"Could you spare some change?" I do my best to look pitiful and shiver in the night wind. The woman in the car looks me over.
"What for?" She askes.
"My family is gone," I tell her, putting all the sadness I can muster into my act. "I don't have any friends here, and I need food." The woman's face softens.
"Hold on a minute," she responds, ducking into the interior of her car to find some change for me. I don't break character, keeping on my sad face until she reappears.
"Take care of yourself, sweetheart," she advises me as she gives me three dollars and some coins. I take it gratefully.
"I will," I promise. "Thank you." The light turns green before she can reply, so she just waves as she zooms forward. I watch her car disappear into the traffic, then I sit down on the side of the street.
"Whoever thought I'd be reduced to this," I mutter, clutching the money in my fist. "Stuck in a different world, lying to people for money." I think technically it's not lying, though. My family is way back in Equestria, and I do need money.
But I do have friends here. Sonata Dusk and Aria Blaze are on different streets, swindling people like I'm doing now. Though if I know Sonata she'll be with Aria or in her way to me by now.
I stand back up as the rush of cars slows again. It's still a foreign concept to me, this transportation. I don't like it that much.
"Excuse me." I approach an orange boy who looks a little younger than me. "Could you spare a few dollars for me? I don't have any family or friends here, and I need to eat. Just a little bit for some fast food?" The boy frowns.
"I don't know," he replies, smoothing back his spiky blue hair as he thinks.
"That's alright," I tell him softly. "I know not everyone can spare money." He looks up at me.
"Sure," he says, smiling slightly. "It won't hurt to part with a few bucks." He hands over a five dollar bill.
"Hey!" The elderly lady in the car behind him calls to me, "I have some extra change! Go buy yourself a burger, dear!" I rush over to her and take the cash she offers.
"Thank you!" I tell her, putting emotion into my voice. "This will help a lot."
"I hope it will." She winks at me, though I'm not sure why. We aren't sharing secrets or anything.
When the light turns green again, I count my collection. Twelve dollars and fifty two cents. I am not exactly sure of the value of food in this world, but it seems like a decent amount.
"Maybe I should find Aria and Sonata," I murmur to myself. As I debate this, I turn my gaze to someone walking down the street. He's a boy who looks about a year younger than me, with light blue skin, blue hair, and a white shirt with a planet on it. I'm assuming that's his cutie mark, since my own appeared on my clothes too.
As he gets closer, I suddenly feel nervous.
"Calm down, Dazzle," I tell myself quietly, so he can't hear me. "He's not a threat."
"Who are you?" The boy asks me. I look up, startled.
"I, uh, I'm in need of money," I explain. "Can you help me?" He stops walking.
"Your name is 'in need of money'?" He replies in a country accent. I roll my eyes.
"No, it's not. If you need to know, it's Adagio. Adagio Dazzle."
"Nice to meet you," he responds. "So tell me, Adagio, why do you need money?"
"My family's gone and I don't have any friends here," I tell him, repeating the same story I've told everyone else I've met tonight. "I really need some food." As I talk, I look at the extra details of his appearance. Even before I was banished to this cruel, cruel world, I enjoy analyzing new ponies- or people. His eyes are gold, and his shirt is trimmed with green, which matches his hippie headband on his head. I didn't notice earlier that his hair is long and he wears it in a ponytail, but not like Aria or Sonata do.
"What happened to your family?" He asks. I'm taken aback.
"What?"
"Why are you all alone?" He asks. I cross my arms.
"I don't want to talk about it," I tell him, hoping he'll drop the subject. To my annoyance, he doesn't.
"Talkin' about it is the first step to healin'," he explains. I grit my teeth and try to act sad and reluctant. Who is this guy, some sort of physiotherapist?!
"My family, well, there was this terrible fire last month," I sat down on the cold pavement, and he does too. "And I was the only one to..." I trail off and sniffle for dramatic effect. "...to survive." The boy nods.
