//------------------------------// // Adagio And Diamond Become What?! // Story: The NLAC Has To Deal With What?! // by Odeinoichus //------------------------------// Chapter 18 Adagio strode with confidence into the mansion and smiled at the staff as they turned to stare at her sudden presence. Shooting each of them a sultry wink, the former siren made her way upstairs and towards the room she suspected belonged to Diamond Tiara. “May we help you, madam?” An elderly gentleman approached her from the top of the stairs. Adagio grinned. “I’m just here to say hello to Diamond Tiara.” “It is rather early. Perhaps you could speak with her at school.” the man suggested. Adagio scowled at him. “I am not setting foot on those grounds again until I am ready!” The man attempted to grab Adagio by the arm. Adagio whirled out of his way and hummed a little tune. Breaking into a giddy smile the elderly gentleman turned and pointed to a door nearby. “Young Mistress Tiara is in there.” “Thank you,” Adagio said with a sultry smirk. Brushing past the man, she walked straight up to the bedroom door, turned the knob, and strode inside. Diamond Tiara lay in her large bed; the covers were twisted in a rather undignified looking lump, with one leg dangling out from underneath and both arms flung wide to either side. Only her lower body was actually covered and her chest rose and fell. The sheets were damp with sweat, no doubt due to the recent heat wave. Her pink nightie was soaked through as well. Adagio smirked as she studied the girl. “I don’t recall her even being in one of the bands.” “Randolph, go away.” Diamond mumbled in her sleep briefly as she turned over becoming more entangled in the mess of blanket and nightie. Her grin spreading wider across her mouth, Adagio leaned down and whispered in the younger girl’s ear. “Was it good for you?” “That’s no way to talk to me, Scribey.” Diamond giggled in her sleep. Adagio’s expression changed. So this was the one who was pushing that hair-loving kid into crashing that party. “Perfect, we already have compatible goals.” Leaning down she shook Diamond Tiara. “Wake up, bitch. I have questions.” Diamond jerked awake with a start. “Wut?” Turning, she found Adagio standing over her bed. Shrieking in sudden fright, she tried to bat away the siren while simultaneously attempting to cover up her body. All she succeeded in doing was tumbling out of bed and crashing onto the floor in a heap of comforter, nightie and bruised flesh; she was also giving Adagio a free show with her bare bottom sticking up while she kicked futilely in the air in an attempt to right herself. “Ooh lala~” Adagio remarked as she noticed a small piece of artwork on one cheek. “Does your mother know you have a tramp stamp?” “How the hell did you get in here?!” Diamond demanded as she finally managed to right herself. “Why are you here?” Diamond’s eyes widened as she spotted her amulet around Adagio’s neck. “And where did you get that?” she shouted in a sudden tone of rage. Adagio tapped her chin briefly in thought and then shook her head. “Why, I simply walked in. But never mind that! How did you come to possess these?” Adagio held the amulet out, her expression grew more sinister as she glared at the younger girl. Diamond reached to try and snatch it away. “That’s my good luck charm! With it, I’ll get everything I ever wanted, just like you used to. You weren’t using it anymore, so give it back!” she commanded in a petulant tone. Adagio shook her head. “Let’s try a different approach.” She hummed a little tune and waited for Diamond to fall under her spell. The only thing that actually happened was – Diamond Tiara tugged on her nightie to conceal the tattoo she’d gotten in secret – and then once again tried to reclaim the amulet. Adagio’s brow rose with a hint of excitement. “Curious, so far everyone I’ve sung to while wearing this has once more fallen prey to my desires.” Glancing down at the amulet briefly she examined the shards. “Just what makes you so special?” “I am Diamond Dazzle Tiara Rich!” Adagio shook her head. “No, that isn’t it. Hmmm, how long have you had these shards?” Diamond shrugged. “Since the battle of the bands.” Adagio’s eyes gleamed with sudden understanding. “You’ve acclimated to their power… interesting. I wasn’t aware a human could absorb equestrian magic like that. It must have rendered you immune to my powers.” Diamond shot her a smug and confident smirk. “Now give it back!” she commanded. Adagio shook her head. “You may be immune to my powers, but you aren’t immune to my fists.” Adagio leaned closer and grabbed Diamond Tiara by the shoulders. “Or my other talents,” she added with a brief laugh. Diamond shook her hand away and shot a glare up at the Siren, her lips turned down in a childish pout and she stomped her foot. “I paid for that amulet!” Adagio