//------------------------------// // Why Don't We See Who Is Better? // Story: Dazzled // by Pennington Inkwell //------------------------------// Adagio rubbed anxiously at the hardened substance around her wrists, trying not to cringe. Thankfully, Sonata had brought along her own spike-studded bracelets, and the two of them had worked in hushed whispers to use one of them as a makeshift chisel. To their relief, the bonds had proven themselves brittle, and easily broken away from the wall and into two pieces to free her hands and legs. "Okay, now what?" Sonata asked, looking anxiously around the room. She didn't seem to notice the danger of the situation until she had already climbed in through an open window in a neighboring room and joined Adagio through a hole in the wall, but was quickly growing anxious as the atmosphere began to sink in. "Now... We get our magic back." Adagio grinned insidiously as she examined her surroundings. There had been a large hole in the wall for Sonata to come through in the room next door, and from the looks of things, every room that wasn't absolutely necessary for holding the house up had been ripped through by Mend and his minions. Getting around would be a piece of cake. Getting around undetected, however... was another matter, entirely. "We DO?" Sonata grabbed Adagio by the shoulders, spinning her around to make eye contact. Her typical airheaded smile had escalated into a shimmering expression of elation, one that Adagio had seen only at a few elite Mexican restaurants that offered all-you-can-eat tacos. "SHH!" Adagio quickly clapped her hand over Sonata's mouth, but the damage was already done. She could hear the sound of a key rattling in the door. If we BOTH get captured here, we'll NEVER get out! Taking advantage of their intimate position, Adagio looked Sonata in the eyes and braced herself to force out the most painful words of her life. "Go get Aria. Tell her I'm getting back our magic, and that I... need her help." Stepping back, she raced to the hole where Sonata had entered the room, ducking inside and out of sight. "And don't tell them where I am!" She hissed as the door swung open. Sonata blinked in confusion at Adagio's actions, not seeming to understand why Adagio had hid. "Don't tell who-" She was cut off as she turned towards the door, only to nearly bump her nose into an exposed blade being held a few inches from her face by the guard that had entered the room. "Who are you?" The brutish guard growled, his eyes darting around the room. "Where's the prisoner?" Sonata opened her mouth to speak, then paused. Adagio prayed that she had oiled the metaphorical gears in her brain today. "What prisoner?" "The one the boss told me to guard!" He inched the knife closer to her face, and Adagio felt a flicker of concern for Sonata. She had come to save her... Sonata paused again before her expression changed. Her eyes narrowed and the corners of her mouth turned upwards into a confident smile. Adagio could count on one hand the number of times that she had seen that expression. And it was always accompanied by catastrophic disaster. Sonata had an idea. "Oooh! That prisoner! Yeah, she died!" Adagio had to resist the urge to storm out from her hiding place, grab Sonata by the shoulders, and scream at her the dozens of reasons why her lie was horrible. The guard lowered his knife, his expression falling to a look of disappointment. "What? How?" Adagio's jaw dropped. Judging from earlier, she'd known that the guard was stupid. But could it actually be possible for him to be dumber than Sonata? "The chicken pox!" No. No, it isn't. "The what?" "The chicken pox!" Sonata cheerfully repeated. The thug placed his hand on his chin, a quiet scratching noise filling the silence. "But I just saw her an hour ago!" "Well, duh! She had to leave for the funeral!" "There's a funeral?" "Yeah, come on! It'll be great! We've even got backgammon!" Motioning for him to follow, she walked to the door. Adagio wasn't sure whether to cheer for Sonata or feel offended at the fact that her supposed funeral was going to be "great." As the guard turned to follow Sonata, however, she took her chance, sprinting forward and leaping onto him with all of the force she could muster, her heart pounding in her chest. Not giving him a chance to call for help, Adagio caught his neck in the crook of her elbow, using her free hand to tug on her wrist and wrench it shut around his neck. The guard staggered backwards, losing his balance as he choked and coughed weakly, the only sounds coming from his mouth being faint squeaks as he reached up and attempted to try her arm off of him to no avail. In a matter of seconds, his eyes had rolled back into his head and he collapsed