Under Our Spell
"This is all YOUR fault!" Aria shouted, jabbing her finger into Adagio's chest angrily.
"MY fault?" Adagio knocked away her fellow siren's hand, refusing to be intimidated by her anger. "And how, exactly, have you come to that conclusion?"
"If it weren't for your stupid plan, we'd still have our powers!" Aria folded her arms over her chest, glaring at Adagio with the fury of a thousand storms. "Instead, now we have nothing. No powers, no dignity, and no popularity. We don't even have our immortality, any more! And it's all because you just had to try to take over that dumb school!"
"Wait..." Sonata looked down and scratched her head as the gears in her brain began to turn.
Obviously, they'll need time to dust out the cobwebs... Adagio thought to herself, rolling her eyes.
"If we're not immortal any more... Does that mean..."
"It means that we're going to grow old and DIE, Sonata!" Aria growled, never taking her accusatory eyes off of Adagio. "Our powers are gone. Now, we're only human."
"But- B-But I don't wanna die!" Sonata blubbered, tears flooding and overflowing from her eyes as her now-useless voice began to strain and crack with despair.
"Well, you'd better get used to it, Sonata. We've all only got a few decades left..." Aria turned her back, walking away from the group for presumably the last time. "And it's all Adagio's fault."
"I- I don't wanna die! I DON'T WANNA DIE!" Sonata screamed at the sky, falling to her knees as rivers of tears began to stream down her face. It was truly pitiful, but Adagio had to admit to herself that the full weight of their defeat was beginning to settle on her shoulders, weighing down her heart with a lead anchor. But she couldn't let herself cry. She wouldn't cry. Not in front of anyone, and especially not Sonata. Turning towards Aria's dwindling silhouette, she raised a vindictive fist to the air.
"You think you have nothing? You ARE NOTHING! Both of you are NOTHING without ME! The two of you would still be napping on lakebeds if I hadn't come and picked you up out of the trenches! You hear me, Aria? YOU'RE NOTHING WITHOUT ME!"
Leaving Sonata, who had lost all of her senses to her panic, Adagio stormed into the nearest building: a small coffee shop. She ignored the glares from the patrons inside and practically threw herself into the nearest empty chair, causing it to rock backwards before finally settling again. Raising her hand, she aggressively snapped her fingers, trying to draw the barista's attention.
"HEY! Caramel mochaccino with two shots of espresso! And a croissant sandwich, pronto!"
The barista gave her the same kind of furious look that she'd been receiving all night, inadvertently crushing the empty cup in his hand. He was a massive hulk of a man with pale skin and blonde hair, and the type of muscle mass that implied about twelve different kinds of steroids.
"Right away, ma'am..." he muttered, picking up a new cup and setting himself to work.
While she waited, Adagio leaned forward, resting her forehead on her forearms, burying her face and leaving her mere inches from the surface of the table. Taking a deep breath, her head began to spin with realizations of her current position.
Aria hated her, Sonata had probably either run off to find a better place to cry than the middle of the sidewalk or become catatonic with fear for the future, and at most, she was only going to live the better portion of another hundred years, growing old as a human would, rather than retaining her eternal youth. She had no job, no friends, no way of supporting herself and no way to enchant her way through the world the way that she had until this point.
Aria was right about one thing... We really do have nothing. The black void behind her eyelids beginning to close in on her mind and crush her spirit. The weight of her complete and total failure weighed down her soul and placed a vice on her heart. If she were back in Equestria, she would simply retreat back to her oceans and try to recover. But even her oldest home was beyond her reach: a world away and uninhabitable for her pathetically weak human body.
I'm going to die... I'm going to die hated and alone. Without my magic... there's nothing left. Nothing I can do. Someday, my body will be left, lifeless and cold, in a hole in the ground somewhere. I, an immortal and powerful siren... Am going to DIE. SOON! What's a few decades to me, a being who's lived thousands of years? It's NOTHING! I have no time left! I- I... I'm finished. There's nothing. I'm nothing...
Just as she felt as if her emotions were about to overtake her, Adagio was shaken out of her reprieve by an unnecessarily rough tap on her shoulder. Jolting upwards, she found herself face-to-face with the barista, holding her coffee and sandwich. He placed the coffee on the table, then moved to hand her the sandwich. As she reached out for it, however, his hand tilted to the side, causing the meal to slip off of the plate and fall to the floor, where it fell apart and dispersed its contents over the tiles.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Adagio rose out of her seat, her almost-nonexistent fuse already burning up. "That was my-"
"That will be seven dollars and eighty-five cents..." The barista growled, staring down at her with contempt.
