That previous afternoon… (Nine hours before Equestrian Adagio obtains the Driver)
Soarin’ swallowed as he looked up at the massive Kougami Foundation stretching high into the sky and glittering and glintering out over Denver like a diamond shard. He knew the history, of course. Founded back in the mid-seventies by the ingenious businessman Kousei Kougami and now a practical mega-corporation with facilities stretched out across the globe it was a true success story. It honestly had its reaches in everything, from medicine to food production. Anything to make the world a better place.
Now, the cynics, of course, derided this enterprise, saying nobody in their lives could really be that generous and have their hearts set out on actually improving the world. However, the current head of this particular outpost, Eiji Hino nee Kougami seemed intent on proving the entire world wrong on those assumptions.
Soarin’ had already heard the news reports of a few years back during the War on Terror, Eiji had made a personal trip to Iraq and other countries just like it to set up medical facilities that catered to both sides. He honestly didn’t care who was fighting for who really or why he just didn’t want to see any unnecessary loss of life. ...At least that’s how the papers put it. Or the more open-minded ones anyways. Some of the more political-minded ones accused him of… less scrupulous motives.
“Intimidated, Soar?” Fleetfoot remarked as she leaned on the side of the humvee. “Come on, it’s just one guy in one business. Nothing to get so nervous over. Unless of course, you have some sort of secret crush on him you’re not telling us about. If that’s the case, feel free to share. We won’t judge. Dash might be pissed off though.” she smirked.
“S-Shut up!” Soarin’ replied. Honestly, Fleetfoot could be such a pain at times. She meant well, but she always enjoyed getting everyone’s goat whenever it suited her. Everyone had to have a hobby, he supposed. “It’s nothing like that. And me and Rainbow are just friends.”
“Sure sure, and you weren’t the one staying the night at her house calming down her little sister after everything went bat-shit crazy that time,” Fleetfoot deadpanned. “Just sayin’. I don’t think any person who’s ‘just friends’ would do that. Plus, you’re on first name basis already, how cute!”
“So are you and I, Fleets.”
“Yes, but ‘just friends’ don’t watch each other’s family do they?” Fleetfoot remarked as she, Captain Spitfire and Soarin’ strode inside. “Dash and Soarin, sitting in a tree…”
“...You’re such a child, you know that right?” Soarin’ replied even as his friend continued to sing in the background. He flushed red at the looks being sent his way and wished desperately for Fleetfoot to just shut up.
“To stay young of body, one must remain young at heart,” Fleetfoot replied, speaking like a kung-fu master from a cheesy movie. And Soarin’ and Fleetfoot would know. They’d seen plenty.
“You got that from inside a fortune cookie down on seventy-first street, didn’t you? From that little Chinese place you and Surprise like so much.” Soarin’ returned.
“...Might have done, yes.” Fleetfoot admitted. “Anyways, why are we here again ma’am?” she asked turning to her Captain.
“These monsters are a serious threat, and I think these guys can help us deal with them. Kougami has its hand in everything.”
“...No kidding,” Soarin’ muttered as he saw a massive case with what looked to be armor wheeled past by a bunch of men in suits with someone carrying a small silver briefcase with a big letter G on the side. They clearly were military, he could tell that much. Research and development most likely.
“...Geez, who are the guys in the fancy suits?” Fleetfoot muttered.
“Clients, that's all you need to worry about right now,” Spitfire chided, pushing her way to the reception desk. She recognized them alright, having heard of the incidents in Tokyo back in 2001. She frowned to herself. What the hell were those guys from the G-Project even doing here? Actually, she was surprised they were even around to begin with. She gently chimed the bell and a receptionist walked out. “Yes, we’re Mr. Hino’s three o’clock?”
Erika groaned to herself. Eiji was going to have her head for this. She’d forgotten the G-Project was supposed to arrive today as well on this time and had accidentally booked them and the three from Buckley Base at the same time.
“...Last time I go out drinking with friends on a weekday…” Erika thought. Between this, and the whole Greeed issue Eiji was focused on, she was beginning to be run ragged. Yeah, she needed to request a raise or overtime pay. “...Right, I’ll buzz you in. Top floor office. You should be able to find it well enough.”
With that, she dialed Eiji’s number. “Yeah? Mr. Hino? ...Your three-o'clocks are here. Yes, both of them. Yes, I apologize sir. I won’t make the same mistake twice sir. You can dock it from my pay sir.” Erika said over the phone looking incredibly ashamed and embarrassed with herself.