to the ground, sending Adagio tumbling with him. She cringed as the two of them made contact with the ground, the blow graciously softened by the oaf beneath her, the only casualty of the confrontation being a sharp stinging in her elbow. After waiting a few seconds to be sure that he wasn't faking, she slowly unhooked her arm and sat up, taking a brief look at the offending pain in her elbow. Thankfully, the injury didn't look serious, just reddened as a couple of layers of skin had been scraped off, but it was a painful reminder of her current mortality. Before she could take the time to ponder it too deeply, however, she was overtaken by a huge force slamming into her from the side. As she was knocked to the floor, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, pinning her own to her sides as she lost her balance and fell to the ground. For a moment, she tensed up, trying to escape, before realizing that her vision was being obscured by Sonata's two tones of blue hair. "Adagio! You're alive!" Adagio rolled her eyes, sliding one arm free and using it to prop herself up before prying Sonata off of her. "Of course I am! YOU were the one who made that up!" "Oh... Yeah. I forgot." Sonata chuckled awkwardly as she finally released her grip on her leader. As the two rose up onto their feet, Adagio felt her confidence rising. One guard was down, she was free to move around the house and find her captor, and she knew her enemy. It was time to finally put the plan into action. "Now, Sonata... Do you remember what I told you to go and tell Aria?" Sonata nodded eagerly. "Yup! That you need her help, and that you're going to get our magic back!" Adagio cringed at Sonata's mirroring of her emphasis, then nodded. "Good. Now, go and get Aria and bring her back here!" She pointed to the hole in the wall leading to the room with the open window. Sonata nodded and started to leave, then stopped, turning back to Adagio. "Wait.. You're not coming with me?" Adagio sighed. Even after all of these years, Sonata was still such a child. "No. I told you, I have to stay here and get our magic! Now go! And hurry!" Sonata nodded, running into the next room and vaulting out the window. It only took a matter of seconds for her running to evolve into an all-out sprint as she disappeared into the distance. Following me while I was in that car and still having the energy to run like that? I swear, I am NEVER making fun of Sonata's morning jogs again... Shaking her head, Adagio set herself to her current task: finding Mend. Now, if I were a changeling leader trying to establish a base of operations, where would I set up my quarters? She reached back in her memory, trying to recall her days in Equestria. During their conquest of the country and its surrounding regions, the three of them had the opportunity to split a hive on a few occasions, sometimes literally. And there had always been one prevalent pattern: The hives are built in concentric layers. And the leaders were always... In the center at the lowest level! Knowing her goal, her eyes snapped open, and she smiled confidently. Strolling silently to the door, she slowly poked her head outside, staring down the hallway. There weren't any other guards in either direction. Choosing to move to the right, she quickly strolled down the hall, trying to ignore the overwhelming urge to sprint to the next hiding place. Running makes noise... Slow and steady, Adagio. Slow and steady. Adagio counted at least four other cronies as she made her way through the house, which was beginning to seem more like a mansion. She'd had multiple close calls where a guard had almost spotted her, but she had always ducked out of sight in time. It had been painstakingly slow process to make it to the heart of the building, which she had eventually recognized as the old schoolhouse that the city had condemned after merging all of the grades into one school. Finally, though, she had made it. Two guards were standing outside of a large pair of metal double doors. Judging from the green glow and the sheer power that she could feel radiating from inside, this had to be where Mend had established the center of his little hive. All of the indignant rage that had been simmering inside her came to a boil as she realized how close she was to her condescending captor. When I get my hands on that cretin, he's going to regret ever crossing my path! But I'm going to have to get past these guards, first... Reaching down, she snatched a small rock from the ground, cradling it in her palm. The big question is, "How stupid are these two?" Turning to look at her surroundings, Adagio spotted the perfect target: one of the few remaining intact windows. It was further down the hallway, and to