circled Diamond suddenly, forcing the younger girl to track her with her eyes as she slowly walked around. The former siren eyed the girl up and down like a lion sizing up a particularly plump and juicy antelope. Diamond shuddered under her predatory gaze. “Well I did! I even tried to steal money from the school so I could get them to cover the expenses.” Her boast did little to sway Adagio to her way of thinking. Adagio licked her lips hungrily and began to trace her finger along Diamond’s chest. The other girl slapped her hand away. “I am not interested!” “Pity. The idiots I used to get my house chores done were not what I was interested in, even if Fluttershy’s mother is a fine specimen of a woman in that cute little number she wears every day.” Diamond’s eyes widened even further at that comment and she suddenly became uncomfortably aware that Adagio was in her room. It didn’t help matters when she remembered that she wasn’t wearing anything underneath her thin nightie. “What do y-you want from me?” Her voice came out in a hushed whisper, as she dreaded to hear the answer. “I want to understand you, Diamond Tiara,” Adagio replied with a smirk. “I want to know what makes you tick, why you took my shattered gem’s shards as well as my sisters’ and housed them in this fascinating monument to us.” She held up the siren shaped amulet still dangling in-between her breasts. “Once I understand the reasoning behind your actions, perhaps you and I can work together towards a common goal.” Diamond crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. “Why would I ever agree to help you?! I’ve got enough to deal with on my own without helping some washed up loser reclaim the glory days from before the Battle of the Bands.” She smirked deviously at Adagio. Adagio scowled once again. “Because, little Diamond, I’m only interested in one thing.” She grasped the amulet tighter and glared frustratedly at nothing in particular. “Revenge!” Diamond rolled her eyes and spun away from Adagio. Without warning, a melody seemed to pick up as she started to dig through her closet. ♫Adagio Dazzle, stay out of my way. This plan will expose the truth, and it must only be from me!♫ Adagio took a step back in surprise and shot the younger girl a glare. ♫Now, Diamond Tiara, this is not the way. If you listen to me we can ensure victory.♫ Diamond smirked and pirouetted out of the closet as she tossed her yellow jacket on the bed. ♫You don’t even know me at all, wouldn’t understand the meaning of my fall. What my family would think if I ever fail at anything! I’m a Diamond that means you never break, no matter what it has to eventually take. Whatever I have to do to win in the end!♫ Adagio slid forward almost like a cresting wave and grasped Diamond’s arm forcing her to look at her. ♫Foolish human girl! To hold power is not enough! You need to have all of the right stuff. If you followed my lead we could stop them in their tracks, their traaaacks! Trust in me, and I will guarantee, that if you just play the right part, you’ll shed the light, shed the light on this hidden lark.♫ Diamond leapt aside and shot Adagio a glare. Adagio grinned briefly and swayed closer. ♫Trust in you, you have not earned. Have you failed to learn all you can learn? I refuse to be second fiddle to anyone. This is my plan and I don’t plan on sharing. And you won’t succeed in making me caring, so why don’t you just go away, awayyyyyyy!♫ Adagio smirked now as she managed to grab Diamond Tiara and pull her close. ♫Silly girl, you know so little at all, don’t even understand that if you ignore me you will surely fall. If you’re willing to win in the end than you need to try and bend, just a little more I would say, trust in me and we’ll surely win the day.♫ Diamond tried to pull away, but Adagio’s grip tightened and her eyes shone briefly with a green light as her amulet shone brighter. ♫I don’t care what you say, I know the best way to win this day! I will expose them all I can be sure, whatever you think you have it will not allure. I will force this club from the dark and shed the light! Shed the light on this hidden lark.♫ Adagio grit her teeth briefly, but kept in time with the mysterious tempo from the nether and gently began to caress Diamond’s face. ♫Why is it so hard for you to see? You don’t need to engage in all this hostility.♫ Diamond trembled slightly. ♫I’ve told you already my goal, don’t think you’re talking to some poor foal. I’m not some stupid pony at allllll. I want to ensure victory and I’m going to make my claims right now that if you stand in my way I vow, you will rue the day you tried anything! ♫But don’t you see, if we work as one we can be ultimately victorious. Listen to me, I know the secrets to achieve power and together we could be glorious. The things that make ponies and people fall in line, again and again every time. So what do you say will you agree to let me join the play? Can’t we put aside our differences if it means we can achieve everything?