"An' it's been hard for you to find a job?" I am actually surprised by this question.
"Uh, well, do you know of, um, any job for me?" I actually want to inform him that I do have a job- I am one of the most high-ranking singers in Equestria. Well, I was. But I keep silent and tell another lie.
"That depends." He smiles slightly. "Do you like animals?"
Finally, a question I can answer honestly! Out loud, I tell him, "Not really." He nods.
"Well then, I can't help you with a job," he responds. I'm secretly thankful about that. A job in this wretched place? As if!
"Do you think you could spare me some change? For a burger?" I ask him again.
"You're lying." He folds his hands in front of him and glares at me.
"What? No I'm not!" I scramble to my knees. "I really need the money!"
"Adagio Dazzle, this here's a pretty small town. It would be everywhere if there'd had been a fire last month. And no offense, but you don't look like the type to make a trek to here when you could stay in your hometown with more money." He stands up, and so do I. "So tell me, Miss Dazzle, what exactly are you doin' stealin' money from these people?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you!" I snap.
"Try me," he responds. I pull on the strings of my hoodie as another gust of wind blows through the night.
"Would you believe me if I told you I'm from a different world, banished here with my two best friends for a crime we didn't commit?" I ask him harshly. I watch as his face softens up like that lady's did earlier.
"Maybe," he answers in a softer voice. "So you really do need the money?"
"Yeah." When I respond my voice is softer as well. "Just for a different reason than what I've been telling everyone. And just so you know, I'm not usually prone to lying all the time." He smiles.
"You and your friends could go to school," he suggests. "My high school, Canterlot High School. You can go there."
"They don't have schools for poni- people my age where I come from," I tell him. He grins.
"There's a first time for everythin', right? And you can get lunch at noon." I briefly wonder if human lunch is edible, then I shake the thought off.
"That sounds, uh, nice. I just need to find my friends. They're on some other streets."
"I can help you," the boy offers.
"I guess so," I respond. "Hey, you never told me your name."
"Captain Planet, at your service," he tells me, putting his hand up to his forehead and slicing the air. That's probably how humans salute. "Adagio's a pretty name, by the way."
"Thanks." I let a smile form on my face. Nobody's every complemented my name before. Why would they? It's not like Aria would ever come up to me and tell me my name's nice.
As we begin to walk down the sidewalk to find Sonata and Aria, I think, If this world has people like Captain Planet, I think I'll like it here after all.
Author's Note
In case you don't understand why this is an AU, the Dazzlings don't have their jewels and they didn't commit whatever crime they were banished for.
Captain Planet is a background human:
I hope this was an enjoyable read! :3
How Adagio Wound Up in the Horrible Place
I woke up to the sounds of rain tapping on my window.
"Stupid rain," I grumbled. "Stupid life." As I got up, I realized that it wasn't rain.
"Open up, Miss Dazzle!" A guard shouted. "Princess Cadence demands your presence immediately."
"What?" I replied in shock. I cantered over to let them in. As soon as I pulled open the door, however, one of the several guards awaiting me grabbed my hoof.
"What the buck is this?" I yelled as he tugged me along. One of the younger guards, an orange Pegasus, explained, "We have been instructed to keep an eye on you, Miss Dazzle. Princess Cadence will deal with you."
"I didn't do anything!" I snapped at him.
"Quiet!" the guard towing me roared. I shut my mouth and glared at the back of his shiny crystal head. I had been around the palace enough to know these ponies meant business.
Now, what did I do? I tried to think of something that would be worthy of Cadence's attention. When me and Aria convinced those vendors to hoof over some crystal honeycombs for free? Hey, we were hungry? Or that time when Sonata and I-
"Aargh!" I was caught off guard when the guard suddenly stopped. I barely avoided stumbling into him.
"Presenting Miss Adagio Dazzle!" the orange Pegasus announced. I rolled my eyes.
