> Taking Potshots: Crackshipping Rainbow Dash and Adagio Dazzle
>  by bahatumay
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash pushed off against the ground again, giving herself another little burst of speed. Her eyes narrowed as she sized up the stairs, and she couldn’t help but smile with anticipation.

With perfect timing, she jumped, making her skateboard spin twice in the air before she landed on the railing. Her balance was perfect; she slid, grinding down the entire length of the handrail. She jumped off right before her board reached the end, throwing in a little kickflip just to show off, and landed smoothly.

She dragged her foot to stop and looked back, and glared at the spot where she had landed. “Not quite fast enough,” she said, disappointed in herself. “Again!” Pushing off the ground, she looped around to make the jump again. She pumped harder and picked up even more speed, and jumped, ready to send sparks flying as she grinded the rail.

And then she saw something out of the corner of her eye. A huge orange poof, disappearing into a doorway somewhere in the alleyway.

She did a double take. That had looked exactly like-

And that little motion was all it took for her to lose her concentration. The board hit the railing at an awkward angle and slipped out from under her shoes, and the railing went up right between her legs.

Rainbow let out a cry of pain as she rolled off the railing and hit the ground face first. She rolled up to her knees, hands clamped protectively around her most sacred of places. “So glad I’m not a guy,” she grunted through gritted teeth as she pushed herself up.

But pain was temporary. She had recognized that hair. And she was about to go find out where it had gone, and just what else those no-good Sirens were up to.

Unfortunately, when she had recovered enough to look up, she couldn't tell the doorways apart. It had only been for a split second; she had no idea to where Hair Mountain had disappeared.

Scowling, she kicked her skateboard back into position. She bit her lip and considered trying the jump again, but she knew she wouldn't be able to focus now; not with knowing that Adagio was around. She'd take a quick break, probably go for a run (that always helped clear her mind), and then she'd be back.

And whatever that dirty Siren was up to, she'd figure it out; and she and her friends would stop it.







Rainbow dropped her tray on the table a bit more loudly than strictly necessary, and her plastic tray clattered against the table. She braced herself for Rarity’s mini-lecture on manners before she remembered that Rarity and her sister were on a trip this whole week, and for some reason this bothered her even more.

“Hey, Rainbow!” Pinkie greeted her cheerfully as usual. “What's up?”

“Oh, not much,” Rainbow answered. “Just something siren-y has been bothering me.”

Pinkie cocked her head. “You mean like a police siren,” she asked, spinning her fingers around like an old-school police light, “-or like…?” She furtively pointed a finger at the blue-haired girl sitting next to her.

Sensing that people were talking about her, Sonata Dusk looked up, with something still halfway in her mouth.

Rainbow paused as she thought she recognized it. “Sonata, what are you eating?” she asked.

Sonata swallowed. “F’shtick!” she answered, slurring the words ‘fish stick’ into one. “These are delicious!”

Rainbow had stayed awake long enough in history class to know that according to Greek mythology, Sirens had come from the sea. She also knew that sirens fed solely on negative energy, and therefore had had a friendly relationship with the nearby fish. And she definitely knew what the cafeteria fish sticks were (supposedly) made of. She glanced over at Fluttershy, who was looking down and whose cheeks were looking decidedly pinker than normal. “She doesn’t know, does she?” she deadpanned.

“Know what?” Sonata asked innocently, dipping another fish stick in ketchup.

Rainbow looked over at Fluttershy, and a devious look crossed her face. “I’m gonna tell her,” she said.

“Please don’t,” Fluttershy whispered.

Sonata frowned, and not just because her cheap school fish stick had crumbled in the ketchup. “Tell me what?” she asked.

“That…” Rainbow thought quickly. “That, uh, f’shticks actually taste better with mayonnaise than with ketchup.” She nodded, proud of her save.

Sonata cocked her head. “What’s mayonnaise?”

“Oh, it's good stuff. It's a sort of creamy white sauce-thing.”

Sonata's eyes widened knowingly. “Ah, ah!” She waggled her finger scoldingly. “Not gonna work on me! Adagio used to pull that one on me all the time.”

Fluttershy took a moment to think, and when she realized that the only white substance possible would have come from passing seagulls, she shuddered and pushed her tray away.

Rainbow's mind had made a slightly different connection, and she grimaced. She wondered if it was more pathetic that Adagio had tried that, or that Sonata had fallen for it. She shook her head. “Speaking of Adagio, do you know what she's up to recently?”

Sonata shrugged and took another bite of fish stick. “We don’t talk much anymore,” she admitted with a hint of sadness, “and by that I mean we don't talk at all. She and Aria left the morning after the rap battle, and I haven't seen either since.”

“That’s why she lives with meee!” Pinkie added excitedly. “I talk plenty for her!”

Rainbow grunted, acknowledging that Pinkie definitely had a point there. “Well, I'm pretty sure I saw Adagio when I was skateboarding, and I know she's up to something.”

“She usually is,” Sonata agreed. “She's the smart one.”

Needless to say, this did nothing to assuage Rainbow’s determination. “Well, I'm pretty smart, too,” Rainbow said. “And I know Sirens. She's up to something devious, something that’s bigger than just the school, and I'm going to find out what she's pulling and I'm going to put a stop to it!”

“Hey, look!” Sonata said, holding a knife out between her teeth. “I'm a narwhal!”
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash dropped her tray on the table and then dropped herself into her chair. She dropped her head, and Sunset Shimmer quickly reached out and slid Rainbow's tray out of the way right before she dropped her face in her sloppy mashed potatoes.

“Are you ok?” Sunset asked.

Rainbow grumbled something into the table.

“You didn't get much sleep last night?” Pinkie translated.

Rainbow nodded into the table and grumbled something else.

“Couldn't find Adagio yesterday and stayed up all night thinking about where to find her?”

Rainbow nodded again, oddly thankful for Pinkie’s strange skill set. 

“Rainbow, I think you're taking this a bit too far,” Sunset Shimmer said gently. “Ever since that whole rap battle thing, they've been laying pretty low… I mean, besides Sonata, of course. And Sonata says since they've learned to eat normal food, they're not so concerned with stirring up trouble to feed.”

Rainbow was about to say something else, but someone flounced down and sat at the table. But instead of a tray full of food, Sonata Dusk had brought a tray full of…

Applejack slowly set down her sandwich. “What in tarnation are you eating?” she half whispered, half demanded, and completely horrified at the sight.

“Rainbow was right! Mayonnaise is delicious!” Sonata giggled. “And they're just giving it away over there! In single serve, bite-size packets!” She clenched her fists and vibrated in ecstasy. “I love this world!”

Applejack felt a wave of nausea wash over her as Sonata ripped the top of another packet and squeezed the entire thing right into her mouth and swallowed. She pushed her tray away from herself, and looked over to see Fluttershy quietly doing the same.

Sunset Shimmer, having eaten much stranger when she first came through the mirror, shrugged and continued eating her salad.

Sonata dropped the empty packet and reached for another, and then paused and brightened. “Oh, Rainbow! I wanted to tell you something.”

Rainbow was drinking, and finished and looked up just in time to see her sucking down another mayonnaise packet. She squinted. “Is it that you're a freak?”

Sonata shrugged. “I'm pretty sure everyone in school knows that,” she said. “I used to be a Siren, you know. And I had an awesome voice and awesome egg-laying hips.” She looked down at herself, and her smile faded slightly. “And now I don't have either. But these aren't bad, I guess.” She rocked them once, and then her voice grew quiet. “I do miss my tail, though.”

“Sirens hatch from eggs?” Fluttershy asked, intrigued.

Sonata nodded eagerly. “Mm-hm! But we're all female, so if we want to lay eggs it involves a lot of singing a very special song and a lot of stolen energy. And usually a lightning strike.” She hesitated. “I think. Or that could just happen as a natural result of so much magic gathered in one place. I'm not really sure.”

“Fascinating,” Fluttershy murmured.

“You're worse than Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow grumbled.

“Thank you!” Sonata and Pinkie said in unison.

A pause.

“Hey!” Also in unison.

Rainbow was almost tempted to take her tray and leave, but she was actually hungry, so she pretended to be deeply intrigued by her mashed potatoes.

Sonata continued. “So, anyway… what was I talking about, again?”

“You wanted to tell Rainbow Dash something,” Fluttershy supplied.

“Oh, yeah!” She brightened again… and then lowered her hands. “I forgot.”

Rainbow stabbed at her mashed potatoes a bit harder than necessary.

“Did it have something to do with soccer?” Fluttershy tried.

“The weather?” Applejack guessed.

“You saw a particularly red balloon?” Pinkie Pie nearly shouted.

Fluttershy perked up. “You got a new pet?”

“Try-out results were posted?” Rarity suggested.

“Is it that her shirt’s tucked into her underwear?” Pinkie guessed.

Rainbow jumped. She looked back down and sure enough, her compression shorts had ridden up a bit. A slight blush crossed her face as she shoved them back down and tucked her shirt into her skirt. It wasn't like she'd been exposing herself or anything, but it was like having something stuck in your teeth. You wanted to know about it sooner rather than later.

“Maybe?” Sonata shrugged.

Rainbow scowled at her last few bites of potatoes. New topic new topic new topic… she silently pleaded.

Thankfully, Pinkie Pie provided. “So I was babysitting the Cake twins yesterday, and you would not believe what Pumpkin did with her sweet potatoes!” She gigglesnorted at the memory.

And with that, lunch continued as usual.







Rainbow Dash tapped the soccer ball with the toe of one foot, tipping it past an imaginary defender and catching it with her other foot. She spin-dodged, keeping the ball protectively between her legs before turning, ready to unload the most powerful kick to score the golden goal to end the game-

“Hey, Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow missed her kick. The soccer ball went spiraling off the side of her foot, ricocheted off the wall, and bounced to a stop right in front of a fire hydrant. She looked back and scowled, and only softened slightly when she saw who had yelled. “Hey, Sonata.”

Sonata scampered over and made a valiant attempt to kick the ball back over to Rainbow, but it fell short. Undeterred, she quickly ran up to the ball and tried again, and only crossed half the distance.

Rainbow sighed defeatedly and jogged over to retrieve the ball herself. She kicked it up and tucked it under her left arm. “I take it you didn't come to play soccer?” she asked flatly.

“I came to buy some flowers,” Sonata said, pointing a finger at a flower shop that Rainbow had not known existed before that very moment. “I love the way they smell.”

Rainbow snorted. “You've been spending too much time with Rarity.”

“That's funny, because she says the same thing about you. I think she just doesn't understand the beauty of a taco-powered fart.”

Rainbow's face scrunched up in confusion. Did she really…? And did that mean Rarity thought she…?

Sonata held up her hands disarmingly. “What? It just isn't the same underwater.”

Rainbow dragged her palm over her face. “Sonata, has anyone ever told you that you need counseling?”

Sonata nodded, and then a smile crossed her face. “I think people just don't understand / my name's Sonata Dusk, and I'm not from your land / I've got my own experiences, my own point of view / so stick with me and just maybe I'll teach you something, too.”

“You're certainly teaching me patience,” Rainbow said.

Sonata brightened. “Sonata, masta' rappa' / takin' classes teach ya fasta' / so you gotta keep up quickly / or else she's gonna outclass ya!” She bumped Rainbow's hips with her own and grinned, possibly expecting applause.

She did not receive it. All she ended up doing was bumping the ball out of Rainbow’s hand. Rainbow exhaled flatly, as if silently begging for patience.

But Sonata was undeterred. “Anyway, I remembered what I wanted to tell you at lunch today!”

“What?” Rainbow asked, picking up her ball again.

“I saw Adagio last night.”

Rainbow was suddenly keenly interested in everything Sonata had to say. “Where?”

“Over by Ninth street.”

Rainbow nodded. That was close to where she had been skateboarding a couple days ago. “That's a pretty big area,” she said, inviting Sonata to elaborate.

“Yeah, but that's where all the good rap battlers are, and I haven't had a good street rap battle in a while. I'm getting better! I didn't even choke up when he talked about my mother this time!”

Rainbow blinked. Too much information, none of it what she'd wanted. “We're all so proud of you, Sonata,” she said flatly.

“Yay!” Sonata pumped a fist in the air.

“So where was she?” Rainbow demanded.

Sonata shrugged. “I dunno.”

Rainbow facepalmed. “That's stunningly unhelpful,” she scowled.

“But I do remember that she came out the third door down across from the fifteenth street light counting from Eighth.”

Rainbow's mouth worked wordlessly. “You remember that, but you don't know the address?” she demanded.

Sonata shrugged.

Rainbow pinched the bridge of her nose. “Well, it's a good thing I like math,” she grumbled sarcastically.

Sonata blinked. “For realzies? Because I've never liked math.”

“Yes, Sonata!” Rainbow exploded. “For realzies! I love math! I would drop my skirt and let math have its way with me in the middle of the classroom if I could!”

Sonata nodded hesitantly. “W- well, I think the guy who sits in front of me in social studies is pretty cute,” she offered.

Rainbow let out an inarticulate roar of frustration and stomped off, pausing only long enough to stop, return, and retrieve her soccer ball before stomping off again.

Sonata watched her leave, and a tiny frown flickered across her face. “Was it something I said?”
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fourteen… fifteen. Rainbow looked over and saw the same alleyway as the evening she was skateboarding. She nodded. Now she knew which door to try. She moved three doors down and tried to open it.

It was locked.

Frowning, she took a step back and examined the door. A large vinyl sign was emblazoned across the door.



The Warzone



Rainbow clenched her fist. She knew it! Adagio was gearing up for war! She had to get in there and stop her, even if she didn’t have her guitar to pony up. She’d figure something out.

But how would she break in? Perhaps she could call Pinkie?

Rainbow quickly discarded that idea. She’d be too loud. She’d get them in, yes; but she’d also get them caught, and Rainbow Dash had no desire to end up on the evening news with Pinkie. Pinkie would have to stay out of this. She paced in front of the door, thinking. How could she get in?

She jumped as the door crashed open, and she raised her fists to defend herself as someone came out, taking out the trash. He stopped and raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“Trying to get inside,” Rainbow answered dumbly.

He blinked. “Why don’t you just go in the front door?”

“I was gonna,” Rainbow said defensively. “I just…” She dropped her hands. “I lost a contact?” she tried.

He looked askance at her, but then he remembered that he wasn’t being paid enough to care that much. He threw the trash bag into the nearby dumpster and walked back inside, letting the door slam shut behind him.

Rainbow snorted and walked around. Once she made it to the front, she realized there was more to the logo. The full sign read differently.



The Warzone: Paintball Arena



Oh. Paintball. That made sense, too. But what was Adagio doing here?

She pulled the door open and walked inside. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light, and she looked around. The place was dimly lit, but little spotlights lit up the posters bearing images of players clad in strange armor that adorned the walls. She looked around, squinting. What was this place?

The guy behind the counter smirked. “First time?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow said.

“It’s great. You know, it’s always free to watch.” He gestured at the large wall of screens. “And if you want to join, we’ve got great deals on gear packages.”

Spare me, Rainbow thought. She walked over to the screens. She watched.

And to her surprise, she found herself entertained. They had been divided up into two teams, distinguishable only by the colored armbands every player wore on their wrists. It was a fast-paced game, with players running and dodging explosions of paint.

But one player stood out. She was ruthless, with an air of complete control. Other players scampered and ran; she seemed to know exactly where they’d be. She wore a dark hoodie, and black cargo pants. Her gloves were black, and Rainbow found herself wondering if she were actually a cybernetic being from the future sent back to tag people with paint. It wasn’t long before there were only three left, with two players on a team against the Terminatress.

They didn’t stand a chance.

One took the paintball right to his chest. He hadn’t even seen her hiding in the fake tree above.

