//------------------------------// // A Not-Date (Part Two) // Story: Shimmer-Shammer Dizzle-Dazzle // by Shaud //------------------------------// Adagio got to Sugar Cube Corner first. She sat in the seat she had the day before and kept a look out for her date. Doubts about Aria's plan once again filled her mind as she wondered if getting their powers back was really for the best. We abused our magic, she thought to herself, And even with it, the Rainbooms wouldn't let us take over the world. She didn't want to give up years of hard work, but at the same time she knew she was fighting a losing battle. This world had no magic of its own, and thusly no magic for them to take advantage of. If they had been in Equestria it would have been different... But at that point, Adagio was done. Not only had her plans failed, but Aria was in charge. Actually, now that I think about it, maybe the reason I don't want to take over the world is because now Aria is the leader and she wants to. This made her pause for a second before she frowned, Am I really this difficult, or is this a natural response to having someone who is basically a younger sibling to you be in charge? "Upset already? And I thought we'd at least get through lunch." Sunset Shimmer's voice made her snap her head up. She smiled at the other girl as Sunset sat across from her. "No, I was just thinking. It's... Good, to see you again, Sunset." Adagio's heart sped up as Sunset smiled at her, and if she weren't so lost in Sunset's baby blue eyes she might have remembered this was a plot, not a date. As any good leader knew, she knew that if one plan didn't work, there should always be a back up. She had a back up plan for the Rainbooms winning, but not for them destroying the gems. Now, she needed a back-up plan for Sunset not falling for her, or believing her. "It's nice to see you, too." Adagio noted the other girl's blush with a satisfied smirk. Maybe she didn't need that back-up plan... "So did you talk to the others about going back to school?" "I did. They aren't thrilled, but if it keeps us out of sight for a while I think they'll go for it." Sunset nodded, understanding the situation, which made Adagio smile. The two sat in a some what awkward silence for a a few minutes before Sunset cleared her throat. "Don't suppose mindlessly flirting again would work, hm?" "Flattery will get you anywhere." Adagio quipped, smiling in a seductive way. It had the affect she wanted; Sunset blushed and looked down momentarily. "How can I know you're serious about this?" Adagio was caught off-guard at the raw emotion in Sunset's voice. She sounded hurt, and guarded, while at the same time being confident. It reminded Adagio of herself, and her heart thudded in her chest. It was beautiful. "About what?" Adagio asked nervously. "About... Well, about any of this. How can I trust that you're really trying to be good? If I can't even trust you to be good, I can't... It just wouldn't make sense for me to trust you." "The point of this isn't to hurt you." That much was very true. Adagio had no intentions of hurting the other girl. Sure, she would be stuck in the middle for a while, but surely once she was on their side she would see it was for the best, right? Just like Aria said. "Then what is the point?" If you lie, you better be able to keep up with it. But if you tell the truth, you better be able to deal with it. "I really want to at least try to be a better person," Adagio started. She gazed down at the table and ran her finger along its surface. "You have to understand, though: I don't... Well, if I had a chance to do it again, I wouldn't change anything we did. We fed off negative energy; we needed it. It wasn't like we were doing it just because." She glanced up at Sunset, who had a neutral face. She wasn't buying it. "Sunset... What happens to a changeling when it doesn't get love?" "It dies." Sunset frowned, "But you're part human now. When I first got here I was afraid that my magic would go haywire because I couldn't dispel it; but it turns out my human body can't do so, so it's not a problem." "Because you didn't have any kind of magical conductor." Adagio pointed out, "We did. We didn't have the excuse that we just didn't need it any more. We still had to feed, but then it was as both humans and sirens." "But trying to take over the world? That's bad." Sunset winced at her own words. "To an outsider's point of view, yes." Adagio huffed, losing patience, "But all we were doing was trying to survive. Sure, there were some perks that came with mind-control, I won't deny that, but what I was doing was feeding myself and my sisters. Making sure we survive. You've been homeless since you got here, right? You know how skimpy food can be. You've probably done--or considered doing--a lot of things you wouldn't normally do, just for food, right? That's not counting shelter, acceptance, or anything else." Sunset was quiet. Adagio was completely right, and that killed her and gave her hope at the same time. "So... Now that you don't have the pendants?" "Now we're the same as you, more or less. Our needs are purely human. Should we ever go back to Equestria, it might be different. But for now..." There was another awkward silence, and this time Adagio was the one to stop it. "But, y'know, hypothetically..." She trailed off and gave Sunset an unsure look. This could either go really well, or destroy her chances altogether. "What would be the best way to take over the world?" She raised a brow, smiled, and kept her tone light. She was only trying to make small talk, after all. "Uh..." Sunset stuttered, caught off-guard, "I-I don't know!" "Human video games always say you need to find some mythical beast and befriend it. That makes sense, in a way. If the beast is capable of, say, expanding land or drowning the world, then that sounds like a good reason for people to listen to you." "The funny thing is, those creatures don't even exist in the human world. They just imagine them. So practically speaking, it's better to somehow convince people that you're doing the right thing. And if you do stuff for them while you're doing that, they'll follow you." Sunset added in her own opinion. "That's a good idea, too." Adagio nodded, smiling. "There's always just plain terrifying people, too. If they even think you have power, they'll usually submit." "But then you have to keep up the illusion of power." Sunset pointed out. "Hm. Good point. So what's the best way, then?" Both girls thought deeply about this for a few moments. Each considered the other's opinions and ideas carefully. "Hey," Adagio said slowly, "What about mind-control?" She leaned forward on her elbows. Sunset's eyes widened and she mimicked Adagio's position without meaning to. "That's brilliant! No one talking back, loyalty, everyone does as you say..." "But I've already tried that." They both said this at the same time, which made them laugh. They realized they were once again leaning towards each other, but this time they didn't move. "I don't know much about you." Sunset murmured, her eyebrows furrowing. "Ask away." Adagio whispered with an easy grin. "...Are they really your sisters?" Adagio didn't respond right away. While the three weren't related by blood, they were the only creatures of their kind. And they had been together for so long, it was hard for Adagio not to view them as some kind of kin. "Not by blood, and Aria probably wouldn't be caught dead calling us so. But I think so." "Now you can ask me a question." "Why did you show up today?" "I wanted to give you a chance." She didn't elaborate on what kind of chance, friendship or otherwise, and Adagio figured it didn't matter. "My friends want to give you guys a second chance, but they're scared. Not that I blame them, and I'm sure you don't either." "Not at all." "My turn again... Let's go with something simpler. What's your favorite color?" Adagio looked Sunset in the eye and responded without hesitation, "Blue." That was the right thing to say, if the blush on Sunset's face was any indication. Adagio thought she finally had an idea on how to get Sunset to go along with her plan, and if things kept going this well... This is going to be easy.