After hiding away for a suitable amount of time, Adagio thought that any dust that was lifted from their actions should have settled by now, especially since there was no media coverage of the Battle. The girls spent the next few days in an all too familiar setting: walking from diner to diner, spending an hour or so sitting and talking before moving on. The only difference from before is that they no longer could use this time to feed from negativity to power their Siren magic.
Adagio had reasoned this was familiar to them, and they should do that to occupy their time while she thought of her next step. Sonata didn’t care either way, but Aria had made a couple of remarks opposed to the idea of just going back to their old strategy. Today especially, Aria felt completely agitated.
“So this is your great plan, Adagio?” Aria huffed, leaning an elbow onto the table. “Because sitting around lame diners doesn’t really say ‘I have a plan.’”
“Well Aria, all you have been doing this week is complain about my great plan,” Adagio pointed out. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m still trying to figure out what we should do without magic. It’s a little hard to grasp when you have someone constantly badgering you,” she spat, lowering her eyes in frustration.
The three sisters had found a quiet diner to sit down, and were doing as they had been since hiding away: Sitting and waiting. Those same diner stops were now a lot less entertaining than they used to be, or useful, but Adagio insisted that they continue to do so, lest they rot away at home.
When they arrived, as they always did, they told the waiter that they would take a while before ordering, giving them some space. Aria and Adagio sat across from each other, starting to argue again, like they seemed to do every day. Sonata, however, asked for the coloring booklet that they offered kids, and was currently kept entertained and oblivious to the debate going on beside her.
“Excuse me, Miss ‘Follow my lead,’ but if you’re not able to come up with anything, you might as well let us come up with something.”
“Alright, and what kind of idea would you come up with, Aria?”
“Something that has the best interests of all of us, not just yourself.”
Adagio raised an eyebrow, and sat up straight. “I hope you know that’s what I always think about, Aria.”
“Yeah? Because right now it feels like we’re doing the same things you always wanted us to do, except without any real purpose. What’s the point of going out anymore if we aren’t going to feed?”
“Oh, I bet you would rather be cramped up in your room for another week instead,” Adagio huffed in frustration. Aria always gave her some sort of attitude whenever it came to her making plans. She periodically would attempt to assert some sort of dominance over them, and tried to make her own suggestions or ideas from time to time. Adagio was always thinking about the three of them, and had to remind her sister of that when her plans were simple and selfish, typical of a Siren.
“No. If I did that, I would have to put up with Sonata’s annoying rampage through the house.” Aria looked at Adagio with a look of annoyance, as if growing tired of her. “What I’m bringing up, Adagio, is that everything you come up with ends bad eventually. Remember back when we conquered Equestria? Or how about when we tried to get our Equestrian magic back?”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Aria had complained before, but bringing up her leadership skills was a low blow. Adagio didn’t like being challenged by either of her sisters, and just thinking about it boiled her inside. Still, she wasn’t going to let her temper burst over a simple antagonizing comment. “Well Aria, it sounds like you have a plan. Did you find a way to repair our magic after all?” She crossed her arms, waiting for an answer.
Aria just glared for a moment, and opened her mouth to reply, but lacked a real answer. She closed it again, looking away without saying a word.
“I hope you didn't forget that's what I've been trying to do out here. We can't gather any clues if we don't go outside." Adagio groaned a little under her breath, irritated at how ticked off she suddenly was. “That’s what made the other Sirens weak, you know. We’re stronger because we work together instead of being selfish and greedy.”
There was no response from Aria, now restlessly tapping her fingers against the table. She wasn’t happy with Adagio’s whole alpha attitude, acting like she was better than her. Maybe she was smarter, but they were (were) all equally powerful, so having her big sister consider herself the leader irked her.
Adagio looked over at Sonata, who had just finished her coloring packet. “Well, Sonata, do you have any great ideas?”
The gears in her head turned as Sonata realized that she was being talked to, finally. She perked up, blinking a few times. “What?” was all she said.
Gently putting a hand to her face, Adagio continued. “It’s obvious that Aria is unhappy with what we are doing, do you have any suggestions on what we should do?”
Immediately, the answer was obvious to her. Sonata confidently put a hand on the table, causing it to shake a bit. “We get lunch.” She stared forward, a small grin on her face.
“Well, if we still had our magic, we would eat here. I’m not paying for food from here.” Adagio lifted up one of the menus from the edge of the table, waving it a bit before setting it back down. “Now that money is worth something to us, I don’t like the idea of eighteen dollars for a meal.”