♫ Diamond frowned in confusion as Adagio continued to stroke her hair and face lovingly. Then her eyes fell on the amulet and she seemed to wilt slightly. ♫Perhaps we could join forces?♫ ♫Yes that’s the way!♫ ♫And together we’d be stronger than ever.♫ Adagio nodded. ♫Yes, stronger than ever!♫ Diamond slowly broke into a sinister smile. ♫And your voice has power again... or so you’ve claimed.♫ ♫Then you’ll trust in me, to help you with the mark?♫ Diamond leaned in close to Adagio pressing her back into her after spinning around and stared at her in the mirror. Adagio glanced up sensing now was the perfect time to join together in harmony. ♫And together we can shed the light! Shed the light on this hidden lark!♫ The music slowly faded away and Adagio broke into a wide sultry grin. Gently, she reached down and stroked her hand through Diamond’s hair. Slowly a matching grin spread across Diamond’s face. “I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful partnership,” she declared. Lemon Zest started the day feeling extremely depressed; she was stuck walking through the halls of Crystal Prep in her uniform again for the next several hours. Not that it affected her that much being in the school. But after spending the majority of her weekend wearing nothing at all, she was starting to feel a bit stifled in her clothes. She couldn’t put her finger on why that was. Perhaps it was something every naturist was faced with after discovering the joys this lifestyle had to offer. It seemed a bit sudden, but staring at everybody else’s uniforms made her realize how much they all looked like a bunch of automatons. There was Jet Set and Upper Crust doing the same thing they always did, trying to one-up some of the more privileged members of the societal upper-crust. And they were dressed in the same Crystal Prep colours. Lemon had once been so proud of wearing those colours. Now… she felt decidedly uncomfortable. But her friends were there. They would be able to strengthen her resolve. The first one she bumped into was Indigo Zap. “Mornin’,” she greeted with a brief smile. It was semi-ok, but certainly not a good morning. “Yeah.” Indigo shrugged, her goggles were resting on the top of her head again. She pulled a text book out of her locker and slammed it shut. “I heard you started dating Scribe.” Lemon smiled with a slight blush. “Yep. He took pretty good care of me and he’s got a rockin’ bod.” Indigo rolled her eyes. “Yeah, seein’ him naked would probably influence my feelings too.” Lemon frowned. “Hey! It’s not just about that! He’s the kind of guy I could see myself really going for is all. He’s polite, caring, and… maybe a little too loyal for his own good sometimes. Plus, he’s a bit of a spaz in large social settings. But I know he cares about me.” Indigo shot Lemon a half-smirk and shook her head. “Ok, yeah, that sounds like Scribe.” Lemon giggled briefly and then glanced around for anyone else of their social circle. None of the others seemed to be in the hall. Indigo sighed. “We’d better book it to first period, Cinch is on the prowl.” She indicated a distant figure with her head as the person started walking through the halls in her usual morning rounds. Lemon shot the Principal a frustrated look and brushed a bang from her eyes. “Yeah. I don’t need to deal with her first day back.” The duo finished getting the necessary supplies and made their way to class. Abacus Cinch paused in her inspection round of the school and watched them go with narrowed gaze. She was not fond of that particular group of students, not after their sudden exposure to the unnatural magic that Canterlot High held in such high regards. They were not threatening the stability or the reputation of this school, however, and so she had no reason to be punishing them. That and Mister Discord’s position on the matter was quite firm. Pausing near the trophy case, she wiped a finger across the top, seeking out any potential stray particles of dust. Finding none, she nodded slightly in grudging acceptance that the janitorial staff were doing more than adequate at their jobs and made her way off to the next corridor. Diamond entered her office (or what passed for one) at the school paper and approached the desk. The amulet was gone, but it would be back here soon along with her newest ally in the war against the NLAC. The Monday morning classes had been tedious and dull; her mind kept going back to how easily it was for that siren to just waltz into her room and take charge of the situation. Then again, the CMC had Equestrian Magic on their side in the form of their older siblings. It would make sense to keep someone in her corner so