Adagio's rant was quickly cut off as she felt the color drain from her face. Quickly, her hands rushed to her pockets, searching for something, anything to pay with.
Our spells, they're all broken! We don't have any magic! And no magic means no enchanting our way into free meals! Oh, please, please, PLEASE let me have SOMETHING to pay with!
Unfortunately, even turning her pockets inside out yielded no result.
"Oh no..." she whispered, her prayers remaining unanswered. Suddenly feeling much less confident, her eyes slowly moved up to meet the ones staring down at her.
"No money?" The barista reached down, picking up her precious caffeine again.
There was a pause for a moment as another person stepped onto the scene, grabbing the coffee-laden hand by the wrist.
"Hey, Incredible Bulk! Relax! She's on my tab!" The stranger shot the barista a confident grin. "Go ahead and grab a new sandwich for the lady. You don't expect her to eat off of the floor, do you?"
The barista looked first at Adagio, then at the newcomer. Spotting his hesitation, Adagio's savior's eyes narrowed. "You know, Bulk Biceps, I heard the most interesting little tidbit from Cloud Chaser a few days ago... Something about an incident in the locker room?"
Immediately, the barista's face changed, first to shock, then forcing a grin as he set the coffee back down and took a step back and away, quickly retreating back behind the counter.
"Of course! Right away! Another sandwich..."
Smiling at a job well-done, the stranger turned to Adagio, motioning to the second seat at the table. "May I?"
Adagio nodded, regaining her composure as she slid back down into her seat. Now that she had calmed down she was able to get a better look at the stranger. He was about her height, with a dark-gray mop of hair, sky-blue eyes that seemed to glow from within with some kind of excitement, and a large black duster jacket over a midnight-blue t-shirt. The look was completed by a pair of jeans with holes torn over the knees and a pair of black sneakers. Looking over him, Adagio sighed and turned to stare out the window.
"You didn't have to do that. I had it under control."
He chuckled, leaning one elbow on the table and resting his cheek against his fist, giving her a smug look. "Oh really? Please, tell me how you were going to get out of that, then..."
"Well, certainly not by begging for handouts," Adagio reciprocated the grin as she folded her arms and leaned back in her chair, "but if you feel like paying for me, who am I to argue? After all I'm the lady..."
The two stared one another down for a moment before he finally seemed to cave, laughing and scratching awkwardly at the back of his head. "Yeah, I suppose you could say it's a bit of an antiquated way of doing things! But hey, it's the least I can do for Adagio Dazzle!" He gestured at her excitedly, as if he were pointing out some kind of spectacular sight.
Adagio was genuinely surprised at what seemed to be praise being directed towards her. The pleasure, however, was quickly taken away by all of the death glares she could see being sent her way out of the corners of her eyes. She slowly sunk in her chair, her grin fading.
"Unfortunately, that's not a very popular name right now... If you wouldn't mind keeping your voice down a little?" she muttered, sinking in her chair. She had reached the absolute pinnacle of love and adoration only the day before, and now, less than 24 hours later, she had fallen to being one of the single most loathed beings on the planet. The blow had made it difficult to keep any kind of ego to fight back with against the tide of hatred.
"Yeah, I think I see what you mean... He muttered, stroking his chin. "What happened, anyway?"
"You mean, you don't know?" Adagio regained her posture, feeling a glimmer of hope as she leaned forward. Confirming her hopes, the stranger shook his head. "But... if you weren't here, how do you know who I am?"
"Oh, I'm a huge fan!" he leaned forward, grinning excitedly. "I saw the videos that you and the Dazzlings put up on Youvid! In fact, when I did, I couldn't stop listening to your music! When I heard that you were all performing here at Canterlot High, I came over from Cloudsdale Academy as soon as I could! But I was too late for the concert..." As he leaned back in his seat, Adagio caught something that no one else seemed to notice: a flash of green light across his eyes. She blinked trying to understand what she had seen.
Was that... magic?
"Well... I have to say, I'm flattered that you came all of this way to see us, but I'm also so sorry to have to break the news to you..." It took all of Adagio's willpower to hold herself back from tackling him to the ground to demand his magic then and there.
"What? What is it?" He leaned forward, and Adagio saw it again: the glimmer of magical light. The smallest inkling of magic. Paying close attention and staring straight into his eyes, Adagio continued.