“Oh no, Adagio. I don’t mean lunch here.” Sonata’s small grin grew as the thought lingered. “We should go to the mall!” she nearly shouted, causing a couple of eyes to turn their way from the diner patrons.
Aria turned to scoff at Sonata. “You would want to go to the mall.”
Adagio gave a warning look to Aria before returning to Sonata. “Alright, and why should we go?”
“Well, the mall is the best place to be. They have a bunch of stores, food, movies, and a ton of people go there every day. We could just people watch if we are just gonna sit around,” she suggested to Aria, who had turned away now.
So, the plan was to do what they were already doing, but in a more populated place. That would certainly make it a lot less boring, but they risked a higher chance of being recognized in a public setting such as a food court. Still, Sonata’s plan made sense, which was weird.
Aria immediately brushed the idea away, waving a hand around. “You know, Sonata, when she said a plan, she meant something that wasn’t the worst.”
Sonata felt hurt, opening her mouth to retort before Adagio interrupted her. “Actually, I think that would be a good idea, Sonata.” They both turned look at her, confused and wide eyed. “Well, I said I still need time to decide what to do next, so until then anything sounds nice. You don’t have any ideas,” she gestured to Aria, “so going to the mall is better than doing nothing.”
With no arguments, Adagio gestured them to stand up, and the three of them made their way out of the diner. The cloudy skies had darkened more, and the wind began to pick up. Many of the people walking along the streets began to pull out their umbrellas, or quicken their pace to get to their destination. The Dazzlings tucked their hair into their jacket hoods as the rain began to trickle down.
Adagio always found a certain peace with rain. It brought back memories of living in the ocean, and the cold from it was refreshing at times. As long as she wasn’t getting soaked, she enjoyed being out when the rain came down.
Looking around, she was kind of surprised at how normal this felt. With the high school situation only happening a few weeks ago, they were already back to doing the same things they had done for hundreds of years, and felt like nothing had changed, save for the loss of their magic power. She sighed after making that realization, hoping that feeling of hopelessness would fade over time.
They made a turn a few blocks down to face the large collection of buildings that was Canterlot Mall. The mall had a much larger lot than the other buildings nearby, and made the compressed city feel like it opened up for just a brief moment.
After making their way through the crowded sidewalk and parking lot, the three sisters finally entered through the large double doors into the mall courtyard. The atmosphere changed suddenly from dark, cold, and wet, to brightly lit, open, and loud. The sound of rainfall was replaced with hundreds of voices, people all chatting to one another, almost mindlessly wandering about the marble flooring as they went from store to store.
They stood at the entrance for a few moments, taking all of the scene in. “It’s been a while since we went somewhere like this,” Adagio muttered.
Aria removed her hood, allowing her pigtails to fall down her sides once again. “Well, we always avoided a crowd that was too big for us to enchant, remember? You always said to avoid this place because of how many people there are.” She gave an uneasy look at Adagio, arms crossed. “Do you still want us to be here?”
“Of course we want to be here!” Sonata exclaimed, excited now. “Now we can go where all the other normal people go. We are normal, after all.” She smiled confidently, patting Aria on the back.
“Yeah, don’t remind me,” Aria said, bothered by that last comment.
“For the first time in a long time, Sonata’s right,” Adagio admitted. “I was just thinking about doing what we did as Sirens. Now I suppose doing what normal humans do is the first step to figuring out where to go next.”
“Adagio, you can’t be serious. I know how much you hate these creatures, so what’s up with this sudden change of attitude?”
“Well, Aria, if you want me to point out the obvious, you are also one of those creatures, we all are.” Adagio fluffed her hair as she removed her own hood. “And this decision of mine has nothing to do with me liking them, it just makes the most sense, something I expected from you, not Sonata.”
Aria ground her teeth together, looking away again. She was getting tired of Adagio arguing with everything she said today.
“Girls!” Sonata bopped her sisters lightly on their noses, getting their attention. “You don’t need to fight right now. We should be having fun! That’s what you’re supposed to do at a mall. At least, I think so.” She put a hand to her chin, pondering if that was true or not.
The two glared at each other, daggers in their eyes, before agreeing. There was no real point in upsetting each other right now. They had agreed to Sonata’s idea, even if they didn’t all like it, so they were going to at least try to get along until they got home.
“Well Sonata, this is your idea, so you lead the way.” Adagio gestured to her, unsure if this was really wise. This was Sonata after all.
