“Adagio! We know you're in there! We need to talk!”
The rapping at the door continued its steady rhythm.
“Don't open it!” hissed Adagio, as Applejack took a step towards the front door.
Sunset Shimmer emerged from the kitchen, and gave Adagio and Applejack a questioning look.
“Just pretend we're not in,” pleaded Adagio.
The two girls stood uncertainly in the hallway, as the relentless drumming continued. Then a small noise made them turn; A pink hand was holding the letter plate open, and Aria's purple eyes were staring in.
“Open the door!” she demanded. “I know you're there; I can see you!”
Sunset shrugged, and headed for the door. Both she and Applejack heard Adagio's strangled whispering.
“I'm not here! Use the chain!”
Sunset slipped the security chain into place, and unlocked the door. Immediately, Aria forced her boot, hand, and most of her face into the gap, swinging the door open to the limits of the chain. The knocking continued, however.
“Adagio! Get your butt out here!”
“She's not here,” declared Sunset. “Why would she be?”
“Oh yeah? Then where is she?”
“How should I know?”
Aria paused a moment to consider this.
“Well if she's not here, why aren't you letting us in?”
“Uh, because we're enemies?”
As Aria considered this also, Rainbow Dash wandered into the hall.
“Hey, uh, what's going on?”
“Ha!” yelled Aria, thrusting a finger in Rainbow Dash's direction. “I knew you were here! You've dragged Adagio off to some brainwashing friendship camp, admit it!”
Rainbow Dash stared blankly back at the accusing finger.
“What?”
“Well, when was the last time you saw her?”
Rainbow Dash glanced from the Aria to Sunset, and briefly to Adagio, who was still hunched in by the chair, making frantic gestures in Rainbow's direction.
“Err, I dunno. Battle of the bands maybe?”
“Oh yeah?” grinned Aria triumphantly, “then are you saying you didn't leave Donut Joe's with her yesterday afternoon, with your wimpy pink-haired friend?”
No-one spoke for several seconds, the knocking filling the otherwise silent hallway.
“Nnoo?”
Aria inhaled, then yelled again.
“ADAGIO!”
Slumped against the chair, Adagio brought one hand up to her face.
“Alright, fine!” snapped Applejack. “She's here, but she just don't wanna talk to the two of you right now.”
“And we're just supposed to take your word for that?”
“Take it or leave it, we ain't lettin' you in.”
“Well then I'll just keep yelling, and Sonata's arm isn't even getting tired.”
“Nope!” affirmed Sonata cheerfully, without pause from her beating on the door.
Adagio drew herself up to a standing position, and stepped around the door-frame.
“Seriously? That's the best plan you two idiots could come up with?”
“Well it worked, didn't it?” smirked Aria.
Adagio grunted, and gestured for Sunset to open the door. Sunset gave Adagio a sardonic glare, but turned back to the door, and raised a hand to Aria's face, to push the girl back out of the door. Aria responded by snapping her teeth towards the encroaching hand.
“I can't take the chain off with you in the way.”
Reluctantly, Aria pulled back, allowing Sunset to close, un-chain, and re-open the door. Aria pushed past her, striding right up to Adagio, while Sonata crossed the threshold, but remained within reach of the door, continuing to knock.
Aria hesitated, looking Adagio up and down, before speaking.
“Geez Adagio, this is worse than I thought. You look like a teddy bear.”
Adagio's haughty glare faltered slightly as she remembered that she was still wearing Fluttershy's spare pyjamas.
“If you've got something to say, then say it,” she grumbled.
“Meh. Not really, just wanted to make sure you weren't getting 'rainbow magic' treatment from the 'Rainbooms'”
A thought struck Adagio, and she grinned.
“Hey, that's a great idea!” Glancing around, Adagio grabbed Rainbow Dash by the arm and dragged her forward. “How about you all sing a few bars, and see if you can un-gay these two with your friendship magic.”
“Wait, what!?” exclaimed a bewildered Rainbow Dash.
“You told them?” Aria asked flatly.
“Adagio,” interjected Applejack, “just to be clear, are ya bothered 'cause these two are related, or 'cause they're gay?”
Before Adagio could answer, Aria spoke up.
“What difference does that make?”