"Well, I'm afraid that a fight broke out onstage. Tempers broke, words and blows were exchanged... and the Dazzlings are no more. I'm afraid that I'm the only one left!" She wiped a false tear from her eye, sniffling audibly.
Her new best friend gasped, clapping his hand over his mouth.
"No!"
"Yes!" Adagio leaned forward, catching the lightest wisps of a spell. Most humans wouldn't recognize it at first, but she did: it was magic. And not just any magic: an adoration spell. Exactly the kind of magic a siren would cast over one of her victims.
We couldn't feed from a distance, that's why we gave up on the internet... And we always thought that our magic didn't work unless it was face-to-face... Adagio pondered internally. Could it be possible that we were wrong? Could he be the one exception? And that, through some twist of fate, he just HAPPENED to find me here? She shook her head leaning back in her seat again.
"Yes, would you believe that Aria was secretly trying to start her own band behind my back? She said to my face onstage that she thought I was a pretentious, worthless figurehead!"
His jaw dropped in shock. "WHAT? But you're the heart and soul of the Dazzlings! She did that onstage?"
Adagio nodded, her bottom lip quivering as she summoned another tear. "And then she just walked away, and took Sonata with her! I tried to go after them, but the mooks from the other band arrived and... well..." She placed a hand on her stomach, faking a cringe of pain. "I suppose I was lucky to walk away in one piece."
I may not have my magic, but that doesn't mean I can't bewitch him... And maybe, just maybe if I can carry the spell on him to its conclusion, I could use that energy to rekindle my power!
"That's TERRIBLE! Are you alright?" He started to rise out of his chair, but Adagio motioned for him to stay seated as she forced a reassuring smile.
"It's nothing but a few bumps and bruises... Nothing my hoodie can't hide." Looking up at his face, Adagio was happy to see genuine concern. Even without her magic, she was still an expert in manipulating people, and she'd seen his type a thousand times: the easiest to influence in whatever direction she wanted, believing themselves to have some kind of honor and nobility because they treated the opposite gender with special care. She looked down into her lap again, hiding a momentary snicker as a false sob.
"Are you sure? If you're still hurting, we could go someplace to get you checked out. In fact, I think I might have some bandages and stuff in my car!"
Looking back up at him, Adagio felt something deep in her chest. A twinge. The elation of things going her way was somehow tainted by a new feeling that she didn't recognize.
"That's alright, I think I'll be fine!" Adagio gave him another smile, trying to ignore the unfamiliar sensation. "The most painful part was having to cancel the show. I mean, there were so many people there who were excited to hear us sing! Instead, we left them all disappointed. And now, well..." she gestured to the other patrons in the cafe, who seemed to have all gone back to enjoying their meals. "Everyone blamed me because I was the only one left onstage."
"But that's not fair! It wasn't your fault! How could they think that-" The strange boy was cut off as the barista arrived at their table, holding Adagio's new sandwich, along with a large plate holding an oversized waffle drizzled with what seemed to be honey, judging by the smell.
Adagio's favorite.
She resisted the urge to drool as both of their plates were set down and the barista begrudgingly took a payment for the food from her friend. Staring at her own sandwich and coffee, Adagio realized exactly how much trouble she would have been in if he hadn't intervened. She would have been forced to leave without a shred of dignity or food, going back out to face the hysterical Sonata again, at which point she would probably have caved to her overwhelming emotions and sat and cried right with her. And then, after that, she knew that Sonata would want nothing to do with her. And then she'd be completely alone.
If he hadn't stepped in when he had...
"So... How did you do that earlier?"
"Hmm?" He paused, looking up from the piece of his waffle that he had been happily cutting away, "Do what?"
"That thing with the baristo! You made him back down like you knew some kind of secret about him, or something!"
"Oh, that..." He grinned nervously, scratching the back of his head with one hand. "It was nothing, really. I'm a bit of a matchmaker back at C.A. I keep an eye on most of the couples, and he recently broke up with a girl from there. And when a girl has her heart broken around here, she goes to her friends and talks about everything she hated about her boyfriend! I just happen to have good hearing."
Adagio grinned, taking a sip of her drink. "An eavesdropper, eh? I have to admit, you don't seem the sneaky type. You wouldn't happen to have some kind of ulterior motive behind all of this, would you?"