“...I thought his name was Kougami?” Fleetfoot whispered to Soarin’.
“Must be close enough to get away with calling him by his original name,” Soarin’ guessed. “You know those old stories about the receptionist and their boss…”
“Why Soarin’,” Fleetfoot smiled. “Didn’t know you had it in you to actually look into those sorts of things…”
“...I watch the late night mysteries, okay?” Soarin’ replied with a blush. “It’s always the receptionist that commits the murders or something.”
“The butler always did it,” Fleet added, snickering at her friend's embarrassment.
“And the receptionist can hear you both,” Erika commented with narrowed eyes. “And any private life I may or may not have with Mr. Kougami is none of your business understand?”
“Yep, totally banging each other on the side…” Fleetfoot muttered before Spitfire slapped her over the back of the head.
“I’m sorry about her,” Spitfire apologized with a small bow. “Satonaka-san, hontōni otona ni natta no ka na?”
Erika burst out laughing while Fleetfoot could only wonder what was said in return. Soarin’, having actually learned Japanese could only snicker.
“...What’s so funny?” Fleetfoot asked. “Seriously, what’s so funny? Am I missing the joke here?”
“Learn to get stationed in Osaka, Fleet, then you won't be out of the loop,” Soarin' teased, glad to have the leg up on her for once.
Fleetfoot huffed and crossed her arms. “Bastard,” she muttered.
“Love ya too Fleets.” Soarin’ teased feeling very satisfied with himself. Something which Fleetfoot very obviously picked up on.
“You’re very happy with yourself, aren’t you Skies?” Fleetfoot muttered. “Yeah, well… we’ll see how you like it when I start hogging all the pudding and pies to myself…”
“Not the pies…” Soarin’ whimpered looking rather sad. Almost like a kicked puppy.
“Yes, especially the apple,” Fleetfoot assured, cackling like a comic book villain. Soarin’ only hung his head.
“Karera wa itsumo kono Capit supittofaia no yōdesu ka?” Erika asked.
“Kanari.” Spitfire nodded.
“In any case, Mr. Kougami will see you… all now,” Erika muttered watching the group of nine all pile into the elevator before when nobody was watching sneaked a flask from under her desk and took a sip. Yep, she definitely did not get paid nearly well enough to deal with all of this.
In any case, the group all filed into Eiji’s boardroom, upon his insistence and widened eyes upon seeing just how many people he was actually dealing with. Rubbing his temples, already feeling a headache coming on he turned to the G-Project and said: “You first.”
An older Japanese man stepped forward, his round face starting to show signs of wrinkles and his hair kept in a military fade. Clearing his throat, he spoke. “Kougami-san.”
“Please, no need for the honorifics,” Eiji refuted. “Just Eiji will do. Takahiro Omuro, right? You’re the current head of the G5 group, right? How’s Hikawa doing?” he asked remembering the incident with the Hydrozoa Tegula donning the G1 armor a few odd years back.
“He managed to become chief of police, as such he's unable to officially take part in the project anymore. He and I meet up often at a restaurant a mutual friend owns,” Omura answered, a silly smile on his face.
“Yeah, I think I know the friend,” Eiji replied. Meanwhile, Soarin’ and Fleetfoot just looked on cluelessly.
“...Why do I have the feeling we should be read in on something here…?” Soarin’ muttered and Fleetfoot could only nod.
“The G-Project, formed in response to a group called the Lords and some mysterious murders. A development of SAUL, after that Gurongi incident at the turn of the century,” Spitfire whispered. “Do some reading sometime. It’s interesting stuff.”
“...Yeah, I’ll pass. Eggheady crap, if you ask me,” Fleetfoot muttered. “Had enough of that in technical school. I just signed on to fly jets and serve my country remember?”
“Which you’re very good at,” Spitfire mused. “But you need to expand your horizons if you ask me…”
“In any case,” Eiji replied to Omura. “I presume your appointment has something to do with this?” he asked as the briefcase was set down in front of him. He also eyed the suit of armor in its case. “You know perfectly well I don’t deal in military weapons.”
“And yet you’ve developed a system called Birth,” Omura pointed out. “A one-man suit of armor, designed for one purpose and one purpose alone.”
“To deal directly with the Greeed when they returned,” Eiji returned. “It was never a matter of if, we always knew some idiots would unseal them eventually.”
“And of course, those idiots had to be Shocker,” Omura replied. “I thought they were dead and gone. Like Marvel Comics’ Hydra, really…”
“Don’t joke,” Eiji replied. “This is a serious matter.”
