The dismissal bell had rang and Adagio had been patiently waiting behind a corner for two certain people to step out of Mr. Whooves class.

"W-Wait, Tesla!"

"Right on schedule." Adagio whispered, she peeked out from behind her corner and watched the two.

"Um... I wanted to thank you again for believing in me..." Sonata hugged him, Adagio placed her hand over her mouth in shock. "If you hadn't, then... I never would've believed in myself."

"Uh... W-well, it was nothing... I'm sure you would've done fine even without my help..." Tesla replied.

"..... No, I wouldn't have. I don't know why but when you're with me I... I feel so much smarter than normal... I really couldn't have done it without your help." Sonata's hug tightened a little, and from Adagio's view Sonata's face grew a light shade of pink. "So... Thank you, Bestie."

"Ohhh, that's so sweet." Adagio whispered to herself. "They're so cute together... Almost saddens me that I have to end their friendship during lunch." Adagio continued to watch them, Sonata looked so happy embracing her friend like this... Then her friend hugged her back, she looked ready to cry of happiness. "Oh, look at her..... I suppose we could allow her to bring a pet with us to Equestria." Adagio thought more about that idea. "Hmm... He's a polite little boy, it would be a nice change of pace to have a like-minded individual to talk to instead of Sarcasm and Stupidity."

"Hey, Bestie?" Tesla continued, Adagio started listening again.

"Yes?"

"Could you let me go soon? I have to go to class..."

Adagio saw a mischievous smirk grow on Sonata's face. "Hmm... Under one condition..." She let him go and turned her cheek to him. "Gimme a kiss goodbye?"

Tesla blushed and froze-up from her request.

"...Pffhahahaha! Oh my god, your face! Y-you look like you ate a really hot pepper right now!"

"Eh-! T-That wasn't funny!"

"Was so!" Sonata sing-songed. "Bye, Bestie!" She skipped off to her next class, being as happy and care-free as she normally was. Tesla simply stood there for a moment, then he said something under his breath and bolted.

Adagio stood silent watching him run, then she smiled with a light chuckle. "Tesla... He can be so adorable at times." She began walking to her next class, thinking over her plan to make sure there were no flaws that she missed.

"Now, why don't we talk business?"

Adagio recognized that voice. She bolted into the girl's bathroom before they'd noticed she was there and hid in one of the stalls. "Bad Boy, of all people it had to be..." Adagio silenced herself and listened... He was in the Boy's bathroom, talking to someone.

"I can't thank you enough Bad Boy! "

"Ey! Easy on the merchandise." Bad Boy ordered.

"I-I'm sorry!" The voice peeped. "Just... Make sure she gets my note, it's very important."

"Ey, who do ya take us for? The Rats don't always get the job done the right way, but we always get it done... Now, for your end o' the bargain..."

"Uh... You sure this is the best place?"

"Course it is! What's more private than the bathroom?"

Adagio raised a brow in curiosity. "(This could be interesting...)"

".....Alright, but don't bust my chops when someone calls you out. Now, whataya wanna know?"

"Dazzlings." He stated. "Tell me everythin' you know 'bout 'em."

"(What!?)"

"The Dazzlings?... I hate to bust your balls here but honestly I got nothin' on them. N-Not that we haven't tried I mean, believe me, we've tried!"

"Hmm... You gotta have somethin' on 'em." Bad Boy insisted

"Nope, nothing, zip. We looked up their names, looked for birth certificates, identification, b-but we... We found nothing!" The other boy started to sound a little panicky. "I've never had a case like this, Bad Boy! It's like they're not from this state... Hell, not from this country!"

"Woah, easy there cowboy... Now, you said you found NO info?"

"Honest to god, Bad Boy." He answered.

There was a short pause. "............. Alright. I'll make sure our 'someone' gets your note, this one's on me..."

"Oh, thank you!... Hey, hasn't your boy Tesla found anything yet?"