"What? No! No, no, no, no, no!" He raised his hands defensively, shaking his head vigorously in denial. "Never, Adagio! Really, I'm just happy to meet you!"
Adagio didn't resist the giggle this time. His response was adorably innocent, and it was one of the first things to make her so much as smile since what had happened at the concert.
"I'm just messing with you! Of course, a gentleman like you has to be doing this simply out of the goodness of your heart for a poor, helpless maiden!" She clasped her hands in front of her chest and blinked several times in succession, feigning over-the-top innocence.
He raised one critical eyebrow and pointed towards her with his fork, which still had an uneaten piece of waffle speared on the end.
"I think I'm detecting a hint of sarcasm, there..."
"What? MOI? Never!" Adagio laughed outright, feeling the weight in her chest beginning to lift away with each passing moment. She knew that she was endearing herself to him for the sole purpose of regaining her powers, but she couldn't ignore the feelings that were beginning to bubble up in her chest and warm her heart.
Well, he isn't bad looking... Wait! STOP THAT! Adagio, get a hold of yourself! He is the key to your power, your immortality, your ENTIRE LIFE! Don't mess this up because of some stupid HUMAN emotions!
"So, I don't suppose that you've got any plans for tonight? I'm sure you must be pretty busy..." He finally placed the bite in his mouth, chewing nonchalantly as he tried to look aloof on the topic.
Adagio stopped, thinking honestly about the question. She and the other sirens had all been travelling together until now, sharing a large van that they had managed to enchant a dealership into giving to them for a... heavy discount. Sonata, of course, had never stopped joking about how they had "gotten it for a song." But knowing Aria, she had probably already staked her own claim there, making it her territory. Adagio knew that she would never get it back from her if she had.
"Actually... I don't. Don't even have a place to stay, really..." She stroked her chin in thought.
"Well, I could certainly help put a roof over your head for the night!" he cheerfully replied, beginning to slowly cut a second bite of his waffle. "A few buddies and I have a place out in Cloudsdale! We're pretty tightly knit, but I'm sure that they wouldn't mind! They're all pretty big fans, too!"
He fed me... and now he's giving me a place to stay for the night? Adagio once again felt those human emotions rising up again. I mean, he certainly seems nice... And he's funny! And kinda sweet... She seemed to lose her train of thought as the lines between cohesive plans and fuzzy emotions began to blur. And if his friends have the same glimmer of magic that he does, maybe I can use that for myself? Either way, it does seem to make sense for me to go. It's that, or sleep on a park bench. And maybe if taking the magic doesn't make him stop liking me, the two of us could spend more time together like this?
There it was again. The glimmer of magical green in his eyes.
"Well, I don't suppose it could hurt, could it? I mean, it'll certainly be better for my back than newspapers and a park bench!" She grinned as she finished off her croissant sandwich.
"Oh, you say that as if I'd ever let that happen!" He laughed, picking up his drink. "Well, I'm ready to go whenever you are!"
Adagio's brow furrowed in confusion as she stared down at the plate, where his waffle lay completely untouched.
"Aren't you going to finish that?"
"Believe it or not, I'm stuffed!" he chuckled. "If you want, I can get it 'to go' and you can have it..."
Adagio nodded, and he walked to the counter, where he retrieved a box from the barista to put the leftovers in. As he finally turned his back to her for the first time, Adagio noticed something about him that she hadn't noticed before. His jacket, while appearing well-kept from the front, had several holes in the back, patched from behind with more black fabric, but still obvious, along with several open ones near the bottom, varying from pinholes to being several inches in diameter.
It suits him... Tasteful, not ragged. She nodded quietly to herself as he returned, placing the rest of his meal in the box and offering her an open hand. After a moment of thought, she took it, taking some small comfort from the gentle, reassuring pressure.
"By the way, you know who I am, but I never caught your name..." She chuckled as she walked out the door.
"Who, me?" He chuckled. "My friend call me Mend!"
"Mend, huh? You certainly don't seem to do a very good job of mending your clothes!" she chuckled, giving the bottom of his jacket a gentle kick.
"Hey! You're gonna tear more holes in it!" He whined as they arrived at a small green car. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a set of keys, inserting one into the lock as Adagio walked around to the other side, feeling an inexplicable excitement as she heard the doors both unlock together. As she slipped into the passenger seat, she could hear soft music playing. Mend froze, then shook his head with a smile.
"That's just my phone. Hold on a sec, I told my buddies specifically NOT to call me tonight..."