“Shocker?” Soarin’ asked and Fleetfoot smirked.
“Now who’s the clueless one?” she smirked before explaining in a whisper. “Terrorist group, formed back in the seventies. Complete loons, might as well call them the Japanese Neo-Nazis. Loved to make people into cyborgs in their quest for taking over the world. Sounds sci-fi, I know, but…”
“Quite, which is why we aim to help,” Omura replied. He and Eiji seemed to be unaware of the conversation taking place nearby. Or didn’t care, more likely. “See, I think the G4 Armor could uh… help. Least as a reserve before you complete the Birth system. And even then, afterwards.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t the G4 system have it’s… issues?” Eiji asked raising an eyebrow. “Like the AI being too dangerous for a normal human?” he said remembering what happened to one Shiro Mizuki.
“Yes, but it was modified from G3-X’s systems, remember?” Omura returned with Soarin’ and Fleetfoot watching this whole exchange like a ping pong match. Fleetfoot was half-tempted to go for some popcorn. “I can only presume it wouldn’t be difficult to alter, especially now that it’s been almost two decades and technology has advanced.”
“True, but I don’t deal with military hardware,” Eiji replied coolly. “You should know why. And in any case, why bring out something that’s been mothballed for sixteen years now?”
“You heard the reasons,” Omura replied. “It never helps to have reserves. Look, I know what your birth father did was-”
“Not here in public, understand?” Eiji stated narrowing his eyes slightly.
“I understand, but all I’m saying is you need to look at every option presented to you,” Omura returned. Fleetfoot, Soarin’, and Spitfire were beginning to feel all rather awkward by now. “Make no mistake, you’re fighting a war now. And if what you said about them getting involved is true… it’s one on multiple fronts now.” he stated.
Eiji sighed to himself as he fell back into his chair. Ideally, he wouldn’t like Foundation X to get their hands on this suit at all, and it being out in the open like this made that into a very real possibility. But on the other hand, Omura had a point. “I’ll… I’ll think on it.”
“You won’t have a long time, our flight back to Japan leaves in just two days,” Omura said before he bowed and took his leave.
“I’m sorry you had to be witness to that,” Eiji apologized to Spitfire. “So, what brings you by?”
“We've seen worse from Admirals on base. You should see the debates over contracts,” she assured, smiling weakly at the man. “But we're here for a similar reason, to discuss the monster attacks."
“I should have figured the military would start to worry about that any day now…” Eiji sighed. “Tell your bosses everything is under control.”
“Is it?” Spitfire asked raising an eyebrow. “Because I seem to remember a massive weevil looking thing crawling up the side of your building and devouring half of it.”
Eiji flushed at this.
“Yes, that… uh, was a thing. I admit it did get out of control there, I do admit that Captain.” he sighed.
“At the very least, coast guard and other non-combatants need equipment to help protect civilians,” Spitfire argued, a frown on her face. “I'm not asking you to help create future war machines. I’d never ask that. I’m just asking for an assist.”
“I’d rather not risk dangerous arms getting out onto the street,” Eiji muttered. “But that’ll probably happen anyways, I suspect the Birth Buster would find its way to unsavory hands no matter how hard I try and keep that from happening. I suspect what you’re really asking is can you have someone have full access to Birth’s systems? Make no mistake, I’ve been around the block long enough to know how this works. So please do me a favor and don’t take me for a fool.”
Spitfire, for her part, was stunned into silence that Eiji had picked up on that so fast. Eventually, she sighed, took off her sunglasses and rubbed her temples. “You’re absolutely right, Mr. Kougami. The attacks on the city are getting more dangerous every day. But it’s not to protect my own self-interests or have the military get access to the Kougami Foundation hardware. Actually, truth be told we’d like to work with you or at least alongside you in stopping these attacks.”
“And none of this is involved in or related to making sure any crucial secrets you may have at Buckley won’t get trashed or stolen?” Eiji inquired with a skeptically raised eyebrow.
Fleetfoot raised a hand in protest and was seemingly about to speak before Spitfire shut her down with a glare.
“Yes, I freely admit that may play a part, but I’ve got family on the base, not just friends. You can understand where I’m coming from here,” Spitfire said. “You know perfectly well about the attack on base housing a few weeks back I trust? Didn’t make the news thankfully, but I saw your people there so I can only assume you assume the Greeed had something to do with it.”