walk to it, the guards would have to turn their backs to her. Unfortunately, while they would be facing the other direction, they would both walk straight past her when they entered the perpendicular hallway. But it's still my best shot. She cringed, inhaling through her clenched jaw. If I still had my powers, I'd just sing them into hating each other and sneak by in the ensuing chaos... After a few more seconds of thought, she nodded determinedly to herself, raising her throwing arm. I just hope luck is still on my si- She froze as an electronic beeping pulsed through the silence. One of the guards lifted his wrist, both of them craning to read his watch in the semi-darkness. "Oh, hey! It's lunch time already!" the one with the watch grinned, cheerfully elbowing his comrade in the rib. "Come on! I hear that Captain Mendax ordered out tonight! We're getting Chinese food!" "Ugh... I hate eggrolls!" "But they're sooo good!" Adagio pressed herself against the wall, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. The two walked past, and she whispered a quiet prayer that they wouldn't turn to their right. After what seemed like an eternity, they turned to their left and walked away, still discussing the pros and cons of eggrolls. Adagio paused. I guess I was right about luck being on my side... Sneaking around the corner, Adagio tip-toed to the doors and gently gripped the handle, soundlessly cracking one of them open and slipping inside. Inside the room was completely different from the rest of the building. In typical changeling territorial behavior, Mend (whom she now realized was actually called "Mendax") had taken the largest room that he could find for himself: the gymnasium. Much of the massive room was dark and smothered in shadows, but the center of the basketball court was lit by a magical green light emanating from Mend, who was resting on a large, well-padded chair.. He was reclined back, inhaling and exhaling slowly, seemingly drinking in the magical energy of the room. Staying in the shadows, Adagio skirted around the edges of the room, trying to examine what kind of magic he was using and where it was coming from. As much as she would have enjoyed walking up and bashing his smug, pretty face into the back of his skull, this was not the time to let her emotions get the better of her. To steal his magic, she was going to have to understand it. Taking one last deep breath and releasing it in a massive sigh of contentment, Mendax rose from his chair, smiling as he strode across the room. Making his way to the far end of the gym, his luminescence revealed that a small portion of the back wall was covered by a red velvet curtain. Taking a grip on one end, he ripped it aside. Where Adagio would have expected there to be some kind of scoreboard, there was instead a massive mirror, shimmering in the semi-darkness. Unsure of what was going on, she took a few tentative steps closer to improve her view. Mend quietly dropped down onto one knee, prostrating himself before the mirror. After a moment, Adagio watched at the green light gathered around him, then floated away from his body, upwards, and into the mirror, where it passed into the surface with ease. There was a brief moment of silence and complete darkness. Then, the mirror began to emit its own light, flickering to life like a television screen. A television screen displaying a very large and very angry-looking Changeling Queen. "Mendax..." she hissed, glaring down at him, "give me your report." "My queen... I believe that this world is ripe for the taking. They have no knowledge of magic, and even in my weakened state, I've been able to enchant dozens of their foolish females. And, if my recruits are any accurate representation, their males are even less intelligent. They'll be easy to deceive and even simpler to dominate." Well, he's right about THAT... Wait, DOZENS? That DISGUSTING LITTLE- "Perfect. Now that you've established a base of operations, we may begin our-" "Ahem." The queen paused, her already intimidating scowl deepening. "Do you have an issue, Mendax?" Mendax rose from the ground, rubbing his hands craftily as he shook his head. "No, no, no, your highness! No issues. Simply... requests." Adagio caught an all-too-familiar glint of greed in his eyes. It was the same type of greed and lust for power she'd seen in Aria's eyes every time she'd managed to dig up some kind of dirt she could blackmail Adagio with. "Mind your tone, Mendax. Your reckless ambition was what drove you to being banished from the hive, to begin with. You are still in my debt for allowing you to leave with your horn intact." "Yes, yes, your highness! Of course, it was also my banishment that led to me finding this portal. And