She descended with a graceful backflip, landing in a three point stance. Rainbow Dash crinkled her nose. That may have looked cool, but it was impractical, and would probably cost her the ma-

And then she spun around and lit up the player secreted behind a nearby rock; he had been just about to ambush her. He threw his paintball gun down in frustration.

The announcement came that the current match was over, and players should prepare for the next. But for some reason, no one seemed to be in a big hurry to leave.

Least of all the player who had just won. She stepped closer to the spectator area and pulled her mask off, and Rainbow’s jaw dropped.

Adagio Dazzle looked around at the cameras. She twirled her gun around her finger, held it up, winked… and then stuck out her tongue and dragged it along the barrel.

Rainbow squinted, unsure how she felt about this rather lewd display. It might have been ‘repulsed’. But still, she wasn’t able to look away. The teenagers around her, though, cheered and banged on the glass, letting everyone know exactly how they felt.

She stepped up to face the window, and she pulled back her hood. A waterfall of orange hair tumbled out, and she raised her arms, as if she could hear the cheers through the glass. She stood in front and spoke. Even if her words had been muffled a bit by the screen, her attitude definitely hadn’t been; and Rainbow could clearly read the words on her lips.

“Welcome… to the reign of Queen Adagio.”





Adagio Dazzle stepped out of the arena and back into the lobby. She raised an eyebrow at the girl standing nearby, arms folded.

“Queen Adagio, eh?” Rainbow smirked. “I say ¡viva la revolución!”

Adagio smirked right back. “Rainbow Dash. How unexpected. I didn’t know you spoke Spanish.”

“I stay awake in class,” Rainbow returned. “Do you speak Spanish?”

Adagio clasped a hand over her heart. “Claro que sí, mi’ja; la mayoría de las canciones de amor están escritas… en español.”

“Don’t talk that way about my mother,” Rainbow snarled, jabbing a finger in Adagio’s face. “This is between you and me, so let’s keep it that way.”

Adagio chuckled and slid her hand away. “So cute in your ignorance,” she said, patting Rainbow on the head with her other hand.

Rainbow ducked away and didn’t rise to the bait (though she did scratch at her hair like she’d just walked through a spiderweb). “What’s your game, Adagio?” she demanded.

“Game?” Adagio asked innocently.

“You’re up to something,” Rainbow accused. “Don’t deny it.”

“Am I?” Adagio asked, frowning. She glanced down at her paintball gun, then looked up in mock confusion. “Whatever could that be?”

“I don’t know,” Rainbow admitted, “but I know you’re not just here for paintballing. I’m going to figure it out. Making people miserable isn’t going to fly with Rainbow Dash!”

Adagio raised an eyebrow. “Miserable? I don’t think that’s the term they’d use.” She looked over at someone nearby, and flashed him a peace sign, the little smirk never leaving her face. He looked around, realized that she had been waving at him, and quickly waved back, now wearing a goofy smile.

Rainbow blinked. That wasn’t the reaction she’d expected.

Adagio explained. “It is better to be adored than feared; and here, I get to be both.” She held out her arms, as if expecting a round of applause.

Rainbow felt the urge to wipe that little smirk off with a fist.

When she looked back, Adagio had left. She was walking over to her locker. It had been decorated with her name written out in sparklies. They probably had a real name, but Rainbow didn’t know it.

Adagio reached for the combination lock, looked back at Rainbow, and made a little shooing motion with her free hand. Rainbow scowled and crossed her arms, but she did take a respectful step back as she put in her combination.

Rainbow blinked again as Adagio opened it. Her locker had been stuffed full of jackets—one of which she exchanged for the light jacket she wore—black bottles like the ones on the back of her gun, and boxes of paintballs; but on the bottom, she had stacks upon stacks of energy drinks. She lifted a pink one out, and smoothly popped the top and took a sip. She then looked up, as if shocked at herself. “Oh, where are my manners?” She held it out to Rainbow. “Want one?”

“Nah. That stuff’ll give you cancer,” Rainbow scowled. It wasn’t actually true; not as far as she knew, anyway. In fact, the watermelon flavor was her favorite kind. But she wasn’t about to tell Adagio that.

Adagio shrugged and took another long drink. Rainbow briefly wondered if she were trying to show off her shotgunning ability. If she was, Rainbow wasn’t intimidated. At all. Really.

Not in the slightest.

She finished it and tossed it over her shoulder, and it landed right in the recycling bin.

Rainbow scowled again, once more impressed against her will.

Adagio smiled as if she knew a juicy secret as she shut her locker. “Well, I’m flattered you came to see me; but I really must be going. Work waits for no one.”

“You work?” Rainbow asked, surprised.

Adagio grinned. “Surprised?”

“A little,” Rainbow admitted, bringing one hand up to scratch behind her neck. “I kinda figured you just sang for everyth-”

Adagio grabbed Rainbow’s hand and twisted, somehow getting the leverage to slam Rainbow against the lockers. Before Rainbow could react, Adagio had pressed the front of her body up against hers.

She placed a finger over Rainbow’s lips before she could begin to protest. “Rainbow, Rainbow,” she said, half-soothing, half-scolding. “I have many diverse talents; some more… marketable than others.” She met Rainbow’s eyes and, without breaking eye contact, ran her tongue across the front of her teeth.

Now more than a little bit disturbed, Rainbow tried to push her away; but Adagio was faster. She subtly sidestepped, leaving Rainbow to push at nothing but air.

With a sultry wink, she turned around and pulled the hood of her jacket over her voluminous hair, somehow managing to tame it as she did so. Once she did, the symbols on the back were revealed: ‘Her Majesty’ was written in a shiny, sparklied curly script, and a queen symbol Rainbow recognized from Fluttershy’s little attempt at chess club adorned her back.

Rainbow scowled as Adagio walked away. She could swear she was swaying her hips a lot more than strictly necessary. This isn’t over.
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow set her tray down at the lunch table. “She’s paintballing!” she blurted.

“She’s what now?” Fluttershy asked.

“Who's what, now?” Rarity asked.

“She’s paintballing. That’s what Adagio was doing.”

“Paint, balling?” Rarity repeated the unfamiliar phrase. “As opposed to paint… painting?”

“Ooh, that’s fun,” Applejack said, brightening as she recognized the term. “Mac and his buddies used to be into that.” She looked up, as if trying to remember something. “Think he’s still got the stuff, still, somewhere,” she murmured.

“That can’t be all it is, though,” Rainbow insisted. “There’s gotta be more to it! I just know it!”

“Maybe she just enjoys it?” Fluttershy suggested. “Everyone needs a hobby.”

“Yeah. Now that she’s not trying to take over the world, she’s probably bored,” Sonata added. “I mean, even brushing your hair isn't as fun without singing, and since I can't sing anymore I had to try something new. Pinkie Pie taught me to make cookies.”

“Uh-huh! They made great street hockey pucks,” Pinkie said brightly.

Rainbow ignored her. “I’m gonna have to infiltrate it. All I need is the gear.”

“But you've never paintballed before,” Fluttershy pointed out.

Rainbow briefly buffed her nails against her shirt. “Eh, my natural talent and athleticism will more than make up for that.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “I'm sure,” she deadpanned. Her tone softened only slightly as she added, “Mac would probably lend you his stuff if you asked, though.”

“Sweet!” Rainbow rubbed her hands together. “This'll be awesome!”

“Whatever you say, Calamity Rainbow,” Applejack said flatly.







Rainbow soon discovered that her previous boast may have been a little bit too presumptuous. While everyone else seemed to have protective gear or at the very least, long shirts; she did not. Mac's protective gear had been much too big for her. So she'd had to improvise.

Thus it was that Rainbow Dash walked into the arena, holding a gun as old as—if not older than—some of the youngest players, wearing her skateboarding pads for protection and skating shoes on her feet.

She pointedly ignored their stares and chuckles. Part of her (that was not her wallet) was definitely glad they’d required her to rent a helmet, to hide her face. But she'd show them.

The match soon started. They got a countdown to get into position, and Rainbow took full advantage of this, sprinting away to the edges of the arena. She could see other people, wearing bands of the opposing color, following her, going out to the edges, probably trying to score an early hit. She grinned, her athlete’s mind easily keeping track of their positions as if they were defenders trying to chase her down on the soccer field. Her coach called it ‘situational awareness’.

She just called it ‘natural talent’.

By the time the countdown ended, Rainbow Dash was long gone. She smirked as she hid behind a tree, gun raised up by her face as if she were a secret agent from a movie.

At the tone, the arena exploded in a flurry of activity and paintballs exploding. Rainbow felt that familiar rush she got with her regular sporting events. It was loud and cacophonous and actually a lot of fun. And she'd barely just started.

She ducked around, watching as people furtively poked their heads out. One made the mistake of stepping from cover. A triumphant smirk crossed her face. She raised her gun, took careful aim, and pulled the trigger.

But nothing happened.

Rainbow glared. She shook her weapon and tried again. Still nothing.

Scowling, she ducked back for cover just as he spotted her. Paintballs exploded against the rock she was hiding behind, and Rainbow was slightly stunned. The paint splatters looked much bigger in person. She grimaced, feeling dreadfully exposed.

Fortunately for Rainbow Dash, shooting at her left him susceptible… and distracted. She heard him cry out as another player tagged him. She grinned maliciously as she darted away.

Her natural agility kept her always moving, and she was a difficult target to hit. Somehow, she managed to avoid detection until the end of the game. The shots grew fewer and longer between, until finally she couldn't hear any at all. Had that been the end? Curious, she stepped out from cover…

And took a paintball right to her chest.

“Ow!” She looked up incredulously at Adagio, for it had been she who had fired the shot. “Ow!” she repeated, reaching up to rub at the impact site.

Adagio Dazzle walked up. “Not bad,” she said, “for a maggot.”

Rainbow narrowed her eyes. Still, there was no reason she couldn't be polite. “Yeah. Thanks. Not bad for not having a working gun.”

Polite-ish, anyway.

Adagio squinted at the gauge, and took the gun from Rainbow’s hands. She unscrewed the gas tank and her eyes widened as she didn’t hear a hiss. “You went through the match without any CO2?”

“I needed air?” Rainbow asked. So that’s what Mac had meant when he said his tanks might need a refill. She’d thought he was talking about his truck.

Adagio looked askance at her. “Really? You didn't know that?”

“First time,” Rainbow shrugged.

Adagio rolled her eyes. “And I thought Sonata was dumb.”

“Hey!” Rainbow protested.

Adagio ignored her, and continued examining the gun. She looked back up at Rainbow, then turned back around. “Walk with me,” she said over her shoulder.

“What are you doing?” Rainbow asked as they left the arena and arrived at Adagio’s locker. “Hey, careful, I borrowed that!”

“Call it morbid curiosity,” Adagio said loftily, retrieving a new gas tank from her locker and screwing it into the back of Rainbow's gun, “but I want to see how you do with, you know, adequate equipment.” She paused, cast a judgmental eye across Rainbow's outfit, smirked…

Her eyes narrowed, and then widened. “You're not wearing padding?”

Rainbow shook her head. “Are you?” she asked.

Adagio set the gun down and flipped her shirt up, revealing tight ribs of foam padding all across her front and up her ribs; like the underpadding that some lacrosse goalies wore, but thicker and covered in vinyl. It was tight and form fitting, and now that Rainbow thought about it, it helped accentuate her cleavage. That was probably cheating. Somehow.

Adagio grinned. “Like what you see?”

Rainbow shrugged, not wanting to answer.

“Sorry, only have the one.” Adagio finally put her shirt back down, then looked back towards Rainbow’s weapon. She adjusted the pressure, glanced at the gauge, then turned around and fired a test shot that exploded inches from the face of a younger participant, who squealed in fright and tumbled backwards, tripping over his own shoes.

Adagio chuckled and held the gun out for Rainbow. “See you out there in a few,” she said, winking.

“Now that I can actually shoot you, you'd better watch your butt,” Rainbow said, snatching the gun back.

“Nah,” Adagio said. “I'll let you watch my butt for me.” She ran her tongue across the front of her teeth and turned and strutted away, swaying her hips.

Rainbow watched her leave, scowling. She scowled even harder as she realized that she was glaring at Adagio’s butt, just like the siren had wanted. She shook her head and hefted her gun. She would be ready. Adagio would be going down.







The funny thing about paintballing is that it's a game based on both skill and luck. Sometimes players won with their skill.

And this time, Rainbow just so happened to peek over the edge of a rock and come face to glutes with Adagio Dazzle. A cold smile flitted across her face as she raised her weapon.

Adagio’s squeal could be heard across the whole field.

“Ha!” Rainbow crowed. “The queen has been deth- ow! He-! Ow! What th-!”

For in her triumphant moment, she had forgotten that she was still, for all intents and purposes, in a war zone. The other players had not, though; and she was hit by no fewer than three other players at once.

The two disqualified girls started their trek back to the outside. Rainbow couldn't keep a smirk off her face.

Adagio noticed. “Beginner’s luck,” she spat.

“That sounds like you want a rematch.”

“You bet your training bra I do.”

Rainbow narrowed her eyes and hefted her gun. “Good. I'll be waiting.”
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that night, Rainbow grunted and winced as she pulled her shirt off. She looked at herself in the mirror and chuckled darkly. Giant bruises of varying sizes marred her cyan skin from the paintballs. She exhaled; but she couldn't keep a little smile off her face. That had been fun, surprisingly fun. But right now she really needed a shower. And an ice pack. And maybe a long weekend.

It’s not like I have any tests tomorrow, right? she mused as she finished stripping, mentally weighing the cost of cutting school tomorrow.

She stayed in the shower much longer than usual, letting the hot water run down her face and over her body until the water began to run cold. Still feeling sore and not particularly wanting to get dressed, she halfheartedly toweled off and then dug around in her dresser until she found a huge t-shirt that Pinkie had left here from some party forever ago. She slid it on, and though it scooped pretty low in the neck and stuck to the water still clinging to her body, it did reach down to her thighs. Her modesty now technically preserved, she shuffled back into the kitchen. She opened the freezer and dumped a handful of pizza rolls on a plate, then popped it into the microwave.

She'd eaten only a few before there was a knock on the door. She rolled her eyes—this time of night, it was probably Pinkie, who else?—and she got up, completely spacing what she was wearing.

She opened the door. “Pi-” she started.

But it wasn't Pinkie Pie at all.

“Rainbow Dash,” Adagio grinned. “What a pleasant surprise.”

Rainbow scowled. “Surprise? I live here. What are you doing here?”

Adagio frowned. “Oh, did I need a reason to visit? Silly me.” Her eyes flicked up and down, taking in Rainbow’s t-shirt. “Aw, but now I feel overdressed,” she teased. She brought her hands up to her belt buckle and unfastened it. “Should I…?”

“Put a sock in it,” Rainbow scowled harder. She crossed her arms until she realized that that made it look like she was trying to cover herself up, and she quickly snapped them back to her sides before defiantly sliding her hands up to her hips. “What do you want?”

“Want?” Adagio asked innocently as she crossed her arms. “Oh, Rainbow Dash. I just wanted to come by and congratulate you on a game well played.”

“Yeah, and I’m actually a pegasus who lives in a city made of clouds,” Rainbow spat. “I’m not buying it.”

“You don’t have to buy anything,” Adagio sneered. Her expression softened slightly as her eyes flicked across Rainbow’s body again. “But I would invest in some armor if I were you.” She brought a hand up to mirror where a particularly large bruise adorned Rainbow’s sternum. Her expression quickly hardened again, and she suggestively raised an eyebrow. “Unless you like it a little rough? I won't judge.”

“I’d like you to get off my lawn,” Rainbow snapped.

Adagio ran the tip of her tongue across the front of her teeth. “Snappy. Fine. I'll make it quick. It was good to see you out there today, and not just because you make those cute little squeaks when you get shot.”

Rainbow flushed. “I do not-!”