“If it were only that…” Soarin’ thought to himself. While he obviously didn’t know the whole truth in matters relating to what exactly had gone down that night, he honestly doubted the Greeed were actually involved.
“...I… I see,” Eiji replied after a long silence. “Yes, I do understand where you’re coming from. It’s a rarity in this day and age to actually meet anyone who’s so upfront about what they actually desire as opposed to what they think they desire. So, I assume you already have one of your men picked out for-”
“Well, no... “ Spitfire admitted. “We’d need to search the base for a viable candidate to work with you on this project.”
Finally, Soarin’ made his move. “I’ll do it, ma’am,” he stated sitting up in his chair and slamming a hand down on the table. Everyone looked at him. “Look, I know this seems drastic, but I’ve been watching these attacks go down week after week, and I’m tired of sitting on the sidelines feeling useless you understand?”
Truth be told, and as much as he hated to admit it Soarin’ partially was doing this just to help Dash. He wanted Rainbow to be her own mare and he knew she could take care of herself -god knows she’d sock him if he even implied so much as otherwise- but at the same time the attacks were growing in intensity every day and he feared one day she might have been overwhelmed.
“Well, Ieast you’re honest about things…” Spitfire muttered. “Even if you can’t spit it out to Lieutenant Dash that you like her…”
“How dense can a man get?” Spitfire thought to herself. “Even I can see it, and when I say that…”
“W-What?” Soarin’ sputtered out not exactly helping his case really. Fleetfoot had to bite her tongue to keep herself from laughing. “I… No, we’re just friends okay?”
“Love and peace forever…” Eiji murmured to himself. “Isn’t that the way it should be?” he smiled. “Well, you’ve caught my interest that’s for sure. Quite honestly, I couldn’t think of a better candidate to assist me in battle.”
“Assist me?” Soarin’ asked before Eiji clarified.
“Yes, quite obviously I can’t just hand you the Birth Buster on full power, nor can I hand you the system itself just yet. You’re going to have to receive training to actually use them. It’s not as if you can simply just step into the armor and know what each part does simply by snapping your fingers.” he stated.
“There’s not an instruction manual or anything is there?” Soarin’ asked. “Because I hate reading those.”
With a chuckle, Eiji pulled out said manual and placed it in front of Soarin’. The manual itself was thick, far thicker than any one instruction manual had any actual right to be. Soarin’ himself looked about ready to faint.
“...You can always back out now…” Fleetfoot teased.
“No,” Soarin’ said his eyes hardening. “I’ve come this far, no sense in chickening out now. I’ve got a job to do, and I intend on seeing it though.”
“Always the determined type aren’t you Soar?” Fleetfoot thought with a smile while Spitfire looked on in approval.
“Good to know,” Eiji said. “Because your training starts now.”
A day and a half passed since Soarin’ made his proposal and the Equestrian Adagio had begun her plot. Right now, the woman sighed to herself as the sun dipped low over the horizon turning day into night. She had the OOO Driver, and all of the medals her counterpart had on her. So the question obviously was… what now? Looking into a shop window, she had to fight back a snarl. In a prominent fixture was a CD, with a certain mare on the cover of it. Adagio laughed bitterly to herself, she lost her voice and yet her archenemy went on to be the one with the adoring fans all over the world. That was just how things seemed to work, didn’t they?
“So… guess you’ve won, Sunset Shimmer. Congrats, you beat us,” Adagio thought to herself one of her fists curling up into a ball. “I’m woman enough to accept that. But did you have to go rub in our faces like that?”
Recomposing herself, Adagio continued on with her evening. She smiled almost evilly to herself. She had the face of the city’s hero and the powers. There were so many things she could easily do with them now. But in the end, what would it accomplish? Wouldn’t change the fact that she and her sisters were still living in a dump, and nor would it ever get them their powers back.
“Gah!” Adagio thought to herself. Was taking revenge ever supposed to be this complicated? “...Why couldn’t it just be ruining her life for ruining mine by stealing all my glory, and stealing the populace’s love of me?”
Except… Adagio knew this world’s counterpart of hers didn’t exactly do that. No, she’d worked to get that glory all by herself, and her counterpart was at least 12 years older than her at least physically. She’d been in this world longer at least in Denver’s mind and by all intents and purposes, the law’s as well. Adagio chuckled again. And once again it was a bitter laugh, this time followed by a cough. In hindsight she supposed, it had been an amazing feat for her to actually enroll her and her sisters in CHS like she did. Nobody should have been able to fall for the ruse if they had even an ounce of common sense or bothered to look in school records and yet… nobody did.
