//------------------------------// // "...no seriously, who the hell are you? I don't recognize you at all." // Story: Sunscarred // by Masterweaver //------------------------------// "It's the wings, isn't it." "It's not just the wings," Adagio said flatly. "If it were just the wings, I could figure out who you were before you went all edgelord." "I am not an edgelord!" snapped the demonic girl with hair like flames and skin the color of blood. "Have you looked in the mirror lately?" "Look, I didn't choose to look like this, alright? I was... ugh, never mind." The demon pinched her nose. "I need your help. Stabilizing my magic, that is." "Not even going to ask how you knew we were magical. Past tense. We're not magic anymore." The demon smirked. "Really now." "Our gems were shattered. No gems, no magic. Simple as that." "Oh, yes, that little... limitation." The demon was still smirking. "And what if I told you there was a way around it?" "I'd demand proof." "How about you think of a number, and I read your mind?" Adagio rolled her eyes. "Fine, number in my head." The demon took her hand... and put on an expression of disgust. "Wow, geeze, at least take me out to dinner first--actually, no, don't, because not in a million years would I do THAT." "Prude." Adagio quirked a brow. "So you have some ESP. Contact based. Fun, sure. And if we stabilized your magic, we would get our magic back?" "You would get some form of magic," the demon hedged. "Not sure what kind. We're talking about being way past theoretical at this point, I can't say with a hundred percent accuracy." "See, that's the sort of promise that can go wrong in so many ways for all of us. That's something I know to avoid. If you can't give me a hard guarantee--" The demon crossed her arms. "You want a hard guarantee when dealing with magic." Adagio rolled her eyes. "Magic has rules, you know. Even in this world. I mean, sure, you seem to be breaking them, but that's pretty unique and that means you probably have a good understanding of the rules." "It's... a lot more complicated then that." "Were you cursed?" "No!" The demon paused. "Well, no. It wasn't intended as a curse. But it might be, in effect--look, I just need a few extra hands while I work on recoherizing my internal magical structure. You three have experience with magic and can... keep me from falling apart while I'm doing my thing, I guess." Adagio leaned back warily. "Okay, if you're asking us to be therapeutic and supportive then I have no idea where you got your information--" "No, I mean like--literally falling apart. Decoherizing. It--" The demon sighed. "I am literally a sapient magical construct, alright? I just need to ensure my matrix won't destablize... any more then it already has." "...right. And you came to us for help." "Yes." "Instead of, say, those rainblow kids from that high school." "It's Rainboom," the demon corrected. "And honestly they--I mean, they're not part of the problem, but it could become a problem if I suggested--I want to show that this can work before I go back to them, alright?" Adagio examined her for a moment or two, her expression thoughtful. "Wait... are you Sunset Shimmer?" "I'm going to say yes, because the full situation is stupidly complicated." Adagio pinched her brow. "So let me get this straight. After not only humiliating but also emasculating us in front of a large audience and thereby ruining any chance we have of accomplishing our goals, and also letting us languish for the space of almost half a year, you suddenly get turned into a magical construct, somehow piss off all your friends, and come crawling to the people you defeated and discarded in some vague hope they'll help you get out of this mess." Sunset rolled her eyes. "Okay, so I've tried being nice, but you know I could threaten you right? I do have magic." "Oh, the ability to read minds, oh so scary, violating my privacy--which could be an actual threat if you could, you know, go out in public without getting holy water tossed on you every five feet!" "Gah! You are--you are infuriating!" Sunset growled, her eyes glowing with shadows. "Alright, fine, I'm desperate, alright? I'm desperate, you're some crazy manipulator person, I know that going in there's a very good chance you'll find some way to turn this on me or to your own profit but--just--Adagio, can you not be a complete and total bitch for once in your life? Like, only half-bitch. I can take half-bitch." Adagio leaned against the doorframe. "Girl, you think you know bitch, you ain't even seen the half of what I've seen. I've been around since before--" "Yeah, you can't do ghetto." "Surprised you even know what that means." "Well, as an illegal immigrant with no idea of the local law I had to end up somewhere, and at it turns out--" Adagio held up a finger. "You're doing this thing where you think I care about how you got to wherever you are, which I actually don't because frankly you're just another idiotic pony turned hormonal ape turned edgelord demon which is, I will admit, a rare situation that I have only come across twice before, but my point is that you don't matter to me, your offer does not matter to me, your life does not matter to me, begone." She slammed the door shut. "...Okay." Sunset flexed her wings. "Screw it, I tried playing nice, I tried playing fair, now it's time to bring the pain." She lifted a booted leg, took aim, and rammed her foot into the door. For a moment, the world was still. "....Oooooow! Ow, ow ow, what the hay? I thought I had like demonic strength or something! What is this door made of, steel-reinforced concrete?" Sunset rubbed her foot and winced. "Okay, not getting in through there." She glanced around the house for a moment... and then facepalmed. "Wings. I have wings, doy. I can fly up and get through one of the upper windows." With but a moment's thought, she was in the air, flying fast toward a glass pane-- --and pulled up suddenly when Aria leaned out and casually pointed a pistol at her. "Yeah," the purple siren drawled, "No. Seriously. Get out of here." "...Why do you have a gun?!" "Why wouldn't I have a gun?" "You're a magic--you were a magic, like, thing--" "Yeah, so?" Sunset gestured vaguely. "I--seriously can you not point that at me?" "I mean I could," Aria replied, not lowering the gun. "Look, I jus--" "SUNSET SHIMMER!" Sunset looked down at the road, seeing a familiar truck with six familiar students, six sort of familiar faces, and two other people and a dog pull up. "GET YOUR FLANK DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!" Starlight shouted. "Yeah if this causes any damage," Aria deadpanned, "you're going to be paying for it." Sunset facepalmed.