“And it's great to have another powerhouse girl out there,” Adagio cut her off. “It really is.” She placed the palms of her hands together. “But Rainbow, you cost me a lot of street cred today.”

“Nobody says ‘street cred’ anymore,” Rainbow smirked.

“Be serious, Rainbow,” Adagio growled, dropping her hands and quickly losing any previous traces of civility. “Between making fun of you for your outfit and your old-slash-rented equipment, there are some people who are starting to call you the Rainbow Wonder.”

Rainbow perked up. She liked the sound of that.

“But you've taken so much away from me, and you won't take this. I will defend this. I am the queen. Queen!” Adagio insisted, her voice raising in volume.

Rainbow crossed her arms again defiantly. “You've done nothing but make sure that I'm there every day after school.” She paused. “Well, not the days I have soccer practice. Or when the disc golf club meets. Or when they're doing pickup roller hockey. Or basketball. And I've been thinking of trying out for the volleyball te-”

“I get it,” Adagio hissed. “You're coming. Little Miss Awesome-pants just has to show up. You can't just live and let live, can you? You won't even let us have this. What, destroying our gemstones and humiliating us in front of everyone wasn't enough?”

Rainbow paused. She leaned out and glanced over Adagio’s shoulder, as if expecting Aria or even Sonata to appear. “Us?”

“Me,” Adagio corrected herself irritably. “You humiliated me.”

“Sorry, no can do,” Rainbow said, folding her arms again. “I know you're up to something sneaky. I just know it. And I won't stop until your plan is as ruined as your gemstones.”

Adagio bared her teeth. “Oh. You want my plan? Well, here it is.” Her eyes narrowed further and she jabbed a finger in Rainbow’s chest, making her wince. “I'm not letting you or any other Rain-loser take away what I've fought so hard for. I will stop you if you try. Believe me. This is far from over; and when you least expect it, expect it.”

“There she is!”

Both spun around at this new voice. Rainbow vaguely recognized one of the passengers as being on Griffonstone High’s soccer team before it suddenly dawned on her what exactly they were carrying in their hands.

“Hit the deck!” Rainbow quite literally dove for cover behind the door. She made it just an instant before impact.

Adagio, however, was not so lucky.







At the hospital, Rainbow Dash looked in the waiting room. She glanced over at Adagio, who was scowling and looking decidedly unapologetic, even as she cradled her right hand protectively in her lap.

“You know, that might have been going a bit overboard back there,” Rainbow started hesitantly.

“You've never cleaned egg out of your hair,” Adagio said darkly.

“I was referring to the fact that you broke your wrist punching out their windows.”

“Maybe next time they'll check twice that they've got the target right before going all ‘bombs away’ on someone,” Adagio shrugged. “Why would they egg you, anyway?”

It was Rainbow’s turn to shrug. “They're probably still bitter about last year’s championship game. I scored the golden goal in double overtime. We won, obviously. 1-0. They didn’t take it so well.”

“Interesting. I would have thought someone with your level of skill would have scored earlier in the game,” Adagio said airily.

“Hey, the Gryphons are one of the best teams in the league,” Rainbow defended herself. “They were defending champions five years running. We just happened to knock them off their pedestal. At their home arena. With lots of media coverage.” She looked away wistfully. “A lot of people were even booing their own team and they had to call the cops because fights broke out and the cops were kinda ticked at us too and then the crowd started throwing stuff at our bus and then throwing stuff at their team and they had to cancel the victory parade they had planned afterwards. It was pretty sad.”

“So they egged your house because they were being petty and just couldn't let the past go,” Adagio said leadingly.

“Yeah, something like that,” Rainbow said, realizing too late just where she was going with that. “It was pretty… dumb of, uh, of them.”

And Adagio just smirked.

Rainbow exhaled. “Fine. Truce at the Warzone; I won’t try and steal your thunder there. But don't you try anything anywhere else.”

Adagio put on her most innocent look. “Me? Try something? You must have me confused with someone else.” Her eyes narrowed. “Perhaps someone who still has magic to use offensively,” she jabbed.

But before Rainbow could respond, a nurse stepped out, holding a clipboard. “Dazzle, Adagio?” she called.

Adagio stood up. “That's me.” She glanced over her shoulder at Rainbow, and her glare might have softened a bit. “Thanks for the ride,” she grumbled.

“Yeah,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “No problem. Hope it isn't broken.”

“Yeah,” Adagio said with a slight grimace as the consequences of her actions slowly started to become real to her. “Me too.” She turned around and started walking towards the nurse. “You can go home now. I'll take a taxi back to my place.”

Rainbow narrowed one eye. “You sure?”

“I'm sure.”

Rainbow’s protest about reactions to pain meds died in her throat; Adagio’s steely tone left no real room for argument. Still, enemy or not, they technically had a truce. “At least take my number,” Rainbow offered. “Just in case something comes up.”

One side of Adagio’s mouth curled up. “Fine.”

Rainbow did not fail to notice that Adagio saved her name with a skull emoticon next to it.
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow blinked. “Pinkie?” she asked slowly.

“Mhm?” Pinkie asked distractedly.

“What exactly are you doing?”

Pinkie continued sniffing Rainbow’s hair. “I'm figuring out something.”

“Is it that you're about to get an elbow to your gut?” Rainbow suggested darkly, readying her right arm for such an act.

“No, it’s not that,” Pinkie said blithely, unaware or unconcerned about her stomach being in danger. Suddenly, she gasped. “You’ve been in the hospital recently, haven’t you?” she demanded.

Rainbow’s eyes widened, but she quickly recovered. “Yeah. Yeah, I was,” she said coolly.

“What happened? Are you alright?” Fluttershy asked quickly.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Pinkie asked.

“I probably would have, if you hadn't started out being all creepy,” Rainbow scowled, pushing Pinkie away. “Yeah, I was at the hospital last night. Had to take Adagio there.”

Sonata’s head shot up. “How is she?” she asked worriedly, her hands kneading at a mayonnaise packet.

Rainbow yanked down the front of her shirt, revealing some of her many bruises (as well as most of the sports bra she wore underneath). “She's just as good a shot as ever, if that's what you mean,” she said. She was rewarded with a blush from Fluttershy, an eyeroll from Applejack, and a pained groan and facepalm from Rarity. She grinned. Totally worth it.

Sonata’s lower lip jutted out. “You know what I mean,” she protested.

Rainbow released her shirt. “Yeah, she’s fine. She came by to tell me to stop coming, I told her where to stick it, and some of the idiots from Griffonstone just so happened to come by my house to do a drive-by egging and she just happened to get in the way. Egg all in her hair. So she punched out their windows and probably broke her wrist.”

Applejack nodded, impressed against her will.

“Is she gonna be ok?” Sonata asked hopefully through her fingers.

“Probably,” Rainbow shrugged. “She didn’t want a ride back or anything, so I think she’s fine.”

“I hope so,” Fluttershy murmured.

“That seems somewhat of an overreaction,” Rarity commented.

“Nah,” Rainbow shrugged. “The worst thing is, I probably would have done the same thing if they'd hit me. Except I'd be smart enough to pick up a rock. I can throw a rock or melee with it.” She scowled. “Heck, I’d’ve helped her smash their windows if I’d known just how hard it is to clean egg off a house and get out of carpet. That took forever…”

“I hear you there,” Applejack agreed. “We had a few punks think it would be fun to egg our barn every once in a while.”

“What happened?” Fluttershy asked.

“Mac caught them,” Applejack said simply, “and asked ‘em politely to stop.”

There was a pause.

“There's more to that story, isn't there?” Rainbow asked, with a knowing jab at Applejack’s ribs.

“Nothin’ that’ll stand in a court of law,” Applejack said with just a hint of a smirk.







After the boring drudgery of classes (hey, she stayed awake in English class every now and again), Rainbow Dash was ready to escape to the freedom of the outdoor fields; but before she could reach them, she heard someone calling her name.

“Hey, Rainbow!”

She skidded to a stop and turned around. “Sunset! Hey. What's up?”

Sunset came up and slowed to a stop in front of Rainbow. She took a steadying breath. “Hey. Uh, so, at lunch today…”

“Yeah?”

“Look, I know I’m still new to this whole ‘friendship’ thing; but it seemed to me like Sonata was really worried about Adagio.”

“Ahh,” Rainbow said, waving a hand dismissively. “She'll be fine. She'll be back at the Warzone in no time, and I'll be right there on her tail.” She paused. “Well, I would be, if she had one still,” she amended, “but you know what I mean.”

Sunset sighed. “Not like that. I mean, Sonata still cares about her. She's still worried about her. And I bet she would have appreciated a little more information about her.”

Rainbow shrugged. “I didn't notice. And I didn't know any more, anyway. She kicked me out, remember?”

Sunset exhaled, then took a steadying breath. “One of the things that really helped me was realizing just how similar we all are.”

“Huh?” Rainbow squinted. What did that have to do with anything?

“Think about it. Sonata wants us to like her, sorta like me and you want everyone else to like us. And Adagio…”

“You think I'm like Adagio?” Rainbow demanded hotly.

Sunset held up her hands placatingly. “I'm saying you might have more in common with her than you'd think,” she said gently.

Rainbow scoffed. “Yeah. Except I'm not an evil siren with a diabolical plan to take over the world.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow.

Rainbow deflated. “Ok, so I still haven't figured out her plan,” she admitted.

“Or if she even has one,” Sunset prompted.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Or if she even has one,” she repeated bitterly. “What, are you going to tell me I shouldn't go back?”

“Actually, I'm going to say I think it's a great idea,” Sunset said. “I think she needs a friend-”

Rainbow snorted.

“-and someone who can challenge her,” Sunset finished firmly. “You can be both, and have fun at the same time.”

Rainbow nodded slowly. She liked the sound of that.

“And maybe, just maybe, she can feel the power of friendship, too.”

“Yeah, and while you’re hoping for that, I'd like to have finals cancelled at the end this year,” Rainbow deadpanned.

Sunset raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

“Fine,” Rainbow sighed. “I'll try a little friendship. But first sign of something sketchy, bam!” She smacked a fist into her open hand. “Rainbow beam. To the face.”

Sunset shook her head, but accepted that that would be all she could hope for. “Good. That being said, don't go easy on her.”

Rainbow smirked. “Way ahead of you, sister.”







Adagio Dazzle, her hand now bound in a cast, raised an eyebrow. “You did come back,” she said with just a hint of bitterness.

Rainbow held up her hands innocently. “I'm just here for fun.”

Adagio pursed her lips. “I still want to be on opposing teams.”

“Duly noted,” Rainbow grinned.







Rainbow Dash sat down on one of the benches and took her helmet off. She ran her fingers through her hair, feeling the sweat beading off it. She was starting to really get the hang of this. Basically, it was always keep moving. It was almost like endurance training, but with painful penalties if you stopped. Really, she should have been doing this earlier. This would be great training for this next year.

“You're getting better.”

Rainbow turned around. Adagio Dazzle stood there behind her, her arms crossed.

Sunset’s words about Adagio needing a friend came to mind. So instead of bragging or teasing, she went with a basic, “Thanks,” instead.

That was apparently all she'd wanted to say; Adagio spun on her toes and walked back to her locker. She opened it and once more retrieved an energy drink, and shotgunned this one as well.

“You drink a ton of those,” Rainbow observed.

Adagio shrugged as she tossed the empty can behind her back and into the recycling bin. “Negative energy is kinda hard to come by now, thanks to you and your musical friends. These drinks pack a bit of a punch. Drink it fast enough, and it’s almost the same sort of rush.” She abruptly started moving again. “Come on. Next round starts soon. Unless you want to concede defeat already.”

Rainbow shot to her feet. “Not a chance,” she said.







By the time the Warzone closed, both Rainbow Dash and Adagio Dazzle were exhausted, and for the most part, covered in bruises.

And yet, both girls were smiling.

“Did you see that last shot on that one kid with green hair?”

“I took that shot,” Adagio laughed. “I’ve never heard him squeal that loud before.”

“Yeah, oh man,” Rainbow chuckled. “Good times.” She mentally checked her schedule. “You here all day tomorrow?”

“Well, I will be, now,” Adagio said wryly. “Can’t work with my hand like this.”

“Oh yeah,” Rainbow said, glancing down at Adagio’s wrist. “Almost forgot.” Both that she worked and that she'd broken her hand; she hadn't let it slow her down at all.

“Lucky you,” Adagio said coolly.

Rainbow tried to think of a way to make a joke out of this. “Did they give you a discount? Now that you’re more of a one-armed bandit?”

“Nah. They let me in for free. They always do. I’m enough of an attraction that the owners look the other way.”

Rainbow frowned. “Really?” They never let her anywhere for free, and she was awesome. What was wrong with this world?

“Yeah.” She smirked. “I didn’t lose everything when you all broke our gems.” She ran her uninjured hand demonstratively down her front.

Rainbow rolled her eyes and changed the subject. “So what got you into paintballing, anyway?”

Adagio chuckled. “I once heard the phrase, ‘I just wanna shoot somebody!’, and, after the whole Battle of the Bands thing, I felt like it.” She shrugged. “So I went with it.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah,” Adagio said. She jerked her head towards the building behind. “This was the first place in the phone book.”

Rainbow snorted, but she was now unsure on just how much Adagio was joking. She sighed and settled back into a more relaxed stance.

Adagio looked down at her phone. “Well, if you’re done, my ride is here.”

“Your ride?”

As Rainbow spoke, she saw the city bus pull into the stop. Adagio had walked down to the nearest bus stop, and Rainbow had followed.

Almost as if they were friends.

Adagio climbed the steps. She bent over far more than strictly necessary to count out the fare, and then headed back towards the seats without so much as a backwards glance.

Rainbow chewed on her lower lip, feeling tricked somehow but not quite sure how exactly.

The bus driver looked at her expectantly, and Rainbow quickly took a step back and waved him on. She watched as the bus drove on, growing smaller in the distance before turning and disappearing completely. She grumbled under her breath. That had actually been really fun. The paintballing and the conversation.

And for some unexplainable reason, she wanted to try that again soon. She kicked her skateboard down and pushed off, heading in the opposite direction.
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The door burst open, and Fluttershy flew through the door. “Rainbow Dash! Are you ok? I heard you were in a terrible accident!”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Leave it to you to make a huge deal out of this,” she grumbled. “Yes, I got hit by a car. Yes, I was riding my skateboard, and yes, I was wearing my helmet. And, last but not least, yes, I’m fine.”

“Oh, good,” Fluttershy said, relieved. “Because they were saying that you broke your leg.” She chuckled lightly.

“Oh, I did,” Rainbow Dash said. She gestured towards her leg, and Fluttershy gasped as she noticed for the first time it  suspended in the air. “I also cracked most of my ribs, nearly ruptured my spleen, got a minor concussion, seven stitches in my head, and got a wicked set of road rash.” She held up her arms to show Fluttershy her forearms, which were now red and rubbed raw.

Fluttershy teetered and then fainted.

Rainbow exhaled and reached over to hit the ‘call nurse’ button. “Well, she took that well,” she muttered.







The news had spread quickly, and though Fluttershy was there first, her other friends quickly came as well. Rarity showed up next, running past Fluttershy (who sat in the corner, holding and sipping from a juice box). She sighed in relief as she saw Rainbow there. Her eyes landed on Rainbow’s leg. “Oh, thank goodness,” she said.

Odd reaction. “What?”

Rarity stammered. “Oh, uh, well… one of the rumors swirling around—not that I put much stock in such things, of course-”

Rainbow blinked flatly in disbelief. Rarity absorbed gossip like some kind of sponge. A big, white, gossip-absorbing sponge. She chuckled at that thought. Gossip-pants Rari-sponge. She grimaced in pain, and breathed heavily through her nose.

“-that, um, you lost your leg in the accident.”

“Oh, did that excite you?” Rainbow asked playfully. “Making one-legged sports pants?”

