//------------------------------// // Didn't Know That You Fell... // Story: Dazzled // by Pennington Inkwell //------------------------------// Adagio let out a long sigh as she let her head lean against the passenger seat's window, her hair cushioning her skin against the cold glass. Mend had mentioned living near Cloudsdale Academy, but she hadn't counted on it taking so long to drive back with him. But she'd held her tongue about complaining for the sake of being polite. If the incident at the cafe taught me anything, it's that I'm going to have to mind my manners a bit more closely now that I don't have my magic. Her sigh, however, didn't go unnoticed. "Heh, sorry for taking so long, Adagio..." Mend chuckled, tapping out a beat on the steering wheel with his fingers. "I should have warned you it was a long drive. Would you like me to put on some music?" "No, I think I've had enough of that to last me a while..." she mumbled, sitting back in the seat and folding her arms over her chest. A stray strand of her curly hair fell over her face, tickling her skin and brushing at her nose. "Oh, right, the concert... I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories." You have no idea... Adagio cringed as her mind flashed back to that night. The memory was still fresh, but the pain of it felt as if she'd been carrying it for years. She'd had it: all she wanted and more. The Rainbooms had been vanquished, their simpleton's spell being no match for her own voice, trained and honed to perfection through the centuries. And then that blasted whelp had picked up the microphone. Sunset Shimmer. Together, she had given the fools just enough of an edge to turn the tides, even if it was for a brief moment. When the first wave of their magic had washed over them, Adagio had felt every single individual under their spell break free. Every connection draining them of their energy severed felt like a vein of lifeblood being ripped out from her chest. But how was she to know that Sunset could ever be forgiven- no, not only that- ACCEPTED AND CELEBRATED by the very ones that she had hurt so badly? Certainly, it was possible. The Rainbooms were idealistic fools who would probably forgive the foulest creatures in Tartarus if only to prove that "friendship is magic." She scoffed quietly under her breath at the thought. I underestimated Sunset Shimmer. She helped them to open a momentary hole in our defenses. Another few notes and we could have regained control, I know it! If only- "Hey, are you okay?" Mend's voice jolted her from her reverie, and Adagio noticed that her hands had clenched into tight fists and her teeth were grinding with the force of her anger and frustration. Quickly releasing her grip and cringing at the temporary pain in her jaw, she nodded. "Yeah. You were right about the 'bad memories' thing." She brushed the strand of hair out of her face, reaching down for the lever to adjust the seat so she sat further upright, less able to retreat back and down into herself. Half of a performance was body language, after all, and she was going to have to put on the show of her life to incubate and harvest the spell hanging over him to restore her powers, if it was even possible to do so. If not, well, she could definitely think of worse ways to waste her remaining time. "So... How about a change of subject?" She leaned over and to the side, resting her head on his shoulder. Establishing physical contact was a great way of creating intimacy and nourishing his affections for her. Admittedly, though, it was partially to sate her own heated desires. He had discarded his jacket to the backseat when he had stepped into the car, but his shoulder radiated warmth. The kind of warmth that went unnoticed to the rest of the world, only available to himself... and any who came close enough to steal away a little for themselves and lock it away inside to treasure. "Could you maybe tell me a little more about yourself? Like why you would come swooping in to save a girl at the last moment like that?" To her smug amusement, Mend didn't shy away from the contact. In fact, he welcomed it, even adjusting his shoulder to let her head nestle in the curve of his shoulder joining his neck. "Well, for one thing, I knew who you are, and like I said, I'm a big admirer of your singing! I probably would have offered to pay for you, either way. Just as a token of that respect." "Mm-hmm..." Adagio hummed quietly, closing her eyes. It was only now that the exhaustion of the past two days were beginning to hit her, and it didn't help that she was beginning to crash from the caffeine wearing off. Of course, that had never been a problem before. She was sustained