She gave a sharp nod, smiling, and ran over to a large map of the building that read “Directory,” before calling them over to start their expedition.
The girls had not been in a shopping center in years, almost a decade, so the sight of rows after rows of stores, restaurants, and other minor places almost daunted them, with all of the people around. Sonata was more excited than unnerved, so she led the way, almost having to pull her sisters to keep up with her.
They first visited a large clothing store that was so large, it needed to expand itself up two more floors, connected by automated stairways. Sonata suggested there to try on different styles of clothes, their wardrobe not having been updated in a while.
Sonata led them over to the changing rooms, and told Adagio to try on clothes, ones that she would run to find, and practically threw them on her sister, urging her to wear them right away. Adagio then had to come out and show off, and she started to hate this idea from Aria's taunting expressions. Sonata seemed excited, but Aria laid herself across a bench as if watching a show.
After being fed many outfits by Sonata, Adagio picked out a decent set of clothes. A long sleeve shirt with a deep shade of purple, and a pair of crimson jeans seemed to fit her nicely, with black heeled boots to compliment them. Sonata was trying to have fun with this, but she still managed to pick out decent clothes. She was the one who came up with the designs for their outfits, after all. Even with a dull brain like hers, she had her upsides. Having changed back to her other pants and donning her sweatshirt again, she pointed to Aria. “Your turn.”
Aria fought against the idea of trying on clothes, but she gave in after being forced inside the changing room. She had to come out wearing embarrassing dresses, Adagio had chosen them as payback for her earlier taunts, before Sonata found something she thought would look good for her. A gray undershirt with a navy vest layered over top. The vest had short arms, which she preferred. The pants matched the undershirt, a navy belt stitched into it, her outfit also complimented by sturdy black shoes, and they actually felt pretty comfortable. Aria was convinced they were just going to use this time to make fun of her, but Sonata had better intentions, it seemed.
This time a little less concerned of being judged, she walked out and asked her sisters what they thought. Adagio was surprised how nice she pulled it off, and Sonata hugged her, proud that Aria liked her choice of clothes. Aria changed back as well, her clothes folded nicely in her arms, and Sonata grabbed a nearby set she had at the ready, and quickly shut herself inside the room.
Aria sat over next to Adagio, and the two sat quietly as they waited for Sonata to emerge again. Though neither said it out loud, they were enjoying themselves. They looked over at each other, and smiled slightly before Sonata flung the curtain open.
“What do you girls think?” Sonata crossed her arms behind her back, tapping the toe of her boot against the ground. She was confident it looked nice, but was nervous to see if her sisters approved.
Sonata’s blouse had a dark blue color with a paler tone for the sleeves, which she folded up just over her elbows. The jeans were fairly simple, but went well with matching the new shoes in color. Her boots came up to her shin, and she had long white socks reach up to her knees.
Aria and Adagio took a moment to admire her wardrobe. The outfit really matched her, complementing her blue skin tone, while not looking over the top. The two looked at each other again, raising their eyebrows to see if they had the same thought. Nodding, Aria stood up, walking over to Sonata. “Oh come on Sonata, you think anything blue looks good on you.”
She puffed her cheeks in irritation. “I do think it looks good, Aria! I didn’t make fun of your clothes.” Sonata crossed her arms and looked down.
“And what’s up with these? Are you planning on running in this?” She pulled on one of the socks sticking above her boots. Sonata was about to protest before Adagio walked over and rubbed a hand on her head, messing her hair a little.
“Don’t worry Sonata,” she assured her. “She’s just giving you a hard time again. You always have an eye for clothes.” Adagio pat a hand on Sonata’s forehead.
She was greatly relieved that Aria wasn’t serious. Sonata tried really hard whenever she looked for good clothes, and she didn’t like getting picked on for her choice of fashion. Adagio suggested that they go buy these now that they had their fun. The two agreed, and made their way to the checkout so they could continue exploring the mall.
Adagio made a note to remember how much they spent today. They could get away with a lot, but if they didn’t pay attention, their large supply of money would fade in a matter of moments. Sonata told her not to worry about that today. Today was supposed to be a day they had fun, something they hadn’t done in a long time, usually spending their time sulking or feeding, reminding Aria that she needed to have fun as well.
They made their way over to the game store, being pointed out by Aria. Adagio felt rather out of place in the store, standing over to the wall while her sisters looked around. Sonata challenged Aria to a demo of a new fighting game on display near the counter, to which Aria declined, not wanting her time wasted by someone who couldn’t compare to her. After being reminded of the outcome of their previous game, she accepted the duel, quickly losing due to what she explained as “new controls.”