To be honestly fair, 5 years ago -was that how long it had been?- Adagio’s human world counterpart probably would have been in college or something. Possibly. She didn’t know. Despite it being common sense, Adagio hadn’t actually looked into her counterpart’s life beyond being the local hero and a marine biologist. She honestly didn’t even know where she’d gone to school at. Now, in the good old days Adagio probably would have run down every piece of information she could find on her other half, but these days -and Adagio honestly didn’t know why- she just couldn’t be bothered. Was she admitting defeat against her counterpart? Possibly.
But the fact that she’d broken into her apartment -really, a marine biologist should have been able to afford better!- and beaten up her boyfriend along with stealing her powers indicated otherwise.
Groaning as she sat down on a nearby park bench, Adagio sighed to herself and looked skywards. What the hell was wrong with her? She should have been out and about, actually… doing something. Instead, she was here having a crisis of faith or whatever they called it and looking a bit like an idiot.
“Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with me?”
Deep down, Adagio knew what it was. A conscience. Something she never actually thought she possessed. All those millennia ago, when she went up against the Fangire -her and her pod- she was one of the few to actually say that they wouldn’t take things lying down and allow those creatures to take over Equestria. Of course, Starswirl -that old fossil- had misunderstood the whole ‘create an army’ thing and thought they were trying to take over the world. And here she was now after he and his so-called Pillars of Equestria had tossed them into this world hoping to forget about them.
Adagio knew she wasn’t the first source of Equestrian magic that had been dumped into this world and she probably wouldn’t be the last. She knew about the rumors of a certain magic stone and a certain staff of storms winding up here somehow. She guessed some idiot -probably that Princess of Friendship- had something to do with it. Or maybe Starswirl. Usually, everything traced back to him somehow in the end. Him or any students he took on.
For a brief moment, Adagio wondered how in the centuries after her pod’s banishment Equestria had gotten on. Had the Fangires taken over? She half-hoped they had. Might have taught those ponies a thing or two about misjudging situations.
Mind you, Adagio mused to herself as she walked onto the bus and sat down as it carried her home. It wasn’t like this world was any better. Deathgaliens. Gurongi, Shocker, The Black Cross Army, the Dimensional War Group Vyram, Gorgom, the Greeed, the Deboss Army, the Necro-Overs, the Orphnochs, the Phantoms, and even the Fangires of this world just to name a few. She could go on about how many issues this crapsack of a world had not to mention it’s own idiotic humans.
Honestly, she was surprised that this world hadn’t pulled itself apart by the seams via the constant issues it seemed to face year after year by now. Yet somehow it managed to stay together. Adagio couldn’t believe she was admitting this and if you asked her years later she would explicitly deny it, but she had to give these meatsacks credit. They actually could possibly beat the odds set against them every damn time.
“Gods above, can’t believe I’m actually starting to support these meatbags. Then again, becoming one does sorta put a change of perspective onto you…” Adagio thought coughing again.
Eventually returning home or what she could barely call that, the former siren sighed to herself. Place just kept on getting crappier every time she returned to it, she mused as she walked down the cramped hallways, with the mold spots and the peeling paint seeming ever more visible to her. It had sunk in long ago exactly how far she had fallen, really. And Adagio hated every moment of it.
“Hands to yourself, perv!” she said as she swatted away the grabby hands of her next door neighbor, this creepy old guy with eyes that seemed to glow far too much to be natural and a head like a pin. A model he was almost certainly not, and it made Adagio shiver in disgust to have to live next to someone so decrepit and so disgusting.
Adagio sighed as she went for her keys and went for the lock on her apartment door. It always had needed fixing. Inside, she could already hear Aria shouting at her sister. Some things never changed, really.
“Aww, come on Aria!” Sonata whined. “I was watching that!”
“My Little Corgi?” Aria barked out in a harsh laugh. “Come on Sonata, at least try to act your age! Now budge up, I want to at least try and see if there’s anything remotely good on.”
“B-But they’re so cute!” Sonata blubbered. “And all you ever want to do is watch porn!”
“Yeah? Well, I’m a siren, I thrive on sex. So deal with it!” Aria scoffed. Adagio resisted the urge to facepalm. Same argument every week, or something to that effect. It varied really, but it always came down to the exact same issue. The two generally couldn’t stand each other and being in close quarters for long, or at least Aria couldn’t stand her sister. It was a miracle they hadn’t ripped out each other’s throats long ago.