by her magic, before, the coffee had just been a habit for refreshment and a way of sating the hunger left by the minuscule energy humans could yield. The hum of his voice resonating through his chest sent vibrations through his body, as well, assuaging her stress. Not very melodic, but a fine, pure tone. Definitely a healthy voice... One I could certainly get used to hearing. "And, well... I may have had an ulterior motive..." He chuckled lightly to himself, sending another series of vibrations through his body. This time, however, Adagio noticed something off in the sound. It was some kind of harmonic undertone. It was faint, almost imperceptible, but Adagio had heard it. And if there was one thing that she would never doubt, it was her own ears. Curious, she turned her gaze upwards, staring at his face as they continued the conversation. "Oh, you? Being sneaky? Now you have to tell me!" "Well... I may have some feelings for you beyond simple admiration..." His body grew warmer as his face flushed red, and Adagio felt flattered and bemused by how ashamed humans could be about their own feelings. A thrill ran through her chest, however, at the implications he was making. It was like she was torn in two, her mind dedicated to the task at hand and her heart begging and pleading for the affection that no horde of screaming fans could match. Stop that... Right now, he's prey. Magic now. Stupid human hormones later... "And.. what would those be?" She lifted her head away from his shoulder, gently placing her finger under his chin to turn his head towards her. Her eyelids slid down to a seductive half-open position as she let one corner of her mouth gently tug upwards to the familiar position of her show-stopper smile. "What kind of 'feelings' would you say you have for me?" Please... please say it! PLEASE SAY IT! I want this! I NEED this! "Well, Adagio... I think... I think that I may..." She was interrupted. Again. Just a moment. Just a moment for some outside force to turn the tides when she was on the verge of success. His eyes darted to the side, and his entire body moved with it as something caught him by surprise. Adagio was thrown violently into him as the car swung to the side, and she caught a glimpse of a blue, human-sized blur outside speed past the window. Mend quickly pushed her off of his body and back safely into her seat before leaning out the window and craning his neck as far back as humanly possible. "STAY OUTTA THE ROAD, YOU MORON!" He screamed, uncharacteristically angry for a moment before retreating back into his seat, shaking his head and grimacing as he hissed through his teeth. To Adagio's shock, there was a large scratch across his chest, one of her spike-studded bracelets having raked across him in the sudden turmoil of dodging the pedestrian. No no no no NO NO NO NO NO! Not again! I'm not going to be stopped on the threshold of victory again! "Oh, Mend! I'm sorry! I knew I should have gotten rid of these stupid bracelets after the concert! It's just that they matched my other clothes, and I was in a hurry to get out of the-" her stuttered apology was cut off as she continued to stare at his injury. Slowly leaking from the wound was not crimson blood, but a sticky, florescent-green liquid. Mend looked at her quizzically when she stopped, then looked down at his chest. Upon seeing the situation, he let out an audible groan of annoyance, slamming the palm of his free hand against his forehead. Meanwhile, for Adagio, the pieces were quickly falling into place. But, if he's not human, does that mean that he's not from this world? Is he from Equestria? But that would mean that that magic wasn't MINE, it was HIS! And this whole time, I've been falling deeper and deeper under HIS spell, not the other way around! Her breath began coming in quicker and shorter bursts as her hand reached to the door handle, gripping it tightly and ready to open it to escape at a moment's notice... If they weren't cruising at almost 40 miles per hour. She had no idea if her now-ordinary human body could even survive such an impact. I have to get out of here! I HAVE TO GET OUT OF- Mend turned on her in an instant with a feral snarl, a pair of large fangs glinting in the moonlight as his hand wrapped around the back of her head and flung her forward and into the dashboard, causing Adagio's head to explode with pain and her vision to cloud with a red haze that slowly faded to darkness. I have to get out of here.. I have... to get.. out... When Adagio woke up, she didn't immediately open her eyes. Her head was painfully pounding with each heartbeat, and the noise of her blood in her ears was almost deafening for several minutes. She