“A pretty big difference, ah reckon'.”
“Right, that whole 'gay pride' thing. It's a fad; Don't expect it to last.”
“Excuse me!?” Exclaimed Sunset. “That's not —” she glanced over at Sonata “— how can you say that?”
Aria turned a condescending grin towards Sunset.
“You're new here, so let me tell you: These apes are always finding new ways to hate each other, and they change the rules every other decade.
“Oh, you can't sleep with him,” she said, her voice switching to a higher pitch, “He's from a different country.
“Oh, not her either, she has a different religion.
“Ew, no, you're both women.
“Don't have sex with that, you're not the same species.
“And now,” she added, her voice returning to its normal moan, “you're trying to tell me I can't have sex with my own sister? Screw that. You lot”, she turned back to Applejack, “always think you're more enlightened than your grandparents, but your rules never really make sense.”
Sonata watched in amusement as various expressions played out on the other girl's faces.
“Different… species?” Applejack finally managed.
“Don't knock it if you haven't tried it.”
“Aria,” began Adagio slowly, “NEVER tell me the story behind that.”
“Who says it's just one story?”
Adagio shuddered, and raised clawed hands to either side of her face.
“So come on,” continued Aria, “why don't you all tell me what's 'wrong' with incest anyway?”
“Um,” Twilight Sparkle had entered the hallway, “historically, it was a way to prevent inbreeding, between heterosexual couples, but—”
“Right, inbreeding. Which doesn't matter, because me and Sonata aren't gonna have kids.”
“We aren't?” Sonata stopped knocking, and stepped forward, apparently distraught by this news.
Every pair of eyes in the hallway (except of course her own) turned to stare at Sonata. In perfect synchronisation, Aria and Adagio each slowly raised a hand to their face.
“Erm,” said Applejack, “Does someone need to have a 'talk' with her, about stuff?”
“Go ahead,” Aria smirked from beneath her palm, “I could use a good laugh.”
“Sonata,” began Sunset, stepping forward, “do you, uh, know where babies come from?”
Sonata stared blankly back at her for a moment, then grinned.
“Oooh, sure! A guy sticks his thingy in ya coochie,” she made hand gestures to illustrate the point, “and squirts his stuff in there, then you get a baby in ya belly and it grows all big, then rips its way out.
“It's kind dumb if you ask me, you should just lay your eggs and then get a guy to jerk off over them. Though I guess then that wouldn't be as fun, and having a baby wriggling around inside you does sound kinda cool, like you swallowed it but it's still alive. It's kinky, even.”
“Um,” said Sunset, reeling slightly from this exposure to Sonata's world-view, “right. You need a guy. And you two are both girls, so you can't make a baby with just the two of you.”
“O-o-o-h, okay!” Everyone relaxed slightly now that Sonata's confusion seemed to be over. “But we can still adopt, right?”
The only movement in the hallway was Aria's head, slowly turning towards Sonata. Her eyes were wide and fearful, but after a moment, a small smile played around the corners of her lips.
“You… you want to…”
“No,” said Adagio. “No. No, and absolutely, no. It's not happening, not now, not ever. I am not becoming an aunt by both of you at the same time.”
“Oh, what do you care?” muttered Aria.
“What do I CARE?” Adagio suddenly shrieked. “What do I care that my sisters are a pair of disgusting freaks!?” Both the other sirens flinched back at this, but Adagio wasn't done. “What do I care that you're both sick perverts who can't find anyone decent to bang!? I mean, why should it bother me that you want to add a child to your warped little game?”
Both Sunset and Rainbow Dash tried futilely to calm Adagio, or stop her rant. Already, Aria was wide-eyed, her fists clenched and her knuckles white. Sonata, meanwhile, was slumped against the wall, clutching her cheeks and whimpering.
“You know what?” Adagio's voice switched to low and menacing. “I don't care. Not any more; I'm done.”
“What…” began Aria.
“It's over.” Adagio answered. “Our pendants are smashed, our voices are gone. No more band, no more Dazzlings. We are never going home, so why should I waste my time on you two any more?
“So go ahead. Screw each other senseless. Adopt a whole new family. Do what you like, I don't care. From here on,” she took a deep breath, and her gaze swept over the both of them, her lip curled.