that she could have access to such power as well. With a bit of persuasion, maybe she could convince the siren to be her ultimate enforcer. The door flew open and Adagio waltzed in; she was dressed in a ratty-looking hoodie and a pair of jeans. She definitely looked like she was trying to be incognito. Diamond smiled in greeting and sat down to prop her feet up on the desktop. “I see you managed to get in without anyone noticing.” Adagio chuckled and pushed her hood back to reveal her face and large head of hair. “Getting back inside this school is easy when you already know all the secrets.” Diamond smirked briefly. “This morning you proposed certain things. I’ve been thinking it over. What exactly would you have in mind?” Adagio strode across the room in a sultry manner - though it was rare to see her walk in any other manner - and slid into the seat across from Diamond. “You’re ambitious, intelligent and quite talented. What I said this morning still applies. You’re thinking too small trying to get the club in trouble with the faculty. You should be looking to expose them to proper authorities instead.” Adagio licked her lips briefly and leaned closer. “The chief of police, perhaps?” Diamond shook her head briefly. “How would that help me in getting power at CHS? Those three bratty exhibitionists would just get tossed and one of the student bodies’ favorite teachers would be arrested and thrown in jail.” Diamond exhaled briefly in frustration. “I need something more.” Adagio cackled darkly. “In other words: you want assurances that I’ll help you gain power here.” Diamond nodded. “Nothing too obvious. Maybe a few students enthralled to vote me into the position of queen of the Fall Formal.” Adagio pursed her lips thoughtfully and turned to present her profile. “I don’t know. Petty revenge against the Rainbooms is something I can achieve for myself, now that I have this amulet of yours.” Adagio lifted it to examine once more. Diamond rolled her eyes. “We went over all of this already. But if it’s incentives you want: how about the location of the portal to Equestria?” Adagio’s breath hitched and she glanced briefly at Diamond with an eager gleam in her eyes. “You… know where it is?” Diamond laughed this time and moved her feet so she could get out of her seat. “After the Friendship Games, practically every student does. I would tell you, but then I wouldn’t get what I want, so…” Adagio stroked the amulet and purred with pleasure. “You scratch my back, I scratch yours.” Diamond nodded. “Well we did discuss some things this morning.” Adagio paused and crossed her legs as she leaned back once more. “Fine. I’ll use my powers to help you gain control of the entire school. In exchange, you will modify your plan to expose the club so that those Rainbooms get into the most trouble. They must be punished for what they did to me and my sisters.” “And Sweetie Belle and her freakish friends will be ruined as well.” Diamond frowned after saying that and shook her head. “Saying it out loud like that… I suddenly feel like one of those cliché Saturday Morning cartoon villains.” Adagio waved her concerns away with a dismissive gesture. “I’m used to it.” She chuckled briefly. “In Equestria, many villains tend to come off as rather cliché. At least… compared to the ones found on this world.” “I wouldn’t know about that.” Diamond settled back into her seat. “My minions already know what I want them to do. Instead of just sneaking a camera in, I suppose we’ll have to figure out how to convince the police to send a squad down to the club on Friday.” Adagio nodded in agreement. “I don’t suppose you have any ideas?” Diamond shifted to eye Adagio curiously. Adagio smiled. “I just so happen to have an in with the police chief’s daughter. With enough negative energy reabsorbed into these shards, I should be able to convince her to get her father to show up on Friday. So…” Adagio trailed off and eyed Diamond expectantly. Diamond licked her lips and leaned closer. “I’ve been feeling so much stress.” She averted her eyes momentarily. Adagio held the amulet out to her. Diamond reached over and traced the elegant metal work with one of her fingers. The amulet’s gems began to glow and a green mist leeched out of Diamond’s body and into the shards. Diamond’s back arched and she let out a loud moan of pleasure while the shards absorbed her negative energy. Adagio quirked her brow curiously as she watched the decidedly sensual display. Frowning slightly, she studied the amulet carefully; there was something unusual going on here, and she couldn’t figure out what precisely. “Where exactly did you get this amulet forged?” Panting heavily, Diamond snapped back to the world and tried to shake off the vestiges of magical pleasure still coursing through her body. “I just… asked Flim and Flam for a place