Some things were too easy.
As a magical being with the power to re-write people's wills with a song, Adagio Dazzle had experienced many small conflicts that she and her cohorts overcame with minimal difficulty. Ironically? Adapting from the loss of that very power was one of them, proving easier than the three would have ever dared dream. Not to say it was entirely a cake-walk, whatever that expression meant, but living without the ability to brain-wash people really wasn't so bad. They'd already adapted to being weakened when they came to this world, so having the last of their power snuffed out wasn't a big change.
Not that the three of them were bitter or anything.
At all.
Well, that was actually true for the most part, but they did miss their ability to sing.
But what can we do? If they beat us at our most powerful, the idea of revenge isn't even worth entertaining.
She was sure they'd only face further pain and humiliation if they tried anything, so the Dazzlings made no effort to get back at those that cost them their voices. Truth be told, she wasn't even sure the three of them could muster the energy. What would be the point? They'd lost everything.
Well, everything but the large piles of money they'd accumulated over the years in this world and the subsequent two-story house they now lived in. That certainly helped cushion the blow. They had enough to live comfortably for the foreseeable future, but Sonata had joked a few times that maybe they shouldn't have entranced all those people at that high-society party to 'donate to their cause.' If they hadn't, they might have had to get jobs. If they had jobs, they might have had something to divert the newest threat to their daily lives:
Boredom.
No magic, no revenge for having no magic, no idea what to do with themselves. Luckily, Sunset Shimmer had made something like a suggestion the last time they talked. She had wanted to make triple-sure that vengeance really wasn't in the Dazzlings' plans, becoming much less jittery when that was cleared up. Shimmer's proposal was that they, like her, attend the school they tried to enslave, go to classes, make friends, et cetera.
So, still attending school for lack of anything better to do, she, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk hadn't really caused trouble since the Battle of the Bands. People still didn't trust them, due to the whole mind-control thing and some honest misunderstandings, but no one had been willing to openly antagonize them, either. Flash Sentry has been hard to place, greeting the three of us and making small-talk, but never going further than that.
This and more Adagio pondered as she wandered the school grounds one morning. It was early, well before classes were due to start and nobody else was even around yet. Sighing, she lamented her own inability to just flop down and sleep on command, a skill Sonata had evidently mastered. Along with snoring. Aria couldn't do that, but she had the blessing of sleeping like a rock.
Adagio had woken up around 5:00AM, rolled around on her bed for forty minutes trying to get comfortable again, groaned with irritation, and opted to start her day sooner than normal. She found herself at the school building a good forty-five minutes before the first classes began, and that was by walking in a leisurely stroll the whole way. Now here she was, aimlessly circling the building while waiting for someone to show up and unlock one of the doors.
Not that she couldn't get in if she wanted to, but Vice-Principal Luna had gotten on her case for 'breaking and entering' the first time she'd been caught in the school building half an hour before it was due to open. Apparently it had nothing to do with sitting in Celestia's office chair with her feet up. As she thought about the paradox of wanting to keep students out of school, she noticed a light-pink plume on a bench by the soccer field.
Had that person been sitting there before? Approaching from behind the bench, she opted to investigate...
---
Pinkie was right, you really do have to enjoy the little things in life. Sitting alone wasn't exactly Fluttershy's favorite activity, but in quiet, peaceful mornings (which was most of them, before anyone else showed up), it was nice to just enjoy the calm environment of the area around the building. Of course, she kind of had to be here at this time every week-day, her mom could only drop her off just before work about an hour before school started and the only other way she knew to get here on time was to take the bus.
Buses were scary. They were basically big, cramped metal rooms that roared down the street, full of people, people she didn't know, people who might talk to her, might look at her, might-
Fluttershy stopped herself, reaching into her backpack for the second part of her morning routine. Today it was a lollipop! Every morning, since maybe middle school, she brought something sweet to help start the day on a bright note, since her friends usually weren't there as early as she was.
That, and even on peaceful mornings, it's a little scary to be all alone.
So, she popped the sugary end of the stick into her mouth, savoring its... cherry! Today was a cherry-flavored lollipop.
I know it's childish, but it makes me feel a little better. Besides, who doesn't like a little candy?
She would feel bad for hiding it from Pinkie if she weren't sure beyond the shadow of a doubt that there were, at any given time, at least two handfuls of snacks in Pinkie's hair. Somehow. It was best not to think about the mechanics of the thing, that she knew.
"I didn't know you smoked."
Fluttershy nearly jumped out of her skin, emitting a high-pitched squeak. Not just for the sudden appearance of the voice, but for it being a voice she definitely recognized. Quickly turning to the source of the sound, she saw Adagio Dazzle, leading lady of the sirens, leaning over the back of the bench... with a surprisingly casual look on her face, give or take a raised eyebrow.
