds like British slang, and she's the only blue blaze among them. Aria grits her teeth, then says "The Blazers!" making Nata burst out laughing about her 'brilliant plan' being to become potheads together, which she may hint she's okay with. That or a band of jacket fanatics. Aria might embarrass herself a little more before grumpily declaring them 'the sirens' (though Nata may pick at that one too, if they can't sing anymore) or something and moving on.

There'd have been a hint that Dagi was grateful to have the focus (and the threat) taken off of her.

Nata doesn't really raise a fuss because to her, it doesn't matter who's in charge, just that she still has a Mommy figure to lean on when she needs it. More on that later.

Right after this chapter, I'd have had an Author's Note that there's an odd little trend I can't help but notice regarding authority In siren fics: When Adagio retains command of the group, she usually treats the others as she did in the movie; very clear in her low opinion of their intelligence and not thrilled with their company in general, but fair, remarkably tolerant of their behavior even when it directly hurts her (she rarely ever seeks any sort of retribution no matter what they do to her even just for their own amusement), always granting them as much of the pie as she gets herself.

For Aria and Sonata, on the other hand, it seems like the power almost always goes straight to their heads and they become not just abusive, but cartoonishly loathsome in just how much they enjoy pushing the other two around, showing little or none of the courtesy Adagio is typically shown to give them as they revel in being the biggest bitches possible.
I've only seen a few examples of the other two seizing power (only one in which the trend is subverted comes to mind) one way or another, and the most prominent examples are Dark fics (while I don't like Dark, a lot of stories aren't tagged properly and skimming through the ones that get my attention has paid off at least once), but it stuck out to me. The difference is that when Adagio is in charge, she's pretty much always doomed to suffer death or some miserable fate by the end. Aria and Sonata? If they aren't forgiven in a blink, they still get off easy, no matter how monstrously they treated those around them.

I bring this up because I wanted to make it clear here and now that this wasn't just another one of those fics, that Aria, even while riding a power trip, would not have degenerated into the kind of utterly unlikeable sociopath who abandons all sense and decency solely on account of being in charge of two people.

Now back to the notes!

Reveal that in addition to the gem fragments Dagi ran off with, they went back and nabbed what was left when everyone had cleared out of the area, finding the shards swept into a nearby trashcan, which they tipped over like a pack of raccoons. Some jokes were made at Dagi's expense, but she was more than happy to reclaim the fragments anyway. As they couldn't actually do anything with them, she holds onto them even to the present, keeping them in a little pouch in her hair.

For the first week or so, Aria pretty much tried to have them live like thugs, stealing what they needed and using her aggression to intimidate people to get what she wanted.

(One thing was having Dagi stand out in the open (in an alley or something, always far from where they lived) looking all pretty to lure people in, then the trio jumping them. Dagi was always terrified, which sold the helpless damsel act perfectly. They only did this two or three times for fear that the police would catch on to the act, see Adagio somewhere, and nab her right away.)

This led to a plan in which she got a gun (it's America, not a big stretch. Maybe Aria says she nabbed it from some punk that tried to hold her up back when they had their magic, maybe she swiped it from a pawn shop.), planned to lure the Rainbooms to a warehouse, stick them up, and force them to help fix the gems. Adagio wasn't brave enough to argue until it went wrong while she was putting the lure-note together, the gun going off in Aria's careless, overconfident hands, the bullet ricocheting, and nailing Sonata in the right buttcheek.

Then Adagio was livid, verbally tearing into Aria while they waited in the hospital (they used fake identities Adagio set up shortly after they got here, explained the bullet as an injury sustained when the three of them ran away from a mugger), Aria actually starting to feel the weight of leadership as she silently endures Dagi's rage. Sonata came out of it okay, but an angry "You Shot. Me. In. The. Butt." may be a common comeback from her whenever Aria asks what could go wrong or tells them to trust her, which usually humbles Aria (who doesn't forget Nata's pained scream or Adagio's still-existent backbone) into thinking twice.

Nata doesn't use it all that much, though, the bullet extraction and two-week period in which she couldn't sit down having been the most embarrassing of her life. ("I don't. Want. To talk about it.")

She hates/feels terrible about the scar on her butt, even if it's noted to not be that bad and barely noticeable from a distance, though she shouldn't go showing people her butt anyway. Nata still wishes she could wear swimsuits and undies other than fully-covering briefs and granny-panties without fear of someone seeing the ugly mark on her behind. Still, all three of them remember it, because it's what got Aria to shift her plan to laying lower and relocating, cutting violence and theft out as much as possible. Dagi and Nata were both relieved.

The trio flee to the city, where there's more people and they'd be a bit harder to recognize, or at least harder to find. ("Worst comes to worst, I figure we can get away with the occasional requisition a little easier.") Time skip to after Friendship Games.

Dagi picks up a job (librarian, where she secretly spends some amount of time leafing through books on magic in this world in the desperate hope of finding something substantial. Aria's idea, it doesn't work, just makes everyone that catches her think she's really into the occult.) and changes her appearance; glasses (because she made the mistake of looking directly into the light as the rainbow hit them and her eyesight suffered a bit for it, making everything just a little blurry, reading particularly difficult.) and a tightly-packed ponytail with straps almost all the way down, pretty much this:

I saw this in a comic a few years ago and the look really grew on me. It doesn't suit every interpretation of her character, but I think it'd have worked in this case.

I was thinking that Aria and Nata might have specifically nerded her up to help land her a job as a librarian as part of Aria's plan to get their hands on magic books. It was something Nata was happy to help with, thinking the glasses made her look sexier and wording it as making a more convincing disguise, less chance that someone would recognize her and administer beatings for the BotB or something.

Once the first flashback was done, I'd have introduced Indigo Zap by way of her sneaking up to startle Adagio for giggles. The story would have had an AdagioxIndigo ship, more details somewhere below!

I decided that the owner of the library had to be a CP kid's parent so as to be able to include the Shadowbolts more, and settled on Sugarcoat. Indigo being her friend would be adequate reason to study there. (which she earnestly tries to do sometimes, Crystal Prep's own library often being kind of crowded, explained by it having been a more private school when it opened, and the library was never renovated to be bigger (as with the chef thing, half the students have personal tutors anyway). Plus the place always feels stuffy and there are no snack machines.) After a while, Indigo and Lemon Zest genuinely like just hanging out there because it's air-conditioned, the chairs are more comfortable than any in the school, and there are books and even private study rooms with computers (provided she can resist slacking off...) for anything they could need.

Sugarcoat family members:
Fresh Coat (ancestor who worked hard fixing places up to make them marketable again)
Trench Coat (looks and acts like a shady type, but turns out to be an honest merchant)
Red Coat (Sugar's very British father, stuffy sort, takes pills to keep his blood pressure down, loves his little daughter to bits)
Turn Coat (Sugar's older uncle, Red's brother, shares her weirdness in being nothing like his name, even if he used to flip flop around and never commit to anything, cleaned up his act later and now fastidiously sticks to his every endeavor, even when it might make more sense to just drop it.)

One of them (probably not Fresh Coat, unless this thing drifted into ghost story territory) may have explained that Sugar used to live up to her name, terrified of hurting someone's feelings, but she got more apathetic as she grew older, the world never sugarcoating itself for her, and eventually, she snapped, now saying exactly what's on her mind with no filter at all.

If nothing else, Dagi may do work organizing the place, putting books away where they belong, weeding out books with outdated info, sorting, etc., waiting until she has the chance to (either with the owner of the place's trust, if the person exists, or by sneaking in somewhere to change order forms) place orders for books that might be magical to add to the library, then waiting the days or weeks for them to arrive. However, as this is a more grounded story, there's not even a chance of that plan working, they were sent here because there wasn't supposed to be any magic. I've used the just-find-magic-book thing myself once (enchanted D&D manual, to be specific), but only in a much zanier story than this would have been.

Dagi being a chicken now (more on that soon), Sonata probably walks her to the library and back home at the start and end of the day, which Indigo may eventually take over, at least until someone convinces Dagi that she doesn't have to be afraid all the time.

Random detail just for the sake of exploring it somewhere; homosexuality would have been frowned on in this rendition of the human world, to the same capacity it is today and/or within the previous decade or so. There wouldn't have been any soapboxing involved, just a bit of societal-pressure-based drama fuel, I think. Or not. I don't know because I'm not writing this story now.

Few chapters of whatever general nonsense goes on, Aria and Nata established to have their own lives (Nata would have done occasional, random odd jobs when not working as a waitress at a Chinese place in a cute qipao. Aria just keeps up her 'research,' but spends most of her time goofing off or going out to jog (not wanting to get fat if she stays home all day (not admitting that she's lost some muscle already), as she's kinda been doing), barely any progress ever made in anything but thinking up ways to kick Dagi if she ever criticizes her, so defensive that it usually distracts her from accomplishing anything) mostly fun fluff leading up to Dagi being lined up to go to CP and the argument that leads to her being abducted by Indigo. More on that later.