“Will you two both can it?” Adagio snapped her temper close to a boil thanks to how her day had been. “I’ve already got a headache, and you two aren’t exactly helping with that!”
“Shut up Adagio,” Aria grumbled. “At least tell us you found something good. Like a decent meal, or something.”
“Depends on what you define as good, you bint,” Adagio thought to herself. “Overwhelming power? Yes, possibly. First real trace of magic we’ve had in ages? Maybe, if it weren’t for the fact only I could use it. Oh, they’ll take that one really well…”
Adagio wondered how exactly to break that particular slice of news to her two siblings. Or if she should even say a word about it at all.
Flopping down on a nearby chair, ratty and worn Adagio then looked at her clothing and then at her sisters and their own attire before fighting back a snarl. This was what they had been reduced to. This… Just this. It disgraced them.
“So, one can presume by the fact that you returned empty-handed that your little search was a bust?” Aria deadpanned. “Why does that not surprise me in the slightest?” she asked throwing her hands up into the air.
“Not even a small taco…?” Sonata whimpered before Aria punched her in the face.
“Shut up, you ditz!” Aria barked. “I don’t give a damn about you and your damned taco obsession! We’ve got more important things to worry about than you and your issues!”
“But… but…” Sonata’s lip quivered before she fell silent upon seeing Aria’s glare.
“Gah, look at us,” Aria muttered. “We used to be at the top of our game, adored by all and now we’re just living in this shithole like rats and scrounging for food. Drug dealers to the left of us and a perverted old creep to the right. Yeah, living the dream. The fuckin’ good old American dream! That’s us!” she laughed harshly before coughing. “And to make things better, our human sides are finally catching up with us and now we’re getting sick like dogs!”
“...Maybe we brought this on ourselves…” Sonata whispered and Aria looked at her furiously for even suggesting such a thing.
“Sonata…” Aria growled out. “This is the Rainbooms’ fault and the Rainbooms’ alone. They sent us here, they put us in this position, and don’t even think about suggesting otherwise!”
“Yeah, well I certainly haven’t seen our position improving really!” Sonata shouted tears threatening to break. “We may have been living on residual leftover magic in our systems for the past few years, but now look at us! And we’ve been sitting around on our asses feeling sorry for ourselves and saying ‘oh woe is me’ without actually doing a damn thing about it!” she continued white hot tears stinging her cheeks catching Aria off-guard. Rarely did Sonata ever shout at anyone, and whenever she did it was never a good thing. She was the heart of the group, much as she was loathed to admit it. Adagio may have been the leader, but Sonata was just as important in keeping the three together.
And it honestly shamed Aria that she was rarely, if ever, able to contribute to the threesome beyond playing bodyguard and big threatening woman if needed. Aria had the looks and the cunning, Sonata was the cutie and Aria… Well, about all she had going for her was her muscle. Yes, in her younger years she had defended the pod with her personality and her brawn but in the real world, in the here and now of the modern age that amounted to very little aside from making her a very big scary woman nobody wanted to be around. She didn’t have her fangs and her muscle really didn’t amount to much here aside from making her look intimidating as all hell. Not that she was ever going to admit this aloud of course, given she was far too proud of herself to actually say such a thing.
“Oh by Writer’s Quill…” Aria muttered to herself as Sonata broke down sobbing and Adagio just held her, eyes widening briefly in shock. She had never, in all of her life ever heard Aria swear by anything -just swear in general- and certainly not by the Lady Faust herself. Then again, if there ever was a time to turn to religion of any sort, Adagio supposed, this was probably it. “Come on,” Aria continued to herself. “Come on milady, just give a little bit. Some… sign, I guess? Goddess, I don’t even know what to think anymore…”
It hurt Adagio seeing her siblings in this state. Her siblings, her pod. As the eldest, she was supposed to provide for them and she was failing drastically. As she walked out of the room, and down the hall her mind turned back to the fangires of her world. She vaguely remembered how it all got started.
The ponies and the fangires were allies once. Then the Arcle and the Amadum had been found, turning one pony into Kamen Rider Kuuga, the mightiest warrior ever to walk the face of Equestria. The fangires turned scared, afraid of this new power and started to go out on their own to raise up an army and conquer the lands before the ponies ever could. Least, that was the story anyways. Or one of them. The other was this. Long ago, the two races had been good friends fighting against a powerful group known only as the Legendorgas and their leader, known only as Kamen Rider Arc. Maybe it was to save themselves from extinction, or maybe they truly did care for each other but eventually sometime after the defeat of the Legendorgas by the first Kiva, the first King of the fangires that alliance… fractured.