“I — don't — have — any — sisters.”
With this, she turned, shoved Rainbow Dash aside, and stomped her way up the stairs.
Yup, that went about as well as it reasonably could.
Wow. Adagio is, apparently, the least depraved of them. Don't see that very often. Not sure which part of all this is bothering her the most, but my nonexistent money's on how they kept it from her for so long.
That said, Aria does sort of have a point on the incest, I guess, but any child they adopt is clearly going to have... issues.
I look forward to seeing where this goes!
7104446 I've been contemplating her motivations, myself. I think somewhere among them is "they were doing it without my permission".
Well, there's a bunch of aspects I hope to explore.
7104412
Actually, that went much better than I expected.
7104462 Oh for sure! I was thinking though that that was more or less the 'best' outcome that could be reasonably expected. There are, like, infinite less good outcomes, mostly violent ones.
Oh dear. She had a meltdown.
Well another meltdown.
7104459 Heh, that sounds pretty Adagio alright.
Actually, going by her sentiments to Sci-Twi in the last chapter, their well-being and overall happiness being how she measures her success or something like that, learning they've been... doing things... probably didn't help her already fractal psyche. Just wondering if it's Fluttershy or Sci-Twi that talks to her first.
On that note, I don't know if I'm more eager to see that conversation, or the new (well, publicly new) couple's next move. This has done a great job of drawing me in, if I may say so.
Inbreeding apart, we humans are hardwired to reject forming sexual or romantic relationships with people close enough to count as "family", related or not . That´s why the whole concept of "romantic interest you grew up with since childhood" so popular in videogames usually falls flat in real life.
Wow...Dagi that was harsh.
7104563 Yeah, I've been considering whether Twilight should mention the Westermarck effect at some point. In this case, though, Aria was asking what was wrong with incest, and that effect only explains why the prejudice exists, it doesn't justify it.
I'm personally of the view that incest should not be regarded as immoral, nor discriminated against, even in the case of heterosexual couples who may go on to have children. After all, we don't try to prevent individuals with genetic disorders from reproducing, why should inbreeding be different?
As for the implications for this story, I'd just point out that the incest aversion doesn't hold 100% of the time, there will be people who are exceptions. Indeed, making something taboo can often make it more appealing. I think it's also fair to say that no-one knows the extent to which this effect does (or doesn't) hold for individuals who are over eighteen-hundred years old, and currently inhabiting forms which are a completely different species from those they grew up in. Indeed, one could suppose that the siren-to-human transformation would have effectively destroyed the imprinting of the Westermarck effect, while leaving both siblings open to the theorised principle of genetic sexual attraction.
Or, y'know, “it's a story about magic cartoon ponies, it doesn't have to be realistic”. There, I said it.
I'll admit, I'm a little surprised no-one's commented on the implied bestiality thing.
I did get a couple of extra downvotes, though. I wish downvoters would leave constructive criticism, otherwise I don't know what (if anything) I'm doing wrong, which is just kinda frustrating.
Oh well, the feedback's mainly positive, I guess I'll just focus on that.
I did like Aria's rant in this. I suppose given how old the Dazzlings are, modern views on morality and sexuality are probably just "same ol', same ol'" to them. I mean, if they lived through the Helenic epoch and Roman Empire in Europe...? Well, they did stuff that would turn modern sexual progressives' hair white! Alternately the European renaissance was another time of decadent sexual exploration, especially amongst the aristocracy. The Dazzlings likely lived through it and I can see that quite affecting their perspective on what is 'acceptable' forms of sexuality.
I will say one thing: At least in humans, sexual attraction between full siblings is unusual. There does seem to be an instinctive behavioural block there that requires pretty abnormal circumstances to overcome. That said, it's worth remembering that Sonata and Aria are not human and, even after a millennia, don't think human. Sonata pointed out to Sunset how Hippocampi make babies and, because of this biological difference, the entire concept of a uterine pregnancy sounds vaguely like a vore fetish thing to her.
Perhaps, from their perspective, after a thousand years, they have mutually decided that the only person they can be intimate with and still avoid the heartbreak of their lover growing old and dying on them is each other? Maybe not even a normal Hippocampi would think that way. However, they're not normal Hippocampi; they're a pair of immortal emotivores and who knows what is 'normal' to their way of thinking?