"Those were his orders... But somethin's been distractin' him." He explained. "... Well, I'll see ya later... I still got some business to take care of, negotiations with a client."

"Yeah... See ya. Oh, and good luck with the business." He said.

The two exited the opposite bathroom. Adagio had now realized that her cover may very well be in danger with the Rats sniffing around for any clues of her true identity. She knows she has no records... But that's not exactly a good thing in this case. If anything, this will only make her look more suspicious than if she had records. "Hmm... This could be problematic..." The bell had rung, signaling the tardy bell and the start of third period. "The bell... I'll just skip class. This school will be under my control sooner or later, then I'll be off of this Celestia forsaken rock." Adagio looked at the walls of her stall, they had various messages carved in by more than likely a sharp pencil. There were many anonymous messages, like 'I like Mr. Tuner' or 'kik me for gossip, Gabby G.' along with other things like Anarchy symbols or crudely drawn dicks... You know, common things in a highschool bathroom. "In a lady's restroom... The guys restroom must be a mess of scratches and genitals."

'Vrrr!'

Adagio took out her phone and saw that Aria had texted her. 'Coming to class?'

Adagio texted back. 'No, but don't blow my cover.'

'K. Btw, Bad Boy wanted to talk to you.' Aria texted.

Adagio looked puzzled. 'Why?'

'Wouldn't say, just said to meet him when you're off the can. His words, not mine.'

Adagio's eyes widened a little. "So he knew I was ease-dropping..."

'Oh, one last thing. He said to go to the band room, and go alone. Should I go with?'

'No, I can handle this.' Adagio typed.

'Your funeral.'

Adagio stored her phone in her pocket, and exited the bathroom. She wondered whether she would take up his offer, or ignore him altogether. "If I go there's a chance he'll call me out on the 'no identity' thing, but..." Realization slowly came to her. "If I go... He'll be ALL alone in a sound-proof environment, completely oblivious of my powers... Or even better, he'll have his gang with him! I could have the three most powerful students at their knee, ready to do my bidding..." Adagio was giddy with joy. She walked straight for the band room with a confident grin, all thoughts of threat erased from her mind. "Oh, what a wonderful turn of luck. With their help, getting to Equestrian will be sooo much easier..." She walked down the hall and into the band room. Nobody was there so she waited for Bad Boy to show himself. "........Where is that rat-faced Idi-MPHH!" A cloth muffled her, then a force hit the back of her legs causing them to buckle. Within seconds she was pinned, with her arm held behind her back in an arm lock of some kind. "(Oh no... I can't move...)" Her mouth was now gagged by the cloth and tied in a sturdy knot, she was now officially powerless. Panic had overridden any thoughts she may have been thinking of and her only priority was struggling against her binder's lock to try to break free, which was a hopeless endeavor. "(Oh Celestial please help me! I don't want this, anything but this!)" Tears started to shed. If there was one thing Adagio had feared more than anything, it was being powerless against a much stronger force. "(No! Please god no, I'm still a vir-!)"

"Keep that hold on 'er, Anarchy. Don't want her gettin' free yet." A familiar voice spoke.

"(Wait..... That voice!.)" She turned her head as far as she could, catching a glimpse of a grey hood and shrouded face. "(Anarchy... That means the other voice was Bad Boy...)" Adagio was relieved by who her captors were, if they were strangers than this would have taken a dark turn that nobody would wanna go down...

"Keep 'er still, need the skirt's hands for the last rope." Bad Boy ordered. Her arms were forced to meet, then they were tied by rope. "Alright, now set 'er up gently."

"Gotcha, boss." She was lifted rather easily by Anarchy and set against the wall. Aria definitely wasn't lying about his impressive strength, but right now that was the least of her concerns. She looked at Anarchy with pleading eyes in an attempt to guilt-trip him, but he turned away with a look of remorse. "Sorry about this, Adagio. It's nothing personal, boss's orders..."