This also had to do with the Amadum, as the story went. And the power of Kuuga. The stone was fractured, and King now having no obstacles in his path waged a bloody campaign, with many races being caught up in the crossfire the Sirens amongst them. Any race that was deemed a threat to his rule, like the Sirens, the Thestrals, or the Timberwolves was systematically hunted down and slaughtered. Some races managed to find shelter for a time, such as the Thestrals or devolved out of pure necessity in the Timberwolves so they would not be hunted down and killed in the Fangire King’s mad quest for power and absolute control.
The Dazzlings in their case, they couldn’t fight back against the fangires and their sheer power, nor could they go to the Princesses for help because all ponies distrusted the Siren race by pure instinct so the Dazzlings were forced to take matters into their own hooves. Or fins as the case might have been. And so you know the rest. Starswirl being the zealot he was banished them. Or maybe he did know of the fangires and sent the Dazzlings to another world to escape the systematic genocide. Who was to say really? The lines had become so blurred over the years Adagio for her part had simply stopped giving a damn and just embraced what they called her. All three of them did. They became monsters, traveling all over the world and leaving destruction in their wakes. But believe it or not, the Dazzlings and the Siren race as a whole were only the tip of the iceberg.
Perhaps the most tragic story in all of this was, in fact, the Changelings. You see, King in secret, attacked and drained the life energy of ponies alongside his soldiers. And so ponies needed a scapegoat. The changelings had only been newly discovered back then and sadly they had a similar modus operandi but only took what they needed to survive. Because the Fangires never revealed themselves publicly at least, guess who took the blame? The changelings were banished from Equestria forever creating a grudge that is still upheld by the former Queen Chrysalis today amongst other hardliners.
There were many such stories, and nobody by this point knew the real truth and perhaps nobody cared. But whatever it was, it all boiled down to one simple fact of life.
Miscommunication, that’s all it came down to in the end.
Perhaps more efforts should have been spared, to try and talk to the King. Maybe he would have listened, maybe he wouldn’t have. Adagio didn’t know. But maybe just maybe Equus wouldn’t have gone to hell and maybe, just maybe Adagio and her pod wouldn’t have had to raise up an army to try and fight the hoards. And maybe Starswirl wouldn’t have had to banish them out of sheer fear of what they could do.
There were a lot of maybes involved, really. A lot of what-ifs and loose ends that probably never would be resolved. At least, not in Adagio’s lifetime. She cursed herself for falling back and focusing on the past. What she needed to do in the here and now was provide for her siblings and help them. Even if the means to do it disgusted her, getting drugs from some back alley chemist. But what could she do? It wasn’t like anyone she knew would actually help her. Not with who she was.
The drug dealer at the end of the hall. He was a greasy haired sort, with green teeth. Made Adagio shudder. Humans, always finding new and creative ways to disgust her.
“Mind you, am I any different?” Adagio thought. “I have that same desire to conquer, given what I tried to do at CHS. And unlike those times back home, I enjoyed this. This wasn’t simple self-defense against a powerful race bent on conquering and genocide. No, this time I was the monster.”
And as she opened the door and the drug dealer leered at her with those eyes of his… well, Adagio’s resolve stiffened. Slamming on the driver she knew what she had to do.
“Taka, Tora, Batta: Ta-To-Ba! Tatoba, Ta-To-Ba!”
He never even had time to scream even as Adagio went for her blade…
Adagio groaned as she stepped out of the shower, the early morning light shining in through the windows. Even so, as she dressed herself she couldn’t help but feel something was… off. Going for her bedside table, she reached inside and pulled out a baton and gave it a flick extending it. Slowly walking into the dining room, she felt something behind her and whirled around before hitting a person square in the face.
“OOOOOOOWWWWWW!” Ankh shouted holding his possibly now broken nose. A black eye was beginning to form as well. “What, it’s not enough you damage my pride, but now you have to damage me as well, you bint?”
“...Funny, you seem to do a fine job of damaging your own pride without me,” Adagio muttered. “Seriously, you had that coming. Nearly gave me a heart attack sneaking up behind me like that!”
“Well, I’m sorry Ms. Pretty Princess, you want me to bow down and kowtow to you apologizing before you spin my feelings for you around once more and kick mini-me in the balls?” Ankh snapped leaving Adagio very, very confused indeed.