Second half of the story is Dagi in CP, Nata skipping her odd jobs to keep a close eye on her or finding one at CP as the janitor or something, Aria starting to get the picture that she's kinda useless as a leader, having expected things to just go her way because she said so, as she assumed it was for Adagio.

Another flashback would have been Aria remembering when they got their current apartment, thinking back to a day or so after they'd gotten unpacked and settled in, patting herself on the back for finding it, Nata just happy that the Rainbooms'll never find them here, Dagi smiling a little as she says it really is pretty nice there. This makes Aria grin even wider, hinting to the reader that even when she's 'the boss,' Aria wants Dagi's approval as a sign she's doing well.

The original plan there was to get the apartment, force the others to accept it, and build up money until they had something fancier, but seeing that the other two like the place and finding that keeping rent in the city is pretty pricy, she pretends staying there was what she meant to do the whole time. They can still afford things, but Aria's plan to do so is to swipe food or buy it as cheaply as possible to keep the three of them fed. The food isn't great, but having lived partly on negative energy before, none of them are complaining and they don't go hungry.

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Not being aware of how Sonata really feels in regard to their relationship*, Adagio notes to herself that she's surprised she didn't wind up at the bottom of the totem pole, as it were, that Sonata didn't jump at the chance to make her her bitch, too. She's smart enough not to point this out, even if she dreads the day Aria or Sonata realize and verbalize it themselves, but until then, she relishes that Sonata treats her pretty much the same as ever; referring to her first for help, advice, and even just to spend time with sometimes.

Aria notices that, but doesn't care (other than a twinge of annoyance when she realizes her help is never asked for), thinking she's content to let Dagi keep the Dealing With Sonata part to herself.

Nata continues to be Nata, even if she's worried about how Aria is acting now and a little sad that Dagi is such a total pushover. Even if it is kinda funny sometimes. (hint that empathy isn't exactly Sonata's strong suit)

*The way that was worded makes me think I should clarify: Nothing romantic between either of them, Sonata just sees Adagio as a stand-in for her mother.

(takes place before they go to the city)
Part of the reason Dagi is afraid to walk the street alone is because one day while trying to maintain her dominance, Aria pushed Dagi too far and Dagi snapped back at her, getting into an argument with Aria about where they've been going, how Aria's been leading them to live in hiding like criminals where before they were just hated.

Aria would have boasted early on that she'd have them back in action and making the Rainbooms their slaves in no time when she found some new source of magic (maybe thinking of holding up the Rainbooms to hand over theirs), and a few months later, they're nowhere near it, Dagi getting fed up with Aria's arrogant attitude and listing off the things Aria said she'd get them, how Aria failed without a selectively-deaf DJ, transforming car, or towering, crystal alicorn out of nowhere, much less all three. Aria doesn't threaten her because it's undeniable that she hasn't been everything she said she'd be. Or, anything she said she'd be, and trying to cover that up would just make her look stupid AND incompetent.

Something is said about Dagi and Nata being better off without her, which is what really hurts Aria, making her calmly but firmly stop Dagi by grabbing her, then deliver a detailed speech about how pretty girls like themselves weren't safe in this world (and how they needed Aria (pretty too, but better at driving people off) to keep them safe), that she could take care of herself and they both knew Nata was stronger than she looked (Aria smirks), but Dagi? She'd be eaten alive; caught, tied up, and ravaged mercilessly.

Dagi is visibly scared, but denies it all, knowing Aria is just trying to rattle her, but Aria lists a bunch of statistics that they can readily check online (feeling distantly smug about all those hours she spent getting derailed on Wikipedia), firmly convincing Adagio that if she were to roam the streets by herself, a pretty, defenseless thing like her wouldn't stand a chance if the wrong person found her.

Dagi denies it, saying that nothing's happened in all the time they've been powerless, Aria smirking and asking how many times Dagi's wandered around alone since then. The silent answer as Dagi frantically searches her memory is taken to be 'very few,' and Aria plays it up more by saying that maybe she's been lucky so far, but it only has to happen once...

Dagi denies it again, saying the people around them would never do that, either out of decency or because they fear the law, but Aria just keeps smirking as she shakes her head, saying that they both know the three of them are stunning (Aria embellishes things a little further, as though people would become slavering zombies around the sirens if they were to walk around with enough skin showing), and that even if everyone controls themselves, a chance to touch any of the sirens might be worth the risk to them, that all they'd need was a few minutes of privacy...

Dagi has a breakdown, babbling nonsense and devolving into an inconsolable, crying wreck, which is what tells Aria that she went too far. (this flashback might have come up when Aria talks to Sour Sweet later, Aria saying that she's gone too far and hurt both Nata and Dagi before, something she legitimately feels terrible about)

Sonata comes home to find her trying to comfort a scared, blubbering Adagio, not caring how it happened, just wanting it fixed immediately, something Aria luckily gels with when she quietly asks Nata if they have any ice cream left.

No questions asked, Nata fetches the ice cream, which they get Dagi to take a few spoonfuls of once Nata manages to sooth away the mad babbling and Dagi starts to calm down, the three cuddling together, Nata falling asleep on Dagi's lap (or pretending to...). Dagi whispers an apology to Aria, saying she didn't mean it when she said they were better off without her, Aria waving it off immediately, apologizing for everything she said after that, that she was just trying to shake Dagi up, went way too far, and she's sorry.

Dagi more or less shakes it off until an unlucky run-in with some big, scary men ("C'mon, it'll be fun, just come with us for a lil' while.") and then one scary girl ("I bet you're a screamer...") once they're in the city nearly proves Aria right, after which Dagi might not recover until they're comfortably weilding magic again, Aria never teasing Dagi about this specific fear.

Dagi tries hard to act like it didn't affect her, like she doesn't believe a word, but the thought is too terrifying to dismiss, so she repeatedly tells herself that she isn't scared when waiting for Nata to walk her to the library and back. It has the added effect of making her fidgety and scared on the topic of physical intimacy, which might have made things difficult if Indigo ever got handsy.

Nata, for her part, didn't care what made Dagi cry at the time, just about fixing it. After, however, when she had time to think, she may have pieced things together with little clues and implications here and there, but seeing that Aria already regretted what she'd done, saw no happiness points in it for anyone if she went after her, though she does store that incident as ammo if she ever wants Aria to ease up on Dagi.

Aria may be aware that that's what Nata is doing, saying (to Sour, or whoever she's telling this story) that Nata tends not to care about why and how things happen, just the right now, rarely learning from her mistakes, but making for a fearsome force when something hurts/threatens things she cares about, "Make it better!!" being her top(arguably her only) priority.

The point of this scene and the resulting long-term trauma was to explain why Adagio remained a terrified mess when out in public by herself, reinforce that Aria isn't a complete monster and does understand when she's messed up, and to hint that, when adequately provoked, Nata is maybe a little less harmless than she might appear.

On that note, I was thinking some of Aria's background characterization was that she just secretly wanted praise and approval all this time, having been impressed by Dagi when they were young and seeing her as Senpai from then on, very rarely doing anything that actually impressed Dagi and getting resentful for not getting more praise. Even when the tables turn, she still wants Dagi to like her, eventually confessing in tears that all she ever wanted from Dagi was to be her equal, being friends and doing amazing stuff together, something like that. I'm not sure how Dagi would have responded by that point in the story, but it'd have definitely been one of those touchy-feely moments. And not in a Stranger Danger kind of way!

Nata wears her hair in her usual ponytail and possibly even the same outfit (or maybe the hoodie and jeans) when not working as a waitress at a Chinese shop, where she has hair buns and a qipao (that long, red dress with short sleeves, which I feel just kind of works for Sonata). She is regularly at risk of being fired for clumsiness, but some customers keep coming back to watch her clumsy antics, so... (it's mentioned that people have approached her not unlike Dagi, but Nata knew how to fend them off, either by dropping something scalding hot on them or 'clumsily' smashing her forehead into their faces. If someone doesn't take the hint, she may go Psychonata for a moment)

At some point in the story, she may have burst into a room, proudly saying how she learned to use chopsticks. She does end up fired eventually, or quits to work at Crystal Prep.

Aria probably has no job, wears her hair completely down, and stays at home claiming to be coming up with plans/reading through some of the books Dagi brings home, but mostly spends her days earnestly trying to find some feasible source of magic on the internet, inevitably winding up getting distracted on Wikipedia, going from one link to another, and another, and another, then going to some other site to learn more about something completely unrelated. Or just watching videos all day.

She curses herself every time for this, to the point that she might not even say anything if the others (who might actually find this kind of endearing) make fun of her for it. ("No, no, it's... it's okay. Let me have it.") Sonata obliges, but she's never very witty, Dagi is scared to say much of anything, but stops with a few biting remarks that Aria can't argue against.