Of course, that's the rub, isn't it? It turns out that Adagio does subscribe to this behavioural taboo. Maybe (and this might be odd), she's the only one who hasn't lost hope and thus can't understand the idea of giving up and simply taking and giving the most fundamental comfort possible with the only beings who could possibly understand what you're through.
7106208 The spoiler-y thing you mentioned is kinda... squicky, and some people are gonna be turned away/grossed out by it, especially if they like the Dazzlings/Aria. It's a matter of taste, and if people like a story and it suddenly upsets them like this... some people are gonna downvote.
Disclaimer: I didn't downvote, even though there are quite a few things this chapter I didn't like, the spoiler-y thing included.
So when she was saying it was a fad did she mean that homosexuality was a fad or that hating homosexuality was a fad because based upon my understanding of history (Greeks, Romans (bit confusing here as they were happy with people 'giving' but looked down on those 'receiving'), and even Medieval Europe (Church back then was like: 'You're not fucking right? Ok, as long as you don't do that go be happy being a gay couple) it is being against homosexuality that is a fad.
7107517 She's saying that widespread tolerance of homosexuality is a fad — that humans keep switching between hating homosexuality and accepting it, that in a few decades we'll go back to hating it again. She would concede that hating homosexuality is also a fad, and that we'll probably go back to accepting it again a few decades after that, but she just doesn't believe the human race is going to get rid of homophobia, for good, any time soon.
To be clear, she's not saying this is a good thing — in fact just the opposite, she's basically saying that people should be free to have sex with whoever (or whatever) they want. She's well aware that homosexuality has been around longer than the human race, in fact is quite possible that she herself has slept with more women than anyone else on the planet at this point, I wouldn't say she's homophobic, she's just a misanthrope. She thinks humans are basically a bunch of bigoted jerks, and that that's not going to change any time soon.
She's also arguing that incest and bestiality are okay, and that people hating those things is basically no different from homophobia — just a bunch of arbitrary rules humans keep coming up with as an excuse to hate each other.
Does that clarify things?
7107219 Yeah…
I'd be interested to know what else you didn't like about this chapter.
TBH, though, I think that if you're reading a story that starts with incestuous lesbian hate-sex, you should be aware that it might touch on some other “controversial” subjects.
I mean, I'm trying to write Aria (and Sonata, for that matter) as a character who has lived among humans for centuries, surrounded by all of our constantly-changing taboos, bigotries, and “social norms”, yet is perfectly comfortable having sex with her own sister. I think it would be a bit weird if a character like that wasn't “open-minded” about some of the other things we consider taboo, or if she hadn't “experimented” with them at least once in her life.
Plus, I kinda wanted to establish Aria as the kind of ultra-liberal character who wouldn't feel the least bit ashamed of what she was doing, and would never agree that it might be wrong — otherwise I felt like it would be too easy for Adagio to browbeat her into stopping, and that's just not a direction I wanted to take this story in.
I suppose I could have avoided the subject altogether, much like I could have cut out the profanity in chapter five (I did consider writing a "clean" version, or adding a warning note of some sort), but if my goal was to avoid offending people, I never would have started this story in the first place. Some people are offended by bestiality, some people are offended by incest. If anything, I might go so far as to say that I want to offend people, not as an end in itself, but because I want to challenge people's assumptions and provoke thought, maybe even discussion, about what is OK and what isn't — that usually requires giving a certain amount of offence. It just bothers me that, without feedback, it's a little hard to know if I'm actually succeeding at this, or just upsetting people without achieving anything.
Maybe I should have stuck to silly/random light-hearted comedy.
7107819
Hmm... Well, heck, I'll bite.
Will Aria and/or Sonata be explaining what urged them to try bestiality in the first place? I ask because I don't understand the appeal from a mechanical standpoint. What would animals have that you couldn't get from a human being? The only thing I can think of is that one joke about horses, and even then, I'm pretty sure there are rubber substitutes. Beyond that, if it's biting or clawing, I'm pretty sure people can manage that too. In this day and age, my understanding is that they've got tools and toys for every fetish thinkable at no risk of breaking the law (though I forget whether or not bestiality is actually illegal, or just really really frowned upon), so why do it?