that specialized in elegant metalwork. I couldn’t afford any of the big places after I had to pay back the money I tried to steal from the school to get it made.” “I still don’t understand why you even bothered.” Diamond’s cheeks flushed. “I didn’t want my usual sources to know about it! Mom and dad would have asked to see it, and then I’d have to explain why I got it made.” Adagio nodded briefly in understanding and smirked slightly. “And why did you want to make an amulet that looked like us?” Diamond giggled hysterically, sounding almost as if she were coming off of a high. “You had real power! You manipulated the school into doing whatever you wanted, and all you wanted was for them to shower you with love and adoration. That’s the sort of power I want. It’s why I stayed behind when the rest of the school left so I could find those shards. They weren’t hard to find. It was almost as if they were singing to me…” Adagio pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I’ve never known our pendants to—just how far away were you when they were destroyed?” Diamond frowned. “I was in the front row. Didn’t you see me?” Adagio leaned forward and shook her head with a throaty chuckle. “We were drunk on the power of those Rainboom girls. We didn’t see much of anything.” She sobered up and started tapping the desk top. “If you were saturated with magic when they were destroyed, it’s entirely possible that they imprinted on you as the closest source of negative energy to restore themselves. “They would have drawn you to them, rendered you immune to the songs in gratitude for serving them, but it would appear...” she laughed again here and stared at Diamond knowingly. “... you’ve become addicted to their power. A side-effect of not being used to magic.” Diamond shuddered briefly. “Can’t you—” “Oh of course, of course! I’ll get that all taken care of as soon as we find out who made the amulet, and what metal it’s composed of.” Adagio grinned. “And after we take care of this little nuisance.” Diamond smirked wickedly and got to her feet as the early bell rang. “I’ll get them to tell us.” “I can do that easier than you. You just stay focused on the matter at hand, my little Diamond.” Adagio leaned over and kissed Diamond’s cheek affectionately. Diamond pushed her away. “I’m n-not into that,” she snapped angrily. “Really? That certainly wasn’t the impression I got this morning while we were in the shower~” Adagio gloated. Diamond’s cheeks flushed a darker shade of purple and she glared darkly at the siren. “You might be really good at—that kind of stuff, but you’re not going to convert me into a lesbian anytime soon!” “Not even for another chance with this?” Adagio held the amulet up knowingly. Diamond shrieked briefly in a sudden fit of rage, but gave a brief nod of consent. “There now, is that so wrong?” Adagio asked once she finished tracing Diamond’s profile. Diamond averted her eyes. She suddenly felt very dirty. “The first rule about being in charge is: always exploit everyone’s weaknesses.” Diamond’s expression grew clouded with rage. Adagio laughed. “I know, I know. You don’t think of yourself as my follower.” “Damn right!” “Then perhaps it would be best to consider yourself my apprentice from now on.” Adagio got to her feet and pulled her hood back up. “I’ll see you later.” Before leaving, the siren made sure to give Diamond's rump a firm squeeze. Diamond let out a squeak that was equal parts embarrassment and frustration. “The crap I have to put up with.” She straightened her familiar yellow jacket and quickly retrieved her backpack. “But mother was right: give them what they want and they’ll do anything you desire.” Smirking, she headed to the exit of the office and made her way to the next class. Indigo was a bundle of nerves all morning and most of the afternoon; it didn’t help that she was stuck trailing Lemon around all day. Sour, Sunny, and Sugarcoat seemed to be keeping to themselves, even during classes they shared. Lemon looked more and more down as the day progressed. And because of that it almost looked as if she wanted to discuss things more. It made sense not to, but why were they being avoided? Indigo really wanted to hit something, or burn off some steam by racing around the sports field outside. Sour shot her a wink once and then walked off with a bounce in her step. She really needed some stress relief. Lemon sighed as she slid into the passenger seat of her car. The two of them had a free period for the end of the day on Mondays. Indigo often took her somewhere to get a treat or something. Mostly because it was the best time of the day to just chill. Lemon glanced at her friend. “I can barely stand this anymore. The others are treating us like we’re carrying the plague. I mean, I can understand why they’d avoid me, especially after what happened