Bad Boy knelt down and brushed her hair away from her face. "Either way, we're not gonna lay a hand on your pretty little face so long as you play nice..." Bad Boy continued. "See, we just wanna... Negotiate wit' ya..."

"Mfmphm..." She mumbled behind her gag.

"...Anarchy, give 'er some freedom. Not like it'll matter, she can scream all she wants to here..." Bad Boy smirked. "Band Room's sound-proofed, and the teacher's out..."

"(...Drat, I hate it when I'm right.)" Anarchy untied her gag and the first thing she did was scream at the top of her lungs, might as well try and call out his bluff.

....................

"Heh, almost like magic ain't it?"

"..... Yes... Like magic..."

"Ey, you try anythin' funny and Anarchy will make you REALLY scream... And not the way you'd like, unless you're into masochism." Bad Boy warned, which was followed by the soul-shattering sounds of Anarchy cracking his neck with a leer hidden under his hood. Sure Adagio couldn't see it, but she felt the freezing shivers it sent through her spine. She decided to play it safe and keep quiet, for her health, and possibly her life. "Hm, there's a good girl..." Bad Boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a sucker, unwrapped it, and popped it into Adagio's mouth.

"What are you... Cherry?"

"My favorite." He unwrapped another sucker and put it in his own mouth, letting it settle in his cheek. "Now, I hope you have an idea why you're here..."

"You called me?"

"Good guess. But that's only half the answer." He said.

"Well that is all I know, you just told me to come here alone." Adagio answered.

"Hmm... Yeah, I did didn't I?" He did l little chuckle to himself. "That reminds me, I wonder if she took the bait or not..."

"Bait?"

"Anarchy, go and wait for our guest." Bad Boy ordered, which Anarchy followed by cracking his neck and opening the entrance. "How's about a little lesson in psychology while we wait? See, I've been in this kind o' work for a couple years now. Through experience I learned the human mind is rebellious by nature... For example, if you tell it not to do somethin', chances are it's gonna do it..."

Anarchy came through the door and fell just in front of the frame with a bruise on his face, Aria stood above him. "Adagio. Where is she?"

"....... Anarchy? You still with us?"

He was silent for a few moments, then he simply got back up. "Orders?" He answered without a hint of pain in his voice.

"..... Eh, rough 'er up a bit. But don't break her apart yet, need her in one piece." Bad Boy gave him his orders, turning back to Adagio. "This might get ugly..." He warned.

Aria scowled at Anarchy. "You think you have a chance? I know how you work, you're just big talk! You use your looks to scare your enemies into submission!"

Anarchy didn't look very impressed with her accusation. "You're right, I do rely on intimidation more than I do my fists... But that's because people know better than to taunt me, they know when to stand down... Thus, I rarely ever fight in the physical sense." He wiped a drip of blood from his lip, then licked it. "In simpler terms... People know not to fuck with me, because they know better than to piss me off..." He put his hand back into his jacket pocket, sounding almost disturbingly calm. "Sadly, you do not..."

Aria's confidence was starting to deflate a little, but she was still headstrong. "You don't scare me, Anarchy!"

"Hm, I was afraid of that..." He simply stood there with his emotionless glare, giving off an ominous aura. "I'm warning you, right now. Just back-off before you get hurt..."

She reeled back a little, but she wouldn't be intimidated by him. "What's wrong, coward? Afraid to hit a girl?"

"..... I warned you." He ran at her, still with his uncaring attitude. His hands were still hidden, most likely concealing a sharp pencil or a pair of scissors. Aria took a defensive stance, hands held out in an 'X' to block him. "That won't help you." He lashed out for a quick jab, and Aria tensed to endure, but the punch never came.

"Huh?"

As soon as she relaxed, Anarchy grabbed her arms and jerked them apart, grabbed her by her temples, and head-butted her with a sick crack. She cringed and held her forehead in pain, while Anarchy stood unaffected.