Maybe she keeps Adagio from taking up her own old role of constantly pushing for results and criticizing the current plan (which Aria notes to be extremely annoying) by snapping at her, making Dagi too afraid to ask again most of the time. Aria notices that Nata gives her cold looks when she does this. Not mean, not angry, not aggressive, just cold. May lead to Nata angrily chewing Aria out for being a hypocrite (because no matter what Aria ever said, Adagio never stopped her from criticizing her, her plans, or anything else), possibly triggered by Aria herself asking.

None of them can cook and they eat pretty poorly, going with whatever they could scrounge together to feed three girls. Rarely do they steal, if at all, by the time they get to the city, but a lot of what they get may be expired. "Eh, tastes about the same to me."
I'd have explained somewhere that they used what money they had stored up to get a decent place to live in the city after Sonata's butt-shot. And that was after hospital bills.

-Shenanigans: There would have been fluffy, funny, slice-of-life scenes, possibly just random days of the sirens living together.

-A few chapters in, Aria calls Adagio 'Dagi' in especially condescending tones on a regular basis to reinforce that she's in charge now, making Adagio grumble and/or scowl, Nata calls her Dagi, and gets something dismissive, cold, or outright irritable back. Nata watches in silence as Dagi walks away from her, not moving a muscle. Nata goes to Aria with wide eyes and a big, stiff smile, and says "Hey Aria. Do you think you could stop calling Adagio 'Dagi'? I don't think she likes it the way you do it."

Aria is at first annoyed at the insolence or something, looks at her, and freezes. There'd have been a short description of what she's seeing as she looks Nata in the eye, how it's like watching a beast just behind a cage door that she isn't sure is locked, almost daring her to argue about this. Aria quietly says "Yea, sure, no sweat."

Nata happily thanks her, then skips away, smiling much wider the next time Aria calls her Adagio, to Dagi's quiet surprise. This wins a tiny smile out of Dagi, to Nata's delight. Dagi doesn't mind Nata calling her that, because she understands that Nata never meant to insult her with it, even if, in the back of her mind, it kind of felt like they were ganging up on her with the way Aria was using it.

Much later, Aria might finally ask why Nata didn't want her calling her 'Dagi,' Nata plays dumb, Aria gets aggressive, demands to know, Nata goes quietly psycho as she gets aggressive back, giving her that same wide-eyed smile. "Because 'Dagi' is a good name. You don't get to ruin that."

She lets Aria go with the understanding made very, very clear.

I've seen the PsychoNata thing played for cuteness a few times, and as I don't think someone being genuinely unstable is much to laugh about, I'd have gone for a very different take on it here. More on that later.

-The trio discovering something like Weird Al (might have said it was some crazy guy in their local area who uploaded song parodies he wrote, "Cheese-somethin'."?) and the not-to-be-taken-literally nature of some songs (something like Everything You Know Is Wrong) hurts Nata's brain, to Aria's delight and Adagio's eyerolling, to the point that when Nata is having a confusion-induced breakdown, Aria points at her and all but cheers "Yes! YES!! More of this! Straight into my veins!!"

-Scene in which Nata is described as lying on her back, squirming and writhing as Dagi coos gentle assurances that she'll be okay and such. Nata gasps and whimpers, all but begging Dagi to finish it before Dagi pulls back with a smile ("All done!") and it's explained that she was trimming Nata's toenails, which Nata always needs help with. She explains that she gets nervous when trying to do it herself, scared she'll cut her toes, and that Aria is the WORST TOE-CLIPPER EVER, that even the time she agreed to do it, she was rough with her and it was really uncomfortable and they had to stop halfway through because Nata thought she was bleeding (the gag here being that I'd have tried to make it sound as much like sex as possible, that Aria is rough and careless with her where Dagi is gentle and comforting. Sugarcoat or someone may eventually overhear this and get thoroughly freaked out. Or just nosebleed.)

-Scene where we learn that Dagi isn't good with animals (afraid they'll hurt her), especially when they seem to LOVE her, pretty much needing Aria to scare them away for her, dogs especially. Nata wants their attention, but they just sort of seem indifferent to her, much to her annoyance. Dagi even shrieks and stands on chairs (or higher, ideally) at the sight of mice, reasoning that they carry potent diseases, if only in the fleas that ride them. Indigo might not actually get to see this, because CP and Sugarcoat's library are nice places.

-One day, Dagi may be doing something and hear a soft scratching noise behind her. She turns to find Nata brushing her hair, asks why, and Nata answers that she just finds it relaxing. Dagi tells her to brush her own, Nata says it's not the same, that not only does Dagi's hair take long enough to get into a zone, but Dagi's fluff resists just enough that she has to put in a bit of effort, but never hard enough to be tiring, that she can just kind of brush without focusing, reaching some kind of hair-brushing zen as she does it.

Dagi is weirded out, but Aria overhears this and wants to give it a go. She says the sound of it is like its own ASMR kinda thing, the soft scratching of the brush through her hair, the feeling of softness between her fingers as she brushes, just making her feel all okay with things.

Dagi notes that she's never gotten this, and she brushes it daily, but her sentiments fall on deaf ears as the two keep brushing. They'd argue about the other 'hogging the fluff,' but they're just too relaxed.

-Somewhere, Aria is being reminded/reprimanded of Nata's butt shot yet again and earnestly wants to be forgiven for it (tears in her eyes as she asks "What is it gonna take for you to let that go?! I'm sorry, okay?!", asking what she has to do to show Nata she means it.) and gets Aria a tattoo of her star-with-curvy-lines thing on her right buttcheek.

Aria is probably a little freaked out at first ("You want me to get a tattoo on my ass?!"), saying this'll probably hurt like hell (scared of needles to start with), but Nata sharply retorts (where the tattoo guy can't hear) "How do ya think that bullet felt, bucko?"

Aria grumbles. "Point taken..."

Nata beams. "Ohh, you're about to!"

"...Eep!"

Short scene Aria lying on her stomach, blushing a little as she pulls her pants down, tense just before it starts, wincing, going 'ow, ow, ow, ow!", and swearing under her breath, more-so as Sonata sits down in front of her to eat popcorn, just enjoying every moment of Aria's pain. Because she really wants to make things up to Nata, Aria limits herself to pained death-glares.

When she sees the thing (with a mirror) the next day, she actually kind of likes it. ("Heh, it's... kinda cute.") Getting it was painful and she can't sit down for a while, but she does shake it a little, even thinking about wearing a short skirt in public to show it off, or arranging for a beach trip if they can scrounge the cash together. Maybe a pool trip.

There are hugs as Nata formally forgives Aria, Dagi just smiling. Aria expresses surprise that she didn't have it be something stupid-looking or insulting like "bitch" or "Yours for five cents" or "The Worst," but Nata shakes her head, saying she's had plenty of time to think about how much she doesn't like having an ugly mark on her body, and that she wouldn't want someone else, even Aria, to live with the same thing. She just kind of wishes her scar had at least taken on the shape of something cute, like a heart or- (they talk at the same time) "-or a star."

Aria smiles, earnestly thanking her. Nata beams "No problemo, Star-Butt!" and smacks Aria directly on the tattoo, making Aria yelp, wincing and drawing both hands over her rear while jumping up and down, then glares. Nata just beams. (she may call Aria Star-Butt when in private from then on)

Encounters:

Dagi + Indigo Zap: She reminds Indigo a lot of Twilight (which is at least how it begins), which annoys her a bit, possibly getting her to tease and tickle Dagi until she starts sounding more confident. This might actually make it worse, because being forced into anything isn't going to help her confidence.

I'd have introduced Indigo by having her startle Dagi at the library (then giving her a cheeky grin and saying something about keeping her voice down in the library), Dagi thinking to herself that this is her regular pest at work, that she initially showed up to study (maybe short flashback), startled Dagi by clapping a hand on her shoulder from behind, said Dagi reminded her a little of someone, did something to tick Dagi off, Indigo commented that she was even prissier than most of the stiffs at CP, and made a point of talking to her every time she came by from then on. Possible that Indigo's grades suffered a little when CP eased off the old CP attitude a bit (more on that later), so she's supposed to be studying every day.

Somewhere, if Dagi ended up feeling safe, powerful, and in control, maybe when they've got the devices working, seeing her with confidence and acting like her old self, Indigo may not know how to react. She finds Adagio much less cute and teasable this way, but utterly captivating, even if a little scary.

Another thing may be someone coming to the library to find Indigo, asking if she's there, Sugarcoat saying she isn't sure, hearing Dagi shriek in surprise, then deadpanning "Yes."

Nata + Indigo: Possible that if Dagi gets seriously upset with Indigo, Nata grabs Indigo from behind, transitioning from cheerful and peppy to slow and monotone as she says that after everything the three of them have lost, Dagi and Aria are all she really has left, that no matter how much they might quarrel, she just doesn't really know what she'd do without them.

At some point during that little speech, Indigo notices the VERY sharp pair of scissors in Nata's hand. Nata ends it with an emphatic "I sure don't know why I'm telling you all this, but thanks for listening..." before slinking away, gone before Indigo can even turn around. She immediately sets out to make things right with Dagi.