"I-I-I don't," Fluttershy muttered back, "w-why would you s-say that?"
She pointed a yellow finger at the paper stick hanging out of Fluttershy's mouth. "Does this mean you carry a lighter, too? Or do you leave that to your pink friend? Because if she's a pyromaniac, I'm honestly not surpri-"
"N-no!!" Popping the sucker out of her mouth, Fluttershy held it where Adagio could see. "It's just candy, see?"
"Oh!" Adagio facepalmed, laughing a little. The sunny shift in her mood drew a tiny smile from Fluttershy as she put the lollipop back in her mouth. "Well, suppose I should have seen that coming. You don't have that scent about you anyway."
Fluttershy blinked twice. "Scent?"
Still leaning over the back of the bench, Adagio nodded. "That smoker scent. Tried the stuff once, took a week to get the smell out of my hair." So much for stress relief.
"I-it's, um, bad for your throat, too."
"As bad as having my gem destroyed?"
Fluttershy winced, bracing herself for something painful.
Adagio rolled her eyes. "Please, I know better than to take it out on you or your band mates." Her tone was surprisingly calm, even dispassionate. "Besides, nothing I could do to any or all of you would ever fix them, so it's not really worth the effort."
"S-sorry."
She seemed to ignore Fluttershy's whispered sentiment, staring off into the empty soccer field. "You know, prior to the Battle of the Bands, I never settled for less than dark energy for sustenance, no matter my cohorts' insistence that some of what they called food in this world was alright." Aria's was more like begrudging praise, particularly for anything she could eat with hot-sauce, but Sonata could be downright obnoxious at times. "As such, I haven't tried much of what they have to offer here. How is it?"
"I-it's, uhm, s-sweet, I guess...?"
Adagio turned to look at her, making Fluttershy's heart-rate jump up again. "Sweet?"
Fluttershy ducked her head a little. "Maybe?"
"Hmm..." The two locked eyes for a long moment, Adagio keeping her bored, disinterested expression while Fluttershy's grew increasingly nervous. Quick as a whip, she snatched the candy out of Fluttershy's mouth and popped it into her own.
The first thing that registered in Fluttershy's awareness (The second was that somewhere, Rarity was probably making a disapproving face and talking about hygiene, but that wasn't important right now) was shock, her mouth hanging open as Adagio adapted a contemplative look.
"Hm. Yes, I suppose it is sweet. Tastes a little like a kind of fruit, as well. Familiar. I can't quite place the exact-"
She knew it was rude not to listen to people when they were talking, she really did, but in addition to the awareness that her treat had just been snatched right out of her mouth, Fluttershy's mind wrapped around a particular thought. It was in much the same way Adagio's tongue wrapped around the sugary substance at the end of the stick.
Saliva. Mine is on that, and now hers is, my saliva is in her mouth, that's, that's like, like a-
Finishing her analysis of the thing called 'lollipop', Adagio noticed the weakest Rainboom still gawking at her, mouth ajar, and cheeks tinting red. She smirked. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot it's not polite to take things that aren't yours." Taking hold of the stick between her thumb and forefinger, she took the lollipop out of her mouth, "You can have it back." and pressed the candy-coated end on Fluttershy's tongue, to an immediate and enjoyable effect.
Fluttershy squeaked, her eyes went wide, her mouth shut tight, her face burst into brighter red than the cherry-flavored sucker itself, and she collapsed, falling sideways on the bench while maintaining her normal sitting pose.
Chuckling at the sight, Adagio's evil grin grew a little wider. "Well, I should be going, the building should be open soon and I'd hate to have Luna annoyed with me for 'skipping' again. Be seeing you, Sweetie."
"S-sweet, s-s-sa-saliva, m-mouth, m-my-"
Walking away from the blushing wreck of a person, Adagio cackled to herself.
That one made some cute expressions. I'll have to do that again some time!
Fluttershy eventually managed to form coherent thoughts again, though her heart hadn't stopped racing. Considering the slowly-melting candy on her tongue right then, her mind returned to an earlier thought.
Saliva. Again. This time it's hers in my mouth. Almost like... like...
A kiss!
...And with a very pretty girl, at that. Savoring the lollipop, Fluttershy was certain of one thing; she'd definitely start today with a smile.
Indirect kiss!
Smart move.
Boredom, the greatest foe of them all, the one thing worse than all others.
Fait enough.
Me. I never developed a taste for candy. Chocolate on the other hand...
Ah yes, the raised eyebrow, an old friend of mine. Usually around for implied facepalms.