Adagio looked over a large Directory map while they were inside, and led them to a fancy nick knack shop on the second floor. This time, Aria and Sonata sat bored while Adagio investigated dozens of different desk ornaments. She never let anyone in her room, but that didn’t stop her from adorning it in many interesting artworks and figures that she found unique over the years.
Their time in the shop was short, Adagio finding nothing of real interest. Sonata started complaining about being hungry, seeing as they still had no lunch, leaving the diner to come here, so Adagio decided it would be best to visit the Food Court.
Aria made a comment about how the food court made the worst food, which Adagio agreed to. They only sold fast food, and that was a dish the two of them didn’t particularly enjoy. Sonata was the only one of the three who loved eating out, usually requesting some form of hamburger or Mexican fast food.
Still, the sisters could deal with the uncomfortable feeling in their stomachs as long as it replaced their hunger. They agreed to a pizza to split between them, and found an empty table near the corner of the court.
The Food Court in Canterlot Mall was a lot more open, compared to the rest of the mall. It was a large, dome shaped segment of the building, with all kinds of vendors lined up against the outer ring, and the eating area dug a few feet lower than the vendors, taking up the majority of the center. The ceiling was a large skylight that revealed the cloudy skies above, which made it feel a little more natural than the rest of the complex.
As the sisters enjoyed their lunch, they panned around the floor, noticing that a lot of people here seemed to be students. Fortunately, none of the students recognized them, or just didn’t give any indication of knowing them, so they could eat without worry.
“I hate to say this, Sonata, but this was actually a good idea,” Aria said suddenly, causing the two to turn towards her. “It sure beats Adagio’s idea of just sitting around forever,” she sneered at Adagio, making her gasp.
“Well excuse me for playing it safe, Aria! I was still uncertain if the kids from Canterlot High were on the lookout for us, and didn’t want us falling into something we can’t dig ourselves out of. We’re a lot more vulnerable without magic.” The two glared at each other again, before Sonata disturbed them with a loud burp.
She put her hand over her mouth, embarrassed by her sudden outburst. Adagio and Aria looked at her in disgust, making her shrink in her seat from further embarrassment.
They were quiet for a moment, before Adagio continued off of Aria’s statement. “But, yes, this was fun Sonata.” She smiled, feeling content. This was the first time in a while she felt happy to be around these two.
Sonata hummed to herself, pondering something in her head. “Something is missing, though.”
Aria thought for a moment. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I know we can’t sing anymore, but wouldn’t this day just be perfect if everyone started fighting?”
“Well, we can’t do that without our magic, remember?”
“Yeah, but still...”
“Hold on,” Adagio interjected, “Don’t you remember what I said about the girls at the school? She paused for a moment, before realizing Sonata probably forgot everything by now. “We didn’t need our magic to make them fall apart, we just needed the right catalyst. The same is true for any person.”
“I’m not saying I wouldn’t totally be down for a brawl, but what are we supposed to look for?” Aria asked.
Adagio started to look around the food court, looking at each person carefully. She needed to find something that would escalate into a large-scale argument. A lot of the kids here seemed like the cookie cutter, goodie two-shoes types. Then, a group of gold and blue uniforms caught her attention. “There.”
The other two looked to see a large group of boys, dressed in jerseys. They were rather large, and two of them were passing a rugby ball across the table they sat at. By the color scheme, it matched the Canterlot Wondercolt’s Rugby team, and they looked like they were enjoying a nice lunch.
“A bunch of muscle monkeys? What do you plan on doing with them?” Aria asked, unsure what Adagio was planning.
Adagio scanned to the other side of the food court, where, almost on cue, she caught another group of boys in different colored jerseys. They were black and purple with golden trims, and the initials read “EHS.” If she remembered right, that stood for Everfree High School, which was a long-time rival of CHS. They had spent a decent amount of time studying the school before they made their move, and now she was glad she had this extra knowledge. “I think it’s a great time to bring up an old rivalry.”
Sonata scratched her head. “But we haven’t had rivals in years. What were they called, 'Jenny and her Pussycats?'” she pondered aloud, trying to recall their names.
Adagio slumped her head down a little, sighing from Sonata’s stupidity. Turning back to face her, she gently placed a hand on the table. “They are rivals. The blue jerseys and the black,” she said softly, clearly holding back.
“Oh,” was all Sonata said, eyes opened wide in awareness.
“You’re such a dimwit, Sonata,” Aria murmured.