(Nata doesn't outright threaten Indigo because she knows Dagi at least likes her as a friend. On that note, Nata would probably have to be ignorant of Indigo altogether for the first part of the story to not blow a fuse over her picking on Dagi, who never says a word about it to anyone. Or maybe she sees Indigo as harmless, but responds more to genuine malice toward Aria and Dagi, especially the latter)

Later on, Nata starts either threatening Indigo or saying she's not good enough for Dagi, how Nata would break anyone that hurt her, that she's a weakling on her own and anyone that claims to care about her has to be able to do whatever's necessary to protect her, Indigo shooting back "Is that what she wants?"

Nata is stunned, Indigo explaining that she hasn't known Dagi as long as Nata, but since they met, the girl she's gotten to know is pretty nice, thoughtful, and compassionate toward those close to her, no matter how many times they tick her off, Indigo calmly saying that she isn't so sure Adagio would actually want those people getting themselves hurt or even hurting others for her sake, if only for the danger doing so places them in.

Nata desperately tries to convince herself that Indigo is wrong, shakily saying that Indigo really doesn't know anything, that they used to be BAD GUYS, pure evil!

Indigo asks if they ever killed anybody. Nata doesn't answer. She smiles a little and says "Yea, me neither.", then asks if they've ever jumped someone (they have), ever started a fire, ever broken windows and ran away, ever shoplifted (they have, kinda), ever threw rocks at birds, ever picked on someone just for fun, or even just because they could.

Nata quietly says they've done some of those, Indigo asking if they did it all on a regular basis. Nata is silent. Indigo reveals that she used to be a pretty bad kid, hung out with other bad kids that did whatever they wanted because they were rich and could get away with it, so she wants to know how bad the sirens were. Nata quietly answers that they mind-controlled people, made servants of some and got the rest to argue and sometimes even fight. Since losing their magic, the worst they've done is mug people. Some of whom were a little too willing to do cooperate with the pretty girls, even if it was in handing over their wallets.

Indigo hits her again by asking if they, mainly Dagi, still want to do that stuff, if Dagi was perfectly fine with the risks they took each time, Nata saying no, that her constantly fretting was half the reason they had to stop before coming to the city, Indigo asking "Then why would she want you maiming people for her now?"

Nata has no answer, visibly defeated at this point and either quietly saying something vaguely friendly without a modicum of enthusiasm or just running off. Aria finds her shortly after, mutter/blubbering about how even with how long they've known each other, someone else loves Dagi more than she does.

Aria is skeptical, but Nata insists, saying Indigo cares more about what she'd say, how she'd feel about things, where Nata's outrages are just to help make herself feel better by getting what she wants again, even if that something is her mother-figure.

Sonata never bothers Indigo again, tentatively entrusting Dagi to her, who, when she does this in very public fashoin, is confused and embarrassed, similar to Dagi herself.

For all you manga fans out there, the scene is inspired by one in Mahoraba: Heartful Days, which I fully recommend if you're into cutesy, slice-of-life silliness with some romance thrown in.

Aria + Indigo: Some time later, possible Indigo witnesses Aria pushing Dagi around to maintain dominance, and reads it as actual bullying, rushing to defend Dagi the same way she did Twilight. (Indigo is probably tougher than Aria, as she gets much more of a workout)

Conflict and drama may ensue if that isn't defused, possibly even escalating to Indigo all but taking Adagio to her house to get her away from Aria, more-so if Dagi insists it isn't necessary, which Indigo reads as a typical abuse victim's line. It might have been tricky to play mostly for laughs, other Shadowbolts telling Indigo she's being crazy, some (Lemon?) taking her side, no matter what Dagi says.

If Dagi is hauled off to Indigo's house, she meets Indigo's bulldog, ChompyFace, whose name alone scares Dagi. (Indigo whispers to her mother about Dagi's possibly abusive home life ("She's my friend, and I'm worried.") while she's distracted with Chompy)

Chompyface likes her, licking her and trying to hop up on her lap as often as possible, sometimes chasing her through (probably going ROOROOROOROOROOROOROO!) the house as she all but cries out for help, but most of Indigo's family just thinks it's cute (possible all of them show relation to Indigo by commenting on Adagio's girliness), since Chompy wouldn't hurt a fly (a bug lands on his nose and he just kind of sits there, panting) and barely seems aware that he has sharp teeth.

-Family shenanigans?
Dagi might be coerced into taking a bath, either Indigo's mother stripping her (to discreetly check for bruises) or having Indigo (who didn't know that would be part of the plan) do it because they're both girls and no one in Indigo's family openly knows about her preferences, both blushing furiously the whole time, but Indigo is relieved to find no signs of physical abuse.

Okay, so they don't beat her... Or, at least they haven't recently...

The tricky part may have been handling the scene in a way that it was very, very clear to Dagi that they just want her to take a bath after a long day, that there's nothing sexual going on, even if she's still embarrassed.

This might have actually worked as a way of spelling out to Aria that her leadership sucks; have Dagi and Aria out talking somewhere, Aria bullies her, Indigo comes in, blindsides Aria and slips away with Dagi, Aria barely knows what happened, but shrugs it off, saying Dagi'll be back later. She goes home, Nata is either there already or comes home asking where Dagi is, Aria answers casually without looking at her, Sonata quietly asks again, Aria gets annoyed and turns to answer, then freezes at the look Nata is giving her.

Nata (who either understands that someone took Dagi away, or thinks Dagi left them of her own free will rather than coming straight home) flies into a rage, picking Aria up and demanding she go get Dagi RIGHT NOW!! Aria almost sheepishly complies, trying not to look scared, trying to say something authoritative, then getting interrupted as Nata steps around to kick her in the butt toward the door, screaming to shut up and get going!! (Aria may end the day with bruises on her butt, possibly with a cut to her wincing as she sits in a bath. She notes to herself that at least when Adagio was the one mad at her, the worst of her pain was an earful.)

The plan was to have Sonata come off as wildly alternating between childish and a full-on psychotic gangster, showing the reader what her leadership would be like.

Aria: "Look, I just thought-"

Nata: "You thought? You thought?"

Aria: "I-"

Nata: (grabbing her and getting close, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks as she gives Aria wide, crazy eyes) "Youthoughtyouthoughtyouthought, did I ask what you thought?! Because I thought I told you I wanted Adagio back, NOW."

Something like that. The idea would be for Nata to be varying levels of scary for the duration of this, probably swinging back and forth between psychotic and silly, making threatening faces one moment and accusing a parrot of being behind the Missing Dagi conspiracy the next.

I've seen the 'PsychoNata' thing before, pretty much always depicted as just a cute quirk, but the point of her depiction here would be to show that a mentally unstable person is not a clown that happens to smash things and yell at people, but someone with a genuine problem most likely in need of counseling, which Sonata would most likely have gotten by the end of the story once all this came to light.

Could be a short back-and-forth chapter of Dagi interacting with Indigo and family (+ChompyFace) while Nata and Aria search spots the Shadowbolts have been known to hang around (Aria's idea, because she figures the first place you bring a hostage/kidnapping victim is somewhere to just hang out, realizing how stupid it sounds when someone says it out loud). Aria remarks that that's actually kind of a cool group name, that maybe they could be the Shadow-Blazes or- Nata kicks her in the butt again and moves things along, throwing a very scary tantrum until she gets Dagi back.

-Aria starts by asking someone questions, Nata quickly escalating the situation to something that looks like a stick-up (though it's an honest misunderstanding, Nata's vague word choices making it sound like she's asking for their wallet or something instead of just whether or not they've seen Adagio or Indigo recently), Aria hastily shooing her out to avoid getting arrested.

-Dagi meets the family: a fairly laid-back mother, learns the father is away on business, and two younger siblings that Indigo is playful with, probably the male/female twin thing. Naming based on electricity, 'Shock' and 'Charge' in the names? Or just something that abbreviates to AC/DC

-Dagi winds up helping make brownies, joins the mother in scolding the little ones for licking the whisk and getting batter on their faces... then winks, quietly telling them it's easier to clean the bowl with a spoon. (she earns Cool Big Sis status from this, to her mildly perplexed amusement and Indigo's delight) Possible she hints or outright says that she, Aria, and Sonata figured that out the first time they made their own brownies, because they couldn't find brownies with mints in them and felt it was worth a try. Results were okay.

-It's commented somewhere that Dagi might make for a good housewife ("A what?"), someone catching Indigo staring into space for a few seconds, then unable to look Dagi in the eye for a bit.

-Maybe not in the same encounter, but someone may point out that Indigo brought Dagi home to meet her family, her ferverently denying it as only having been to get her away from Aria (which is true, she just didn't think about it at the time), who she was sure didn't know where she lived. "Where was I supposed to bring her, some abandoned warehouse?! I don't even know where to find one of those!"