Rarity’s fair skin flushed. “Well, not… no, of course not, darling; it’s just… it would have been quite the challenge, you know, to make it look, well, not just ‘good’ but to actually ‘work’; and, well, you and I, we’re somewhat alike, aren’t we? We don’t turn down challenges?”

Rainbow chuckled (and winced again) as Rarity tried to salvage her sentence. Everything seemed a lot funnier recently. Maybe it was the pain meds flowing through her IV?

Didn’t she know a girl named Ivy? She probably did. Pinkie certainly did. She knew everyone.

As if on cue, Pinkie appeared in the doorway. “Dashie!” she cried. “I brought you balloons!” She reached out of the doorway, and pulled back an enormous bouquet of balloons. She let them go, letting them rise up and bounce lightly against the ceiling. “See? I even got them to match your hair!”

Sure enough, Pinkie had brought a plethora of balloons, all in the colors of Rainbow’s hair. Rainbow absentmindedly ran a hand through her hair. When was the last time she had showered? “They look great, Pinkie,” she said. “They look like me if I were a balloon.” She chuckled. Rainbow as a balloon. Rainballoon. She grimaced as a slight pain shot through her ribs, but it faded quickly.

Pinkie cocked her head.

“She's on painkillers,” Fluttershy explained. “Everything is a little bit funnier.”

“Really?” Pinkie Pie grinned mischievously. “Well, then, do I have a joke for you.”







Applejack walked up to the information desk and set her hands on the counter top. “Hey, there. I’m here to see Rainbow Dash?”

The nurse brightened. “Oh, yes. Room 200B. I’m glad she’s getting visitors, but you might need to wait outside for a bit. She’s been fairly popular recently, and the rooms are pretty small.”

Applejack froze. “Wait. Did a girl with bright pink hair about yea big around go up?”

The aide stopped to think. “Uh, yes. Yes, she did.”

“Oh, horseapples,” Applejack grumbled, turning and hustling up the stairs. “Rainbow’s gonna bust her stitches.”







“And so she said, she said, she said, ‘Well, yeah. Where do you think I got the ponyshoes?”

Rainbow Dash burst out laughing. It was a stupid joke! It wasn’t even that funny! But- “Ow!” Rainbow suddenly emitted something between a pained groan and a laugh. Her ribs suddenly felt like she had been hit by a car again, but she couldn’t stop laughing, and every laugh hurt so bad but it was still funny! Tears came to her eyes as the pain grew unbearable but she just couldn’t stop laughing-

“I think that’s enough,” a new voice broke in, cold and firm enough to shake Rainbow from her reverie. “Miss Dash needs to rest. And laughing is going to wreak havoc on her healing ribs.”

“Wait! I still have to tell her the one about the lion, the tiger, and the bear! They all walk into a-”

“Out,” the nurse insisted firmly.

Pinkie scoffed. “Redheart? More like Cold Heart.”

Rainbow giggled at her wordplay (and subsequently groaned in pain), but Redheart took it seriously. “Oh, she’s my cousin. You know her?”*

Pinkie squinted at her. “I know everyone,” she said. She held up two fingers and made the ‘I’m watching you’ gesture before sliding backwards out the door.

“What can I say?” Rainbow said, still struggling to contain her laughter. “I have weird friends.”






Thanks to the kind of person she was, Rainbow Dash had spent more than her fair share of time in the hospital. By now she was far too used to the bland food and the harsh smell of antiseptic that seemed to purvey (heh. English class again) the entire hospital. She was familiar with the rounds of the nurses, and the doctors showing up every once in a while to fiddle with knobs and drips and keep moving.

And she knew just how boring it got in here. Really, she didn't think anything could surprise her here.

But she'd be wrong.

She was bouncing a rubber ball that Pinkie had left against the wall when she suddenly became aware of a shadow in the doorway. She looked over and started.

Adagio Dazzle stood in the doorway, her hands in her pockets. “Hey.”

Rainbow stared, losing track of the ball and not even reacting when it rebounded off the wall and hit her in the face.

“Ow!” Rainbow hissed, rubbing her face as the ball rolled innocently across the bed and fell onto the floor. Ok, so maybe she reacted a little bit.

She looked up, still covering her face. “What are you doing here?”

Adagio shrugged. “You didn’t show up at the Warzone. Rumor has it you got hit by a car and you needed a lobotomy.”

Rainbow barked a laugh. “I’m pretty sure they don’t do those anymore. And no. Just broke my leg, cracked most of my ribs, nearly ruptured my spleen, got a minor concussion, got seven stitches in my head, and got a wicked set of road rash.” She showed her, and was mildly disappointed that the only reaction she got from Adagio was a small half-smile.

“Believe me. I know what it's like to suddenly have everything you love stripped from you,” Adagio said coolly, crossing her arms. “At least you'll heal.”

Rainbow expelled air from her nostrils and dropped her arms. She chuckled darkly. “Guess it feels pretty good to see me like this, huh?”

Adagio exhaled slowly. “I dunno. When I heard the news, I had to come see for myself. I expected to feel happy. Relieved. Pleased. Vindicated. Something.”

“And you don't?” Rainbow asked, not believing her.

“No,” Adagio said slowly. “I feel like… like I should sing for you.”

Rainbow blanched. “Please don't.”

Adagio cracked a smile. “Yeah. Cruel and unusual punishment. Especially for a cripple.”

“Don’t make me beat you with my IV pole,” Rainbow warned.

Adagio chuckled. She reached down and tossed the ball over. “Get better soon, loser,” she said. “Everyone else at paintball stinks.”

Rainbow caught it, but by the time she looked up again, Adagio was gone.

Huh. That was nice of her.

Rainbow scowled. It must have been the morphine talking. She started bouncing the ball against the wall again, a bit more angrily this time.
> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The nurse looked down at the release form and hesitated. Legally, she couldn’t refuse this request; but still. “Are you sure you don't want to stay another twenty-four hours for observation?” she wheedled.

Rainbow shook her head. “I don't even want to stay another twenty-four minutes. I need out.”

“And you do have someone here to give you a ride home, right?”

Rainbow expelled air through her nose. “I’m taking the bus,” she said, as if it were obvious.

The nurse nodded approvingly, if a bit hesitantly, and took the paperwork back.

Rainbow signed, wearing almost a defiant smirk. It was so good to be free. Or, at least, she would be out of the hospital. She could almost smell the fresh air already.

Paperwork signed, Rainbow hobbled out, using her crutches. Actually, that is a good idea, she mused. I really should take the bus. Especially since my skateboard is scrap wood now.

She made it outside the hospital doors and slowed to a stop.

No, she corrected herself. First thing, I need actual food in my belly, and I need it now. She looked around, her eyes scanning quickly.

Her eyes landed on a nearby sub shop. Cheap, fast, and, with the proper application of toppings on her sandwich, unhealthy; but not grease-drenchedly so. 

Perfect. Rainbow ambled over, briefly mourning the lack of mobility her cast and still-recovering ribs left her. She’d used to be so fast…

At the edge of the sidewalk, she hesitated a bit longer than usual. She readied herself to cross the road—it would probably be a while before she'd be able to do that without fear—but after making doubly sure that no cars were coming, she made her way across to the holy treasure trove of food.

Getting through the door to this elusive trove proved a bit more difficult than she'd expected. Hospitals had automatic doors. The Sub Station did not. She bumped her cast against the narrow opening and banged the opposite door with her left crutch. Everywhere should have automatic doors.

The restaurant was empty. Someone wearing a hairnet was filling up sauce bottles with her back to her. “Welcome to the Sub Station, I can help you when you're ready,” she said.

She looked up at the menu and made her decision. “Alright, I'm r-”

The worker spun around, eyes wide. Rainbow’s jaw dropped, too.

It was Adagio Dazzle. Her massive hair was barely contained within the hairnet she wore, and the elastic hat on top was stretched out as far as it could go, straining to contain the beast. But even behind the black apron and green polo shirt, there was no mistaking the former siren.

There was a long pause.

“Uh, hi,” Rainbow said.

“Welcome to the Sub Station, I can help you when you're ready,” Adagio said, probably out of reflex more than anything else.

There was another pause.

Adagio rocked her hips slightly, giving herself a bit more of that cocked, arrogant stance. “Are you going to order, or just stand there like a barnacle on a rock?”

“You work here?” Rainbow asked.

“Yeah. I do.”

Rainbow reached up to scratch behind her head. “I didn't-”

No longer supported by that hand, her crutch fell to the ground with a loud clatter. She scowled at it, and then looked back up at Adagio. “I didn't expect you to work at a place like this,” she finished.

Adagio shrugged. “Well, they were fresh out of singing contracts, there isn't much call for writing lyrics having to do with enslaving the whole world, I didn't have the documents to become an exotic dancer, and not many other places hire without a degree; so here I am.”

“I guess that makes…” Rainbow blinked as something Adagio said clicked. “Wait. Were you really going to become a str-?!”

The doorbell dinged, and a college-age man walked in. He slowed to a stop, the tension in the room palpable. Finally, he looked towards Rainbow. “Are… are you in line, or…?”

“No, go for it.”

Once he had awkwardly stepped over her crutch and ordered his sandwich and left, Rainbow continued, but a bit more in control this time. She hobbled over to the counter. “I'd like the biggest, tastiest, most unhealthy sandwich I can get with,
uh…” she dug her money out of her pocket and counted it. “Seven dollars and thirty five, uh, no, thirty seven cents.”

“Do you like bacon?”

Rainbow scoffed. “Everyone likes bacon.”

Adagio’s grin turned almost predatory, and Rainbow was suddenly especially glad that everything was made of glass, so she could watch exactly how her food was prepared. “Then do I have a sandwich for you.”







Rainbow Dash chewed slowly. She knew she would have stayed here, regardless. She was too hungry (and too impatient) to go anywhere else to eat. Furthermore, she'd thought she might have gotten some sick pleasure out of having Adagio serve her food. And, to be completely honest, she did.

She just hadn't expected the sandwich to be that good. Really, at this point, her only regret was that she didn’t have enough money on hand to get a footlong instead of the six inch sandwich she was currently eating.

She was trying to draw out the last few bites for as long as she could when she suddenly became aware of someone behind her. She peeked over her shoulder to see Adagio, holding a broom.

Rainbow blinked. “Can I help you?”

She dragged the broom once across the ground before coolly meeting Rainbow’s eyes. “I’m merely sweeping around here, helping maintain the good, clean image that our customers have come to expect from The Sub Station.”

“Wow,” Rainbow said slowly. “That's really lame. Even from you.”

“Perhaps; but you'd be amazed and disturbed at what I can get away with if I word it just right.” She winked.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Then get to sweeping.”

Adagio did so, working somewhat slower than necessary. Rainbow squinted, once again sure that she was up to something, but her sandwich was calling her name.

Apparently, it was wait until right after she swallowed to ask a question. “I take it you enjoyed it?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow answered grudgingly. “Yeah, I did.”

Adagio curtsied. “What can I say? I'm good at what I do.”

“Huh,” Rainbow needled. “Like you’d be good at your, what did you call it, ‘exotic dancing’?”

Adagio stood her broom up and hooked one of her legs around it, and her other hand came up to rest on (read: gently pull down) the collar of her shirt. “Don't act like you wouldn't have enjoyed it if I had,” she whispered huskily.

Rainbow had not really given it much consideration; all the time she spent in school locker rooms had pretty much let her see enough females in enough various states of undress that it seemed a bit odd to her that anyone would willingly pay actual money for that opportunity. She shrugged, knowing that her dismissive attitude would get a bit of a rise out of Adagio.

And it did; Adagio leaned down over the table, leaning over her elbows in such a way that not-so-subtly pushed her breasts out. “I'm a siren, Rainbow. Seduction is in my very nature. It's who I am; it’s what I do.” She smirked. “And not even breaking my gem can stop that part of me.”

“Bet you couldn't seduce me,” Rainbow said.

Adagio chuckled darkly. “Please. I could have a girl like you eating out of the palm of my hand in… what was your cutsie little phrase? ‘Ten seconds flat’?”

Rainbow stood up. She attempted to, anyway; mostly rising up on her hands rather than standing. “I'd take that bet,” she said. “Hey, I'd give you a whole evening.”

Adagio grinned. “You're on,” she said, jabbing a single finger towards Rainbow. “One evening, and I'll have you questioning everything you ever thought about yourself.”

“You're on,” Rainbow returned. “When?”

Adagio smirked. “I'll surprise you. But now, I really do have to get back to work. Sandwiches wait for no one.” She winked, then spun around and left, swaying her hips widely from side to side as she walked.

Rainbow smirked. This was one bet she would easily win. She really should have set a wager on this one. Maybe some money.

Oh. Or sandwiches. Yeah. She should have bet sandwiches. She could totally go for a few more of these things. She rubbed her hands together and looked down, ready to enjoy the last few moments with it…

And she'd finished her sandwich already.

Rainbow stuck out her lower lip and pouted.
> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash was well-known for being athletic. If it involved adrenaline or action, and if it could ever involve crowds cheering her name, she was there.

Thus it was a bit humbling to have her standing on one side of a table tennis table, surrounded by everyone else bored or desperate enough for this. Still, it was a sport, even if only technically. And even if she did have the modern equivalent of a peg-leg, she was still able to hold her own pretty well.

She reached out and batted the ball back, landing it perfectly within the lines but on the edge enough to bounce far out of reach of her opponent’s paddle.

“Game!” she crowed. She glanced around. “Who’s next?”

“Me.”

Rainbow started. She knew that voice. “Adagio?”

Adagio, for it was indeed she, stepped in front of the table across from her. She wore dark sweatpants and a gray hoodie that somehow managed to contain all of her hair; but there was no mistaking her confident hips cocked to one side stance or little smirk. She flipped the paddle twice in her hand. “The one and only.”

The crowd murmured, many taking little steps back.

Rainbow stood firmly (and not just because her crutches were on the ground next to her) and put her hands on her hips. “Really? They let you back on campus?”

Adagio smirked. “What dear Principal Celestia doesn’t know won’t hurt her. Serve.”

Rainbow did so. Adagio returned it easily. They volleyed for a while, bouncing the ball gently back and forth. The crowd seemed to take a relaxing breath.

And then Rainbow Dash smashed it across the table, intending to hit it hard enough to bounce it off the table and into the bystanders. She smirked as she did.

But Adagio returned it. She hit it right back, and added on such a wicked spin that while it did bounce off the table and hit a bystander, it was one of the ones standing next to Rainbow Dash instead.

Rainbow blinked, her mouth falling open in surprise.

Adagio smirked. She reached over to the side of the table and picked up another ball, and tossed it nonchalantly into the air.

Rainbow tightened her grip on the paddle and adjusted her weight. This was her house. Hers! No siren was going to come back to this school and make a fool of her again! Once was more than enough.

Adagio served the ball lazily over, and Rainbow gently sent it back. They batted it back and forth for a little while longer. Every once in a while, one would hit the ball harder, but it was always returned. It seemed to mostly be the two sizing each other up.

The bell rang. People slowly started dispersing.

All but two of them, that is.

A minute or so after the bell, Adagio raised an eyebrow even as she returned. “You’ll be late for class.”

“Tough,” Rainbow said, batting the ball back.

But Adagio had other ideas. She flipped the paddle around so she was holding it with her little fingers, and caught the ball between her first finger and thumb.

“Hey!” Rainbow protested.

Adagio held it up. “Rainbow, Rainbow,” she said in a faux-motherly tone. “You have to go to class so you’ll learn and be smart.” She paused, and then, with a devious grin, tucked the ball down her hoodie, low enough to be inside her undergarments. She then lowered her hands, subtly pushing out her breasts. “Or, you can come get it if you really want to keep playing.”