where did I turn first? Right back to you! I think that kind of loyalty should be rewarded!" The queen didn't react, simply continuing the glare down at him. "And the location of the portal is a bit of a... limited commodity, shall we say?" A portal? To EQUESTRIA? Adagio was almost afraid that the pounding of her heart in her chest would be loud enough for Mend to hear, but she couldn't contain her excitement. If we could find it, we could finally get back and get our revenge on those WRETCHED ponies! After several seconds of silence, she finally spoke again. "What is your price?" Finally unclasping his hands, Mendax returned to his throne, which had slowly turned to face him on its own with only the softest hum of magical energy. Sitting down, her peaked his index fingers together, placing the fingertips on his lips. "Send a battalion out into the Plains of Lore, I'll meet them there. They will be loyal to me and ONLY me." He leaned back in the chair, his hands parting to rest on either side's armrest. "These humans are stupid and easily manipulated, but they seem to grow even more simple under the influence of magic. They are servants hardly worth the time I spend giving them orders. Also, I want a promotion: high general in your cabinet." "You seek to place yourself in a position to overthrow me?" the queen let out a throaty series of hurrs that Adagio could only assume was laughter. "You never did know when to give up, cur. I'll confer with my cabinet, and have an answer for you when next we speak." After a moment of silence, the screen faded away, returning to being a simple, albeit large, mirror. Letting out a massive sigh of relief, Mend leaned forward, gripping his head with both hands, groaning in pain. "I swear, that gets harder to do every time..." he muttered, shaking his head softly. "Moving my chair to show off the power I don't have didn't help..." After almost a minute, Adagio knew she needed to move. Gingerly, she picked up her foot, testing the floor in front of her for squeaking floorboards. She felt a wave of relief as the floor revealed itself to be the best-kept part of the old building, not making a sound as her weight shifted. So, I need some kind of plan. Obviously, he somehow kept his powers after he crossed through that portal. That means that he's not going to be easy to overwhelm, if it's possible to do so... Her brow furrowed as she imagined what she would do if she still had her powers. I'd walk up there without a fear and punch that sick worm in his smug face! I can't BELIEVE I fell for that stupid spell! I'm going to- "If you wouldn't mind dialing down the hatred, that would be great, Adagio..." he moaned, dragging his hands down his face as his head turned to stare directly at her. "You're really just making my headache worse..." Adagio froze again. It was impossible that he had spotted her in the darkness, she could hardly see her own hand in front of her face, but he'd sniffed out her anger. She raised her hand up, gently and silently knocking it against her forehead as her rage turned inwards. Dagi, you IDIOT! She didn't notice the pair of glowing, green eyes behind her until it was too late. From the darkness, a pair of hands violently seized her wrists, expertly twisting her arms behind her back. "Gotcha! Oh, MEEEEND! Look what I got for you!" a female voice called out from behind her. Before she could begin to struggle, however, Adagio was knocked roughly to the floor as another body slammed into her, sliding them both across the once-polished floor of the gymnasium. "Let her go, you little wench! I saw her first, I should be the one to give her to Mend!" Adagio arched her back, trying to roll the two bodies off of her back to she could get to her feet and run, only for another to land on top of her, slamming her back against the floor and knocking the wind painfully out of her lungs. "Lookit, Mendy! I'm holding her down for you so she doesn't escape!" "Me, too!" "So am I!" "Look, Mend! Look!" Voice after sniveling voice called out into the darkness as one girl after another threw themselves on top of the pile. Adagio felt firm hands grip her ankles and her wrists from somewhere in the group of bodies, locking her in place. "Let me go! Let me GO, you brain-dead flunkies!" Adagio shouted, still trying to push back against the huge weight on top of her. "Now, Adagio, be a little kinder! We're all one big, happy family here!" Mend chided her smugly as he rose from his throne. "Isn't that right, girls?" "Yes, Mend!" the voices replied together in a discordant union that made Adagio want to grind her teeth. "Now, girls, what do you say we let Miss Dazzle up onto her feet? Carrot Top, Jetstream, you just make certain she doesn't go anywhere!" Making