Sonata may terrify Indigo's family (who fear the worst abuse is actually at the hands of this insane, needy girl) until she actually sees Dagi, where she melts (all menace visibly drains out of her, making onlookers briefly unsure as to whether it had ever been there at all), goes sweet again, and hugs her. Short confrontation between Indigo, Aria, Dagi, and maybe whoever else before things settle down. If Indigo and Aria get confrontational before Nata gets Dagi back, Nata grabs them both and tells them they can sniff each other's butts later, but she wants Dagi NOW.

(Indigo may wind up terrified of Nata in general, Dagi incredulous as she assures her and anyone else that asks that Nata isn't dangerous, that even if Aria pushed her around a little, the idea of Nata abusing her is laughable. They're equally incredulous back at her. Nata always obeys Dagi when she gets stern with her (which happened less when she lost her confidence), so Dagi just never senses any kind of threat from her. Running gag?)

Nata may get a quiet, tearful monologue that reveals a bit about how they met in this iteration, how something happened to leave her on her own, but Dagi looked out for her however she could, that Dagi was her new mommy from then on, always making life easy and taking care of her (knowing how being scared and vulnerable felt, Dagi took pity on Nata even at slight risk to herself. Or maybe just had a moment of plain old empathy), might have hinted or have Nata outright say that she needs someone to tell her what to do, that thinking and planning are really, really hard and she just knows she'll screw the whole thing up, that life is easier if she can just do what someone tells her. (part of why she doesn't ever suggest that she take over and expected Aria to come up with a plan even when she was pushing her to find Dagi, or step in and defend Dagi when she surrenders to Aria)

She may say something like how she's always cherished Adagio in particular for making life easy for her, from helping her find things when she loses them, to helping her understand things when she's confused, to beating hard parts in video games for her!

(Aria mutters "Noob enabler." while Dagi probably facepalms.)

(On the serious side of things, Indigo's family may see that Nata doesn't want Dagi as someone to slap around and treat like a slave, but that she's hopelessly dependant on her in ways Dagi is perfectly capable of handling, which helps convince them to let Dagi go back rather than calling social services or something. Dagi getting Nata to apologize for causing a fuss may make jaws drop.)

-Sugarcoat may later point out that Nata showed pretty good drive and initiative when seeking Dagi, that she was mostly just dragging Aria along rather than actually deferring to her leadership to find Adagio, and that when she's motivated enough, she doesn't actually need any hel-(Nata stuffs something into Sugar's mouth, whispering that she kinda knows that, but the point is that she doesn't want to be independent, that she loves having a 'mommy' to take care of the hard things for her. Sugar, spitting the thing out, flatly tells her that she'll have to go it alone sometimes, Nata shooting back that isn't that what friends are for?!

Sugar is silent, unable to refute this right away, and needs time to think.

Nata + Sour Sweet, Nata's airheadedness ticking her off, but the sweet lines make Nata think everything must be A-Okay!

Dagi + Sour Sweet, Dagi terrified by the sudden switches and almost sure she's going to get beaten up, Sour actually starting to feel guilty (because she remembers how she treated Twilight), stopping herself from growling that maybe if Dagi weren't such a wimpy lit-mmphrmphlph!

(She's awkward around Dagi from then on, Dagi mutually afraid of ticking her off.)

Aria + Sour Sweet. (the second Sour laid eyes on Aria, I'd have written a quick parody of The Raven in which she thinks to herself (or it's narrated) how she feels a fury that burns into her very core, that the velvet-violet curtain (Aria's hair) whisked in winds that blew uncertain called for horror, pain, and shock, and more, etc. to communicate her hatred for Aria's very being.)

They might have locked eyes for a long, tense moment, then lunge at each other, rapidly alternating between a billowing dustcloud of violence and furious, clothes-ripping, fondle-heavy makeouts. (bonus comedy points if Dagi is in the area, like hiding in the closet or something, and too scared/embarrassed to step out and escape, leaving her to unwillingly hear the whole thing?)

It wasn't an easy choice; covering her mouth to minimize the risk of making a sound and being discovered vs. covering her ears and not hearing the... noises beyond the closet door. Still, she figured she could survive the uncomfortable heat those sounds brought to her face better than what she might get if they knew she was here.

Dagi + Sugarcoat: Whatever happens, Sugar smiles a little and adjusts her glasses while complimenting Dagi's, possibly drawing a blush. And if Dagi hasn't figured it out by that point and Sugar has: "By the way? Indigo likes you. Likes you likes you. Fair warning."

"Uhh... N-noted?"

(Sugar explains that it wasn't a threat, but an honest heads-up that Indigo liking her may make life difficult, but her employment is in no danger if she doesn't accept whatever Indigo may offer her, so there's no pressure on her. Dagi is equally grateful for that, though Sugar may remark that she really should't thank people for ethical behavior and basic decency, that it should come without being treated as the least bit abnormal. Dagi blinks twice, earnestly suprised ("It should?"), which makes Sugarcoat worry about her home life, but possibly afraid that asking is too personal. (possible this is the first thing that makes anyone think Dagi is being abused.

I'm still not sure whether the domestic abuse thing would have been a running gag or an honest point of worry for characters outside the sirens' house, because it's as serious an issue as Sonata's insanity, but maybe the difference is that the abuse, in this case, is mostly just misunderstandings.)

At some point, Dagi and Sugar may get some time to talk about the Friendship Games, how CP softened a bit after that, how Dean Cadence took the reigns a little more when Cinch noticed that, even though they didn't win, CP didn't burn to the ground overnight, didn't lose their standing in anything, didn't suffer more than the loss of a prized student, who would have left anyway. Sugar notes that they saw a difference between CHS and their own school; kids at CHS were happy. She may monologue about happiness, in theory, being the ultimate goal of every sapient lifeform, but how it's so easy to forget, to make compromises and lose sight of things.

She apologizes at the end of her ramble, but Dagi makes note of the speech, as it's something she already knew herself. She notes that she never lost sight of what would have made her happy; being adored, no matter the cost to anyone else, that she never lost sight of that goal, but the means of getting there were taken from them.

-Dagi may eventually explain to Sugar what the sirens really are, citing the Friendship Games as her base for thinking Sugar would believe her when she talks about magic, how these bodies are alien to them, etc.

Aria + Sugarcoat, who tells Aria that as Adagio had the most sense out of all of them, taking over as 'the leader' was a hollow victory if she can't actually bring them anywhere, that she's been 'in charge' of pretty much just scraping by in a life of mediocrity, that if she'd just encouraged Dagi rather than intimidating her, her confidence might not have dropped like a rock and she'd at least be more useful. (Maybe have someone there to point out that Dagi's first scheme failed, Sugar snapping right back that it worked fine until the girl with the transforming car out of nowhere showed up, and that frankly, she'd like to know what Aria would have done differently when the out-of-nowhere stuff started. Aria has no answer, but may hint that she knows she wouldn't have fared any better.)

When Aria deadpans her sarcastic thanks for pointing out what Aria is quite aware of by now, Sugar quietly adds that she could have stood to be nicer to Nata, too, making herself look like a better option than Adagio if only by not being half as scary, which should be easy for anyone that doesn't have a permanent slasher-smile. Sugar has presumably heard all about them by this point.

Dagi + Lemon Zest: Lemon regularly disrupts the library with her music, Dagi getting stern with her once she learns she isn't a threat, Lemon actually apologizing because she earnestly forgets where she is. May be recruited to help Indigo sneak up on Dagi, which Dagi eventually wises up to. Sugarcoat asks them to stop tormenting her employees.

Indigo says it's not her library, Sugar makes a phone call "Hello, Dad? May I please have the library? I wish to enact management of the facility directly. Thank you. Yes, love you too. Please remember to take your pills today. Okay, bye."
She smiles almost smugly, to Indigo's great annoyance.

Nata + Lemon Zest: Surpringly serious conversation when Lemon somehow brings up what life was like for them before coming to the city, Nata going cold monotone when she describes the time she caught Dagi staring up at a wire hanging off a house somewhere. She was pretty sure it went to a satellite dish or something, but that didn't explain why Dagi, her eyes cold, her face sad and wistful, looked so fixated on it.

Then Nata noticed that the way the wire was dangling there, hanging down and twisting around to loop back up to the same point, how it kind of looked like a noose.

Scared, she tore Dagi's attention from it as quick as she could, but when they were waiting for a bus a little later that day, she didn't know if Dagi was just watching cars go by, or just thinking about stepping out onto the road.

She shares that she never confirmed it and may have just been imagining things, but she was scared that Dagi was so miserable, so depressed and hopeless after the Battle, that she was thinking about suicide.

"The worst part is that she'd never even tell us. She's the type who'll just take it and take it until she can't take it anymore, which is when something really bad happens. I can't let that happen. I can't."