Rainbow Dash was proud, yes; but she was not about to grope her enemy to satiate that pride. She held out and then dropped the paddle irritably, as if it were a distasteful mic drop. Adagio smirked as Rainbow Dash reached down and picked up her crutches, and hobbled towards the door.

And when she looked back, Adagio was gone.







It was about a week after the interrupted game, and Rainbow Dash was only vaguely paying attention. 

She would be the first to admit that she was no saint in school. That being said, her ‘bad’ activities were mostly limited to slacking off in class, leaving her smoothie cups on the floor of her locker, turning in her homework at the latest possible second, and showing up a little too early to practice. She didn't get why she kept getting into trouble for that last one, though. If Principal Celestia really didn't want her playing in the gym before school, she would have had someone fix the locks by now.

So when an announcement came through asking Rainbow Dash to please report to the front office, she at first thought she'd misheard.

Ignoring the “ooooh, someone’s in trouuubllle”s from some of the more immature members of her class, she gathered her crutch (she was down to just using one, now) and headed out.

As she limped her way down the hallway, she caught sight of Fluttershy making her way back from the bathroom. She waved. “Hi, Rainbow!”

“Sup?” Rainbow said, still hobbling down the hallway.

Fluttershy watched as Rainbow passed the bathroom. “Where are you going?” she asked, confused.

“Office,” Rainbow said. “Got called.”

“Oh,” Fluttershy said. “Are you in trouble?”

“Probably,” Rainbow said flippantly.

Fluttershy paused, and then followed Rainbow for moral support. Rainbow wouldn't say so out loud, but she did appreciate the gesture.

That, and Fluttershy was the only person she'd ever let walk with her at a time like this.

Once in the office, though, it was clear that she was not in any trouble whatsoever. Instead, there was a bag sitting on the counter, a white paper bag bearing the label ‘The Sub Station’ and ‘for the awesomest’ written in curly writing.

Rainbow scowled. “That's mine,” she grumbled, pulling it off the counter.

“Oh. Did you forget your lunch, or…?”

“Nope. It's from Adagio.”

Fluttershy frowned. “Why would she…?”

“Ha! She's trying to seduce me!” Rainbow said, triumphant in her realization. She laughed darkly. “But it isn't going to work! Oh, no. Not working on the Dash.”

“Um…”

“I'll tell you what I'm going to do,” Rainbow said, taking her bag and hobbling over to sit down on a nearby bench. “I'm going to eat all of this sandwich, and I'm not going to think of her. At all.”

Fluttershy nodded hesitantly.

“Ugh! She gave me a foot long! She did that on purpose.”

Fluttershy could not see how this was a bad thing. “Um…”

“Oh, it's an extra meaty one, just like she gave me at the store the other day. Really thick! Foot long, double stuffed sandwich. Barely fits in my mouth. Guess that's why she wrapped it up so tight. I'm not thinking of her, but I'm going to enjoy the whole thing anyway.” She took a big bite, then looked up at Fluttershy, and cocked her head. “You ok?” Rainbow asked, wiping a bit of mayonnaise off her lips. “What's up with you?”

“Nothing,” Fluttershy said quickly, her cheeks only the tiniest bit pink.
> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow glanced over her shoulder, but saw no one. It had been about a week since Adagio Dazzle had done anything big, and the sense of relief she felt at being mostly recovered was mildly tempered by the fact that she knew she was planning something.

She slowed to a stop as she approached her home. There were people in her house! Rainbow Dash crouched (and winced as she did), hand straying to her cell phone. The shadow moved, and…

Wait. She’d thought it was two people, but it was just one person; one person that had a mountain of hair. Rainbow smirked and straightened up. Adagio Dazzle was there. She’d chosen tonight, of all nights. The joke was on her; Rainbow was sure she was far too tired for anything even remotely romantic. In fact, if she weren’t so tired, she’d probably call the cops on her for breaking and entering. It’d be funny to see her led out in handcuffs wearing whatever little slinky dress (it was probably red) that she’d worn tonight.

When Rainbow tore open the front door, she was half expecting soft music playing and a trail of rose petals leading to a candlelit Italian dinner.

What she got, though, was something completely different.

Her house smelled amazing. Pizza rolls. Bagel bites. Hot wings. Chicken tenders. All arrayed on her table, many still steaming hot. And lounging on her couch was one former siren, wearing a soccer jersey. Rainbow squinted. Was she even wearing anything underne-?

“Rainbow Dash! About time you got here. Real Equestria is playing Yakyakistan United, you’re missing it!”

Still slightly stunned by this development, Rainbow slowly took a seat on the couch. She had been wanting to watch this, actually, but this was a pay-per-view event. It would be kindof a shame to not take advantage of th-

Rainbow spun and glared. “I’m not falling for this,” she growled.

Adagio shrugged and picked up one of the boneless wings, and dipped it in the white bleu cheese sauce. “Suit yourself,” she said, placing it carefully in her mouth. It was almost innocently sensual.

Rainbow crossed her arms and turned and looked at the screen. She would not be falling for that.

The game was as exciting as she’d thought it would be. Both teams were fairly evenly matched, and it wasn’t long before she was lost in the game.

And then she realized that she was lounging on the couch, eating Adagio’s snacks. She glanced over almost guiltily; but Adagio didn’t even seem to notice; she, too, was focused on the game. She reached over and picked up one of the pizza rolls, and it crunched in her mou-

“Whoa. Those crunch?”

“Yeah, they’re baked,” Adagio answered. “They taste better that way.”

Rainbow tossed one into her mouth and was forced to concede this point. She doubted she’d be able to microwave them ever again.*

“And the wings are baked, too. Full of flavor, not so heavy as when they’re fried.”

“How do you know so much about this stuff?” Rainbow had to ask.

Adagio shrugged. “When we were feeling lazy, we’d hit up sports bars. People arguing everywhere, people mad at the waitresses, half the fans get mad that their team lost, everyone mad at the refs; it was a great supply of negative energy.” She smirked. “That’s also why we’re so good at pool and ping pong.”

Made sense. “So what made you hit up Canterlot High?” Rainbow had to ask.

Adagio expelled air out through her nose. “Because Aria is a lightweight,” she said irritably.

“Aria?”

“Yeah. You'd think it’d be Sonata, right? Nah. Sonata can take shots all night and still be standing there smiling like the airheaded idiot she is when everyone else is stumbling home or passed out on the ground. Sure, she’ll be swaying and have a massive headache in the morning; but cram enough orange juice down her throat and she’ll be ready to go again in twenty minutes. It’s Aria that’s- that was the weakest link.”

“Huh,” Rainbow said, curious against her will. “What happened?”

“Well, it was a normal night, right up until she took her shirt off. Which wouldn't have been too bad, except she then refused to put it back on. And then we don't have ID because, surprise, surprise, the portal to this world doesn't issue passports. So they thought she was underage, she couldn't prove she wasn't, it was a big mess. Took some quick talking and we had to burn a lot of energy to get out of that one—crowded bar, no one can hear you sing, you know? So just to be safe, we've never gone back to any place like that again.”

Rainbow laughed.

“She's still embarrassed. She’ll deny it, of course.” Her voice grew quiet. “Or, she would,” she amended. She looked back towards the screen, deliberately not looking at Rainbow.

Rainbow took this opportunity to grab a potato skin. Strange. Sometimes, Adagio almost seemed… human.







“And he’s taking it down, he beats one,  two, kicks- and it's in!”

Rainbow leaped to her feet and threw a fist into the air.

“Oh, my goodness gracious, I can't believe it!” the announcer continued, still in awe; though his voice was nearly drowned out by Rainbow's triumphant yell. They had done it! There was no way Yakyakistan could score another in the time they had left. They had won!

Rainbow looked over, still screaming, and Adagio was screaming back. She looked back at the tv, saw that the game had ended, and then Adagio reached out, touched her shoulder, and kissed her on the cheek.

Rainbow looked back at the tv, still in awe at what had just happened. “Aw, yeah,” she murmured, shaking her fist triumphantly. She glanced back over and saw Adagio, smirking. What was that f-?

Wait.

She had just-!

Horrified at what had just happened a little closer to home, she reached out and punched Adagio in the shoulder.

Adagio seemed to smirk harder. No flinching, no reaction. Just that same, confident smile.

“Don't expect any more of that,” Rainbow snarled. She scooted over as far away as she could while still remaining on the couch. She was not about to admit defeat (or get too far away from the snacks) by leaving the couch entirely.

Adagio just smiled and picked up another jalapeño popper.







The talking heads on the tv discussed the game that had just happened, how it would affect everything from team ratings to player worth to fantasy basketball stats.

But currently it was just background noise.

Rainbow Dash sat on the floor, leaning against the couch, between Adagio’s legs, with Adagio gently brushing her hair.

Rainbow whimpered, feeling conflicted. This was so wrong. How had she done this? It was just a game. A couple games. A couple good games.

Maybe it had started on the topic of sisters. Yeah, that was it. Adagio had mentioned having two sisters and Rainbow said she had one, ish. And it had kindof spiraled from there. Something about how sad it was that she’d never had anyone to do her hair, Rainbow saying something about her not needing anyone else touching her hair, and Adagio deciding to prove her wrong.

She was certainly competitive. That's the word she would go with.

Then Adagio leaned down and gently kissed the top of her head

And Rainbow let her without complaint.

This was too weird.

But soon the clock showed midnight. Adagio looked up. “Well, I've got work tomorrow, so I've got to go. But thanks for a lovely evening.” She stood up and stepped over Rainbow, somehow managing to gently brush her hips against her cheek.

Rainbow got up to get the door. It was only polite, right?

She opened the door, and as Adagio passed to leave, she gave her a gentle peck on the lips.

Adagio smiled demurely. “I win,” she whispered. “Good night, Rainbow.” And with that, she left, her hips gently swaying as she walked away.

Rainbow watched her leave into the darkness. She actually felt disappointed that she couldn't stay longer.

She stopped, confused at her own feelings. She shook her head. It was a strange feeling, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

That confusing feeling diminished slightly and was replaced by irritation when she realized that Adagio had left her kitchen in a bit of a mess. But still.

Was that a date? Rainbow mused as she rinsed off some of the smaller dishes. It had probably been a date. She’d hung out with her friends enough to know that friends didn’t kiss friends like that.

Well, if you were Fluttershy, it was a bit different. She always had some little fluffy thing to snuggle with.

And now…

Rainbow realized she could probably say the same.
> Chapter 11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

School felt like it dragged on and on, even longer than usual. Rainbow would look at the clock, wait five minutes, and then look again and see that the clock had actually moved backwards two.

But finally, the bell rang. Rainbow burst out of the classroom, ignoring Cranky’s calls of, “The bell doesn’t dismiss you, I do!” behind her as she ran.

Honestly, Rainbow Dash hadn't dated much. This would be her first actual date. But she had thought it out (because math was boring). Food was always a good choice, right? Right. Everyone liked food. So that’s what she’d be going with. 

At the Warzone, though, Adagio barely acknowledged her. She returned Rainbow’s friendly greeting with a raised eyebrow, and she got suited up and left while Rainbow was still tying her boots.

Rainbow pursed her lips as she watched Adagio leave, but then shook her head. That was fine. Everyone took it slow at first, right?

So after a couple rounds of paintball, she made her move. The whistle had blown for the end of the match, so she sidled over to the side of her locker and leaned nonchalantly against it. “Hey, Adagio!”

Adagio took the time to check her marker once more before speaking. “Rainbow Dash,” she returned.

“Good to see you,” Rainbow started. She winced ever so slightly. This was a bit awkward.

“You're just saying that because I didn't tag you last round.”

Rainbow snorted. That may have played a tiny part in her choosing now to have this conversation. “Maybe,” she said. “Anyway, I was thinking.”

“Thought I smelled something burning.”

Rainbow forced a small laugh. “Yeah. Anyway, you want to head out and grab something after?”

“What?”

“I figured something like pizza. You know, different, but not like anything fancy.”

Adagio furrowed her brow, as if confused. “I’m… not going out with you, Rainbow.”

“Oh,” Rainbow said. She could adapt. “Uh, sure, that’s fine. Kinda sprung it on you. How about tomorrow?”

“How about never?”

Rainbow blinked. Of all the answers she had been expecting (some snark about Adagio not paying, which had been Rainbow’s plan anyway), that had not been one of them. “Huh?”

“You didn't really think we were anything, did you?”

Rainbow's eyebrows knit together. What was she saying?

Adagio chuckled and shook her head. She looked at Rainbow with an incredulous smile. “I can't believe you fell for that,” she said.

Something cold settled in Rainbow's stomach. “Fell for what?”

Adagio rolled her eyes. “Wow. I'm impressed and dumbfounded at the same time. Good job, Rainbow, you out-idiot-ed Sonata.” She chuckled darkly. “What, did you think we'd ride off into the sunset together, rock paper scissoring all night?”

“Heh. Hot.”

Adagio spun around. “I will shove this paintball gun up your nose!” she howled.

The threat worked instantly; the speaker darted back into the bathroom, still holding his own marker in front of his pants. The resulting shrieks from inside (most of them feminine, all of them high-pitched) let him know he had in his haste chosen poorly.

But while this display had stopped one person from staring, it had not stopped the others. In fact, it had drawn more attention. Most of the other people present were now watching, some more discreetly than others.

But Rainbow wasn't paying attention to any of that. She was still trying to wrap her head around this turn of events. “But… that night. You knew all the-”

“We worked sports bars, remember?” Adagio answered bitingly. “I knew who was playing, knew the history, and it took me twenty minutes tops to find some fun facts and trivia at the library. The internet is a wonderful place.”

“But-”

“It will never work out between us, Rainbow! I won the bet. I seduced you, just like I've seduced hundreds of other people. You got played. You're just another notch in my belt. Leave it at that, Rainbow, because that's all you'll ever be. One of many.”

Rainbow exhaled shakily. Had she just been dumped? She had just been dumped. Technically, they hadn't even officially been a thing yet. She'd been dumped from that.

That had hurt much more than she’d expected it to.

“Good bye, Rainbow.” And with that, Adagio spun around and disappeared back into the arena.







Rainbow tossed her tray on the table and dropped into her seat, scowling at nothing in particular.

“Something bothering you?” Applejack asked.

“No,” Rainbow grumbled.

“You’re about as ornery as a wet hen,” Applejack observed.

Rainbow shoved a bite into her mouth. “Lucky me,” she said, mouth full.

Applejack knew better than to bother Rainbow when she was in this sort of mood. She turned and started talking to Rarity. “Killer test in history, huh?”

“Absolutely dreadful,” Rarity agreed. She also knew.

Sonata, however, did not. “Sounds like somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed,” she offered.

Rainbow counteroffered. “Sounds like someone should shut her face.”

“Rainbow,” Fluttershy said warningly.

But Rainbow was beyond caring right now. She jammed her fork into her mouth.

“Something bothering you?” Sonata asked.

“Yeah,” Rainbow said with her mouth full. “You.”

“Couldn't be!” Sonata said brightly.

“Well, you're the only one of us who got dropped on her head as a child, so-”

“Rainbow!” Rarity gasped.

“That wasn't nice,” Sonata said, a brief frown crinkling her forehead.

Rainbow stood up, taking her tray with her. “Ah, go choke on a fish stick.”







Still glowering, Rainbow nudged and bumped her way through the crowd and to her locker. She tossed her book in, but before she could retrieve the book for her next class, her locker door suddenly slammed shut.

An angry former siren stood there, one hand on the locker door, eyes narrowed, clearly determined to have this conversation. “You're taking something out on me,” Sonata started accusingly.

“What?”

“You're taking something out on me,” she repeated, crossing her arms and letting herself fall so she was leaning on the locker, pinning it shut with her shoulder. “Adagio and Aria did it all the time when they were mad, and you're doing it right now.”

“I am not.”

“You are, too. You threw that little hissy fit at lunch, and you've been glaring at me in class all day.” Sonata’s eyes flashed deviously. “Is it something I did?”

