//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Differentiating Opinions // Story: A Bittersweet Life // by MarcellusMiro66 //------------------------------// (8:00PM) "Hey, this is Sunset Shimmer. If any of the Dazzlings are there, you better bedazzle up in this address..." Adagio Dazzle glanced up from her laptop and over to her iPhone, cleansing her ears of anything blocking sound; did she hear that correctly? Snatching it up and replaying the message over and over again until it was embedded in her thick skull, she traveled to her bedroom with the intention of getting dressed for the following confrontation that would follow. Taking out of her closet a purple winter coat with an equally colored turtleneck, puff ball cap, and a pair of stockings with boots, she also reached into her drawer and pulled out a Heckler & Koch P30 with two spare magazines. Chambering the slide and cocking its hammer, Adagio tucked the automatic and its spares in her coat; exiting her bedroom, she knocked on the door of her two sisters', getting them both to wake up from their slumber, "Aria, Sonata, get up. We're going somewhere." Aria huffed, "Somewhere where? Naughty or nice?" Sonata giggled, "Oh, Aria, don't be such a square." "Hey!" Adagio suddenly snapped, "Did you two even listen to me?" "Yeah, yeah, we heard ya, Adagio," Aria waved her off, "You told us to get up, and we're up. In fact, we've been up." Adagio resisted the urge to pull her handgun on her own sister and instead took a page from Sonata's book, "Aria... Don't be such a smartass and get ready. Please." She walked away from her, out the apartment, and toward the front of the complex. Aria herself exchanged uncertain glances with Sonata before they both decided to get ready. The former donned a green coat with a silver star in the center, an equally-colored scarf, boots, earmuffs, mittens, cap, and pair of stockings; the latter fashioned a pink and red hooded coat with an equally-colored pair of boots, earmuffs, stockings, and mittens. Talk about the many similarities. The pair of sisters made their way to the car, where Adagio had already turned over the engine; entering through the back and passenger door respectively, Sonata gently bounced up and down, unaware of the handgun tucked away in the driver's coat... Something that Aria was fully aware of, "Adagio, what the hell is–?" "None of your damn business," Adagio rapidly responded under her breath, gritting her teeth. This alone shut Aria up swiftly and smoothly. Driving away from the apartment, the trio (specifically the vivid orange haired leader) proceeded to meet with one of their dreaded nemeses... Sunset Shimmer. (8:45PM) In the school system, a principal's primary focus is to keep the school he or she (in this case, she) is in charge of in safe hands. The last thing you would expect is the principal to do the complete opposite. That principal in question almost paid the price... And for good reason. Destruction, exploitation, and overall manipulation were the three highlights of said principal; the cherry on top of it all was the destructive designee was a woman. Gazing at her fingers as they tapped on her wooden desk, one Abacus Cinch made one nauseating flashback to one particular event a few months prior to the present: the Friendship Games. This particular Games saw her star student leave the scene after five "fantastic" straightforward years. Her prized pupil didn't exactly tolerate being thrown under the bus and exploited (as mentioned above) for all the wrong reasons. Hey, it's as if exploitation in general was all right. Abacus ceased her finger tapping and began to sooth her forehead, groaning in pain as she did so. Contemplating her decision to pick up her iPhone laying a few inches from her, she eventually did and dialed up a number she never expected to dial. Not in a million years. (8:50PM) Principal Celestia emerged from her bedroom, a white bathrobe wrapped around her naked body; she had just finished taking a shower. After drying herself up and replacing her bathrobe with a silk variant, she began to set out her nightgown on her bed when her iPhone began to ring. Her current thought besides I'm really fucking tired was now replaced with Who the fuck can wrack up the nerve to call me up at this time? "Hello?" "Ah, Celestia. I assume you got out of the shower?" "Cinch? How did you know?" "You just told me." Celestia's eyebrows furrowed and soon widened, scowling at herself for falling for that, "Look, Cinch. I'm really busy at the moment, so if you could just cut to the chase – " "If you mean busy with the Anon-a-Miss case, then I'll certainly do just that." Celestia's eyebrows began to furrow and widen again, her grip slowly loosening on the phone, "Cinch? How...did...you...know?" She repeated, albeit more angry than before. Cinch, on the other hand, was rather enjoying her torment and replied for the heck of it, "You just told me." (9:00PM) A hour later, the trio arrived in Ponyville Park, where Sunset was waiting for them to arrive. Parking near a frosted tree and turning off the engine, they all exited the car and walked towards the cold cut center, Adagio shifting her automatic from her jacket pocket to her pant pocket. Cocking the hammer and gripping the handle, she gestured her two sisters to stay where they were as she went on to investigate. Her grip on the handgun's handle tightened; Sunset herself clutched her pistol and slowly chambered the slide. At this, Adagio and Sunset both raised their handguns at each other; all were evidently surprised for the same reason – guns were involved in a petty squabble. Adagio never thought it would come down to this: a Mexican Standoff between her and Sunset Shimmer, the leader of the Rainbooms. Two girls, two guns, and a hell of a lot of squinting; the both of them stood a few feet away from each other. The former held her Heckler & Koch P30 at the latter as the latter held her Glock 21 on the former. Both wouldn't break away from each other's sights any time; both had all the time in the world. The only ones worried were her own sisters, Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk. "So... You gonna break, Shimmer?" "Fat chance, Dazzle." "You told us to meet you here. Why?" "I wanna make a deal with you. You wanna make a deal with me?" "Why would you of all people wanna make a deal with me of all people?" Sunset said nothing but instead pulled out something she and her sisters never thought they would ever see again: their former amulets. Adagio nevertheless didn't lowered her handgun and instead raised her face so it would be in line with Sunset's own, "Alright, Shimmer. I'm listening." "Good. I suggest you listen."