(for this reason, she may end up talking to someone about getting along with Dagi, grabbing them by the shirt, and snarling "So play. Nice." if she doesn't think that's counterproductive. Possible they're someone that seemed sniffy and dismissive of Dagi in general (a Crystal Prep student, most likely), Nata warning them precisely once before she gets violent. If that happens, it's noted that this is not the right course of action, it's just the one our well-meaning psychopath takes.)

Dagi + Sunny Flare: Sunny, well-acquainted with Indigo's tendency to tease 'prissy' girls, may think of Dagi as a comrade, dramatically declaring that she'll take Dagi under her wing when she joins CP. This leads Dagi to raise an eyebrow and ask about what Sunny said about her (nothing flattering, but nothing outright insulting, either) when she was just a humble librarian. Sunny gets very sheepish.

Surprise bonus: Dagi + Sunset: Maybe Indigo contacts her once she learns Dagi's plan towards the end, but doesn't share any specific details, just that she has this friend she'd like Sunset to talk to at the library in the city.

The encounter would have began with Sunset only vaguely certain it's the same Dagi, not just this world's version. Sunset is very hesitant to ask, but when Dagi sheepshly confirms it, Sunset is relieved, saying it would have been painfully awkward if she had the wrong girl. Part of her uncertainty was Dagi's obvious fear, leading to talk about not being scared.

However it happens, Sunset shows up, learns Dagi isn't as bold as she used to be, and tells her she doesn't have to be scared, that she remembers what it was like having her power taken from her and how vulnerable she felt under the eyes of the people she'd mistreated (describing the experience in full helps sell Dagi, Sunset describing it as spending every second feeling like even the buildings are glaring down at you, like every living thing just hopes you'll keel over and die, that every action you take when out in public comes with the quiet question "Is this worth it? Am I sure I want to chance any possible consequences of doing this with people watching me?" whether it's remotely called for or not, Sunset designating that she was afraid because the people watching were her old victims and that Dagi is afraid because she'd forgotten what it was like to be less than the most powerful person in the room, but that there's still overlap), but surprisingly? Not everyone will mean her harm, and she can protect herself from those that would.

(they briefly discuss pepper spray, tasers, unsportsmanlike kicking, etc. Sunset will blush hard if she has to explain that last one to Dagi, who has never seen human male anatomy in the approximate year (let's say they were only there for a few weeks before the Fall Formal this time) the sirens have been banished. (partly on account of her tastes...))

(then again, Dagi has to have been there long enough to have a vague idea, at least, but she may have questions)

Or maybe it's not that simple, Dagi almost afraid to admit that it's not being in complete control at any given time, not being able to magically bring things to a stop in her favor, that scares her, and there's no cure for that. Sunset may respond that there's nothing you can really do, but whatever happens, you can get through it with friends.

Once Dagi starts to relax a little, Sunset, not so different from Indigo, decides to tease her toward the end by pretending to menace her, Sugarcoat sees only this part, sets a chair nearby, grabs Sunset by her hair, pulls her over her lap, and disciplines her with a ruler.

"DO."

Smack!

"NOT."

Smack!

"FUCK."

Smack!

"WITH."

Smack!

"MY."

Smack!

"EMPLOYEES!"

Smack!

Sunset groaned in pain as Sugarcoat thought aloud. "There were three syllables in 'Employees.'"

Smacksmack!

"Gyagh!!"

Sonata happens to come in to announce Sunset's spanking to everyone within earshot, to Dagi's slight gratification and Sunset's great embarrassment before she can explain that she was just teasing her a little, Dagi half-heartedly backing her up. Sugar goes "...Oh. My mistake."

(It's noted that she's never spanked Indigo or Lemon because they started before she owned the place and it hadn't occurred to her to take action before then. Indigo pales, but Sugar whispers to her with a tiny smile that as long as Indigo doesn't take it too far, doesn't genuinely upset her, there won't be any consequences for flirting with Dagi. Indigo blushes, but smiles gratefully.)

(Possible Sugar offhandedly relays a hint of bitterness about someone having just kept on going when someone else was still in the vicinity of a giant plant-monster. Maybe. (In Friendship Games, Rainbow and Sunset cared more about winning than giving Sugar a sideways glance, something Sugar has either already exacted revenge on Indigo for, or continues to hold over her head until she gets a sincere apology. If Sugar says this to Sunset, Sunset immediately apologizes, winning a little smile out her... then a stern look, narrowing her eyes as she says she meant it about not harassing her employees. Sunset leaves wincing with every step, gingerly massaging her hindquarters. If this is after the trip to Indigo's house, Aria may be sympathetic.

Ships?

DagixIndigo, thinking that in addition to the cutesy 'bullying,' Dagi would be able to make Indigo's jaw drop and reduce her to a stammering wreck any time she finds the confidence to fire up her old seductress routine, even if Dagi's never actually gone all the way with it, having been far too haughty to let any creature of this 'pathetic little world' touch her (lack of open homosexuality didn't help). Indigo, meanwhile, isn't exactly experienced either, having been more focused on winning at things, her competitive nature and lack of interest in boys not exactly doing her a lot of favors.

Indigo starts coming by the library just to tease Dagi (though claiming she's interested in studying, not doing so great in her classwork, which Dagi says she doesn't doubt for a second. Moment of quiet before Indigo's (who, we learn in her thoughts, can't tell if she means it's because she knows CP is a tough school, or if she's calling Indigo stupid) stare makes Dagi start to sweat, the slightest movement making her apologize and run away... to Indigo's slight regret.

"Not like I was gonna hit you..."

She didn't think I'd hit her. She just, had librarian stuff to do. Right? I don't hit people, not unless they REALLY set me off. She knows that, right?

(she wants to make that very clear to Dagi, but saying it outright sounds like guilt, or like she's trying to hide something. May arrange a zany scheme for a fake fight to show she doesn't just smack people. Possible Cinch wrecks it by walking by, saying "Stop that.", and moving on, Indigo explaining in full or freezing up as someone else does it for her, Dagi noting that she's glad to hear that.)

One thing is that Indigo can't stand the sight of people crying, instantly going into consoling "There, there" mode, and falls over herself trying to make Dagi feel better if she ever sees her cry, doubly so if she caused it.

Teasing:
-Calling her girly. (because she IS very girly, possible "Stop saying that like it's a bad thing!" She may eventually huff, cross her arms, haughtily raise her chin, and say she's not girly, she's lady-like. Sunny Flare beams and says "I'm totally using that from now on!"

Indigo raised an eyebrow. "Pose and all?"

"...Maybe."

(Sunny may attempt to become gal-pals with Dagi, forming a quiet rivalry with Indigo's attempts to get closer to her. Indigo takes great solace in the fact that Sunny is straight... she thinks...)

(Possible after one time Dagi tells her to stop saying it like it's a bad thing, Indigo smiles shyly and says she doesn't mean it to be. Dagi isn't sure how to respond before Indigo gets embarrassed and runs away.)

-Calling her prissy.

-Sneaking up and tickling her (both to hear her giggle and to make her break library rules by laughing loudly, to her great annoyance, which comes with the added benefit of Adagio's adorably angry expression).

-Remarking that Dagi has that 'sexy librarian thing' going for her ("which is great, what with your job and all!"), which Dagi isn't sure how to respond to.

-Indigo being on the fence about inviting Dagi to a dance (Would CP even have dances? A ball, maybe. "The Crystal Ball", or a plain old dance if Cinch is like "Hell, why not? Commence gyration of asses!", grabs the nearest person, and dances. Dean Cadence smiles, grabbing Shining and going "You heard her, gyrate some ass!"
(someone whispers that Dean Cadence said 'ass')

There would still be problems about two girls dancing together, unless they use the primarily female population thing? Maybe Indigo tries to plot things so she winds up with nobody left but the girls, messes it up, and only gets to talk to Dagi near the punch bowl? Of course, seeing Dagi dance (in her long, glittering dress) when faster music comes on, she may be happy to watch...

(dancing was something they had to learn on their own, and learn they did, masterfully, even if Aria doesn't really like doing it in public anymore.)

May be drama with someone not liking how some librarian is showing them up, this being CP and all, but it's pre-empted by Sonata, who reveals herself to the reader as having come along in disguise. She grabs and threatens those talking about taking Dagi down a peg, cites how it's funny how when people say that, they ALWAYS mean 'taking them down' to levels beneath themselves, that it's used exclusively to validate attacking those above you, but never bringing them to equal levels even though that's where the supposed injustice of the thing comes from, and you'll absolutely never hear someone using the same reasoning to bring someone who's already below them up to their own level.

She does something to imply a threat while remarking that the only people who seriously use that cliche are pitiful, insecure assholes that want to justify their petty jealousy, and that if they aren't careful with their spiteful games, someone may do the same to them by 'taking them down' to a dumpster, then wishes them a good night and merrily skips away.
Dagi is left alone, at least for the rest of the dance.

(if someone does pick on Dagi more than once, Nata will threaten them as cheerfully as possible. If it happens one more time, she'll find them alone.