an uplifting motion with his hand, Adagio felt the weight lift off of her in perfect sync with him. Her hands remained pinned behind her back while she rose back to her feet, giving her little chance of escaping. Mend leaned down, tutting quietly. "Miss Dazzle, I understand your curiosity, it's only natural! But if you wanted to spy on me, perhaps you should have taken into account that I. HAVE. MAGIC." Adagio's mind raced, trying to find the way out of this situation. There was always a way out, she just had to find it. "So, you can read minds, too?" she asked, taking a glance over her shoulder at the girls holding her in place. One was the sporty type, probably a track and field runner, and the other fit most nerd stereotypes to the letter, glasses and all. Ordinarily, she wouldn't have given them much credit towards behind able to hold her back, but there were at least a dozen other glowing eyes behind them that brought that train of thought to a screeching halt. Whatever she was going to do, she was going to have to do it while restrained. "Read? With ease. Control? Effortlessly." He waved his hand grandiosely, causing the green light from the center of the room to grow brighter. The gymnasium seats around them held, as he had said, dozens of girls, all blankly staring forward in a deep trance. "This is the power I have over humanity. They are our cattle, fit for harvesting love from and doing our bidding." He turned back to her, his unbearable grin making Adagio want to grind her teeth. "I might call it luck that you arrived when you did, Adagio. This way, you see everything that my offer entails! All this power, total dominance over human kind, and the opportunity to charm every person on the planet with your song!" He stepped forward, running his finger under her chin teasingly. "What more could you ask for?" Adagio needed more time to think. She glanced up, catching sight of the red curtain hiding the mirror from before. "For someone with so much power, you certainly spend a lot of time on your knees..." Mend rolled his eyes, sighing as he turned to look at the mirror again. "Unfortunately, for all of my power, I still lack authority. My vision was greater than that of my leaders, and I was cast out for it! But, because of my banishment, I stumbled upon a way into this world, where I AM the ultimate authority!" So, he's a traitorous leech on top of being the scum of the earth. Lovely. Adagio could hardly hold back her gag reflex at the thought that she had ever fallen under a charm spell from this guy. Still, she had to, at least until she could steal an opportunity to make his magic hers. "And with your help, my dear, we could form an army to take my world by force!" His hand tightened to a fist as he spun around again, his tattered coat flaring out behind him like a cape. "With that, nothing could stop us!" Adagio's eyes rolled up towards the ceiling in contemplation. She had a general idea of how she could steal his magic energy, but she was going to have to catch him off-guard. The best thing to do was to play along. She just had to try not to play TOO dumb, or he'd catch on to her. "So, you're going to have me help you until you're strong enough to mind control me, too? I'm not stupid, Mend!" Mendax chuckled, shaking his head dismissively. "Adagio, my dearest, I would never! We'll be partners in this, after all! Without the full use of your mental faculties, I doubt even your beautiful voice could charm the masses! No... I'll make you like me, instead." His eyes narrowed. "The process won't be painless, but you'll emerge more beautiful and frighteningly powerful than you've ever been before!" I doubt that... "So, let me get this straight: you want to take me, make me one of your species, have me sing a spell over the entire world to make them love us, then use that power to take over your world?" Adagio asked, raising her eyebrows to feign incredulity. "In a nutshell, yes." Mend smiled. "Certainly took your time figuring that one out, didn't you?" "Just wanted to make sure I had it right." Adagio smiled. "That's a pretty big commitment you're asking for, Mend." Mendax once again flashed her his smug grin, waving to the scattered girls sitting in the stadium seats. "There's always the alternative: being just another mindless drone. I'm certain I could just as easily track down one of your band mates and convince them, instead!" He sighed, as though mourning some invisible loss. "Not that either of them quite stack up against your natural talent..." Now that's the first correct thing he's said since I came in here. This does seem like the kind of deal Aria would jump at, but I'm not one for compromise. Adagio sighed, glancing over her shoulder at the two