//------------------------------//
// Dazzle's Dirty Tricks 
// Story: From a Shimmer to a Shine 
// by Infernity Zero 
//------------------------------//

The ride back to the principals' house was slow and nondescript, though Adagio did note that keeping her driver spellbound made for some slightly wobbly steering. Their house was standard too, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. But for the Siren, anything was an improvement over a wet bench in the park.

She clicked her teeth. "Tsk tsk tsk. Yet again, the two of you fail to measure up to your counterparts. How disappointing."

Getting out of the car, Celestia craned her head towards her. "How so?"

As she walked towards the front door, Adagio picked at her fingernails. "Where I come from, the two of you are full-fledged royalty, and you command the love and respect of an entire nation. So you can imagine my surprise when I learned of your positions here. You're not Queen Celestia, you're not Prime Minister Celestia, you're not President Celestia, you're not even Mayor Celestia. You're just Principal Celestia." She shrugged her shoulders. "Isn't that kind of beneath you?"

Celestia shuddered but managed to clamp her lips shut. Adagio noticed but didn't bother pressing further.

"Ah well. I suppose it doesn't matter anyway. Princess or Principal, all are equal under me."

"Why?" Luna struggled to speak after unlocking the door. "Why are you doing this?"

"Really? You asked me that already. I told you before, I don't have any quarrel with you or your sister. You just remind me of someone I don't like."

Luna managed to look Adagio in the eyes. "And that justifies you enslaving us both?"

"Ahhh." Adagio chuckled. "That's it. You humans and your moralities."

By this point, the three had entered the house. The Siren promptly plopped herself down on a nearby sofa and continued.

"Fun fact about morals, Kiddies. They're nothing without power. That's where you get your laws and rules from. Your President delegates the role to Congress and the Senate while we Equestrians have our Sovereign Princesses. They decide the rules, and the peasants follow suit. But unfortunately for you two," she pointed at herself, " since I have the power, that means I AM the law. No cops will arrest me. No court will try me. No jury will convict me." She clenched her fist. "And most certainly, no prison will hold me. So why should I change myself to suit you; when with my powers, I can change this world to suit me?"

Luna began to sweat. "You're insane. We're not just dolls for you to play with. We're living, breathing people with our own lives and goals. You can't just take that away!"

Adagio stood up and approached her. "My my my. You're so full of fire, aren't you? Seems even my spell couldn't snuff it out. You know, it's funny. I didn't really have much of a role in mind for you. I mean, your sister practically runs the school, but you're just the Vice President, an easily dismissed position with the illusion of actual importance. With or without you, the school is already mine. So with that in mind, I have a different role for you to play. See, I'm not exactly alone in my goals. My two sisters will soon be joining me in power. And I thought what better way to celebrate our reunion than to give them something they'll love." With each word, she closed in on her target. "And I think they'll really enjoy their very own, loving, fully trained...." She leered at Luna. "Pet."

Celestia tried to step forward as her sister's back hit the wall. But as she did so, the lipstick mark from Adagio's kiss flared into pain on her forehead. With a strained grunt, she clutched at the seal.

"Stop it! Leave her alone! I won't let you--" Her clutches turned to scratches. The pain increased. "W-won't let y-y-you--I am sealed as a slave under your spell."

The green glow in her eyes retook control just as Adagio knew it would. The siren simply shook her head.

"A feeble attempt at best, Celestia. I wouldn't even bother if I were you." She gave a hard poke to Luna's neck and smiled at the woman's gasps. "My seal is a boa constrictor wrapped around your neck." She twirled her finger in circles. "The more you try to resist, the tighter its grip will become."

Luna managed to regain enough air to speak. "What do you get out of this? Do you get some kind of kick from our enslavement?"

Adagio scoffed. "Pheh. Don't flatter yourself. You two are just dinner mints at best. And even every student at the school combined would barely rank above appetizer." Grabbing Luna's face in her hand, she pulled her in close. "No. I'm after a much bigger prize. A prize that will help my sisters and me reclaim the power we rightfully deserve."

Luna's eyes widened when Adagio's tongue lolled out of her mouth. But all she could do was blanch as the siren slathered it over her cheeks. "S-S-Stop. St-Stop it."

Adagio finished her facial taste test with a single, satisfied slurp. "Quiet, little doll. Pets don't speak. They merely listen and obey. And a proper pet must be disciplined whether she's asleep or awake. And besides," she licked her lips. "If I'm going to lay low for a bit while Trixie does my dirty work, I might as well have a little fun, right?

She knocked Luna down to the floor and stood over her. "It's time for one of the most important parts of having a pet. Housebreaking it."




Back at her apartment, Sunset lurched over her kitchen sink and emptied the contents of her stomach. She only barely had time for a single breath afterward before vomiting a second time. Only when she'd finally exhausted her food supply did she managed to regain control. Propping herself with her arms, she stared down the drain.

"What on--urp!--what on earth was that?" She stared at her reflection. "What gives?"

It shifted into the demon once more, but Sunset noticed that Searing was lacking her cocky grin from before. Instead, she looked just as concerned as Sunset was. "Don't look at me, I'm not doing this."

"Then who is?" Turning on the sink, Sunset took a few gulps of water. "I haven't eaten anything out of the ordinary all day."

"I don't think that's it." Searing tapped her claws against her chin. Because I'm not feeling good either." She stared at Sunset. "Do you ever get the feeling that--"

"--something really bad is about to happen?" Sunset finished. "Yes, I do. But I don't know what. I mean considering we've been tormented by the students, nearly expelled, and then unexpelled in just a few days, what could be worse than that?"

Searing's face shifted once again into a genuinely pained expression. "I don't know, Sunset. And I hope we don't find out."