I mean, unless they just so happened to find any particular breed of animal attractive. Which, being former hippocampi, I can kind of imagine.
EDIT: It occurs to me now that Aria didn't necessarily say they were doing that within the last few decades, so maybe she's talking centuries before there were safer options. Or not.
Also curious is Adagio's apparent resistance to whatever urged her sisters to experiment over the centuries. I can kind of see her being too proud to let anyone touch her even after all this time, or at least having her sense of shame (thinking about what her parents would say if they saw her) keep her from doing anything unconventional. That is, unless she's just hiding her own depravity, but I don't think she'd be this shocked and disgusted if that were the case. Unless I've missed something, she might be a virgin for all we know.
Wherever the die land, I look forward to seeing how it all turns out!
7107728 Yes, thank you.
7107819 Mostly my own fault expectation-wise. From the descriptions and first chapter, I misunderstood that the whole thing with Sonata and Aria would be that they were actually in love, and the story would be about Adagio learning to accept that. Plus, that there would be some form of shipping ( friend-shipping or romantic) between Adagio and Fluttershy because of the way they played off each other.
And the other thing... well, that's the problem. The very same culture Aria is complaining about... it's ours. And she is comparing that to her own views, which are different from ours. So conflict is inevitable. I consider incest between consenting adults a grey area. There are behavioural quirks in effect, for example something I seem to remember was called Genetic Sexual Attraction, which is usually counteracted by the mentioned Westermarck Effect.. So I don't like it myself, but it is not so outlandish that I wouldn't be interested in seeing the psychological/social ramifications explored in their entirety. It would make sense in regards to the Dazzlings, to some degree, considering they are technically the only known beings of their species in the human world.
The rest is a headcanon thing. The way Sonata and Aria said some things. I like the Dazzlings. I have my own views on how they are etc. So the rest of it is taste.
I'm gonna read the next chapter, but if it turns out I misjudged the story through misreading early signs, that's sorta my fault. So, not gonna downvote.
7107858 I haven't planned this story in enough detail to say that they definitely will or won't be explaining that, but I'm inclined to say they probably won't, because I don't see it contributing to the main plotline. I don't want to drag this story too far off on a tangent.
I suspect, though, that trying to explain the appeal would simply be like trying to explain the appeal of male homosexuality to a strictly heterosexual male. I think you just have to accept that some people are wired a certain way, and that if you're not one of those people, you're never going to fully understand it.
I also suppose that just the fact that it's taboo could make it appealing, that toys are never going to be a perfect substitute for "the real thing", and that Aria couldn't care less whether she's breaking the law, so long as she doesn't get caught (and maybe not even then).
As for Adagio's motivation, I'm hoping that will become a little bit clearer later in the story. If not, then I at least plan to introduce a bit more material to build on, so I don't want to say too much yet.
7108959 These spoilers are extra-spoiler-y because I'm actually spoilering stuff I haven't written yet, including the ending:
I do plan for there to be more to the Aria/Sonata relationship than lust-fuelled casual sex. Maybe not "true love", but something resembling romance, if viewed from the right angle. Or abuse, viewed from another angle. Sort of a love/hate thing.
I also plan for Adagio to come to terms with, and learn at least some acceptance for, her sisters' relationship.
And yes, more Fluttershy/Adagio interaction. Probably just freind-shipping with some overtones that maybe it could be something more, but that's left open.
I will say, un-spoilered, that I'm almost done twisting the knife at this point, and that I expect this story to head (broadly speaking) in a more positive direction from here onwards.
But geez, writing Aria Blaze is hard. We have so little canon material to work off, she spends so much of Rainbow Rocks completely overshadowed by her sisters. When I write Fluttershy, I can hear her voice in my head, I just know what she would or wouldn't say, and how she'd say it. Aria, though? I got nothin'.
7109219
Fair enough on all points, I guess!
They do realize they can go back home you know?
7145823 Can they? Without immediately being imprisoned in Tartarus or the Moon?
Dead. I'm dead. Suffocated from laughing too hard.
I think she didn't just PunctuateForEmphasis here, she twisted the knife too.