"Adagio." I hadn't really noticed Princess Cadence sitting on her throne until she spoke. I quickly bowed.
"Your majesty," I said in a humble tone. "Why exactly did a horde of guards storm into my room and carry me here?" I wasn't sure if I wanted her to laugh or not, but she didn't.
"I think you know why you're here," Cadence replied calmly.
"No, I do not," I retorted, remembering at the last moment I was talking to a royal and this probably would not help matters.
"For realzies you guys? Put me down!" I cringed as I heard Sonata's high-pitched voice ring our through the crystal corridors. I slowly turned to see my friend (is she really a friend? I'm not sure) being set down on the floor by some guards.
"Adagio!" She exclaimed upon seeing me. "These meanie guards just barged in and took me! I put up a good fight though!" I rolled my eyes again.
"Oh hello, Princess!" Sonata added, quickly bowing. "What brings us to your humble abode?" She giggled, and I rolled my eyes again.
A few seconds later, Aria was dragged in by her tail.
"What did we do this time?" She asked in her brooding voice.
"As far as I know, we're innocent," I told her, casting a meaningful glare at Cadence. The pink alicorn seemed immune to my gaze.
"Last night, there was an attempted robbery of the Crystal Heart," Cadence stated solemnly. As she spoke, she approached us. "When the Crystal Heart could not be stolen, the thief, or thieves, resorted to the theft of several powerful artifacts." Princess Cadence looked us in the eye, one by one. "Emerald Glaze, present the evidence, if you will."
"Certainly." I watched a buff stallion emerge from the shadows. He wore a crystal jacket and a crystal hat that mad whim look like a detective.
"These hairs," he began, producing three rather long hairs from his jacket, "were found at the scene of the crime." I gaped at this "evidence." One of the hairs was orange and rather frizzy. The second was a sky blue color, and the third was plum purple.
Just like our manes, I realized.
"Heeeey," Sonata said, stepping up to Emerald Glaze. "That looks like my hair!"
"Ugh." I watched Aria facehoof.
"Princess Cadence, I swear on Celestia's kingdom that I did not steal these artifacts!" I pleaded. "Have you not considered the fact that we were framed?" Cadence shook her head.
"Several of my citizens reported that you are... not very nice," she said. "Power hungry. Rude. I did not wish to believe such things, but these artifacts are very important. As you no doubt know, they are very powerful. Adagio Dazzle, tell me what you have done with them." She glared at me.
"We didn't take anything, Princess," Aria interrupted. Cadence sighed.
"If you three aren't willing to talk, well then, there's some place I can send you where the artifacts are useless." Princess Cadence stared at me, and I felt as if her gaze pierced into my heart. And I knew one thing for sure: wherever she sent us, I would find my way back and get revenge.
~
Captain Planet and I sat on a bench as I recounted the story of how I came to be here. Aria and Sonata had left to find a fast food place. Surprisingly enough, Captain Planet (or just Cap) was taking this all well. If I were him, I would think I was crazy.
"That's too bad about the artifacts, Adagio," he told me. "Will ya ever be able to get back home?" I started at my hands. I still wasn't completely used to them.
"I don't know," I answered. "Maybe. Maybe I'll stay here forever, with Aria and Sonata, too." I crossed my arms so I didn't look like a weak, scared, filly.
"Hey, if you have to, it ain't so bad here," Cap reassured me. "You'll make friends." I opened my mouth to respond, but Sonata and Aria reappeared at that moment, each holding greasy paper bags that no doubt held food.
"Adagio has a boyfriend!" Sonata singsonged, rocking back and forth on her heels.
"What? Absolutely not!" I stood up abruptly, crossing my arms and glaring at her.
"Shut up, Sonata," Aria muttered.
"You be quiet!" Sonata snapped back.
As they bickered, I couldn't stop a teensy smile from forming on my mouth. With Cap around, along with the reassuring sound of Aria and Sonata constantly going at it, I wasn't so sure this would be horrible after all.