"Ghh! Ah... Dammit!"

"That's for calling me a coward." He put his hands back in his pockets, sounding much more satisfied now. But, he was still stone-faced. "I'm telling you, Aria. Back-off. Now.

"Sonova... You have a plate in your head of something!?"

"Thick-headed." He stated. "I don't feel a thing."

"Yeah? Well you'll be feeling this!" She lunged at him with a flying kick, striking him in the stomach. He showed, believe it or not, emotion. His face was contorted in pain as the wind was knocked out of him. Aria vaulted off of him, causing him to fall back down to the ground. "I hope you felt every second of that, freak."

"Damn... Freakin' heels..." He got up, coughing-up spit as he held his stomach. "This is your last warning! Back-off right now, or else..."

"Ooh, getting feisty aren't we?" Aria taunted. "What happened to that cold monotone you always have? Are you losing you're cool already?"

"Tch, cheeky bitch..." He removed his right hand from his pocket, it had brass knuckles equipped. They weren't spike-tipped, instead they had rounded studs for bruising skin rather than piercing it. "I'll show you feisty." He grabbed a music stand and threw it at her like a javelin, she rolled out of the way but this gave Anarchy the window of time he needed to charge her and tackle her to the ground. He reeled his hand back, ready to take out his anger on her. "I fucking warned you... Now, you're gonna taste brass and blood." He growled.

"You don't have the balls to hit a girl!"

"You wanna fucking bet?" He socked her with his brass, giving her a nosebleed and a surprised look. "You think you're tough shit? Just because you saw the real me, you think you know my weakness?"

"You... Y-You brute..." Aria was holding back tears, though it was a dying effort. "You would hit a girl like this?... With brass knuckles?"

"You're wrong... I don't hit women, but I ain't afraid to smack the bitch outta someone who punches me in the face and has the nerve to call me a coward afterwards." He punched her again, this time in the jaw. "Ovaries or not, when someone calls me a coward they're gonna be lying belly-up with a broken nose."

Aria was sniveling with tears running down her face, but she was too stubborn to cry openly. "Alright! I'm sorry I called you a coward, just let me go already!"

"....." Anarchy got up and cracked his knuckles. "You should have took my advice, Aria."

She shakily got-up and wiped her face, her make-up smearing with her blood and tears. She wasn't done yet, she trembled in anger and balled her bloody hand into a fist. "Grr. I'll fucking kill you!" She charged him while his back was turned with the intent to kill. She threw a punch as hard as she could and... Missed.

Anarchy swiftly ducked under her and brought his brass fist under him, he trembled in rage. "Counter Punch..." In one swift motion, he turned around, still crouched, and preformed a devastating uppercut while jumping from his crouched position to add force to his blow. He put every ounce of strength he had into this attack, managing to knock Aria into the air from the force. "You're worst mistake yet, forgetting my fucking name." He K.O.'d her, if the punch didn't than the floor hitting the back of her head definitely finished the job. "Now, stay down..."

"A-Aria!?" Adagio yelled.

"Ooh, that's gotta hurt..." Bad Boy commented. "Nice work, Anarchy."

Anarchy looked at Bad Boy, then looked back at Aria. She had blood and tears dripping from her unconscious face. "... Aria..... I don't like hurting people..." Anarchy shook his head, regaining his emotionless composure. "Look Adagio, I'll make this quick. When she wakes up, you tell her never cross me again..."

Adagio shakily nodded

"And tell her... I'm sorry." He held Aria up, checking her for and serious injury. After making sure she wasn't severely injured, he sighed and muttered to himself. "Go ahead and hate me, Aria... Like everyone else does." He tied her up as well, using both rope and some leftover guitar string. He didn't bother with gagging her, she couldn't cry for help anyway. He also tied her ankles together so she wouldn't try anything when she woke-up. "Should I tie Adagio down?"