girls holding her captive. "You make a generous offer, Mend... Turning all of humanity into fools like these two?" She grinned, purposely trying to summon up what Aria and Sonata called her "slasher smile." "How could I say no?" He returned her smile, motioning for the girls behind her to let her go. With her hands free, Adagio rubbed at her wrists, praying that she wasn't getting herself in over her head. She was playing a dangerous game, and holding her cards closer to her chest than ever. Taking her hand, he led her across the room to his emerald throne. He motioned for her to sit, and she complied, smiling contentedly at the feeling of power that it gave her. Leaving her in his seat, Mend moved behind her with a few short steps. "Now, while a full conversion isn't within my power, yet, I can certainly give you more than enough of my power for us to begin. From there, the stronger we become, the more like me you'll become." His hands grasped at her shoulders from behind, kneading her tired muscles in an attempt to relax her. She could feel the magic energy radiating off of his skin like heat from a flame, and it took all of her self-control not to drink it in then and there. She had to wait until his guard was completely down. "Now, my dear, please try to relax." His hands stopped for a moment, toying with a curl of her hair before moving upwards, resting on top of her head. "This will take some time..." Adagio didn't risk speaking and betraying her excitement. She was on the cusp of victory, she could feel it. Without a word, she began to feel magic begin to trickle down into her from his hands. It moved down though her brain, making her thoughts fuzzy and sending chills down her spine. The cool power dripped down behind her nose and through her throat, washing over her vocal cords and filling her with a surge of energy. Finally, it reached the point just below her neck where her gem had once sat, finally making contact with the core of her very being. The reaction was immediate and explosive. What had been a tiny trickle suddenly opened into a torrential geyser, magic rushing into the enormous vacuum that had been left inside her, seeking to fill the void. She heard Mend cry out in pain, and she knew it was working. He had opened the passage of magic between the two of them, and now his power was rushing into her uncontrollably. There was no way of filling an ocean with a drinking straw, after all. "What- What are you DOING?" He cried, beginning to shake and tremble behind her. Adagio chuckled, taking a moment to hum a quick scale happily to herself in reply. Do Mi So DO So Mi Do Her pitch was perfect. "BOSS!" All at once, Mend's hands were finally ripped away from her head, severing the connection. Adagio jumped to her feet, spinning around to see who had dared interrupt her. Mendax was laying on the ground, gasping for air with one of his flunkies having tackled him to the ground. Mend's skin had grown dark and hardened, more of an exoskeleton now, and his hair was wispy and a translucent blue. His pupils had turned green and taken over his entire eyes, but she still recognized the emotion behind them. It was the one emotion with which a changeling should ever gaze upon her, their superior: Fear. "You-you're not human!" he cried, pointing an accusatory finger at her. "You tricked me!" Adagio chuckled, stepping down from the throne and advancing on him. "Really? What tipped you off?" Mend scurried out from under the oaf that had forced him away from her, moving back as quickly as he could. The doors to the gymnasium burst open, revealing more of his lumbering bodyguards. He pointed at her again, his expression contorting into a sneer of rage. "GET HER!" The four in the doorway all took off running, sprinting towards her while the other girls rose up out of their seats, climbing down onto the gymnasium floor. Adagio gently tapped her finger against her leg, setting a beat for herself. "Woah-oh-oh, woah-oh-oh..." Everyone stopped. Everyone. The guards came to a halt, the girls froze in whatever mid-climbing position they were in, and even Mendax's only movement was for his expression to shift from rage to abject horror. "That's... that's impossible..." he whispered. "Honey, if I had a nickel for every time I'd heard that, I could buy you the world." Adagio grinned. Hijacking his charm spell was a simple task, but not an easy one. She could feel the magic slipping away again. She stopped tapping out her beat, praying that she had managed to stop his followers. The girls in the room all collapsed, Mend's power over them broken. Adagio guessed that they'd wake up with little idea of how they had gotten there, nor any memory of what had happened tonight, but their injuries