this weekend. But why aren’t they at least talking to you?” Indigo grit her teeth and gunned the engine. “I have no idea, but I’m going to give them a piece of my mind when we meet up later in the week.” Lemon nodded. “I’m sorry they’ve been acting like that.” “Whatever!” Indigo turned to shoot her a look. “Where to?” “Somewhere remote and secluded. I need to get out of this uniform.” Lemon leaned into her seat and popped the top buttons on her blouse so she could at least breathe a little better. Indigo stared at her in shock. “Seriously? You spend one measly weekend hanging around naked and now you suddenly can’t stand wearing clothes anymore?” Lemon shook her head. “I don’t know? Maybe people who just start cold turkey with this have an unusual urge to strip everywhere. Gah!” Kicking off her shoes, she popped her headphones out of her skirt pocket and started listening to her tunes. Indigo gripped the steering wheel tight enough to whiten her knuckles, but she knew just where to take Lemon. If the girl needed to ‘get back to nature’ she could just do it at Scribe’s place. His backyard was secluded enough after all. Pulling out, she switched into high gear and zipped off. Lemon bopped back and forth as she listened to her music. Indigo watched her out of the corner of her eye with jealous frustration. Sugarcoat was fine with Scribe’s new lifestyle and Lemon was embracing it wholeheartedly. Sour was ok with it as long as she didn’t need to get naked ever again after Saturday. And Sunny… didn’t seem interested in it at all. So why was this so frustrating and almost terrifying to her? Indigo frowned as she mulled over her reasons for thinking the way she was about it. She’d grown up with her grandparents as her legal guardians because her parents were total jerk wads who had rejected who she was when she was born. She had to spend a fortune on clothes that were specifically designed to hide certain parts of her that were different from ordinary girls. And on top of all of that, she was frustrated because anyone she had ever tried to date would just take one look at her and be like ‘nope!’ and go running off to leave her behind in tears. Scribe and Lemon were comfortable with their bodies. To the point that they could bare all in front of everybody. Indigo was both envious and jealous of them for that. “Hey, isn’t this Scribe’s place?” Lemon suddenly broke into her thoughts when she realized where they’d just pulled up. Indigo had been so busy running everything through her head again that she’d barely noticed when they got to their destination and pulled into the drive. Twisting the ignition off roughly, she nodded. “You said you wanted to go somewhere secluded. I figured Scribe’s place was the closest.” “Yeah, I suppose.” Lemon shrugged and reached down to get her shoes. “Guess I’ll just wait for him in the backyard. We can study together for the exams.” Indigo nodded absently. “Whatever.” “Are you sure you don’t want to stick around? It’s totally liberating you know.” Lemon shot her friend a genuine smile. Indigo turned and opened her mouth to tell her off. “Yeah sure, whatever.” Her eyes widened in stunned disbelief. Had those words just come out of her mouth? “Great!” Lemon bounced in her seat and quickly snatched the keys out of Indigo’s hand. “Come on!” Popping the door open, she grabbed her bag and headed towards the side of the house so she could get to the backyard and relax. Indigo slumped in her seat and slammed her head against the steering wheel. “Damn it! I should have paid more attention to what I was saying…” By the time Indigo got out of the car, Lemon was already lounging in one of the chairs by the pool with a large umbrella over her head to keep off the sun. Her books were scattered over the table and her clothes had been folded in a neat pile at her feet. Indigo slowly walked around the side of the house and approached her; she dropped her bag next to a second seat and slid down. Kicking her feet with nervous energy, she pulled a chemistry book out and flipped to a random page in an attempt to study. “I thought you were joining me.” “I am!” Indigo snapped. “I never said I was going to take off my clothes!” Lemon rolled her eyes. “Then quit staring at me,” she snapped back. “For crying out loud! You’re sitting in Scribe’s backyard completely naked!” Indigo grit her teeth. “You’re way too casual about this!” she accused. “I go with the flow, Indy,” Lemon pointed out with a sad smile. “Why can’t you just be happy about that?” Indigo took a deep breath and let out as much frustration as she could with a large sigh. “I’m… jealous, you know.” Lemon stared in surprise at Indigo. “Of me and Scribe?” “No, you can have Scribe. I just need to know why you’re so cool with being naked, Lemon!” Indigo explained putting aside her textbook and all pretense of