“No.”

“Is it something you did?”

“No.”

“Is it something one of your friends did?”

“No.”

“Is it something someone else did?”

“I’m not playing twenty questions, Sonata!”

Sonata seemed to brighten, and too late, Rainbow realized that 1) Sonata had been trying to get a rise out of her in an attempt to annoy the truth out of her, and 2) she had succeeded in doing so. Abandoning her locker and the needed book inside, she headed to class. It wasn’t like she was going to be paying much attention today, anyway.

Sonata apparently didn’t get the memo; or if she did, she didn't bother reading it. She continued, walking beside Rainbow with her hands crossed behind her back. “Did someone take your lunch?” she continued.

“No.”

“Did someone take your stuff?”

“No.”

“Did someone point out that you have the smallest breasts out of all your friends?”

Rainbow turned and scowled. “No, and yours aren’t much bigger,” she added bitingly.

“I'm more of a hips girl. Does it have to do with sports?”

“No.”

“Did you find someone awesomer than you?”

“No!”

“Is it a boy?” Sonata asked gleefully.

Rainbow lost it. She dropped her books, shoved Sonata against the wall, and snarled. “Because your sister came over to my house, set up a date, and then shot me down in front of everyone at the Warzone when I tried to reciprocate!”

There was a shocked silence. And then…

“Oh.”

Sonata sounded… contrite. Rainbow was confused enough at this turn of events that she stepped back, letting her go. As infuriating as the former siren was, she was still changing.

Very slightly. Very, very slightly. But still changing.

Sonata licked her lips. “She really shut you down hard,” she said, bringing one hand up and resting it on the back of the other.

“Yeah, you could say that,” Rainbow growled.

“She didn’t want to.”

Rainbow looked over. “Sure sounded like it. What, was she afraid to lose her ‘street cred’ in front of everyone?”

Sonata licked her lips, thinking of how best to word what she was trying to say. “Sometimes, when something good happens, we don't really believe it's possible. That there's no way this could actually be happening to us. So we push it away, keep the status quo.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. That was really deep, especially coming from an airhead like Sonata.

Sonata continued. “Like, when Pinkie kept trying to be my friend. I didn’t get it. I thought she was just trying to get me on her side to use me for something, some crazy plan she’d planned out in the future that she'd need me for.” She paused and furrowed her brow, considering. “But I don’t think Pinkie plans much of anything, though,” she admitted in a stage whisper. “I’m pretty sure she just makes things up as she goes along.”

Rainbow snorted. That was Pinkie. “So you think Adagio is doing that?”

“I know she's doing that. You're pretty cool.”

“Yeah?” Rainbow said, reluctantly accepting this praise.

“I’ve heard what goes on. I listen. She hangs out with you on purpose, and she likes it.”

Rainbow licked her lips. She had more been telling those stories to talk up herself, not talk about Adagio. It somewhat surprised her that Sonata had listened just to hear about her sister.

Sonata continued. “Adagio will play dirty to get her way. If she wanted you out, she would have taken you out, and only maybe made it look like an accident. The fact that she hasn’t means she enjoys it. She enjoys you. She even visited you in the hospital, remember?”

Rainbow nodded.

“I don't know what all you two did, or what exactly she said, and I’m not going to ask. But, you can make her happy.” She licked her lips. “Please make her happy?”

One side of Rainbow’s mouth curled up in a wry smile. “I’ll see what I can do.”
> Chapter 12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was a knock on the door. Eyes still closed, Adagio lifted her head off the couch and let out a low groan. Getting up after a long shift was just not a thing she wanted to do, and she hoped whoever it was would just go away.

But the knock came again, a bit more urgently this time, and so she slowly rolled off the couch and pushed herself up. Once she was standing, she stretched, twisted, then tucked her hair back from where it had fallen in front of her face. She adjusted her shirt, tugging it down a bit further and undoing the last button to expose more of her neck, and then opened the door.

Of all the people she was expecting there, Rainbow Dash wasn't one of them.

With no further introduction, Rainbow barged in, kicked the door shut behind her, and… effectively ran into Adagio hard enough to push them both over the armrest of the couch and onto the seat.

Rainbow hesitated briefly at this unexpected development, having intended to just push Adagio up against a wall, but this position seemed to work just as well. Now on top, she pushed with her arms to raise herself up so she could look Adagio in the eyes. She debated putting her hands on her shoulders to pin her down, but decided against it, so her hands remained where they were.

Adagio looked up, one eyebrow raised, moderately intrigued at this turn of events.

“You started it, and I'm coming back to finish it. You got me good. But now it's my turn to seduce you.”

There was a pause.

“Passable,” Adagio said thoughtfully, nodding. “Entry was good, I liked the physical aspect, pushing me down, forceful but not too rough; high marks there. Delivery was decent, I almost believed you were serious there for a second. But you do lose points for not pressing your chest against mine.” She tapped the undersides of her own breasts demonstratively. “Seriously, A-cups or no, you gotta use the girls to your advantage. Squish. And press down on my hips with your-”

In the movies, you could always count on a kiss to shut someone up. So Rainbow decided to try that. She leaned down and pressed her lips against Adagio’s, mid-sentence.

Apparently, this was truth in television; Adagio did indeed stop talking instantly, her mouth still half-open with words unspoken.

There was no spark, no rush of emotion. It felt warm, soft, and really nice, but that was about it. Maybe she was doing it wrong? Rainbow pulled back and grinned sheepishly. She wasn't terribly good at kissing. Once again, she was painfully reminded of just how inexperienced she was at any of this.

But it had conveyed the message. For the first time since the Battle of the Bands, Adagio Dazzle looked… shocked.

There was a lengthy pause. Aside from their breathing, neither girl made any motion to move.

“Oh,” Adagio finally said, her voice quiet. “You're… you're serious.”

“I am.”

“You really want to date me.”

“I do.”

“And the fact that I'm a siren from another dimension doesn't bother you?”

“Nope.”

“And the fact that I shot you down in public-”

“Everyone deserves something good,” Rainbow interrupted. “Even you.”

There was a pause, longer this time.

“And you're that something?” Adagio asked.

“If you'll be my something.” Rainbow winced. That was lame. It had sounded better in her head.

But it seemed to work. Adagio’s fingers trailed under her jacket, curled under the hem of Rainbow’s shirt and gently lifted, untucking her shirt from her skirt. “If that's so, Rainbow,” she whispered, “why are you still dressed?”







If someone had told Rainbow Dash that she would one day be trying to date the ringleader of a group of evil sirens, she would have laughed. Had she then been told that she would end up laying completely naked in the same bed with her, she probably would have wet herself laughing (before punching her informant in the face).

But now here she was, feeling a very different kind of moisture between her legs. Honestly, if she hadn't seen the gems shatter onstage, she would have thought Adagio was casting some kind of magic spell on her. Every kiss had been awesome, every touch had been pleasurable, every nibble bliss; and the less said about the lovebites her body now bore, the better. Everything had been new, and it had been a complete thrill like nothing she'd experienced. She had no idea tongues could even be used that way.

But like all good things, it had come to an end (though this end had involved a bit more screaming than most). Rainbow lay on her side, sweaty, panting, and slowly recovering, being the little spoon to Adagio Dazzle.

And it was totally because the other way around would have given her a face full of orange, bushy hair. It wasn't like she enjoyed being the little spoon. She was awesome enough to be the big spoon. She could be both spoons. At once. That's how awesome she was.

Ok, but the warmth of Adagio’s body felt nice. And the gentle touch of Adagio’s fingertips brushing against her stomach wasn't too bad. And the stroking on her thigh was pretty nice, too.

Argh it was all nice what was wrong with her

And then Adagio spoke, interrupting the moment. “Rainbow Dash, personal question: did I take your virginity?”

“Gave it to you,” Rainbow retorted, grumbling, knowing as she did that it had been one of the weakest rejoinders she had ever delivered.

Adagio chuckled. “I can appreciate that,” she said. She ran her hand down along Rainbow’s hips once more, pausing to press her fingertips in a bit deeper.

Rainbow shuddered. That did feel good.

“So why me?”

“Huh?”

“Why me? Out of all the girls you could choose from, you chose a siren from another dimension.”

“I could ask you the same question,” Rainbow said, spinning around so she could look at Adagio. “We broke your gems, beat you at your own music game. You live in a tiny apartment now. You work at a sandwich shop. You have to wear a dorky hat.”

“First off, I rock that hat.” Adagio paused and pursed her lips, considering her answer for the actual question. “I guess at first it was the challenge,” she admitted. “I couldn't beat you on stage, but I could beat you at another game. Find out how you ticked, seduce you, then kick you in the face when you were down and walk away with my victory. Because you literally took everything from me, and you deserved to feel some of that pain. I can't tell you how many things I tried, trying to get my magic back. Aria eventually gave up, walked out on me; but I couldn’t stop. Finally did give up when I ran out of money, finally accepted that I was as weak as the people I used to manipulate. I was so ready for revenge. I hated you so much.” Her voice grew quiet. “But it felt… wrong. It never felt wrong before. But I guess you… you're different. You're passionate, fiery. When you do something, you go hard, all the way. I… liked your spark.” She cracked a smile. “Heh. I mean,” she gestured at the bed, “that was obviously your first time-”

Rainbow’s ears tinged red. So she’d needed a little help, so what?

“-but you threw yourself into it. You were so eager. Such stamina. And… heh. You did good. You did really good.”

Rainbow grinned wryly. “Thanks.”

There was a pause.

“Guess Sunset was right,” Rainbow admitted. “We're a lot alike.”

“Except I have nicer hair,” Adagio interjected.

“You wish,” Rainbow said. She tossed her hair, doing her best to emulate Rarity. “You can at least do something with my hair. And it looks awesome. Your hair just kinda looks… poofy.” She glanced down under the covers and smirked. “Everywhere.”

Adagio grabbed her wrist and rolled over until she was on top, stomach to stomach with Rainbow. She leaned forward, putting her lips by Rainbow’s ear. “You like my natural look and you know it,” she murmured, her voice a sultry whisper. “And I bet you'd like to explore me some more, wouldn't you?”

Rainbow’s heart rate sped up again, and her hips rocked upward of their own accord. Curses! Betrayed by her own body!

“Here's another fun fact about sirens: when we find something we like, we don't… let… go-!”

Rainbow inhaled sharply through her teeth as Adagio gripped her right breast tightly. Her thumb traced over someplace very sensitive. Try as she might, Rainbow could not suppress the whimper that followed. Adagio was very, very good at this.

“And do you know what the best thing about another female lover is, Rainbow?”

“Wh-?” Rainbow gasped again as Adagio’s fingers jabbed her in another, even more sensitive location.

Adagio answered her own question. “You never have to wait long for the next round. You ready?”

Rainbow let out a high-pitched whimper. She winced. Embarrassing! Had that just come out of her mouth?

But Adagio just smiled. “I will take that as a yes.”
> Chapter 13
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash awoke slowly. She felt heavy, and much like she had become one with her bed. Whatever she’d done last night, it had definitely worn her out. She reached up to rub her eyes. There was a slight rush of cool air as the blanket followed her movement. Very cool air. Why was it-?

Oh. She was naked. That wasn’t usually-

Rainbow’s eyes shot open and she sat up, clutching the blankets tightly to her chest. This was not her room. This was not her bed. Memories of last night flooded back to the front of her mind. They'd made it three rounds before Rainbow had collapsed, just too exhausted to continue or even to move. Adagio had invited her to stay the night, and she'd fallen asleep right then and there.

She looked over, but there was no Adagio. She felt a brief twinge of guilt. Had she slept on the couch? Someone who'd made her feel that good deserved at least half of this little bed, if not more. Where was she, anyway?

As if to answer her question, Adagio came in, holding a tray. “Good morning!” she said brightly. “Made you breakfast.”

Rainbow stared, and not just at how strange her life was right now. “Are you wearing just an apron?” she asked.

Adagio looked down, as if unsure of the answer. She set the tray down on the bed (now that Rainbow had a chance to look, she noticed it was actually just an old baking sheet), unclipped the neck strap, and tugged the apron down, revealing her naked breasts. She looked up. “Yes,” she said with a smirk. “Yes I am.” And she made no motion to cover herself again, instead clasping her hands in front of her body.

Rainbow probably would have appreciated this sight more had she not been somewhat embarrassed at being completely naked herself. So she distracted herself by grabbing the tray, fumbling with the fork that looked exactly like the ones they used at the cheap chain diner that happened to have a location by Adagio’s house, and starting to eat.

Adagio's breakfast was pretty good. Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination—the scrambled eggs were a bit runny, one of the pancakes had been left on the griddle a little too long—but it was still good. Better than she cooked, anyway.

About a third of the way through, Rainbow realized Adagio was still standing there, watching, not eating, and still very much topless. “Did you want to eat?”

“Already did,” she said with a chuckle. “I was actually going to wake you up this morning with my tongue—breakfast in bed, if you will—but you looked so cute sleeping that I couldn't bring myself to.”

“Huh,” Rainbow said, not sure which part of that sentence stuck out to her more. She kept eating.

But as she finished, she looked up and saw Adagio still looking intently at her. “Are you sure you didn't want any?” Rainbow asked.

“No, it's just… you want to stay. Still.”

Rainbow pursed her lips. “Do people usually not?”

“Spells usually wear off overnight, what with me not being a sleepsinger. People remember responsibilities, families, homework assignments due at seven am…” She chuckled dryly. “But you… you're staying.”

“Yeah. I'm staying. Can't get rid of me that easily. A rainboom and a siren, get used to it.” She cracked a smile. “Heh. Never thought I'd be having this kind of conversation naked.”

“You look good naked,” Adagio said. The little smirk played at her lips again. “So get used to that.”

“What, for every conversation?” Rainbow asked playfully.

“Every conversation,” Adagio confirmed. She looked away and cupped a hand to her mouth. “Rainbow, take your pants off! We gotta figure out where we're going for dinner!”

“Only if you take off your shirt, too,” Rainbow countered.

Adagio smirked and glanced down at herself. “Tell you what. You be a good girl, and I might even let you suck them again while we're talking.”

Rainbow’s cheeks tinged red slightly, but she remained in control. “That'd be ok, I guess,” she lied.

“Just ok?” Adagio sighed, as if disappointed. “Well, if that's how you feel.” She pulled the apron strings back up, covering herself again.

The sudden disappearance of Adagio’s breasts reminded Rainbow of her own nudity. And- “Shoot, I have school today,” Rainbow groaned. She rolled out of bed, one arm instinctively coming across her breasts for at least some modesty. She looked around and frowned. “Where are my clothes?”

Adagio paused. “Still on the couch.”

Had Rainbow been paying more attention, she would have noticed the catch in Adagio’s voice. Instead, she grumbled slightly as she went to go retrieve them.

Adagio braced herself.

Rainbow’s surprised shriek split the air. “They're still wet!”

Adagio nodded, grimacing.

“I can't wear these!” Rainbow panicked. “They’re wet and they smell like sex!” She barged back into the bedroom and pointed an accusatory finger at Adagio. “They smell like you!”

“I'm sorry!” Adagio defended herself. “And, really, it’s just as much your fault for not throwing your clothes further away!”

“I didn’t realize you were the living version of Neighagra Falls!”

“So I’m a squirter! So sue me!”

“If I did, you’d probably flood the courtroom!”

Adagio chuckled. “Now that’s a good mental image,” she said. “I'd hope you'd offer to help me and my poor, dripping wet self.” She stood up and walked over to her dresser. “Look, I can lend you some clothes for today. Try this on.” She tossed something over her shoulder.

Rainbow caught it and squinted at it. What was this? There wasn’t enough cloth to-

Oh, wait. This was…

Rainbow dropped it as if she had been burned. “No. I'm not wearing these.”