would hardly consist of much more than a few bumps and bruises. It was her gift to them. The guards all glanced at each other, somewhat confused by the turn of events, then turned back towards Mendax, looking for instructions. Their leader had finally overcome the shock of his revelation, staring at the idiots to affirm that they were, indeed, still looking to him for instruction. "I said, 'GET HER!'" He shouted, pointing towards Adagio again. Adagio took a step back, realizing that she still hadn't managed to break the brutes free of the changeling's control. She knew she couldn't fight them off, and if she tried to cast a spell again, there was no doubt that her new power would dry up completely, leaving her back where she started. Her heart raced, and she realized that there was only one thing left to do: run. She took off at a full sprint, spotting another door out of the gymnasium behind her. Raising her arms in front of her, she braced herself and crashed through them, not thinking about where she was going as she turned left and sprinted down the hall. Adagio could hear footsteps behind her, just on her heels. They just made her run faster, turning corners as sharply and often as she could, trying to make her way back outside. If she could just make it back to the outside world, she could find help. It almost fell into a pattern: corner, straightaway, corner, straightaway. Turn, sprint, turn, sprint. It was simple, but it was keeping them off her tail. She was almost certain that she was gaining ground, but she couldn't stop and look to be certain. Her heart was pounding against her rib cage, her lungs were on fire, and her legs were quickly growing tired. She couldn't keep this up much longer. Finally, she saw the front doors, just one last sprint away. The goal was within sight, but the footsteps of her pursuers weren't far behind. She raised her arms in front of her, preparing to crash through the final exit at full speed. Her entire world came to a jarring halt as a hand grabbed her hood from behind, pulling her back and knocking her off of her feet. Adagio hit the ground hard and her body was racked with a series of uncontrollable coughing fits from the sudden yank on her neck. The four guards all gathered around her, surrounding her and ensuring that there was no escape. Adagio couldn't think through her efforts to bring her coughing under control, the sudden pull on her hood had nearly crushed her windpipe. She laid on the floor, slowly bringing the fit to a stop. When she looked up, Mend was standing over her, shaking his head. "As I live and breathe, I would never have imagined a siren to turn up at my doorstep..." He grinned and pulled back his foot, planting his boot beneath her ribs. Pain raced through Adagio's body as she doubled over, curling into the fetal position on the tile floor. "Nor would I have thought she would be stupid enough to think that she could outfox me in my own HIVE!" He stepped up on top of her, pinning her to the floor with one foot. "Now, ordinarily, I'd say that our little agreement could still work with a few... modifications, but then you just had to go and break all those girls free from my spell!" He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Do you have any idea how many months you just set me back?" He shook his head. "So, that leaves the question of what we're going to do with you!" He stepped off of her, beginning to pace around the front foyer. "You obviously can't be trusted. If anyone knows a traitor, it's me! But you're certainly a powerful asset... One I would be foolish to waste." Adagio glared up at him, trying to force away the pounding pain in her stomach. She had no plan. No way out. "You're obviously a skilled actress, if you managed to fool me... We'll have to be thorough when we wipe your mind from existence." He smiled, walking back to her and leaning down, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Oh, yes. A good brainwashing, and you could more than make up for the delays you've caused..." Adagio was trying to summon up a plan, but she didn't have one. She knew she couldn't fake loyalty again, he'd be watching for her betrayal. The longer she waited, the more certain he would try to be that she'd never be able to escape again. A changeling dominating a siren had never been heard of, the idea was completely absurd, but this fool had obviously never been informed of the natural order of things. Adagio had nothing. She was helpless. There was nothing that could help her, even with the sound of cars passing by on the street outside, help may as well have been miles away. Coming to think of it, the cars outside were certainly more noticeable than they had been a moment ago. The sound of engines