getting any studying done. Lemon sighed and shook her head. “I don’t see why it’s such a big deal. We’re both girls, you know. But it’s like…” Lemon paused to center her thoughts and her eyes lit up as she realized what she should use as an explanation. “Remember freshman year when you wanted to join the swim team? Well, until you found out that you had to wear a specific brand of swim suit and you pretty much decided there was no way you could do it anymore?” Indigo let out a mournful whistle and slumped further into the patio chair. “Don’t remind me. I was still stupid enough to believe that I could get away with being on the girl’s swim team when—ermm—whatever!” Lemon chuckled. “Yeah, but remember I went with you to try them on for you?” “Yeah, I remember.” “Why didn’t you want to try them on yourself?” “Reasons,” Indigo said non-committedly. Lemon rolled her eyes. “Whatever. The point is: those swimsuits didn’t let anybody breathe, Abacus Cinch was insistent on using the cheapest supplier possible to save money. They were so tight, they nearly cut off my circulation. And on top of that, they would always chafe against my nipples.” Indigo snorted in amusement. “I’m glad I didn’t wear them then.” Lemon smirked. “Anyway, once I got out of that thing and could breathe normally again it was so comfortable I almost walked out of the changing room butt naked.” Indigos eyes widened briefly. “You serious?” “Totally.” Lemon nodded. “That’s how comfortable it feels to take off all your clothes and not care if anybody sees you. It’s liberating, like getting out of something that confines you. It forces you to conform to the norms in society. Like those ugly uniforms we have to wear.” Lemon grimaced. “I get the functional part, but sometimes I prefer to stand out and be a bit more me, you know?” Indigo grew pensive as she tilted her head to one side. What Lemon said made total sense, but she seriously didn’t know if she was comfortable with exposing herself. Because it would mean exposing herself and then her friends would know and she couldn’t hide it anymore. She’d spent years doing everything to keep it a secret. “So, does that help explain why I’m ok with embracing this new lifestyle?” “Yeah. I think so.” Indigo smiled. Lemon grinned and pumped her fist in the air. “Awesome!” She plucked her headphones back up and returned to her book. Indigo mused over what she’d just learned. Lemon was the most open-minded of the group, maybe she could at least get her opinion. She’d never had anyone besides her folks to talk to about her issues and being able to confide in someone would definitely be helpful. She still refused to waste good money on a damn therapist. Shaking her head, she glanced at her friend. Better to be safe than sorry. Still, it wasn’t like she couldn’t go topless if she wanted to, she’d done that before. Standing up, she started to unbutton her blouse. Lemon caught what she was doing from the corner of her eye and shot her a thumbs up. “That’s the spirit, Indy.” Indigo shot her a shaky smile as she finished removing her blouse exposing her relatively flat chest being pushed up in her sports bra. Being an A-Cup was a real pain at times; unzipping the back she slid the straps down and dropped the bra onto the blouse. Surprisingly enough, despite the hammering of her heart in her chest, it felt pretty good. Letting out a deep anxiety-filled sigh, she sat back down and kicked her shoes off so she could remove her socks. With that finished she relaxed and reached back for her textbook. Lemon stopped reading and shot Indigo a curious look. “Aren’t you gonna take off your bottoms too?” Indigo shook her head. “Nah, you know, baby steps and all that.” Lemon shrugged. “Fair enough. Do you always wear sports bras instead of regular ones?” Indigo burst into laughter and felt the tension ebb from her shoulders. “Of course I do. This is me we’re talking about? Can you honestly see me wearing one of those silk jobs?” “Nobody wears silk bras to school, Indigo,” Lemon shot back with a roll of her eyes. “Let’s just focus on studying?” Indigo insisted. Lemon laughed and turned her music back up bobbing along with it while she read. Indigo grinned and turned back to her textbook. She was actually feeling pretty ok with this, but she still wasn’t ready to be completely nude because that would just raise a ton of uncomfortable questions. Maybe next time, if the entire gang were there and willing to embrace the lifestyle together. It seemed naturists were pretty supportive of one another and junk, just like real friends were. This magic of friendship was pretty great in her books if it meant she could finally be herself. Just as long as they didn’t treat her any differently when they found out, because she couldn’t stand it if they shunned her like they were doing today for some reason.