As his hand dove into his pocket, Adagio sat back in the seat and smiled, enjoying the plush seats. She had felt it when they had held each others' hands on the way to the car: the magic was stronger than ever. Her tactics were working.
Finally, everything is going exactly according to plan! I should have gotten rid of those two imbeciles ages ago! Without them to slow me down, I'll have my powers back and this world conquered in no time! And after that... well...
She took a long moment to stare at her new friend, reveling in the new emotions and affections boiling in her chest.
Who knows? Maybe something more?
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Mendax had to resist the urge to chuckle to himself with satisfaction as he felt his hunger sated and his power swell.
If all humans are this easy to fool, the hive should have no trouble invading this world...
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This was quite the story! 10/10 in my book :3
5220236 Thanks! After I watched EQG2 a second time, I had to write something about Adagio. I am DEFINITELY under her spell... <3
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Too bad this is a one shot I would love to see where this goes.
5220717 Yeah, so would I, tbh. But I kind of like leaving a really open ending about what happens, too. Who knows? Maybe if I get enough requests to continue, I could be convinced to keep going. But for now, I'm leaving it self-contained.
5220730 Gotcha but I'm glad Adagio getting a story, don't get me wrong I like some if the Sonata stories I've read but I feel both Adagio and Aria have a lot of potential.
This was great! You did a good job of carefully balancing the "this guy seems like a mary sue self-insert" with self-awareness towards that illusion, particularly this passage:
The reveal at the end seals the deal; I honestly kind of want to see where this goes, with both believing themselves to be manipulating just another human and either assisting or sabotaging the other's efforts... but it also works very well as a one-shot. Either way, you have yourself a favorite!
I'm genuinely disappointed this is only going to be a one-shot... but i guess i cant force you to continue this. I'll just have to stalk you and read your other stories
i want it to continue. i'm curious now!
Holy cow, it's a Changeling! Now the Dazzlings MUST become good and defeat the evil! THEY MUST! *dramatic face*
The ending was a twist I didn't see coming, not to mention a cliffhanger.
Still, this was a quite enjoyable tale, with great characterization and a great branch off of the movie. I especially enjoyed Adagio: still manipulative, still opportunistic, but stripped of her siren heritage, she begins to experience human emotion and is conflicting with herself over it a little. Would be great if it continued, but you leaving it here is a good ending.
Very nice for a warm-up. I do love those moments of mutual deception where one thinks they have power over the other
Although, in hindsight, this is nothing short of Adagio suffering a fate worse than what she has brought upon herself prior to this story
...We've got the music, makes ya move it, got the song that makes ya lose it-FUCK! That's gonna be in my head ALL day!
Ugh, definitely a great read though...what? That not 'nough for ya? Fine! Given everything, Adagio's character felt nailed on the head for me and at first the twist at the end kinda ruined it but then I started thinking about the potential future and...well, let's just say I'm squirmin' with giddiness.
That moment you realize the dude is a changeling and Adagio has feels for him <3 then you finish the story and- wait, SHE HAS A THING FOR A DUDE?! WTF IS THIS?!
5224438 I know, right? It seems impossible! It's almost like... magic...
img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140823031959/r2d/images/6/69/George-Takei-oh-my.jpg
Me: "Who was she arguing with?"
My OC: "Bulk Biceps, a little. Mostly herself..."
Me: "Do I even wanna know..?"
MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I kinda guessed he was a changeling... but when the Youvid thing was said I didn't think it was real... MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What?! A changeling! ? Kill it with love!!...oh no love....ok...mmhm...ok then.
throw my vote for another chapter please.
YES! SIRENS AND CHANGELINGS!
I love that this a thing. This is a great thing.
Wait....the Sirens and a Changeling? Well, this will be interesting. Very interesting.
Good writing. At first I thought you were rushing how quickly Adagio was developing feelings for Mend, but when you described his coat it all suddenly made sense.
Well, that escalated quickly at the very end. Thx for spoiling the big plot twist btw.
Called it!
Damn dude, I did not see that coming :D
Now THIS is a very interesting premise! The writing's not half bad either. Let's see where this is going.
I'm kinda worried about Aria and Sonata though.
You my favourite and like soley for that end twist. Bravo sir, bravo.
Prepare for Ludicrous Speed!
I think she's breaking character getting into him so fast.
5224438
I made this mistake on a different story- you forgot the spoiler tag... :
Mend's a changeling. That last line just proves it!