"I thought we understood each other, I thought we could all be friends last time, but I guess I fuckin' stuttered, huh?" (she grabs them by the throat) "Haha, oh wait, I didn't," (she glares and growls at them) "and if you thought I was kidding last time, you thought wrong."

(I was on the fence about using this point at all, because even if snobby sorts who can't stand the idea of anyone being better than them in any capacity sounds just about right for Crystal Prep, I'd hate writing anyone so shallow and stupid anyway, and Nata genuinely solving the problem by terrorizing people isn't right either. This is one of those darker plot bunnies that might have gone into Inquire Within, had I not cancelled it in an earlier SIAW post.)

Indigo may offhandedly remark that all the guys at CP are total wimps, even the weight-lifting champs, so she doesn't have a boyfriend. Not being a boy, Dagi does not take the hint right away.

-Surprise reversal: Dagi is studying medical basics after thinking about how Nata got shot, Indigo finds her, says she could never stomach that stuff, "Needles, y'know?" and shivers. Dagi is unfazed, and later has no trouble suggesting using herself as a demonstration for injection procedure. Sugarcoat hears of Indigo's phobia, smiles, and volunteers her for something that means getting a shot, inviting Dagi to be the nurse's aide? Hilarity ensues (with Dagi eating up Indigo's fear until the second she gets aggressive, then backs off, leaving Indigo feeling kind of empty). Indigo may very sheepishly try to apologize for snapping at her (though Dagi stutters out a fearful apology first, making her feel worse), then offer to get a shot to conquer her fear (with Dagi's help, though she doesn't say that part out loud. Someone may flatly say it anyway, Indigo frantically trying to shut them up, but Dagi either not hearing or pretending not to, not sure about showing even friendly affection for Indigo in public.

The same-sex stigma is another reason they keep very, very quiet about any and all feelings they may have.

AriaxSour Sweet? They claim it's all just blowing off steam when they fight/fondle/rip each other's clothes off, but Sour reveals that she loved Aria the second she saw her, and hated her just as much, because while she was beautiful like Sonata and Adagio, stunning, even, she wasted it being petulant and mean, that it was a dispicable, disgusting crime that someone so heavenly should be so... Sour. May lead to Sour sharing how she knows she'll never be the best in anything, not in brains, not in beauty, not in athleticism, that she's just a lowly jack-of-jack-shit in a school full of elites (have to note that yes, there are better archers than her, but they needed someone who could do well in a sport AND academics in the FG), and that seeing Aria squander her beauty by being a beast just tears her apart. Overcome, Aria hugs her. Then

"...Hate-fuck?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

SugarcoatxSunset, in a dom-sub kind of thing? Sugar has the decency to be embarrassed if caught in rubber, thigh-high boots, long gloves, and a corset while spanking a smiling, blindfolded Sunset, but doesn't hesitate to explain that Sunset came to her after having... reflected on their last meeting.

Nata may not find a ship, pouting as she says "I want some booty too, darnit!"

Overarching plot of this thing: At some point, Adagio ends up enrolling in Crystal Prep (Dagi is very elegant and polite by default when not frightened, which helps get her foot in the door and may earn her a few borderline girl-crushes).

Part of it is that Sugar just tells her she could easily get in, be able to earn a brighter future than working in a library for the rest of her life, and Aria and Nata push her to go with it because of Prestige, maybe, hope of getting to know someone influential to leech money from. Or outright rob enough cash to skip town and buy their own island, or at least a big house, and be set for life. Aria's idea, occurring to her once the school season is starting up again (story may begin in summer, fitting if Fall Formal was just months before Rainbow Rocks, and this is a few months later).

Dagi ends up in Twilight's old lab (which no one bothered to clean out), and finds her notes on the medallion while compusively straightening the place up. Understanding what it is, she either tells the others or works on it in secret, eventually working the thing out and making one (her confidence issues keep her from dreaming of retaking the leader role), testing it, making two more, and the trio going out, their magic restored... kind of. (she notes making adjustments to harmonize the things, so they won't absorb each others' power)

Dagi gets faux-sweet when Aria suggests joining CP, ("Right, because infiltrating a school worked out so well for us last time.") Aria flatly says that it did work out, their enemies just got ridiculously lucky last time. I might have had her say in roundabout fashion that it was a perfectly good plan and that Dagi was a perfectly good leader, just had really bad luck, same as when Starswirl just so happened to have a portal to another world he knew how to use when they showed up.

While going to Crystal Prep, Dagi may be startled at her desk by the sounds of someone brushing her hair, more startled to see Sour Sweet (who brushes slowly. "Ohhh, that's good...") and/or Lemon Zest, remarking that it's like one of those ASMR videos. Dagi may facepalm as they start to hum "Brushie, brushie! Brushie, brushie~!" more-so if the whole room starts doing it.

Do they all just carry brushes around?!

-At lunch, Dagi takes visible delight in what the CP cafeteria offers... to the shock of those around her. It's explained that no matter where you go, even here, school food sucks. In this case, it's because a third of the students have personal chefs anyway, many others order something delivered to the school, and almost everyone else just brings a lunchbox, so to see Dagi eating from the cafeteria with a smile makes them think she has a terrible home-life, whispering things like ("What do they feed her?" and "That is so sad..."), though others may be a bit more elitist about it, belitting her for clearly not being very wealthy. Dagi barely has time to be offended before her friends (most of all Indigo) stand up for her, which she finds incredibly touching.

Or, her fangirls swamp her with offers to share, Dagi not sure how to respond as she thinks they might be trying to trap her and/or box her in. An encouraging look from Sunny or Sugar may help calm her down.

On that note, Dagi may get harassed a bit in general by some silly, but non-malicious girls, because I have this image in my head of Crystal Prep being an oddly anime-inspired place. Maybe it's the ridiculous, crystal-themed architecture and school uniforms.

One thing may be them suggesting that she take her glasses off and lightly bite down on the ear-piece. She does it timidly, to an explosion of "MEGANE~!!" (described to reader as sounding like "Mega-nay!") This might be followed by them carting her off to the mall to try on glasses, leaving her to explain to a worried Nata and annoyed Aria that she was practically kidnapped by a pack of deranged spectacle fetishists.

"...What."

-They also see her genuinely grin with happiness at some point, one whispering "I want to protect this smile..."

-Halloween, Dagi wanting to stay home, Indigo dragging her out to trick-or-treat, even having roped Sugarcoat into it. Nata goes with them, Aria stays home and deals with some prankster.

Costumes:
Sugar: A banshee, pale rags, does a very flat banshee wail on cue "Screeeeeee.", smiling at the giggles it draws.

Dagi: (probably a witch, people asking if witches have glasses being a running gag for the chapter)

Indigo: ???

Nata: (probably a skimpy version of something, Nata gleefully announcing that she's happy to get any kind of 'candy,' giggling at the discomfort doing so causes)

Sour: (a genuinely frightening, rotting corpse, with make-up, face/body paint, shredded clothes, and an unpleasant smell that make it all just a little too convincing)

Sunny: (It may have turned out that she had a hidden childish side, making her want to dress up as a pretty princess.)

Lemon: (I'd have wanted to have her go with something funny that earns the occasional "Hah, nice!" from onlookers and a chill nod and a smile from her.

Crystal Prep/Principal Cinch plot thread: Since nothing actually changed after FG, Cinch, who remarks to herself that it doesn't matter if they win or lose, just that they were expected to win, starts to relax. Then she relaxes a lot more. To the point that she starts doing slightly wacky things, like leaning back with her feet on her desk and wearing baseball caps with funny things on them, maybe even using the word 'dude' because she knows it used to mean something else. She does it all casually and almost apathetically, but still runs the school just fine. Her take on the outcome of the FG is that being the best is still worth striving for, but you can survive even when not winning 100% all the time and it won't hurt to have a little fun while you're at it.

She might talk to someone (might have been Dagi, who would know this very well, possibly being the one to verbally outline it) about that arguably being the point of being the best; to reap the fruits of that greatness and enjoy your station, that all the money and success in the world are meaningless if they don't make you happy. Cinch grows to like Dagi. Indigo never gets used to any part of the new Cinch.

Before Dagi makes the first spectrometer, Indigo finds her passed out in Twilight's lab after hours of tinkering, wakes her up, has her off-guard, and asks if she'd like to hang with her (on a date, though she doesn't say that part) some time. Dagi is trying to stammer out an excuse when Indigo asks what she's up to in here, Dagi falters again, winds up agreeing to the date to cover up what she's working on, Indigo brightening immediately before saying something slightly awkward and heading out. Dagi facepalms at herself, but knows she'll have to go now to avoid suspicion, whether she realizes it's a date or not.

Date chapter, teasing from Aria and Nata, Dagi gets dressed up in something other than what she wears to the library or her CP uniform, and goes out to meet Indigo, who dresses nicely, but not girlishly. Indigo confidently notes to herself that she has plenty of money for dates, but not as much confidence at not scaring away/repelling Dagi, but they still have a nice time together.