Adagio shrugged. “Suit yourself. You look better with no panties on, anyway.”

“Those weren't panties.” Rainbow groaned. “I’m going to go shower and hope something makes sense when I get out.”

Adagio waited until the shower started running before burying her face in her hands. A low, ashamed whimper crept out from between clenched teeth as she dragged her fingers through her hair. “Oh, Phorcys, I’ve gotten soft,” she moaned.







To say Rainbow Dash was uncomfortable would be an understatement. She grimaced as she walked, the tight jeans she wore feeling uncomfortable and chafing against her skin, especially since she was not wearing anything under them. She really missed her compression shorts, and now she was wondering if she should have borrowed one of Adagio’s bras after all. It would have been a little roomy up there, sure; but at least it would have been something else under the sweatshirt.

Obviously, today was one of those days where she did not want to be seen. Even during class, she kept her head down and hood up, earbuds in, hands deep in her pockets, doing her best to fade into the background.

So, of course, when she stepped out of the bathroom stall during her first class break, Sonata Dusk was there, leaning against the wall. “Hi!” she said brightly.

“Hey,” Rainbow said, pointedly walking towards the sink, not making eye contact with her.

“Nice outfit. Where'd you get it?”

I hate sirens. “Your mom’s house.”

Sonata cocked her head. “For realisies? Because it looks exactly like stuff from Adagio’s closet.” She grinned triumphantly. “My mom was a siren who lived in Equestria,” she whispered loudly behind the back of her hand, as if revealing a deep secret. “She didn’t wear clothes.”

“Your powers of logic are astounding, Sonata Holmes,” Rainbow snarked.

Far from being offended, Sonata… smiled.

“What?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh, nothing; it's just… Adagio doesn't have angry sex. Aria does, but Adagio doesn't.”

“What kind of sex do you have?” Rainbow asked snippily.

“Oral,” Sonata answered nonchalantly. “But I’ll only swallow if I like you.” She ran her tongue across the front of her lips, and then, as if her point hadn't been made strongly enough, she held up two fingers up like a V.

Rainbow decided to renew her previous commitment of ignoring Sonata entirely.

“Sorry,” Sonata said quietly, dropping her hand to her thigh. “Habit.”

Rainbow grunted. “Where were you going with that, anyway?”

Sonata shrugged. “If she had sex with you, then she must have been in a pretty good mood. And… I guess I'm happy she's happy.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and returned to washing her hands. There was a pause.

“Rainbow…”

Rainbow looked up, the tone of voice drawing her attention. It was different. Not playful, not annoying; it was… real. There was something in Sonata’s eyes Rainbow didn't quite recognize.

“Please keep her happy,” she said softly. “Even if she hates me, she's still my sister.”

“Oh, she doesn't hate you,” Rainbow said, shaking off her hands. “I bet she’d love to see you.”

Sonata scrunched up her face. “For realsies?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow said. “For realsies.” A slightly devious grin flitted across her face as she tossed the used paper towel into the trash can like a papery basketball. “Hey, you like sandwiches with extra mayonnaise, right? I know a place you're going to love.”
> Chapter 14
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the Warzone, it could have been easily guessed that the match had already started, judging by the vitriol flying between two players. Wearing opposing colors, they stood before the threshold to the pitch, but not quite crossing it yet.

“Be careful, Rain-fail Dash. Keep getting on my nerves and I might shoot you, right in your petite little butt.”

“Can it, Adagio Dummy. Your aim stinks so bad I'd be more afraid if you were aiming for the player next to me.”

“Dog breath.”

“Booger brain.”

And then they smiled. Adagio held up her gun, and Rainbow tapped it with her own in camaraderie.

“Ready to school some fools?” Adagio asked.

“You bet your training bra I am,” Rainbow said. She stopped in front of the door and bowed dramatically. “Age before beauty,” she offered.

“Har de har har,” Adagio snarled, making sure to hit Rainbow in the butt with the heel of her boot as she walked by.

The two walked out onto the field. They had barely made it out there before someone called out, “Hey, look! The queen has a royal bootlicker.”

“Bet it's her carpet she's licking, not her boots,” his buddy rejoined. They laughed and clinked their guns together.

Fist clenched, Rainbow took an angry step forward, but Adagio held her back with a hand on her shoulder. “Not now,” she said quietly.

“Why not?” Rainbow hissed.

“Because—and I'm speaking from experience—revenge is best served with a paintball to the crotch.” She tapped her temple knowingly. “Trust me. They've said worse before.”

“And they will again?” Rainbow suggested.

A cruel smile crossed Adagio’s lips. “Two people probably won't, anyway.”







With a jingling of keys, Adagio opened the door, and both girls tumbled in.

“I swear, that gets more fun every time,” Rainbow laughed.

“I know! Did you see him when we were leaving?”

“Couldn't even look me in the eyes and tripped over a trash can? I totally did!” Rainbow nudged her with her elbow. “You're the best girlfriend ever, Queen.”

“You're too kind, Rainbow Wonder.”

Rainbow inhaled as Adagio leaned down and kissed a couple of the visible bruises on her shoulders. She did like that.

Then Adagio rested her hands on Rainbow’s clavicle and leaned in. “I'm going to grab us something to eat. If you want a little something more, you can go get ready in the bedroom,” she murmured into her ear.

Rainbow grinned, anticipating a few more kisses on a few more bruises (and some other places, too). Adagio’s apartment was pretty small, and as she walked down the hallway, she was already undressing. She reached the door to the bedroom and her jacket hit the bed, with her shirt quickly following.

Her fingers were already sliding under her sports bra and lifting it up when she realized she was not alone in this room. “Agh!” she shrieked.

Sonata Dusk grinned. “Hi, Rainbow!” she said cheerfully.

Rainbow grabbed her shirt off the bed and held it in front of herself like a barrier. “What are you doing here?” she demanded hoarsely.

“I live here,” Sonata said pleasantly.

“You what?”

“I live here!” Sonata repeated, just as pleasantly as before. She looked back at Rainbow and cocked her head. “Why are you holding your shirt and not wearing it?”

“I wasn't expecting company,” Rainbow hissed.

Adagio came in, holding a plate of sandwiches and scowling. “Sonata, did you eat the last of the chili?”

Sonata smirked evilly. “You'll find out tonight!”

Adagio facepalmed. “If you stink up my room, you'll be sleeping outside, you understand? And I don't just mean on the couch.” She looked over and raised an eyebrow at Rainbow’s shirt, but Rainbow beat her to it.

“You didn't tell me she was living here now,” she hissed accusingly.

“You didn't tell me you'd told her where I worked,” Adagio retorted.

“I didn't think it'd make a big difference. What, did you just invite her to live with you?”

“Uh…”



The door opened, and Adagio said the same thing she had said for months now. “Welcome to the Sub Station, I can help you when you're ready.”
“Hey.”
Adagio looked up from wiping down the counter. Her eyes widened as she recognized the person talking to her. “Sonata. Uh… Hi.”
There was a pause. Sonata’s hands were clenched firmly in front of her, as if she were nervous about something; but she was here, and she seemed determined to say her piece.
“What are you doing here?” Adagio winced internally as she realized that that had come out a bit ruder than she'd wanted, and she quickly glanced over her shoulder to make sure her supervisor was not standing there.
Sonata didn't seem to notice; or if she did, she hid it well. “Rainbow told me you worked here, and you weren't… you know… too angry with me.”
Adagio chuckled mirthlessly. “Not anymore, I'm not. First you, then Aria left after that whole rap battle fiasco, and then I was by myself.” She exhaled, low and deep. “That was… wrong. Sirens aren't supposed to be alone. Melody only gets you so far…”
Sonata grinned. “But you need harmony to make the music beautiful,” she finished. 
“Yeah,” Adagio said. “Something like that.”
There was another silence. 
“You're also… making music with Rainbow Dash, huh?” Sonata grinned, waggling an eyebrow.
“Call it two-part harmony with no dry reverb,” Adagio said with a smirk. 
“Good. I'm… I'm glad. I’m glad you’re happy.”
There was another pause. Adagio bit her lower lip, unsure what to say next.
“Pinkie got me a part time job at the bakery where she works,” Sonata continued. “It's not much, but it's something. And she's letting me stay at her house. Buuut one of her sisters kinda creeps me out, another one doesn't really like me, and the last one keeps borrowing my panties in what I think is an attempt to feel pretty.” She hesitated. “And I feel kinda bad taking up space on her floor. Can I… move back in with you?” she pleaded, clasping her hands together. “I can help with rent…”
Adagio smiled. “Well, I've moved out since then, and my new place is a little smaller; but I bet I can find you some space somewhere in my bedroom.”
Sonata perked up. Sharing a bedroom was something they did back when they were actually somewhat friendly with each other—back when they were sisters—and if Adagio was offering again… “F- for realsies?”
Adagio nodded. “For realsies.”
Sonata seemed to vibrate with happiness. “I'll get my things!”




“S- something like that,” she said.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Well, it's great that the band is getting back together,” she said sarcastically, pulling her shirt back on.

Adagio frowned and held out a hand. “You don't have t-”

Rainbow snatched a sandwich off the plate and walked away. “Not in the mood anymore, Adagio.”

Sonata giggled. Adagio glared.

That glare intensified as Sonata started to rap. “Oh, poor Adagio, her life is such a wreck / She teased Rainbow a bit too much and now she'll have no s-”

Adagio slammed the door shut and stomped off.
> Chapter 15
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow kicked the tail of her board, popping the front end up into her hand. She inhaled, held it for a moment, and exhaled slowly. It felt good to be back.

Next to her, Adagio Dazzle watched. “So this is skateboarding?”

“Yep!” Rainbow said. “Speed and awesomeness at once. It's great.”

“I guess,” Adagio said, tapping the concrete with the toe of her shoe. “After swimming in the ocean for most of my life, most land stuff just seems so… stilted.”

“Well, this isn't stilted. It's really smooth.” She spun the wheels to prove her point, then dropped the board and stepped on it. She pushed off, and dropped into the bowl. She flew down the side, came back up the other side, got plenty of air but as she was still warming up she didn't try anything else, then came back across, leaned enough to leave the bowl, and skidded to a stop. “You wanna try?” she offered.

“Sure.” Adagio said, tying a knot in the side of her shirt in preparation.

Rainbow kicked the board over, and Adagio stopped it. She put a foot in the board.

“You ride goofy,” Rainbow said.

“I what?”

Rainbow pointed. “Right foot forward.”

“Is that wrong?” Adagio asked.

“Not really. It's just… goofy.”

“Ha.” Adagio adjusted her weight and put her left foot on. “How hard can it be?”

These words had no sooner left her mouth than they came to bite her; the board slipped out from under her, shooting across the park, and in her desperate grab for balance, she grabbed Rainbow around the neck, nearly pulling her down on top of her.

“See that?” Rainbow said, pulling Adagio up. “That's exactly how not to do it.”

Unfortunately, Adagio's skateboarding performance that afternoon could be summed up as ‘how not to do it’; falls and scrapes seemed to be the order of the day. And then when she did manage to glide, she learned very quickly that she did not know how to steer when she tried to swerve to avoid a stair rail, overcorrected, and slammed into it instead, hanging herself over it and letting Rainbow’s board trickle down the stairs riderless.

“I can give a three hour concert wearing six inch pumps,” Adagio groused, rubbing through her shorts where she'd hit. “Why can't I balance?”

“It's a new thing,” Rainbow said, bringing her board back. “Takes some getting used to, that's all.”

“I should be good at adapting to things,” Adagio grumbled. “My girlfriend used to be my greatest enemy.” She bumped Rainbow with her hips.

“Eh, it'll come with time.” Rainbow picked her board up and sized up the rail. She bet she could do that.

She didn't notice Adagio looking expectantly at her. She put a foot on the board and was just about to push off when she called out. “Rainbow?”

“Yeah?”

She came a little closer. “That was an implicit invitation to touch my butt.”

“Oh.” Rainbow did so, giving her a gentle squeeze. “Sorry. Still new at this.”

“Don't apologize. You're doing great.” Adagio rested a hand on Rainbow’s hips. “Just remember, I want to be adored. Show me you want me. I like being touched, and I like it spontaneously, just like you like spontaneous verbal affirmation.”

Rainbow stared flatly. “It takes more than a compliment to get me going.”

Adagio reached out and caught her hand, and held it up to her chin. “Maybe it just has to come from the right person,” she whispered. “Someone who knows you, who's seen all of you, and knows how awesome you are. Someone who's earned your trust and fierce, undying loyalty; someone who's had the honor of sharing the same bed as you.”

Rainbow shuddered. Ok, so maybe she wasn't wrong about that. In an attempt to avoid getting too flustered, she pulled her hand free, kicked the skateboard down, and hopped on. She could almost hear Adagio’s smile behind her.

A few simple tricks later, she rolled over to the drinking fountain to get a drink. There wasn't a line, most of the others here had brought sodas or energy drinks. Something occurred to her, and she quickly skated over to where Adagio stood in the shade. “You know what I just realized?” she said suddenly.

“What?”

“I haven’t seen you drink your energy drinks recently.”

Adagio looked up, trying to remember the last time she had, and she frowned as she realized she had to agree. “You’re right,” she said slowly. “I haven't.” She pursed her lips. “Haven't needed them.”

“Do I make you feel alive enough without them?” Rainbow asked, waggling her eyebrows.

“Well, life is pain…” Adagio lifted her shorts to dangerously high levels, showing the bruise from the rail (and nearly making another kid crash), “and I've had plenty of that today. So yes, you've done that part.”

“Well, life is also good, and so is food, and I'm getting hungry.”

Adagio pursed her lips as she dropped her shirt. “Ugh, Sonata’s working tonight, they called her in for a party. Wanna pick something up on the way home?”

“I'd rather go back to your place first and get delivery.”

Adagio purred and hung her thumbs on the waistband of her shorts, preemptively sliding them a bit lower and revealing more of her midriff. “Ooh, so eager. I like it.”

“More like it's my turn to pay and I forgot my wallet in my skirt.” Rainbow waggled her eyebrow. “That's not a ‘no’, though.”

And now it was Adagio’s turn to touch a butt. “Or, I'll pick up the tab this time, and we can speed things up a bit,” she offered.







Naked Chinese food was the best kind of Chinese food, Rainbow decided. They sat on Adagio's bed, both completely naked (and a little sweaty), eating their food. It had cooled a bit due to how long round one had gone, but Adagio (having lost their game of Rock Paper Scissors) had the dubious honor of streaking to the kitchen to reheat it.

Sonata still wasn't back, so it hadn't been too weird; but it had been a nice sight, and food just seemed so much better when presented to you by someone naked.

Like many things, Rainbow had elected to turn this into a competition. When Adagio looked like she was going to eat her meal with chopsticks, Rainbow decided that she'd do the same. In hindsight, this hadn't been her best choice.

“Agh,” she grumbled as yet another piece of chicken landed on her chest. “How do you get these things to work?”

Adagio picked up a single grain of rice and flipped it around the chopstick. “Lots and lots of practice.”

“I'm about to start eating this with my hands,” Rainbow grumbled as another piece of orange chicken attempted a great escape. This one made it almost to her belly button before being caught by her fingers (and in turn smearing more sauce on her skin). Rainbow scowled at it before popping it into her mouth.

Adagio gently took the tray away and set it on the bed, gently pushed Rainbow back against the wall (Adagio didn't have a headboard on her bed), leaned down, and began cleaning the sauce off her body with her tongue.

Rainbow inhaled through her teeth as Adagio got a bit enthusiastic with her cleaning. “Want to go again?” she asked breathlessly.

Adagio chuckled and withdrew. “I'm eating spicy beef, Rainbow. I'm all for a little spice in the bedroom, but I do draw the line at giving my partner chemical burns anywhere sensitive.”

Rainbow scowled, but had to admit that that didn't sound particularly appealing. She picked up another piece and was unsurprised to lose her grip on it, as well.