moaned softly in pain while she slowly reached further and further back in her memory, trying to bring to mind the circumstance that had brought her to this point. At first, the only memories she could summon were memories of pain from the previous moments, compounding her headache. As time passed, though, her memories began to return. Ugh... Aria and Sonata left... Then the cafe... Mend... MEND! Adagio's eyes snapped open as the rest of the night's events returned to her mind. Mend isn't human! She blinked several times, taking in her new surroundings. She was in an empty room in what seemed to be a dilapidated building, judging by the poor state of repair. Wallpaper was peeling from the walls, and several portions of the ceiling had fallen away, leaving the quickly-rotting supporting beams exposed. There were even places in the floor where the floorboards were cracked or gone completely, exposing a concrete foundation. The only light in the room came from a barred window above her head, letting in slatted beams of moonlight. She tried to move, only to discover that she was completely immobilized. Looking up, she saw that her hands had been bound together by the wrists and glued to the wall above her head with some kind of translucent green substance that had crystallized into a rock-hard mass while she'd been unconscious. It was the same for her feet, bound at the ankles and stuck to the floor behind her, forcing her to remain on her knees. She tried moving her hands again, this time with more force, but her restraints refused to budge. She extended her legs, thrusting her body forward to try and break herself away from the wall, but to no avail. She grunted quietly with the effort as she tried again, throwing herself forward with as much force as she dared without risking separating her arms from her shoulders. But there was no response. Not even so much as a groan or creak from the wall and floorboards. "Did he HAVE to glue me onto the single sturdy piece of this entire room?" she sighed quietly under her breath. To her surprise, the door to the room creaked open, and an unfamiliar face popped through. Though he didn't look like Mend, the stranger was wearing the same clothing, right down to the hole-filled jacket. As he locked eyes with her, Adagio froze. She was helpless. She had nothing on her side and everything against her. He could do just about anything that he wanted to her, and she wouldn't be able to stop him. She was terrified. It seemed to be becoming a popular trend. The stranger blinked twice and tilted his head slightly, as if confused. Adagio didn't make any kind of effort to break the silence. After another few seconds, the door shut again, and she lost sight of him. "Hey, boss! She's awake!" a voice, presumably her captor's, shouted. Adagio knew that she had no choice. She was going to have to bide her time. She couldn't escape from her current position, so she would wait until an opportunity presented itself. To her surprise, however, rather than an ominous figure coming through the door, a dark shadow cast itself over the room from the window. A familiar shadow. A shadow with a comically oversized ponytail. "Good morning, Adagio!" Sonata's cheery voice echoed through the room. "Well, I guess it's not really morning, but-" "Sonata?" Adagio's eyes widened as she pushed herself up and away from the wall, craning her head backwards too try to catch sight of her unexpected visitor. True to the voice she'd heard, there was Sonata's face standing just outside the bars on the window, grinning obliviously at her as she gave a tiny wave. "What are you doing here?" "Well..." Sonata's eyes drifted to the side, as if answering the question required serious thought. "I'm talking to you!" Adagio wished her hands were free, if only for a moment, so that she could respond to the spot on her forehead that was suddenly aching to be slapped. "I mean, how did you find me? Why are you here?" As Sonata paused again, Adagio thought that she had made a mistake in asking two questions at once. But after a moment, she noticed tears building up in Sonata's eyes. "W-Well, after I stopped crying, I didn't know where else to go... I've never been on my own before. So I followed you when you got into that car!" She sniffled loudly as the first few tears began to overflow onto her cheeks. It was Adagio's turn to pause and think. The fact that Sonata had followed her when she didn't know what else to do was both pitiable... and somewhat touching. And she was right, the three of them had never been split apart before this night, and she'd be lying if she claimed that she'd known what to do next, herself. "Alright, that answers