During the date, Indigo learns what the sirens really are somehow, Dagi hesitantly offering to make her not a thrall, but a high-ranking noble or something in that spirit if/when the sirens are ruling over their own landmass.

She might actually walk away after asking Dagi if what they had before is what she really wants, saying she won't stop them (she later kicks herself, having thought it sounded cool and hoping Dagi would immediately chase after her for a dramatic heart-to-heart and maybe a make-out session), but hoping she'll think hard about what she'll do if the plan works. Dagi might not see Indigo again until the devices are complete (others note Indigo to be a little gloomy in this interim, but she doesn't tell anyone because, as she tells Dagi with a sad smile, she wants her to be happy? Of course, she's banking on the Rainbooms stopping them if they go evil), noting that she almost misses the daily surprises.

Dilemmas about going straight vs. back to business, learning that they can now absorb positive energy as well (because they know Twilight did), but it cancels out power from the negative.

Sunset probably comes by for the first time to talk to Dagi, managing to address the main reason Dagi is thinking about negative energy again in the first place: Fear. Dagi rants that fear controls everyone and everything, that feelings borne from that fear are the reigning force overall, even if not at every single second, that even the Rainbooms' magic was used in fear of the sirens winning.
Sunset hesitantly concedes this, but convinces her to let go of her fears by confiding in friends, that yes, the world is scary and full of horrible things, but facing them together will always be easier than facing them alone, and if she has her friends with her, she won't need to be afraid anymore.

Thinking about what she's experienced, Dagi understands what she's trying to say. They talk a little more until Sunset starts to tease her and Sugar comes in, but the overall message sticks.

Dagi, feeling confident enough to speak her mind, asserts that positive is the way to go, both because it stopped them last time, that there's so much of it, and because if the Rainbooms fought them with positive vs. positive, they might not even hurt them, whereas the sirens would still have their mind-controlled thralls... Maybe.

They go out to gather positive energy by... hanging out with friends? They'd never see it coming! They gather power, aren't sure what to do with it, cue Sunset swinging by again to vaguely help them sort out that they don't really need that kind of power, that they only ever wanted it in the first place because of how things were for them back in Equestria, and as they've lived pretty well up to now, they kind of see that the quest for power is effectively moot in this world.

When it's clear they've chosen positive energy even though they'll never get as much power at one time, like from a war (war being really destructive, Nata helps convince Aria that they don't want that) or something, Indigo finds and hug-squeeze-tackles Dagi, to her obvious embarrassment even as she giggles.

Short epilogue chapter and end:

-Aria gives up her illusions of 'leading,' the three of them just friends and equals from then on.

-Dagi gets most of her confidence back, though Indigo may still find ways to fluster her... before getting flustered back with the seductress routine, which she obediently submits to ("Yes, ma'am...") with a lovestruck expression.

-Nata growing confident enough in herself to not need Dagi anymore, even if she makes it clear that she still wants to have Dagi around for as long as possible. Also, one of their rich friends has heard about her butt wound and we get a short scene of her getting bandages taken off while lying on her stomach to reveal that she got some kind of plastic surgery or something to fix the skin on her butt, for which she jumps for joy, refusing to put pants on as she struts out of the hospital.

She may wind up chased down by those worried about the police. Possible that shame seeps back in when she realizes she's walking around bottomless in public. Dagi asks Aria what she's doing with a camera, Aria just smirks and collects what she refers to as blackmail material? "I mean, she wants to show as many people as possible, right?" An unamused look from Dagi may make her put it away, sighing "Fine."

Siren backstory: This time, I was thinking maybe they were normal kelpies, stuck in elitist, uncaring oceanic society (which cared only for "The Best"...), but they meet Discord while sitting on some rocks, which was considered something freaks and outcasts did rather than spend time in the deep with 'respectable' aquatics. They get to talking, Discord is kind of a prick, gets on their nerves, they ask if he's so great, why is he hanging around losers like them? He says it's because he can do whatever he wants, that there's NOTHING he can't do.

Aria describes it as Adagio getting a particular look here, something in her face darkening while her eyes shone bright, the mere memory of it giving her shivers. Dagi smiles at him all friendly-like, asks if she's sure she heard him right, that he can do anything he wants, because that'd be an awfully dubious claim.

He gets slightly annoyed, offhandedly says he could turn her into a sea urchin or something if she wanted proof, but not missing a beat, she counters that transmogrification is nothing impressive, that that kind of magic is done all the time. He laughs, but seeing where she's going with this, proposes a deal; if she can think of something he can't do, he'll grant her a wish with all his power. If not, they'll be his playthings from then on.

Aria and Nata are terrified, but Dagi, chuckling, agrees and looks up at the sky. She tells him that the universe is a very big place, that the billions of stars seem to stretch out to infinite. She asks if he can navigate that; if he can go anywhere in all the endless cosmos and always know where he's going. He smirks, snaps his fingers, and disappears, reappearing with objects he claims are from all over the universe over the course of about a minute.

He declares himself the winner, but Dagi holds up a hoof, saying she didn't challenge him to do anything yet, that was just a question. She repeats the question, confirming that he can go anywhere in all of thinkable existence without losing his way. Then, for the first time within memory, she makes what came to be her usual, wicked smirk. "My challenge to you? Get lost."

Stunned, he sits there for a full minute, Dagi just grinning evilly. "Well?"

He gets annoyed, throws a short tantrum, but concedes that this is something he can't really do. Aria and Nata are too scared to laugh at him. VERY begrudgingly, he asks her wish. Her smile turns warm now, and she says all she wants is for the three of them to be loved and adored. (Sonata nearly cries at the sweetness of it, that she's sharing her wish, the one she alone earned, rather than keeping everything for herself)

Discord hesitates, but before it's spelled out that this is something he doesn't know how to do either, he twists a claw around in the air to create the gems, explaining that he'll give them some of his power (a fraction of infinite, he tells them, no loss for him, huge gain for them), how they work, how they'd have to absorb chaotic energies (arguments, hatred, rage, that stuff works great for him) to power them, but that once they had it, they could just make people worship them, in addition to making them fight to produce more energy.

"The catch, he explains with a grin that says he finds this funny, is that the only way to activate the power, is to sing! (musical magic being considered something only sissies bothered with in the ocean)

He gives us the gems (by sticking them directly into our scales, which, surprisingly, didn't hurt), conjures a conductor's baton, and leads us to sing. It takes some effort, but after a few embarrassing minutes, we get the hang of it and he claps his hands, happily suggesting we go test them out on someone now. His recommendation? The city that looked down on us, the populace that treated us like garbage; Coltlantis."

(Dagi smirks a little as she points out that this means they'll still be doing his work in a way, but he gets slightly defensive, saying that it's not his fault that chaos magic is chaotic! He admits that yes, this happens to work out for him too, but there's honestly nothing he can do about it. Dagi points out that non-chaotic magic is one more thing he can't do before he gets annoyed and poofs away. "Well, have fun with your new leverage, ta-ta!"

The rest was history.

(the gems transform them through use, which makes absorbing power easier, but twists them forever in tiny ways. Sonata may note that she still hiccups bubbles.)

Someone asks how Dagi, scared, wimpy, stuttering Dagi, could be that calm when faced with a being so powerful. Aria has no idea, but either Nata shrugs and says it like it's really obvious or Adagio shows up to answer "Because we had nothing to lose." (talking about how they were already essentially playthings as far as the rest of the city was concerned, and it's hinted that Adagio in particular has had some nightmarish experiences.

Maybe she used to be tougher, but came to rely so heavily on the power they gained that she forgot how to get by without it, doubly so in the human world, where magic is all they've ever known, leaving her scared and shy all the time.)

(listeners take away that the sirens were some kind of monsters, that Dagi outsmarted a trickster god and can be fiendishly clever when not intimidated, and that they were pretty good singers once. Encouragement for them to practice, Aria vehemently refusing, saying that even if she got used to it, she never liked that her power depended on being a sissy. Dagi doesn't see the point without magic, but Maybe Nata kind of liked the feeling, tries it a bit, and drags Dagi along to join her? Peer pressure (and percieved threat) may make Dagi very sheepishly go along with it, blushing pretty much the whole time, especially when they're applauded anyway. Aria may eventually join in as well, if only in a "Well, if everyone else is doing it..." kind of way.

And that ends my notes!

Looking over this thing, it would have taken some sorting out to make it into a workable story, but I think just about everything here, I could explore elsewhere in fics I've already got going, so it's not like anything especially rare is lost. Except maybe sirenxShadowbolt shipping, I definitely don't see much that anywhere. Maybe some day?

Comments

[ShadowLDrago]

(probably a witch, people asking if witches have glasses being a running gag for the chapter)

Bayonetta does and she's pretty badass.

[Pontiac56]

I can see why you don't feel this story would have brought much new to your works, but I still think its a shame, as the IndigoxDagi ship seemed cute and pretty unique