"Don't matter to me, go for it." He answered, and Anarchy began tying her ankles. She tried struggling but his grip was firm enough to keep her still. Bad Boy knelt down to Adagio. "Don't worry, you're sis'll be fine, he's a softie for people he really cares about believe it or not." Bad Boy looked over to Anarchy, he was checking Aria over again. "Ain't that right, Anarchy?"

"I have no comment." He deadpanned.

Bad Boy shook his head with a smirk, then turned to Adagio. "Now, you still haven't answered my question, doll-face... But, seein' as I have places to be I'll explain the other half for ya. See, I overheard your little plan to hypnotize the school..."

"(Great, now I'm in trouble...)"

"Well, I ain't stupid. I realized you were sayin' something else, using some kinda code to pass along a little message." Bad Boy said.

"(.....Hmm, maybe not...)"

"Code can only mean one thing, Adagio... You're up to somethin' and don't want nobody to find out... Not just some prank either, somethin' big." He lifted his shades, revealing his deep blue eyes. "I want in... And I want a cut of the dough."

"(Yes!)" Adagio had gained the upper-hand and put on her best guilt face. "Alright, you caught me... But what makes you think I would allow you to help?"

"Me and my crew got plenty to offer, from blackmail to theft... But, if dat don't interest ya..." He lowered his shades and motioned toward Anarchy. "My associate here could convince you otherwise... Or better yet!" He went straight for her chest, but he did not grope her. He was more interested in her amulet. "I bet this thing's worth quite a bit... Yeah, bet it's a real ruby too..." He examined it very closely, seeing how it reflected in the light. "Oh, and the thing's been well cut, looks like the work of a master craftsman..."

Adagio was clearly distressed by him touching the amulet. "Okay, you can help..." She said in faux defeat.

"Good choice... Now, tell me you're REAL plan." Bad Boy asked.

Adagio nodded and looked around the room, looking for some kind of... "(Idea.)" She saw a Battle-of-the-Bands poster on one of the walls. "The Battle-of-the-Bands, we plan on taking gold."

"Hmm... The Band thing, eh? So that's what you meant by 'hypnotize'... Yeah, heard about a prize for the winners. We Rats ain't much in the singin' and playin' department but I think we can find another way to help." He snapped his fingers and Anarchy approached. "Cut this fish loose, she's with us now."

Anarchy untied her binds and assisted her to her feet. "And her sister?"

"..... Eh, bring her along. Untie her first, carryin' a chick out-cold in binds ain't exactly a pretty picture to look at." He untied Aria and picked her up, bridal style.

"But something doesn't add up, she said she'd hypnotize everyone at lunch right? What was she gonna do at lunch?"

"Um..... Sabotage. Yes, sabotage the other bands..." Adagio lied. "But I'm sure you could do a better job at it than we could!"

"Hmm... Well there ya go, Anarchy." Bad Boy took out the suckerless stick in his mouth and tossed it aside, then turned to Adagio. "And you're right, we can play dirty..." Bad Boy held out his hand. "So, whataya say? We got a deal?"

Adagio grinned and took his hand, giggling to herself. "And the Rats met the Dazzlings..."

"I'll take that as a yes..." Bad Boy let go of her hand and motioned Anarchy to follow. "Battle's tonight, after school... Anarchy'll drop ya sis off by the nurse, you Dazzlings meet us at lunch and we'll talk when we're all together." Bad Boy and Anarchy exited the band room, leaving Adagio to herself.

She began laughing, giggling at first and eventually going into a full-on evil laugh. Once she calmed down she walked out of the band room with a bounce to her step. "Oh Bad Boy, so powerful yet so clueless... I couldn't have asked for a better puppet." Her eyes began to glow red, but it was very feint. "Or rather... Rodents Of Unusual Stupidity?... Nah, I like puppet better."

Author's Note

Looks like things are starting to heat up in CHS. I'll be posting the next chapter later, though an exact date won't be specified due to Steven Bomb 4 this week. See you cool cats later!