one question... But I was in a car! How did you keep up? We're miles away from home!" "Well, duh!" Sonata quickly cheered back up into a smile. "You guys drove in circles for an hour! I just ran after you! And we're not that far! It's just a few blocks to the school from here!" If she weren't hanging her head upside down to talk to Sonata, Adagio's jaw would have dropped. With that option not the immediate go-to, Adagio transitioned to her second default response: gritting her teeth in rage. That jackal not only used his magic to disorient me, but he made me wait ALL THAT TIME to only go a FEW BLOCKS? Before she could ask Sonata for help, she heard the sound of footsteps coming down a hallway outside her room. Immediately, her mind snapped into making certain she didn't lose any more resources to stupidity, whether it was her own or someone else's. "Sonata! Get down on the ground and don't get up until I tell you!" "Okie dokie!" Sonata grinned happily before dropping out of sight. Adagio quickly returned to her resting position against the wall, trying to look as if nothing had happened. The door to her prison swung open, revealing Mend (in a new shirt) striding in, flanked by the minion who had announced her awakening. Giving her a twisted grin, he stepped forward, placing his finger at the base of her neck and gently tracing it up along her chin until she was staring straight into his eyes. "I do apologize for my slight... overrreaction in the car, my dear Adagio. I'm afraid that I panicked and could think of nothing else!" His tone was low and sultry, as if even now he were trying to seduce her into loving him. "How is your pretty little head feeling?" Adagio had two choices: she could play dumb and pretend that the concussion in the car had wiped clean her memory of what had happened, or cut straight to the point. "M-Mend? What's going on? Why am I tied up like this? What happened in the car, I don't remember!" she gave her best impression of innocence, but judging by the fearsome scowl that his face morphed into, he wasn't having any of it. "A genuinely good effort, but utterly fruitless," he growled. "You can't lie to me, Adagio. I can see it in your eyes..." Well, so much for that plan... His magic must be able to read emotions, as well as manipulate them. Adagio sighed, reclining as best she could in her position to adopt a more serious and deadpanned demeanor. She needed to know the extent of his abilities, and if she could keep him talking, she could derive more and more from his words. "Eh, it was worth a shot. Anything to get me out of this situation would be, right?" She shrugged her shoulders. Let's see just how dumb I can play... I just seriously thought those words. Ugh, Sonata must be rubbing off on me. "So, what are you? The only thing I can think of that would bleed green would be some type of alien, or something." The lackey grinned, then laughed, giving Mend a friendly punch on the arm. "Hey, boss! She thinks you're from Mars, or somethin'! That's funny!" "Yes. Hilarious." Mend rolled his eyes with exasperation before turning back to Adagio and restoring his smug smile. "But I'm afraid that you aren't nearly so lucky, Adagio. You see, I'm a being not only from beyond your world, but beyond your entire comprehensible universe!" His eyes glowed from within with magical energy, casting a momentary green light on her. Adagio mimed horribly fake surprise, much to Mend's surprise. He was trying to intimidate her, and in doing so, letting information flood out of his mouth like a faucet. "Oh, so big and scary!" she smiled, hoping to get more answers from her captor through sarcasm. "Let me guess, you come from a land of candy, rainbows, and unicorns? Where the sun is always shining and the air smells like daffodils?" "NO!" Mend stepped forward, shaking a vindictive finger at her. "I come from a place filled with the creatures of NIGHTMARES! Hydras! Dragons! Manticores! All of them, nothing compared to my race's terrible greatness! If you could see my true form, you would quiver in your overpriced boots!" Definitely from Equestria. "Hey, boss! Why don't you do that shape-shifting thingy with the green fire? That usually gives them a good scare!" "As much as I'd like to put the fear of her maker into this little human, I'm tired from having to heal up that slash she made across my chest. I'd have all the energy I could want if it weren't for that blue-haired idiot in the street! My spell over her was almost complete!" Adagio's eyes widened in surprise. Looking back, she had been acting totally unlike herself, feeling such strong emotions towards someone, especially someone she had assumed at the time was a