She looked up just in time to watch Adagio drag a piece of beef across her own collarbone. She looked down at the streak of sauce it had left, then looked up at her. “But, since we're both a bit dirty, we can shower together after we're done,” she offered.

Rainbow grinned. “Works for me.”
> Chapter 16
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Competitions didn’t have to be purely physical to be fun. Still, there was nothing like the heart-pounding effects of a good race.

Except when you lost.

Adagio’s eyes widened as the little symbol for ‘approaching hazard’ appeared behind her kart. “No, no, no, no, no!” she protested, but the green projectile slammed into the back of her racer, sending her spinning... and letting Rainbow’s racer dart ahead. Try as she might, it was too close to the finish line, and when she crossed it, the times blinked on the screen, showing that her kart had dropped from first place to fourth. “How-?!” She looked disbelievingly between the screen and Rainbow. “That wasn’t even a homing one!”

Rainbow just laughed uproariously.

Adagio scowled as her losing streak now increased by one (and the scores tallied and her racer slid down a slot); but quickly managed to control herself again. “Ha. Bet you wish you’d agreed to play strip-racing after all, huh?” she ribbed.

Rainbow chuckled. “Nah. I know Pinkie’s schedule.” She checked her watch. “Party’s over and cue Sonata-”

The door burst open. “Who’s up for leftover cake?” Sonata shrieked, holding the tray overhead with both hands. Had she kicked in her own door? 

“-now,” Rainbow finished.

“That better not be buttercream, or you’re eating it now or burning it all,” Adagio called. “That does not go in my fridge.”

“Fight me and my buttery-creaminess!” was Sonata’s only reply.

Rainbow shook her head. For an ever so brief moment, she regretted being an only child. As annoying, irritating, and frustrating as Sonata was, she was part of her life now.

Adagio gently took Rainbow’s wrist and held her hand up against her chest. “I’d be completely topless right now, all I’m saying,” she said softly. 

Rainbow flinched and quickly pulled her hand away. She glanced over at Sonata, checking if she’d seen, but she was in the little kitchenette, her back to them, shoveling cake into her mouth.

Adagio raised an eyebrow, but then realized. “She knows.”

Rainbow jumped. “She knows?!”

“Knows what?” Sonata asked. “That you two are like-” here she held up both hands above her head with her fingers pointed like a V, and aggressively jammed them together, complete with some very un-sexy grunting. 

Rainbow sighed and rolled her eyes. She hated sirens. 

“Haven't tried that one yet, actually,” Adagio mused. 

Rainbow choked. She really hated sirens. She looked over at Adagio, jaw dropped, flushing bright red and wordlessly demanding an explanation. 

Adagio shrugged. “You're cute when you're blushing.”

Rainbow resisted the temptation to throw her controller at her. She turned back to Sonata. “Who else knows?” she demanded weakly. 

Sonata held up one finger. “Pinkie.”

Rainbow grunted. Pinkie would know. 

“And that's it,” Sonata said. She shoved another piece of cake in her mouth and spoke without swallowing. “I figured you wanted to come out in your own way, and I should respect that.”

Rainbow blinked. That... was surprisingly nice of her.

“Also I know your friends are going to freak that you’re sleeping with a siren.”

Rainbow looked at her flatly. “We do more than just that, Sonata.”

Adagio grinned. “But we are good at it.”

Rainbow did throw her controller this time. But then she started thinking. “You’re right,” she said. “I haven’t told them, and I really should.”

Adagio nodded. “How are you going to do it?”

Rainbow tapped her chin in thought. “I’m sure I’ll think of something. Come on, we’ve got another race in this cup.” She looked around. “Where’s my contr-?”

Adagio looked at her innocently, feigning ignorance about the controller down her shirt. “What?”







“Hey, girls. Remember how we used to give Rarity flack for wanting to find a boyfriend?” Rainbow struck a triumphant pose and jabbed her thumb at herself. “Well, I beat her to it.”

“Rainbow?”

“Yeah?”

Adagio pointed down to her crotch. “Not a boy.”

Rainbow pursed her lips. “Right, right.”

“You've seen.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You've tast-”

“Alright, it wasn't a good choice of words, I get it!” Rainbow grunted in irritation and dragged her hand through her hair. “Let me think.”

Adagio retrieved a nail file and didn't say anything, but a little smile played at her lips. This had been going on all morning, and it was pretty entertaining. As much as Rainbow played it cool, she really did care about her friends, and she definitely wanted to do it right.

Rainbow paced a little more around Adagio’s room. “Gotta think of something. Uh, how about, hey, girls, I've been seeing someone.”

“‘Seeing someone’? That's a bit dated.”

“Ok, ok. Uh, try… Hey, girls. This is Adagio Dazzle. She's my girlfriend.”

Adagio inspected her fingernails. “I think they know who I am by now.”

“Ugh!” Rainbow buried her face in her hands. “This is crazy. Why is this so difficult?”

Adagio shrugged and retrieved her phone from the floor, tugging it free of the charger.

“I just…” Rainbow exhaled. “I hate to say it, but Sonata’s right. I don't like keeping it a secret. Us a secret. It feels wrong.”

Adagio smirked. “Ooh, so proud of landing me you just have to share it with the world.” She buffed her nails again her shirt. “Well, I am quite the catch.”

“Something like that,” Rainbow said flippantly. “But none of my ideas sound good!” She started pacing again. “Ok. How about, hey, girls, meet my newly reformed-?”

“Pass,” Adagio interrupted loftily as she poked at her phone. “That makes me sound like a declawed cat.” She raised her hand and meowed.

“Well, it worked for Sunset Shimmer!” Rainbow threw her hands up in defeat. “Alright, how would you do it?”

A devilish smile crossed Adagio’s face. “Funny you should ask,” she said, pushing a button on her phone.

Rainbow's phone buzzed with a group message. She pulled it out and flipped it open.

Her heart stopped at the sight. Adagio was laying on her bed, on her side, smiling at the camera with seductive, half-lidded eyes. She was pointing at the bed in front of her, and the accompanying message? “Lost: Rainbow’s Virginity. Last seen here ⬇️”

Rainbow stared, slackjawed. That was her idea?! She slammed the phone shut, as if that could keep that image hidden forever.

Her phone buzzed again, a response to that picture. Rainbow looked at Adagio, betrayal crushing her.

Adagio just smiled.

Far from comforted, Rainbow flipped it open again. It was from Sonata. She had sent a picture from where she was in the kitchen. It was a selfie, and she was making a rude hand gesture to the camera, with the accompanying text “keep it up & ur nxt msg will be ‘found; 1👢 up my 🍑‘ ”

Now that she saw it again, she saw that the group text was just her, Adagio, and Sonata. No one else had gotten it, and definitely not her friends.

Adagio wrapped her arms around her from behind. “I'm teasing,” she said comfortingly. “We'll tell them how and when you want.” She paused, and then a little smile crossed her face. “If you did want to do a post-sex selfie, though, it'd be best to do it sooner rather than later. I bet I could go for-”

“We're not doing that,” Rainbow said flatly.

Adagio shrugged. “Suit yourself.” Her hands drifted lower. Her right hand slid under Rainbow’s shirt and she gently dragged her nails across her skin before pulling back. Rainbow inhaled, enjoying the sensation, but refusing to be distracted for long.

As she continued spitballing ways to tell her friends (she was currently debating having Pinkie Pie set up a ‘I like girls’ party for her and having Adagio bring in the cake), Adagio reached under her shirt and made a surreptitious adjustment. She slid her bra off her body and down the back of her shirt, making sure to keep it out of Rainbow’s sight. She reached up and pulled her shirt tightly across her breasts, letting her nipples poke through the fabric. “Maybe you should take a break, do something a bit different,” she purred. “I'd be happy to help with anything you'd like to do.”

Rainbow stood up. “Actually, yeah! I think I'll go for a run. That always helps clear my mind.” She hurried over and pulled on her running shoes, quickly laced them up, and looked up expectantly. “You’re coming, right?”

“No, I meant…” Adagio winced, dropping her hands and resigning herself to a very long, exhausting evening, with lots of Rainbow waiting for her and doing burpees and jump-ups while Adagio struggled breathlessly to catch up. “I'll… get my tennis shoes.”

Rainbow started the run as she did most of them, jogging in place by the bedroom door as Adagio made her way over.

However, she did something unexpected as Adagio reached for the doorknob. Rainbow grabbed her from behind around the waist, and with a quick little pop of her hips, threw Adagio onto the bed. She landed with a startled grunt, face down on the bed, with Rainbow sitting on her back.

“Just kidding,” Rainbow said, resting her hands on Adagio’s back and grabbing a fistful of her sportsbra strap. “I knew what you were actually offering.”

Adagio rolled over underneath her and scowled. “You're a filthy tease,” she said, but one side of her mouth twitched up in a proud smile.

Rainbow smirked. “I learned from the best.”

Adagio smiled and touched the tips of her fingers to her chin. “You're too kind.”

There was a brief pause.

Rainbow slid back a bit. “No, seriously, though.” She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder. “Take your shirt off or I will go for a run.”

Adagio grinned as she grabbed the hem of her workout shirt.







Sonata opened the door and grinned. “Hi Adagio! Smells good!” she said.

Adagio grinned. “It's just rice with a little garlic. But yeah. It's pretty good.”

“Someone’s in a good mood.”

Adagio shrugged. “It's been a good day.”

“I'm sure,” Sonata said.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Adagio asked.

Sonata spun Adagio’s discarded bra around her finger. “I dunno.”

Finally realizing what she was getting at, Adagio ignored her.

“I think Rainbow Dash has been good to you. You're not a complete butt all the time anymore.”

“Stuff it, or I will burn your rice,” Adagio threatened.

Sonata shrugged and skipped away.

‘Burn your rice?’ Adagio scowled at nothing in particular. She was getting soft.
> Chapter 17
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was simple. It was effective.

It was making Rainbow much more nervous than it should have. All they were doing was walking up to her friends while holding hands. It was unmistakable what the message was.

Unmistakable, and very public.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Adagio asked gently.

“Yeah,” Rainbow said. “It's been too long. They've got to know.”

Adagio looked over at the school. “Well, the bell for lunch did ring about ten minutes ago, so if you wanted to wait or-”

“No, no,” Rainbow said, starting to walk. “I'm ready. I’m doing it. Let's go.” With that, they started walking across the field over to the exterior door of the cafeteria. A few people eating outside did double-takes, but for the most part, the only sound was their shoes on the grass.

“Kinda surprised you went for this,” Rainbow said suddenly.

“Why?” Adagio asked.

“You're back here, at Canterlot High. Surrounded by people you tried to mind control. You even had to get someone to cover your shift at the Sub Station. So you're walking into a room full of people who aren't exactly your biggest fans, and you’re not getting paid. And if Principal Celestia catches you-”

“If. If she catches me.” Adagio merely smirked. “But aww, you're worried about me. That's so sweet.”

Rainbow elbowed her in the ribs.

Adagio’s smirk didn’t fade at all. “Feeling better?” she asked.

There was a brief pause. “A little,” Rainbow admitted. It was a little scary just how well Adagio got her.

But the time for thinking was past. They were at the entrance to the cafeteria, and it was now or never. After a quick breath to steady herself, Rainbow took Adagio by the hand and pushed the door open.

It was about as bad as she'd feared, if not worse. The door squeaked loudly as she opened it, drawing the attention of everyone in earshot. People stopped and stared, even dropping silent mid-conversation to turn and look. It was like they were a stone falling into a pond, except making widening ripples of silence instead of ripples of water.

“Alright,” Rainbow said quietly, grabbing tighter onto Adagio’s hand. “Stay cool,” she breathed. “Stay cool.”

“I am cool,” Adagio answered under her breath.

“I'm talking to myself.”

After what felt like a full mile over the green tiles of the cafeteria, they arrived at the table where all of Rainbow’s friends sat.

The reactions were… somewhat unexpected.

Pinkie was the first to notice. She gasped excitedly and rapidly nudged Sonata, drawing her attention and that of the rest of the people at the table.

Sonata had known already, obviously. But apparently she had been expecting something else; she scowled at them, scowled at Pinkie, dropped the mayonnaise packet she'd been sucking on, irritably pulled out her wallet, and passed Pinkie a five dollar bill that she took no care to keep straight.

Frankly, Rainbow would have accepted it as part of Pinkie’s natural Pinkie tendencies if she had proceeded to pull out cupcakes with frosting matching their hair as part of an impromptu celebration. She happily put the cash from Sonata in her hair, though, so the cupcakes option was less likely. She did give them two congratulatory thumbs up, though.

But the real surprise came when Rarity and Sunset each stood up. They each extended a pointing finger. “I knew it!” they cried in unison.

There was a brief pause. 

“Ugh!” Sonata groused, letting her head hang back and groaning at the ceiling. Sighing, she dug her wallet out again, pulled out another bill, and shoved it in Pinkie’s general direction.

The sudden shout (or was it the fact that it sounded like this scenario had been expected?) sent everyone else back to their normal conversations, and the cafeteria noise quickly picked back up into the normal dull roar. Rarity and Sunset shared an awkward look and sat down again, but they were still looking at each other, each silently asking the other how she’d known. 

“She'd quit complaining-” Sunset started.

“And seemed so much happier-”

“I'd just assumed they'd worked it out.”

“I mean, I'd certainly hoped…” Rarity said. “I knew it was something when she was late for Fluttershy’s sleepover.”

“Maybe a little, uh…” Sunset spun her wrist around, trying to think of the word.

“Faster?” Rarity suggested. 

“Deeper of a relationship than I'd thought,” Sunset said, clearly choosing her words carefully, “but yeah. I guess it worked out well.” She smirked. “Guess friendship is magic.” She waggled her fingers at Rainbow. “You started by making a friend, and now, poof,” she spread them wide, “you've got a girlfriend.”

“Ha, ha,” Rainbow said sarcastically, dropping into a seat.

Pinkie whispered something to Sonata that sounded vaguely like ‘scissors’ and ‘magic’ and Sonata laughed so hard she choked on her mayonnaise packet.

As Pinkie gave Sonata back blows, Fluttershy toyed with the tines of her plastic fork. An embarrassed smile played at her lips. “I… had also entertained the possibility,” she admitted sheepishly, and mumbled something under her breath that sounded like ‘cute together’.

Applejack looked between the two, and raised a hand halfway. “So, am I the only one kinda blindsided by this?” she asked, her voice seemingly the only one far above a whisper.

There was another brief pause.

“It looks like it,” Fluttershy said apologetically.

Applejack looked once more at the two and smiled wryly. “Welp, guess that's a thing, now.” She kicked off the ground to push her own chair out a bit, giving the two a little more room to sit, and then turned back to the group. “Anyone else completely flummoxed by the trig homework Cheerilee gave today? ‘Cause I can't make heads nor tails of it.”

“You are using degrees on your calculator, right?” Fluttershy suggested. “Tennis Match had hers in the wrong mode and got some really weird answers.”

“I dunno. Borrowed Rainbow’s for class today.” She pulled it out and held it up for inspection.

Rarity took it and examined it, and she found the problem instantly. “It's in radians, darling. We're supposed to be in degrees.” She looked at Rainbow.

Rainbow shrugged. “It said ‘rad’. I figured that was how you said ‘cool’ way back when.” She shrugged again. “It's an old calculator,” she said, by way of explanation.

“And you wanted your calculator to say rad… why?” Applejack prompted.

“So it'd be as cool as I am,” Rainbow answered as if were obvious.

Adagio couldn't help but chuckle. Still, it  was a new experience. There was no staring, no suspicious looks, no freaking out; just… acceptance.

From this table, anyway. She could feel the stares and hear the whispers behind her. But right now, this was the only table that mattered.

She met Sonata’s eyes and smiled. She could get used to this.