Nah, just because Pinkie is often cast as the Pyro from Team Fortress 2, in any other circumstances, there's no way in Tartarus I'm letting ANY Pinkie Pie around a flamethrower.
Ah the smell of tobacco, makes me want to vomit.
With all that hair, I'm not surprised. Speaking of hair, how the hell do those 3 FIT all that hair into their hoods? Do they operate on TARDIS logic?
Oh that's just a low blow.
Fair enough.
Depends, some food is good, such as in some restaurants, and some, like in McDonalds and most fast food places, its inedible. At best.
Jerk. Then again, not surprised.
Troll.
You are a troll, Adagio. Discord would be proud.
Not exactly.
Well, Adagio does fit the general standard of beauty.
*looks at like bar an whistles* Solid green, not bad.
I have a feeling Fluttershy will buy an entire bag of those suckers in advance, just in case, you know... Adagio wants to taste it more, if you know what I mean
Ha ha, that was super-cute!
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Huh, never come across this pairing before. I'm interested.
There isn't enough dazzlings x random rainboom shippings going around, in my humble opinion. I therefore wholeheartedly applaud your contribution to the world of written magical, horsey/sometimes human, lesbian romance.
I'll be eagerly awaiting the coming chapters.
I'm enjoying this so far, can't wait for more!
For any who may be wondering, the term 'cake-walk' is derived from a dance of the same name developed from the "Prize Walks" held in the late 19th century, generally at get-togethers on slave plantations in the Southern United States. More specifically, before the actual dance was developed, the term was used in description of the slave who won a dancing competition in which a cake was the prize.
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The lollipop-cigarette mix-up reminded me of the highly edited version of One Piece in which all of the cooks smoking scenes had candy replacing the cigarette.
Curse you 4Kids! Marines don't use water guns... unless they were salt water, in which case, they'd be pretty useful for devil fruit users... Why don't they do that?
*sigh* been on both sides of this situation. my xgf snagged my lollipop and tasted it, so i snagged it back. i won't lie, i had a similar reaction.
I'm surprised at how well this ship works. I love the dynamic between these characters. I would never have thought of putting these two characters being together.
I'm looking forward to reading the rest of it.
This is a lot like how I got my first kiss with a xgf a little back and forth as our faces got closer (it was awesome)
Ugh, the indirect kiss fallacy. I don't generally like that because it's illogical and also reminds me of the droves upon droves of senpai animes that put unnecessary focus on something such as an indirect kiss. I used to like them, but now I really don't.
But anyway, I think this is an okay start. However, you're views on show v. tell are a little flawed. While you shouldn't indeed spend all your time showing every detail (you run into Purple Prose at that point), no showing makes things boring. You simply must learn how to show when you need to and tell when you don't. There's no book that says you must show at all times because writing isn't set in stone. But showing is a basic requirement to spice things up, so to speak.
This ship... I need more of it!
First chapter: faints at indirect kiss.
Latest chapter: practically begs to be adagios sex slave.
Oh how times change.
6118875 It's because Eyeswirl the Weirded's such a talented fellow.
An unlikely ship, the unexpectedly works well. Great job on the author.
I can ship it
Heh, that was cute, but it's well past midnight and I have to go to work tomorrow
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Yes your Majesty.
That was funny, do keep up the good work! :D
This is a very reasonable line of thought, but not one that I would imagine coming from Adagio, of all people. If there's one word to describe her, it's pride, and someone with that much arrogant pride doesn't take something like this sitting down.
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On the other hand she is more than thousand years old. She doesn't think in the same way as others.
That really sums up Adagio's character in a nutshell doesn't it?
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I read the first chapter and then saw this spoiler... Not sure if I want to bother with the rest anymore.
Tbh, the whole indirect kiss thing also gets to me. 'course, with my friends, we share plenty of foods and drinks for sampling purposes(every meal is tapas).
Anyways, interesting pairing. Storytelling seems good for people who like that kind of thing.
I'll be honest, I never would have expected this ship to work, but wow! A really great start! I'm honestly looking forward to more!
Cheers!
And here I am.. Reading this amazing story for literally the 4th time after discovering it back in 2017.
Thank you! This is truly sosososo awesome, I'm always in awe reading this <333
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Nice. This is only my 3rd time reading it, and it's been a while since I read it last. I've been keeping track of My Chemical Reaction so far, but since the next chapter won't be out for a while, I've decided to reread an old favorite.
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Get on my level-
Me, buckling down to read this amazing story again for the fifth time: Bring it on!
Alright, time to read my favorite ship fic again, I love reading this.
I was delighted to stumble upon this, and even more so to see that it has fantastic prose! I hope I enjoy the rest of it just as much <3