“Okay, something’s definitely not right here,” Adagio thought to herself as her mind began to race. Yes, okay, Ankh’s an oddball with an egotistical streak a mile wide but yeah… something strange is going on here....”
“Spin your what…?” Adagio asked slowly and Ankh let out a hiss.
“You know perfectly well what!” he snapped. “Don’t play twenty questions with me, Pretty Princess. I know you were out walking the streets last night, near that Magnum Opus place! You played with me! Made me feel… human things! Gah!” he screeched out.
“...You’re definitely acting odder than normal, you know that right Ankh?” Adagio asked in reply. “Now can you stay quiet for a moment? Just… I just have this feeling. Something’s definitely off.”
“...Yeah, like my mini-me aching like-”
“Okay, one I didn’t need to hear that, and two what part of stay quiet did you not understand?” Adagio asked. She so did not need a headache from Ankh this early in the morning. Not till she’d had her coffee at the very least.
Or was it the afternoon? Adagio honestly couldn’t tell, given she’d had to work an all-nighter back at the Aquarium last night and so she’d slept in quite a bit. Star Hunter had been out sick, amongst other things so she’d had to fill in for him. At least in return, she’d gotten the day off out of it. She loved her job, but by god that was a long night.
Walking back towards the bedroom, Adagio went for her nightstand in a panic realizing exactly what was wrong, and her eyes widened.
“Ankh, the Driver! And the Medals, they’re gone!” she shouted before taking a few deep breaths. She’d just misplaced them, that was all.
“Oh, so now you’re lying about not only assaulting me, but you’re also lying about the medals and the driver going missing. You’re just doing this to spite me, aren’t you?” Ankh shouted from the kitchen, taking the ice pop out of his mouth. “Seriously, you are aren’t you! This is to get back at me for making my nest with your underthings isn’t it?”
“I’m not so petty as to make up a story like that,” Adagio replied calmly trying to keep herself from throttling Ankh in her panicked state. Okay, she knew it wouldn’t help her… but it’d probably feel good and it would certainly ease her headache if Ankh just shut up for a moment. “I’m not kidding Ankh. They’re gone. Alright, where’d you hide them? Is this some sort of game? I’ll give you a month’s supply of ice pops -the cherry kind, as you know you love them- if you just tell me where you hid the driver and the medals.”
“Why do you assume it’s all about me?” Ankh replied his voice coming almost across as a whine. As she peeked back into the kitchen, Adagio gave her roommate a flat look.
“Because it usually is,” she deadpanned. “Name me one instance in your life where it hasn’t been completely about you.”
Ankh froze, thinking back to all those centuries ago. To that girl in that village he’d let down so badly. Taking this as silence and confirmation of her theory, Adagio smirked before muttering: “Yeah, I thought so…”
A chirping sound came from the window, along with a pecking sound soon after and Adagio opened it and in flew Cube Condor. He chirped and hissed before his eyes lit up and displayed footage from last night. Adagio’s eyes widened as she saw a much rattier version of her with much wilder hair follow Ankh inside her apartment before soon dashing out with a certain driver and medals in her hand.
She swore quietly, and Ankh came running as soon as he heard this. “What, forgot where you hid the driver in this little game of ours?” he sneered. “I’d heard with old age in humans your me-”
He promptly shut up at Adagio’s withering glare. “Ankh, tell me what happened last night while I was away. All of it.”
And so Ankh explained. Adagio wanted to groan to herself. Why oh why did she have to put up with this stupid bird? He should have realized that he was being played like a fiddle from the start, smart as he was supposed to be. But then again… she remembered she never actually explained about her doppelganger. And so she did, here and now. Ankh was… less than convinced.
“Wait, so you’re telling me there’s this other you, an even bitcher one, from this magical land of horses and all sorts of crap? She’s the one who stole everything, and kicked me in the balls?”
“I know, I can’t believe it half the time myself,” Adagio grimaced. “Although, now that I think of it, her kicking you in the balls might have been a good thing. God knows we don’t want a bunch of little yous runn-”
“WHAT KIND OF IDIOT DO YOU TAKE ME FOR!?!” Ankh roared. “THAT’S THE MOST BULLSHIT STORY I’VE EVER HEARD!”
“Fine, believe what you want, but as it stands…” Adagio started before realizing Ankh was already gone in a huff and swore loudly. She then made perhaps the most colossal understatement in the history of understatements.
“This… is not good.”