“Now, to do this without magic,” Adagio mused.
This was a situation she was unused to. Normally, they could connect their minds using the pendants, allowing them to transfer their ideas instantly, and without any sign, appearing as flawless improvisation. Sonata would be completely useless without it, being unable to think on the spot without her or Aria.
Still, it was possible. These were jocks, and sports types have a weak point in their pride. They didn’t need the right words, more along the line of a right subject, something hyper sensitive to one player to spark a flame. She needed more information.
“Aria, look up the history of these two, their games,” Adagio ordered. Aria pulled her phone out and began typing away. She then turned to Sonata, who was tapping her fingers together nervously, waiting for her instructions. “Sonata, I want you to go over to the Wondercolts, and ask them about their game tomorrow.”
Sonata nodded, slightly excited about her job. Adagio comforted her, saying she just needed to ask that, and not come up with any fancy words. She got up to casually walk towards their table, trying to remember that confidence she always got when she linked with her sisters.
She had to squeeze between a lot of chairs that were shoved into the walkway, apologizing when she bumped into people, and nearly tripping every ten feet. Her false confidence was diminishing as she reached the Wondercolt table, and her heart nearly dropped as eight pairs of eyes turned towards her. Sonata simply stood there for a few moments, with all of the boys silent, looking at her expectantly. She suddenly felt like she wanted to hide in a corner.
“Hey, what’s up girl?” One of the boys called out to her, he smiled and looked like he was friendly.
“Oh! Uh, well...” She trailed off, pulling her ponytail in front of her to hold on to. Talking to a bunch of boys had always been easy before, even though she was always with her sisters, so she was a little confused why she felt so nervous. Sonata was starting to wonder why she was even over here anymore.
One of them stood up, his skin was a dark black with ice blue hair, and put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump a bit. “I know, she came to wish us luck on our big game tomorrow!” The eight boys cheered, all raising their hands.
That was it! “Uh, yeah! Good luck! That’s what I wanted. To say.” She looked away from the table, embarrassed she wasn’t able to remember that for a few seconds.
“Tomorrow’s our big rivalry game against the Shadowbolts, so we need all the cheering on our side if we’re gonna win,” said one of the other boys. “Make sure you’re there to cheer us on.” He gave her a thumbs up.
Feeling like she accomplished her task, Sonata waved briefly, before clumsily running away, hearing a group of thanks from the boys behind her. She felt her heart racing as fast as she was as she crash landed into her chair, burying her face into her arms to block the heat she felt on her cheeks.
“That looked like it went rather well,” Aria jested. “Don’t tell me, one of them swooned you already?”
“It isn’t like that, Aria!” Sonata shouted through the sleeves of her sweatshirt. She wasn’t sure what she was feeling, but she knew that it wasn’t healthy. She got dizzy, hot, and it interfered with what Adagio wanted her to do, so it made her upset.
“Well, I don’t care who you fall for, as long as you managed to get the answer to my question.” Adagio pushed Sonata’s shoulder, making her sit up. Her pale blue face was slightly tinted with a bit of red, and she looked more confused than normal. “Are they playing the Shadowbolts tomorrow night?”
“Uh huh,” she responded, going back to hiding in her arms.
“Perfect. I couldn’t have picked a more opportune moment.” She gestured to Aria again. “As you were saying?”
Looking back to her phone, Aria scrolled down a school blog website, which had news of all the high school sports activities. “Two months ago, the Shadowbolts beat the Wondercolts by four points. It says that the Wondercolts would have won, but their Wing, Thunderlane, was tackled in the last three seconds of the game, two meters from the goal. The player Silver Sky from the Shadowbolts won them the game because of that.” She put away her phone, confident that was a good enough start for the plan. “With a record like his, I can only imagine how cocky that Silver Sky is.”
“So, we have a bait. Now we just need one of them to go for it,” Adagio thought out loud, hoping that would help finish her thought.
“Getting under people’s skin is my thing, Dagi,” Aria explained. “But I think it would be easier to stoke a flame from both sides, don’t you agree?” She raised an eyebrow at Adagio, waiting for her to catch on.
She smiled slowly as it came to her. “Very well, Aria. I’ll follow your lead. This time.”
The two got up, leaving Sonata to recover, and headed their separate ways. Adagio made her way over to the Shadowbolt table, while Aria headed to the opposite side. She ran a couple of instigating comments through her head, not sure which approach would be best. This was the first time she was completely improvising on her own, so it was sort of daunting, but exciting at the same time. As she approached, none of the guys seemed to notice her, until she placed a hand on the table.