were growing louder and louder by the second. "Umm... Boss?" "Ugh, WHAT?" Mend looked up at his subordinate, who simply pointed towards the door. "Van." Adagio covered her head as the area they were standing in exploded with a deafening crash and a familiar music van came crashing through the room, turning and drifting across the slick floor, slamming into Mendax and throwing him against the far wall. The rest of his bodyguards all scattered in panic from the intruding vehicle as it finally came to a stop just in front of Adagio, the back doors flinging themselves open and revealing Sonata, who gave her a cheerful wave. "I GOT ARIA!" She cheered, pointing towards the driver's seat, where a familiar pair of technicolor pigtails indicated Adagio's second-in-command piloting the insane maneuver. Adagio struggled to her feet, smiling through the pain. They had come in late, as usual, but for once, she was just happy they were there. "This had better not be some kinda cheap trick to bring me back, Dagi-" Aria turned around in her seat, stopping when she saw Adagio's battered state. Adagio looked back at Mend, who was laying against the wall where he had landed. She slowly made her way to the passenger-side door and climbed in, looking back at Aria and Sonata before nodding towards her previous captor. "Get him." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When Mendax woke up, he was in massive amounts of pain. He could feel that his exoskeleton was split in multiple places, and his head was pounding with what was most likely a concussion. He could already feel his broken ribs making it difficult to breathe, as well. The last thing that he remembered was having the siren defeated and at his feet. After that, there was just a blurry haze of pain. Looking around, he saw three girls standing over him, including Adagio. He was in some kind of van, bound and gagged on the floor. Adagio was looking at him with smug satisfaction. After a few seconds, he recognized the second one as the blue-haired idiot who had run into the street earlier, but the third girl was a mystery to him, merely looking down at him with contempt. "Are you sure that this is going to work, Adagio?" The third girl asked, obviously doubtful of her leader. "I mean, one changeling for all three of us?" "Listen, even if he can only restore one of us to power, that one will be able to get her strength back and restore the other two in no time!" Adagio smiled, placing her boot on Mend's stomach. "We'll just need a little time, is all..." "Okay, so who's going first?" the blue-haired one asked, leaning down to inspect Mend. Adagio leaned down, pressing more weight onto Mend. She seemed to relish his muted groans of pain as his exoskeleton cracked even further. "Well, I think maybe we should let him finish what he started. Nothing bothers us like an unfinished piece, right, girls?" The other two looked at each other, then shrugged. Adagio placed her hands on either side of Mend's head, and he could feel his power beginning to seep away and into her. The last conscious image he saw was Adagio's horrible, smug smile. The smile of someone who knew she wouldn't have to bother with mercy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The three sirens were on the road again, on their way out of Canterlot. They'd have to wait until no one there remembered their faces before they could go looking for Mend's portal, or those stupid Elements of Harmony would be on to their plan in a second. Adagio reached down and gently brushed her fingers against her newly-reformed gemstone. For the moment, it shone with neon-green light, but she knew it would eventually change to her typical blood-red. For now, however, it would be more than enough to keep her and her companions alive. "I still think we should have done something better than dumping his body in a river..." Aria muttered, gripping at the wheel. "He'll wash out to sea and never be our problem again." Adagio smiled. "We let the ocean take care of that problem for us, just as a good mother should." Sonata nodded, leaning against the backs of their seats from the back as she bobbed her head to the radio's music. "So, where are we headed now?" Adagio thought for a moment. The night's adventures had left her with a new perspective, one that had oiled the gears in her mind to keep them working better than ever. "Just pick a direction and drive, Aria." Aria glanced over at her, somewhat disbelievingly, then grinned. "Vegas it is, then. These van repairs aren't going to be cheap, you know!" Adagio sighed. The last time they had gambled, they had nearly been caught cheating, and she'd forbidden them from ever going back. She had to admit, though... She felt like celebrating.