simple human. Note to self, thank Sonata for walking into the street later... Addendum: Inform her that walking into the street is bad under most circumstances. "Well, now that I've wised up to your little plan, what are you planning on doing with me?" She asked, grinning with pleasure as she recognized what the being before her was hiding: Mend was a changeling. A "distant cousin" of the sirens, they were too weak to enchant others into adoring them the way a siren could, so they had developed the ability to change their appearance in order to develop the initial bond needed to cast their spell. After so many years trapped in the human world, Adagio had almost forgotten that they even existed, let alone kept her guard up in case she met one. But still, our magics are close enough that my first plan might work... A siren is stronger and more powerful at their weakest than any changeling short of royalty. He could still be my ticket to restoring my powers... "What am I planning on doing with you?" He rolled his eyes bemusedly, shaking his head. "My dear Adagio, that is not the question! The question is what you plan on doing with yourself!" He stepped forward and turned, seating himself beside her. "You see, for every single person who loves me and adores me, I grow stronger. That's the case for every member of my species. With enough followers, nothing would be able to stop us! You are the key! Believe it or not, I wasn't lying about enjoying your music. You have the kind of voice that everyone, everywhere would adore if they could only get the chance to hear it! And all of that love, that delicious, DELICIOUS love, would translate directly into power. Your power." His arm snaked around her waist, pulling her closer so that he could whisper directly into her ear. "I can give you that opportunity. That endless power. Everything you ever wanted could sit in the palm of your hand." Adagio choked down the urge to gag and sneer at what she now recognized was a mere insect before her being so forward with her body. She knew that this could be her only chance. Instead, she leaned into him as best she could with her hands and feet bound. "And... may I ask what you want in return?" He leaned closer, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "What else? The same thing you do. Unlimited power. To share in it with you as we pave the way to a future in which we can dominate... together." There it was again, the tug of magic on her heartstrings, trying to persuade her out of rational thought. This time, however, she was ready for it, steeling herself and sending an icy chill over her emotions, killing the warmth of love that was being planted. "Hmm... So, half of unlimited power, and all I have to do is sing for your cause?" "You make it sound like sharing is a bad thing!" Mend feigned being hurt by her words. "After all, what's half of infinity?" "Ummm..." His henchman hummed to himself as he seemed to be straining with thought, walking to a nearby wall after a few seconds to sketch numbers with his finger. There was the urge to slap herself again, one that, though she wasn't able to fulfill, Mend executed with ease. "Faust help me..." he whispered, shaking his head as he rose to his feet. "Anyway, I'll give you some time to think about it, Adagio. This is an opportunity you will only receive once." Grabbing his henchman by the back of his collar, Mend left the room and dragged his underling with him. Outside, Adagio couldn't make out the words being exchanged, but Mend was giving his compatriot instructions in firm tones. After an affirmation from him, Mend's footsteps descended back down the hallway. After another few minutes of waiting patiently, Adagio stretched outwards and craned to see out the window again. "Sonata? Did you hear all that?" "Yep!" Adagio waited for a moment, expecting more from her ally before realizing who she was talking to. "Sonata, you can get off the ground, now." Sonata quickly popped back into view, grinning happily. Adagio stopped for a moment, trying to understand her change of mood from her earlier tears. "What are you so happy about?" "Because now I know what to do!" If Adagio could in her position, she would have tilted her head in confusion. "And what are you going to do?" Sonata shrugged. "I dunno! You're the one with the plans! I just missed having you there to do the knowing!" Adagio blinked in surprise, finding her heart somewhat warmed by Sonata's mix of loyalty and stupidity. "Well, you're right about one thing..." Adagio felt a grin spreading over her face as the excitement of her up-and-coming plan began to bubble up. "I AM the one with the plans. And right now, I've got a real doozy."