“So, Wondercolts, I hope you’re ready for the game tomorrow?” She made a mischievous smile, letting them know her intent was not to cheer them on.
A couple of players looked at each other, unsure of what Aria was up to. “Wondercolts are always ready!” One of them shouted, causing a consensus of agreement among the group. “The Shadowbolts won’t win this time.”
“Well, I don’t doubt you’ll give it you’re all, but our defense has been pretty good this year, as you well know, Thunderlane.” She looked at the boy who’s jersey read Thunderlane, the real target in her plan.
He seemed disgusted by that remark, and turned his chair around to face her straight. “If all you did was come to trash talk, I would prefer if you left now.”
She put up her hands in defense, backing up slightly. “Hey, I’m not coming over here just because. Silver Sky just wanted me to remind you to not trip over yourself tomorrow.”
Thunderlane said nothing, but she could tell that was still a sensitive spot for him.
“Oh yeah, he’s been nonstop all week,” she continued, “Saying things like, he hopes the WunderDolts can get past him at least once.”
The group seemed agitated by that, murmuring among themselves. Clearly they had heard something similar already, and they didn’t enjoy to hear it again. Another Wonderbolt stood up, pointing a finger at her. “Well, you tell Silver he better not cry when we trample over him.”
Aria scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Why don’t you just tell him yourself? He’s sitting right over there.” She pointed a thumb over her shoulder, in the direction of where the Shadowbolts were eating. The boys looked like they would do just that, so Aria waved, excusing herself from the group.
Adagio looked from across the room, seeing Aria heading back to the table. They made eye contact, and she got a wink from her, before she went back to her conversation. “Oh yes, I was really impressed last week. I don’t remember the last time we won without the other team scoring.” She turned back to Silver Sky, who was leaning against the table, trying to make himself look cool. The other six seemed to be looking at her rather oddly, obviously for dirty reasons, but she ignored their stares, focusing on her goal.
Aria was right, this boy was absolutely full of himself. Then again, most of the team seemed to have the same attitude, but always agreed to Silver’s compliments to himself. Either he was the leader of the group, or the most skilled player. Whatever it was, she could read them like an open book.
“Ponyville was never know to be as competitive as the other schools around here, so it wasn’t really a challenge,” Silver said very blatantly.
“Oh, but I’ve heard some rumors about CHS recently. They say the team has been specially preparing for this game tomorrow,” Adagio warned, her tone worried. She knew his response would be arrogant, and more importantly, loud.
Silver Sky let out a laugh from that. “Well, we’re not too worried. Especially if they still have that player, 'Blunderlane.'” The group laughed together, some of them repeating the name, remembering the end of their last game against Canterlot.
“You sure talk big for the smallest player on the team, Silver Sky!” A voice came from behind them, causing all the heads to turn and face the Canterlot Wondercolts, looking menacingly down on them.
The Shadowbolts jumped a bit in surprise, before standing up to face their rivals. Seven Shadowbolts stood facing eight Wondercolts, all tall boys with broad shoulders. Around the food court, tables had cleared around them, people starting to give them space, knowing something could go down soon. Adagio took her leave, knowing her job was done.
“Well well,” Silver sneered, “If it isn’t Canterlot High. Come to wish a good victory tomorrow?” He held out a hand and smiled.
Thunderlane pushed it aside. “Oh shove it, Sky. If anything, you guys plan to cheat like last time.”
“Are you still going on about that, Thunder?” Silver looked at him with a look of pity. “It’s not my fault you didn’t tie your sneakers.”
“You fouled me, and you know it. You better not pull anything like that tomorrow.”
“Or what, you’ll trip on me again?”
Both sides lined up on either side of the arguing boys, tensing as the argument continued.
“Don’t make me ruin your pretty face!” Thunderlane stuck a threatening fist out.
“What’s stopping you? I’m only two meters away!” Silver Sky smacked his chest, then held his arms up in challenge.
That was the spark needed for Thunderlane to lunge forward. He and Silver Sky locked together, grabbing each other by the shoulders, and trying to throw the other to the ground. Their team mates were on each other in seconds, shoving and grappling, and yelling at each other. A crowd had now gathered nearby, starting to cheer on the brawl as the pushing escalated to blows.
Adagio made her way out of the indent of the food court, climbing a few steps to the outer ring. She noticed Aria wave her over from a ways down, leaning on the railing that ran around the dining area. Her and Sonata were enjoying the scene as Adagio joined them.
They were quiet for a few moments, long enough to fully appreciate the fruits of their efforts. Two groups of brutish boys clashing together in an eatery was a throwback to the good old days. Although they had lost their magic, Adagio could have sworn she could still see the green mist radiating from them as they tossed each other about, and that seemed to comfort her a bit, even though she could no longer absorb it.
“Man, I already forgot how good this feels!” Sonata exclaimed, pushing her hands against her cheeks, puffing her lips out.
“You forget everything, Sonata,” Aria replied, sighing, but still smiling. “But this does feel good.”
“Who knows, girls,” Adagio started, “With a little work, we could still enjoy ourselves, cause a little mayhem from time to time. Our power may be gone, but not our skill.” She grinned maliciously, finding a joy she thought lost to her.
“Not unless we have to take that too!” A girl’s voice called from behind them.
They looked at each other in confusion for a moment, before turning around. Standing behind them, were three very familiar girls: Rainbow Dash, lead guitarist of the Rainbooms, Pinkie Pie, the drummer, and Sunset Shimmer, the girl who ruined everything. They stood in a defensive pose, giving them a wary look.
Adagio put a hand on her hips, her moment of happiness shrinking away after just obtaining it, just like last time. Aria crossed her arms, not wanting to deal with this kill joy when she could be watching the fight behind her. Sonata looked at her sisters curiously, not sure who these girls were, or what they wanted. She wanted to get a hint from her sisters before she jumped to conclusions, though.
“What a surprise, Rainbooms,” Adagio called out, her frown unchanging, despite her tone. “I had almost forgotten you live here. Guess it makes sense you would go to the same mall as us.”
Rainbow Dash lunged forward, her rainbow hair flapping about as she moved aggressively, coming halfway between the groups. “What are you Sirens up to? I thought we got rid of your magic powers. We didn’t miss something, did we?” she asked as if hiding a threat with her question.
Adagio wanted to hit this girl for speaking to her in such a way, but she instead flipped her hair dramatically. “Oh you girls are really a laugh. You beat us, remember? We have no magic, and most importantly, no voices to sing with. Shouldn’t that be enough for you to leave us alone?”
“Or, maybe their style is kicking their enemies while they’re down,” Aria added. “Kind of a low blow, for the so called heroes,” She scoffed, looking to Sonata, who was still processing what was being said. Aria just rolled her eyes, going back to ignoring her sister.
Sunset Shimmer stepped forward now, putting a hand on Rainbow Dash’s shoulder, signaling her to calm down. She complied, but still gave the Sirens a dubious look. “That’s not why we’re here, Dazzlings. But we saw what you did back there,” she gestured to the brawl still raging on in the dining area behind them. “Care to explain before we have to do anything drastic?” She raised an eyebrow to them, waiting for an answer.
Adagio smiled innocently before walking forward, chuckling a bit. “Come now, Sunset, you don’t really believe we forced these kids against their better judgment, do you? You know we only work on what people really want.” She clenched a fist in front of her to emphasize her statement.
“So those boys back there are fighting just for fun, with no instigation?”
“That’s just boys being boys,” Aria answered. “You know how those sports types are, just can’t keep control of their temper.” That comment made Rainbow Dash puff her cheeks in anger.
“Okay, if you’re just going to avoid the question, at least answer me this,” Sunset said, trying to keep herself controlled. “Did you use any kind of magic to do this?” She looked at Adagio, staring her in the eye.
“Like I already told you, we have no magic, and no-”
“Just answer the question!” She cut her off, not wanting to put up with any more dodging. Her friends looked at her in surprise, not expecting the outburst.
Blinking a few times, Adagio sighed. “No. We didn’t use magic,” she replied dryly. Clearly she didn’t have much of a sense of humor, so toying with her was no longer fun.
Sunset Shimmer sighed, looking relieved to hear that. “Then why are you still doing this?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Adagio shrugged, shaking her head. “We enjoy doing this, it’s what we do. Just because we don’t have magic, it doesn’t mean we are not allowed fun.” Aria nodded in confirmation, standing next to her now.
Sunset was about to speak again, before she felt a tug on her jacket sleeve. She looked back to see her Pinkie Pie, who was tilting her head to the side to signal she needed to follow her. Sunset Shimmer was reluctant at first, before turning back to the Dazzlings. “We need to talk real fast. Just, stay here for a few minutes please.”
The girls watched them walk off and form a huddle, obviously discussing what to do with them next. Aria ground her teeth, and tried walking forward after them, but was stopped by Adagio. “Let’s just wait, Aria. We can’t do anything if they have another spell to use on us.” She turned around, going back to the railing, where Sonata was still standing, puzzled.
They went back to watching what remained of the fight, seeing as Mall Security had arrived, and started breaking the boys apart. It was a perfect setup, never mind the shaky execution, and they missed almost all of the show. Adagio’s happy demeanor was gone, and she felt herself go back to her pessimism.
“So we just sit here while the good guys decide what to do with us?” Aria groaned, rubbing a hand against her forehead. “This is so irritating! We’re nothing more than animals to them.”
“Well, Aria, if they tried to take over your home, enslave all of your friends, and turn you against me and Sonata, you would resent them a little, wouldn’t you?” Adagio looked at Aria with a smirk, causing her to turn away.
“Hey Adagio,” Sonata called out, getting her attention, “who are those girls?”
Turning back to the food court, Adagio ignored Sonata’s question. “The point is, they have every right to be suspicious of us, and we have no power over them, which puts us at their mercy.” She grit her teeth, hating to admit defeat so easily. If only they could have retained their magic, even a little. She wasn’t sure why she just stood there, instead of making a run for it, but Adagio felt some kind of hope. Hope that something might come out of this situation yet.
“Adagio?” She heard Sunset Shimmer call out behind her. Sighing, she turned around, Aria and Sonata following her. The girls stood before them, looking much less menacing than their original introduction.
“Have you decided our punishment for our misdeeds? Perhaps this time you should take our ability to talk, so we can’t toy with humans anymore,” Adagio suggested, placing her hand against her chest.
Clearly appalled by that idea, Sunset Shimmer put her hands together. “No, not at all. We aren’t going to punish you for anything else.” She hesitated for a moment, looking to her friends. “We just... We want to talk.” They all nodded in agreement.
“Talk,” Aria scoffed. “As in the kind where we gather around a table and drink tea?”
“Tea sounds like a great idea,” Sonata chipped in.
“Don’t forget some tea cakes!” Pinkie Pie shouted, jumping out from behind Sunset Shimmer, temporarily disrupting the tension in the area. Everyone, save for Sonata, who’s eyes opened wide from the mention of tea cakes, seemed to ignore her outburst.
“Yes, we just want to talk,” Sunset said confidently now, looking Adagio in the eye.
It took her a moment to realize Sunset was serious. There wasn’t anything harmful in accepting an offer to talk, usually, but Adagio felt there was something behind this. “What if we refuse?”
The girls looked at each other, not really sure of an answer for that question. Sunset Shimmer just shrugged. “Then we let you go,” she answered.
Adagio raised a brow from curiosity, not expecting such a calm answer. She crossed her arms, looking back to Aria, who also seemed curious, giving her a look that asked for her opinion. Aria gave a shrug, indicating she didn’t know what to answer, then looked to Sonata, who perked up from being looked at. They stared at each other for a while, Adagio’s glare lowering the longer she waited for her to get the hint. Sonata finally looked away, thinking, before finally shaking her head, confused. Adagio felt that she didn't really need Sonata's answer, anyway.
Turning back to the Rainbooms, the Dazzlings stood straight, putting a hand on each of their hips. Adagio smiled, finding humor in this situation. “Okay, we’ll play your game, Sunset Shimmer. We have never been ones to skip invitations. We do hope you girls would mind your manners, though,” she taunted.
Sunset Shimmer nodded, smiling herself. “Fair enough. And, If we upset you,” she waved a hand, correcting herself, “any more than we have, then we promise to leave you alone.” She let out a sigh of relief, appearing glad she was not turned down. She was still new to speaking to people in a non-aggressive manner, and was happy she didn’t need to raise her voice.
“Well, if we plan on talking, we should do it somewhere else,” Rainbow Dash jumped in, pointing a finger to the food court. “It looks like it might be a while before they clean that up.”
The six of them turned to see the now destroyed dining area. Before Security could fully stop the brawl, the two rugby teams had made quite a mess of the tables and chairs, turning them sideways, and tossing them far from their original placement. Food had scattered across the marble floor, and plenty of people were still arguing with each other.
The sisters looked to each other, pleased of what their handiwork had accomplished, and giggled to themselves, before turning back to the Rainbooms. They looked as if they were shaming the Dazzlings, which only made the situation even more funny. “What can we say girls?” Adagio asked, not hiding her smile, and simply shrugged. “It’s in our nature.”